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The King of all Blogs. sign my guestbook message board IM me hit me up with an email cd reviews buds: al bill ed jen mike richard sam steve teams: ny giants ny rangers ny yankees psu photos: jay's fotolog jay's pics jenibabe's fotolog mcfresh's fotolog mik's fotolog murph's fotolog psu pics slavin's fotolog fun stuff: chappelle's show conan o'brien donnie baseball ghost cam lego porn transformers trek bikes weird nj games: nintendo playsite snood text twist bands: a perfect circle beastie boys black sabbath dimmu borgir god forbid iced earth in flames iron maiden judas priest opeth otc outkast ozzy osbourne shadows fall slayer tool zakk wylde music-related: 89.5 wsou nj 90.7 the lion wkps 93.3 wmmr philly blabbermouth bravewords concerts east crowbar infinity 1 KNAC.com metalbite metal review metal rules metal sludge the prp 4th and one records info: bwi cnn daily collegian daily record espn h-town imdb the trib History: 
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Thursday, April 29, 2004
OK here is a little political rant on something that's been bothering me ..... as you may know, there's an election coming up this year, and lately the John Kerry vs. George Bush smear tactics have heated up, mostly with rhetoric over who served their country during the Vietnam War. Each side is accusing the other of failing to do their duty, with Kerry and his people saying Bush didn't really fully serve his stint in the National Guard and didn't go overseas back in the 60s, Bush and his people saying after Kerry served in Vietnam he came back and joined all these anti-war protests .... honestly, it's getting a little ridiculous, yesterday on the floor of the Senate all these politicians got into a heated shouting match mocking the other party about it and so on, there have been ads knocking both Kerry and Bush's activities during the war .... here's the thing though: Vietnam was over 30 years ago. Why is this the biggest thing everyone is talking about? Perhaps we could have real, honest discussion and debate about each candidate's stances on real issues facing the country TODAY, not what they were doing decades ago. Just because Bush seemingly didn't want to go over to Vietnam and die in some jungle, and Kerry protested the U.S. involvmement, it doesn't make them such horrible people. A lot of young men didn't want to go over there. Do you blame them? That war divided the country ... I seem to remember hearing in history class (or maybe it was on Vh1) about how soldiers coming home from Vietnam were spit on and detested by the public at large. Many, many people, young and old, didn't believe in the Vietnam War and didn't want to die for it. It doesn't make them any less patriotic or American, and it doesn't make them less effective as leaders now in the 2000s. We have a real war going on in Iraq right now, today, in 2004, that should probably be the center of discussion. (Side note, did you hear that NFL player, Pat Tillman, died? Oh yeah, and a few others too ... like 580 or something). Anyway, we should probably be spending more time talking about the real issues concerning this war, and the candidates' stances on Iraq, as opposed to what they did in the 1960s. Obviously, Bush's reluctance to fight in Vietnam had little bearing on his decision to go to war with Iraq. It's a different time, and a different situation.
Sen. John McCain was probably the only voice of reason yesterday, here's what he said according to CNN.com: "What are we doing on the floor of the Senate? We're attacking the president's credentials because of his service that ended ... more than 30 years ago," McCain said. "I think that's wrong. I wish we'd stop it. I wish we'd just stop, at least until the fighting in Iraq is over with." He called for a bipartisan approach to "seeing this thing through because we cannot afford to fail." "At least could we declare that the Vietnam War is over and have a cease-fire and agree that both candidates, the president of the United States and Senator Kerry, served honorably -- end of story?" McCain said. "Now let's focus our attention on the conflict that's taking place in Iraq, that is taking American lives as I speak on this floor," he said. Anyway .... here's a little stat I came across in regards to the Giants drafting Eli Manning, I forgot to mention it the other day ... Did you know that of the 63 quarterbacks drafted in the first round of the NFL draft since 1967, only FOUR won the Super Bowl as the starting QB with that same team? (Troy Aikman, Phil Simms, Dan Marino, Terry Bradshaw; Drew Bledsoe won with New England but Tom Brady was the starter). That's 6 percent, by the way. And only one of those cases has occurred since the NFL instituted free agency in 1992. Just something to think about as we move into the Eli Era ......... Sunday, April 25, 2004
So how about that NFL draft? The Giants certainly didn't heed my advice ... Here's what went down: the Chargers went and drafted Eli Manning even though he said he wouldn't play for them, then the Giants go and draft QB Philip Rivers at No. 4, then trade Rivers for Manning .... oh and by the way, they also gave up their third-round pick, PLUS their FIRST rounder next year, PLUS their fifth rounder next year. I'll tell you one thing, if either Rivers or Ben Roethlisberger (he went to the Steelers at No. 11) turn out to be better QBs than Manning there'll be hell to pay .... the Giants could have had Rivers for nothing, and they could have traded down with Cleveland, took Roethlisberger later, AND gotten back a second-round pick.
So Eli, you better be damn good, just as good as your brother Peyton in fact, if not better, after all this trouble you caused. I felt bad when the fans at Madison Square Garden were booing him and he had to go up to the podium with a Chargers jersey (it was the right thing to do even if he refused to play for them, but we don't need ESPN's Chris Berman reminding us 50 times about how "classy" it was.) Eli and his father started this whole mess, though, and it's their own fault he came off looking like a whiny little baby who ultimately got his way ... he just better make up for it though, because the fans won't forget that. One newspaper column I read today even went so far as to say Eli should just be happy he wasn't born a few decades earlier, because he'd be heading to San Diego in a very different kind of draft, service in the U.S. Navy, and probably heading out overseas to fight in WWII. Let's not get too ridiculous, but the point is still valid, he needs to grow up and realize just how lucky he is. Especially given the whole Pat Tillman death just a day earlier, the Mannings really came off looking bad in this one. Anyway, that's where the Giants stand now, they're sacrificing a lot for this quarterback of the future, so it better work. We know he's talented, but Big Blue is betting the house that he will be special, as in Hall of Fame special. They're also giving up on an established veteran QB in Kerry Collins, who may only be around one more season, if that .... I feel bad for Collins as well, after he took the team to a damn Super Bowl just a few years ago. Last year's struggles can't really be blamed on him much due to the lack of an offensive line, injuries, inept coaching, bumbling special teams and a general quitting attitude by others around him. But Kerry himself did something classy by saying he'd like to stay, he'd treat Eli as a teammate and try to help him out, he thanks the Giants for giving him an opportunity to play, etc etc. Now that's class. But anyway, I'm excited for this season, but not overly excited. They were moving into a position to win big and win right away, and now I feel like they've almost taken a step backward by putting both Manning and Collins into awkward spots. Hopefully they'll both be able to handle this move well, and the veteran and the kid will be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy a little less than a year from now. Some other random draft observations: The G-Men did address their offensive line woes by taking Boston College guard Chris Snee with their second pick. Snee also just happens to be the unwed father of Giants coach Tom Coughlin's grandson, go figure. ... the Chargers used that third-round pick they got from New York to take a kicker, Nate Keading of Iowa. There's no doubt Keading is a great kicker, and the Chargers did have another third-rounder, but I still found that a little easier to swallow from the perspective of a Giants fan. ... After a steller 2003 draft that saw four Penn Staters get chosen in the first round, only one Nittany Lion was taken on the first DAY of the draft this year: CB Rich Gardner , selected by the Tennessee Titans late in the third round. Surprising, given his poor performances in two postseason senior bowl games, but ESPN's Len Pasquarelli says Gardner could most likely see some playing time in nickel packages with the Titans this season. ... As for other PSU alums, look for FB Sean McHugh and K David Kimball to be among the picks on the draft's second day. ... The Eagles traded their first-round and second-round picks to go up and take OT Shawn Andrews of Oklahoma. Are you serious? Now there's a move I hope backfires big-time. ... I was surprised to see Dallas not even bother to take a running back in the first round, passing up Kevin Jones and others to trade down. They took Notre Dame's Julius Jones in the second round. ... How about Cleveland giving up an arm and a leg to get TE Kellen Winslow II? Winslow was already starting trouble, complaining to a radio station that the Redskins promised they would take him with the preceding pick. I guess the Browns shouldn't be worried though, he is a f***in' soldier! ... Detroit made out like a bandit, trading down with Cleveland and getting WR Roy Williams and a second-round pick, then trading that second-rounder to get back up into Round 1 and taking RB Kevin Jones. ... If Jones doesn't turn out to be a bust (big if), imagine an offense of Joey Harrington throwing bombs to Charles Rogers and Williams, with Jones in the backfield. Scary. ... Congrats to the Raiders for getting OT Robert Gallery. I'll be following that guy closely, if he doesn't turn out to be an All-Pro I'll eat my words. Still though, the Raiders could definitely use a QB (Rich Gannon is like 50 and Marques Tuiasosopo is not the answer), they could've traded down from two (lots of teams would've loved to move up and take Gallery) and probably picked up Roethlisberger elsewhere. But still, a good move nonetheless. ... No Florida or Florida State players taken in the first round? Miami of Ohio, Tulane, even Western Michigan had players go in the first. Strange, but I can live with that. ... Friday, April 23, 2004
Congrats to Al for finally getting a job, he's the newest greeter at our local Verizon store ... how may he help you?
Speaking of Al, I went with him, Sean and Matt to a Mets-Expos game the other day ... it was my first Shea Stadium experience, it was everything I dreamed it would be and more ... but yeah it was cool, Mets lost of course but will still had some fun. And of course my camera batteries died as soon as we got to the stadium, I did flash a couple dumb shots of Sean on the train ride though, so they'll be on the fotolog soon I'm sure ... In other sports news, the NFL draft starts Saturday and I have to say I'm quite hyped ... I've been following the developments over the past year pretty intensely, I was even going to attempt to put together a mock draft, but I figure there will be at least a few trades that will screw up the order, so it's pointless. I just hope the Giants make a sensible move, whether they trade up or down or stay with the No. 4 overall pick ... the speculation was that they could move up to No. 1 in a trade with San Diego and take quarterback Eli Manning, but it seems the Chargers might want too much in return, and they may even want to draft Manning themselves even though his father, former NFL QB Archie Manning is saying that his son will not play for the Chargers because the organization stinks. I think his father should just stay the hell out of it, if Eli is supposedly the next superstar then he will turn the franchise around, right? The kid's never played a down but he gets to pick and choose where he plays just because his father and brother were both star QBs? He should consider himself lucky to be taken with the first pick, it's a bunch of BS. And for that reason I don't want the Giants to take Manning either, I don't really want his meddlesome father dictating what happens for the rest of his career ... I really want them to get Iowa offensive lineman Robert Gallery: 6-foot-7, 320 pounds, athletic (he was formerly a tight end), intelligent, nice guy, considered the safest pick in the draft, can help the team immediately, solves all the Giants' offensive line woes, protects Kerry Collins' blindside (their biggest problem last year), a future All-Pro .... they will likely have to trade up to get him but I say it's damn worth it. I've been pushing for this for months, even longer than the TV gurus have been, so hopefully it'll happen. But we'll see .... tune into ESPN on Saturday afternoon to see how the drama unfolds ... Last week I finished watching this miniseries called Band of Brothers, it follows this company of troops in World War II ... you may have heard about it, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg directed it and it was originally on HBO, they replayed it on the History Channel .... it really was teriffic, gives you a real sense of what it was like for young soldiers in WWII and what they went through, and it gives you a lot more detail than most war movies do, since it's broken into 10 parts ... it's much like Saving Private Ryan, I think I enjoyed it even a little more than that film, so you should definitely check it out, you can find it on DVD in stores everywhere ... Finally, I'll leave you with a review of the recently released Black Sabbath box set "Black Box" ... all eight of the original Sabbath albums featuring Ozzy Osbourne remastered, plus a DVD of early live performances, and a book featuring all the lyrics, rare photos, etc...... I simply must have this. Here's that review from Blabbermouth.net, check it out: It's this simple: without BLACK SABBATH, you wouldn't be reading this site right now. You would probably have never heard of many of the bands written about here, and in fact, most of those bands probably wouldn't exist. BLACK SABBATH, while they certainly didn't invent hard rock, created the template for what ultimately became known as heavy metal, and every one of the legions of bands that have come into being in their wake owe the Birmingham quartet something, whether it be musically, lyrically, sonically, or image-wise. Looking back, there's almost no way to measure the impact that BLACK SABBATH has had on rock music, and on popular culture as a result. Acts ranging from JUDAS PRIEST to METALLICA to KORN to DIMMU BORGIR were all directly influenced by the band rightly known as both the fathers of the genre and its greatest treasure. BLACK SABBATH were and are the first and the greatest in their particular subset of rock. It's an insult to both them, and the untold numbers of musicians and fans who were inspired by them, that they have not received their proper and deserved induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. For a long time, it seemed as if Warner Bros. Records was going to ignore their legacy too, dumping the band's Warner catalog onto the CD market in shabby, poor-sounding, featureless editions (British reissues, with slightly better sound and half-decent liner notes, were an improvement, but still no bargain). But Warner — through their Rhino reissue arm — has rectified that with the release of the mostly magnificent "Black Box", which collects the eight studio albums recorded by the classic SABBATH lineup — Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Terry "Geezer" Butler (bass), and Bill Ward (drums) — along with a DVD of early live performances and a classy book featuring extensive historical liner notes, complete lyrics and production credits, a timeline, and a plethora of rare photos. Supervised by the members of SABBATH themselves, "Black Box" is a welcome tribute to the band's landmark output from 1970 to 1978. There's a little in the way of rarities or extras except for the hard-to-find early single, "Evil Woman", which was replaced by "Wicked World" on the U.S. version of the band's self-titled debut (it seems like there's little out there in the way of unreleased tracks anyway — the SABS were apparently lucky to come up with enough material from album to album, especially as the drugs began to kick in more strongly), but the eight albums restored here have never sounded better. And whether you've heard them countless times before, or have yet to ever check them out, all eight discs are required listening for metal fans. Every doom-laden, distorted riff heard today has its roots in something that Tony Iommi (surely the most underrated guitarist and songwriter of his generation) wrote and played, while every metal singer in the world has learned something from Ozzy's haunted wail or Geezer Butler's bizarre, eerie, metaphorical lyrics. Listen to "Black Sabbath", with its eerie, desolate vocals and distorted graveyard blues, or "Paranoid" for its apocalyptic future scenarios like "Electric Funeral" and "Iron Man". Put on "Vol. 4" or "Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath" to hear how a band remains heavy yet is able to progress as musicians. And, sure, check out "Technical Ecstasy" or "Never Say Die" — the two final and lesser original lineup discs — for the sound of a band grimly trying to soldier on as their careers and relationships broke apart. And the songs: whether it's the classics like "War Pigs" or "Symptom Of The Universe", or the lesser-known album gems like "Supernaut" or "Megalomania", these are riffs and lyrics and stylistic endeavors that still sound alive and fresh and pulverizingly heavy. SABBATH has had its ups and downs over the years, its shining moments ("Heaven And Hell") and its utter failures ("Forbidden"), as has each individual original member. And while hardcore fans can mourn the transformation of Ozzy Osbourne, a metal icon in his own right, into a pop culture commodity, there's no question that he and his bandmates staged their 1998-99 reunion tour with their class, dignity, and most of all, their musical brilliance intact. The enduring power and lasting influence of BLACK SABBATH can never be taken away from, and "Black Box" sums up, in one place, why they remain the greatest heavy metal band of all time. - Don Kaye Amen brother!!!!! Monday, April 19, 2004
I'm back after a few busy days and some computer troubles.
Spent last weekend with Jen for the most part, when I wasn't working, and had an excellent time. Hope everyone had a good Easter, mine was rad. And how about the weather the past few days, eh? Rad as well. Al and I saw Kill Bill Vols. 1 and 2 in the past week ... interesting to say the least, haven't quite made up my mind yet but I think I liked them for the most part. It's a pretty unique blend of kung fu, westerns, over-the-top violence, comic books, comedy, animation and who knows what else; I think it's definitely worth checking out if you keep an open mind, and you'll have to see both of them of course. How about those Yankees huh, off to a blistering start ... well not really, they've been downright awful in just about every facet of the game, except they actually beat the Red Sox today finally. Don't worry, they'll be fine ... as they say, baseball is a marathon, not a sprint, and the Yanks are pretty much the inevitable Kenyan guy who is always there at the finish line. I threw together a couple reviews in my spare time, Clutch - Blast Tyrant and Satyricon - Volcano .... check them out here. Thursday, April 08, 2004
Jen is coming home tomorrow! Luckily I am off so we'll have at least one whole day together, I work the rest of the weekend but it will still be fun. Can't wait!!
So I lost in my NCAA pool if you're wondering .... I ended up finishing tied for third, but lost out on the money because of the first tiebreaker (total points in the first round) .... it's funny though, because the second tiebreaker was total points in the championship game ... My guess: 155 .... Final Score: 82-73 .... or for those math-challenged, 155. Oh well, there's always next year ... Here's some very exciting music news, courtesy blabbermouth.net: TOOL drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones and bassist Justin Chancellor have been jamming together for the past few months and they've already got the framework for 10 to 12 new songs, according to MTV.com. "They're very much in the infant stage, where we have all these different jams and we start piecing them together," Carey told MTV.com. "There are no true arrangements yet. We like to develop ideas, but we don't want to solidify anything too much until [singer] Maynard [James Keenan] gets involved." Although it's too early to get an overall read on the new songs, Carey described the material as heavier and more intense than the group's last disc, 2001's "Lateralus". "There seems to be a little more brute force going on in the music, rather than being lighter and more intricate like some of the stuff on the last record," Carey said. "It still has quirky time changes, but so far we've been working on really heavy stuff." Carey attributes the more aggressive vibe of the new material to TOOL's tours with such experimental bands as FANTÔMAS (featuring former FAITH NO MORE singer Mike Patton and SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo) and Sweden's MESHUGGAH. "Mike Patton and Dave Lombardo — those guys are a good, heavy influence," Carey said. "And we did most of the dates on our last tour with MESHUGGAH. They're incredibly heavy, so it was a good kick in the teeth playing with them." The as-yet-untitled effort is tentatively expected in early 2005. Plans also exist for the group to issue a DVD of footage from the "Lateralus" tour this summer. Excellent. For some very funny pictures of me, or something resembling me, go here. I'm glad I put up a message board. The response has been overwhelming. Monday, April 05, 2004
Well the team I needed in my NCAA office pool (Oklahoma St.) bombed on Saturday .... but I'm pretty sure if UConn wins tonight (and they should) I'll be assured of at least a share of third place ($15), which would be cool with me ...
So I went to see Hellboy yesterday, it was pretty rad .... some original and cool characters, and actually an interesting story (the Nazis and this Rasputin guy try to open a portal to Hell to unleash evil, a baby Hellboy comes out, he's raised by Americans and trained to become a secret government operative, Rasputin comes back to life .... well, I thought it was interesting at least) .... anyway, I recommend you check it out, I'll be looking forward to a sequel. And to think, they wanted The Rock or Vin Diesel to play Hellboy, now that would've totally ruined it .... Saturday, April 03, 2004
Best wishes to Mark Messier, who in all likelihood played his final NHL game the other night .... The Rangers captain has had a brilliant 25-year career, winning six Stanley Cup championships and becoming one of the greatest hockey players of all time. Mess will always be remembered in these parts for guaranteeing a victory in a classic 1994 playoff series with the N.J. Devils and then going on to score not one, not two, but three goals in the win .... he also brought New York its first Stanley Cup in 54 years that season .... You can say what you want about him maybe sticking around too long (he's been effective though - he scored 18 goals this season) but he will go down as one of the greatest leaders in all of sports. Thanks for the memories, Mark.
In other sports news, the two Final Four games will take place later this evening. A little update on my office pool, I correctly picked three Final Four teams (Okla. St., Duke, UConn) and am currently tied for third place (with, of all people, the executive editor, as well as a photographer). I could have a shot at taking the lead, if and only if Oklahoma State can pull out a win over Georgia Tech to get to the championship, and of course UConn must advance and win the title as well. But I'll keep you posted ..... I've also joined a fantasy baseball league for the first time with some folks at work. I wasn't thrilled about my team (it was an automatic draft), specifically my pitching staff, although my offense is the bomb. Here is a look at the Springfield Atoms' current starting lineup: C - Javy Lopez (Orioles) 1B - Albert Pujols (Cardinals) 2B - Adam Kennedy (Angels) 3B - Troy Glaus (Angels) SS - Miguel Tejada (Orioles) OF - Manny Ramirez (Red Sox) OF - Magglio Ordonez (White Sox) OF - Chipper Jones (Braves) Utility - Jeff Thome (Phillies) U - Jeff Bagwell (Astros) U - Christian Guzman (Twins) Starting Pitcher - Randy Wolf (Phillies) SP - Woody Williams (Cardinals) SP - Tim Wakefield (Red Sox) Relief Pitcher - Trevor Hoffman (Padres) RP - Kelvim Escobar (Angels) RP - Rheal Cormier (Phillies) Pitcher - Derek Lowe (Red Sox) Pitcher - Kip Wells (Pirates) Pitcher - Braden Looper (Mets) You'll notice I have a plethora of first basemen (I also have Erubiel Durazo and Craig Wilson on the bench) as well as a plethora of Red Sox and Phillies (ughh). I also have Trot Nixon on the DL. Like I said, the offense could be superb, but the pitching scares me, it's certainly not how I would have built the team had there been a live draft, or had I known when the automatic draft was taking place so I could put in some preferences. But such is life. I'll keep you updated on the team's progress as the Anal Leakage League season unfolds. While we're on the topic of work (somewhat) I should mention this whack training session I had to sit through the other day .... it's almost as if I never sat through four years of journalism/communications classes at a prestigious university, not to mention gained high honors in said classes ... but no, I have to sit through hour-and-a-half group discussions about letting "voices" be heard in stories about budget meetings and other things totally unrelated to sports. The only silver lining is that I get paid to sit through the sessions, but sometimes I don't even think it's worth it. The other day I got some CDs I had ordered in the mail: Opeth - Orchid and Iced Earth - Burnt Offerings. It was my first time ordering directly from Century Media Records and I have to say I was impressed. Not only did it cost me a total of $12 including shipping thanks to a sale, but I also received the order promptly (I had heard some bad things about how long it can take), plus I also got like three promo cds that included videos, as well as a poster of some whack band ("Eyes of Fire ... formerly known as Shiva ... featuring ex-members of Mindrot" ... pick a band already), as well as not one but two Century Media stickers. Not bad ... I recommend you check them out, if you're into that sort of thing. Finally, here is some ominous news regarding my upcoming trip to Disney World (Oh yeah - I am goin to Disney World this summer .... I rule) .... a guy who dresses up as Tigger is accused of fondling a 13-year-old girl and her mother while taking a picture. The girl, 8, didn't say anything until eight days later, which is to be expected, but somehow the mom didn't realize she had her breasts felt up until eight days later either. As for the guy's excuse: During an interview with police, Chartrand said he may have inadvertently touched the girl's breast, and added that he suffers from dyslexia, which impaired his memory. That damn dyslexia again, I heard it's the leading cause of child molestation ..... anyway, I guess I should make a mental note of this ... if Tigger could do something like this, just imagine what Piglet is capable of, that sick bastard. |