Technology Update

-Today, Amazon slashed the price of the Kindle to $139 hoping it can compete with its latest challenger, the iPad.

-I read today in the New York Times, that New Meadowlands Stadium, the new home of the New York Giants and Jets, have created an smartphone app that will allow fans to see video replays, updated statistics and live video from other games, but it will only work inside of the stadium. I think this is really cool.

Follow up from Monday

Following up on the blog post I made about Jeremiah Masoli and college football being shameless , today it was confirmed that Masoli is in fact headed to the University of Mississipi for grad school, which will make him eligible to play for one season for the Ole Miss football team. The interesting part about Ole Miss taking on Masoli, is that it is the second time coach Huston Nutt has added a play with a suspect past. Wonder how it will turn out.

Masoli's old team, the University of Oregon, has been picked by the media to defend its Pac-10 title in a preseason poll.

Sports Shorts

-Sad day for Northwestern basketball. Last night it was announced that Northwestern star Kevin Coble is giving up his final year of basketball eligibility and will not play in the upcoming 2010-11 college basketball season. Its a pretty rare decision for a player of Coble's talent level to insist on not playing rather than simply taking graduate classes to maintain eligibility. Northwestern still has a pretty good core group of players coming back and I still think they have a good chance to make it the NCAA Tournament for the first time.

There have now been 5 no-hitters (including the 2 perfect games) pitched in baseball this season. Did you know that the average attendance of the 5 perfect games is around 21,000, and well below the league average?

-With the MLB trade deadline approaching, Cubs pitcher Ted Lilly may have pitched his last game as a Cub.

-I just saw a Chicago Tribune article from last Friday, offering suggesting that the Big Ten should have its Football championship in one location, which of course will start next year when Nebraska joins the Big 10 (which will include 12 schools). Of course, there are many viable options for hosting the Big Ten Football Championship Game around the Midwest. However, I definitely agree with the article and think it would be better to have the game in one location, than to rotate sites. The Big Ten Basketball tournament, is always in Indianapolis, and I think geographically, it would make sense to also have the football game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

BP CEO to Step Down, Recieve Huge Pension

The posts I've made today center around people I think are scumbags. Today, it was announced that BP CEO Tony Hayward is going to step down from the company's top job in October 1st and will be offered a post at the company's TNK-BP joint venture in Russia. Even before the announcement, it seemed pretty sure that Mr. Hayward wouldn't have a line a people wishing him good luck in his future endeavors. More people will not like him now, as set to receive a pension of around £600,000 a year from BP after he steps down, reported by BBC business editor Robert Peston. Really, dude/sir/@$$hole, you need more money?? This definitely won't help save his image .Ever.

College Football can be Shamless

In May, I blogged about some of the troubles at the University of Oregon, including the rap sheet of UO's quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and their attempts to clean up their athletic program. Masoli, who was kicked off of the Ducks' football team on June 9th after his 2nd arrest in 6 months, is now being courted by Mississippi . By the way, Masoli's arrests were for burglary and marijuana possession. It seems crazy that Mississippi coach Huston Nutt would be willing to add a felon to his program. Jeremiah Masoli represents one of my pet peeves in college football: that a felons sometimes get countless chances.

For those who don't like college football, there is probably the same or greater ratio of players with a long rap sheets in the NFL, so this problem isn't just limited to the college game.

USC Deserves What It Gets

In the latest non-football related news about USC Football, USC head coach Lane Kiffin has been sued by the Tennessee Titans for luring away a Titans assistant football coach to become the USC offensive coordinator. The Titans' issue is with Kiffin's approach and professionalism. Kiffin is already disliked in the state of Tennessee for leaving his post as the head coach of UT to take the USC job after 1 season.

The USC job became vacant after Pete Carroll cowardly left USC in the midst of NCAA investigations centering around his star running back Reggie Bush. The NCAA came down hard on USC, and I think it was the right thing to do. Not everyone agrees though. None of the players on the USC football team played with Bush, and for the freshman and sophomores on the team, Bush might not have even been an influence. Unfortunately, the NCAA can't punish former head coaches because Carroll is the one who deserves it.

Caroll has gotten out from the accusations pretty clean. Just a few weeks ago, he was all over the various ESPN platforms to promote his new book "Win Forever," and somehow has emerged as a motivational rock star. A great column by CBS', Gregg Doyel highlights what kind of person Carroll really is . He's a scumbag and a coward who gets away with breaking rules and ruining reputations. In a lot of ways, he's just like BP CEO Tony Hayward; they are both able to walk away from their problems while others suffer the consequences. While Pete Carroll was not responsible for a national catastrophe like Hayward, he did affect the lives of his players, fans, and alumni of USC. My guess is that if Heyward published a book about his rise to the boardroom, it would not sell.



Kiffin is just as bad as Carroll, and is not just vilified in Tennessee, but around the country. This season, Kiffin will have an athletic director who appears to be serious about taking USC in a new direction. In the meantime, I'm sure many fans, myself included will be rooting for USC's downfall. As a Northwestern fan, it makes me appreciate the fact that NU coach Pat Fitzgerald does things the right way.

Monday tidbits

-In November, Proposition 19 in California will decide if the state should legalize marijuana products/activity. Relating to Proposition 19, the New York Times has an online archive of coverage, as well as an article about the divided attitudes towards Proposition 19. Proposition 19 is supported by a wide range of public officials, the California NCAAP, the Drug Policy Alliance, and the American Federation of teachers.

-Harry Caray's restaurant in Chicago is offering a $50,000 award for whoever has the puck that Patrick Kane scored to win the Stanley Cup.

-Forever 21 has announced the launch of a maternity line seen as a controversial move in a few states.

-Video of the day: A grandma in Florida skydiving on her 90th birthday .

Transformers 3 in Chicago

For the past few days, filming for the movie Transformers 3 has taken place in Chicago. Filming runs through the end of the month in downtown Chicago and a Chicago Tribune blog covers details of the filming on-goings.

Saturday Random topics

Hope everyone is having a great Saturday. Here are some random links of information:

As result of a food study, the five second rule has been called into question,Clemson University food scientist Paul Dawson found that salmonella and other dangerous bacteria can remain alive up to four weeks on dry surfaces -- like floors -- and can be instantly transferred to dropped food>. However, I still think I'll follow the five second rule, obviously I'll go "zero second rule" if its something really nasty. I feel like you can get more bacteria from touching a sink in a public bathroom or shaking hands with someone. Anyways,here's a YouTube Video of Dawson demonstrating the perils of the 5 second rule.

On the island of Corsica (its part of France, near Italy), Paris Hilton got caught with some marijuana, but released without charges...Luck of being a celebrity?

Here is a Metromix sideshow of "cheap places to eat in Chicago"

In sports today,

The Bulls signed Ronnie Brewer yesterday, the third player from last season's Utah Jazz roster to sign with the team. However, free agent Brad Miller has signed with the Rockets. The Bulls are still looking for a backup center and a backup guard.

Also, a bunch of Notre Dame athletes, including the son of Joe Montana were arrested at a party.

Cool All-Star Game Stats

During the All-Star Game, the broadcasters mentioned some pretty cool stats about some of the All-Stars:

Before the Game, the AL was unbeaten in 13 straight All-Star Games, including 7 straight wins.

David Price: youngest All-Star starting pitcher since Doc Gooden
Albert Pujols: on pace to be the first player to have 10 years straight of .300, 30 HR and 100 RBI
Ryan Howard: His 215 home runs since 2006 are the most in baseball
David Wright: last year (.307, 10 HR, 72 RBI), this year (.314, 14 HR, 65 RBI)
Ryan Braun: 1st Brewer to start 3 All-Star games in a row
Vladimir Guerrero: Most HR and RBI for anyone who switched teams with, has 11 seasons of .300 BA and 25 RBIs
Joe Mauer: 3 time batting champion, batting 7th in the AL lineup
Andre Eithier: Never played center field in the big leagues (started in the All-Star game)
Robinson Cano: 990 Hits since his debut leads Major League Second Baseman
Andy Pettitte: 103 games over .500
Josh Johnson: has won 31 of his last 40 decisions
Derek Jeter: through 36 years and 72 days, has more hits than Pete Rose (all-time hits leader)
Roy Halladay: 51 complete games since 2003, by far the most in baseball since then
David Ortiz: 292 HR as a DH, most in baseball history for a DH
Ian Kinsler: .398 career hitter at Angel Stadium

All Star Game thoughts

*I liked how FOX opened with the Steinbrenner tribute. It was a very good piece and shows that they were able to adapt on the fly with the news of George Steinbrenner's passing today.
*The player introductions are one of my favorite parts of the All-Star game and their were huge cheers for the Angels two players, Jered Weaver and Torri Hunter, as well as their manager. Red Sox and Yankees players received lots of boos. One Yankee All-star, Mariano Rivera was not in attendance even though he wasn't planning to pitch, but should've been there.
*Ichiro got a ton of applause as did former Angel Vladimir Guerrero
*As Cliff Lee was introduced, I thought of how it's probably the first time a lot of people have seen him in a Rangers uniform since his trade from the Mariners.
*I hadn't heard of Glee's Amber Riley (I don't watch the show) but she did a good job singing.
*The AL lineup was stacked; Joe Mauer (3x batting champ) batting 7th, Cano batting 8th!
*Derek Jeter's recorded introduction from the late Bob. Sheppard was awesome.
*Did I mention there's great pitching.

Being a Movie Extra in Chicago

While looking for jobs yesterday, my Mom gave me the idea of being a movie extra, as sort of a part-time, fun thing to do. I'd love to be a movie extra once; I hear the pay is good and you get to be in a movie, which would be pretty cool. So I looked into it a little more.

While Chicago isn't necessarily the first city you think of when it comes to movie production, more movies are produced in Chicago than you think. As this eHow article mentions, Chicago has a bustling and vibrant film community. As the "How to Be a Movie Extra in Chicago" article mentions, the Chicago Film Office is a great resource for finding movies filming or filmed in the city, casting calls, and a list of upcoming filmings. The Chicago Film Office also has a list of famous movies made in Chicago.

If you are interested in becoming a movie extra, Craigslist's tv/video/film section is a good place to keep looking for job posts, as well as the Chicago Film Office.

My First Sports Satire Article

My first sports satire article for jockism.com was approved and published. Check it out: MLB Forced to Stock All-Star Game rosters with Futures Game Players

Baseball gets political

The 2011 MLB All-Star Game will still be held as planned in Phoenix next year, which is not the most popular decision in the baseball community. This is not necessarily new; when the immigration law was first enacted, there was dismay about Phoenix as the All-Star location and pressure for MLB to move the All-Star Game. However, nothing happened. In mid-May, commissioner Bud Selig announced that the game would stay in Phoenix.

However, with the on-going 2010 All-Star Game, the 2011 ASG in Phoenix has been revisited. Some of the Hispanic-born have drawn notice to Arizona's immigration law and are hesitant to participate in the 2011 ASG, if selected. In a report today, Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Yovanni Gallardo vowed to boycott an Arizona All-Star game. Other players such as Joakim Soria and Jose Valverde would also support a Latino boycott.

In other news today, Selig received 100,000 petitions to move the games from Phoenix. There has been increased media coverage about the possibility of moving out the All-Star Game. The Washington Post called for Selig to take a stand against bigotry and intolerance. The article also mentions the fact that nearly a third of major leaguers are Hispanic born. The politicization of the 2011 All-Star Game was also part of Amy Nelson's ESPN's Outside the Lines story today focusing on the civil rights aspects of Arizona's Immigration Law.

The extent of the law or if it gets overturned, would help build momentum for a boycott or suppress the notion all together. I'm not sure if the All-Star Game should be moved from Phoenix just because of the law or not. Every National League team (half the teams in baseball) play at least one series in Phoenix, so latin players are constantly playing baseball there with nothing changed yet. However, the law hasn't taken effect yet, either so it is hard to tell how things will change.

Arizona's Immigration Law (SB 1070) can be read here.

New Part Time Job!

While looking for jobs, I went on Craiglist and saw the perfect job description for me. They were looking for a Writer for a Google News Sports Satire site , and I thought it would be a perfect way to have a cool part-time job where I write about sports with a funny twist to it.

I sent my resume and a writing sample in an email, and within minutes, I received a reply. They said that they liked my blog and thought it would be a good match. So I am now a writer for jockism.com. I have submitted my first article for approval, so I hope it gets published. I will post a link to the article if it goes through :)

Baseball All-Star Game tidbits

With the start of the All-Star break at the conclusion of yesterday's games, the All-Star rosters have basically been determined. I blogged last week about how the rosters have increased to 34 players in each league and yet their were still players deserving to go. As it turns out, the total number of All-Stars this year is 82, an unbelievable amount. The rosters had to be finalized yesterday because any pitcher who pitched on Sunday would be ineligible for the All-Star game, necessitating a replacement.

In other news, the Home Run Derby is scheduled for 8 PM ET tonight on ESPN and ESPN3.com.

Great Red Sox Column

If your a Red Sox fan or even a baseball fan in general, be sure to check out Jeff Passan's column aboutDaniel Nava and Darnell McDonald, two outfielders who have made their way into the Red Sox starting line-up, despite long-odds against them.

MLB All-Star Game Selections

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July holiday weekend.

Over the weekend, the Major League Baseball
All-Star teams were announced. This year, the selection of the All-Stars was probably more scrutinized then most years because of the question surrounding whether rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg should make the All-Star team despite having only made six starts before the rosters came out on July 3rd. Here are the rosters, of which Strasburg was left out of the National League team. While some believe that MLB should have displayed its biggest phenom to a national audience, Philles manager Charlie Manuel (the manager of the NL All-Star team) justified his decision not to include Strasburg. Manuel did the right thing, I believe. There is simply too much great pitching in the National League, to leave out a veteran who has pitched 3 times as much as Strasburg. While there is still the possibility that Strasburg can be selected as an injury replacement, I hope more deserving pitchers get selected.

This leads me to my other thoughts about the selection of the MLB All-Stars:

1.Even though the All-Star rosters have increased to 34, there are still many deserving players left out...

2. such as Cincinati's Joey Votto. Votto is a candidate for the Final Man on the NL Roster and you can vote for him here. He is leading the National League in OBP (On base % plus slugging %), and is easily the biggest snub of the all-star picks. So far he is leading the Final Man competition. I hope he gets it, he deserves it...

3. as does Jered Weaver of the Angels, who is leading the American League in strikeouts, but did not get selected to the dismay of teammates and his manager Mike Scioscia. I think it is weird that the Angels, who are hosting the All-Star Game only have one representative. Teams who are hosting the All-Star Game should have mulitiple representatives if they are deserving such as Weaver...

4. but naturally, every team has to have one representative, which I think is the right thing to do as long as players on bad teams have had seasons worthy of All-Star consideration. For the most part, the players who are their teams' sole representatives were selected by their peers to the All-Star teams and were good enough to be considered an All-Star.

5. The most baffling pick of the All-Star teams was Atlanta's Omar Infante, a pretty good utility player but certainly not an All-Star. He's a decent player, but doesn't even have enough at bats to qualify as a statistical leader. Futher reason to vote for Joey Votto.

NBA Free Agency: Why College Basketball is better

Today, is the first official day of NBA Free Agency and also the day where the NBA's biggest stars (LeBron, D'Wayne Wade, etc.) can officially begin their negotiations with NBA teams. The hype is incomparable to any free agent class in any sport. Even though no body has official sign, which would be actual news, coverage of the free agent process is all over shown ESPN. One of the reasons why I'm not the biggest NBA fan, is because it is such a star-driven league. For any team that LeBron joins(if he leaves the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron is all of the sudden bigger than the franchise. The NBA teams are so dependent on their superstars that without them, they lose instant credibility. Remember the Bulls when MJ left? No one cared about them anymore. The NBA is even more picky; you can't just have a star, but one that appeals to a global audience and controls the destiny of the league. At least with college basketball, people can root for a team year in and year out.

Blagojevich is crazy

I know the post title isn't a newly discovered phenomenon, but further evidence of Rod Blagojevich's insanity can be found from his spending records from the IRS . According to the IRS, Blagojevich spent more money on high-end suits than on the mortgage of his home. Over the course of the time he was governor, Blagojevich and his wife spent $400,000 on clothes.

Blagojevich is in the middle of his trial and is being charged in 24 counts with misusing his powers as governor to extort campaign contributions from those seeking legislation, appointments or other favors. More information on his trial can be found at the Chicago Tribune Blagojevich Archive or the Tribune's Chronology of the Investigation

McDonald's Menu Swap: Big 'N Tasty out, Oatmeal in

A Chicago Tribune article posted today, describes how McDonald's is changing their menu . The main change is that they are taking out the Big N'Tasty (which failed to compete with Burger King's Whoppper and are now planning to offer oatmeal as a breakfast option...

Wait, McDonald's and oatmeal/healthy eating in the same sentence? Crazy, huh? My mom always made me eat oatmeal when I was little and I thought it was the grossest thing in the world. But it makes sense. It seems like every mega-chain restaurant (i.e. Subway, Starbucks) are offering breakfast sandwiches, so the Sausage McMuffin is losing its edge. The test runs of the oatmeal, which will be apparently sold for $1.99, have been successful. Who knows, maybe McDonald's and Oatmeal can be like Wendy's and Chili?

It makes me wonder if McDonald's cares about their customers health or if it is just about making a profit and gaining a competitive edge on Burger King, Subway, and Starbucks. I'm not knocking McDonald's. For what it is, it has a great business model: fast, cheap food. McDonald's will never, ever be a bastion of health, so is it worth it to spend all the time developing healthy food items like oatmeal for the health-conscious people who probably don't go near McDonald's. It will be interesting to see how successful oatmeal will be on the McDonald's menu