Sports Beat

Guys...you're all pumped for the start of baseball season aren't you? I actually think I'm going to take a day off in May to get in day baseball game at Angel Stadium. Dave...I'm looking at you buddy. How does shirts off in the outfield sound to you? I know - AWESOME. I've been hanging out with a girl lately and she has this super sarcastic way of saying awesome and I just love it to death.

Speaking of no shirts...I wish I could have had some pictures, but we moved Greg Reid out of the house last Saturday. I guess the move was longer than that, but we cleared out the big stuff and the last of it that day. Why do we always seem to make moving so much fun? While driving the moving truck back and forth, one of us would get in the cargo area while the other drove and swerved around. We also had an extended no shirts moving session. I'm sorely disappointed that Caitlin and Laura didn't join in the fun of the revival of the No Shirts Club, but I think maybe it was a little breezy for their liking. On hand I think we had the President, Vice President, and Treasurer all show up. I forget my title. I think I'm the Ambassador for the Club. I don't know if I've ever laugh as often as I do when we're moving stuff. I remember moving Doug into his crappy little apartment soon after he got married and Dave and I were trying to carry the fridge up this narrow stairway and I can't remember why I started laughing, but we had to lay down the refrigerator on its side because we were laughing too much. There is something really great about getting everyone to laugh when they're carrying very heavy and valuable objects, but I digress...

Back to jump roping (I know I never mentioned it in this post, but sometime true transitions are a hassle to put in)...do you all realize how much coordination it takes to swing that rope around, jump, and get the timing right? Granted, I've only jumped rope about 10 times in the last 20 years, but I was feeling so uncoordinated last night trying some different moves. The crazy part is that I can run 5 miles no problem, but jumping rope for 15 minutes straight? It's hard as heck to do that. I was pretty proud fo the fact that I did get a good run of switching from straight jumping with two feet, to doing the running in place, to the crossover, and back through all of those without missing a beat. Not bad for a couple of tries at it. That video I posted last week with Floyd Mayweather doing the dance moves while jumping rope is a serious turn on for me. No joke. And I wonder why people think I'm gay?

So it's a good time in the sports world. The Angels home opener is this Friday and we have tickets. I'm so pumped about that. Not only is it the home opener, but it's Big Bang Fireworks Friday Night. Woo! Many a hot dog and chipwich will be had that evening. And not to mention the fact that the Angels are starting off pretty strong. They have had strong pitching performances in each of the last three outings, two of them being wins. So far it's been a little disheartening having our two best starters from last year start the season the disabled list, but at least we have some good young arms and the acquisition of John Garland from the White Sox makes Reagins look prescient. Good use of that word, me. Thanks. Hopefully Howie Kendrick and Casey Kotchman can blossom this season and Hunter, Anderson, and Guerrero each get in full seasons. Should be interesting.

I'm a little worried on the basketball front, though. Yeah, they're getting Pau Gasol back tonight (who has been just awesome), but Derek Fisher has a partially torn tendon in his foot that takes about 2 months to heal, and Bynum and Ariza are still unknowns. They're saying that it might be right before the playoffs, but I think at some point these injuries are going to catch up to them. This is my prediction: they get the 3 seed in the West, win their first two series, but lose in the Conference Finals. There is just too much going on with injuries and the West is too strong, and too much has to come together in the next month or so. I think next year they'll surely be the favorites to win it all. But the NBA has never been so exciting. At least not in several years, but this has to be fun for anybody who likes any of the Western Conference teams, just because everyone is so competitive.

Okay...the Raiders. I can't believe I still stick with these guys. They have put me through so much these last several years. I can't hate on the fact that Al Davis really seems to have gone to every length imaginable to try and get some wins for us next season, but this is the same recipe that Dan Snyder of the Redskins used to employ and it hasn't gotten those guys anywhere. Nevertheless, we still have The Franchise in Jamarcus Russell, and the number four pick in this month's draft. I'm praying that we trade that with the Cowboys and their two first-rounders and maybe a second. That would help us recover some of what we gave up to get the current roster we have. The most encouraging sight for Raiders fans, however, has to be Lane Kiffin addressing the media yesterday and admitting some of the difficulties coaching for the Raiders, but looking like he's there at least for the duration of the season. The guy is standing his ground, and that's the only kind of coach that can survive in that kind of environment.

And March Madness...has it left anyone feeling a little bit empty? Stretching out the games from 2 to 3 weeks has really sapped the momentum it carries. Having the tournament finals almost in the middle of April kind of kills it for me. Plus the fact that there are no real Cinderella teams and it's just all number ones has made this season pretty unspectacular. And BYU blew it. Again. And my brackets suck. Or at least I'm not winning. All of this adds up to me being pretty disinterested at this point.