Bye Bye ESPN.com (again)

ESPN.com's new look

For a number of years, I’ve tried to get away from ESPN.com.  ESPN is generally biased, self-serving, and more eager to promote themselves then accurately cover sports.  More often than not, they fabricate and/or grossly exaggerate the story in order to make it more news worthy.  I always want to get away from ESPN, but there’s very few alternatives out there.  

A couple of weeks ago, ESPN.com change the format of their site, and I’m happy to say that I don’t like it one bit.  There’s too much going on, too many Flash videos running, and there’s almost no sports information until you dig in.  Heck, most of the good content on the site is only for “In” members, and I don’t pay for that crap.  So I’m finally able to say I’m going to be leaving ESPN.com.  I can’t get away from the ESPN TV stations (unless someone has a solution), but at least I can lessen my dependence on all my sports info and news coming from ESPN.  

I now will rely solely on a sweet app I downloaded a couple years ago called “The Score.”  It’s got tons of news, a good headlines page, and let’s my pick what teams and sports I care about most, without forcing the Yankees-Red Sox game(s) down my throat.  Also, it’s minimally self-promoting (every app and station promotes itself somewhat, but it’s a pale fraction of what ESPN does). 

Adios, ESPN.com! 

 

Aliens - Part 2.5?

So it looks like this is really happening.

Alien redefined horror and sci-fi, and is an all-time great. Aliens was the rare sequel that improved upon its predecessor, and remains my all-time favorite movie. Then things went a little haywire. Beloved characters were cut from the storyline, an ending was undone with a clone/hybrid resurrection, predators were brought into the fray, and the man who started it all did a prequel that refused to be a prequel.

Amidst all this mess, countless storylines exist in Alien-verse fiction and online in the form of dead screenplays. Some of the ideas are unbelievably fantastic (read Earth Hive), and many fans wonder what might have been.

One of those fans is Neill Blomkamp, the South African director who hit an absolute grand slam with District 9, and then made an amazing looking movie short on story in Elysium. Amidst all his press for his upcoming new movie, Chappie, questions arose about his interest in the Alien franchise. This arose from his own tweets showcasing concept art he made personally regarding Alien. Apparently, in his free time he fleshed out a full concept for a new Alien movie and did the artwork. This without any knowledge by Fox Studios. Initially, he said the project was just for fun and was dead. Then suddenly... The project has been greenlit by Fox! Then, he made some very interesting comments about where the movie would fit into the franchise. And now, he has clarified those comments.

So first off... HELL YES!

Next, what can we glean about the potential plot from the artwork and comments by Blomkamp? We know the movie is set after Aliens, and essentially disregards Alien 3 and 4. We also know Sigourney Weaver will again play Ripley. Weaver is 30 years older than her appearance in Aliens, so that has to be taken into account. People don't age in hypersleep, so could she have made it back home? We also know that Blomkamp LOVES to set his movies in South Africa. Could this potentially introduce an Alien to Earth?

We'll just have to hang on for more details. I'm sure many more will come out soon, once Chappie gets through it's press phase.

Lookout for DRONES!!!

So the FAA and Obama administration made news this week with new guidelines for commercial drone usage as well as defining their role more clearly in military use. That on the heels of announcements that driver-less cars are now being tested in England, Amazon wants to use drones to deliver packages, and Tesla now has an autopilot mode for it's cars.

Yes, the day that we are subservient to our computer overlords (Colossus, Terminator, Wargames, Matrix, Transcendence...) is fast approaching. So what is a person to do as this inevitability approaches? EMBRACE IT WITH A SMILE!!!

Ali bought me a Parrot MiniDrone Rolling Spider as a Valentine's Day gift this year. Totally awesome gift. We exchanged gifts on Thursday night (we had a charity dinner Friday and I was on-call all weekend), so I didn't get a chance to play with it until Saturday afternoon. Saturday, I opened it and charged it up. While charging, I went online and watched all the video tutorials on flight controls. I downloaded the FreeFlight3 control software (you use your mobile or tablet as your controller) and then gave it a spin. The cool thing about this little guy is that it has protective wheels that can attach for indoor flight, so you don't damage it too much in a crash. Great for indoor practice. So I took it for a few spins around the house. I actually got quite good, and started taking some overhead pics with it's built-in camera (see above).

But I was really savoring the chance to get this bad boy outside, without concern for crashing into walls and lamps. Sunday afternoon was my chance. We had beautiful, sunny weather with almost no wind. Granted it was 35 degrees, but as good as it's been for a month here! So I put on a hat and took my MiniDrone outside for it's first test flight in the backyard. Here's what happened:

First, I set the flight ceiling at 9m. That can be controlled on the remote software settings. It only has a 20m range, so I thought that allowed for a good height from which to snap a few overhead yard pics. Next, I laid it down on the pool deck flat with enough room around for maneuvering. Then I hit the Takeoff button on the controller. The MiniDrone took flight and hovered at eye level. That's a nice feature for taking off, as it gets you flying very easily. Next, I used the altitude control pad (left control area on the software) to raise it up. Unlike indoors, the drone literally took off like a ROCKET straight up at a bit of an angle away from the house. Literally in 2 seconds, I lost sight of it. In 5 seconds, I couldn't hear it anymore. In 7 seconds, my iPhone reported that connection had been lost. Obviously, it had flown farther than the 20m range. All the while, I am frantically trying to lower the altitude. It happened so fast, I never had a chance to hit the Landing or Emergency buttons to bring it right down.

After that, I took Ava and Molly with me and we walked a grid along the last known heading. No drone in the field behind us. Beyond that, the lake was frozen solid. No drone on the ice. Beyond that, the woods. It was gone.

Dejected, I went back inside. I admitted to Ali my awful news. She took it well. I wrote a long email to the Parrot customer service department explaining what happened. I cannot figure out why it would ascend uncontrollably, beyond the max height I had set. They suggested it may have been interference with the controller or the altitude sensor in the MiniDrone. They offered to replace it. Good on them. I will take them up on that offer.

As for my lost MiniDrone, I like to think it's in a better place now. It has flown off to join his friends as they prepare for our annihilation.

Saints Lose, But Saints Fan is the Big Loser

So it's a rare NFL-themed post today on a topic I just couldn't resist any longer! Sunday was a matchup between the two NFL teams I love and follow. My hometown Bengals were visiting my hometown-through-marriage Saints. I'm sure Ali's Dad had a front row view of this critical game between two horribly underachieving teams.

So the Bengals had an impressive road win, but their performance was overshadowed by an event that happened in the stands after a Dalton to Gresham TD. Gresham spotted two Bengals fans in the endzone seats and walked over, tossing the ball to the female fan who was reaching for it. That's when an old Saints fan rose up and snatched the ball in mid-air, elbowing the female Bengals fan in the face in the process. Cameras moved in and recorded every second as the female fan begged for the ball, while the Saints fan sat in his seat shaking his head with a death grip on the ball.

Although the Bengals fan (visiting from Kentucky) was eventually given a game ball by the Saints and another Gresham signed ball by the Bengals (as well as a lot of media time and some other free gear), her plight was picked up nationally. Of course, the Saints fan was painted as the villain and has been vilified in the national media since then. NOLA news quickly identified the man and his and his family's life has been shit since then. He claims the ball was for his grandson, and that may be the case.

So I was rooting for the Bengals in this game. I live in Cincinnati. I initially was pissed at the Saints fan too, and considered him a total jerk. I agreed with all the media outlets and accepted the story. But upon further review, I'm siding with the Saints fan on this one!



If you watch the full video, you'll notice something that NOT ONE MEDIA STORY has pointed out. This Bengals fan wasn't in her seat! You can clearly see the Saints fan is seated in the front row in an end/aisle seat. At some point during or after the TD play, the two Bengals fans ran down from their seats higher up in the section to cheer/beg for a ball. Having been to a lot of sporting events in my day, nothing ruins your fun quicker than other fans intruding into your space. How would you like to have kick-ass front row seats only to have to deal with idiots in the aisle the whole game? What about idiots leaning into your seat? This guys had every right to get that ball. Those two girls should have never even been there. Ushers need to regulate and keep the aisles clear of fans during the game. The aisle isn't their accessory front row seat.

So lay off the poor Saints fan. Throw the blame where it belongs - at inconsiderate, rude Bengals fans infringing on the awesome seats of a front row (likely season ticket holding) Saints fan. Saints need to get this dude some free gear and show him a little love publicly.

Elimination Saturday

For those overly concerned about the Playoff and how their team will make it in, this weekend offers a big dose of reality. No, no Playoff spots will be clinched. However, several teams WILL be eliminated from contention.

Right now, 2 teams are undefeated. Until they lose, they are in. The mad scramble for position is among the 1-loss teams. Every 1-loss Power 5 team, including Notre Dame, theoretically has a shot. Lose a 2nd game, and you are essentially eliminated. Last week, Ole Miss, Georgia and Arizona kissed their Playoff chances goodbye. This week, while a surprise or 2 may happen, matchups demand that no less than 3 teams will be eliminated.

Kansas State @ TCU
Two 1-loss Top-10 teams face off. The winner takes a huge step toward the Playoffs. The loser is done. Based upon their remaining schedules, I think we have to root HARD for KSU. TCU's remaining schedule is a joke. KSU still plays @ WVU and @ Baylor.

Ohio State @ Michigan State
I think we have to root for OSU in this one. I don't think they jump us with a win, but it's certain we'll never jump MSU should they win out. Plus, I think OSU could easily lose to Nebraska in the B1G Championship.

Notre Dame @ Arizona State
Do I have to explain who we need to win this one?

Other potential upsets that we need to root for this weekend:

• A&M over Auburn
• Utah over Oregon
• LSU over Alabama
• Oklahoma over Baylor

College Football is Rigged

On the day of the FIRST EVER College Football Playoff Rankings, I thought it would be fun to jump all over ESPN and the SEC, who may have 3 top 4 teams in the rankings tonight. Let's do an exercise tracking the SEC teams over the first 10 weeks of the season. I'll stick with the AP Poll, since the Coaches Poll is a bunch of self-serving bastards!

So what is the point? It's this: that you can't overcome the SEC because the rankings don't allow it. 8 ranked teams to start the season stacks the deck. Then, they climb in the rankings by destroying powerhouses like Lamar, SMU, Florida Atlantic, Southern Miss, LA Lafayette, Sam Houston, and more. When they finally get around to playing each other, a loss doesn't hurt because, "SHUCKS, we lost to a great SEC team". Texas A&M is a great example. They flew up the rankings by beating currently unranked South Carolina and then Lamar, Rice and SMU - IN CONSECUTIVE WEEKS!!! When they finally played an actual team in Miss State, they lost and dropped to 14. It took 3 straight losses to finally get them out of the rankings.

I don't see the SEC tearing up anyone from any other Power 5 conferences this season. They lost the few Power 5 matchups they played (Tennesse to Oklahoma, Missouri to Indiana). There is no way to say they are any better than any other conference in the NCAA. Do you want to claim past performance by the SEC in the BCS? Okay, how do you then account for upstarts Ole Miss and Miss State? If we want to use past performance, then these guys were #18 and unranked preseason, with long histories of futility. Suddenly, they are the darlings of the SEC, and we should just assume they are great? You can't have it both ways SEC fans! If you want past-performance to matter, than you have to discount schools that previously stunk.

Look, I'm not stupid. I realize the SEC has some good teams every year. However, most of them are extremely flawed. If you really look at it, the SEC is Alabama, an all-time great dynasty right now. Occasionally, an upstart Auburn or LSU sneaks through, but the conference as a whole is no better than any other.

What really gives it an edge though is money. The head coaches make more than anyone else (Saban earned $7M this year AND got a $3M house paid for by boosters). The assistants make more than most head coaches (why Biliema left Wisconsin). We also know the players get their share. Too many stories about Cam's dad and players flashing cash in selfies to ignore. Where there's smoke, there's fire. Finally, the Universities just THROW cash at the football programs. 

So we'll see what happens tonight. I predict Miss St, FSU, Alabama and Auburn are ranked at the top. ND will be in the pack of 1-loss teams that have to keep their fingers crossed. I think Oregon will edge us for #5, and we'll slide in at #6 ahead of Michigan State.

Well, F(S)Uck

That was about as bad as it gets. I think it literally is as bad as the 2005 USC (Bush Push) game. We had the victory, only to have it taken away from us by factors beyond our control - in this case the refs.

While this game convinced me that we could go toe-to-toe with any team in the country, I think the media and Playoff committee may see it differently. We dropped to #7 in the AP Poll and #8 in the Coaches Poll. I realize that these polls are now meaningless for determining a champion or playoff team, but they are a pretty good indicator of how the teams stack up.

The Playoff picture is coming into focus now. Barring more than a few miraculous upsets (which certainly could happen), the inaugural College Football Playoff looks like this:

1. SEC Champ
2. FSU
3. SEC West Runner-up
4. Wide Open

While the #1 seed could go back to FSU should the SEC champ incur a loss, those two will be #1 and #2. The runner-up in the SEC West will get the #3 seed. Likely it will be a 1-loss team, but a 2-loss runner-up likely gets the nod anyway, although they would get the #4 seed. The SEC East champ will be eliminated with the extra loss in the SEC Championship.

So that gets us to the interesting part. Right now, the teams in contention are Michigan State, Oregon and Notre Dame. The AP and Coaches polls have these teams completely flipped, so good luck trying to decide who gets in if each win out. I think a 1-loss conference champion from either the B1G or Pac-12 would get the nod over ND. Conference championships are a playoff criterion. (As an aside, the Big 12 is out. Horrible conference with no defense, and down in the rankings.)

So if ND wants to make the Playoff, we have to hope for 2 things: a loss by Michigan State and a loss by Oregon. Then, we take care of business and win out. There is no way we jump either with 1-loss no matter what our strength of schedule is. They won't easily leave 3 of 5 Power 5 conference champs out of a 4-team playoff.

There is one wrinkle left. I could see Ohio State leapfrogging us if they win out and win the B1G. Keep an eye on that.