Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Patriots Caught Cheating (Again)

As everyone has heard by now, the NFL is investigating the New England Patriots for deflating 11 footballs used by their offense before their AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts. Nicknamed "Deflategate" and "Ballghazi" by some, its quite the distraction heading into Super Bowl XLIX, which also features the Seattle Seahawks.

Some have brought up that other teams may have done it before. They haven't been caught though so there is no proof of it, and I really doubt anyone has done it before an AFC or NFC Championship Game like the Patriots did. This also isn't the first time the Patriots have been caught cheating, and we all know Bill Belichick is no stranger to controversy. Should the Patriots really have broken the rules again after Spygate where they got caught illegally taping opponents?

People can bring up how the Patriots dominated the Colts, so it didn't matter. Its not about the result, we all expected them to win. Yet, they still broke the rules, and deflated the balls before the game. One also has to wonder just how many times they've done this before, and did they do it against the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round, a game they only won by 4 points? There is almost no way this was the first time the Patriots have tried this.

Bill Belichick lacks the integrity to get any benefit of the doubt. As a coach who once cut a player (Tiquan Underwood) the night before a Super Bowl, this really couldn't have happened to a better candidate.

At the end of the day, it doesn't seem like such a huge deal overall, but then again, why would they deflate them if it didn't make a difference?

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

2015 Anniversaries

How has it been 20 Years since 'Toy Story'?
Can you believe we are already halfway through the 2010's? 2015 unbelievably kicks off the second half of this decade, even though many of those Back To The Future II predictions didn't come true (although some did, like big flat screen TV's and video chatting).  There are also some hard to believe anniversaries this year.

2010, 5 Years Since... Lebron James joined the Miami Heat and oddly became a media "villain". Cavs fans burned his jersey, but now that he's made his return to Cleveland, love him again. Funny how sports work. The Chilean miners were freed and one famously kissed his mistress. The double rainbow also became a hit viral video, and now everyone searches for one.

2005, 10 Years Since... YouTube debuted. Before 2005 it was harder to find shareable videos where you can watch people make fools of themselves. You could still find them, though you had to search a bit more depending on which site people used. YouTube made it easy for everyone to use one site. Xbox 360 was launched, and its still going strong today despite the updated generation of video game consoles being released recently. August will see the 10th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, one of the most devastating natural disasters in American history.

2000, 15 Years Since... The last Subway Series. I mean the real Subway Series, during the World Series, not that interleague stuff. The Mets and Yankees squared off in the first Subway(All New York) World Series since the 1950's. Looking back, this was also New York in the final year before 9/11, and America as a whole was a different place in 2000. People also said "The Year..." before 2000. Why did so many people say "The Year 2000" again?

1995: 20 Years Since... Toy Story. That's right, this fall will mark 20 years since Toy Story hit theaters and launched Pixar into the huge studio it is today. Feels like yesterday when it came out and jaws dropped at the sight of the first fully computer animated movie. Clueless also came out, and perfectly encapsulates the style and lingo of the time. It was also the year of the OJ Simpson trial, one of the first times a trial became a television phenomenon thanks to cable news, and people are still obsessed with these today.

1990: 25 Years Since... Home Alone. The Christmas favorite will be a quarter of a century old. I wonder what Buzz's girlfriend looks like now? East & West Germany finally reunited. And now we get Angela Merkel pantsuits. "U Can't Touch This" was released and popularized parachute pants. Thankfully those have not stood the test of time.

1985: 30 Years Since... Live Aid took place on July 13, 1985, simultaneously from London and Philadelphia, becoming one of the biggest TV broadcasts and satellite link-ups ever. Bono sported quite the show stealing mullet when he moved down to the crowd during U2's 14-minute performance of "Bad".  The Breakfast Club and The Goonies came out. It has really been 30 years since the Truffle Shuffle.

1980: 35 Years Since... John Lennon was sadly shot in December 1980, but his timeless music and memory live on today. The Empire Strikes Back took over the world and had people waiting in long lines for tickets, which is a rare thing now thanks to the internet and apps.

1975: 40 Years Since... Saturday Night Live began, launching many careers and providing some late night laughs. Sonny and Cher divorced, which made "I Got You Babe" a bit awkward. Jaws started the summer blockbuster movie craze and scared tons of people from going in the water.

1970: 45 Years Since... The Beatles broke up and released their final album, Let It Be. I'm sure lots of people were sad, but they all went on to have successful solo careers anyway. Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin both dies at age 27, which gave rise to the "27 Club" of famous musicians who tragically passed away at the same young age.

1965: 50 Years Since... The Beatles performed at Shea Stadium and the New York World's Fair took place in Queens. The NY World's Fair was not a money maker, but still has become quite a famous event which is still talked about.