After a long hiatus from the blogging world, I have returned but Politics and Sport will no longer be so...Instead it will just be Sport...There will be blogs about local sports in the 570 but mostly major college and pro sports. Today I will preview the Super Bowl since we are only a mere 5 days from the biggest game.
Vegas has set the line at the Giants +3 meaning if anyone plans to take the Pats, they better win by 4 to win money. Numerous colleagues at work claim this as a slam dunk bet on the Pats because "the Pats are going to destroy them." First, anyone that thinks the Pats are a slam dunk obviously does not watch football week in and week out. Let's Examine a position by position breakdown.
QB Manning vs. Brady Edge Brady, but not much...Brady is Brady and passed for the second most yards in NFL history, but Eli was right there with 4933 yards this year. Brady's top end zone threat may be hurt and we won't know how bad until game time, but look at Ben's high ankle sprain and the difficulty he had just dropping back. The Pats NEED Gronkowski to run routes, cut, and break tackles. Thats tough to do on a bad ankle.
Pats Oline vs. Giants Dline-- Edge Giants...Just go back to 2007 and see what the Giants did to the OLine then when the Pats OLine was regarded as the best...Giants are now younger on the line with Canty and Pierre Paul and still have a mean streak to them that is unmatched in the NFL.
Giants Oline vs. Pats Dline--Push...If vince Wolfork plays like he did against the Ravens last week, it could be a long day for the Giants... The Giants have an outside threat and three running backs that could offset Wolfork. Look for them to keep him honest with screens and draws. Bradshaw will have to run outside for success.
Wide Receivers---Edge Giants. The Pats have Wes Welker but not much after that. Remember, Gronk is a tight end. The giants will roll out Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, and Mario Mannigham..Good Luck Pats Secondary and Linebackers.
TE--- Huge Edge Pats---Gronk and Hernandez. Do I have to say anymore?
RB-- Edge Giants--- Bradshaw and Jacobs are the new thunder and lightening. They are an effective tandem. Look for Derrick Ward to receive screens out of the backfield to offset the interior dline pressure of the Pats. The Pats running backs can have a big game because the Giants will probably alot of Nickel and man D. It is hard to run against that front four.
Secondary--Push--Only a push because both QBs are so good. The secondary thaat creates the turnover will win the game.
Final...Look for the Giants to use Victor Cruz to stretch the field opening up the middle for Nicks. Giants may score 35-40 against that Pats Secondary. Giants upset by Vegas Standards--35-24. This is my opinion, and you can agree or disagree but play the matchups and the matchups say Giants will win. That's all, I'm done.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Friday, July 2, 2010
Immigration Reform
SOO for the last few months I have been very quiet about the potential debate that is about to take over Congress and the White House...Immigration Reform. Let me say first that I for one believe our government has failed us since this "invasion" began back in the 1990's and continued right through the Bush Administration.
Second, I find it very hard to believe that the Obama administration ie. Obama, Biden, Emanuel, Holder, etc. had failed to read this bill before commenting and testifying on it. This is verified by Representative Ted Poe, Republican from Texas, as he asked Eric Holder if he had read it to which Holder responded "I have not." The man is our attorney general and has not read a valuable piece of legislation that can shape this country? What is wrong with that picture?
Lets go a little further back now. This event often gets lost in the immigration debate. A few years ago, in Hazleton, PA, the mayor knew he needed help from INS with illegal immigration. That mayor passed a law that said if you were an Illegal immigrant and you were arrested for a crime you can be deported. That mayor is Lou Barletta. Mr. Barletta passed the law after a string of murders and attempted murders in Hazleton by....yep Illegal Immigrants. Fast Forward to todays debate. Does the situation in Hazleton, PA and Arizona sound familiar? Mr. Barletta faced the same opposition that Governor Brewer faces today, albiet on a much smaller scale.
Now the problem I have with all these protests is simple. If someone is here illegally and commits a crime, do you think we should be allowed to check their papers? That is what the Arizona law states! Being from Pennsylvania, I have no idea what the people of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and California, however, I do understand why the law has been passed.
I for one am very afraid of what will happen if the government gets involved as they always screw things up. I have heard come out of the President's mouth Immigration Overhaul...Why? Mr. president, haven't you overhauled enough already...Healthcare OVERHAUL, Financial OVERHAUL, Automotive OVERHAUL...Lets stop with the Overhaul and how about you just fix it. OR let the states handle it themselves as he has already proven that he has no clue how to handle it. Its his job to make the tough decisions in this country, and sometimes you piss people off doing the right thing. I, and millions of people on the Mexican border know what the right thing is and its not the easy way out. The easy way is to legalize 20 million illegals. Will he do whats best for our country or for himself in 2012? My guess is the latter.
Second, I find it very hard to believe that the Obama administration ie. Obama, Biden, Emanuel, Holder, etc. had failed to read this bill before commenting and testifying on it. This is verified by Representative Ted Poe, Republican from Texas, as he asked Eric Holder if he had read it to which Holder responded "I have not." The man is our attorney general and has not read a valuable piece of legislation that can shape this country? What is wrong with that picture?
Lets go a little further back now. This event often gets lost in the immigration debate. A few years ago, in Hazleton, PA, the mayor knew he needed help from INS with illegal immigration. That mayor passed a law that said if you were an Illegal immigrant and you were arrested for a crime you can be deported. That mayor is Lou Barletta. Mr. Barletta passed the law after a string of murders and attempted murders in Hazleton by....yep Illegal Immigrants. Fast Forward to todays debate. Does the situation in Hazleton, PA and Arizona sound familiar? Mr. Barletta faced the same opposition that Governor Brewer faces today, albiet on a much smaller scale.
Now the problem I have with all these protests is simple. If someone is here illegally and commits a crime, do you think we should be allowed to check their papers? That is what the Arizona law states! Being from Pennsylvania, I have no idea what the people of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and California, however, I do understand why the law has been passed.
I for one am very afraid of what will happen if the government gets involved as they always screw things up. I have heard come out of the President's mouth Immigration Overhaul...Why? Mr. president, haven't you overhauled enough already...Healthcare OVERHAUL, Financial OVERHAUL, Automotive OVERHAUL...Lets stop with the Overhaul and how about you just fix it. OR let the states handle it themselves as he has already proven that he has no clue how to handle it. Its his job to make the tough decisions in this country, and sometimes you piss people off doing the right thing. I, and millions of people on the Mexican border know what the right thing is and its not the easy way out. The easy way is to legalize 20 million illegals. Will he do whats best for our country or for himself in 2012? My guess is the latter.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
The question behind the BP oil spill
Ok so as of today, the BP oil crisis has been going on for about 60 days...59 to be exact. There have been countless people speaking out against BP and president Obama for weeks now and we have heard it all: BP should have done this or that, Obama needs to respond faster, how are we going to stop this and so on. I have even heard the Blame it on Bush argument....again.
First, Mr. president, please stop blaming Bush for everything. Its on your watch now, look at your self in the mirror. If the policy was so bad maybe you should have banned last January when you took office.
Now let me pose the biggest question to you that noone is asking. I think we need to start asking this question. Why is it BP who is drilling this well so close to American soil? They are essentially taking oil off our coast (about 50 miles) and shipping it to Europe and other countries. Why? Why wasn't Exxon drilling there to meet our demand in America? Why isnt Shell or Valero drilling there? Why is BRITISH PETROLEUM taking the oil off our coast and shipping it elsewhere? WHY? It really irks me that BP gets to say were doing the best we can to plug the hole and yet all the people on the Gulf Coast continue to suffer. Maybe we should ask Tony Hayward if this happened off the coast of say..... England, would it take this long...My guess is no.
BP has a recent history of blowing off the procedures and training that are one key to emergency management in this industry (though FWIW, I believed BP was better than most of the industry when I was working in it in the early 1990s). And, as the HuffPo reports, some the same companies involved in last week’s accident opposed MMS mandating this kind of procedure and training process just last year. BP and TransOcean have also aggressively opposed new safety regulations proposed last year by a federal agency that oversees offshore drilling — which were prompted by a study that found many accidents in the industry. (http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2010/04/27/bps-procedural-spills/)
If the above information is true, why are/were they allowed to drill in the Gulf Of Mexico off the American Coast? For years, I have been against Exxon for many things, but I have been asking myself as of late, why wouldn't they be drilling so close to our Gulf Coast (where most of the nations oil Refineries are!). Essentially, they could put the oil in the tanker and ship about 50- 100 miles to a refinery depending how far inland they would have to travel
This is just another question I would liked answered by our major oil companies that could be drilling there. One must ask themselves, Do they really want us independent on oil from the world? Do they? You tell me.
First, Mr. president, please stop blaming Bush for everything. Its on your watch now, look at your self in the mirror. If the policy was so bad maybe you should have banned last January when you took office.
Now let me pose the biggest question to you that noone is asking. I think we need to start asking this question. Why is it BP who is drilling this well so close to American soil? They are essentially taking oil off our coast (about 50 miles) and shipping it to Europe and other countries. Why? Why wasn't Exxon drilling there to meet our demand in America? Why isnt Shell or Valero drilling there? Why is BRITISH PETROLEUM taking the oil off our coast and shipping it elsewhere? WHY? It really irks me that BP gets to say were doing the best we can to plug the hole and yet all the people on the Gulf Coast continue to suffer. Maybe we should ask Tony Hayward if this happened off the coast of say..... England, would it take this long...My guess is no.
BP has a recent history of blowing off the procedures and training that are one key to emergency management in this industry (though FWIW, I believed BP was better than most of the industry when I was working in it in the early 1990s). And, as the HuffPo reports, some the same companies involved in last week’s accident opposed MMS mandating this kind of procedure and training process just last year. BP and TransOcean have also aggressively opposed new safety regulations proposed last year by a federal agency that oversees offshore drilling — which were prompted by a study that found many accidents in the industry. (http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2010/04/27/bps-procedural-spills/)
If the above information is true, why are/were they allowed to drill in the Gulf Of Mexico off the American Coast? For years, I have been against Exxon for many things, but I have been asking myself as of late, why wouldn't they be drilling so close to our Gulf Coast (where most of the nations oil Refineries are!). Essentially, they could put the oil in the tanker and ship about 50- 100 miles to a refinery depending how far inland they would have to travel
This is just another question I would liked answered by our major oil companies that could be drilling there. One must ask themselves, Do they really want us independent on oil from the world? Do they? You tell me.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Kobe vs. Lebron
Yes I have returned to the blogging world....I fell off for a while, but now its a year later...The NBA Finals are on, Big Ben isnt the Steelers QB to start the season, and politics....well I have alot to say about politics and the Obama regime. But tonight, Im gonna ring in my updated blog page with some sports.
I have been having this debate with numerous people---friends, colleagues, strangers. Who is the best player in the RIGHT NOW? Kobe or Lebron? Lebron is the self-proclaimed King of the NBA or as we call him...King James. Kobe just wins.
Right now, on June 10, 2010....Kobe is the best player in the NBA. I do not know how people can say Lebron is better....right now. I have heard every argument you can hear about Lebron. I can rebuttal any argument you come up with. My 2 biggest questions I ask people is 1) Did you ever see Kobe give up on his team? 2) Your down 2 with 3 seconds left, who's taking your game winning shot? Every answer to the ladder question has been Kobe...Really? So you wouldnt let the King or the best player in the game take that shot? Why? Perhaps, because he has a weak jump shot. I have heard many responses to my first question as yeah but Kobe's a ball hog. I even heard he gave up on his team because Delonte West fooled around with his mom. Im not sure thats true but if it is why give up on your team. Thats just a ridiculous point! By the way in Game 3 of the finals Tuesday night...Kobes stat line 10-29...29 points 8 assists 7 boards 3 blocks...Yep guess hes a ball hog.
The fact of the matter is if Kobe takes over a game against a good team like the Celtics, the Lakers will win. If Kobe scores 30-35 against the Celtics its over. If Lebron takes over a game, he cant close it out. I know what comes next.
Lebron has noone around him and Kobe has a good team. Well I guess your telling me then that Michael Jordan, the best basketball player ever, is not as good as the King. Jordan was a rookie in 1985 and didnt win a championship until 1991 when Scottie Pippen joined the Bulls. Jordan also played with players such as Kukoc, Rodman, and John Paxson.
Look Im not debating that Lebron is good because he is a great player, but Kobe is better. He has a jump shot. Kobe can shoot anywhere on the court. He can post up, he can fade (which is Jordan-esque), he can dunk, and he can attack the rim. Kobe is just good. He is the closest thing to Jordan we have seen yet....and he only needs 2 more rings to tie Jordan in the championship column....If he does that, do we then still say the King is better than Kobe AND Jordan? What if he passes Jordan in the championships or what if he beats Lebron in the finals? Will Lebron still be better? Thats Ill done...Let the debating begin...Kobe or Lebron.
I have been having this debate with numerous people---friends, colleagues, strangers. Who is the best player in the RIGHT NOW? Kobe or Lebron? Lebron is the self-proclaimed King of the NBA or as we call him...King James. Kobe just wins.
Right now, on June 10, 2010....Kobe is the best player in the NBA. I do not know how people can say Lebron is better....right now. I have heard every argument you can hear about Lebron. I can rebuttal any argument you come up with. My 2 biggest questions I ask people is 1) Did you ever see Kobe give up on his team? 2) Your down 2 with 3 seconds left, who's taking your game winning shot? Every answer to the ladder question has been Kobe...Really? So you wouldnt let the King or the best player in the game take that shot? Why? Perhaps, because he has a weak jump shot. I have heard many responses to my first question as yeah but Kobe's a ball hog. I even heard he gave up on his team because Delonte West fooled around with his mom. Im not sure thats true but if it is why give up on your team. Thats just a ridiculous point! By the way in Game 3 of the finals Tuesday night...Kobes stat line 10-29...29 points 8 assists 7 boards 3 blocks...Yep guess hes a ball hog.
The fact of the matter is if Kobe takes over a game against a good team like the Celtics, the Lakers will win. If Kobe scores 30-35 against the Celtics its over. If Lebron takes over a game, he cant close it out. I know what comes next.
Lebron has noone around him and Kobe has a good team. Well I guess your telling me then that Michael Jordan, the best basketball player ever, is not as good as the King. Jordan was a rookie in 1985 and didnt win a championship until 1991 when Scottie Pippen joined the Bulls. Jordan also played with players such as Kukoc, Rodman, and John Paxson.
Look Im not debating that Lebron is good because he is a great player, but Kobe is better. He has a jump shot. Kobe can shoot anywhere on the court. He can post up, he can fade (which is Jordan-esque), he can dunk, and he can attack the rim. Kobe is just good. He is the closest thing to Jordan we have seen yet....and he only needs 2 more rings to tie Jordan in the championship column....If he does that, do we then still say the King is better than Kobe AND Jordan? What if he passes Jordan in the championships or what if he beats Lebron in the finals? Will Lebron still be better? Thats Ill done...Let the debating begin...Kobe or Lebron.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Gas Prices
So what has caused the economic downturn in the United States? Housing? Credit Crunch? Unemployment? Well, I am a firm believer that the reason we are in a recession is the simple fact that gas prices were astronomical last summer. Before you dismiss me as crazy, try this theory on for size (which I have been saying since January and even heard some economists recently acknowledge the same thing).
Last summer, gas was hovering around 3.99/gallon in NEPA and Central Penn areas. Compare to that nearly $5 a gallon some people were paying in the Midwest and on the California coast. Well, now its easy to see why the gas prices and "American Greed" contributed to the economy. During the "prosperous Clinton Years" people were allowed to buy $400,000 homes in suburbia because they wanted to commute 50 miles to work each day . All that is fine if gas is, say $1.75/gallon, but when it climbs to $3.00 it becomes a little unaffordable. Well, people were faced with a harsh reality at the end Bush's term (which is a direct result of economic policies put in place by Hilliary and Husband). That reality is simply either drive to work, pay $400/ month in gas to get to work and hopefully make your mortgage. Guess what they couldn't! This in turn lead to the credit crunch. People couldnt afford to make payments on their houses or put gas in their cars or even pay for food in their houses, and eventually they began to max out credit cards. So now you have a whole lot of Americans with outstanding debt and foreclosed houses. Why? Very simple. Gas Prices....Let me put that into terms anyone reading this blog from around the world can understand....American Greed!
All this happening while Exxon, Chevron, Valero and Shell were turning in record profits. EVERY company in the US was turning in losses and these companies were turning record profits for a quarter...3 months!! For the year of 2008, Exxon made a stagerring profit of $45.6 BILLION dollars. Think about that for a minute. That profit is after they have paid all their employees, covered their costs, and paid off their politicians in Washington (oops didn't mean to type that.) Think about this also. According to Exxon we should be conserving gas to drive up supply and drive down demand. 2 things kill this suggestion 1) During the 90's, our refinieries were operating at 92%...Last month, the month before the summer driving season, they were 81%, and 2)Exxon exports more oil and gas to other countries instead of keeping it in the US because they can make more money. Considering the trend will be to drive prices way up this summer again, and you will see on the economic scale go down, then level off, then down, then level off, down, etc. Notice it nevers go up and this trend will continue until they realize gas prices are driving this economy or we are in a depression...I bet the ladder.
The gas and oil companies in this country have the power. All I know is at least the previous administration attempted to address these prices, whereas the "hardest working Congress" and the President have not alluded to these prices since taking office despite making numerous promises during his campaign that he would. Maybe Exxon has paid the Dems in power to hide under rock. Or they give Pelosi free gas for her jumbo jet to fly back and forth to California. Either way, if nothing is done to address the greed of these companies, we will be at the same point again next summer, and the Libreals have no one to blame but themselves this time. Thats all I'm done!!!
Photo taken from www.acartoonist.com/exxon.jpg
Last summer, gas was hovering around 3.99/gallon in NEPA and Central Penn areas. Compare to that nearly $5 a gallon some people were paying in the Midwest and on the California coast. Well, now its easy to see why the gas prices and "American Greed" contributed to the economy. During the "prosperous Clinton Years" people were allowed to buy $400,000 homes in suburbia because they wanted to commute 50 miles to work each day . All that is fine if gas is, say $1.75/gallon, but when it climbs to $3.00 it becomes a little unaffordable. Well, people were faced with a harsh reality at the end Bush's term (which is a direct result of economic policies put in place by Hilliary and Husband). That reality is simply either drive to work, pay $400/ month in gas to get to work and hopefully make your mortgage. Guess what they couldn't! This in turn lead to the credit crunch. People couldnt afford to make payments on their houses or put gas in their cars or even pay for food in their houses, and eventually they began to max out credit cards. So now you have a whole lot of Americans with outstanding debt and foreclosed houses. Why? Very simple. Gas Prices....Let me put that into terms anyone reading this blog from around the world can understand....American Greed!
All this happening while Exxon, Chevron, Valero and Shell were turning in record profits. EVERY company in the US was turning in losses and these companies were turning record profits for a quarter...3 months!! For the year of 2008, Exxon made a stagerring profit of $45.6 BILLION dollars. Think about that for a minute. That profit is after they have paid all their employees, covered their costs, and paid off their politicians in Washington (oops didn't mean to type that.) Think about this also. According to Exxon we should be conserving gas to drive up supply and drive down demand. 2 things kill this suggestion 1) During the 90's, our refinieries were operating at 92%...Last month, the month before the summer driving season, they were 81%, and 2)Exxon exports more oil and gas to other countries instead of keeping it in the US because they can make more money. Considering the trend will be to drive prices way up this summer again, and you will see on the economic scale go down, then level off, then down, then level off, down, etc. Notice it nevers go up and this trend will continue until they realize gas prices are driving this economy or we are in a depression...I bet the ladder.
The gas and oil companies in this country have the power. All I know is at least the previous administration attempted to address these prices, whereas the "hardest working Congress" and the President have not alluded to these prices since taking office despite making numerous promises during his campaign that he would. Maybe Exxon has paid the Dems in power to hide under rock. Or they give Pelosi free gas for her jumbo jet to fly back and forth to California. Either way, if nothing is done to address the greed of these companies, we will be at the same point again next summer, and the Libreals have no one to blame but themselves this time. Thats all I'm done!!!
Photo taken from www.acartoonist.com/exxon.jpg
Monday, June 8, 2009
Obama and the Socialists?
So I've been sitting here for a bit now and I've been thinking about Obama and his presidency thus far. So far the President has vowed to close Guantanamo Bay, centralized the banking industry and is beginning to centralize the auto industry. What is the significance?
Well, if you look at the history books and are at all familiar with the former USSR, one can draw striking comparisons. However, do not take my word for it...just look at the facts. Before Obama was elected, he had mentioned that salaries should be more even throughout the country. That my friends is Socialistic. He also centralized at least 60% of the car and banking industry in the United States. That means that the government currently owns 60% of our financial institutions in the US. In a recent interview, President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela said that if he and Fidel Castro are not careful, they will "end up on the right side of Obama". What does this mean? It simply means, that President Obama is so far left that Castro and Chavez will soon be on the right side of Obama. Seriously.
I am not afraid to admit that I voted for Obama. However, the longer he is in office the more frightened I am becoming, taking into consideration where the country is heading. By centralizing these businesses, the President is eliminating the middle class and a chance at the American Dream--the foundation our country is built on. Let me ask you this. Does anyone want actual terrorists in their state's prison? Or maybe we can send them back to Afghanistan because they promise they will be better. What do you think? How does that sound?
The longer the President is in office, the more I fear he will hurt this country. A friend once told me that Obama is just a smooth talker and that is why he was going to win the election. I laughed. Well, now I look back on that observation and I am afraid he might be right. President Obama said it's time for change.....Unfortunately, I am not sure if this country is ready for the change that he and "the Clinton administration" are trying to enact.
Well, if you look at the history books and are at all familiar with the former USSR, one can draw striking comparisons. However, do not take my word for it...just look at the facts. Before Obama was elected, he had mentioned that salaries should be more even throughout the country. That my friends is Socialistic. He also centralized at least 60% of the car and banking industry in the United States. That means that the government currently owns 60% of our financial institutions in the US. In a recent interview, President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela said that if he and Fidel Castro are not careful, they will "end up on the right side of Obama". What does this mean? It simply means, that President Obama is so far left that Castro and Chavez will soon be on the right side of Obama. Seriously.
I am not afraid to admit that I voted for Obama. However, the longer he is in office the more frightened I am becoming, taking into consideration where the country is heading. By centralizing these businesses, the President is eliminating the middle class and a chance at the American Dream--the foundation our country is built on. Let me ask you this. Does anyone want actual terrorists in their state's prison? Or maybe we can send them back to Afghanistan because they promise they will be better. What do you think? How does that sound?
The longer the President is in office, the more I fear he will hurt this country. A friend once told me that Obama is just a smooth talker and that is why he was going to win the election. I laughed. Well, now I look back on that observation and I am afraid he might be right. President Obama said it's time for change.....Unfortunately, I am not sure if this country is ready for the change that he and "the Clinton administration" are trying to enact.
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