My Wordless Wednesday is my oldest 2 leaving school on the last day 7 years ago. My son was leaving the 1st and my daughter leaving kindergarten.
Would You Reconsider Your Son Playing Football?
May 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
If you follow sports and specifically football you know about the news of Junior Seau committing suicide, by shooting himself in the chest, not before texting his ex-wife and kids saying “I Love You”. I’ve been watching football since I was around 7 or 8 years old, I also began collecting sports cards and he immediately was one of my all time favorites. I remember having his rookie cards and most of them after that, along with alot of other football players. Almost 2 years ago my best friend passed away and he was a big fan of his, to the point that he wore #55 on the football field.
The big issue here is the concussions having major issues to former players who were in the league. Recently we’ve had former Bears defensive star Dave Duerson also shooting himself in the chest also, but he sends a text telling his family to have his brain researched. Months later neurologists confirmed he suffered from a neurodegenerative disease linked to concussions. Symptoms can vary but according to Children’s Hospital Colorado Orthopedics Institute, there are some immediate signs including:
-A headache that gets worse, lasts for a long time or is severe
-Confusion, extreme sleepiness or trouble waking up
-Vomiting three or more times
-Weakness, numbness or troubled walking or talking
-A seizure or Convulsion (arms or legs shake uncontrollably)
-Any other sudden change in thinking or behavior
Not only we’ve had Junior Seau and Dave Duerson committing suicide linked to concussions they had in there NFL careers but 62-year-old former Atlanta Falcons safety Ray Easterling shot himself also. His wife said he developed symptoms of dementia after his football career. Easterling filed a federal lawsuit in Philly against the NFL in 2011 over its handling of concussion-related football injuries, claiming the league knowingly knew the injuries and the game were linked.
There have been several lawsuits being filed against the NFL by former players who are dealing with the rigors of these concussions after there playing careers are over. There are 1500 former players, who are filing lawsuits against the NFL, which they’ve been bunched together by the NFL and we’ll see the results of this action in the near future and hopefully it gives the ex-players not only the help they desperately need but also be compensated also.
Recently, Kurt Warner spoke out about not only, the fear of his own well-being but also hoping his kids choose not to play football. This is the Kurt Warner, who not only was targeted by the Saints bounty program but also received numerous concussions during his playing career.
Researchers in Colorado enacted new laws requiring athletic coaches to be trained in concussion awareness and prevention throughout the state. Estimates show that on average over 1,500 young athletes end up in Colorado emergency rooms as the result of concussions from sports injuries.
To all the parents, caregivers or whoever else. Would You Reconsider your child playing football? Not only, we’ve seen the long term affects of these concussions, but we have also seen how many young athletes end up in the hospital as a result of concussions. Now we know kids can get concussions from baseball, basketball and other sports. But most of the concussions are coming from the impact in football. I really don’t know what I would do but I’m happy my son chose basketball over football.
Music Monday 5/7/2012
May 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
My Music Monday is Kendrick Lamar’s track Keisha’s Song, off the Section 80 album. Really nice track.
Big Cuzin- Chasing Success
May 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment
1. Chasing Dreams Intro
2. I Swear
3. Success
4. Hotel
5. Freestyle
6. Run This City
7. The Come Up
8. Damn Right!!
9. Incredible
10. Lets Go
11. State Property
12. Money N Kush
13. Pay Off
14. Who I Am
15. Spend the Night
16. What Love Does
17. You
18. Wish It Would Rain
Download—–> http://www.mediafire.com/?bx57p3fh447p4qq
Throwback Thursday 5/3/2012
May 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment
My Throwback Thursday track is from Slick Rick, Teenage Love, from the Adventures of Slick Rick album. Also this track is featured on the mixtape I made, called 1988: Hip Hop’s First Golden Age and you can download it here: http://www.daddyshangout.com/uploaded-music/1988-hip-hops-first-golden-age3-disc
Wordless Wednesday 5/2/2012
May 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment
My oldest 2 a few years back at the Georgia Aquarium.
WWE Extreme Rules 2012 Review
May 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Here we go again, this month we have the Extreme Rules PPV from the WWE. The event takes place in Chicago, you know the place where the Money In the Bank PPV last year, great PPV also. This year I want to give a shoutout to the live Chicago crowd. To me, the crowd can make an event better than what it really is. The main event for the PPV is John Cena against the former UFC and 3 time WWE champion, Brock Lesnar, who’s wrestling his first match in over 8 years. Let’s get started.
The show starts off with Kane and Randy Orton, which is a rematch from there match at WrestleMania. But this was a falls count anywhere match. This was a real good brawl from these two, they actually have good chemistry with one another. They brawled in the crowd, where there were several pin attempts and they also went to the backstage area. While backstage, Zack Ryder got involved by attacking Kane but was fought off quickly until Orton made the save. They used pipes and chairs also and made there way back to the ring. Orton hit a big spot by hitting the suplex from the top rope but Kane kicked out. It was followed by Kane hitting a chokeslam for a nearfall also. The finish came when Kane went for a tombstone piledriver onto a chair but was reversed by Orton to an RKO for the pin. Winner: Randy Orton
Match Rating: 3.5/5- This was a really good opener and the crowd was definitely into the match.
Brodus Clay vs. Dolph Ziggler
This was an unannounced match and before I talk about the match, I just want to know what in the hell is up with them not pushing Ziggler, he deserves so much and should be fighting for a world title. Ziggler is so good that he made Clay look better that he has since his new gimmick, the way Ziggler sold made Clay look great. Clay picked up the win with the big splash. Winner: Brodus Clay
Match Rating: 1/5- I gave my reasons for this rating.
This also is a rematch from WrestleMania and these two have been feuding for around 2 months. Show won the Intercontinental title from Rhodes at WrestleMania and this match stipulation would be determined by the Roulette wheel. It was determined it was going to be a Tables Match. This match didn’t go too long and the finish came when Show was trying to get in the ring but was dropkicked by Rhodes and he stepped on a table and broke it. Winner and New Intercontinental Champion: Cody Rhodes
Match Rating: 1.5/5- Yes it was a cheap finish but, winning the title by Show at Wrestlemania gave him a moment and Rhodes winning the title back doesn’t hurt Show since it was fluke.
This was the match that we wanted to see at Wrestlemania between these two. I recommend you watch this match, it was great. The fans only enhanced this match also, the crowd loved it. Sheamus won the first match but after the restart Bryan turned up his offense and got the win with the Yes Lock, in which he passed out instead of tapping out. Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick for the 3rd and decisive win. Winner and Still World Heavyweight Champion: Sheamus
Match Rating: 4.5/5- This was a great match and match of the year candidate.
Ryback vs. 2 Jobbers
I don’t like having these matches on a PPV but I understand you’re basically letting a huge audience see him on a PPV. A loud “Goldberg” chant broke out. But I’ll be honest I’m sold on him, I just want to see him in a meaningful feud.
Match Rating: DUD
This is a rematch from Wrestlemania but this time it’s a Chicago Street Fight. This match was tremendous and they pulled out all the stops. To add fuel to the fire, C.M. Punk’s sister was ringside and she got involved by slapping Jericho and when Jericho went after her, Punk went crazy on him. But Jericho got the advantage back and even smashed a monitor onto the back of Punk. They used chairs, kendo sticks and whatever they can get there hands on including alcohol by Jericho. Big spot saw Punk hit a flying elbow drop on Jericho from the ring to the announcers table. The finish came when Punk hit Jericho’s head into the turnbuckle Jericho exposed earlier and then hit the GTS for the win. Great match. Winner and Still WWE Champion: C.M. Punk
Match Rating: 4.5/5- Another Match of the Year candidate.
This match was supposed to be between Beth Phoenix and Nikki Bella but due to the injury to Beth it was announced that Nikki would face a mystery diva. The crowd was chanting “We Want Kharma” and I was wanting her also. But the mystery diva turned out to be Layla who’s been out for almost a year with a torn ACL and MCL. She looked great in the return and showed alot of great offense. The Bellas tried the twin magic but it didn’t work as Layla hit the neckbreaker on Brie Bella to win the title. Winner and New Divas Champion: Layla
Match Rating: 1.5/5
Now to the main event, it had to follow 2 classics and another really good match and it lived up to the hype. The match started out with Brock taking Cena down and hitting him with elbow strikes and forearm shots to bust Cena open. Then Cena got up and Cena was hit with a clothesline, the trainers checked on Cena. Cena tried to rush Lesnar but was took down again and Lesnar just beat the hell out of him. The entire match was Brock being dominant and then while Cena was outside, Brock was waiting on him then he bounced off the ropes and jumped off the steel steps in the ring to hit Cena but fell over the top in the process. I thought Lesnar injured his knee, as he was limping around until he stopped and started laughing. The finish came when Cea was trying to get in the ring s Brock was about to hit another flying elbow but Cena connected with a chain to the head of Lesnar and busted him open, which was followed by the Attitude Adjustment onto steel steps for the win. Afterwards Cena addressed the crowd. Winner: John Cena
Match Rating: 4/5- Wow. What a physical match. Props to both guys, I know Cena catches alot of flack for alot of things in that ring but he delivers and I can’t say enough about Lesnar’s performance after a 8 year hiatus.
Overall: 4/5- There were a couple of things I could’ve lived without on this PPV but when your top 3 matches are great and throw in the Randy Orton/Kane match, it made up for a great PPV. Best PPV of the year, so far.
Music Monday 4/30/2012
April 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment
My Music Monday track is from the upcoming Life Is Good album, by Nas. It’s called Daughters, very revealing and honest track. I love it and if you have a Daughter, you should check this track out because we don’t know how they’ll turn out.
2012 NFL First Round Results
April 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Okay the 1st Round of the 2012 NFL Draft is in the books and there were alot of trades and surprises throughout the round. I’m just going to go through every pick and rate them, as far as the pick and there needs. I’m not an expert, I’m just a huge fan.
1. Indianapolis Colts – Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
Grade: A- Well this was a no brainer seeing that all world QB Peyton Manning was released after missing the 2011 season with neck issues. The Colts released alot of there veterans and it seems they’re starting from scratch. So with that said, you need a franchise QB and I believe he’s the one. I don’t think he’s going to have a great year or maybe the second one either but neither did Peyton. But in the long run he’ll be a future pro bowler. He’s a great leader, has a strong arm and great composer.
2. Washington Redskins (from St. Louis) – Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
Grade: A- Well there starter is Rex Grossman, so of course I think he’s being brought in to be the starter and the Redskins have went out and signed more receivers for him prior to the draft. He has a big arm and very versatile, I believe he will succeed in D.C.
3. Cleveland Browns (from Minnesota) – Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
Grade: A- This pick could be the beginning of the turnaround of this franchise. They have a great defense already, Richardson will keep the ball in the offenses hands more with a ground and pound game. He’s not only quick, but he’s strong and can catch the ball out of the backfield.
4. Minnesota Vikings (from Cleveland) – Matt Kalil, OT, USC
Grade: A- Great pick for the Vikings, not only he can help 2nd year QB Christian Ponder but also help in the running game and Adrian Peterson when he returns from his knee injury. He could be there starting left tackle for the next 10 to 12 years.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Tampa Bay) – Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
Grade: A- I think this is a game changer right here. Blaine Gabbert didn’t really have anyone to throw to last year and this year not only, did they draft Blackmon but they signed free agent receiver Laurent Robinson in the offseason. Those 2 along with Lee Evans and Mike Thomas, they have a nice receiving core and put them with all world running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who is wanting a new contract. I believe the Jaguars are a team on the rise because they already have a top 10 defense.
6. Dallas Cowboys (from Washington via St. Louis) – Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
Grade: A- Seeing they’ve just signed Brandon Carr via free agency, the Cowboys have 2 lock down corners. This was great for them because they lost alot of leads last year because the secondary was being targeted, this will help.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from Jacksonville) – Mark Barron, S, Alabama
Grade: A- Can’t go wrong with getting the leader of the National Champion Alabama team. The Buccaneers have a lot of issues and Safety is one of them. Great pick.
8. Miami Dolphins – Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M
Grade: C- Now alot of analyst were going crazy about this guy, maybe I’m wrong. I just think Matt Moore deserve the chance to be the guy. They also signed David Garrard and I just think Tannehill was a system QB. I could be wrong but I don’t think so.
9. Carolina Panthers – Luke Kuechly, MLB, Boston College
Grade: C- Now I’m not saying this is a bad pick but I was thinking they would draft Stephen Gilmore at CB from South Carolina since they’re in the NFC South with QBs like Matt Ryan, Drew Brees and Josh Freeman. The division has some good receivers also. So I thought there first round pick would’ve been a CB or DT.
10. Buffalo Bills – Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina
Grade: A- The Bills went downhill after a great start last year because they couldn’t get to the QB and couldn’t cover the WR. Well they signed free agent Mario Williams to get to the QB in the offseason & now drafting a lockdown CB.
11. Kansas City Chiefs – Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis
Grade: C- The key issue for the Chiefs were not able to protect the QB. I thought DeCastro, the Guard from Stanford would’ve been the perfect pick right here. Poe could be really good but I think he need to be coached a little more.
12. Philadelphia Eagles (from Seattle) – Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State
Grade: A- I’m not just saying this because I’m a Eagles fanatic or I like the pick but it was the right pick. He should help right away in the middle of the defensive line. Strong guy, great ability to lock up blockers and makes plays on the ball.
13. Arizona Cardinals – Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame
Grade: A- I know Larry Fitzgerald is thinking, thank you finally. He’s needed someone to play on the other side of him since the departure of Anquan Boldin. He has great speed for his size and can be a threat underneath while Fitzgerald can still be the homerun guy.
14. St. Louis Rams (from Dallas) – Michael Brockers, DT, LSU
Grade: A- Great pick and was the No. 1 DT on some peoples draft board. Jeff Fisher is great at coaching up Defensive Tackle, remember Albert Haynesworth in Tennesse.
15. Seattle Seahawks (from Philadelphia) – Bruce Irvin, DE, West Virginia
Grade: F- Bad pick. Just a bad pick, so many other options they had or they could’ve traded out of the 1st round to get him, while picking up more picks.
16. New York Jets – Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
Grade: D- Maybe I’ll be wrong but his work ethic is a huge question and I believe that Courtney Upshaw from Alabama would’ve been the perfect pick for them.
17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland) – Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
Grade: B- I actually like Kirkpatrick but I thought they should’ve got a Offensvie lineman but maybe this could be a blessing is disguise.
18. San Diego Chargers – Melvin Ingram, OLB, South Carolina
Grade: B- They already have Jarrett Johnson, Shaun Philips and Antwan Barnes on the roster, so I don’t know exactly where he fits.
19. Chicago Bears – Shea McClellin, DE, Boise State
Grade: B- I don’t think this is a bad pick nor a great pick. I would’ve gone with Nick Perry but McClellin could benefit with the guys on the Bears team.
20. Tennessee Titans – Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor
Grade: A- Great pick by the Titans, who will be a great help for the development of Jake Locker and a great No.2 receiver to Kenny Britt.
21. New England Patriots (from Cincinnati) – Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse
Grade: A- I for one, never question Bellichick and his decisions. I knew they would probably draft someone to get after the QB.
22. Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta) – Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State
Grade: B- I know some of you are thinking, how did he get a B rating. He’s about to turn 29 and they have Colt McCoy, who is entering his 3rd year but I like both of them, Weeden is very accurate and can be an NFL QB for a good 10 years.
23. Detroit Lions – Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa
Grade: A- Great pick, I believe he had top 10 talent also. He’ll eventually take over for Jeff Backus.
24. Pittsburgh Steelers – David DeCastro, OG, Stanford
Grade: A- I believe he should’ve been picked much higher and see him as a future pro-bowler, I believe this is the biggest steal of the first round.
25. New England Patriots (from Denver) – Dont’a Hightower, ILB, Alabama
Grade: A- If Pittsburgh got the steal of the draft, then the Patriots had the best first round along with the Buccaneers. They filled 2 huge needs in the first round. So they’re serious about making another run to the Super Bowl.
26. Houston Texans – Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois
Grade: B- Now Brooks Reed and Connor Barwin played well last year, so I don’t know why they went with this pick but he can help the team out immediately, just think they could’ve went in another direction.
27. Cincinnati Bengals (from New Orleans via New England) – Kevin Zeitler, OG, Wisconsin
Grade: B- The Bengals needed a Guard badly but I thought they should’ve stayed where they were and picked up DeCastro but maybe this could work out for them.
28. Green Bay Packers – Nick Perry, DE/OLB, USC
Grade: A- This was a great pick for the Packers, seeing he could’ve went much earlier. He’s great on the edges and will have an instant impact.
29. Minnesota Vikings (from Baltimore Ravens) – Harrison Smith, S, Notre Dame
Grade: B- He could start from day 1, he’ll fit in there cover 2 defense where he can sit back and be a ball-hawk.
30. San Francisco 49ers – A.J. Jenkins, WR, Illinois
Grade: D- I’m shocked by this pick, I mean if they wanted a WR there sat Alshon Jeffrey and Stephen Hill, which would’ve been alot better.
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from New England, via Denver) – Doug Martin, RB, Boise State
Grade: A- I think Greg Schiano got a Ray Rice type back to go along with LaGarrette Blount for a physical ground game with Schiano did at Rutgers.
32. New York Giants – David Wilson, RB, Virginia Tech
Grade: B- I thought they were going to draft TE Coby Fleener from Stanford but I understand getting another back to go along with Ahmad Bradshaw.
Here is my NFL Draft review, I hope you enjoyed it. Until next time.
NBA Playoffs 2012 Preview
April 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment
NBA fans, the time is here, yes you guessed it, it’s the playoffs. The NBA’s version of the Sweet 16, featuring 8 teams from the Eastern and the Western Conference. I’m going to try to predict the outcomes of these playoffs but I’m going to do it round by round instead of making the pick up to the NBA Finals and picking the eventual winner. I’m going to do posts after each round is over since they’ll all end in different times. So let’s get started and let’s see how I’ll do.
Eastern Conference
This is the No. 1 seeded Chicago Bulls against the eighth seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs. The Philadelphia 76ers started the season off fast and was in first place in the Atlantic Division for most of the year before being overtaken by the Boston Celtics, who won the division and the New York Knicks, who finished a game in front of the 76ers. The big question is, can Derrick Rose stay healthy? He’s missed more than a third of the shortened season with various injuries. I believe the Bulls supporting cast could still pull this off if Rose isn’t 100 percent. John Lucas has played well in his absence, along with the entire team. They have great guys down low with Noah, Boozer and Taj Gibson. Richard Hamilton will bring veteran leadership in these playoffs with Deng, Gibson and the rest of the team they’ll be fine. But this should be a good series because 76ers have a good team lead by Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand, along with Lou Williams coming off the bench I can see them getting maybe 1 or 2 wins but that’s all. Winner: Chicago Bulls in 5 games.
Now this is the 4-5 matchup between the 4th seeded Boston Celtics and the 5th seeded Atlanta Hawks. These two teams history go back to the days where Dominique Wilkins and Larry Bird were battling each other. Only a few seasons ago these 2 also had a competitive 7 game series that the Celtics won. This year, the big question is the health of Ray Allen, he’s battling a ankle injury and his status for the playoffs have yet to be determined. Even though the Celtics are the 4th seed, the Hawks have the home court advantage because they have the better record. Boston is lead by all world point guard Rajon Rando, who is a double-double machine and have 10 assists or more in 24 consecutive games. Rondo is assisted by some future Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, along with Ray Allen, as I stated he’s got an ankle injury. Now on the other hand the athletic Hawks come into this series coming off a huge win over the defending champion Dallas Mavericks. The athleticism of the Hawks could be an issue for the older Celtics, the Hawks are lead by Joe Johnson and Joe Smith. Al Horford, who has been missing most of the season wiht a torn pectoral has been ruled out for the series. In the end, I believe the Celtics veteran leadership will be the difference in the end and I see them winning the series. Winner: Boston in 7.
This is the 2 vs. 7 matchup and I believe it has the potential to be the best series in the East. This is a great matchup and it offers so many great matchups in the series. LeBron vs. Melo, Bosh vs. Chandler/Amare Stoudamire and the defense of Shumpert against Dwyane Wade. I really believe this series could go either 6 or 7 games and can go either way. The last month of the season Carmelo Anthony has been playing some of the best ball in the league. With the Miami Heat they have basically said this season is either championship or bust. In the end I believe the Heat pulls it out but if the Knicks were to pull off the upset I wouldn’t be surprised. Winner: Heat in 6.
For the final matchup in the East we have the 3 vs. 6 matchup between the Orlando Magic and the Indiana Pacers. I’m going to keep this short and sweet. Orlando is without Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu, 2 of there best players. So that tells me that Indiana wins this pretty convincingly. The Magic may win 1 game, if that. Winner: Pacers in 5.
Western Conference
This is the 1 vs. 8 seed out West, and look who is the #1 seed out West, it’s the San Antonio Spurs. Everyone called them old and past there primes but they came out during this shortened NBA season and played some of the best ball in the league. But Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are trying to bring another title to San Antonio. They meet up against a young and scrappy Utah Jazz team, who is lead by Al Jefferson. They have a speedy, veteran point guard in Devon Harris and Derrick Favors have been playing good also, then add Paul Millsap, the Jazz have a great frontline but I believe the guard play by the Spurs will help them win the series. Winner: Spurs in 5.
This is the 4 vs. 5 matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers, yes the Clippers and the Memphis Grizzlies. For me, this is the best first round series out West between the 2 teams that can run with the best of them. The Los Angeles Clippers, who made a splash by trading for Chris Paul, have had a great season along with Blake Griffin. Then we have the Memphis Grizzlies, who made a great run last year, which ended in a game 7 loss in the conference semi-finals to the Thunder after upsetting the Spurs. This year they have a chance for that kind of run now they have Zach Randolph back healthy and this year they’ll have leading scorer Rudy Gay, who was hurt last year with a bad shoulder. I think this series could go 7 games and will provide some great basketball from these 2 young squads. Winner: Grizzlies in 7.
This is the 2 vs. 7 matchup. This also is a rematch of last year’s of the Western Conference finals, in which the Mavericks won to advance and win the championship. This year the Thunder seem to be more hungry and coming off a great season lead by the 3 time scoring champ and MVP candidate Kevin Durant and point guard Russell Westbrook. They also added veteran leadership in Derek Fisher, who was apart of 5 championships with the Lakers. This Dallas team is missing Tyson Chandler badly, who was there leader on defense and they play slow also. They added Vince Carter to help Dirk Nowitzki but he’s not the same player and this is probably the worse matchup the Mavericks could’ve had. I see the Thunder winning this series and moving on. Winner: Thunder in 5 or 6.
This is the 3 vs. 6 matchup. Kobe Bryant begin his run to try and get his 6th ring, which would tie him with Michael Jordan. The Lakers will be without Metta World Peace, okay Ron Artest unless this series goes 7 games for elbowing James Harden of the Thunder in the next to the last game of the regular season. The Denver Nuggets have an uphill battle because I don’t believe they matchup well up front against the Lakers, I think Andrew Bynum will present a problem against Javale McGee, then add Pau Gasol who have been playing well not only scoring but getting rebounds and dishing out assists. The Lakers will try to end this as soon as possible and try to get some rest. Winner: Lakers in the 4.
Okay here are my predictions for the 1st round of the NBA Playoffs, let me know what are some of your picks. I’ll be back whenever the first series is over. Enjoy.