Party Hard!

Hope everyone had fun with our nonsense at Ticketstock. Thanks to Brian, we can now relive the idiocy!

I shot all of this video and posted it to YouTube.
There are 15 videos including Denise Milani video.

Youtube Group 1310 …

Few words of warning:
1) No tripod
2) Some guy trying to do the David Lee Roth drops ("Woo") during some of the songs.
3) Some of the videos are cut because I did not come greatly prepared.

Thanks for putting on such a great show.

brian

Oops. The Globe cancels Patriots book …

Talk about premature congratulation: The Boston Globe had planned to run a supplement marking a big Super Bowl win for the New England Patriots in its Feb. 4 issue. Instead the paper carried the forlorn front-page headline “History Derailed.”
“We had planned special sections in the event of a victory, but none was printed,” said Al Larkin, a spokesman for The Globe.

The special supplement wasn’t the only thing derailed. The Globe, which is owned by The New York Times Company, had also been selling advance copies of a commemorative book, “19-0: The Historic Championship Season of New England’s Unbeatable Patriots,” on Amazon.com for $14.95. But that book, compiled by the paper’s sports staff, was also scrapped at the last minute when the Patriots were upset by the New York Giants in a cliffhanger ending.

Some backseat quarterbacks went online to accuse The Globe of cheekiness, complaining that the very existence of the pre-sale book might have given the Giants an extra incentive to win. But Mr. Larkin said that other publishers — of the instant-book variety — had offered similar books about the presumptive historic Patriots season (and, indeed, books were available instantly about the Giants upset). “The publication was canceled as a result of the outcome of the game,” he added.

A spokeswoman for Amazon.com, Tammy Hovey, said that the site would not release sales figures for “19-0” but did say that the title was removed from the site after the game, since the final score determined that the book would not be printed.
“Any pre-orders placed for the title were canceled,” she said by e-mail. “Per Amazon’s usual policy, customers are not charged for pre-orders until the product physically ships. So in this case, none of the customers who pre-ordered this item were charged any fee.”

Mavs get pounded in New Jersey, rumors abound …

The Mavericks were a first-name-on-the-list trade destination for Kevin Garnett last summer. They were the first team linked to Kobe Bryant's trade request in the preseason.

And they were No. 1 out of the gate in the Jason Kidd derby.

They are the default setting, the clearinghouse where all trade rumors go to get jump-started.

"And it never happens. Never," Cuban said Sunday. "It's just part of the drill. Everybody explores. Everybody's hoping that somebody gives up. Then it becomes economics, which is what we major in. If it's an economics deal, then we're fine. If it's a player deal, then it's more difficult."

Cuban reiterated that speculation about the Mavericks trading for Kidd is almost certainly wrong.

If the Nets were willing to take pennies on the dollar, of course Cuban would be interested. But he said that if such a deal ever gets close, it's unlikely that the media, and therefore the public, will know about it.

Just like they didn't know the Mavericks had made early overtures about Shaquille O'Neal. That's because Cuban made the calls himself, directly to Miami owner Mickey Arizon.

"[That happens] more than you think," Cuban said of the owner-to-owner chats. "That's why, with us, you never hear of stuff coming out before it's done. The trades you hear about are the ones that are speculated on or that" writers conjure up.

"Those are the ones that never happen."

Cuban didn't close the door on the Mavericks doing something before the trading deadline. But it seems unlikely. He said that's why the Mavericks kept their mid-level exception this summer rather than use it on a free agent or two. If somebody wants to buy out a player – say, Sam Cassell, Smush Parker or somebody of that ilk – the Mavericks would have more than $5 million to spend.

Kidd said the Nets' 19-point stomping of the Mavericks had "no special meaning" to him.
As for the thought that Kidd would put the Mavericks over the top, Cuban said Devin Harris, who is 10 years younger than Kidd, is a "top-five point guard. I don't think there's any question he's got that potential. We track every number known to man, and he's tracking on that path right now."

Although, Cuban added, there's always an opportunity to upgrade.

To Baseball, where we have a few good links for the hardcore fan:

Top 100 new names that could impact the major leagues this season …


Scott Lucas examines the Rangers Family Tree …cool stuff…

Lebreton on the Nolan Ryan Hire …

The 2008 Rangers will be a work in progress. Any other comparisons to destinies, hurricanes or the 2007 Colorado Rockies are coincidental.

They won't admit it, especially Washington, who always sees sunshine on a cloudy day. But this looms as a season of growing pains and finding answers, rather than assembling old hands and chasing pennants.

The team's leading home run and RBI man, for example, was not invited back. Sammy Sosa, who drove in 92 runs, is 39 years old. The Rangers will be better served this spring by finding out about Jason Botts and Nelson Cruz, who are both 27.

Likewise, there are young pitching arms to monitor and a fragile, new young star to nurture.

It could be a forgettably disappointing season. Or it could be the threshold of something special.

Anybody who declares either right now is only guessing.

Acquired in the Edinson Volquez trade from Cincinnati, once-troubled outfielder Josh Hamilton was the comeback kid of the 2007 baseball season. His progress and continued health loom as cornerstones in the Rangers' rebuilding process.

All Rockies aside, baseball resurrections seldom come together in one season, let alone a single month. Yet, the Rangers need Hamilton, who played in only 90 games last season, to stay healthy. They need veteran Milton Bradley, who turns 30 in April, to get completely healthy. They need third baseman Hank Blalock, who batted only 232 times last season, to come back healthy. And they need pitcher Kason Gabbard, acquired in the Eric Gagné trade, to remain healthy and in the starting rotation.

And that's just a sampling of the franchise's wish list.

There are enough young players on the roster that, as Washington said in his driveway last month, "I think we'll be a better team at the end of the season than we are at the start."

As players begin to report to Surprise, Ariz., this week, the future seems bright. But in the meantime, the lineup and pitching staff will have to be held together with bandages and sunscreen.

The questions continue at the top. Owner Tom Hicks hired the legendary Nolan Ryan last week to be the club's president.

Some denounced the move as a sign of Hicks' impatience. Others welcomed the hiring and implored Nolan to bring his broom.

Stop it. Ryan has always been revered as a class act, even -- some might say "especially" -- when he had Robin Ventura in a headlock. He is not the kind of man who harbors hidden agendas.

Man City beat Man United yesterday, and Liverpool got a boring point at Chelsea. But the Brits are more worried about this right now …Liverpool coming to Dallas! Tom Hicks isn't all bad...

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has attempted to reassure Barclays Premier League fans of the prudence of the proposed `international round', describing it as a 'strategic play' to stay ahead of the competition.

Scudamore insists the idea of extending the season to 39 games from 2010-11, with a round of matches taking place overseas is a progressive move aimed at retaining the league's status as the most globally popular footballing product.

The concept has attracted plenty of ire from fans and managers in England, but there have been a handful of voices welcoming the notion.

But Scudamore yesterday told BBC Radio Five: 'It allows us to grasp the globalisation nettle, which we cannot ignore.

'It is my duty not to ignore it. I would be criticised wholly if we let the league stray into the slow lane while others passed us in the fast lane.
'We have to do something. It is a strategic play.'

The plan currently envisages only one extra round of games hosted by five major cities across the world during one weekend in January.

But there are fears global success could lead to more overseas games being introduced.

Scudamore added: 'You can't sit here in the job I have and say never.
'We've said it is a six to 10-year deal and it will be three years before it starts. We think it is a 10-year play in terms of protecting our domestic position, because that's what it does.'

Meanwhile, last night saw reaction from two more regions on the idea - with spokesmen for both Qatar and Saudi Arabia commenting on the idea.

The general secretary of Saudi Arabia Football Association, Faisal Al Abdulhadi, declared an interest in the region hosting matches, but offered an overt preference for matches involving the big four.

He told PA Sport: 'It is a good idea to have such world-class matches outside England.

'However, there are certain requirements to make the idea successful in Saudi Arabia,' he added. 'The matches should have big teams from England like Manchester United, Chelsea or Liverpool and there should be a good marketing for the matches from companies here in Saudi Arabia.'

Ali Al Noaimi, assistant general secretary of Qatar Football Association, believes Premier League football would be welcomed in the area but admits they have not been approached.

'It would be a welcome addition for football in Qatar. However, personally, I don't think that this idea will be applied.

'We would love to have such a match here in Doha especially as there are a lot of fans who support English Premier League sides and there would be a lot of fans at such matches.'

'But we were not approached to have such matches and I don't think that we will be contacted because there are certain cities around the globe who were nominated to stage such matches.'

Berman rocks the codeine



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