Ryan likes too....

1. Ryan likes to play hockey, baseball, and football. - no, no, yes
2. Ryan likes to shock bystanders - yes
3. Ryan likes to create an elastic space the world can enter and fill - huh?
4. Ryan likes to spend his time playing around with new gadgets and gizmos - yes of course. my new phone is amazing
5. Ryan likes to think about the solar system - haha. im a dreamer
6. Ryan likes to spring on us - of course i do. who doesnt?
7. Ryan likes strong female singers - yep i sure do. the stronger the better
8. Ryan likes to hang out with friends, play tennis, golf and read - YES, sometimes, not unless you want me to kill you, yes. need to get back on that

Funny Funny

My friends new son

Isnt he cute? Of course he is, he's named after me!!

Oscar Ryan Grinsfelder

THIS IS JUST INSANE!

Top 25 NFL players of the past 25 years

This list is for the most part ok, but tom brady is rather high dont you think?!?! I mean come on he is no way better than barry sanders, peyton manning, and especially not Troy Aikman!

1	Joe Montana	Montana's Super success raised the bar
2	Jerry Rice	Rice ran away from the field with grace
3	Walter Payton	Payton did sweet work as rushing king
4	Lawrence Taylor	The original L.T. brought QBs to their knees
5	Reggie White	White administered rare level of play
6	John Elway	Elway left NFL as a winner
7	Emmitt Smith	Emmitt Smith surpassed all runners
8	Ronnie Lott	Lott made waves with hard-hitting style
9	Tom Brady	Brady climbed fast to Super heights
10	Barry Sanders	Sanders left them wanting more
11	Dan Marino	Marino re-wrote the NFL passing records
12	Peyton Manning	Peyton's place secure in NFL annals
13	Anthony Munoz	Munoz set standard on the O-line
14	Brett Favre	Favre made Green Bay important again
15	Bruce Smith	Smith sacked his way to the top
16	Deion Sanders	Deion played his way into 'Prime Time'
17	Mike Singletary	Singletary renowned for intimidating presence
18	Ray Lewis	The ultimate defender — Ray Lewis
19	Marshall Faulk	Faulk brought double threat to new level
20	Troy Aikman	Aikman rescued 'America's Team'
21	LaDainian Tomlinson	Tomlinson still climbing list of NFL greats
22	Rod Woodson	Woodson set new standard in backfield
23	Terry Bradshaw	Playoff success carried Bradshaw into Hall
24	Steve Young	After wait, Young made lasting run into NFL history
25	Eric Dickerson	Dickerson blazed early path to NFL immortality

Istanbul - July 6-8

As most of you know i went to Istanbul last week and instead of giving you my usual play by play of the trip im going to try and change it up a bit. A few funny excerpts from my 36 hrs in Istanbul...

1. Taxi from the Airport to the Hotel - Given that we were landing rather late in the evening and the meeting was early the next morning, we decided to pre-book a driver to take us on arrival. Neither I, nor my colleague checked baggage so we figured it would not be a long time before we were in the cab on our way to the hotel and some much needed sleep (we both had been in meetings all day but im sure the 3 glasses of champagne on the flight didnt hurt). Leaving the airport and reaching the outside area where loved ones (and taxi drivers trying to make a buck) it took a few minutes to find our driver but we eventually did. He was holding a sign with my name on it - Brown of course - but then 2 other names were on the sheet of paper. The driver told us we had to wait 5 mins. Definitely not what we wanted to hear at 11:30 at night, but 5 mins isnt too bad....So after 15 minutes he was finally ready, and we were ready to go. The only question was weather or not the 2 other people who had just arrived were sharing this, privately booked taxi. Hell, were they staying in hotel room too? Not sure how Turkey works just yet...After another 10 minutes we finally sorted out that the other two had to wait for a taxi driver. So finally, we were on our way to the hotel room for some sleep
   
2. From the Hotel to the Meeting - It took us 45 minutes to get to the hotel room from the airport. We were exhausted. The only thing we wanted was bed but first we had to sort out where the office was the next morning. We ask the concierge how far the address was from the hotel. The guys say "oh not too far, about 10 minutes away" Perfect. Just what we wanted to here. Not only no need for a cab, but also we could sleep a little bit longer. Yay. The next morning we meet at the given time to eat breakfast and, just to confirm, we ask the new concierge about this building's location. He reiterates the message, "make a left out of the building, and look up the hill. You should see the building ahead of you no problem." Nice. Sounds even closer than 10 minutes, we both think aloud. So taking the directions we head out in search of our meeting. Turn left and look up. The building is much closer than we thought. So close that the back wall of the hotel and the bank's back wall could have essentially been shared! 10 minutes my a$$! it was practically the same building!! I still cant figure out how these Turks function
   
   
3. Scarf Guy - on friday after the meeting i decided to go an do some sightseeing on my own and of course no trip to Istanbul would be complete without seeing the symbol of istanbul, Sulthanamet (aka the Blue Mosque). So i get out of the taxi and within seconds im targeted as a tourist. Some guy gets into some chat about there being 2 different entrances to the mosque, i dont believe him of course thinking he is trying to scam me. He continues to talk and asks me where im from and all that. i say texas and he goes right into it saying he is going to a wedding in Austin in August, "512, right?", he asks...yes 512 is the area code for austin. blah blah blah...i try to walk away. He follows. continuing to talk to me about texas, but then goes into telling me about some shop that his family owns. Before i know it, im in the shop being pursueded, forcefully, to buy a scarf for my mom for 150 bucks. After i refuse 3 for times, he starts getting really angry saying how he was nice to me and basically i owed it to him to buy some scarf that prob cost 10 dollars to make. Furious cuz this guy wasted about 30 mins of my life i storm out and head to the mosque as was originally intended!
4. Shoe shine guy - I probably fell for the oldest trick in the book. After picking up a kebab (a must in turkey), im walking down the street sucking down this delicacy and notice that some guy in front of me had dropped something so typically helpful me, i tell him that he has dropped something. He is grateful, i say you're welcome and keep walking. He speeds up to get in front of me, turns and faces me and drops this contraption to the ground and offers to give me some sort of retribution for letting him know he dropped a tool. I saw no thanks. He says please, let me thank you. I say thanks but no thanks. He says, its not a shoe shine. I say no (knowing full well that there is no chance i could get a pseudo shoe shine and not be guilted into paying him for his services) emphatically. As i walk away i hear him complain about how i should take it as a favor and help him out, blah,etc.
5. The fight - That night i wanted to go for some authentic dinner in a nice place and just chill out so i take some advice from the concierge (again) and head to Taksim Square, which is by his account a very lively place. When the taxi driver drops me off in the center of the square, his story is validated. The place is packed with people. Sort of like Trafalgar Square on a nice afternoon/early evening. Getting out of the cab (avoiding a car trying to run me over) i notice a bit of a skirmish going on between 2 men. Of course i stop to watch, as does the rest of the people in the square. Funny thing is, the same can be said for the 4 cops within arms length of the fight. Instead of trying to break up the melee, they stand there enjoying the view. Hilarious. After 5 mins of the cat fight, one cop attempts to stop the more aggressive of the two fighters - by spraying him the face with mace. Even more hilarious. Stunned only for a few seconds, not by pain, but rather what looked like contemplating whether or not the "cop" actually sprayed him in the face, he is right back in the mix trying to head back to the other guy, now being held back by 2 of the cops. Finally the other cops grab mace-face and its all over. It took a while but everythign was now under control. Im guessing if that happened, say in NYC, those two guys would have a broken bone or two and eating concrete at the very least.
6. Dinner Companion - After the fight i start walking to find my restaurant for a good post fight meal. On the way a guy gestures to me, asking if i had a lighter for his cigarette. I say "no". Bad move. From that instance he recognizes im not turkish. Surprise. And we start chatting. he isnt Turkish but rather from Cyprus. The Greek part (which means nothing to me) . To make a long walk/story/evening short: 1-invites himself to walk with me, 2-is no help in finding the restaurant despite the fact he speaks Turkish 3-joins me for dinner at the restaurant, 4 - Asks me to join him at a club later. He went out on his own the night before and didnt like it. He found a new friend so he wanted to make this night a better one, 5-After i refuse to go out (first time in history - i had to wake up early for my boat tour the next day), he harrasses me for no less than 30 mins telling me that I owe it to him to join him at the club since he came to dinner with me. He seriously said this. The nice guy that i am i didnt point out to him that i did NOT invite him to dinner, nor did i drag him kicking and screaming to eat with me against his will. This back and forth goes on right until i jump in a cab back to the hotel. Before leaving i shake his hand (and for some reason give him hug hahaha) , happy to get the hell out of that situation.

Bottom line - Istanbul is interesting, but dont NEED to go back. If i had someone to join me, prob would be different but flying solo, i felt more vulnerable than any time in recent history. Im not saying all Turks are this way, but the people i interacted with were possibly the most manipulative people ever

Even a trip to the cleaners is a pain in the ass....

Well i dropped my clothes off on a Saturday. they said it would be ready tue night. So to give them more time i came and got it on wed morn, guess what? It wasnt ready and they said it would be that afternoon...so went back then. Still wasnt ready but he said come back in two hours and ill have it (i REALLY needed it for a meeting the next day. No other clean suits thanks to Daz!). So i come back (not to the dry cleaners but the place he owned next door). The place he owned was a fish and chip shop....

so i go there to get my clothes and they give me the wrong clothes! the person who gives it to me gives me 6 ties and a sweater. the sweater is mine, but the ties were not even though the ticket says 5 pairs of pants a sweater and a suit. Im nearly losing it at that point. The guy (the one who cooks the fries) then calls the owner, puts me on the phone and says that he will be right there to sort it out and would give me a call when he is done....when i go back the clothes they give me are finally my clothes thank god.

Funny thing though is that it was supposed to be 33 pounds, but i wrote them a check for 30 and said thats all im giving you. Even funnier is that i wrote the check out to the name of the dry cleaners on the awning above the store. The next day i get a voicemail telling me he cant cash the check because i should have written it out to him personally! Ha. that was about a month ago and he has yet to be able to cash the check and im for damn sure not fixing it for him! So the joke is on him!

A lesson in Puberty

A friend of mine sent this to me. Its borderline offensive, 100% inappropriate, but guaranteed to bring to make you laugh. Enjoy!!


The Puberty Pals - Watch more free videos

Best Cities in America for Young People?

Well i would say NYC, Austin, and San Diego for my top 3 but forbes has a different list. I think they should put weather into account then Austin would be much higher and SD surely #1. Boston and Providence should get the boot becuse of weather but NYC can stay just cuz its New York.


http://www.forbes.com/2007/06/21/cities-jobs-young-forbeslife-cx_mw_0621realestate.html

Quick list of the things i miss about the summer in the states

People are not included in this list because that goes without saying. With out my people, the rest would be irrelavent

1. Basketball League
2. Softball League
3. Wolfe Tones
   
4. Thursday nights out
5. Sam's Summer Ale
6. Stamford Block Party
7. Greenwich Ave Pub Crawl

Business/Pleasure trip to Reykjavik, Iceland

So back in feb i go to a meeting with a Icelandic Bank to try and secure an engagement (with the help of a colleague) that would result in a business trip to Reykjavik, Iceland. I never thought it would happen (despite me telling everyone and their mothers the moment that the deal was sealed that I was going to rekjavik). As the project came to a close, we started to organize meeting dates with the bank's marketing partners. It was proving difficult to get on everyone's schedule. This meant one of two things: meeting in London or conference call. Neither of which were acceptable in my opinion.

So I turned up the pressure and went straight to the client. In a day the meeting was set for June 1st. And thats where the story begins....

Friday - June 1, 2007

Wake up around 4am to shower and be ready for my taxi that would be picking me up at 4:45am (my flight was at 7:30). Given that, i know im in for a long long day cuz on the other side im sure to be going out for a few drinks after the meeting. Reykjavik is know for its party atmo, never ending sunlight, and beautiful women. 2 out of the 3 would prove to be overstated in the end. So, after sleeping the entire plane ride, apart from the 5 min convo with the American guys sitting in my row. They in college at Stanford (in California) and here on some study abroad deal at Oxford. They similiarly woke up quite early. They had to catch a 4am bus from oxford to the airport...needless to say the conversation was a short one as both of us were passed out within minutes of take off....

Not waking up until the 5 mins before the plane landed at around 10:30, i got about a 2 hour nap in before the meeting. Nice. So i catch the first cab to the hotel room to refresh before the meeting at 2pm. Get into a chat with the cabbie and he tells me a few interesting things: 1 - iceland is the richest country in the world (them and norway), 2 - water from the blue lagoon is pumped throughout the city to provide the citizens with hot water, 3 - the girls will be chasing me like puppy dogs, 4 - all the girls are beautiful. The latter 2, of course, i was most interested in as i heard this place was party central.

After a $100 cab journey, I get to the hotel and try to check in and notice that point 4 is off to a good start - The 2 girls checking me in are probably 8s. From there its a downturn, my room is not ready so i sit in the lobby for the next 2 hours getting ready for the meeting (aka playing on facebook) until Steve, my colleague, finishes his nap. He landed at 6am on the red-eye from nyc.

Around 12, i meet steve and we head to a restaurant near our clients office and grab lunch. Iceland is known for its food (it is an island people) and especially its whale steak, puffin, sheep, and shark. While Steve decided to venture into the realm of the native cuisine. He orders a Whale Steak special....i preferred to ease into things and ordered a ham and cheese sandwich, which ended up also having a fried egg in it (i really wasnt that hungry).

After lunch, we walked to the meeting, enjoying the 40 degree overcast and windy icelandic weather. Get to the meeting...blah blah blah, very pleased and satisfied with the results, blah blah blah, little follow up, blah. After the meeting the our client's marketing group that we worked with invited us on a tour of thier office. We spent over an hour there talking to members of the company, including the CEO who is ready to host a celebration of sorts (the sister company from Norway is in town and starting to flood the room we are in. A room that over looks the atlantic ocean and had it been a sunny day we would be able to see the mountains in the background). Over a beer, we talk about the progress of the firm. Seems like a summary of what he is going to say in his upcoming speech. After the beer, we make a smooth exit and head back to the hotel to get ready for the night out. YES.

Steve and i head to dinner at a locally loved restaurant and from there we plan to hit up the nightlife. This time at dinner i go for a little more of a local dish, but not too much of a stretch to what i would normally eat. I had lamb and have had it before and unfortunately had better. Was good but not great...

Now to the streets of Reykjavik and time to party...sort of. As of 9 o'clock no one is out yet. actually people are out, but they are more like the Happy hour crowd. Word on the street is people dont go out until about midnight. This is for a couple reasons as i will soon find out: 1 - Iceland is bloody expensive. 2 beers cost the equivalent of $22. 2 - it doesnt get dark in iceland in the summer. Seriously. At midnight, its as light as it was at 3pm. At 1am, it looks like sun is starting to set . At 3am, the sun is starting to rise again. Never ever dark. Awesome. See below for an example:

This is 2am as we walk home




When midnight did come around, the place started to fill up, but we had been at the same bar for about 2 hours and were getting bored. We moved on to a bar down the street, but not before getting a pic with a couple of locals:



The stop at the next bar isnt anything special. Well except for steve making me dance with a really, really, really, really, really, really, drunk girl. So drunk in fact that she slipped her camera in my pocket as we were dancing. When i got bored of seeing her fall over herself - which happened very quickly i might add, i decided it was time to go (plus i was with a 40-year old married guy whose late-night partying days were well over). About 100 yards outside the club i realize i still have this girls camera!! I run back into the bar and find her. Yep, still wasted. I tap her on the shoulder and she pushes me away and turns around as if she had never seen me before. I tap her again, insisting that i have her camera (mumbling under my breath about what a stupid drunk she is) and point to the camera. She realizes its her phone (or could have been a piece of hardened dung she was so drunk) and takes it and again turns away from me. Drunk people are stupid so i just laugh. I doubt she got home without incident. As for me, i got back to the hotel, ordered a pizza (dominoes, not pizza hut but it will do) and passed out very happily. Had to rest up for the the next day's whirlwind sightseeing.

Saturday - June 2, 2007

Highlights of the day

Rented a car - The car company was based out of some room with a desk and 2 guys who dont know what they are doing. Including a guy dressed in a stained tshirt and jeans, probably still drunk from the night before (think barney from the Simpsons). Professionalism is not this company's strong point, but price is. The rent for the day is cheaper than a cab ride to they airport. this is probably why:



Driving to the sights: Driving outside the city is an adventure in itself. Every road in the city is paved and nice, like any developed city. Outside the city is completely different. All the roads are full of rock and molten lava (the entire country is made up of this type of terrain) surrounded by mounds of the same thing. In our little buggy of a car the drive wasnt the smoothest to say the least. The sights seen are

1. Geysir - A geyser (pronounced GEEZER) that gets taller than yellowstone
2. Gulfoss - A waterfall
3. Glacier - Barely saw it off in the background

4. Thingvellir National Park - Basically a big lake
5. Divide between Two Continents - Where the North American and European plates are separating. Apparently you can snorkle between the two. I didnt.
6. Blue Lagoon - a body of water with unique source of geothermal seawater that originates in Iceland's extreme environment.

In between sights, i dropped off steve at the airport so i was on my own visiting the last two sights...and yes i did get in the water. Was hot but the place smelled like rotten eggs due to the sulfur

That night i ended up going out with a group of iceland natives to a private party for a computer games company celebrating their 10 year anniversary. I was an invited guest of the husband of one of the ladies that i worked with in managing the project. It ended up being a great night surprisingly or probably not surprisingly. I can have a good time anywhere, anyplace, w

Great tirade....

My Fine is...$750

This is fun to do. Just read the "offense" and if you've done it,
you owe that fine. Keep going until you've read each offense and then add up the total fine YOU owe

You don't have to confess your answers, just the amount of your
fine. The most you can have is$1205


1. Smoked pot -- $10
2. Did acid -- $5
3. Ever had sex at church -- $25
4. Woke up in the morning and didnt know who was next to you --$40
5. Had sex with someone you met on Internet -- $25
6. Had sex for money -- $100
7. Ever had sex with a lover of different ethnic background -- $20
8. Vandalized something -- $20
9. Had sex on your parents' bed -- $10
10. Beat up someone --$20
11. Been jumped -- $10
12. Crossed dressed -- $10
13. Given money to stripper -- $25
14. Been in love with a stripper -- $20
15. Kissed some one who's name you didn't know -- $10
16. Hit on some one of the same sex while at work -- $15
17. Ever drive drunk -- $20
18. Ever got drunk at work, or went to work while still drunk --$50
19. Used toys while having sex -- $30
20. Got drunk, passed out and don't remember the night before -- $20
21. Went skinny dipping -- $5
22. Had sex in a pool -- $20
23. Kissed someone of the same sex -- $10
24. Had sex with someone of the same sex -- $20
25. Cheated on your significant other -- $25
26. Masturbated -- $5
27. Cheated on your significant other with their relative or close friend -$35
28. Done oral -- $15
29. Got oral -- $5
30. Done / got oral in a car while it was moving --$25
31. Stole something -- $10
32. Had sex with someone in jail -- $25
33. Made a naughty home video -- $15
34. Had a threesome -- $50
35. Had sex in the wild -- $20
36. Been in the same room while someone was having sex -- $25
37. Stole something worth over more than a hundred dollars -- $20
38. Had sex with someone 10 years older -- $20
39. Had sex with someone under 21 and you are over 27 -- $25
40. Been in love with two people or more at the same time -- $50
41. Said you love someone but didn't mean it -- $25
42. Went streaking -- $5
43. Went streaking in broad daylight -- $15
44. Been arrested -- $5
45. Spent time in jail -- $15
46. Peed in the pool -- $50
47. Played spin the bottle -- $5
48. Done something you regret -- $20
49. Had sex with your best friend -- $20
50. Had sex with someone you work with at work --$25
51. Had anal sex -- $80
52. Lied to your mate -- $5
53. Lied to your mate about the sex being good -- $25

Tally it up and Title it..."My Fine Is..." Then Post it in your notes

Germany Football

...Germany has a player named Mario Gomes? What? how is that possible?!?!

US number is gone forever and ever!!

...sorry all, but the US number is GONE. My only number now is +44 (0) 785.526.8734. If you have a blackberry let me know, can always add on for blackberry messenger.

My Celebrity Look-A-Likes (again)

Did it again because the other one got deleted...

#1


#2

Funniest thing happened...

So I'm walking to get on the tube today and start my journey home and as usual I have my very nice, semi-expensive, and uber noise cancelling headphones on (listening to remember the time by Michael Jackson - which will become very ironic shortly).

I jump onto the train just as the doors close but for some reason it doesn't compute that the train will be leaving soon so I take my sweet a$$ time sitting down. Costly mistake. The train takes off, feeling the momentum of the train (remember I can't hear anything), and starting to fall backwards a bit, I reach out to grab one of the poles to keep myself from falling. Unsuccessful. My hand completely wiffs the pole and I start to fall backwards. First instinct is to step back and steady myself but that was impossible given the piece of luggage directly behind me. Second instinct was to yell 'oh shit' as I tumbled into a back flip, landing on the laps of two young women - face up!

After gathering myself back to my feet I get my book out to start reading. Needless to say I got no reading done between the apparent stares, the sweat pouring from my head, me reliving the incident in my head imagining what it must have looked like to the rest of the people on the train, and of course me fighting the urge to laugh out loud at myself!!!

So yes, I do remember the time. The time I nearly did a back flip on the central line and ended up on my back looking up at two very surprised tube riders. Not as surprised as I was I can guarantee




------------------------------
Sent via BlackBerry wireless handheld.

This Guy is amazing

After a suggestion from Ben Gwynne claiming that some guy could beat Super Mario Brothers in 5 minutes, i decided to have a look on Youtube and unsuprisingly (i can always count on BG for time wasting tips) it is true.

This guy is amazing. He (and i say he because i doubt there is a woman on theis planet that would take the time to beat the game, not to mention taking the time it takes to put it up on youtube) flies through each level not wasting his time on coins or mushrooms like the normal player. Using every warp possible, after just over 2 mins, he is on level 8-1. and finishes the game in 5:20 (the boards are longer on the 8th level).



A few notes:

He gets max points (5000) on every flag, except for the last one, where he sacrifices speed for points

On stage 8-3, there are a couple 'skips' in the video which suggests mario dies and the guy has to restart.

The players precision and timing is amazing. He never slows down or miss times a jump and always narrowly misses death. This must have taken HOURS, if not days

My Alcoholic Drink is Surprisingly....

What Alcoholic Drink Are You? (pics)
Martini You are classy and sexy. You have a charm to you that makes you irresitable. You are a martini!
Take The Quiz Now!	Quizzes by myYearbook.com

This is my horoscope on Google.com today....

Even with the highest of spiritual intentions, you still may not be able to keep your mind off sex today. You may find yourself thinking about things that are usually outside of your comfort zone. Don't think that you will actually realize all your fantasies, but remember there's no harm in enjoying them within the privacy of your own mind.

Honestly, i think this is should be my horoscope everyday....

Best Sports Cities in the US 2006

1. Chicago 15 includes Evanston
2. Miami 4
3. Dallas-Fort Worth 8 Hangout. Yeah, yeah, the Mavs were thisclose to vaulting the Metroplex to numero uno. But you want a real feel for DFW sports history? You gotta git yerself to the Cotton Bowl for Texas-OU weekend during the state fair. "As has been the case since it opened in 1921," the Dallas Observer notes, "the Cotton Bowl is all substance, no style . . . This old joint refreshingly reeks of old-school."
4. Detroit 3 includes Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti
5. New York 10
6. Denver 13 includes Boulder
7. Boston 1 Don't fret, Beantown -- your reign had to end some time
8. Los Angeles 5 Angels have their way; Anaheim gets its own listing this time.
9. Philadelphia 2
10. Phoenix 12 includes Tempe
Hell-raisers. Golf claps? They don't need no stinkin' golf claps on the par-3 No. 16 at the TPC of Scottsdale's FBR Open. Liquored-up frat boys and be-seen babes are part of the loudest hole on the PGA tour. Quiet? Please.
11. Washington 7 This time, Baltimore stands on its lonesome
12. Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, N.C. 23
13. Atlanta 9
14. Minneapolis-St. Paul 11
15. Seattle 16
16. Indianapolis 17
17. Tampa-St. Petersburg 388 That's some improvement!
18. Austin, Texas 47 Don't mess with Texas. Big year deep in the heart of. The Horns rode St. Vincent to the football national championship to follow the baseball team's College World Series title. Fans dreamed of a baseball-football-basketball trifecta, but LaMarcus, PJ & Co. came up shy. Still, it was a damn fine year, y'all.
19. Anaheim 5 No L.A., no problem
20. Cleveland 29
21. Pittsburgh 18
22. San Diego 20
23. Nashville 25
24. San Jose 24 used to include Oakland and San Francisco; now includes Palo Alto, Santa Clara
25. Charlotte 28
26. Oakland 24 includes Berkeley
27. Cincinnati 21
28. Houston 6
29. St. Louis 19
30. Salt Lake City 24 includes Provo
31. Milwaukee 31
32. Gainesville, Fla. 58 Hookup. How's this for the ultimate sports coupling: One of the nation's best college football towns goes gaga over . . . hoops? (And you thought we were going to make some cheap, tawdry Joakim's-a-hottie joke.)
33. Buffalo 30
34. Memphis 26
35. San Antonio 22
36. Columbus 33
37. Jacksonville 34
38. Morgantown, W.Va. 55
39. Oklahoma City 142 includes Norman
40. Baltimore 7
41. Toronto 38
42. Ottawa 41
43. San Francisco 14 This time, no Oakland or San Jose to help
44. Baton Rouge, La. 61 Rim shot. Speaking of football towns gone hoops, picture this: LSU and Southern made it into the men's and women's NCAA Tournaments. Money!
45. Orlando 35
46. Edmonton 44
47. Sacramento 32
48. Kansas City 36
49. Calgary 42
50. New Orleans 27
51. Montreal 40
52. Vancouver 43
53. Green Bay 37
54. South Bend, Ind. 70
55. Tuscaloosa, Ala. 69
56. State College, Pa. 106
57. Madison, Wis. 56 Hangout. Summer months spent on the Terrace are bliss, but UW makes this a hot spot year-round. That is, if you like a school that plays in a bowl game and makes the NCAA tourney every year, sells out its huge stadiums for every game in both sports and, to boot, packs in more than 13,000 to watch the nation's No. 1 hockey program.
58. Portland, Ore. 39
59. Blacksburg, Va. 52
60. Athens, Ga. 63
61. Louisville, Ky. 46
62. Knoxville, Tenn. 51
63. Tucson, Ariz. 62
64. Iowa City, Iowa 49
65. Lawrence, Kan. 72
66. East Lansing, Mich. 53
67. College Park, Md. 68
68. Clemson, S.C. 79
69. Eugene, Ore. 83
70. Storrs, Conn. 57
71. College Station, Texas 60
72. Auburn, Ala. 50
73. Lubbock, Texas 48
74. Columbia, S.C. 80 Hookup. Steve Spurrier/Dave Odom gave South Carolina's athletic program a kick in the Cockaboose. The football team went to a bowl game, and though the basketball team didn't make the Big Dance, hey, it won the Little One, aka the NIT. That's progress on two fronts in Columbia.
75. Lincoln, Neb. 88
76. Tallahassee, Fla. 74
77. Charlottesville, Va. 64
78. Ames, Iowa 78
79. Fayetteville, Ark. 77
80. Las Vegas 99
81. Piscataway, N.J. 100
82. Reno, Nev. 93
83. Bloomington, Ind. 96
84. Columbia, Mo. 89
85. Lexington, Ky. 84 Hell-raisers. Here's one for the UK Philosophy Department: Who are the bigger paint-yer-face-blue Wildcats fans, the 22K-plus who jammed Rupp for every basketball game (tops in the NCAA) or the 62K who made it to 67,0606-seat Commonwealth Stadium to watch that football team (3-8)?
86. Tulsa, Okla. 108
87. Toledo, Ohio 82
88. Champaign, Ill. 67
89. Albuquerque, N.M. 59
90. West Lafayette, Ind. 81
91. Colorado Springs, Colo. 92
92. Fresno, Calif. 76
93. Winston-Salem, N.C. 73
94. Manhattan, Kan. 85
95. Pullman, Wash. 87
96. Boise, Idaho 75
97. Syracuse, N.Y. 65
98. Peoria, Ill. 154
99. Spokane, Wash. 131 And finally . . . Just when we think we've got enough zigs in our annual list, we come to this conclusion: We've got to have some Zags, too.

MLS Goal of the week

Check out the 25 second mark, This is chris' bomb and goal of the week. Dont worry about the music. Not my choice, but do worry about the fact that in high school i was mvp of our team 3 times. 2 out of those 3 i was playing with chris. Where did i go wrong?!?!

Chris Gbandi on FC Dallas' Preseason Camp in Brazil

I cant believe went to high school with this guy....

Ugly Distin

A Brental Football Club football teammate says I look like this guy. What do you think?

Platini planning to bring in penalty box refs

This is overall a dumb idea but read the last 2 paragraphs. Hilarious and shows how little he knows about american football!


New UEFA president Michel Platini is ready to revolutionise the 'outmoded' world of refereeing by using two more officials in each match.

Click here
Platini, who was elected to office in January, wants to put an official behind each goal to help rule on penalty box infringements.

The former France attacking midfielder believes that would be better than using technology, which he claims would 'dehumanise' football.

'My idea is to increase the number of officials,' he told France Football. 'To referee with just three people, it is outmoded. Three officials cannot see everything.

'I am proposing two extra officials, over-45s who don't need to run because they would stay behind the goals. We must show the world that we are against injustice and that we are trying to do more to eliminate errors.

'As for using electronic systems, that risks dehumanising football.'

Platini believes the sport should take a leaf out of American football's book, and use officials who highlight infringements by throwing a flag on to the field of play.

'Why not take the example shown by American football, who uses referees aged 60 or over, who signal fouls with their yellow flag,' he added.

I need a favor

I just realized how much i miss the music back in the states. All there is is house is music and rock, which i wouldnt listen to even if i had a radio to listen to. So i ask you a favor. Can you be so kind as keep me updated of any new songs, whether mainstream or not so well known? I would be greatly appreciative of it! Keep in mind i do like mostly hip hop and R&B, but am a fan of slight diversions from that...

Hook me up!

Which Superhero am I you ask?

Your results:
You are The Flash

The Flash 85% Spider-Man 85% Hulk 70% Iron Man 70% Robin 65% Supergirl 60% Catwoman 55% Wonder Woman 50% Superman 50% Green Lantern 40% Batman 35%

Fast, athletic and flirtatious.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

So how about this for a shitty day...

April 30, 2007

So wake up to a beautiful day as the rays of sun fight through terribly fitted blinds...at 5:30 am! I tried to fall back asleep but that was impossible as i couldnt stop my heart from racing from being pissed off at my terrible landlady who has never seen the flat and had my blinds installed (4 months after moving in) very poorly and full of gaps for light to seep through.

So after getting ready for work, i head down to the bus stop to catch my usual 133 bus to Bank and notice loads of people walking passed me down the hill. Noticing that there is no one at the bus stop (and a sign that says "this bus stop is not in service", i decide to start my trip down the hill for a couple stops so i can get on the bus. It doesnt take long for me to notice that the entire street it blocked off by the cops telling people that there was a fire the night before and now there is a threat of an explosion (but if you work at the prison down the street, you are free to walk down the street and take the chance - SO TYPICAL OF THIS COUNTRY). As I clearly dont work at the prison, i, and the rest of the displaced commuters, have to make the circuitous walk down to the tube station - about a 20 minute walk.

So im finally on the tube. (not too bad of a walk actually. If i wasnt such a lazy bastard i could do it everyday.) Find myself in a packed train and settle in for a quick trip from Brixton to Oxford Circus (about 10-15 mins). Smooth sailing right up until Victoria when stopped at a station i hear a lady complaining that there is someone on the train who is 'unwell' (aka sick) and gets the attention of a staff member to check on her. After a 15 minute delay, we find out that the 'unwell' person in question was just asleep and homeless, and just because this one lady was uncomfortable with the homeless lady sleeping, the ENTIRE train has to wait to get to work. Brilliant.

After a tame work day, i head to my footy match (which turns out to be the only highlight of the day - we win 5-1 including another goal by me! Im on fire these days!!!). After the shower and about to head home, and am asked to take the kit to wash. Complete RUBBISH. So now i have my backpack, laptop, and a massive bag full of dirty, stinky clothes. Awesome. All i want to do is get home, eat and watch the return of Michael Owen to Newcastle after a 10 month absence since the torn ACL in the world cup....

Get home, rock up to the door, unlock the top lock, push...and nothing. Try it again. top lock definitely unlocked, push again. Nada. Come to find out the bottom lock is locked. This lock i NEVER had a key for, neither did the landlord, the previous tenants, nor did the lettings agency (Nelson's Letting Agency - one of the many worthless letting agencies in this country) or so they said back in September. Apparently after showing the apt to my potential replacements (im moving next friday. Surprise huh?) they locked the bottom lock after somehow finding the key!! So now im locked out and need to get a locksmith. After making 2 scathing calls to Nelsons and my landlord, both of which i only have daytime numbers for, i call the locksmith to get me out of this ridiculous situation.

2 hours later, im finally in bed trying to sleep off probably the strangest day in my life.

Happy anniversary

13-Year-Old Gets Thumbs Up At LG National Texting Championship

This girl is amazing. 4000 txts a month beats even me, but then again i work full time

On Saturday I decided to skip my usual weekend routine to check out the LG National Texting Championship in New York's Roseland Ballroom. More than 300 text messagers crowded the historic space to show off their texting skills and earn a chance to take home the $25,000 grand prize.

Before the National Championship, LG hosted a West Coast texting tournament where 21-year-old L.A. college student Eli Tirosh won $10,000 and the West Coast crown. Tirosh is an articulate and polished aspiring TV legal correspondent.

Before the competition, I had a few minutes to interview the West Coast texting champ.

Eli, what is the secret to your text messaging skills?

I constantly text my friends at school. And it's how I communicate with almost everybody.

What is your weapon of choice?

I use the LG V. I plan to switch to the LG enV on Monday after the competition is over.

What else do you do on your phone besides texting?

I check my e-mail, get directions, and store my contacts.

Are you afraid of any of today's East Coast competitors?

No. I feel good about today.

What do you plan to do with the prize money if you win?

I'll use it for law school.

Well, Eli didn't know that she would eventually face-off against one mean text-messaging machine in the form of 13-year-old Morgan Pozgar of Claysburg, Pa.

But first, a little backgrounder on the competition. West Coast champ Eli waited in the wings while the East Coast competition cranked on. The first round consisted of 300 competitors all using the LG texting phone. In the first round, the competitors were split between tables, with four competitors per table. Each table had just one winner, with the other competitors eliminated.

Each contestant started off the round with their hands behind their backs and their phones folded up sitting on a table. There was a countdown and at the end of each countdown, the competitors had to grab their phones and then immediately text a 150-character phrase displayed on a giant monitor.

The competition placed emphasis on both speed and accuracy. Anyone who entered a phrase incorrectly -- and this included even the slightest typos -- could not win the round, no matter how fast they entered their messages.

After the first round, there was a round of one-on-one faceoffs to qualify for the semifinals. After the semifinals, Morgan Pozgar faced off against Michael Nguyen for the East Coast title. Morgan crushed Michael, winning $10,000 and the right to compete against Eli for $15,000 in additional winnings.

After a short break, Eli and Morgan stepped up to the stage. Morgan again showed off her prowess as a text messager, typing out the first two lines of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from Mary Poppins in just 15 seconds.

After the competition, Morgan told me, "I am so shocked right now. I am nervous."

When asked what she wanted to do with the prize money, she said, "Now I want to go shopping." Morgan said that she sends more than 4,000 text messages a month.

In addition to the main cash prizes, LG gave away $1,000 to winners of several consolation rounds, as well as four plasma TVs.

Duke sucks

Thanks B. I could watch this all day everyday.

My tube ride today...

So I'm riding the tube today and there is the wasted dude making a scene. Hilarious. Sitting down next to some guy wearing a tank top and gets up and says he can't be sitting next to a 'bati-boy' (which in jamacan means homosexual) because he is a married man lol. Then he sits across from some guy in a hood with headphones on an yells some gibberish to him. The hoodie responds and they get into a nice little incoherent conversation talking about tatoos and the like. Then the hoodie decides he is done with chatting and pulls back and puts his headphones back on. The drunk jamaican then starts throwing air jabs and uppercuts, calling himself mike tyson hahahaha. At the next stop the hoodie gets off the tube and the drunk bastard cusses him out in some long lost language that cannot be spoken in the modern world and again mentions that he is married but this time throws in the fact that he has two kids... He stands up and tries to talk to the guy sitting next him but smartly he wants nothing of it. So the drunkered decides he's had enough and moves on to the next carriage (I'm secretly worried the guy is going to fall on the tracks while in between cars. I'm worried not because I don't want the guy hurt, but because I don't want my journey to be any longer than it has to be!)

All while this goes on I'm laughing my a$$ off playing brickbreaker. You gotta love Brixton.....

And now a homeless person is begging me for money. And now some guys walked into the tube wearing red satin shiny as hell shirts and silk white pants!!!

It just keeps getting better!!!


------------------------------
Sent via BlackBerry wireless handheld.

Most incredible dive ever

This idiot just gives the game a bad name....but it is hilarious i have to say. PS - for those who dont know, he won a world cup with italy 8 months ago....

What a match!

Scoop to the rescue

Our friend Timmy Hardaway has messed up and said some v insensitive stuff. Scoop Jackson, a long time friend of his, gives him the opportunity to redeem himself. Personally i think he fails but he is from the old school and like many people are brought up to think being homosexual is a disease. ALthough i might jump off a bridge if my son came home to tell me he was gay [joke], you cant hate someone for their sexual orientation. Just like you cant hate someone for their religious beliefs, skin color, nationality, or even college they went to (except if you go to duke. Then ill hate you).

Its a long read but a good one

'I don't have a hate bone in my body'

By Scoop Jackson
Page 2

What do you do when you see your friend in the middle of the ocean drowning?

That's the question you have to ask yourself, especially when you are a journalist and the friend in question is Timmy Hardaway. Do you let him go under, saying, "He brought this on himself, there's nothing I can do." Do you look over your entire relationship with him and say, "That's not him. What he said is not the type of person he is." Do you try to see both sides, his and John Amaechi's? Especially since you have a relationship with Amaechi, too, having worked together on a television show back in 1998. Do you try to come to Tim's rescue? Do you distance yourself from him? Do you say, "I hate him because he said he hates a group of people."

Do you let him drown?

See, Timmy Hardaway and I grew up together, been tight for over 30 years, family linked through blood and love. So when the fallout unfolded after he said on Dan Le Batard's radio show that he hates gay people, I felt the right thing to do would be toss the man a life preserver. Know him or not, agree or disagree, black or white, gay or straight, it should never be in us to watch a man drown without doing something. Now what he does with the life preserver once it's thrown out there is an entirely different story. That is all on him.

To find the place between objectivity and spin control. That's where we found ourselves. He in Miami, me on the same block we grew up on in Chicago. A very honest conversation with Timmy Hardaway. One week after seeing him begin to drown.

Scoop: You used the word "hate" …

Tim: I know. And I don't hate anybody. I don't have a hate bone in my body.

Then how did that come out of you?

Scoop, it was just the wrong choice of words. It came out of my mouth real crude and real bad and real ugly. And people think that that's the way I feel. That I hate [gay people], and I don't. I don't condone what they do, but I don't hate them. But that's how it came out.

They call them hate crimes for a reason.

And that's what it was, a hate crime on my part. But I was never brought up to hate anybody, you know that. But that's just the word and that's how we used it. You know when we got a whopping we'd be like, "I hate my moms" or "I hate my dad," and at the time you really didn't hate them, but that was the word you used. You know I can go into a restaurant and say, "I hate this food, I hate the chef, I don't even know why I came back to this restaurant." But I know I can't use the word like that, or let's say I'm not supposed to. People have come up to me and told me, "Tim, you can't say that you hate gay people because it's not the same term." But that's how I talk. That's the way I am.

Take me back to the interview with Dan.

When I listened to the interview it really sounded like I meant what I said, like I meant that I hate gay people. I was thinking that I was talking to somebody else and not really knowing what it was I was saying. Did I forget I was on the radio? To tell you the truth, at the time I was talking, yes. I've known Dan for a long time and we're real cool and we were just having fun on the radio.

Did you expect a fallout after the interview? What did you expect was going to happen?

I didn't know it was going to be that bad. And that's honest. I really didn't.

But when you saw that you were one of the top stories on "Good Morning America" the next morning …

When I seen and heard a lot of people's comments -- I didn't read the papers, but -- on TV, just the magnitude of it all, that's when it really hit me, like …

"That I really f----d up now?"

That I really offended a lot of people and that's not me. … Like I said when I heard the interview, when I heard myself, it sounded bad. "Them being in another country and they shouldn't be in America …" That should have never come out. I was like, "Damn, I messed that up. Damn, I don't believe that came out my mouth. Damn, that's not me."

I've known you nearly all of our lives and I know there's no filter with you. You've always taken pride in being unapologetically and almost brutally honest. But there's a difference between being honest and being smart. I think you picked the wrong time to be honest and you took the wrong road.

Yeah, I took the wrong road. I should have been smart about what I was saying and how I expressed my feelings because I offended a lot of folks. And not knowing the magnitude on how this all escalated. I mean, I offended my family, my friends, the NBA, the gay community, people I don't know, the [Miami] Heat organization. I realize that I offended a lot of people and caused a lot of friction on a touchy subject. And now it's my job to make it right.

Yeah, you called your grandmother and apologized.

I called my grandmother, I called my dad, I called my mom, I called my brother, I talked to a whole lot of folks in my family just to make them understand that I'm sorry for shaming the family. And they were real with me. They told me that they know I'm always honest and I always speak my mind, but that I shouldn't have used the word "hate." They told me how bad that word is and how I came off saying it. They let me know that it's going to be all right, but I gotta be the one to make it all right.

But still you have issues with gays?

I still don't accept their lifestyle. No.

And you stand on that?

Yes. You know, we were brought up to not even condone or associate yourself with a gay person. If you knew of a gay person, disassociate yourself with them.

But Tim, you've been in Miami for years now and there is a strong and public gay community there. How have you still held on to that same mentality while living in Miami all of these years?

I just get away from it. I just walk away. I see it, I just go the other way, cross the street.

So at no point did you ever try to understand their lifestyle or way of life?

No. Never did. Never wanted to.

Do you want to now?

No. I don't want to … try to find some type of understanding of why they live the way they live or why they are the way they are. Maybe I could go to therapy, maybe someone can help me out with understanding [them], the sensitivity of the issue. But as a person, my beliefs are my beliefs. I don't have to condone it and I don't have to be around it. But I don't have to hate it either.

So do you understand the public's reaction?

Yes. And everyone has the right to say what they want to say to me in response. You can curse me out in the streets and in the papers. As long as they don't put their hands on me.

Let's get to a real situation: li'l Timmy is 14 now. How do you handle it if he comes home from school or, better yet, you get a call from a hospital that says that he's been beaten by a group of gay kids in reaction to what you said about them?

That's wrong.

Even though you said that you "hated" them and that there's no place in this country for them?

Still … I didn't put my hands on anyone. Do you understand that? I grew up under the sticks and stones rule. I didn't put my hands on you so why should you put your hands on me or my family. It was wrong what I said, but it would be wrong for anyone to put their hands on anyone in my family for what I said. And I told them, I told my family, to be prepared for some verbal abuse. Take it as a learning experience that your dad messed up. That it was a learning experience and build on that. But if anyone puts their hands on my family, I'm going to have a real problem with that.

Did you think about any of that when you were talking?

Naw man, and that's what hurt me the most. My wife said to me, "Did you think about what you did? What about us?" And I was like, "You are absolutely right, I didn't think about the ramifications what I said would have. I didn't think of you all when I was speaking."

Is that something you now have to think about?

Yeah. I have to look in their eyes and watch them walk on eggshells. I have to walk on eggshells. Not knowing what to expect from people. Not sleeping at night because of what someone may do. Staying up until 3 or 4 in the morning thinking that someone may jump my fence and set my house on fire. Or someone try to break in and hurt us. We just went to the movies the other day and that's what I had running through my mind, how were people going to react? "Is someone going to do something real, real, real crazy to one of us?" I have no idea what people may do. And I'm going to have to be that way for a long time now, because you never know. You never know.

Lemme ask you this, because I'm really trying to get at where this is coming from, the way you came across on the radio, your choice of words, your anger. I've had people roll up on me and say that something must have happened to you in your life to make you feel the way that you do about gays. Now I've been through everything that's gone on in your life with your family -- the substance abuse, the alcoholism, you riding the CTA [Chicago public transportation] at 8 years old, surviving Altgeld Gardens, all of that. But did anything happen to you? Was there any homosexual experience that triggered any of your resentment toward gay people that happened when you were young that none of us knows about?

When we was growing up Scoop, if we saw gay people or whatever, we ran across the street. We got away from them. Our parents, our friends, our families knew that that wasn't right. We didn't want to be around that and they definitely didn't want us kids around it. And it's not that they hated gay people, they just felt they it wasn't right. Let them do what they want to do. And that was my experience when I was growing up. Not acknowledging them. Now did something happen to me? No. But I did have a friend that something happened to him in a Catholic school, but that is another can of worms that it's not my place to open because it's not my life. But to answer your question, "No." Nothing happened to me. I just don't condone [being gay]. When I see gay people holding hands or kissing in the streets, I just don't think that's right.

Is there some religious factor behind your thinking or is this just your belief?

Just my belief.

So when John [Amaechi] came out with the book, did that mean anything to you?

No.

Do you feel that Dan's question was fair?

Yes. The media has the right to ask anything and we have the option to turn it down. Say "no comment."

But you didn't.

I should have just said that I wouldn't want to be on the same team with a gay person because I just don't think it's right for them to be on a team and the team not know that you are gay.

But that's a whole 'nother issue. That's an issue of trust, not sexuality. So you would have a problem with a gay teammate if he disclosed that he was gay later on, but if you knew he was gay coming in, like when he got drafted …

I could deal with that better. Because at least then I'd know. I'd know what I'm dealing with from the beginning. But if a guy, like they say, is in the closet and decides to come out of the closet years down the line, you feel that your friendship, him being a teammate, being a part of a team, which in a lot of ways is like being part of a family or fraternity, has been betrayed. You feel like you've been double-crossed. We were in battles together, we were in the trenches together, how could you not tell me? I have a friend who was on a team with a gay person and that person was his roommate and his teammate came out of the closet after they had been roommates. And my friend told me that he's the one who felt violated. He told me that he hates him now. He said if the dude had come to him before and told him this, maybe it could have been worked out, easier to accept. It's a trust issue. They were on the same team and roommates for four years and then two or three years after he left he came out and said, "Hey, I'm gay. I'm bisexual." I don't know how to even deal with that.

OK, so let's say one of our boys, or better yet for the sake of this interview, what if I told you that I was gay. We've known each other all of our lives, came up together, we boys and all, and out of nowhere I spring that on you. Told you that the wife and kids were all a facade and that all of this time I've been gay. How would you accept that? Or would you? Would you end the friendship?

Wow. I don't know. I honestly don't know. Wow. I'd probably be or say something like, "Me and Scoop was tight until he told me this." Our friendship may not continue to be as tight as it is but I'd let you know that you could call me, talk to me whenever, something like that. I really wouldn't know how to react to that.

But would you be more mad at the fact that I violated a trust issue because I never told you or that I was gay?

Trust issue. I trusted you. We talked like boys for years and you had plenty of opportunity to tell me something like this. It's always a trust issue. It wouldn't be because you were gay or bisexual. My issue with you would be because of trust, because you never told me.

What has the last seven days of your life been like?

Hell. Pure hell.

Do you think it's fair that 30 seconds of your life is going to be how you are ultimately judged for the rest of your life?

No.

But do you understand it?

Yes. I understand it, believe me I understand it. But that doesn't mean that I'm going to run from any situation. I didn't grow up like that. I was always taught if you do something, face the piper. Try to make it right. That's what I'm trying to do. But I still don't think for 30 seconds of what I said, that that should be it. I could see two or three days, if I did something on that level for a couple of days, over a weekend. But for one thing said? For the rest of my life I should be known for this?!? When Charles Barkley said he don't like white people, after a year or six months he's back in the good graces with everyone.

Yeah, but it helped that at the time that he said it Charles had a white wife, so you really couldn't take that seriously.

True, but a few months later everyone brushed his comment under the rug, tore it up and threw it in the garbage. And that was that. Now I'm not trying to compare situations because he didn't use the word "hate" but this country is supposed to be about giving people second, third and fourth chances. And if I can't get a second chance … then I'll know.

So in your mind do you want forgiveness or are you just going to try to get yourself straight?

I want both. I want forgiveness and I want to get my s--- together.

And that entails …

Right now, learning. Learning that gay people are really no different than a lot of other people. Learning that they work hard, they do things in the community, they are responsible for building parks, rec centers, providing safe environments for kids, just things I had never associated with them before. [This last week] has opened up my eyes to the gay population and what they do. I'm getting a lot of knowledge about them that I didn't have. Which is going to make me a better person. And if it doesn't, then I'm a damn fool.

So are you doing this for the public acceptance or for you?

For myself! I don't need to go through anything for anybody else. What am I going to get from the public? What are they going to do for me? They gonna still say, "He's just doing this to rectify himself" or "He's just doing this because his people told him to do this." Most of the public and most of the media is crucifying me anyway. So why should I let them know what I'm doing or how I'm going about trying to rectify my wrong? And even when I do everything that I'm going to do to make this right there's still going to be people out there that say I don't get it. Like [Michael] Wilbon on "PTI." I'm still trying to figure out what he's talking about. What don't I get? Reggie Miller and Barkley said that I wasn't going to get a job in the NBA; Charles, you still around. You know. So understand, Scoop, that whatever I do I'm doing this because I insulted the entire gay population. To make them understand that I don't have a hate bone in my body, and I don't hate them.

But you still don't accept their lifestyle?

No. I'm opening myself up to get a better understanding of who they are, but I still don't condone what they do. I don't want to be a part of it and I still don't want to be around it.

They say everything in life happens for a reason. Do you think you are going through this for a reason?

Probably so. But I think it's to soon to tell right now. I don't know what's going to happen, how it's going to play out, but I think in the end it's going to be positive.

English Muffins v Crumpets

I just made an astounding, yet disappointing discovery. Crumpets from the british staple 'tea and crumpets' fame are essentially just our version (well, we did steal the idea from them) of english muffins! Talk about a let down!

CrumpetsEnglish Muffins