Following the Big Aristotle
November 25, 2008 by Ryan
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The Diesel…
The Big Aristotle…
The Big Daddy…
The Big Shaqtus…
The Big Baryshnikov…
Shaquille O’Neal!
I remember when he first came into the league he made a huge impact, most memorably because he would always break the back boards. I remember even more fondly when he came to the Lakers and we went on a tear and won three straight championships! Of course there was the Kobe feuds, which I think the media way over-hyped and unfortunately led to the breakup of one of the best dynasties in recent memory. He went to Miami and delivered on his promise to bring a championship. Then he came to Phoenix, stepping into a system that many doubted he could fit in, but got slim and fit and sure enough ran right along Steve Nash. This year he is one of Hollingers top surprises of the season.
He impacted the league in a big way and he’s just stepped into a new league where he could have a huge impact…Twitter. Twitter? I would imagine many of you have never heard of it. Maybe you’ve heard me go off about it but didn’t really get it. My quick explanation is it’s somewhere in between instant messaging, texting & blogging. I could/should/will write a whole post about Twitter and how cool it is, but this post is about @the_real_shaq! Unlike some of the accounts on Twitter (Britney Spears aka @therealbritney & Barack Obama aka @barackobama) who have staffs doing posts, @the_real_shaq IS the real Shaq! Here’s some fun things I’ve seen since I’ve been following his updates:
- Shaq called one of his early followers who doubted it was really him and then invited him to a game! Here’s a story Mashable did about it.
- Shaq asking where he should go to Subway or Schlotsskys. He chose Subway, so I went too! Could be a huge marketing campaign to have what Shaq orders up at Subway. I guess he’d have to eat there everyday which I don’t know if I could do.
- Shaq and @PhoenixSunsGirl took pics at their “Twitter Tutorial”. She introduced him to Twitter. Still trying to get them to get Steve Nash on.
- Watching my friend Nate (@mollermarketing) campaigning to get Shaq to follow him…only to have him do it! He even gave him a few shout outs which will be huge for Nate!
I think Shaq coming to Twitter could have huge implications in bringing it into the mainstream. Check it out!
Don’t forget to follow me! @ryansmiller
Stay Humble
September 24, 2008 by Ryan
Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
Jose Arredondo grabbed the maintenance hose and started spraying his teammates and the fans that stayed hours after the game to wait for the clinch. And clinch we did…
- First Team to clinch the playoffs this year!
- Earliest clinching of the division title in franchise history!
- Fifth-fastest team in Major League history!
In a weak AL West, we’ve had a comfortable lead for quite a while, but Mike Scioscia and the Angels aren’t/haven’t let up! “Stay Humble” has been the theme for the end of this season so we don’t get overconfident. The example last year of the streaking Rockies shows how important it is to go into the playoffs hot, so I’m very glad that Scioscia is doing this.
Go Halos!
A Few of Highs Points of the Season for Me
Shout! Shout! Shout at the 80’s!
July 30, 2008 by Ryan
Photo by Jessica Hansen
Butt Rock is Alive and Well! At one point in time I wanted to be this cool!
For those either too young or too old (or just plain respectable!) the title is a reference to a Motley Crue song. One of my colleagues went to CrueFest the other day and came back with pictures! She shared them with us and I saw this one and it brought back repressed memories of 7th grade life as a metalhead. Shameful. Awesome. Shamefully awesome!
Oh the days when I went along with the idea that metal was the best music ever! It’s sad really, being that closed minded. I remember a few of my friends that were a little more into it and would hold everyone in check if they liked something that wasn’t metal enough. Deep down I still liked other stuff, but that wasn’t the “code”. Eventually, I got sick of it and decided that there are things to appreciate in all kinds of music and I would learn to appreciate it. Just think of what you’d be missing out on!
Don’t get me wrong, I still love my Skid Row, Guns ‘N Roses, Metallica, and of course The Saints of Los Angeles!
Angels Step Up
July 29, 2008 by Ryan
For a couple of years now the Angels have held on to their talent pool so tightly, it started to frustrate their fanbase. I suspect they have been taking a page out of Oakland’s Moneyball, being in the same division. Finally, today, the Angels stepped up and dealt for a huge piece in pursuit of the Championship, dealing Casey Kotchman and a minor league pitcher for Mark Teixeira! He’s the power the Angels have needed to get over the top.
As it is, they are at the top! a full 3.5 games over the Chicago Cubs for the best record in the majors. Almost more meaningful is their recent dominance over the Red Sox, sweeping the last series and winning last night!
This is our year!
Remnants of the Bash Bros.
July 15, 2008 by Ryan
Down goes Canseco! War at the Shore: Vai Sikahema vs. Jose Canseco
It took all of a minute and a half for the 5′9″ BYU great, Vai Sikahema, to knock out the 6′4″ A’s great, Jose Canseco. The celebrity boxing match was put on for a good cause and Vai donated his $5,000 purse to the family of a Philadelphia police who was killed in the line of duty, according to Sikahema’s NBC affiliate where he works as a Philadelphia Eagles correspondent.
Here’s a video link to segments of the fight and here’s a great interview of Vai by a Utah radio station.
Rockbabies!
June 23, 2008 by Ryan
We got Rockband today! Lots of fun for the whole family. It was actually a present for my wife, she wanted it for her birthday!
Maybe you’ve seen Guitar Hero, and it’s that plus drums, plus a mic to sing on! What I really like about the Rockband guitar is there are two sets of frets to play on (one at the top and one on the high strings). Apparently, you can download more songs to play on Xbox and Playstation, but on the Wii you can’t, at least not yet. I imagine they’ll add that down the road.
As you can see Kimberly wanted to do it all. We had her cousins over, Alexa and Ayla, and we had our own little Rockbabies Rock Band!
Let’s Do This Again Next Year
June 18, 2008 by Ryan
Congrats to Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett & Danny Ainge. I am glad to see them win. At least it’s not the Spurs or the Pistons.
There’s a good chance we can be doing this again next year. I don’t see the Celtics going anywhere. The Lakers will get Andrew Bynum back and probably pick up a few more defensive pieces. So, I hope this really is the start to another Lakers-Celtics Rivalry.
But the basketball season is over! I don’t want to hear anymore about it till next year. Go Angels!
The Wii: Bringing Husbands & Wives Closer Together
June 3, 2008 by Ryan
So I was watching Last Comic Standing and one of the female comedians was making a joke about how Halo 3 destroys relationships…something about how her boyfriend spends all day with a headset talking to little boys online. I tried to get my wife to play Halo with my friends and I but she inevitably ends up spinning in a corner staring at the sky.
Then came the Wii.
Hopefully, you’ve all had a chance to do the bowling. And I do mean all of you because even my grandparents have Wii bowled with us. The beautiful thing about the Wii is my wife loves it! I can play video games and not only is she okay with it, she plays with me. We’ve recently come across some new games that we’re kind of excited about:
The Flobots: Best Hip Hop I’ve Heard in a While
May 27, 2008 by Ryan
It’s sad but hip hop sucks right now.
I haven’t listened to a hip hop station in years! No one flows anymore, it’s basically one catchy phrase repeated to death. Last time I listened to hip hop radio I heard one song that was actually good, but it ended up being Nas’ Hip Hop is Dead.
It’s sad but the best hip hop I’ve heard in years is from a predominantly white group from Denver, Colorado! If you haven’t heard their single Handlebars, here’s a live performance on Last Call with Carson Daly. My wife watched this with me and she said, “They’re kinda intense!” To their credit, unlike most rap, they sound as good or better live than their radio single. Finally, a song I am motivated to learn all the lyrics like Warren G’s Regulators, Outkast’s Bombs Over Baghdad, or the Beastie Boys’ Paul Revere.
Their newest album reminds me of a jazz version of Rage Against the Machine. Yeah, jazz. They have a trumpet player and a female violinist (awesome)! And like Rage, they are political, so they might run contrary to your political views. If you want to hear some good music (and you’re secure in your political stance), check out the Flobots.
The Best Thing About Kobe
May 24, 2008 by Ryan
He’s the best player in the world. He is the current MVP. He can “manage the game [and] can get off at any time…” Doesn’t matter who guards him (even the defensive specialist dirtiest player in the league, Bruce Bowen). Doesn’t matter how many people guard him. In my opinion, he’s just as good as Jordan and maybe even better! (Debate for another post)
But that’s not the best thing about Kobe.
To explain, let me refer to a baseball movie, Fever Pitch. In the movie, the Sox just lost the game that put them down 0-3 in the playoffs and Jimmy Fallon and his buddies are at a bar. They are mourning their teams situation, thoroughly depressed. They look over and see several of the Sox players “eating”. How can they be eating like it’s just another game?! Jimmy Fallon has a revelation that these players have “perspective”. It’s just a game…blah blah blah.
My point. As a fan, I don’t want perspective! I want my teams to win! Every game! Every championship! Every year! Which brings me to the best thing about Kobe. He wants to win as much as I do! He wants to win every game. And no other player can also deliver like he does! But when he loses, you know he’s just as disappointed as you are as a fan with “no perspective”. And that’s just it. You can put your loyalty, love, fanaticism on Kobe and never be let down. You may lose every now and then, but you know that Kobe gave everything and is just as pissed as you are.
On the court he’s the real life superhero you fantasize being. I wish I could fly. He can. I wish I could hit every impossible shot with a sick move and a hand right in my face. He does every game! You want to vicariously be the best in the world? Become a fan of Kobe Bryant!
