Playoff Preview -Round 1: Celtics vs. Knicks

Rivalry.

Paul Pierce swears there isn't one between the Celtics and Knicks. At least not in this decade. There are millions of Knick fans that would argue the opposite. Maybe the Celtics look at the Knicks as lesser mortals, but the Knicks definitely see Boston as a stone-cold enemy. If you don't believe me, look at their battles this year. Bloody, beaten ragged and scathed could describe both teams after each game in the regular season.

That's what we have to look forward to: a war, no prisoners. Both teams dislike each other; both teams want to win. Don't let Boston fans fool you when they say this isn't a big game and this series won't impact them. Boston is scared. They come into the series limping, and it's possible this isn't a limp that can be miraculously healed by a wheelchair ride back into the locker room. Even if the Celtics have what it takes to win this series, they will not come out unscathed.

The physical nature of these teams may take its toll on the winner. Boston is older and has been slightly injury-prone this year with the likes of Jermaine O'Neal and Shaquille O'Neal taking the brunt of those injuries. This series is sure to issue a few more.

Boston is the odds-on favorite to win, and they have to win, it's expected of them. They have to prove they were more than a flash in the pan this year. The Knicks, well, they are playing with house money. Not even expected to make the playoffs, they have exceeded the hopes of fans and the front office. The Knicks simply have nothing to lose, and they have the egos to think they could pull this off.

The Knicks just don't have enough fire power to win this series. As a team, they have a lot of questions left to be answered. Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire have not figured out how to play well together at the same time. Chauncy Billups has been almost nonexistent the past 10 games and will need to be far more productive if New York has any chance to win. Landry Fields has the potential to be an offensive spark and the X factor for the Knicks while Melo will look to up his defensive prowess as he has in previous playoff series. That's where the compliments for the Knicks end.

Boston has New York outgunned at every starting position, except perhaps small forward. But as much as Paul Pierce will have trouble stopping Anthony's scoring binges, Pierce is just as much of an offensive tyrant. Rajon Rondo is too young, fast and brilliant to let Billups slow him down, Kevin Garnett and Stoudemire will  likely be a wash, which leaves the deciding factor as Ray Allen, the 3-point shooting king. As long as Allen stays productive, the Knicks will have fits closing out on the Celtics.

Boston will win this series in six games. That really isn't the question of the series. The bumps, brusies and wounds they're going to receive are. They will have to do their best to minimize those because they'll be looking at a quick turnaround to play the Miami Heat, who seem to be chomping at the bit to take down the Eastern Conference champions, something that should have Boston fans worried if their last game together was any indication of the future.

The best way to look at the Knicks in this series is not as a Cinderella, rather as meat tenderizer for the Miami Heat.

And that's what a rival is. Because if they can't beat you, they will surely try to make it easier for someone else.

Playoff Preview - Round 1: Lakers v. Hornets

Four or five? That's the question for this series.

How long will it take the Lakers to beat the Hornets. The question isn't if they will win, but how fast can they dispatch them. The Lakers come sputtering into the playoffs and seem to be in disarray. For lack of a better word, the Lakers are a strange group. They seem aloof at times, disinterested and vulnerable with the task at hand. But as soon as you think you can count them out, they turn up the fire and start to eviscerate the league.

The Hornets are an entirely different animal. The Hornets struggled to get into the playoffs and it could be said that if it wasn't for their monster start this year, they might not be here at all. Going into the playoffs, the Hornets are losing their No. 1 scorer in David West, who is out for the season. Which leaves Chris Paul, Trevor Ariza and Emeka Okafor to bear the burden of scoring. The task can be problematic for all three players. Paul is still playing as if something is wrong with his knee. Okafor is not known for his offense and Arizia has never been one to post 30 point games on the regular.

With all the cards on the table, the Lakers are a far superior team. Even if you take Kobe Bryant out of the mix, this is still a sweep by the Lakers. Paul will play as we have come to expect and Ariza will do his best to prove he was more than capable of being an Artest-type player that the Lakers gave away.

When its all said and done, the Lakers just have too much fire power. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol will use this as a steppingstone to come to form before their second-round matchup. Lamar Odom will be the consistent force he always is, picking apart the Hornets bench players without thinking twice about it. Expect Phil Jackson to give Shannon Brown the chance to get out if his current slump as well. Looking ahead to the future and knowing the team will need him to be a contributor if they are to leave this season as champions.

Even if the Lakers come into this series disinterested -- which they won't -- still expect the Lakers to make short work of the Hornets.

The only question is in four or five?

Playoff Preview - Round 1: Lakers v. Hornets

Four or five? That's the question for this series.

How long will it take the Lakers to beat the Hornets. The question isn't if they will win, but how fast can they dispatch them. The Lakers come sputtering into the playoffs and seem to be in disarray. For lack of a better word, the Lakers are a strange group. They seem aloof at times, disinterested and vulnerable with the task at hand. But as soon as you think you can count them out, they turn up the fire and start to eviscerate the league.

The Hornets are an entirely different animal. The Hornets struggled to get into the playoffs and it could be said that if it wasn't for their monster start this year, they might not be here at all. Going into the playoffs, the Hornets are losing their No. 1 scorer in David West, who is out for the season. Which leaves Chris Paul, Trevor Ariza and Emeka Okafor to bear the burden of scoring. The task can be problematic for all three players. Paul is still playing as if something is wrong with his knee. Okafor is not known for his offense and Arizia has never been one to post 30 point games on the regular.

With all the cards on the table, the Lakers are a far superior team. Even if you take Kobe Bryant out of the mix, this is still a sweep by the Lakers. Paul will play as we have come to expect and Ariza will do his best to prove he was more than capable of being an Artest-type player that the Lakers gave away.

When its all said and done, the Lakers just have too much fire power. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol will use this as a steppingstone to come to form before their second-round matchup. Lamar Odom will be the consistent force he always is, picking apart the Hornets bench players without thinking twice about it. Expect Phil Jackson to give Shannon Brown the chance to get out if his current slump as well. Looking ahead to the future and knowing the team will need him to be a contributor if they are to leave this season as champions.

Even if the Lakers come into this series disinterested -- which they won't -- still expect the Lakers to make short work of the Hornets.

The only question is in four or five?

Album Review: The Strokes - Angles

Five years is a long time no matter how you slice it. But in the music industry, it’s an eternity.

An eternity is how long fans have waited for Angles, The Strokes fourth studio album. Much like everything the Strokes do, this album will be put through the hipster/music-critic/fanboy grinder. Statements will be made like, "After five years this is all we get?" "Only 35 minutes of music." "This isn't Is This It." "I wish they sounded the same as they did then." (Example No. 1)

Some people will hate it simply because it’s The Strokes, because they feel the band doesn't take their music and themselves seriously enough. Others will hate it for the exact opposite. And for all the same reasons, people will love them. Fair to say, The Strokes are polarizing no matter what the opinion is. And, oddly enough, through five years of impatience along with their public and private issues, the band seems to be comfortable in the skin of hipster opinion. 

Is This It, this is not. But it’s the closest The Strokes have come since their 2001 opus. Julian Casablancas' voice has taken a backseat to the music as it did back in 2001, which allows it to shine through once again. His speak-sing style once again matches pitch to every note and becomes part of the soundscape instead of drowning it out like it did many times on First Impressions of Earth. Yet, Casablancas still manages to reach new heights with his vocal range.  

'Machu Picchu,' the album's first track, sets things off with a slow reggae beat mixed with '80s synth that builds into a thrashing guitar-riddled chorus. By the end of the song, it has quickly said The Strokes are back and ready for a fight. 

'Under Cover Of Darkness,' the album's lead single, is right out of the 2001 playbook, a bounce-around and dance-carelessly tune, whether at work, in the car or just listening at home. It’s a return to form that adds all the interesting sounds and tricks the band learned over the past decade. 

 Casablancas' voice does a weird drone over a beat that could only be considered the cousin of 'JuiceBox' in the song 'You’re So Right.' But that quickly changes as the chorus approaches and the guitars of Nick Valensi and Albert Hammons Jr., take the listener on a sonic tidal wave that is over just as it gets good and leaves the listener wanting more ... and inevitably hitting repeat on any iPod. 

'Taken for a Fool' is a perfect meld of everything expected of a Strokes song, a great ride without any extra filler while 'Call Me Back' is a slow song. Most people seem to dislike this type of track from The Strokes, but this time it seems to work. Maybe it’s the simplicity of it, the showcasing of Casablancas' voice over simple piano, guitar and synth sounds as well as a great mixture of lyrics nowhere near as repetitive and annoying as 'Ask Me Anything.' 

'Life is Simple In The Moonlight,' another song with a slow tempo that builds ever so slightly to a smooth synth chorus, in and of itself seems almost dream-like, evoking feelings of nostalgia and a simpler time, like prom night 1982. 

'Two Kinds Of Darkness,' 'Games' and 'Gratisfaction' are all worthy songs in their own right and would be highlights on either of the last two albums, but don’t stand apart here. At least not on first listen. 'Metabolism' is a good song but feels almost leftover from First Impressions, perhaps the only misstep for this album. Though as a misstep, it’s a small one, and nothing that will have The Strokes falling from the ledge anytime soon. 

Overall, a great album with complex lyrics that covers most of the bands ideals in politics, love and music. Casablancas is more than willing to use his well-disguised sarcastic wit to let the world know the music industry is willing to pass crap off as music, but if the audience just wants the same album over and over again, well, he will be more than happy to comply ... right after pigs fly. 

Some will dislike this album for the simple fact that, after waiting an eternity to hear The Strokes next attempt, they were handed something different than what they came to except. The ones who are Is This It fans as opposed to Strokes fans may not find this album appealing. But after five years-in-waiting, The Strokes' sound was bound to change.

The Strokes have grown up and found an old/new sound. The question is, after waiting so long to hear their newest release, are we ready for all the Angles from which it will come?

I'm Stuck Working During March Madness, What do I do?

So, you're an idiot.

I think it's safe to assume, since you are reading this in some last ditch effort to either get out of work or safely watch the NCAA tournament at work for the next two days. But before I help you get away with proverbial murder at the workplace, let's go over the reasons you are here in the first place and allow me to do some virtual hand-slapping.

First, you knew this day was coming all year and you chose not to request off. What kind of nonsense is that? Maybe if you didn't procrastinate, this wouldn't have happened. Next year, do yourself a favor and put in for two days of vacation so you don't have to go through some ridiculous charade.

Second, realizing you failed to request time off, you still decided to wait until today to try and call out of work or watch the game. As Charles Barkley would say "That's just dumb." Every employer on the planet knows this is one of the least productive days of the year, and they know why, even if they don't like sports.

You calling out is going to be frowned upon greatly. If they don't fire you for calling out without a doctor's note, then they are going to make the next few weeks of work a living hell for you. You will pay for your ditch day, there is no doubt about it.

What you should have done was prep the sickness beforehand. A light amount of coughing and sniffling on Monday, followed by increased coughing on Tuesday should have started your plan off correctly. Follow it up with the disheveled, I-look-way-worse-than-normal look along with a small bottle of chloraseptic spray, and come Thursday, the office will be begging you not to come in to work.

It would have been an easy call-out. Even though your boss would still know what you did, they would applaud your performance, give you an A for effort and respect your dedication to your role as the sick person of the office.

Remember, he who starts acting sick first, gets to call out first. There will be more than one of you, so get on the ball next year. Get your sniffle on earlier than Joe from accounting. Once home, refrain from enthusiastic tweets and posts on Facebook until Saturday.

Side note: The athlete of your building has already requested off. Chances are he did years ago. Actually, chances are he put on his application he wouldn't be able to work these two days due to some sort of religious holiday or some other type of responsibility. The office athlete cares more than you, which is probably why he has the higher pay and all the ladies in the office.You have to plan like him if you don't want to sitting at a desk like you are right now.

So Payton, how do I get out of this predicament, you ask? Well there are many solutions, but let's explore some of the more legal and effective ones. Let's start by trying to get you home for the game.



1. The Dr. Pepper-Oatmeal Cookie Method
What you will need: three Soft Batch oatmeal cookies (yes, the fact that they are soft does matter); two 20 oz bottles of Dr. Pepper.

It's not too late to turn back from this option. Things are going to get messy, and you are going to have to be more than willing to humiliate yourself. Basically, once at work, find a good moment where no one is watching you and pile in all three cookies. Take the sodas and chug both as quickly as possible. I mean fast. Don't sip,  don't swig, CHUG! Quickly dispose of your evidence and return to your workspace. It shouldn't take long for your stomach to react to the carbonation. Unless you have a cast iron stomach, you should be ready to puke soon. Whether it's full on puke or a burp puke, don't hold back. Now, what are the cookies for? Consistency silly, you need it to look good, like you ate something bad, and those cookies will be perfect. You get them soft because they have to come back up. Pick a good spot to throw up, in front of people, preferably in front of your boss but not on their desk. Now enjoy your drive home.

2. Watch It In Your Cubicle Method
There are a number of sites that will have the games televised for your enjoyment. The NCAA site itself has vastly improved this year, providing you with the ability to watch on your phone, computer, iPads, etc. The trick here is not to get caught, so let's see what's out there to keep you under the radar.

-- Firefox's panic button extension
Don't want the boss to catch you surfing the Web on company time? Don't want your teacher, classmates, roommate or significant other to see the Web sites you're viewing? With Panic Button, a single click of a toolbar button will quickly hide all Firefox windows. Bring them back by clicking a button on the Restore Session toolbar. The Panic Button action can also be invoked by pressing F9 (Command+F9 on the Mac).

-- Boss Button
This is a button that comes equipped with the NCAA live feature they are providing. The Boss Button silences the sound on the computer, but also brings up a series of spreadsheets and other work-related items to pull the wool over your boss' eyes.

-- Purchase a high-powered boss button
This is for the pro slacker of the office -- Magic Boss Button -- which means your boss is probably the person who uses this. Good luck.

-- Spreadtweet
A program that allows you to use Twitter at work. Instead of looking like you are on the Twitter home page, your tweets will come through in an excel spreadsheet, allowing you to get updates on the game with coworkers being none the wiser.

-- The Mirror
This one is the cheap and easy method. Simply buy a small mirror you can attach to your computer monitor. Position it in such a way that anyone approaching behind you is caught in your new third eye's field of vision. Hit Boss Button as needed.

-- Virtual desktops
This one will save your ass by creating mini-workspaces, each one running its own suite of apps. Think of them as parallel universes for your PC. Mac OS X (starting with version 10.5), Linux and Unix all provide native support for virtual desktops. Windows users should seek out a third-party utility such as WindowsPager, which integrates nicely with the Windows taskbar. (To jump to a new window, simply click its icon in the taskbar.) Other virtual desktops include Desktops, Dexpot and VirtuaWin.

Then there is this thing below. I don't trust it, but for you cheap people who didn't request off, don't value your job and don't want to feed your kids, it should work just perfect.



That's it. After this, it's too late for me to help you. Hell it's too late as you are reading this, but I figured I would try to help. I've been there, I know how it feels. Actually, no I don't, because I plan ahead. By they way, did you pick a bracket? Who do you have in your Final Four? Arizona? Really? Can I get in on your bracket action. I'm not against taking money from morons. But really, good luck. Hopefully we have helped, and with any luck, you have learned your lesson. Enjoy your wonderful day at work. Make sure you get the TPS reports done, big boy.

Beyond The Hardwood: Troy Polamalu

It's fitting the athlete to be featured first in Beyond the Hardwood would be one of the most unique athletes on the planet. For as quiet and humble as he is in his everyday life, he is equally vicious and aggressive while on the field of play. In a sport filled with talented and outspoken athletes whose livelihood seems to thrive on their bravado, NFL safety Troy Polamalu separates himself, choosing to quietly go about his work.

He seems to shy away from the spotlight, choosing to acknowledge team over self. Yet if you let his teammates tell it, he is their MVP, the heart and soul of their team. Polamalu is a quiet leader, who lets his actions speak for him. You'll never see him running his mouth a mile a minute on Sportscenter about how he is going to punish the other team this week or how he's come to pound them into the ground. Never will you see him exit the team tunnel enveloped in smoke, fireworks crisscrossing above his head in the backdrop as he does some dance that's supposed to symbolize his Samoan warrior spirit. No, he conserves that energy, uses it for when it matters, puts it where it counts.

He places value on his family both on and off the field, investing time in the development of both. He represents his heritage, friends, team and family with a quiet, soft-spoken intensity and integrity that seems to invite you in, portraying love and caring above all else to the point that the public almost sees him as strange, unique, even perplexing. How can one of football's most decorated players -- six Pro Bowls, two-time first team All-Pro selections, second team All-Pro selection, team MVP and two-time Super Bowl champion -- be so humble? How can a guy so aggressive, resilient, intense, relentless and passionate on the field of play just turn it off when he steps off?

The answer to the question is he doesn't. None of those qualities changes off the field. In fact, it could be said those qualities were in place long before football, before USC, before the Steelers. Those were the qualities he had as a young man, and he learned how to focus them on the things he loved: his faith, family, friends, education and, of course, football. The only thing that changes while on or off the field is where he focuses those qualities.

So when a man like this devotes himself to something outside the world of sports, when he dedicates his time and voice to a cause, you take notice. You perk up your ears, focus your eyes on what he is doing and listen. Because when it comes to Troy Polamalu, what you see and hear is what you get. No strings, no bullshit, no self-serving agenda. You know on the occasions that he speaks out, you should listen because it's important because his words have value.

Well, now is one of those times to perk up and listen. Take an interest in more than what so-and-so is wearing or tweeting about their personal life. Actually, check that, that's exactly what you should do. You should check out what Troy is tweeting about. If you visit his Twitter profile @tpolamalu you'll find hundreds of tweets referencing TwitChange.

What is TwitChange? And why is a guy who begrudgingly got a Twitter account tweeting so much about it? Well, TwitChange is a global celebrity auction where Twitter users can bid to get two things: be followed by their favorite celebrity on Twitter or mentioned by them in a special tweet, plus retweeted by them.

 

                        

 

The real fun of the program is left up to you, the fan, the non-celebrity tweeter. First, make sure you are following @tpolamalu and @TwitChange on Twitter. Then, go to www.TwitChange.com. From there, you will be able to tweet to your favorite celebrities and ask them to get involved (over and over if you must) with the auction. It's very simple, something you can do while listening to music and working on you computer. It really only take minutes to send out invites to your favorite celebs. What if your favorite celebrity isn't on the TwitChange list? Feel free to cut and paste their Twitter handle into the TwitChange invitation and send away. Once you've done that, just take the time to pay attention to the timelines of Troy or TwitChange to see if your celebrity signed up. It's that easy, and you, the user, has all the power to make the difference.

Now for the best part. Your work, and anything you bid in the auction, will go toward OOIAL -- Operation Once In A Lifetime. Started by a soldier, OOIAL is a non-profit organization who has made it their mission "to make the dreams of U.S. soldiers and their families come true by providing free financial and moral support to U.S. service members, their families and veterans regardless of rank, deployment, physical condition or branch or service," according to their Web site.

It's a wonderful chance for you to make a difference by doing something you more than likely do everyday, tweet. It's for an amazing cause and you couldn't have a more impressive, humble and trustworthy person leading the charge in Troy Polamalu. It's a cause that goes beyond favorite teams and players on the field, and to our favorite human beings and heroes, our U.S. servicemen. I implore you to take those few minutes in a day, get involved, send some invitations, spread the word and do something that extends beyond the field of play. Take this wonderful opportunity to go Beyond the Hardwood.

Beyond The Hardwood

For most of us reading or writing this, sports is life. It means more to us than just throwing a ball down a field, shooting a ball into a basket, or juggling a ball with our feet. 

For us, sports is integral to everything we do. We schedule our lives around our teams, take every opportunity we have to talk about it and we will play them until our body won't allow us to go anymore. We give ourselves to the sport unconditionally for what it will give us in return. 

It taught us how to win humbly, but even more importantly, lose graciously. It taught us strength, heart, conviction, will power, values, work ethic and purpose, all qualities we get from sports to carry into our everyday lives. Qualities we share with others who may not have had our opportunities and experiences, as well as those who have. We get to use those qualities to make a difference with our friends and communities, and help them grow and advance in positive ways. 

A select few get the opportunity to showcase these qualities on a bigger stage, passing on lessons learned from a lifetime of sports to not only their neighborhood or community, but to a nation, and in some cases, the world. They have the unique ability to use their talents for good, and when they do, it's a beautiful thing. 

It's easy for us to lose sight of the good these few athletes do. We get caught up in the money they make, cars and clothes they buy, women they marry, and even how a select few disrespect the gifts they have been given. We have a tendency to get caught up in our own fandom, so much so that we can be blinded to the positives that come from so many players. 

We always find a way to scold the spoiled and egocentric athlete, but we forget to honor, cherish and, most importantly, support the humble athletes who dedicate themselves to philanthropy on behalf of sports. Not because their agent told them to or because they are in trouble and want to clean up their image. They do it simply because it's what they believe in, what's close to their heart, what their parents and role models have taught and inspired them to do over the years. They do it because sports has taught them if they give themselves and devote themselves to a goal, they will be rewarded.

It is these athletes I want to recognize here in a new section called Beyond The Hardwood. I want to draw attention to their cause, help them fight their fight by informing you, the people who embrace sports and it's athletes so vigorously, of what these athletes in various sports are trying to do. 

Let's begin this journey off the hardwood floors and grassy fields, and into the arena of everyday life. Let's do our best to help our teammates in this arena. Give them support, pick them up when they fall, congratulate them when they win, console them when they lose. Let's take advantage of the media tools at our disposal to stand beside our favorite athletes and assist them in helping not only our planet, nations and cities, but also our communities, friends and families. So without further ado, let's step Beyond The Hardwood....