Fall Season Stats And Quips

Click for full size. Leaders highlighted in yellow.

- Average margin of victory was 2 plus touchdowns, with the score differential narrowing in the 2nd half of games as the team clearly eased up on opponents.

- The team only converted a pitiful 25% of extra point attempts. OUCH!

- Jen caught an amazing 91.7% of all passes thrown to her. Apparently, the most common percentage among the team was 50% as 5 players were exactly at that number.

- Eric S is high risk high reward, self-explanatory. =)

- Alison essentially doubled her season offensive stats during the playoffs. Ridiculous.

Feel free to add award nominations and other interesting observations or tidbits to comments.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner - Playoff Recap

On a gleaming 60 degree November afternoon, the ragged band of team What?! formed a pocket of burgundy on the stomping ground on Flatbush and Claremont, warming up for the biggest week of the season. With players each VOLUNTARILY and WILLINGLY arriving at the field for up to a hour before the game to stretch, warm-up, and game-plan (save Ronny and Chris who had to be rescued from the dungeons, otherwise known as their beds by Felix), the team knew that their whole season would be defined by the outcome of the day’s games, which was clear since ALMOST the entire team showed up.

Playoff Championship Stats

Click for full size.

Playoff Round 1 Stats

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What?! A Dull Game

Coming into the last regular season game of the season with a playoff spot locked up against the team with the worst record in the league, What?! knew they didn't have much to fight for. Nonetheless, with the upset loss from the previous week still fresh in their minds, the team looked to regain their stride and momentum heading into playoffs.

With their wily Asian starting QB Matt unavailable due to suspect circumstances, Felix stepped in to fill the shoes of his compatriot even though he was still hungover and even bailed on morning softball earlier in the day. Given the situation, things did not look good and the team knew they were going to be in for a rough and long offensive struggle. The first half proofed to be exactly that, as the offense struggled to move the ball against the worst team in the league. Drives stalled left and right, including bunch of incompletions, several 4 and outs, and a turnover. Luckily, What?!'s opponents proved to be equally inept, as almost every one of their passes was either deflected or dropped/not caught by their receivers even when open. The only score of the half came on a short pass to Eric S.

Game 7 Results

Click for full size.

Hairy Halloween Ends In Hapless Horror For What?!

Following the tradition of eerie Halloween weekends, this Sunday was no exception as the unthinkable happened to What?!, a regular season LOSS. The sequence of events and the way the loss came about was just as strange and horrifying as the holiday itself.

  What?!'s Mustache Inspiration

The game started off very well for our group of misfits. Inspired by the world renowned American Mustache Institute mustaches they grew for the holiday, What?! stormed out to a 3 score lead by half time. The most impressive stretch came when the defense made a decisive 4 down goal-line stand right before the half to hold their opponents scoreless.

Game 6 Results

Click for full size.

Another Weekend, Another Win

This weekend gave witness to another resounding victory by What?!. At the same time, it was also a game of several firsts. Here is the list:

• First appearance by the butter brothers, better know as the Ryans
• First time someone called "out of bounds" on a pass when it was actually way inbounds
• First time in team history that someone was targeted double-digit amount of times, as Chris "Terrell Owens" became a ball magnet once he stopped chasing QB's
• First career touchdown for Elaina as she used ninja moves to score on a catch and run, justifying her $50 million contract
• First medical bill that Chris has to pay for that broken ankles caused by his shake n bake move
  
• First time we incurred deductible on our medical plan as 4 players suffered injuries including:
• Alja - Toe
  
• Ronny - Calf
  
• Eric - Quads
  
• Elaina - Fingers
  

Otherwise, game was not so dissimilar from our previous ones. We put up a lot of points despite a lowly completion percentage of 46%. Matt was the only exception as he had a short and efficient day as QB, tossing 3 touchdowns as well as getting 2 interceptions on defense. Coen and Felix were able to get in some pass attempts as they continue working on their timing and placement, especially on the deep throws they narrowly missed.

In other stories, Eric continues to use trickery on opponents as he caught ANOTHER touchdown while drawing 2 interceptions from the opposition, including a pick six. Jen blessed the team with her second appearance of the season and promptly caught everything thrown her way, including a long touchdown while also passing for another. Ronny had several more catches on offense, including a Kirk Gibson like one after his injury and added 2 interceptions. Lauren harassed and chased after the other QB all day even though he wasn't good looking, and chipped in with a catch. Alja's passing TD streak ends as she became a own-team-induced injury casualty.

The big negative was that we gave up 18 points, even though they were all fluky. We'll just chalk it up to laziness and playing dumb defense towards the end of the game.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Tie, Chris tipping a ball to himself and then proceeding to snap some ankles and Elaina's TD
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Matt, narrowly over Jen, solely due to his ridiculous stat padding

Honorable mention to Lance for showing up at the field, after the game ended. Mad props.

Game 5 Results

Click for full size.

What?! Mimics Performance of Local Area Teams

"Game conditions were similar to those in the picture..., except for the snow, and the 6 TD's in 1 quarter"

Given that a good number of players on the team are fans of NY state football teams, the Giants, the Jets, and the Bills, it was only fitting that the performance of the team this past Sunday closely mirrored that of their professional counterparts. Below, I will list the feat of the professional team(s) followed by What?!'s version of events.

- Pros: Jets rookie QB Mark Sanchez throws 5 interceptions.
  What?!: Amateur QBs match Mark Sanchez's prowess throw for throw, in turnovers.

- Pros: Giants offense miss multiple times on deep bombs by inches
  What?!: Offense play makers off rhythm and narrowly missed connecting on multiple deep throws

- Pros: Bills defense gets 5 turnovers
  What?!: Defense induced 4 picks and a sack, plus one shoulder-shot to the face of opponent receiver.

- Pros: Jets and Giants running game were relatively successful.
  What?!: Converts the only designed running play into a touchdown and 6 points.

All in all, a mixed performance. Somehow, the team put up 34 points even with under 50% passing. The defense was also aided by their opponents and their drops. Clearly, What?! looks to play much better on both sides of the ball in upcoming week. Meanwhile, a big shout-out to Tara who filled in admirably for, surprise, Tara, as we were short on girls. Thanks so much!


PLAY OF THE GAME: Close call this week as the halfback toss to Eric S aka "running plays are stupid, they'll never work" for a touchdown narrowly beats the touchdown catch by Ronny aka "I steal TD's from my brother right in front of his face"
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Alja by a landslide as she tosses two long TD passes and continues her hot hand at QB.

Game 4 Results

Includes 1 rushing TD by Eric S. Click for full size.

Fall 09 Stats Update

As we have reached the half way mark of the Fall season, just posting where we stand on season stats and making some observations. (CLICK FOR FULL SIZE)

• Looks like we need to step up the passing for our "alternate" QB's, heehee.
  
• TD/Int ratio of 2.5 is pretty good, although a 3 would be awesome
• We're really terrible at extra points, only converting a lowly 33% of the time (including defensive TD)
  

• "Eric squared" is dominating the receiving category and points scored
• All the drops for the team came in 1 game
• Chris and Jen are the only two with perfect catch per target ratio.

• Team is +8 in turnover ratio
• Defense is averaging almost one touchdown per game worth of points
• The points is correlated with the team averaging more than 3 interceptions a game
  

TEAM LEADERS (projected full season number in parenthesis):

Passing

Completions: Matt, 66 (132)
Attempts: Matt, 104 (208)
Completion %: Tara, 66.7%
TDs: Matt, 11 (22)
Interceptions: Multiple, 0 (0)
1pts: Multiple, 0 (0)
2pts: Matt, 6 (12)

Offense

Targets: Eric A, 23 (46)
Catches: Eric A, 14 (28)
Drops: Eric A, 2 (4)
TDs: Eric S, 6 (12)
1pts: Multiple, 0 (0)
2pts: Lance, 2 (4)
Points: Eric S, 38 (76)

Defense

Passes Defended: Eric A, 5 (10)
Interceptions: Eric A, 3 (6)
Tackles: Alex, 9 (18)
Sacks: Chris, 7 (14)
TDs: James/Lance/Matt, 1 (2)
Safeties: Chris, 1 (2)
Points: James/Lance/Matt, 6 (12)

What?! Rewrites Ending For Untouchables

Untouchables is one my my favorite movies of all time. Featuring the studly cast of Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Sergio Garcia, and Robert DeNiro, the classic cops and gangster movie elicits images of baseball bat head bashing and horseback charging Canadian Royal Mounties.

This past Sunday, What?! was scheduled to face Eliott Ness and company in a battle of epic proportions. Unfortunately, due to massive lameness aka scheduling conflicts and various parties, the team was reduced to a paper thin roster starring a QB and "The Magnificent Seven." This, combined with the team's lackluster performance from the previous week, posed a interesting challenge for the burgundy bunch.

Game 3 Result

Click for full size.

Knocked Off Rythmn

The D-1 NYIT team we were supposed to play had to forfeit due to scheduling mishap. We wound up playing the league champs from last season in a scrimmage.

Offensively, our troubles on extra point and goal-line conversions continued. In addition, we were consistently battling the play clock in getting our snaps off and had trouble adjusting and adapting to our opponents defense. Our biggest mistake on offense was a ill timed option call on the goal-line that led to our only turnover of the game and a 12 point swing.

On defense, it felt like we were consistently 1 step behind, as we missed on many multiple passes that we should have intercepted. Furthermore, we were not quick enough on making the adjustments to close down the deep middle, which our opponents exploited fully.

All in all, we played a very out of sync and inefficient game. It actually surprised me how close the game turned out to be with these mishaps. Among the things we will probably work on to improve are:

• getting in/out of huddles quicker and simpler/quicker play calls
• better match-ups on defense with personnel and zone positioning
• more throws deep and use full field (ie sidelines and middle of zone)
• don't run gadget play that we haven't fully practiced/planned out

Hopefully we'll be able to correct these problems for our upcoming games.


Btw, Niners 3-1. Pat Willis scores 2nd TD of season.

Scrimmage 2 Results

Click for full size.

What?! Begins Season With Hotter Hands

 Top 13 List of Things That Occurred


13. Eric A got to QB 2 games in a row.
12. Coen was so mesmerized by work that he forgot about coming to the game.
11. Ryan brothers continue harassment of other team QB's. Arrests pending.
10. Elaina has more/as many catches as half the team for the season.
9. Felix does just enough to put ONE number on the stat sheet to prove that he actually played.
8. Alex begins his What?! career with a stat filled debut.
7. Alison gets mugged by guy on the other team on catch attempt.
6. James forgetting about the "touch" part and almost blasting a kid near the sidelines.
5. Alja asks other team politely for help in throwing a touchdown, and they oblige.
4. Eric S with 2 gift-wrapped TD's
3. Matt asks to have a 2 point attempt interception removed, 2 weeks in a row.
2. Offense seeing only 5 minutes of game time in 2nd half as defense took over the field with pick sixes.
1. Lance about to drop some "ginger douche" hippy bike-loving kid.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Eric S's interception on the 2nd play of the game sets the tone.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Lance, plays one half and fills out the stat sheet and scoreboard.

Game 1 Results

Click for full size.

*1 of Matt's 2 Int's came on a 2 point attempt, AGAIN.*

What?! Look To Start New Winning Streak

Looking to avenge their heartbreaking quarter-final defeat in the Spring season, What?! went through a grueling off-season and made major acquisitions to retool its roster. Even though it was only a scrimmage, What?! aimed to regain their rhythm as they prepared to steamroll through their division and bring home the ring.

Under the balmy Sunday afternoon sun, What?! found themselves with the ball to start the game and drove methodically, deep into their opponent's territory. Unfortunately, due to rust accumulated from traveling in the Sahara desert and Middle East, a errant Matt on-the-run pass attempt in the Red Spice Red Zone was intercepted by Los Touchitos.

As Touchitos marched towards What?!'s end-zone, a big interception by Tara was negated by the fact that Chris had sacked the QB before the throw. Nonetheless, lightning struck twice as Lance (who had just run from the train station right onto the field to play defense) intercepted the next pass. A back and forth scoreless possession battle between the two teams ensued, until Touchitos, aided by a borderline call by the "Asian-ref-not-named-Felix" on a deep throw and catch on the sideline, scored their first TD with a pass over the middle that Felix barely missed picking off. (The Touchitos receiver juggled and barely held on to the tipped pass).

Scrimmage Results

Click for full size.

* 1 of Matt's 2 interceptions is under review as "someone" (Matt) pointed out that it occurred during an extra point attempt and should not count. *

RESULT: Interception will stand as the opponent could have gotten 2 points on the play. - Eric A

Matt's Playbook

Information is accurate except for the lack of a receiver in the backfield.

Football Season Preview - New Players

We're back! (Just like him!)

The start of the Fall 2009 Zog football season is only days away. As training camp is in full gear, I thought I would give a quick introduction to some of key free agent acquisitions that we've made during the past off-season. They are all expected to contribute immediately to our probable championship run.

• Chris aka "They call me Elmer 'cuz my hands are like glue" - Signed for 4 hockey pucks
  

Younger brother of Ronny "ButterHands," Chris rejected a professional hockey contract from the New York Islanders to play with us. He described it as an easy decision as the Islanders "are no better than the local 12 year old Aviator team that my brother Matt plays on." Unswayed by the promise of riches and fame, he decided that the aggressive and violent sport of touch football would better suit his competitive nature and skills. Counted on to be a dominating force on the line and long/jump ball situations, Chris will be a legitimate contender for the Most Valuable Ryan award. He will definitely be among the team's leader for dropped passes, pass deflections, and ridiculously-insane-how-the-heck-did-you-catch-that catches.

• Elaina aka "I'm on a boat and I gotta go (score touchdowns)" - Signed for a ball of yarn

After taking a season off to help fix the financial systems and reform banks, in particular Bank of America, Elaina brings her tough attitude and swarming defense back to the team. With high level competitive experience in bar trivia and boche, she will undoubtedly add some much needed finesse and strategic thinking to our team. In addition, the sight of matching lavender socks and headband the she knitted herself will strike fear into the hearts of our opponents.

• Coen aka "Sully touched me and it wasn't kosher" - Signed for promise of sexy time

Returning to his native lands after exile in Boston, Coen is looking to recapture his glory days from Houston Street football. Naturally talented with height, Coen will be expected to win jump ball situations against the girls from opponent teams all over the field. In addition, armed with a deadly over the top two-seamer, he looks to add some spice and fire to the team and challenge Matt for the QB position, which is essentially a Dartmouth vs Dartmouth cage match to the death. At the very least, he should have pre-existing on-field and bedroom chemistry with the Stuyvesant crew and deliver penetrating accurate bullets to those baby play-makers. Everyone, better keep your yamakas on 'cause it will be raining bombs.

• Lainas aka "Jimmy Muscles Slouvaki" - Signed for halal combo platter
  

A castoff from the Greek Olympic baseball team after the sport was cut from the event, Lainas looks to start a 2nd career and 2nd life outside of his native habitat of Narrows Avenue. Known for being on baseball's current list of suspected "users" worshiping Jeremy Shockey by wearing his Shockey Giants jersey at all football games, his play closely resembles that of his idol, bowling over people, talking smack, getting injured, and drawing fines and suspensions. He is expected to fill a vital clog in the red zone and in the middle of the defense. He may also take some snaps under center provided his off-season surgery to strengthen and repair his girl-like throwing arm is a success.

• Lance aka "I'm not a player I just crush a lot" - Signed for promise of destroying people

A star and standout Hall of Famer from the now defunct Houston Football League, he had these words to say when he signed his contract:

"I had a dream last night, a dream of touch football glory...spiking in foe's faces, robot'ing in the end zone, dropping some ginger douche who thinks he can step onto the same field as us. I hope to improve on my all-time competitive football record of 13W and 24L with this squad, while making a name for myself in Zog Sports touch football. As of today I will be starting a training regimen with a diet of only raw eggs, cottage cheese and under-cooked red meat. I will be running with a tire around my waist a la Manny Ramirez 1992 up and down the streets of the East Village...punishing hippies as they cross my path."

In addition to his fiery passion and intensity, he also had this to say about the competition in training camp:

"Fuck you Lainas, I'm going to drop your ass next time I see you."

Enough said. A competitor. And a winner.

Get excited.

Zog Football Roster

Fall 2010
1. Alja
2. Amanda
3. April
4. Chris
5. Derek
6. Eric A
7. Eric S
8. Felix
90. Katie
10. Lance
11. Matt
12. PJ
13. Ronny
14. Tara
15. Veronica

Spring 2010
1. Alja
2. Alex
3. Alison
4. Chris
5. Eric A
6. Felix - GM
7. Lance
8. Matt - Captain
9. Ronny
10. Tara - Co-Captain
11. Brad
12. Veronica
13. Bekim
14. Janine
15. April

Winter 2009
1. Alja
2. Alex
3. Alison
4. Chris - Injured Reserve, Partial ACL tear, 3-6 weeks
5. Eric A
6. Felix - GM
7. Lance
8. Matt - Captain
9. Ronny
10. Tara - Co-Captain

11. Brad

12. Veronica

13. Jamie

14. Bekim

15. Janine

16. April

Fall 2009
1. Alja
2. Alex
3. Alison
4. Chris
5. Coen
6. Elaina
7. Eric A
8. Eric S
9. Felix - GM
10. James
11. Jen
12. Lance
13. Lauren
14. Matt - Co-Captain
15. Ronny
16. Tara - Co-Captain

Why We Do It

As They See 'Em by Bruce Weber

What an amazing read! While most people would imagine writing about baseball umpires and umpiring in general would be a mundane and boring task, Weber is able to unveil the curtain that amateur and pro umpires hide behind while accurately capturing the soul of umpiring and those who wear "blue." He thoroughly explores the subject of umpiring, from training to career, from t ball to major leagues, from the ugliness of baseball politics to the aspirations of those striving to become the best, while incorporating perspectives from various parties involved and different points of view. Without ranting further on (which I can for a LONG time on this topic), I'd give this book 5 out of 5 stars as well simply because it will give an understanding of why individuals (idiots) like me would ever want to step on a field in a uniform marked with a target on my back.



Speaking of umpiring, a very interesting but short article I came across recently.

God It's Far and Damn It's Late

Yesterday, for the first time ever, I went to the US Open. While the tennis center has always been a relatively short trek away for me (if you draw a straight line from my house to Willet's Point on the MTA map, it's only about 6 inches [ that's what she said! ] ), I was never passionate enough about tennis to go. Finally, eager to see firsthand the sponsorship activation by LU/Nabisco (which seemed non-existant except for a food stand) and baited with half price tickets, I, along with an unwavering rag tag band of committed tennis enthusiasts and aficionados (except Coen and Lainas), made the journey to the promised land of tennis.

Here are some pictures of the adventure:


Sun was strong when we got there.



View from our seats, Row Y.



The O'Jay's performing Love Train.



Country flags.



Agassi giving a speech with Doug Flutie, David Robinson, and Mia Hamm in the background.



Rob Thomas!



Flag Presentation



Venus William's match aka 3 hour marathon.



Andy Roddick


Either way, after spending 5 hours to watch 1 full game (or is it match?) of Venus Williams tennis and a couple of sets (or rounds?) of Andy Roddick, I learned many new things about tennis. Such as not shutting up while play is in progress. Or how sweaty Andy Roddick gets in 50 degree weather. More importantly, the better part of the 5 hours was spent making notes on how this experience could be enhanced for a tennis dunce like me. I've outlined some of the recommendations below:


1. Create separate cheering sections for hardcore fans, akin to baseball's Sizemore Ladies or Bleacher Creatures. That way, groups such as the Venus Stalkers and Roddick Rabids can cheer together. Mind you, these fans are dedicated and intense, as they're cheering for their favorites in the most feverish manner, without the aid of alcohol over-consumption (I know for sure no one is getting floored on $9.50 Heineken's). The main benefit, other than amplifying fan enthusiasm and intensity, is simply keeping the crazies away from us common folk so we don't have to hear "Go Venus!" and "We love you Andy!" all night long, with their terrible timing and blood curling screams.


2. Unless it's football, soccer, or a similar outdoor sport, anything played in NY not during the middle of summer needs a dome environment. Either that or a retractable roof. Sitting there for 5 hours last night reminded me of the pleasures of watching baseball in 30 degree weather. The participants themselves might be okay, but for spectators and umpires, it's brutal. Please take my tax dollars and build a roof. Or add some heaters for the spectators up in row ZZ. Or just give us one of those nice track jackets.


3. Please create a tennis for idiots guide for people like me. That way, I can avoid confusing people with the misuse of common tennis vocabulary and terms such as points, matches, games, and sets. Also, it would prevent me from making up rules on tennis and pretending to know what the hell is going on. Thanks.


4. You might want to move your evening prime-time matches to an earlier timeslot. That way, by the time the first 3 hour marathon match is over, you won't have so many empty seats. Having the stadium look emptier than the Yankee stadium legend section is NOT a good thing.


5. Can you find umpires that can speak English clearly? They have accents worse than my parents...


6. Lastly, PLEASE give me a heads up about launching fireworks 50 feet away from me. I almost died. And crapped my pants. Good thing it was cold and no one noticed the smell. Just kidding. Kind of.

Zog Season Schedule/Results

Directions
Take 2,3,4,5,B,D,N,Q,R to Atlantic/Pacific Avenue, Brooklyn and then follow walking directions HERE.

Fall 2010 Record - 1-7
Regular Season
9/12 @ 2PM vs Untouchables W 36 - 12 (Recap)
9/19 @ 2PM vs Show Me Your TDs L 62 - 42 (Box Score / Recap)
9/26 @ 3PM vs Los Loquillos L 38 - 20 (Recap)
10/3 @ 3PM vs Sexy Coco L 25 - 8
10/10 @ 4PM vs Spring Reign L 31 - 22
10/17 @ 4PM vs Show Me Your Buford L 33 - 25
10/24 @ 2PM vs Boston Sucks L 48 - 8
10/31 @ 5PM vs Hot Route L 42 - 28

Spring 2010 Record - 5-3 (0-1)
Regular Season
3/7 @ 1PM vs Show Me Your Buford W 28 - 20 (Box Score / Recap)
3/14 @ 4PM vs Hot Little Hands W 50 - 6 (Box Score / Recap)
3/21 @ 4PM vs Show Me Your Buford L 30 - 33 (Box Score / Recap)
3/28 @ 1PM vs Sexy Coco L 12 - 13 (Box Score / Recap)
4/11 @ 4PM vs The Family W 17 - 6 (Box Score / Recap)
4/18 @ 1PM vs Boston Sucks L 14 - 31 (Recap)
4/25 @ 3PM vs NY VaGiants W 36 - 12 (Recap)
5/2 @ 2PM vs Hot Route W 20 - 12 (Box Score / Recap)
Playoffs
5/16 @ 1PM vs Show Me Your Buford L 32 - 37

Winter 2009 Record - 5-1 (1-1) - Stats
Regular Season
1/10 @ 12:30PM vs Show Me Your TDs W 18 - 12 (Box Score / Recap)
1/17 @ 2:30PM vs Always Sunny In Bklyn W 26 - 0 (Box Score / Recap)
1/24 @ 1:30PM vs Hot Route L 22 - 32 (Box Score / Recap)
1/31 @ 12:30PM vs Sexy Coco W 12 - 0 (Box Score / Recap)
2/14 @ 1:30PM vs Kibbles 'n Blitz W FFW
2/21 @ 3:30PM vs Unprotected Sacks W 27 - 20 (Box Score / Recap)
Playoffs
2/28 @ 12:30PM vs Shiny Pants W 20 - 6 (Box Score / Recap)
2/28 @ 2:30PM vs Hot Route L 8 - 28 (Box Score / Recap)

Fall 2009 Record  DIVISON CHAMPIONS - 9-1 (2-0) - Stats
Regular Season
9/13 @ 5PM vs Los Touchitos W 28 - 14 (Box Score / Recap)
9/27 @ 3PM vs Hot Little Hands W 40 - 12 (Box Score / Recap)
10/4 @ 2PM vs NYIT Bears W FFW (Scrimmage Box Score / Recap)
10/11 @ 2:30PM vs Untouchables W 32 - 6 (Box Score / Recap)
10/18 @ 5PM vs Johnny Utah W 34 - 12 (Box Score / Recap)
10/25 @ 4PM vs Oxford Commas W 36 - 18 (Box Score / Recap)
11/1 @ 3PM vs VaGiants L 18 - 20 (Box Score / Recap)
11/8 @ 2:30PM vs Chubbs Peterson W 26 - 6 (Box Score / Recap)
Playoffs
11/15 @ 2PM vs Untouchables W 24 - 20 (Box Score / Recap)
11/15 @ 3PM vs VaGiants W 25 - 0 (Box Score / Recap)


Spring 2009 Record - 7-1 (1-1)

(denotes playoff record)

Ronny

"I have hands of steel"

Alias / Nicknames: Rizat, ButterHands
Favorite Football Team: Dallas Cowboys
Favorite Football Player:
Favorite Movie: Hannah Montana: The Movie, anything on Nickelodeon or Disney channel
Favorite Song: Miley Cyrus - 7 things
Favorite Food: Chicken Parm
Interests: SLEEP, Poke-her
Favorite Quote/Motto (s): Run the post, I'll be open. Split those safeties.

If I had 1 wish, I would:

Chris

"I'm so awesome, they named a baseball team after my initials"

Alias / Nicknames: C-Rizzy, Elmer, Wingspan
Favorite Football Team: New York Islanders
Favorite Football Player: Wayne Gretzky
Favorite Movie: Mighty Ducks
Favorite Song:
Favorite Food: Mac N Cheese
Interests: SLEEP
Favorite Quote/Motto (s): Sketch

If I had 1 wish, I would:

Championship

Do you have a trophy like this?

Front view



Side View



Jealous?

Music!

Third Eye Blind's newest album, Ursa Major, just came out this week and I've been playing this on repeat, NON-STOP. The album is absolutely awesome, so much so that I am already hyped and looking forward to the additional amazing-ness that the follow-up album Ursa Minor will bring. It certainly makes the long wait since their last album (Out Of The Vein, 2003) worthwhile. I like the lead single "Don't Believe A Word," but my favorite songs on the album by far are "Can You Take Me," "Sharp Knife" (disturbing song to like I know but I'm weird), "Summer Town," and "Water Landing." Be sure to give it a listen. You can stream the whole album from their MySpace, or pop out player here.



While still gushing about 3eb's latest album, I also found another enjoyable title to complement it with in Michael Franti & Spearhead's All Rebel Rockers. Although the album came out in 2008, it only came to my attention via their hit "Say Hey (I Love You)," which has been in heavy rotation on radio stations recently. Their mix/hybrid of hip-hop and reggae provides a very addicting sound and I have definitely caught myself embarassingly tapping and nodding away to their songs on the subway. Though not entirely thrilled with some of the political overtunes of their lyrics, I still enjoyed much of the album in the form of "Life In The City," "Remote Control," and "Nobody Right Nobody Wrong." I can definitely see several of these songs being incorporated in many party and dance playlists in the near future.

Book Review #2

The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi

This is one of the most difficult books that I've ever read, not in the sense of not being able to understand, but just in the act of reading and getting through the book. It took me almost 3 weeks to get through this book of barely 150 pages. It was exhausting. In terms of the content, I found it lacking versus what I expected. While many tout this as a manual for business and life, I thought that most of the concepts described were very rudimentary. For example, more than half the book focuses on basic techniques of Japanese sword combat stressing the importance of practice, practicality, and awareness of surroundings. While important, I gained nothing by simply reading the statement that they're important over and over again. The only part of the book that I found interesting was in the last 20 or so pages where the state of mind and thinking were discussed. All in all, I was quite disappointed. Perhaps, it is a book that I have to re-read three or four times to really get it. But for now, I will have to settle for 2 out of 5 stars.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

A very quick and light read, I found this book to be surprisingly interesting and full of depth. Heck, I even wished the story actually went longer than it did. A coming of age story of a high school freshman, it definitely helped me reminisce about the times growing up without cellphones, text messages, and internet. The naivety and youthful optimism of the narrator also enhanced and broadened the story's emotional roller-coaster, which I personally found myself relating to in several instances. Moreover, the narrator's lack of life experiences relative to his older friends and his quiet observant nature (hence wallflower) provides a unique perspective into the different aspects of life such as family, friendship, and love that might not necessarily comes to one's mind. Certainly worth reading, 4 out of 5 stars.

This Deserves A Post By Itself

I had a bunch of Canadian dollars I needed to exchange, so I went to
the currency exchange window at the local bank.

Short line.

Just one lady in front of me . . . an Asian lady who was trying to
exchange yen for dollars and she was a little irritated...

She asked the teller, "Why it change?? Yesterday, I get two hunat dolla fo yen. Today I get hunat eighty?? Why it change?"

The teller shrugged his shoulders and said, "Fluctuations".

The Asian lady says, "Fluc you white people, too!"

2 Years!

Friday marked the end of my first two years working full time. Over the course of this time, I've learned many truisms, some of which I am sharing below:

- If you have trouble making friends at work, try bringing candy and chocolate. It's no different than witches luring little children. It's so easy.

- The number of unread emails in your inbox is a sign of your importance to the organization. In my case, i try to compensate by sending emails to myself, lots of them.

- Listening to music at work is a borderline behavior. Passed out while listening to music is a big no-no, especially if you're an intern trying to land a full time offer.

- Companies love to keep things simple. It's a very important goal for any company. In fact, we have a 50 page PowerPoint presentation explaining why we need to do so.

- The office is to copiers/printers what churches are to Jesus Christ. You will learn everything you ever wanted to learn about the latter in the former. You will commit to memory and by rote, how to clear jams anywhere from section a to double z of the machine. It just might take a hour or two but people will see how hard you're working and how productive your are. You KNOW it's a good day when you've refilled that LAN copier next to you with paper 5 times, cleared 13 paper jams, filled up the staple cartridge, taught 11 people how to print/copy in color and to collate (since for some smart reason, it doesn't automatically collate 100 page presentations), AND reordered 3 color print cartridges since it won't print in black and white if the yellow color cartridge is empty.

- If your workspace and computer is very clean and you don't have food crumbs all over, then you just aren't working hard enough.

- For every performance review, you will ALWAYS discover NEW strengths and weaknesses. At the same time, you wonder how you can stretch out the company's limited list of strengths and weaknesses for the next 10 reviews...

- You learn many things about your co-worker at work. For example, you learn about one's eating habits, and whether someone had the taco special for dinner last night or the sloppy joe during lunch. Sometimes, the air just doesn't circulate.

- Given the fact that one can only visit the company store so many times each day, the bathroom and pantry is your refuge. It's definitely not as awkward being caught there versus the break room with massage chair, 60 inch TV, and Wii.

- Lastly, if something makes logical sense, then you probably should NOT do it. It's the way the REAL business world works, not like the rubbish you read in textbooks.

Harry Potter

Given the fact that I'm going to see the new Harry Potter movie this Friday (tickets confirmed by Eric) and yet have zero knowledge of this whole story, I'm trying to catch up on the previous 5 movies so I will only ask 27% the number of stupid questions about wizards that I would have otherwise. I will update this post throughout the week as I go through each movie with the stupid questions and thoughts I have. Contains spoilers so don't read if you intend to watch it or care.

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone - Completed 7/13


- It's really creepy seeing Daniel Radcliff (and his co-actors) as a kid. I mean, he just did some Broadway show or something nude... Harry Potter, naked, on Broadway, ugh, what the eff...

- Is it just me or is the magic wand shopkeeper a Lord of the Rings hobbit?

- Can normal people not see these kids run and disappear into a wall at platform 9 and 3/4?

- What's the point of quidditch if you can just win by capturing the golden snitch? Eric gave me the actual rules of the game since it was explained incorrectly in the movie. Apparently, Eric's knowledge came from being the rule interpreter for the W&M quidditch team. He also kept the team Nimbus 2000's in tip top shape.

- Is Harry Potter really a jock? Since he's the only "freshman" to make the quidditch team as "seeker/QB"? no less.

- What the heck is up with the random unicorn vampire scene? Was that really necessary?

- Was it just me or is that two faced professor/evil wizard at the end pretty damn scary? I almost pooped my pants when the back of his head turned into a face.

- Where are the Asians in the movie?

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets - Completed 7/14


- English accents are pretty cool in general, but I think I might shoot myself at the end of watching all these movies.

- An elf? or is it just Golem?

- I realize that trees might not like greenhouse gases but I didn't know that it hated cars THAT much.

- The mandrake baby scene is disturbing as hell.

- I wish we could send "howlers" in real life, haha.

- Puking slugs, appetizing.

- Why are there so many similarities between Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings? Whispering voice? Sauron?

- Flying through the quidditch field ramparts reminds me of Star Wars and Luke flying on the surface of the Death Star.

- Skele-grow, is that just steroids in Harry Potter world?

- No snakes on a plane, but snake in a tunnel!

- Which Petco has one of those superbirds for sale?

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban - Completed 7/15


- Is it just me or are the movies getting less humorous and more serious and dark?

- Loss of limp will not excuse one from homework, CRAP.

- I'm so confused why the dementors are all chasing Potter.

- The twins are hilarious.

- Harry seriously resembles Anakin Skywalker in this one, full of rage.

- Oooo, time travel.

Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire - Completed 7/16



- Ron looks more like a tool the older he gets.

- Quidditch World Cup and still no Asians.

- Dancing fireworks would be pretty ill.

- Finally, Asian sighted.

- Wtf is up with the entrance scene for the girls magic prep school?

- Why do "they" travel in packs? hahaha

- "Moral fiber" in Harry Potter, the hell?

- That's some disturbing image/scene towards the end...

Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix - Completed 7/16


- Woah, English wankstas. When did the story get contemporized?

- Why does Voldemort not have a nose?

- Why is this Potter romance thing necessary? So dumb. Thank god for fast forward.

- Random centaurs...

- World War 3 of magic

- This is totally Star Wars...without wookies and storm troopers...and spaceships...magic wands instead of light sabers.



Finally, all previous movies completed. On to tomorrow for the new one.