September 27th & The End of the World

Wow, today is September 27th, 2005. You know, it was 18 months ago that I began to dread this day exactly one year ago. Why? Well, mainly because of my fragile gullibility, extreme form of necrophobia and mild Armageddon paranoia. But, hey, whatever. Bygones be bygones and all that crap, right?

Now, you're probably wondering what the hell I'm talking about. People who knew me a year ago could vouch for this, 'cause I told them about it. I knew how crazy it sounded, but I just couldn't let it go. Now, I shall tell you about it.

So, it all started in March of '04. I was perusing through the magazine aisle at the supermarket one day, and I stumbled upon an April issue of Maxim with Paris Hilton on the cover. The fact that it was an April issue should have tipped me off right away, but I kinda omitted that from my mind. Call it the paranoid part of my brain. Anyway, I guess I was curious to see what kind of skanky pictures Paris has come up with this time, so I looked inside.

Then, I stumbled upon this one article, about asteroids. Now, me, personally, I love astronomy - I'm a space buff. I find the whole subject fascinating. Anyway, I was drawn to that one article, and was interested in reading it. It was basically about what would happen if an earth-killer asteroid were to collide with our planet. It was the headline, though, that freaked me out to no end. Let me see if I can remember it:

"The good news? An asteroid the size of SL-617 only hits our planet once every 10 million years. The bad news? Scientists give it a 63.8 percent chance of colliding with Earth on September 27 this year. So how bad’s it gonna sting?"

Now, a normal person would read that, pass it off as fiction, and read on. I, however, read that headline and had a perpetual pit in my stomach, saying, "Oh, my God. We only have six months left to live." Now, I realize how completely weird that seems. But, I dunno, my paranoia sort of perpetuated everything. In my mind, the thought processes would go:

"If it isn't real, where is the footnote that says it isn't? And, of course the government wouldn't say anything about it. It would spread into worldwide anarchy if they confirmed it. Oh, God, we're all going to die."

And, so, I had a neverending pit in my stomach for the next month. I listened to music and recorded "Armstrong & Getty" episodes to temporarily ease my mind. There were days when I would look up into the sky, and imagine what the dreaded asteroid would look like as it pummeled through Earth's atmosphere and killed all life on Earth. Sometimes, my mind would continue a constant countdown to September 27. It was really stupid, but I just couldn't shake the thought of an asteroid hitting Earth that day.

It wasn't until a friend of mine pointed out an article that told me about an asteroid passing by Earth on September 29, that I could really put my mind at ease. It took me about a month to adjust back to life as usual, but I got there. Nowadays, I don't really worry about asteroids. It's everyday life that I really have to worry about.

Random Thoughts Pt. II

Did you realize how many 'Mike's there are coaching in the NFL? I mean, look:
Mike Shanahan, Denver Broncos
Mike Tice, Minnesota Vikings
Mike Sherman, Green Bay Packers
Mike Mularkey, Buffalo Bills
Mike Holmgren, Seattle Seahawks
Mike Martz, St. Louis Rams
Mike Nolan, San Francisco 49ers
I mean, that's kinda weird. Does anyone else think that's a little weird?

The 49ers will most likely stink this year. Maybe 3-13, 4-12. They'll probably get the first or second pick in the draft next year. Leinart is out of the question, since they have Smith. They already got RB Frank Gore from Miami in this year's draft, but I wouldn't put it past the organization to use their pick on Reggie Bush from USC. Best player in the draft after Leinart, right? Well, at least, I think so. They can use him as a WR/KR, as he is sometimes used in the USC offense, so San Fran could make that work. Here's the point: If Frank can win the RB position, and Reggie accepts the WR position, check it out: Gore and Bush will be working together in the same field. Isn't that hilarious? Yeah, maybe not.

You know, there's this scene in an episode of "Friends" that, every time I see it, kinda gets to me. It's the last scene in "The One Where Joey Tells Rachel". It's weird, for me - I guess I put myself in Joey's shoes in that scene. I've dealt with having to tell a girl I liked them a few times in my short life - most of the time ending in embarrassment, resulting from being shot down. Another thing about that scene is that both Matt LeBlanc and Jennifer Aniston sell the scene so well - It was as if I could fell Joey get shot down, his hopes crashing to the floor. And, this is one of the only times you really feel that Joey's feelings for Rachel are genuine, and that the two are close friends. It borders on heart-wrenching. It's such a good scene, too. I dunno; I look at them both completely different in that scene - hell, in that episode - than I usually do. Jennifer looks prettier, Matt looks more vulnerable, etc. If you don't like "Friends"... screw you guys, I'm not talkin' to you. Just kidding - I like that scene, anyway.

Andy's Mojo: It Went Into Blake!

So this whole "Where's Andy's Mojo?" American Express ad campaign debacle? I realize that it was pretty bad watching Roddick, with the ad campaign and American Tennis' rep in his back pocket, lose in straight tie-breaks to unranked Gilles Muller in the first round. In my opinion, I don't think it was that bad. Bad for Roddick, but not bad for the ad campaign, or for American Men's Tennis, by any means.

Sure, A-Rod was embarrassed at his Major tournament. And, of course, he is the best American man we've got. But, hey, from a PR standpoint, it was pretty easy to spin. Look:

Andy's Mojo got away from him, and didn't get back to him in time for the US Open to start, thus, Roddick falling to Muller in Round 1. By the time Andy's Mojo returned, Andy was in defeat, but wanted American tennis to go on in the US Open. So, he ordered his Mojo to help James Blake, thus, Blake defeating Raphael Nadal to advance.

I mean, it would work: Blake has had a reputation of flopping against the Top 10 players in the world. How else could Blake have defeated Nadal, possibly one of the best defensive players in the world, if it hadn't been for a little help from Andy's Mojo? The service style, the smashing forehands ... as some experts who watched that match said, Blake looked like a man possessed, and he played the best match of his life. I mean, he basically played, for the most part, Roddick's game to defeat Nadal. With that line of thinking, American Express and the USTA would be chomping at the bit to keep the ad campaign going.

Sure, it would take a bit of maneuvering and cooperation from certain parties, but it would work out for everyone. It would shine a new spotlight on American Men's Tennis, not to mention reintroduce James Blake to the sports world. For Roddick, it would even work out - it would show how good of a sport he is about that loss. And, hey, if Blake does the impossible and goes all the way, could you imagine the PR bonanza that Blake and Roddick would get, not to mention AmEx? And, hey, let's not get ahead of ourselves - this still is James Blake, and he would have to beat Roger Federer, quite possibly one of the greatest tennis players in history, in order to win the US Open. I'm just saying, if, by some miracle, it did happen.

The New NBA Heirarchy

You know, it was only three years ago that the Lakers dynasty reigned supreme in the NBA. The Nets were the only true Eastern Conference power that could even attempt to stand up to them. The Kings and Spurs were toted as viable candidates to dethrone the three-time defending champs.

Fast-forward to the year 2005.

The glitz and glamour of the Los Angeles Lakers has faded considerably, with Phil Jackson back on his second tour of duty in La-La Land, attempting to pick up the pieces left in the wake of the meltdown that was the Lakers' 2004-2005 season. With long-term project, 17-year-old Andrew Bynum picked up in this year's draft, and a second year of Kobe Bryant at the helm, Jackson will try to lift the Lakers back up to respectability. Meanwhile, the prime players of the NBA have changed considerably.

The San Antonio Spurs have formed the Association's latest dynasty (or closest thing to it, depending on who you ask), winning 3 titles in 7 years. The scary thing is, they've only gotten stronger - Nick Van Exel from Portland is a lethal ball-handler and 3-shooter. Just ask the Kings, who got handled by Van Exel two years ago in the playoffs. On top of that, they have Fabricio Oberto, the next great international player you haven't heard of. With the expected signing of free agent Michael Finley from Dallas, San Antonio has retooled an already potent squad, with Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, that will threaten the league for the title for years to come.

The Miami Heat have changed dramatically since the Lakers' last title in 2002. For one, in what is still considered one of the most lopsided trades in sports history, the acquisition of perennial all-star center Shaquille O'Neal turned Dwyane Wade and the Heat into instant title contenders. Now, unless you've been in a coma for the past 18 months, you should know that he practically single-handedly took Miami to a 60-win season, and to the doorstep of the NBA Finals. So far this offseason, they only got stronger. The acquisitions of all-stars Antoine Walker and Jason Williams have the league talking championship - they strengthen at points that prevented them from advancing last season. Williams and Walker give the Heat high-octane, long-range scoring threats, and a lethal transition game.

With the absence of Larry Brown on the Detroit Pistons, the former World Champs are without a leader - and seemingly out of contention for the title. It would only make sense for the consensus pick to take the East to come out of South Beach. But, that doesn't mean they won't see any real competition en route to the Finals. But, who? Most experts think that the next Eastern contender to the throne comes out of Indianapolis, even without legendary sharpshooter Reggie Miller. The Indiana Pacers were without two of their best players - All-Star Jermaine O'Neal and premier defender-slash-inside threat Ron Artest - for most of the year. The offseason acquisition of Sarunas Jasikevicius, considered the best point guard in Europe, along with the full return of Artest and O'Neal, bolsters their roster enough to challenge in the Eastern Conference.

Finally, the greatest threat to the Spurs to repeat as champions - the Sacramento Kings. A core of Mike Bibby, Brad Miller and Peja Stojakovic was helped all through the season with frontcourt depth, thanks to the at-the-time questionable Chris Webber trade, of Kenny Thomas, Corliss Williamson and Brian Skinner; and the offseason acquisitons of backup point guard Jason Hart, Shooting Guard Bonzi Wells, and Power Forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Experts compare the Kings' current roster to the one that challenged the Lakers back in 2002 for their third title.

And, so it goes. It has come full circle for the NBA, in the wake of the latest Los Angeles Lakers era. The NBA arms race has only begun, for both conferences, and as this new season begins, new horizons will be reached by new teams. We'll just wait and see.

Hurricane Katrina

First of all, I want to send out all of my heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families - those who have lost their homes, lost loved ones, and those whose families and friends were affected by this devastating hurricane. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to go through a disaster like that, and pray I, or any of the people I care about, never have to. I have a friend who lives around the area of the hurricane, and I couldn't imagine how I would have felt if I lost him to Katrina.

I just finished watching a 'National Geographic Explorer' that was made last year, about the violence this planet is capable of unleashing - case in point, the Tsunami that devastated the Southeast Asia region on December 2004. One of the natural disasters they covered was on hurricanes, and what shocked me the most about this particular segment was the dark omen it offered: a hurricane hitting the city of New Orleans in the future.

They pointed at Hurricane Ivan, which hit the Florida panhandle last September, as the latest example of a hurricane that was predicted to blow by Bourbon St., but turned away instead. They also pointed out that the main levy was highly inadequate for protecting from a hurricane: it was six feet lower than the height necessary to protect from the water level a Category 3 storm would bring. The simulated images it showed next was utterly shocking to me - it looked exactly like the images I have seen of New Orleans for the past week.

They said that the city of New Orleans, with all of the hurricane warnings they receive every year, was "basically playing a game of Russian Roulette." Tragically, this time around ... the barrel was loaded.

If anyone reading this would like to help with the effort to support the victims of Hurricane Katrina, please follow the link to this website:

The American Red Cross