Kyle Porter

Today my Detroit Pistons traded starters Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess to Denver for Allen Iverson.  This is an interesting trade on many levels but also one I absolutely love.  One thing the Pistons have managed to do over the last few years is stay competitive in the Eastern conference while slowly developing a core of younger players to transition to once their older players move on.  With Rodney Stuckey, Jason Maxiell, and Amir Johnson, the Pistons look prepared to move on without taking much of a step back upon transitioning to new players.  Now that Billups and McDyess have been moved, a lot of cap space will be available following the season after Iverson’s contract expires.  This is where it gets interesting.  Can you think of any big name free agents that might become available in the near future that teams would need significant cap room to sign?  How about the King himself, LeBron James.  James has made it clear he’s open to moving to a new team and he’d be hard pressed to find a more respected, well run organization than the Pistons.  Joe Dumars has shown an incredible comittment to winning and the ability to do so.  James would be an incredible asset and fit in Detroit.  He also would have the benefit of an organization that will do anything to win and will provide him with more than enough pieces to win multiple championships during his tenure there.  Only time will tell if that might happen, but look out, because things just got much more interesting.  It is unfortunate to lose Billups, who has been as important a player on Detroit than almost anyone.  He will be missed, but Stuckey showed in the playoffs that the drop-off between the two is not that big anymore and Billups had lost some of his luster following his MVP performance during Detroit’s last championship.  On the other hand, Detroit will stay a contender with Iverson in the line-up and could even possibly challenege the Cavs and Celtics depending on how he fits the team and if he’s capable of returning to his previous superstar status.  It’s exciting to be a Pistons fan right now, big things are brewing.

As some of you may or may not be aware, Elite XC became the latest promotion to fall to bankruptcy in the UFC dominated Mixed Martial Arts world.  A promising start on CBS, decent funding, and a few marketable stars wasn’t enough to keep the company afloat.  Since shutting down their operations this past week, I have seen a few explanations as to why Elite XC didn’t make it.  Here I’ll offer some of my own.  One of Elite XC’s first mistakes to me was trying to create something that was too different from the UFC.  Now that MMA has somewhat established itself as a sport that is not only on the rise but has the ability to stay, there was less of a need to include excess parts of their programming aside from the fighting.  Whether it was the dance team, extended entrances, or excessive background stories of fighters, Elite XC simply had too much going on.  The focus should have been on the fighting itself, not the show.  There was too much invested in the storylines, much like professional wrestling.  A result of this was poor programming and shows that went too long and couldn’t keep the interest of the viewers.  This is an example of one of its entrances from its first show.

Elite XC had the disadvantage of not having many of the world’s most established or respected fighters.  They did, however, have many young up and coming fighters who offered compelling match-ups and on some of their shows delivered exciting fights.  However, the focus was again on the “show” aspect and not the fighting.  This is where the promotion’s biggest star comes in: Kimbo Slice.  Slice was already a star from his famous Youtube videos.  Elite XC took his fame and immediately tried to establish him as a legitimate fighter despite just beginning to train in professional fighting.  On top of the hype they paired Kimbo against fighters past their prime or not very good like Tank Abbott, James Thompson, and Ken Shamrock.  While he won the first two, they did not do very much to prepare him for future challenges or make him any more credible with hardcore fans.  When he finally did lose(to Shamrock’s last minute replacement), it was not an upset at all, but the hype surrounding him made it seem so.  Seeing your cash cow get knocked out in just a few seconds is not good for business.  Had Kimbo had better preparation in his past opponents, maybe it would have been different.  But beside that, Elite XC put all their cards into making Kimbo the face of the organization.  Think about that.  A green, inexperienced fighter in mixed martial arts being made the “face” of your company.  That’s a huge risk that didn’t work out, at all.  Slice should have started on the middle of their fight cards against ooponents on the same level instead of the main event.  Casual fans who wanted to see Kimbo would then experience his fights, but hopefully would have also stuck around to see the more professional and technical fights later in the card.  Overall, Elite XC tried to attract casual fans instead of the hardcore fans who have made MMA grow as fast as it has been.  There were other mistakes made financially with careless and expensive acquistions, but most of all they just didn’t target the right fans of the sport.

My roommate showed me this video, it’s something else.  Look for number one, he won’t be hard to find.  He’s the one dominating…

Prodigy

I consider myself to be a rather patient, forgiving, and loyal fan of my sports teams.  My love of sports began when I lived in Michigan, not far from Ann Arbor.  I was able to witness the first games I remembered in my life.  These included the Michigan Wolverines, Detroit Pistons, Tigers, Lions, and Red Wings.  Since moving to Arizona and Utah I’ve managed to follow these teams rather well and support them whenever I can.  At first being a fan wasn’t all that bad; the Wolverines were perennial contenders and regular participants in New Year’s Day bowl games.  The Red Wings were and still are one of the best organizations in the NHL and have spoiled me when it comes to hockey (for that reason and others, I follow hockey the least of the major sports).  The Pistons were a middle of the road team still making the transition from the bad boys of the late 80’s.  Grant Hill was fresh from Duke and beginning to emerge as a superstar (whoops).  The Tigers on the other hand were, well, terrible.  My first impression of this team was bad and remained that way as they peaked in awfulness at 119 wins that one wonderful season.  Michigan won a national championship in 1997 and continued to have many strong seasons.  It will be a while before they return that level but they have a great new coach who will make them a winner again.  The Red Wings won the Stanley Cup again last year and look to return with an improved team this year, so more of the same from them.  The Pistons faltered for a while as Grant Hill’s career fell apart (very unfortunate, I hope some of you were able to watch him at his peak), but after many long years of grinding it out, they swept the Lakers 5-0 (yes, if Kobe hadn’t made his half-court buzzer beater in game one it would have been a sweep) and became NBA champions, along with many trips to the Eastern Conference finals.  The Tigers emerged from the pits of baseball and managed to pull off an incredible season that ended with their classic meltdown against the Cardinals in the World Series in 2006.  Even though this year was an unexpected disgrace, they will remain a threat in the AL for some years to come.

Then there’s Detroit’s black sheep:  the Lions.  I loved the Lions.  Barry Sanders was and will always be one of my favorite players I ever watched.  Though his retirement came too early, I respect him for it and thank him for making the Lions a respectable and watchable team for the years he spent with them.  The Lions have never been that great.  If the Lions were a guy, he would be the guy with his friends who might get that new shirt, or new pair of shoes, or maybe a nice haircut and feel like his time was coming to finally get that girl he’s had his eye on.  When he finally gets to talking to her, he gets her attention, she’s polite, she laughs a little, but then out of nowhere, she throws a drink in his face, then proceeds to mock him in front of his and her friends.  At this point, he (I’m still working with the Lions thing) has also pissed and shit himself, and shamefully leaves the bar with soiled pants, a torn shirt, laughing friends, and a top ten pick in the NFL draft for the millionth year in a row.

Of all the teams I’ve mentioned, I’ve been most patient and hopeful with the Lions.  A new draft pick, new coach, new GM, you name it, and I was thinking this is our year.  No.  Never.  Not even playoffs.  Not even .500.  I’m officially removing myself as a Lions fan.  They suck.  They always will.  The beginning of the end was the hiring of Matt Millen.  It was signing enough slot receivers to start a casino on the field.  It was drafting four WR’s in the first round in consecutive years.  On top of being just plain terrible, the Lions (owned and operated by the Ford family), offered Millen an extension at one point and then finally did something smart and fired him this year.  Now despite going 4-0 in the preseason, the Lions have managed to start the season with an awesome record of 0-5.  Maybe they’ll turn it around and rifle off 11 straight wins….I doubt it.  That felt good.

Now I know I’ve never experienced the pains that a Red Sox fan (you’ve got two in the last ten years, stop bitching), Cubs fan, or any other lifetime loser, but I’ve had enough.  At least those teams have “good” years.  I would rather have a team lose in the championship or even playoffs each season then every year be worse than the gas that comes out of fat man’s ass.  Goodbye Lions.  It was never nice.  It’s not me, it’s you.  Thank you for firing Millen, but it’s not enough.  It will never be.  Who should I shift my loyalties to now?  Only time will tell…oh, and Matt Millen sucks.

I came across an interesting article from one of my favorite writers, Christopher Hitchens.  He describes a great movement in Iraq to build stronger educational institutions and how we as Americans can help.  There are many new programs being funded and developed and high hopes for improving the country’s intellectual freedoms.  The article states that any books are helpful but there is a greater need for technical, social science, and software books.  For more on the program and where to send books, here is the article.

http://www.slate.com/id/2194308/

It appears Microsoft is not done with Yahoo quite yet.  In a new attempt to acquire Yahoo, Microsoft is seeking the help of other media companies in making a bid.  These include Time Warner and MySpace giant News Corp.  The new approach of Microsoft is to take over Yahoo’s search engine and then divide the rest of their services with all other investors.  Yahoo is facing pressure to make some sort of deal, and if nothing is done soon chief executive Jerry Yang could be on his way out.  After Micorsoft’s failed bid a few months ago, Yahoo made an advertisement partnership with major competitor Google.  Time Warner and News Corp. have also previously dealt with Yahoo, but nothing managed to materialize there.  The previous Microsoft bid was for $33 a share(Yang wanted $37), but Yahoo has seen its value fall to below the original offer.  A break-up bid would come at an even lower price, and it appears Yahoo hopes to either fight through its troubles or try and get a bid at the original level, an attempt which as been unsuccessful thus far.  This battle between Microsoft and Yahoo should be getting very interesting again soon.  Whether Yahoo decides to break up to multiple suitors or stay put, there will be changes made in its leadership.  As of right now, there aren’t many happy shareholders at Yahoo.

A brewer from Weed, California was asked by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to remove the most recent caps from his beer bottles.  The caps, with the message “Try Legal Weed”, are seen as misleading consumers regarding the beer.  Vaune Dillman, founder of Mount Shasta Brewing, is fighting that decision.  Claiming the caps have nothing to do with smoking marijuana, Vaune stated the town’s name has always been used in his beers.  People from all over town use the city name on various signs and businesses.  A sign out of town displays “Temporarily Out of Weed”, while another in town says “100 Percent Pure Weed”.  While the agency reviews Vaune’s appeal of their decision, Dillman has begun using unmarked caps on his bottles and sought help and support from local leaders.  Dillman’s biggest concern regarding the decision is why him when other brewers of beers such as Hemp Ale haven’t been punished.  But perhaps Vaune’s strongest case against the Bureau is how one of the most popular advertising slogans in the beer industry, “This Bud’s for You”, hasn’t been regulated.

For the fifth time in my life that I can remember, another horse has failed to take the Triple Crown.  Like the times before this year, I got excited and made sure I was watching the Belmont Stakes to witness a piece of history.  In the past I was less optimistic, more prepared for the idea that the horse might lose, but this year felt different.  I really thought that horse had a chance to pull it off, but there it was, pulled up before the final turn and finishing ninth.  As soon as the race was over all the announcers, trainers, jockeys, and fans were scrambling to find out what went wrong.  There were no outer injuries, so there was speculation that Big Brown had sustained internal injuries at some point in the race.  This turned out to be false as well.  Big Brown was tired, he struggle at the start and didn’t perform.  Simple as that.  And for those like me hoping to see a Triple Crown winner, we’ll have to wait another year.  I’m not horse racing fan.  I only watch the Triple Crown races, but I do get really excited when there is an opportunity for that achievement.  It’s one of the great ones in sports.  In my life there has been Charismatic, War Emblem, Funny Cide(you might remember the ridiculous coverage for his Triple Crown attempt, he pretty much co-hosted the Today Show), Smarty Jones, and now Big Brown.  Unfortunately each attempt has been a disappointment.

Now that summer is in full swing for me, I’ve brought out my favorite past time during Arizona’s hot months: Star Wars: Battlefront.  I first played Battlefront because of a friend’s recommendation(”There’s nothing like being Darth Vader and using a choke hold…”) and have since become  quite the fan.  Even though I’ve now played  every level hundreds of times I still get that “rush” whenever I charge into a large group of stormtroopers and dodge the countless lasers and grenades trying to cut me down.  I also enjoy the hours spent with friends on these levels; the teamwork, the frustration, the strategy, and most of all, the fun.  I’m not sure what it is that makes Battlefront of all games so enjoyable for me.  I guess it’s also just one of those old toys that never really goes away and that you always find a way to bring back out from time to time.  Just a little piece of your life that brings you joy whenever you happen to experience it.  I’ve always found great relief in those types of things.  It reminds me of a quote from one of my favorite movies, Lonesome Dove.  In the scene Robert Duvall’s character is explaining to a young Diane Lane why she shouldn’t set her hopes on one thing only:

“You see life in San Francisco is still just life. Now if you want only one thing too much, it’s likely to turn out a disappointment. Now the only healthy way to live as I see it is to learn to like all the little everyday things. Like a sip of good whiskey, or a soft bed, or a glass of buttermilk, or say, a feisty gentlemen like myself.”

As I reflect and realize that graduation is less than year away, new experiences and responsibilities will enter my life.  Wherever my life may lead me and whatever comes my way, it will be important for me to remember the little things in life that have and do bring me happiness because they’ll always be there, and if they’re not, you’ll recognize how important they were.  As I enjoy this summer hopefully, I’ll remember these days well because I spent them with friends doing the little things.  For those of you on summer, or about to start, enjoy it, that’s what it’s for.

As many of you may have seen in the news the past months, Microsoft attempted to purchase Yahoo. Microsoft and Yahoo are numbers 2 and 3 in the online advertising industry, behind leader Google. Had the deal been completed the two companies would have made a formidable opponent for Google in the coming years. Since the two must now continue on their own, Microsoft and Google have some new and intriguing strategies for online advertising. The article posted below gives greater detail into the competitors and their history but I’ll focus on what the two will be aiming at in the near future. Google’s greatest revenue in online advertising right now is search advertising. Search advertising are the little ads the are displayed alongside your search results(and you emails depending on your server). Microsoft is looking to expand into other forms of online advertising, like display advertising, the more visual, video ads seen on the top of pages and elsewhere. As of now, this market is much smaller than search advertising, but has grown considerably as video ads have increased. Microsoft’s strategy for dominating this field is to show its technology is more suited and ready to be used and that this technology is better and easier to track than search advertising. One of Microsoft’s other new improvements is its Engagement Mapping, which it has been testing out. They hope this will increase efficiency with online advertising by giving more detail when tracking advertisements.

While Microsoft seems to have the right focus following the failed takeover of Yahoo, it has many obstacles to overcome in its attempt to catch and surpass Google. These include Google’s greater customer base in this field, and the growing presence of online software that rivals Microsoft’s. Microsoft does have the advantage of great financial resources and the persistence and technology to at least be in the fight for a long time. Since the deal with Yahoo fell through, less and less has been shown regarding these three companies, but it will still be followed I’m sure.

Inside Microsoft’s war against Google