"I'm a firm believer in the philosophy of a ruling class. Especially since I rule." This could either be genius or tragic. Only time will tell.

Speaking of ruling geniuses, I believe I'll own this year's fantasy football for once. If the powers that be are going to curse me with a poo-poo Dolphins team, the least they could do is hook me up with a fat fantasy football payoff. Deuce McAllister to glory, bitches!

Now if you'll go excuse me, I have a little nasal drip to attend to.

So I'm sitting here, watching the 25 greatest moments in sports or whatever this fucking show on ESPN is called (Ed. Note: it's called "The Headlines"), and it's the one about Tiger Woods winning The Masters. Anyway, it's very well put together, hitting all the requisite highs and lows, and just after one of the more serious moments in the program, we get commentary on Tiger by Luther Campbell. Yes, 2 Live Crew's Luther Campbell. It was so ridiculous that I let out a shrill, Krabappel "ha!" when his face came on the screen. Classic.

More appropriate for my other blog, but since this one gets more traffic...

You Have Bad Taste in Music

Are you listening to me? Because I'm about to unload!

So, I really hope that Lil Jon opens up a school for backup singers someday.

Thaitanic has quality food. And the decor (especially the bar stools) is quite shag. CLJO, take note. Best of all, it's located right around the block from me.

Have started waking up at six in the morning to hit the gym before work. I'm getting more sleep, I'm getting to work earlier, meaning I'm getting OUT of work earlier. And on evenings where I don't have plans: two-a-days!

I like saying "Errrybody." Curse you, J-Kwon!

Finally finished up Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter. Good game. Not the best balance, but that's sort of the intent, considering the overlay system of restarting/restoring games. I can't imagine people making it through the game without a few restores. But apparently, they do. Geeks.

"Hello? Dr. Cheesesteak? We require one sandwich. With 40 ccs of cheesesteak, stat. With an infusion of medical sauce."

Hot Shots Golf Fore! is out. Will probably be purchased this weekend.

I cannot wait until football season actually starts for real. You know, when Chris Simms will be taking his rightful spot on the bench and I won't have to deal with names like Kordell Stewart unless there's a rash of injuries.

I still contend that Tony Shalhoub's greatest role was in Quick Change.

"Hey, martial arts fan. Are you ready to get your guts kicked out?"

Okay, now I'm bored with the two-bit Larry King routine. Bedtime.

sincerely,
Damian "Thunder Kick" Vega$

Can anybody tell me where I can get my hands on a Carlos Arroyo jersey?

What does it all mean?

The US got beat. I don't want to hear, "they didn't beat us, we lost the game." No, you got beat. Plain and simple. And the final score should not have been as close as it was.

This is not a punk US team deserving the whupping they got. There's a misconception that any team of NBA pros has got to be full of egotistical lunkheads. That can be true, but it really isn't in this case. With the exception of Iverson, this is a team of quality character players. And say what you will about AI, but considering how many other elite players couldn't find the courage to represent, he deserves at least a slap on the back for going to Greece.

The best players in the US have really lost touch with some of the fundamentals (shooting a jumper, especially) of the game. There are still some players in the US who value the jump shot (Rip Hamilton, for one), but increasingly, it seems this is a mostly lost art. High school kids jumping to the pros without learning these fundamentals from college coaches is not helping, either. But that's a whole other rant.

All of that being said, international competition just isn't as close as the events of the last few weeks (and the sports columnists spreading the word) would indicate. Without taking anything from any of the other countries, let's face facts: they are not facing Shaq, Kobe, Garnett, Vince Carter, etc. I'm sorry, but I've yet to see any team--international or otherwise--that has an answer for Shaquille O'Neal. And as much as the rest of the world has raised their game, I find it hard to believe that any team on Earth could hang with a starting five of Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin Garnett, Ben Wallace and Allen Iverson. Maybe some international coalition of all-star players (Nowitzki, Yao, Stojakovic, etc.), but not one individual country. But the fact is, those players are not here, and the US did not raise the level of their game to match the expectations and reputation surrounding "US Basketball" on an international stage. It's one thing to say you're good (Los Angeles Lakers), it is something else to go out and prove it (Detroit Pistons).

Much love for Puerto Rico. They showed what being a tenacious, fundamentally sound team can do. I hope they go far.

If I Can Be Serious For A Moment...

Just a brief entry to thank those people who sent good thoughts or otherwise wished my sister well for her surgery, which was completed successfully yesterday at Johns Hopkins. As of this writing, she is awake (but in pain, obviously) and her vitals look good. So, barring any post-surgical complications, she should be on the road to recovery.

Thanks again. The madcap hilarity that usually fills this space will return anon.

I missed my calling.

Bric-a-brac

Had dinner with Big Lou (my father, for the uninitiated) last night. Came home with lumpia, stuffed shrimp, pansit, and fresh cantaloupe and pineapple. Delicious.

Went on a bit of a music binge yesterday as well. Some solid additions to the collection, I'd say.

Also picked up ESPN NFL 2K5 this weekend. No, it's not Madden, but it's supposed to be nearly as good. And for $19.99, it's worth the risk.

And while we're on the topic of games, here are a few titles (I've done this before, I think, but can't find it in the archives) on the horizon that I think would make wonderful additions to the library of any PS2 owner.

Hot Shots Golf: Fore! This will be out in a mere 10 days and looks like it has far surpassed HSG3 on every level.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Yeah, I'm one among millions awaiting the release of this game. I've yet to read one bad thing about the game. The setting this time around is actually split between three cities. The cities are based on Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas. Rockstar Games have gone out of their way to up the realism quotient, allowing you to customize the lead character by way of visiting barber shops, tattoo parlors and what you eat. That's right, diet is important to the gameplay here. I wonder if they considered making buying condoms an option before you pick up a hooker. Honestly, while I like the fact that they are trying to add realism to the game, I think it might be unnecessary, and possibly a distraction as far as the whole eating element is concerned. I mean, leave that shit to The Sims, a'ight?

Silent Hill 4 I honestly don't know why I'm looking to pick this up, because I haven't played SH2 or SH3. But I want to, and I want to play this as well. I think I should probably get one of the other titles, first, though, to make sure the series hasn't fallen off.

Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater The last two MGS titles for the Playstation (not including the VR Mission training games) have been spectacular, and I expect nothing less from this installment.

Sly Cooper 2: Band of Thieves I bought the first Sly Cooper when it was a Greatest Hit and I loved the game. Yeah, it was a bit too easy, but the art was fantastic (I love cel-shaded games), the characters were fun, and the gameplay was enjoyable. I actually watched a demo of this playing in the store today and it looks great. I'm sure it's not much harder, but who cares? Fun is fun, no matter how much you have to work for it.

Star Wars: Battlefront I honestly don't know too much about this game yet, but they have been on a bit of a roll with their recent Star Wars titles (the Starfighter games, Knights of the Old Republic) and I'm a Star Wars mark, so there it is.

WWE: Smackdown vs. Raw Speaking of being a mark. Okay, I guess you have to be a wrestling fan to be looking forward to this. But I swear, if you look at the Smackdown games as just another "fighting" game, it more than holds its own. Always a great game with immense replay value. But again, I guess you'd have to be a wrestling fan to enjoy replay.

And did you know they're making a game for Reservoir Dogs? Well they are. Don't know if this will be good or not. Chances are no, but we'll see.