tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-100433762011-12-14T18:57:33.566-08:00"They respect you if you write. The dumber the world gets, the more the words matter." -Dan JenkinsAlexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.comBlogger2081100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1160783565886242422006-10-13T16:44:00.000-07:002006-10-13T16:54:35.840-07:00

A couple of things occurred to me while I was watching ALCS Game Three between the A's and Tigers.1. Eric Chavez is either incredibly overrated, or incredibly underrated.Being named an All-Star is a fairly subjective measure of one's ability as a baseball player, so not making the All-Star team despite having an excellent season is a frequent occurrence (example: Bobby Abreu, who was in the top

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1160727153653873122006-10-13T01:03:00.000-07:002006-10-13T01:12:33.666-07:00

What's not to love about this picture of Lil Jon and Finnish Atlanta Thrashers goalie Kari Lehtonen posing together, each throwing down the ATL "A?"The answer, of course, is nothing.And lest you think that Lil Jon isn't serious about hockey, take a look at this one:Now that is the ultimate pimp cup.Assist to the mighty mjd.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1160644148701502712006-10-12T02:00:00.000-07:002006-10-12T02:09:09.300-07:00

I was stunned to see the news that former Phillies pitcher Cory Lidle was on board, and may have been piloting, the plane that crashed into a building in Manhattan yesterday afternoon. Just because he was once a Phillie, and I had cheered his successes and cursed his failures, I felt like there was more than just the usual impersonal reaction when someone you've heard of dies. And after all the

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1158887843804415242006-09-21T18:10:00.000-07:002006-09-21T18:19:16.816-07:00

Baseball Prospectus has a neat feature where you can see each team's odds of reaching the playoffs, calculated by simulating the remainder of the season a million times and then taking the percentage of the times that team makes the playoffs. You can also see how a team's playoff odds have fluctuated over the course of the season by clicking on each team's name.The Phillies, as of this morning,

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1158715762334750102006-09-19T21:13:00.000-07:002006-09-19T21:22:25.823-07:00

I score every baseball game I go to. This makes me something of an anomaly among baseball fans my age. Even the most attentive twenty-something fans don't usually bring a scorebook and pen (and yes, whiteout) along to the game. Most fans my age are there to drink and heckle, and I'm all for this as well, as long as someone's going out to the concourse to get my beer for me. I don't want to miss

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1158046918082645522006-09-12T00:09:00.000-07:002006-09-12T00:41:58.390-07:00

I've done a lot of complaining (mostly not in this forum) about the quality of announcers and talking heads on television in recent times. I was raised on old-school Philly announcers like Harry Kalas, Merrill Reese, and Gene Hart, so I'm partial to their no-nonsense, call-it-like-it-is approach to games. In Los Angeles now, I don't listen to Vin Scully nearly as much as I should. He's perhaps

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1157583785099686872006-09-06T16:02:00.000-07:002006-09-06T17:55:24.796-07:00

I can't believe I only just discovered this. It's the Bill Simmons Column Generator, which was linked on Deadspin over the summer, when I was only reading sporadically in between Volcanoes games and drinking beer.I created my own Simmons column, which I would like to share with you.The Sports Guy Goes to an AuctionSo I'm sitting there the other day watching ESPN2 and I see that Bobby Abreu had a

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1155165921474162832006-08-09T16:15:00.000-07:002006-08-09T16:25:21.476-07:00

As a huge Dave Matthews Band fan/nerd, I get all kinds of emails from the band via its mailing list and the Warehouse, the official fan club. This past weekend I got one which read like this: DAVE MATTHEWS BAND SURVEY OF FAVORITE SONGS Dave Matthews Band will be releasing a Greatest Hits record in the near future in order to fulfill an obligation to their label, RCA Records. In order

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1155164796140422012006-08-09T15:57:00.000-07:002006-08-09T16:06:36.160-07:00

The answer to the trivia question I asked about a month ago:By Year:P - Hal Newhouser (1944-45)C - Yogi Berra (1954-55)1B - Jimmie Foxx (1932-33), Frank Thomas (1993-94)2B - Joe Morgan (1975-76)3B - Mike Schmidt (1980-81)SS - Ernie Banks (1958-59)LF - Barry Bonds (1992-93, 2001-04)CF - Mickey Mantle (1956-57), Dale Murphy (1982-93)RF - Roger Maris (1960-61)By Decade:1930s - Jimmie Foxx (1B)1940s

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1152730457669592022006-07-12T11:49:00.000-07:002006-07-12T12:00:48.306-07:00

There's an excellent baseball trivia quiz over on ESPN.com that I highly recommend checking out. If you think you know baseball, this will put you in your place. I took it and went 38/50, which disappointed me, especially because there were a few questions that I missed that I definitely would have had at some point in the past.How did others do in comparison?12 major leaguers and managers took

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1151950787087516802006-07-03T11:15:00.000-07:002006-07-03T11:19:57.333-07:00

Yesterday I was working in the ticket office with a couple other interns. It was a pretty slow day. The ticket office is the least-preferred job of all the interns, and I fortunately didn't have to experience it until this weekend, thanks to my scoreboard operating duties. But anyway, there I was, sitting in the office.One of the players walked up to the ticket window and asked me, "I haven't

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1151529381401651292006-06-28T14:11:00.000-07:002006-06-28T14:23:57.963-07:00

As you might expect, the minor league team I'm working for this summer doesn't get too much attention from outside the immediate area, save for a handful of parent club diehards. However, last night's game was an exception. Our press box - usually home to eight regulars - included an extra photographer and a writer from the Chicago Tribune. The occasion? Jeff Samardzija's pro baseball

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1150858314344230492006-06-20T19:48:00.000-07:002006-06-20T19:54:50.020-07:00

I was torn between pulling for the Hurricanes (with former Flyers Rod Brind'Amour, Mark Recchi, and Justin Williams) and the Oilers (on whom I bet) in the Stanley Cup Finals. Although the 'Canes won, at least I was on the side with the better fans.RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The Carolina Hurricanes and their fans celebrated the first major pro title in the state's history Tuesday, with the 114-year-old

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1150836813528941522006-06-20T13:49:00.000-07:002006-06-20T13:53:33.570-07:00

Back when I lived in Connecticut, I had an E-ZPass tag in my car. It made driving back and forth from Bristol to Philly/Jersey/Boston much quicker, since I didn't have to wait in line to pay tolls. However, E-ZPass is only good as far west as Illinois. Beyond that, there are very few toll roads, none of which accept E-ZPass.So when I moved to L.A., I took the transponder out of my car, peeled off

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1150699047571160162006-06-18T23:33:00.000-07:002006-06-18T23:38:08.216-07:00

You can't make stories like this up.Dustin Diamond - Screech from Saved by the Bell - is currently living in Wisconsin, and he is facing foreclosure on his home unless he comes up with a quarter million dollars. His solution: Sell t-shirts to raise the money. It's one of the odder news stories you're going to read anytime soon.The shirts have a picture of a bearded, 29-year-old Screech holding a

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1150607794466872982006-06-17T22:12:00.000-07:002006-06-17T22:16:34.516-07:00

With the Phils 9.5 games behind the Mets in the NL East and eighth in the NL Wild Card standings, Pat Gillick's first squad is rapidly stumbling out of playoff contention. There's still over half a season to play - so it's too early to head to Lehigh for Eagles training camp - but with over 2/5 of the 2006 schedule in the books, it's time for an early review of Gillick's work since arriving in

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1150350885934156592006-06-14T22:59:00.000-07:002006-06-14T23:04:09.920-07:00

The Trinidad & Tobago soccer team, which already exceeded expectations in the World Cup by playing Sweden to a draw, has been promised a barrel of rum for each player plus the coach by a Trinidadian liquor maker if it defeats England tomorrow.A barrel is 247 liters, or 64 gallons. Because that's still hard to fathom, think of it as 5,462 shots - or about five shots a day for three

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1150273564485574112006-06-14T01:22:00.000-07:002006-06-14T01:32:37.273-07:00

By now, you may have heard the story bouncing around blogs and the news about the ring tone that is so high-pitched, adults can't hear it. Believe it or not, the damn thing works - I was able to hear it, but in my mid-twenties, I might only have a few years left to pick up that pitch; I played it for a teacher in his 30s and he had no idea that anything was playing. You can try to listen to it

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1148426971261057062006-05-23T16:26:00.000-07:002006-05-23T16:29:31.283-07:00

I saw Thank You For Smoking today (first movie I've seen in theaters in a while), and it was outstanding. Lived up to all the good things I've heard about it. I highly recommend getting out to see it. That's all for my review - for some real reviews, go here (ignore the bug up the New York Times's reviewer's ass).However, I can mention one thing about the movie that probably no other viewer

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1148349937084853182006-05-22T19:02:00.000-07:002006-05-22T19:05:37.100-07:00

There are three shows on TV that I watch whose season finales are this week: 24, Alias, and American Idol (no comments on my choice of television, please). Alias typically airs on Wednesday nights, beginning right as American Idol's results show finishes, so there is usually no conflict. However, all three shows are running two-hour season finales. Alias wisely doesn't want to go up against the

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1148347792276421022006-05-22T18:26:00.000-07:002006-05-22T18:32:13.986-07:00

Today, the Supreme Court, in its opinion in Brigham City v. Stuart, compared the role of a peace officer to that of a hockey referee, noting that "an officer is not like a boxing (or hockey) referee, poised to stop a bout only if it becomes too one-sided."As far as I'm concerned, this raises two problems. First, Chief Justice Roberts is wrong - it's often the linesmen (not the referees) who break

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1148340342772146942006-05-22T16:22:00.000-07:002006-05-24T23:35:14.326-07:00

In Portland, I have already come across Fred Meyer, a supermarket chain here in the Northwest, as well as Fred Meyer, a chain of jewelers (which is apparently owned by the supermarket chain, which is in turn owned by Kroger).Neither of these are to be confused with former Boston University and current Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Freddy Meyer.Here's a handy reference:An easy way to keep the two

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1148198073580760812006-05-21T00:52:00.000-07:002006-05-21T00:54:33.596-07:00

I went to the trouble of figuring out what Jason is spelling in Morse code in today's FoxTrot, so I might as well share it:It says, "Someday I will rule you all."

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1148177548260668302006-05-20T19:09:00.000-07:002006-05-21T01:19:50.050-07:00

Today was my intern orientation at the ballpark. One of the things we did was go down the list of the season's promotions. On Thursdays, beers are a dollar. This is a standard minor league promotion, and it apparently only resulted in one fan's ejection last season, which is good, because you never know when I might have to work the pub area on a Thursday.However, this season, Senior Citizens Day

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1148100237305262232006-05-19T21:40:00.000-07:002006-05-19T21:43:57.320-07:00

This evening, after a long and arduous trip, I arrived in Oregon to begin my summer job. Unfortunately, the trip took a little longer than expected because my wagon tongue broke, not to mention the fact that a fellow traveler died of dysentery. I had to trade my iPod for a spare wagon tongue. I don't even know what a wagon tongue is. Those Dakota Sioux are crafty dealers. I did manage to bag a

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1147287950637179412006-05-10T00:02:00.000-07:002006-05-10T12:07:02.686-07:00

I was thinking about having a glass of wine before going to bed last night, but I didn'’t. Why not? I don'’t have a stopper, and I didn't want to uncork a full bottle for just one glass. The obvious solution to this problem is to have wine bottles with screwcaps.Now, I can get a stopper pretty easily, but screwcaps would still be a good thing, because it would prevent wine from ruin at the hands

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1147173931204209932006-05-09T04:21:00.000-07:002006-05-09T04:25:31.223-07:00

I just wanted to throw this prediction out there, since I made it on April 27 and there's a chance it could come true. I wouldn't want to miss out on the credit in case I get it right.I entered deadspin.com's contest to pick the pitcher who will join Al Downing in the "I gave up someone's 715th career home run" club (the contest is now closed).My pick: "Bonds will hit #715 off of Jae Seo,

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1147098450344562022006-05-08T07:23:00.000-07:002006-05-08T07:27:30.363-07:00

About a year ago, I wrote a post entitled "One Hundred Credit Cards I Would Rather Get Than A New York Yankees Credit Card." As part of that post, I mentioned three credit cards:43. The Grand Canyon card. Once, on a flight from Phoenix to Boise, I flew over the Grand Canyon on a sunny day and took a couple really cool pictures that look better than the one on this card. Unfortunately, I lost them

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1147069263075522962006-05-07T23:17:00.000-07:002006-05-07T23:21:03.096-07:00

I was thinking tonight (in between sporadic bursts of studying) about why, exactly, Barry Bonds is so hated by everyone outside of San Francisco.The obvious answer is that Bonds has been found guilty in the court of public opinion of using steroids, and while that may be true, that's clearly not enough to draw the kind of ire that Bonds draws. Jason Giambi has been painted as a juicer, and he

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1147060901050781182006-05-07T20:58:00.000-07:002006-05-07T21:02:03.096-07:00

I've noticed that I get a decent number of hits on this site from people searching for video of the Kyle Farnsworth-Paul Wilson brawl that I mentioned in a post back in January. So I'll do those people a favor.Here's the video of the fight. I don't know what the hell Paul Wilson was thinking in calling him out - Farnsworth (a) wasn't trying to throw at him in the first place, (b) needs little

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1147010781120593092006-05-07T07:02:00.000-07:002006-05-07T07:06:21.140-07:00

During final exams, my sleep patterns get completely screwed up. I pretty much start sleeping when I'm tired, as opposed to by any fixed schedule. So last night, after watching a disappointing episode of Saturday Night Live (except the Chili Peppers, they were good), I studied for my Entertainment Law final for about 2 1/2 hours. It was 3:30 a.m., I still wasn't tired, so I played a couple games

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1146123694886796352006-04-27T00:38:00.000-07:002006-04-27T00:45:47.390-07:00

About an hour ago, still putting off studying for finals, I decided to go to Ralph's (which can't hold a candle to Wegman's) and pick up some ice cream and a few other things I need for the apartment.I pull into the parking lot, and sitting in front of the entrance (not in a spot) is a shiny black Bentley with custom rims. Why, I wonder, would there be a Bentley in front of Ralph's at 11:30 on a

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1145960167257055862006-04-25T03:14:00.000-07:002006-04-25T03:16:07.296-07:00

Don't get me wrong, I'm all about MySpace (in the same way that Dwight Gooden is all about the nose candy, but that's another story). But there are some flaws here, and it's time one of them was addressed.Every single person's profile is in my "Extended Network." It says so right there in the top right corner of every profile you look at. My friends are in my extended network. My enemies are in

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1145418382980951732006-04-19T13:20:00.000-07:002006-04-21T02:02:44.436-07:00

I was talking to my brother on AIM yesterday, trying to get him pumped up for the Flyers' playoff run. I'm an optimist. He's a realist. He said, and I quote, "seriously though, you can't possibly think we have a chance."I brought up the fact that the Ducks made it to the finals somewhat unexpectedly a few years ago, and that the Hurricanes made it to the finals before that, even with Arturs Irbe

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1145262104140911612006-04-17T01:19:00.000-07:002006-04-17T01:31:25.270-07:00

For the Flyers fan who can't be bothered to figure out who the Orange and Black will be facing in the first round depending on various outcomes of Tuesday's games, fear not, I was bored and figured it out for you. By the way, the Flyers will be playing in Long Island, the Rangers are hosting the Senators, and the Devils will be in Montreal.By the way, scroll down for the table. Something's screwy

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1144818949673134462006-04-11T22:13:00.000-07:002006-04-11T22:15:49.703-07:00

Today on campus, I saw a kid wearing a t-shirt that said "I'M SOFA KING COOL." Now, I'm far from an authority on fashion or coolness in general, but I know enough to know that this kid had no idea that his wearing that shirt was hysterically ironic.If you have no sense of shame, you can get the t-shirt here.I also saw this shirt today, which is much more clever. I probably wouldn't wear it myself

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1144786786463240822006-04-11T13:17:00.000-07:002006-04-11T13:19:46.496-07:00

Last season, I subscribed to MLB.tv and was very happy with the service - I got to see Phillies games on the West Coast, and even better, while I was in Europe for a month. So I re-upped my subscription for this season, but I'm noticing a few changes for the worse, one of which is particularly irritating.MLB.tv added an in-progress linescore to the player, which you would think is a good idea,

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1143012546014418322006-03-21T23:27:00.000-08:002006-03-22T02:18:15.250-08:00

In the movie A Bronx Tale, there's an exchange between two characters that goes like this:Sonny: Alright, listen to me. You pull up right where she lives, right? Before you get outta the car, you lock both doors. Then, get outta the car, you walk over to her. You bring her over to the car. Dig out the key, put it in the lock and open the door for her. Then you let her get in. Then you close the

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1141989527107804392006-03-10T03:17:00.000-08:002006-03-10T03:31:31.603-08:00

I said I'd get to making my picks for American Idol nearly a month ago, when the field was down to 24 contestants, but for several reasons (mostly my own laziness), I'm only getting to it now that the final 12 have been announced.Here they are, in the order in which I think they'll finish (although not the order in which I think they deserve to finish). In parentheses are the money lines from

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1141010533078568132006-02-27T02:19:00.000-08:002006-02-27T02:21:27.920-08:00

Feel like procrastinating? Give the 2006 Projection Lineup Toy a shot. Beautiful in its simplicity, here's how it works. First, you select nine baseball players (hitters only). Then the toy takes projected stats from the coming season (you can select one of two projection methods) and spits out a suggested batting order. The formula it uses is as follows:1. Put the best OPS in 3rd2. Put the best

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1140856227276968822006-02-25T12:30:00.000-08:002006-02-26T17:07:06.063-08:00

You hear it often: Athletes are just like you and me. Were it not for their 95-mph fastball, or their 4.2 40, or their seven-foot height, they'd be leading the same lives as we do. They'd drive around town in a Camry, grab lunch at Subway, and drink Bud Light because it's on special at the bar. Well, that's not the case. Because of their physical gifts, a handful are able to command millions in

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1140082235529617472006-02-16T01:27:00.000-08:002006-05-24T17:37:15.606-07:00

These days, America needs heroes. And where better to look for a hero than to a man who has died for his country - twice? I speak, of course, about Jack Bauer. Unfortunately, Jack Bauer is fictional. Instead, we have to look to reality for heroes, and so some people turn to the Olympic Games for stories of human triumph. NBC, the host network for the Games, has been having some struggles with

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1139179323177683522006-02-06T00:12:00.000-08:002006-02-06T00:12:13.220-08:00

From Beerleaguer:Phillies purchase contract of indie league pitcherThe Phillies purchased the contract of pitcher Tom Cochrane from the Ohio Valley Red Coats of the Frontier League. Cochrane went 7- 6 with a 4.73 ERA while striking out 109 in 19 games.If they don't play "Life Is A Highway" when this guy comes into the game, someone needs to be fired.Unfortunately, his name is actually spelled "

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1139139118313494982006-02-05T03:29:00.000-08:002006-02-05T03:41:55.516-08:00

I still stand by my pick that the Seahawks will win SBXL today, but the Steelers have unquestionably been the popular pick over the last two weeks, and a conversation I recently had confirmed this. Some of these picks are based on good football reasoning. These are good reasons to bet on the Steelers. However, (while I will not break down blitz packages or anything) I will give you... Three bad

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1138874612969249812006-02-02T02:04:00.000-08:002006-05-24T17:36:23.020-07:00

1. Ryan Franklin will allow at least 41 home runs.You probably didn't hear it here first, if you follow the Phillies, but about a month ago, the Phils picked up pitcher Ryan Franklin, who is currently slated to be the fifth starter. Assuming Franklin stays healthy for the whole season and keeps his starting job, he will have one of the ten worst seasons, in terms of homers allowed, in baseball

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1138611549829308452006-01-30T01:00:00.000-08:002006-01-31T18:41:10.896-08:00

So I was doing my laundry last night, and as I went to put my clothes in the dryer, I noticed a dollar bill laying in the machine."Sweet," I thought. "Who would have missed that sitting there?"Forty-five minutes later, I returned to get my clothes out of the dryer. In there with all of my dry clothes were two dollar bills. So either I made the same mistake someone else did and left money in my

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1137322580775228802006-01-15T02:56:00.000-08:002006-01-15T02:56:20.793-08:00

Every so often you go to a sporting event and see something you've never seen before. It happened last March, when I saw a player hit a grand slam and then get called out for passing a runner on the basepaths. And it happened last night in our hockey game against Washington.We were up about 4-1 with about seven minutes left in the game, when Jake Gunn, our second-leading goal scorer, knocked down

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1136957579583573152006-01-11T03:01:00.000-08:002006-01-11T03:02:24.546-08:00

Back in my undergrad days, when I was an Assistant Sports Editor at The Cornell Daily Sun, I would periodically (get it? periodically?) try to convince Mike Schafer, the men's hockey coach, to let me skate in a practice with the team. I never asked him directly, though. Instead, I tried to persuade him by dropping messages in my biweekly column every so often.When I was a freshman and my parents

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1136864316469805742006-01-09T19:36:00.000-08:002006-01-09T19:38:36.486-08:00

I know casebook hypotheticals are often ridiculous, but when they stray into completely unrealistic sports scenarios, I have to draw the line. From my tax book:On September 14, 2006, Ken Griffey, Jr. hits his 756th career home run, making him baseball's all-time career home run leader. Adam, a twelve-year old boy, catches the ball in the stands, making it legally his property. The ball is worth

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1136669624370807332006-01-07T16:34:00.000-08:002006-01-07T13:38:27.600-08:00

In retrospect, the best part of the Trouble in the Bubble was talking smack leading up to the big event. I knew going into it that winning would be tough; since I usually win only one out of every three or four games I play against Ben, I would need to channel Herb Brooks to pull out a best-of-seven series win.We weighed in and got ready for the event around 2:30 on Saturday. The tale of the tape

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1136614750212379002006-01-07T01:18:00.000-08:002006-01-06T23:04:07.113-08:00

All season long, Erica Lucero's columns on ESPN.com's Page 2 have bugged me. Maybe not to the point that I would have written this article, lovingly titled "Erica Lucero: Satan's Minion," but they've bugged me.Until now, I just wrote it off to the fact that I go to UCLA, and so I'm disinclined to like anything associated with USC athletics. When I got to UCLA Law, I was wondering if I could get

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1136505796256508432006-01-06T01:36:00.000-08:002006-01-05T22:41:32.956-08:00

Apparently I may be closer to fulfilling my dream of rapping Big 'Twan's verse from "Shoop" than I initially realized. I've been informed that every twentysomething woman knows the lyrics, which means that now I just need to find someone who actually wants to do this.Also, the Dan Band, which you know as the band singing an R-rated version of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in Old School, has "Shoop

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1136497179385752452006-01-05T16:39:00.000-08:002006-01-05T13:42:43.230-08:00

Last night, I was sitting courtside at the Maryland-Eastern Shore -North Carolina A&T basketball game (don't worry, I caught the fourth quarter of the Rose Bowl, which was all you really needed to see). The basketball game was surprisingly exciting, with UMES coming back from a seven-point deficit with about three minutes left to force overtime, and then coming back from four points down in OT to

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1136314954938916932006-01-03T16:10:00.000-08:002006-01-03T13:26:51.710-08:00

One of the things that emerged from the buzz surrounding SNL's recent "Lazy Sunday" video was that people took notice that what Chris Parnell and Andy Samberg were doing was not simply being a couple of white guys trying to emulate successful black rappers. One Village Voice blogger hit the nail on the head with his analysis:The video doesn't ape rap-clip cliches, either. It's more student-film:

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1136177017537646792006-01-01T23:43:00.000-08:002006-01-01T20:54:28.680-08:00

2005 is done, and now, fortunately, so is the 2005 Eagles' season. I went to the season finale, which reminded me a lot of summer camp athletics back in middle school - they tried really hard, but the bottom line is that the Eagles sucked and made so many mistakes that no amount of valiant effort would overcome their lack of talent. Six turnovers? Yeesh.Anyway, you can get a recap of the game

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1136009799267050192005-12-31T13:13:00.000-08:002005-12-30T22:18:47.190-08:00

With each December that passes, I may or may not make a New Year's resolution. I couldn't even tell you if I made one a year ago; if I did, I didn't write it down, and I probably haven't stayed faithful to it. The truth about New Year's resolutions is that they are rarely adhered to. You may be feeling ten pounds overweight in the middle of winter after a holiday season of eating and not

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1135820324617573602005-12-28T20:36:00.000-08:002005-12-28T17:38:44.656-08:00

(Note: This post is almost 100 percent serious.)Having been home for a few days now, it was time to get down to brass tacks (whatever that means) and start getting ready for The Trouble In The Bubble, which is now just 10 days away.You often hear about the problem NFL teams have when they prepare to play the Falcons: They don't have anyone who can duplicate what Michael Vick can do, and so

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1135561641612149352005-12-25T21:03:00.000-08:002005-12-25T21:11:36.403-08:00

I spent Christmas day bumming around my apartment and watching football, which meant I got to "enjoy" the commentary of ESPN's Sunday Night Football crew. While I watched the Vikings fight to stay alive in the playoff hunt and tried not to get confused by the Ravens' purple uniforms - usually the Vikes' color, I figured I'd keep track of the irritating things Paul, Joe, and Mike said.The

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1135495989893751932005-12-25T15:42:00.000-08:002005-12-25T15:42:43.733-08:00

Some may dream of a white Christmas, but it's hard to argue with temperatures in the high 70s with a cloudless sky on Christmas Eve. That's what the weather was like in Tempe yesterday at kickoff of the Eagles-Cardinals game. Before I head back to the East Coast for a couple of weeks starting tomorrow, I went on a two-day trip to Phoenix with my mom to see a couple of miserable football teams

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1134659612045574602005-12-22T18:13:00.000-08:002005-12-22T18:17:32.900-08:00

Last week, as a reward to myself for finishing finals, I bought myself NHL 06 (priced at $30 instead of the usual $40 or $50 for a video game, probably because of the complete lack of public interest in hockey). I take it home, and after fighting with the shrink wrap for a minute, I get the case open. I put the disc in the PS2, and as it's loading up, I take a look at the instruction manual to

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1135219960560486662005-12-21T18:51:00.000-08:002005-12-21T18:52:40.576-08:00

You know how Mike Tice was recently quoted as saying he was upset with Minnesota Vikings fans for scalping their tickets - after he was busted for scalping his own Super Bowl tickets? Well, I thought that was pretty ironic, if not straight up hypocritical.Then, while I was working at the ol' internship today, someone pointed out this quote from the Sports Lawyers Journal, in an article about

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1135073609535893712005-12-20T02:13:00.000-08:002005-12-20T02:13:29.563-08:00

I'm not really a huge movie guy. There aren't that many movies that I really want to make a point of seeing. So a little while back, I see that there's going to be a remake of King Kong, and I'm like, "Eh."Then I start hearing that there's all this talk about the new Kong potentially setting all-time box office records. Really? Are you serious? For a remake? Plus, everyone's all about Peter

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1135037831025048212005-12-19T16:16:00.000-08:002005-12-19T16:17:11.060-08:00

Machete Man was back at it today, but I outsmarted him this time around. I never went to sleep last night. Yup, I stayed up all night finishing up my Comment. Those footnotes and cite checks are a tremendous bitch, but they're done now, and I even got to mention the Whizzinator in a footnote.Anyway, this time, when Machete Man began hacking away, I was ready with the camera. I pointed the lens

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1134956870092667712005-12-18T17:46:00.000-08:002005-12-18T17:47:50.110-08:00

Just for fun, a picture from my trip to Europe this summer:I'm in a glass case of emotion!(Ignore the bottle of wine in my right hand.)

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1134909527665042112005-12-18T04:37:00.000-08:002005-12-18T05:36:51.926-08:00

From the Awesome Awards Department:When investigators raided the Galloway home, they found two trophies naming [Matthew "Knowledge"] Thompkins "pimp of the year." One stood about 4 feet tall, topped with a figure in a crown and a cape, holding a scepter."I think he actually won it twice," said Lt. William Carey, with the Casino Gaming Bureau of the New Jersey State Police. "I don't know who votes

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1134854147035822202005-12-17T13:15:00.000-08:002005-12-17T13:15:47.056-08:00

Today is the day after finals ended for undergrads here at UCLA. For many students here, this morning was the first day in a week they had to sleep in, not to mention that there were celebratory parties all over Westwood last night, so there were plenty of hungover heads trying to get some rest. I myself stayed up until 6 a.m. to work on my Comment, so I planned to sleep at least until 2 p.m.And

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1134743178421730852005-12-17T03:27:00.000-08:002005-12-17T13:16:27.706-08:00

ESPN.com's poll question yesterday was "What was the biggest off-field sports story of 2005?" MLB and steroids was the winner (49%), with the T.O. saga coming in second (38%). Far behind were the other three choices - NHL solves labor impasse (8%), Sheryl Swoopes comes out (3%), and NBA implements dress code (2%).The steroid issue was indeed the biggest sports story of the year, with 12 players

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1134733406715359952005-12-16T03:38:00.000-08:002005-12-16T03:43:26.766-08:00

I ordered my tickets the other day, and now I'm pretty psyched about the World Baseball Classic in March. It has the potential to be a really cool tournament if MLB runs it right. For starters, they should see what they can do about getting a Cuban team involved after the U.S. Treasury Department said Cuba won't be allowed to send a team. Six years ago, the Baltimore Orioles played a couple of

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1134712739450642452005-12-15T21:58:00.000-08:002005-12-15T21:58:59.466-08:00

This is perhaps the best idea for a blog I have ever seen. I don't say it much, but this is an idea I really wish had been mine. It's a fantasy draft blog - basically, the concept is to have a fantasy draft of anything and everything. Their crew of a few people get together and then go a few rounds choosing out of whatever chosen category is on the table (beers, cities, even constitutional

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1134624374499784552005-12-14T21:26:00.000-08:002005-12-14T21:26:14.523-08:00

While putting off working on my Comment, this article came to my attention. Apparently, a kid in New York was wrestling for the high school state championship and won the match, 7-6. In celebration, he threw his headgear in the air and then went to shake his opponent's hand, which officially ends the match. Only problem was that throwing equipment is a mandatory two-point deduction, and since the

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1134407092648634022005-12-13T12:59:00.000-08:002005-12-13T12:59:23.986-08:00

OH, HELL YES! I'M DONE WITH FINALS! I'M HALFWAY DONE LAW SCH- Hey, what's this e-mail I got, sent 15 minutes after my last final ended?"Good work on the paper Alex. I have some comments. When are you going to be on campus again?"Oh, right. My Comment. Due on Monday. Dammit, I still have work to do.Like Michael Corleone once said, "Just when I thought that I was out, they pull me back in."Hey,

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1134381222726722512005-12-12T07:13:00.000-08:002005-12-12T07:14:20.873-08:00

Physically, I'm sitting at my computer in Los Angeles. Mentally, I am not even close to focused on studying for my last final. I'm on Spring Break. As usual, I have a ton of good ideas of what to do, none of which will probably come to fruition for all kinds of reasons. Those reasons notwithstanding, here are just a few of my brilliant ideas.The "Loyal Groupie" - U2 just released some new tour

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1134258868774826732005-12-11T00:16:00.000-08:002005-12-11T01:42:28.863-08:00

I was watching UCLA play Nevada in basketball yesterday, and at one point the announcers mentioned the city in which the University of Nevada is located - Reno. Having recently seen the excellent Johnny Cash biopic Walk The Line, that got me thinking about shooting a man in Reno just to watch him die. Thinking about it, I didn't understand why, if you shot a man in Reno just to watch him die,

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1134256814755684992005-12-10T15:19:00.000-08:002005-12-10T19:05:39.993-08:00

I watched Cinderella Man last night, and although it started kinda slow, it ended up being a well-done, moving story. I wouldn't go as far as Larry King, who called it "one of the best movies ever!" (according to the back cover of the DVD), but it's worth watching, particularly if your other option is studying for finals.Now that I've got that positive review out of the way, I want to rip the

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1134119317101648292005-12-09T01:08:00.000-08:002005-12-09T01:08:37.116-08:00

News item: Gary Barnett is finished as the head football coach at the University of Colorado. Barnett, for all his successes on the football field (49-38 record in seven seasons at CU, including a Big 12 title), will be remembered more for the troubles his program had off the field. Yet ultimately, it was a three-game losing streak during which his team lost by a combined 130-22 score that did

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1134039412612097112005-12-08T02:25:00.000-08:002005-12-08T02:58:14.686-08:00

I'm trying to get in as much studying for this Copyright Law final tomorrow as I can, but there is something of a significant obstacle in the way - my chemo treatment this morning. It's only low-dose, and no, I don't have cancer, but I still have to do it. Unfortunately, the treatment itself takes about three hours, and then I'll feel fatigued later in the day, so I'll have to nap for another

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1134022000918660482005-12-07T21:32:00.000-08:002005-12-07T22:06:40.943-08:00

You may have noticed a frequency to my posts that wasn't there a month or two ago. This is unquestionably related to the fact that I'm in the middle of finals and therefore need to put off studying for them as much as possible.So anyway, there are a few legal blogs that I read somewhat regularly (the number increases as they continue to link one another). One that I came across today, Law &

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1133918024325041102005-12-06T17:05:00.000-08:002005-12-06T17:22:14.763-08:00

Law students handle the stress of finals in various ways. Some break down weeping in review sessions. Some spaz out and spend 15 hours a day in the library (incidentally, this will prepare these people well for the years after graduation). Some, like me, take the opportunity to catch up on sleep missed during the semester. And some blow off steam by writing messages on the blackboard in the main

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1133381881384629292005-11-30T12:17:00.000-08:002005-11-30T12:18:01.410-08:00

So I'm sitting in the library today, catching up on my Copyright Law reading, and I'm reading the Supreme Court's opinion in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. v. Grokster, Ltd., written by Justice Souter. The case, decided in June, was one of those cases where the courts put the kibosh on peer-to-peer file sharing.Basically, the Court said that Grokster and StreamCast (which distributed Morpheus)

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1132213966873900752005-11-16T23:52:00.000-08:002005-11-16T23:55:14.920-08:00

Back when I was a freshman in college and I wanted a quick break from studying, I used to turn on Guns N' Roses' classic "Paradise City" and channel Slash while I played air guitar on my bed. It was always a great respite from putting my mind to whatever it was I was reading.I hadn't done that in a while, but earlier tonight, while I was working on my comment, "Johnny B. Goode" came on my

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1131786290677859852005-11-12T01:04:00.000-08:002005-11-12T01:04:50.693-08:00

I'm going to keep this short but sweet.Comments like this one that I got yesterday crack me up. I don't mind at all that someone disagrees with what I wrote about the ballot initiatives in this week's California election. But I have two problems with this comment.First, what's the point of merely writing that I'm wrong? I took some time to write out what I thought about each measure; and all I

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1131423399427931092005-11-07T20:16:00.000-08:002005-11-07T20:16:39.476-08:00

Tomorrow's Election Day, and here in California, that means we get to vote on things like Proposition 01: "Shall Los Angeles County be declared the sun and leisure capital of the world?"Just kidding! That's the sample question on my official sample ballot. (I'd vote no, by the way. There's nothing leisurely about moving 10 miles an hour down a smog-filled highway.)What I do get to vote on are

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1130372914581991232005-10-26T17:28:00.000-07:002005-10-26T17:28:34.590-07:00

Ah, Jersey. You do everything wrong.Whether it’s planning your merges on the Turnpike (whose idea was it to have six lanes turn into two in a half-mile stretch?) or trying to build an East Coast Vegas (stop charging for casino parking in a crackhead-infested neighborhood), you may have good intentions, but like Kim Bauer, you always do something stupid anyway.In an effort to bring an influx of

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1128509735567264062005-10-05T03:55:00.000-07:002005-10-05T04:12:59.150-07:00

Bud Light presents...Real Men of Genius (Real Men of Geeeniuuus!). Today we salute you, Mr. Los Angeles Freeway Driver (Mr. Los Angeles Freeeway Driiiver!). Behind the wheel of your car, with no passengers, you steadfastly refuse to use your turn signal, unless you're not turning at all (Turn off your left bliiinker!). Whether you're yapping on your cell phone, eating a bowl of soup, watching a

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1125466728860276352005-09-10T15:25:00.000-07:002005-09-10T03:29:41.826-07:00

On Thursday, as part of the NFL's Opening Kickoff, they had a concert in L.A. featuring Maroon 5, Kanye West, Good Charlotte, and Rihanna. For free. So even though everyone I knew had school, or work, or just didn't like the bands, I figured, screw it, it's free, I'll go myself.Damn, was it worth it.I reserved a ticket online ahead of time, so I could get into the part of the audience that you

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1125134247532734162005-08-29T22:37:00.000-07:002005-08-29T22:39:00.676-07:00

Do you think there's a parallel universe out there in which hockey is the most popular sport, and people think football is boring/confusing/foreign? A dimension in which bombastic commentators yell at each other on TV about the top five fantasy left wingers? Where someone like Stephen A. Smith goes on rants like, "The Devils are not of this world. They manage the cap well. They have 18 guys who

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1123043307141892652005-08-03T12:25:00.000-07:002005-08-02T21:34:21.686-07:00

1. David Bell is where rallies go to die. A case study from the Phillies game last night. Bell was 0-4. A summary of his at-bats:2nd - Hit into a 3-6-1 double play following a leadoff single.5th - Popped foul to third.7th - Grounded out to short with two outs and the go-ahead run on third.9th - Struck out swinging with the bases loaded and the tying run on third.Total: Four times up, five outs,

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1121135834775981252005-07-11T22:36:00.000-07:002005-07-11T19:37:14.783-07:00

It’s funny how much you can fit into one month. It seems like a long, long time ago that I touched down in Heathrow to begin my European adventure. After a month of moving from city to city and trying to squeeze in classes, visits to international organizations, sightseeing, and partying, I need time to recover, and so the next month, which I’ll spend in Philly, will be a welcome break before

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1120407022649364742005-07-03T18:10:00.000-07:002006-02-26T19:18:44.446-08:00

The blow-by-blow recap of my final days in France:Musee d’Orsay – I finally got around to doing some real sightseeing in my second week in Paris. Wednesday was Art Day. The first stop was the Musee d’Orsay, which is pretty much sculpture and paintings from the 19th century. It’s in an old train station, which makes it a very cool building – it’s five stories, with a giant atrium in the center.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1120001446213428892005-06-29T01:30:00.000-07:002005-06-28T16:30:46.223-07:00

As predicted, I had to battle through a vicious hangover at 8 a.m. on Sunday morning. Sort of surprisingly, my four friends also managed to do it. The allure of Champagne region and the French countryside was calling. We picked up our rental car, a kind of European version of a Toyota Corolla, and it was brand new. We were definitely the first people to drive it. It had about 15 km on it.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1119652964074547922005-06-25T00:40:00.000-07:002005-06-24T15:45:33.766-07:00

I see, from abroad, that the Phillies’ resurgence, as usual, was a mere illusion, as they again tumble away from first place. I haven’t been following too closely – basically, I’m sticking with scores and standings – but since the same thing happens every year, I feel like I’m back in Philly anyway.Today I have an exam on international economic law, which pretty much killed yesterday as a

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1119305328534718072005-06-21T00:08:00.000-07:002005-06-20T15:08:48.546-07:00

The hotel, that is.Here in Paris, our gang of law students is staying at the Citadines Apart'hotel at Place d'Italie. We stayed at a Citadines in London (it's a European chain), so we were familiar with the setup - small rooms, no maid service, but an apartment-style joint for a week (kitchen, cooking tools, etc.). The Citadines at Trafalgar Square was a pretty good setup, though - despite the

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1119132683363894312005-06-18T23:33:00.000-07:002005-06-18T15:34:04.566-07:00

Some quick thoughts and impressions of my last few days in London:Yesterday, I checked out Westminster Abbey and the British Museum. Westminster Abbey is a massive cathedral with beautiful architecture and stained-glass windows. Going there, I was most interested in seeing the famous burial sites of British royalty and other famous Brits. Shakespeare, I was told, was buried there.Well, that's not

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1118994600073384742005-06-17T08:49:00.000-07:002005-06-17T00:50:00.080-07:00

What is art?Going to the Tate Modern gallery today, I ended up in that time-honored debate with several of my new friends on this trip to Europe. It became clear, very quickly, that I was the member of the group who was extremely skeptical about modern art and its value as artwork.Now, I am not qualified to judge art by any convention other than that of myself as the beholder. I don’t suppose

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1118963065452113842005-06-17T00:04:00.000-07:002005-06-16T16:04:25.456-07:00

Some more observations and thoughts from the other side of the pond...One of the things that I find amusing about England is the labeling on some products. For example, I bought some shampoo here. On the back of my bottle of Head & Shoulders is a graph. On the X axis is the number of washes, running from 0-6. On the Y axis is “amount of dandruff,” which, as it approaches the X axis, is labeled as

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1118661173992737912005-06-13T12:12:00.000-07:002005-06-13T04:12:53.996-07:00

Some quick initial impressions of London and my voyage here before I go to my first class session here.The Toronto airport sucks. It took me an hour to get from one gate to another during my layover from Philly to London. I had to go through customs even though I wasn't leaving the airport, then I had to take a bus from terminal 3 to terminal 1, go through security again, then take another bus to

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1115465413976501822005-06-10T20:08:00.000-07:002005-06-10T17:08:35.643-07:00

It's finally upon me - my month of studying law in Europe. Part Eurotrip, part The Paper Chase, I'll be spending a week in London, two weeks in Paris, and a week in Geneva learning about international economic and human rights law while I navigate foreign public transportation, try to meet European girls who still like America, and look for pubs that show baseball on satellite TV.What music will

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1116160117041556502005-05-29T02:48:00.000-07:002005-05-29T04:32:14.110-07:00

The outlook seemed quite brilliant for the Phightin' Phils that day,The score stood four to two with just two innings more to play.Abreu'd knocked in Rollins twice, helped, no doubt, by his speed,And Thome'd ripped a two-run shot – the Phils were in the lead!But Lieber's pitches, at long last, began to get much fatter,And he began the eighth frame as the Phillies' leadoff batter."Aha!" thought

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1115465855138244932005-05-20T11:30:00.000-07:002005-05-20T23:34:10.596-07:00

Go bet on Giacomo to win the Triple Crown. Do it ASAP, before the Preakness gets underway. Never mind that he's not even favored to win the Preakness, or that he was a 50-1 shot to win the Kentucky Derby, or that the odds are 20-1 against him winning the Triple Crown. Just go do it. I did it. Why am I so sure?Take a seat. I'm about to blow the cover off of something big.Since 1875, there have

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10675321111060866617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10043376.post-1116206269824376782005-05-15T18:37:00.000-07:002005-05-15T18:40:48.776-07:00

My one remaining final is for Lawyering Skills. After a little bit of review for this exam, I get the feeling that the major skill this exam tests is common sense, which in the legal world is known as an inference chain. Basically, you take some evidence and then you take the conclusion that logically follows from that evidence, and you fill in the reasoning in between very explicitly instead of

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