jimblr.com

Last night pretty much confirmed it for me — people are missing the good old days. Nostalgia was up in the building like a muhfugga… Hands down my favorite performance was Al Green’s (including the tribute which featured — WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN IN MY LIFE??? — Maxwell)
I loved John Legend’s presentation and Jill Scott (what did you think of her HAIRCUT?) Anthony Hamilton, Maxwell and Al Green himself. Marvin Sapp also did an extraordinary job but I don’t know how many gospel folks I have in here that were checkin for him so I’m gonna focus a little more on the pop/r&b musc. Al Green being the old school legend that he is fit right in with all the nostalgia going on up in the Shrine last night.
My second favorite performance was Alicia Keys reminiscin’ alongside SWV, En Vogue and TLC
Alicia Keys “Teenage Love Affair” “Weak” “Hold On”
Easily one of the best performances of the night — After a bunch of so-so performances it was good to see Ne-Yo put on a good show. Definitely more of a dance performance (altho he definitely got on mic a bit) Ne-Yo’s dancers slayed Usher’s (Keyshia’s dance? isn’t even worth mentioning in the same sentence) but you gotta admit that somebody was channeling a lil Michael Jackson “Smooth Criminal” right?
Chris Brown “With You” “Take You Down”
Again, this performance really was more about the dance and props definitely go to Ciara for showing the ladies how dancing is meant to be done. The “Take You Down” performance was a little steamy so if you have children I hope their eyes were covered — that was definitely a don’t try this one at home kids!
Things I was not feeling — Keyshia Cole singing, looking back at her dancers to make sure she was on beat and having Frankie (Man Down!) and Neffie (tuck your chi chi’s in girl) commentate and T-Pain bringing out Rick Ross with no shirt on…

blogs.sohh.com

WinInfo Short Takes: Week of June 9, 2008
Paul Thurrott/ June 6, 2008
An often irreverent look at some of the week’s other news, including a Celtics-Lakers rivalry renewed, microblogging, Windows Mobile vs iPhone, Vista and businesses, Intel vs. AMD, Xbox 360 struggles, Firefox 3 RC2, Tech Ed and WWDC, and so much more…WinInfo BlogMy father got season tickets to the Boston Celtics back in 1980 and held onto them through three years ago or so when he handed them off to my brother and I. Since then, we’ve had a tough time even giving away tickets … until this year, of course, when the Celtics posted the best record in the NBA in one of the best single-season turnarounds in league history. The NBA Finals kicked off last night with a beautiful Celtics victory over the LA Lakers, and while I’m not going to make any predictions about the series given the New England Patriots debacle of earlier this year, I would at least like to point out how amazing it is to have three of our city’s professional sports teams play in their respective championships in a single year. Unbelievably, it’s happened before: In 1986, the Celtics, Bruins (hockey), Red Sox, and Patriots all played in for their respective championships, though only the Celtics took home the prize. This past year, of course, the Red Sox won the World Series again, so I’m nervous for the Celtics. But they looked great last night. I’m just happy they’re there.
Leo and I recorded a marathon episode of the Windows Weekly podcast on Thursday that almost hit the two hour mark, and might have continued forever if my voice hadn’t simply given out. It should be available before the end of the weekend as usual.http://www.winsupersite.com/paul/podcast.asp
I’m not sure about microblogging, but I do like the idea of aggregating links to everything I write in a single place. All too often, someone who reads only the SuperSite will write me wondering why I don’t cover a particular topic, only to discover I had actually written a blog post, WinInfo news story, or possibly an UPDATE editorial about it (or vice versa). I’ll eventually be able to pull this all together in a single place, I think, so I’m investigating things like Twitter (http://twitter.com/thurrott) and FriendFeed (http://friendfeed.com/thurrott) for slightly different reasons. If you have any thoughts on this kind of thing, please do let me know.thurrott@windowsitpro.comShort TakesMaking a Mountain Out of a MolehillTodd Bishop is a great guy, but I think an unfortunate choice of headline is going to endear him to the iCabal crowd this week: In an article called "Microsoft tries to steal iPhone 2.0 thunder," Todd describes a Microsoft letter to its hardware partners in which the company claims it "will sell nearly 20 million Windows Mobile smartphone licenses" in its fiscal year ending June 30. There are some interesting aspects to this story–most notably that Microsoft had previously claimed it would sell "more than" 20 million units by that time. But how is this "stealing the iPhone’s thunder?" It’s a letter to its partners, not a TV advertisement or press release. In fact, if it weren’t for the "nearly/more than" thing, this wouldn’t even warrant a mention, as companies regularly try to shore up their partners whenever a competitor is set to release a big product. (Apple will allegedly introduce a new iPhone next week.) This sort of thing seems designed to pander to the iCabal crowd. Come on, Todd. They’ve already got Walter Mossberg for that.http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/microsoft/archives/140492.asp

windowsitpro.com

Whilethe contenders list continue to shrink, the 2008 PreaknessStakes odds remain pretty much the same. Even though betting onthe Preakness Stakes 2008 is not expected to reach unheardproportions, it is still part of the Triple Crown and willattract millions of punters from around the world. At the onlinesportsbook BodogSports , the 2008Preakness Stakes odds naturally favor the Derby winner BigBrown, holding betting odds on the Preakness at 3/10. This meansthe bettors would have to wager $100 just to win $30, odds whichcould reduce the interest in the Preakness Stakes betting thisyear. With major contenders withdrawing from the Saturday's race(see links at the bottom), Big Brown remains too big of afavorite and his odds will likely continue to get shorter andshorter as post time approaches.
Following Big Brown, second on the 2008Preakness Stakes odds sheet comes Behindatthebar, who is sittingon odds 12/1 to win the Saturday's race at Pimlico.Behindatthebar is trained by well-known Todd Pletcher, but notmuch of a chance is given to him by the experts, comes the raceagainst Big Brown. Still, if the Derby winner fails to deliverat the Preakness, the payouts for the bettors could be enormous- keep in mind that similar mistake was made by the odds makersduring this year's Super Bowl. Hey Byrn is third in line to winthe 2008 Preakness Stakes, according to the odds posted at BodogSports , with 20/1 payouton a victory. Macho Again is also holding odds 20/1, whileKentucky Bear and Yankee Bravo are with odds 25/1 to win the2008 Preakness. Every horse after is paying on underdog odds50/1. Here is the full list of the 2008 Preakness Stakes odds:
Big Brown - 3/10
Giant Moon - 25/1
Hey Byrn - 20/1
Icabad Crane - 50/1
Kentucky Bear - 25/1
Macho Again - 20/1
Racecar Rhapsody - 50/1

ogpaper.com

Your typical American sports fan would look at today’s EURO 2008 scorelines of 1-0 and 2-0 and hold it up as an example of the lack of offense that makes soccer boring.
Well, there’s a reason goals are so rare in this game. Controlling a round ball without using your arms is really, really hard. If you had to get through life without the use of your arms, you’d probably have a tough time of it. Hell, monkeys merely lacked opposable thumbs, and it held them way back as a species.
So when you play a game in which you have to control a ball with your feet, which were clearly not designed for that, you find out just how hard that is. And when you watch soccer played at its highest level, you begin to appreciate just how difficult it is to complete the seemingly simple task of kicking a ball into a goal. That kind of control under pressure is rare, and it’s reminds us how much we all take our hands and arms for granted.
Switzerland 0-1 Czech Republic. So when Switzerland pushed forward time and time again against the Czech Republic, hit the woodwork of the goal twice and watched as Petr Cech turned every other shot away, they were bound to be punished for it. That punishment came in the 70th minute, when the Czechs cut off a Swiss break, and Vaclav Sverkos got the ball against the run of play and calmly knocked the ball off his ankle into the net. It was his team’s only shot on goal in the game, and it was enough for the win.
Put that coffee down, Switzerland. Coffee is for closers.
Portugal 2-0 Turkey. Meanwhile, there might have been a lack of scoring here, but there was no lack of offense. The Turks and Portuguese ran end-to-end all day, making tons of opportunities for themselves. Portugal knocked the ball off the woodwork three times . Only an incredibly precise one-two between Pepe and Nuno Gomes led to the first goal in the 61st minute. Portugal clinched in stoppage times as Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Moutinho broke down the Turkish defense on a counterattack, setting up Raul Meireles for the clincher.

sports.aol.com

Coral Gables, FLA (www.hurricanesports.com) — - The University of Miami baseball team earned the No. 1 national seed in the 2008 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship and will play host to No. 2 seed Missouri, No. 3 seed Mississippi and No. 4 seed Bethune-Cookman in the Coral Gables Regional at Mark Light Field beginning Friday, May 30.
No. 1 seed Miami (47-8) will take on Bethune-Cookman (36-20) in the regional’s second game at 4 p.m. (EST) on Friday following the 12 p.m. match-up between Missouri (38-19) and Mississippi (37-24). The entire Coral Gables Regional will be shown live on ESPNU, with games at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If necessary, Monday’s contest will also be shown live on ESPNU at 7 p.m.
The Hurricanes captured one of the eight national seeds and an automatic bid after earning their first Atlantic Coast Conference Championship with an 8-4 victory over Virginia in the league’s championship game Sunday in Jacksonville. Bethune-Cookman is also in the field as an automatic qualifier out of the Mid-Eastern Conference while Missouri (Big 12) and Ole Miss (Southeastern) were awarded at-large bids.
The SEC leads all conferences in the number of teams in the championship field with nine, followed by the ACC and Big 12 with six. Conference USA and the Pacific-10 have five teams each, while the Big West has four.
Ticket packages for the entire Coral Gables Regional are $90 for field box, $70 for chairback, $45 for adult general admission and $35 for youth, seniors and students. Single day tickets for each of the first three days of the regional are priced at $25 for field box, $20 for chairback, $15 for adult general admission and $10 for youth, seniors and students. If necessary, tickets for the fourth day of the regional are $20 for field box, $16 for chairback, $10 for adult general admission and $8 for youth, seniors and students.

cstv.com

Race 6 - Post 1:24 p.m., Grade III, $100,000, 1-1/16 miles, 3YO & up, fillies & mares
1. Valbenny, jockey Edgar Prado, odds: 3-2
2. Stormy West, jockey Kent Desormeaux, odds: 3-1
3. Roshani, jockey John Velazquez, odds: 2-1
4. Lady Digby, jockey Jeremy Rose, odds: 8-1
5. Debbie Sue, jockey Ramon Dominguez, odds: 20-1
6. Le Cordon Bleu, jockey Garrett Gomez, odds: 15-1
7. Saint Pegasus, jockey Alan Garcia, odds: 20-1
Roshani has never run a bad one on grass and might have a tactical advantage as the only speed in a race with mostly closers. Stormy West has really run well for Desormeaux and just missed in a very strong graded stake at Keeneland last out. Valbenny was quite accomplished on the West Coast. Makes her first start for Michael Matz and first start of 2008. Less than firm grass course, after yesterday’s rains, could be an issue.
DJ’s picks: 1. Roshani. 2. Stormy West. 3. Valbenny.
Race 9 - Post 3:39 p.m., Grade III, $100,000, 6 furlongs, 3YO
1. Commandeered, jockey Kent Desormeaux, odds: 6-1
2. Sheeler, jockey Erick Rodriguez, odds: 10-1
3. Lantana Mob, jockey Robby Albarado, odds: 8-5
4. Loveyouintheworld, jockey Malcolm Franklin, odds: 20-1
5. Izzy Speaking, jockey Jeremy Rose, odds: 20-1
6. Indy Joe, jockey Garrett Gomez, odds: 12-1
7. Shoe Freak Marlene, jockey Sylvester Carmouche, odds: 30-1
8. Force Freeze, jockey Cliff Berry, odds: 2-1
9. Silver Edition, jockey Edgar Prado, odds: 5-1
Force Freeze is one length from being unbeaten in four starts. Would have been a nice $20,000 claim in his first start. Goes to the front and improves position. Lantana Mob ran down Force Freeze early last month in a career-best performance. Commandeered missed the break last out, came from last and beat maidens going away.
DJ’s picks: 1. Force Freeze. 2. Lantana Mob. 3. Commandeered.

philly.com

After a day on which they boldly traded to get the backup running back they desired, the Chargers are left still searching for offensive tackle depth.
“Of course we're looking at the tackle position,” General Manager A.J. Smith said last night. “We'd love to have depth and good players. The search is on.”
With tackle as one of their top priorities – if not their No. 1 priority – going into the NFL draft, the Chargers emerged at the end of the two-day selection meeting having added only one tackle, taken in the seventh and final round.
At present, they have starting tackles Marcus McNeill and Jeromey Clary and practice squad tackle Tony Pape on the roster.
“A.J. made it clear we were going to look at tackles, corners and (running backs),” head coach Norv Turner said. “With the way the draft came up . . . the tackles we thought could help us were not there.”
There is time.
A crop of undrafted free agents will be signed in the coming days. A number of veteran tackles might become available between now and September.
The Chargers have, at most, six roster spots available, probably fewer.
“We've got a complete team,” Turner said. “We've got a starting group on both sides. Now, where are the guys who can come in and contribute?”
The definite answers from the weekend: first-rounder Antoine Cason, the team's lone pick on Saturday, who will be expected to win the No. 3 cornerback job; third-rounder Jacob Hester, a strong and deceptively quick running back out of LSU who, after Smith traded for the rights to pick him, is Michael Turner's heir apparent; and another running back, Marcus Thomas of Texas-El Paso, selected with the Chargers' compensatory pick at the end of the fifth round.
Other possibilities from the weekend: Boston College cornerback DeJuan Tribble, taken in the sixth round; and seventh-round pick Corey Clark, an offensive tackle from Texas A&M.

signonsandiego.com

DURHAM — Read nothing into it. It is not about returning to elite competition or becoming a top challenger in a new age category. The decision to run this year’s Boston Marathon has nothing to do with past accomplishments. For two-time Olympic Marathoner Cathy O’Brien, there is only one reason for this year’s Boston Marathon.
It just seemed to be the right time.
Now 40, O’Brien gave up elite competitive running more than 10 years ago but never stopped running. So, when her personal life allowed for a Boston Marathon run, O’Brien decided to go for it.
O’Brien’s running accomplishments are well documented. At Dover High School she was a state, New England, and national cross-country champion. As a marathon runner O’Brien sett he world junior record and ran in the 1988 and 1992 Olympics. In 1996 O’Brien qualified for the Olympic trials in the 10,000 meters.
O’Brien’s life changed nine years ago with the birth of her son, Patrick. Four years ago she had a second son, Andy. Her focus and priorities changed. First there was the raising of her family. Second, O’Brien, an accomplished violinist, began providing private violin lessons to young, local musicians.
But there was always time for running.
“I always kept running over the years, after my sons were born,” O’Brien said. “Running is something I have done my whole life.”
Because O’Brien was able to keep running she was able to stay in good enough shape for a marathon, which brought her to 2008.
In the past two years O’Brien’s youngest son started a pre-school program that freed up O’Brien’s schedule. When Andy’s pre-school increased from two to three days a week so did O’Brien’s running. That lead to her desire to run Boston.
“Whenever Boston comes around, if you are a runner, you think, I should be doing it,” she said. “But this year things just worked out.”

fosters.com

Howlings!! 20 of ‘em and they’re random as all hell! Some reasonable and others that just make you go “Wha?…” Yeah!! That’s what I’m trying to do here is make you all get together with your families, friends, cellmates, what have you, and fire up some discussion about boxing and whatever you want.
Hey, while you’re at it, try writing some Howlings too! It’s fun and part of a delicious and nutritious breakfast…well, maybe not nutritious…come to think of it, it really isn’t THAT good for you. But hey! Dig in and you’ll be
treated to meaningless minutiae involving my brand-new crappy pound-for-pound list, ignorant teenagers, Hopkins vs. Calzaghe, Bob Arum, ‘American Idol’ and ‘CSI: Miami’!
C’mon…did you really think I (or you) could get through a ‘Random Howlings’ without mentioning ‘CSI: Miami’ even once?
In light of such shake-ups over the past couple of weekends, my last who-really-gives-a-rat’s ass-pound-for-pound list has somewhat evolved. Just for yips and woofs, I’ll spare the gory details and give ya the list just for abbreviated Howlings’ sake:
2. Floyd Mayweather Jr., 39-0 (25)
9. Juan Manuel Marquez, 48-4-1 (35)
Uh, oh…my “What the f**k does number one say?!” alarm just went off. Don’t kill me. Just discuss among thyselves in mature, calm contemplation…
March 24, 2008. A date of unparalleled importance to Your Favorite Howler…Yes, it’s the return of brAND-NEW ‘CSI: MIAMI’ EPISODES!! Can you believe it? Now we’ll finally find out whether that bitch Julia had anything to do with Kathleen Newberry’s car going into the drink? And where’s Frank Tripp?! Is he in the trunk?…What? Hey, don’t tell me the writers’ strike didn’t take anything from you…
Yes, Nate Campbell is my #12. No, I’m not listing him as such just to fill out a list. If you recall, in my recent Doghouse Boxing P4P, I had Juan Diaz listed as my #10 of 12 entrants. Since then, Nate Campbell beat Diaz for the WBA/IBF and WBO belts. Now, since beating the best lightweight in the world, I don’t see why Campbell can’t be the 12th best fighter on my personal list. Look, anyone with an iota of sense knows that the best in any division isn’t always the world champion. Think Carlos Baldomir. When he was the legitimate World Welterweight Champion (after beating Zab Judah who won the Undisputed Championship from Cory Spinks), many fans STILL denied his status and claimed that Floyd Mayweather Jr. was the uncrowned champion for beating Judah for a red, tin belt. My point in calling Nate Campbell the 12th best fighter is that by beating Diaz, he had what it took to beat a seemingly unbeatable lightweight. That meant he was good enough. And that’s good enough for me…

doghouseboxing.com

After Sir Alan gave him the chop last night, Apprentice fantasist Ian Stringer may now officially be one, but he still insists the word “loser” is not in his vocabulary.
And what’s more, he reckons the disastrous Italian pub nosh project that led to his downfall was a huge SUCCESS.
The former software sales manager, who famously refused to say the word “loser” on the series, told cameras: “There are two types of people in the world, winners and… I don’t know how to say the word. I can’t say it.”
And despite yesterday’s firing, the defiant 26-year-old said: “I have no regrets for not saying the L-word and I still won’t say it. I see it as a big achievement getting through from 20,000 to the last 16.
“The thing I said is part of my life. I give everything I go at 110 per cent. If you always try to win and give it your best you don’t need to use the L-word. That’s my theory.”
But his ex-wife Kirsty disagrees. She has described the Blackpool lad as “the biggest loser of them all”, claiming he cheated on her while she was pregnant and then left her and their two children with spiralling debts. Kirsty, now on benefits, also claims he gave up a £35,000 job to go on The Apprentice - and now only has a small income from part-time radio work.
All Ian will say is: “I have no regrets in life. I am going to make no comments on my skills as a father or anything that has been written about my personal life.”
So what about his business skills? Most people who tuned in last night would expect him to regret some of his decisions - especially as pub food boss.
He struggled to lead a team that bought its food from Tesco - rather than a wholesaler - and appointed a head chef who thought carbonara was made with chicken instead of pasta. The food was poor quality and diners complained that it tasted rubbish.

mirror.co.uk