Category: Sports

Coffee Talk #352: Who Will Make the NBA Finals???

The 2011 NBA playoffs have been fascinating. There are just so many great stories happening at the same time. Young players like Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose are taking their games to the next level. The old guard…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Donovan McNabb not being black enough for Bernard Hopkins, sexy Spanish mermaids, or the day Pippa Middleton stops getting press, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

The 2011 NBA playoffs have been fascinating. There are just so many great storylines happening at the same time. Young players like Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose are taking their games to the next level. The old guard of the Celtics and Lakers appear to be headed to that bastard level — good enough to make the playoffs, but obviously not good enough to win it all. Some mute doppelganger has replaced Mark Cuban. People are fascinated to see how year one of “Miami Thrice” ends. This has been the most intriguing NBA post-season in a long, long time.

How do you think it will play out? Will the Bulls or Heat make it out of the east? Will the Mavericks or Thunder win the west? Who’s going to win the whole enchilada?!? Make your NBA finals predictions in the comments section (please)!

A-Rod Goes Ballistic Over Cameron Diaz Popcorn Footage

In his never-ending quest to be the biggest dick in Yankee history, Alex Rodriguez allegedly went ballistic over footage of Cameron Diaz feeding him popcorn during Super Bowl XLV. Some people thought that the footage was cute and made A-Rod seem likable. Others thought it was the latest in a long line of tool moves by Rodriguez. Most of the universe agreed that Derek Jeter — a real, honorable Yankee — would never have put himself in that position. Instead, A-Rod made it worse by (allegedly) having a fit over the free press. According to a Chicago Sun-Times source:

He really went ballistic — thinking the cameraman was out to get them in a paparazzi-like shot. That’s so crazy. Anyone who knows anything about producing a live sports event — especially something as huge as the Super Bowl — would know that those celebrity shots are purely random.

Once again, A-Rod has embarrassed himself and the entire Yankee organization. On the plus side, this article was a fun way to take cheap shots at Rodriguez and an excellent excuse to post photos of Cameron Diaz.

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Coffee Talk #298: Super Bowl XLV Halftime Show & Commercials

Now that Super Bowl XLV has come and gone, I wanted to discuss the most important aspects of the event: the halftime show and commercials! Most of my friends panned The Black Eyes Peas’ performance, making lots of…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the food at Hooter’s, the hot waitress at Hooter’s that looked like Amy Smart, or your favorite Hooter’s sauce, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Now that Super Bowl XLV has come and gone, I wanted to discuss the most important aspects of the event: the halftime show and commercials! Most of my friends panned The Black Eyes Peas’ performance, making lots of Tron jokes, but I enjoyed it. Of course I’m biased because I want my fellow Filipino-American apl.de.ap to do well, but I genuinely liked the set. It was a nice mix of old and new hits. It was awesome that Slash emerged from hell to play “Sweet Child ‘O Mine” and that Usher descended from heaven to perform “Oh My Gosh”. I was disappointed that Justin Timberlake didn’t come out (from purgatory?) to sing the chorus to “Where is the Love?”, but overall I thought it was a fun halftime show that was visually unique.

As for the commercials, they were okay. For me, there were more misses than hits in 2011. Here are my three favorite spots. Coming in at #3 is this adorable VW Passat ad featuring an adorable baby Darth Vader.

At #2 is the Captain America commercial. I thought it was a great spot and was annoyed that my pal Cliffy B disagreed.

My favorite commercial was this House ad that parodied the classic Coca-Cola commercial starring Mean Joe Greene. I’ve included the original for reference.

Now it’s your turn! Please let me know what you thought of Super Bowl (not Superb Owl) XLV’s halftime show and share your favorite commercials.

Your Super Bowl XLV Predictions

Here’s some space to post your Super Bowl XLV predictions and discuss the game on Sunday. It’ll be like watching it together! I also wanted to get your take on the odds, as well as your over/under picks. Last time I checked, the Steelers were slightly favored:

Super Bowl XLV Odds
-125 Pittsburgh Steelers
+105 Green Bay Packers

The over/under was set at 45. Which way would you bet?

For the record, I’m rooting for the Steelers on behalf of RPadholic N8R and my old G4TV coworker Bleahy (I know you guys miss him. I do too.).

Farmers Insurance Pays $700 Million for LA NFL Stadium Rights

Football is definitely coming to Los Angeles. Do you know how I know this? Farmers Insurance has agreed to pay $700-million to have its name attached to a downtown Los Angeles football stadium. I wouldn’t expect an insurance company to dish out that kind of money for something that isn’t a sure thing. Here’s the word from The Examiner:

Tuesday morning in Los Angeles, it was announced that Farmers Insurance has agreed to be the naming sponsor for a football stadium in the downtown area of the city.

The deal is valued at $700 million over 30 years, starting with $20 million for the first year and gradually increasing over time. The proposed name of the stadium is Farmer’s Field.

The rumor is that part of the Los Angeles Convention Center will be destroyed to make room for the new stadium. My secret wish is that this will lead to E3 moving from LA to Las Vegas. The industry has grown up so much in the last five years. It needs to regress a bit…well, at least I want it to. Ha!

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Coffee Talk #266: Your Favorite Sports Moment of 2010

Let’s wrap up 2010 by discussing a few of our favorite things (raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens). We’ll talk about our favorite music, movies, and games of the year in the next few Coffee Talks. Today I want to hear about your favorite sports moment of 2010.

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Cafecito Organico’s El Salvador Rainforest Alliance, Scarlett Johansson breaking up with Van Wilder, or the Julian Assange defense fund, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Let’s wrap up 2010 by discussing a few of our favorite things (raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens). We’ll talk about our favorite music, movies, and games of the year in the next few Coffee Talks. Today I want to hear about your favorite sports moment of 2010. As for me, that’s easy!

LeBron James’ “The Decision” was the most fascinating sports event of the year to me. It transformed a generally loved athlete into a generally hated one. It showed that even super-rich athletes look like picnic tables when wearing red gingham-check shirts. It gave the world an all-purpose phrase — “I’m going to take my talents to South Beach” — which can be used for bailing out of drinking sessions, going to the toilet, playing with yourself, and more. “The Decision” offered drama, unintentional comedy, emotion, and more. I loved it!

Now it’s your turn. What was your favorite sports moment of 2010?

NFL Football in Los Angeles Speculation Post!

As requested by Rpadholic N8R, here’s some space to discuss the possibility of NFL football returning to Los Angeles. What team will be moved? Will it be the Bills or Chargers as some have speculated? What does AEG’s alleged purchase of 35% of the Chargers mean? Where will the team play? Will it be the proposed stadium next to the Staples Center? Or will it be in San Gabriel Valley, which is (sadly) the easier choice. Is there any chance that the team will be called the Hollywood Lamberts? Discuss (please)!