Kobe in Chicago?

Although these trade demands have the same over-hyped ring as a Terrell Owens suicide attempt, I'm jumping on the bandwagon. One of the top contenders if Kobe leaves Rodeo Drive is allegedly Chicago. Wow, I never thought it would come to this. I was quietly confident that I could just bash Kobe's selfish play for his entire career rooting against wherever he played. So, if he ends up wearing my colors, would I turn away or embrace him? Not sure. On one hand, I have said for a few years that the Bulls are one superstar short of winning a championship. They posses some of the best role players in the league, and have efficiently organized that to muster a nearly-there team recently. Still, with no one putting up 30 points consistently it is very hard to compete in the NBA. My dream was always KG returning home, but why not Kobe? Well, for one, he would shatter everything I have loved about the humble second coming of the Bulls. Second, we would have to lose some big names- probably Luol and Gordon. Third, this man is on my nemesis list! Without question he can play, and is very exciting to watch. I have also seen some sporadic moments where he seems more misunderstood than an undeniable pompous rapist. Thankfully, we are not at the point where I have to decide to greet or shun. For now, I'm going to hope he stays in LA and Garnett comes to Chicago.

Crotch Rockets

What's the deal? I was passed two independent times this weekend as the daredevils kicked off their summer season. Both times they were going at least 120 mph. Although these guys were alone, one of my favorite moves is when 10+ of the fools envelope your car for the two seconds it takes them to soar past. The craziest thing I've ever been a part of though was when four of them were playing chase like five year-olds in the school yard. One guy darted across my car from the left lane to exit. The other three were shocked. One misses my front bumper by feet as the other two drop behind my back. None of the three made the exit, so they pull to the side of the road, reverse, and get back to the game. Fun.

Are they invisible to cops? Do radars only go to 150 mph? Are the cops just afraid to chase them? Something doesn't fit in my mind. Also, what do these guys do when they see a cop on the side of the road? Breaking from 150 to 55 is not the easiest thing to do, and would probably cause them to spin out of control. So, do they just accept a triple-the-limit ticket every time a cop is passed?

Cornell Lacrosse

The team is ranked #1 nationally, and will face #3 Duke in the National Championsip semi-final tomorrow at 2:30pm EDT broadcast on ESPN 2. Once they win, the Championship is Monday at 1pm EDT on ESPN. Very cool.

Idols?

Jordin is the new American Idol. I would like to make two very unrelated comments about this show. First, I think the talent was down this season, but must disclaim I only watched about ten combined minutes. Still, my proof was in the pudding that Jordin had no range last night, and the other finalist was a beat-boxing scatman. This debate can be left for more avid viewers though. Secondly, how fantastic is it that American Idol has been legitimized with the finalists winning grammys, oscars, and being constantly played on the radio? This show is the American dream hyped beyond tolerable lengths, but its core is genuine. These contestants go from nobody to A-list in a few months. I like to think it has made the music industry much more competitive as well. Maybe someday creations of the like can remove all Ashley Simpson digitalized divas and leave us with the true Natalie Merchants.

Here are some post-script statistics for ya. American Idol received 74 million votes yesterday alone. George Bush recorded 62 million when he won the Presidency in 2004 (yes, that includes the stolen Florida recount votes). This season of Idol alone logged over 600 million votes. There have been eight Platinum Idols' albums, and the group has combined for 26 Billboard Music Awards, 6 American Music Awards, 4 Grammys, and 1 Oscar. William Hung has sold 295K albums.

Giambi took steriods? No.

Clarification

I've been getting a lot of feedback on the previous post. The general comment is something along the lines of "hey hypocrite, how can you say the finals will be so great when the four teams you call 'exciting' (Chicago, Phoenix, Cleveland, and Miami) have been eliminated, or are on the brink?" Well, let me clarify. I do not promise or even think the finals will be exciting. It will probably be a low-scoring, high-defense affair between Detroit and San Antonio. However, the basketball will be phenomenal. Both of those teams epitomize unselfish, organized hoops. Every man seems to play with commitment to the greater goal above personal recognition. Truly all that is great about sport, but just wait until Kobe and Iverson return if you're looking for the And1 mix tape game.

Basketball is Back

Nearly a decade since this moment, and the NBA has finally returned to greatness. There are only four teams left after the Bulls late effort fell short, and we are sure to have an organized final. The players take their game seriously, know how to play, and are, for the most part, unselfish. According to my finance studies, two straight quarters of negative GDP growth is a recession, so I'm declaring two straight years of good basketball the return of the NBA. Enjoy.

Meghan- I would like to reply to your comment on the airplane parachute question in a new post simply because it's that good and thought provoking. Your two questions were: How does a failing airline industry pay for parachutes? And, how would it work? First, I'm not convinced the airline industry is as doomed as the headlines portray. Rather, I think the industry is run incorrectly. Now, please excuse my lack of knowledge here, but I believe the business should be able to operate in an efficient market. Our fares would simply provide a profit that covers all expenses including necessary government safety regulations. Governments should not have to play puppeteer or Daddy Warbucks to ensure profit, safety, and antitrust. Yes, I acknowledge that the business is extremely complicated as a capital intensive, economies of scale, over-regulated, extremely competitive, terrorist target. However, nothing there convinces me it can't be run laissez faire. Also, if you read between the "no more food," "chapter 11 for the 6th time," "negative earnings for huge airline" headlines, you'll see several have been quite profitable, there are countless options for travel, and the future should be bright. For example, Southwest has realized 34 straight years of profit with $543M in 2006, American recorded its first profit since 2000 last year with $231M profit, and Continental posted $343M. The American industry as a whole realized over $2B last year, net. I think the options comment is pretty obvious, but just select any route on kayak.com to confirm. Last, I think the "Open Skies" agreement signed last month will bring a world of change to International air travel. It is the first step towards removing power from government sponsored airlines. First Europe, soon North Korea.

As for the process, my idea was not an orderly Skydive America experience, but rather every-man-for-himself madness as your plane is split in two clear down the middle. If you want to wear the parachute all flight, that would be your choice. However, it was brought to my attention by another reader that the industry has actually given much thought to this possibility. There is currently a patented system where every chair is on rollers to slide out a back hatch, release a parachute, and float you to safety without even unclasping the seat-belt. Check it out: Patent 5979829.

P.S. If you care to read a very boring, 17-page paper on airline industry profitability and cycles, click here. Personally, I think a quick skim of the charts tells the story.

Good Afternoon

Hi. This is "Danny D," a nickname granted because everyone referring to me as Danny the Dominator seemed inefficient, so I said "Hold up. We're wasting time. Let's abbreviate." That's the story of my nickname. I also have a last name that begins with D, so it worked out well.

I went to college with Clarke and he asked me to liven up the party that is the AIP blog, and I believe I'm up to the challenge. At most I've met the rest of the so called contributors a few times. One thing that will separate me is a love of Boston sports instead of Chicago, so judge away if you so desire. I'm not going to let you know everytime a Boston team wins a game because anyone who cares would see it on Sportscenter anyway, but I promise to devote several posts to obvious connections between the Yankees and Satan.

My insights and critiques regarding pop culture and my surrounding environment are often referred to as "gold" by several of my adjectively limited friends, so you know that these posts will always be top quality. The only other things you need to know about me is that I'm a deeply religious Catholic and sarcastic. Additionally, I'm the type of person that owns an ipod. That should cover it.

Too Few

I apologize if you’ve read countless opinions on Saturday’s fight, but would like to add my two cents to the fire. Everything I would say about the lack of class or fighting from Mayweather and the unquestioned devotion to De La Hoya has been covered. Also, the number of rounds and rare knockouts are discussions I will leave to more knowledgeable boxing fans. However, the one issue nobody seems to be concerned with is the all-powerful, three-judge panel. These gentlemen just decided the “junior middleweight champion of the world,” and if one judge had scored one round differently it would’ve been a split decision. That is simply too few opinions in my view. If a large percentage of fights are going to be won on decisions, my recommendation is to increase the panel size. Maybe take a page out of ice-skating’s book, and get eleven or so judges from several different countries. You could even have some judges grading technique and others raw fighting. This would end the debates between De La Hoya’s punches thrown defenders and the Mayweather efficiency clan. Regardless of the structure though, more votes are needed.