The Average Joe

Movie List

2010-01-03T14:30:00.000-05:00

As a reader of my site you know i have other vices than cards. One of which is horror movies. I am currently up to 564 movies in the collection. I have created a sub site with a list of all my films. You can link to it right under my want list and doubles list (which I really need to work on, will do after i go through my Christmas haul) I have linked the site with all my reviews that I've done so far and will continue to do so with all future reviews.

One of the first horror films I remember watching as a kid was the original House of Wax, (not really an original though as even this one was based on the movie, Mystery of the Wax Museum) which incidentally is not in my collection yet. Odd when I think about it. I think I might just have to head to EBay right now for it. I fell in love with horror right then and there. Though I didn't start collecting films until after I got back into baseball cards. I thought to myself, Hey I collect cards why not my favorite movies.

Of all the classic creature features, Nosferatu, Dracula, The Wolf Man, Frankenstein, etc...The Creature from the Black Lagoon is my favorite. Though I am a big fan of the original Frankenstein series as well.

One, Two, Freddy's coming for you. Three, Four, better lock your door. Five, Six, Grab your crucifix. Seven, Eight, Better stay up late. Nine, Ten, Never sleep again!!! The original is still a classic. Interested to see how the remake turns out. Speaking of remakes, has anyone seen the preview for the new Wolfman movie? I will be there, first show opening day for that one. Guaranteed!!!

A horror fan's favorite. The Exorcist is one of the best movies ever made. And the fact that this movie came out on Christmas day always puts a smile on my face. How funny is that? Here's something you may not know. The book, the movie is based on, and the movie are almost a word for word remake. And I highly recommend the book to anyone who liked the film.

Last January I had a horror-fest at my place which was awesome. Anyone who read my old blog will (hopefully) remember that. This year I plan to do it again. Not in January, but it will be done again. So stay tuned for further horror reviews, news on Joe's 2nd annual horrorfest and feel free to check out the ever growing list. Pleasant Nightmares!

2009 Topps U & H

2010-01-02T13:30:00.001-05:00

I just started working on these a couple weeks ago. Since then I have bought a couple blasters as well as some 50 card packs. Have some good stuff here too. I've added this set to my want list as well. Please help where you can.

Thought I would start with the patch cards. One for each of the 3 blasters boxes I bought. I'm not sure how to feel about these. On one hand, I like the way they look and I like that they are older players. But they're not real. They are just remakes of patches. It's not like these were actually on Frank Robinson, Ernie Banks and Stan Musial's jerseys at any point. So I'm torn. I appreciate them for what they are though. Remakes of patches for another time, I guess.

Next we have the propaganda series. I absolutely love these. I have to get this whole set. It doesn't help that the first one I got was David Wright. These cards have a great look and its a different type of subset. Definitely have to get all of these. Wait did I say that already? Don't care, I want them. (In case you couldn't tell) Interesting that the Mets one says Victory is Imminent.

Alright anyone who reads this blog or even just this post for that matter, knows that I am a Met fan. And as a Met fan I obviously hate the Yankees. However, I think this is one of my favorite cards that I own. The New York Rockers? This is awesome. Swisher and Damon devil horns!!! This is better than an electron card or even the Milky Way! (PS this is called sarcasm) I do love the card though.

Pulled this one out of one of the Blasters as well. This one definitely put a smile on my face. Always great to get a short print. Speaker made it into the Hall of Fame in its second year. Finishing his career with a .345 batting average, 3514 hits and 3 World Series Championships under his belt. He ranks first in career doubles, first in outfield assists, fifth in lifetime batting average, fifth in hits, sixth in triples and eighth in career runs. One hell of an all-around player.

Got this beauty in a 50 pack. The local card shop had 3 left so i bought all 3. I didn't know that Sandberg was originally with the F'n Phils. (As I like to call them) Not that I'm bitter or anything. He looks much better in a Cubs uniform. He probably burned that Philly uniform first chance he got. Last card is another one from a 50 pack and was the best of the haul.

Tim Lincecum Black. 45 of 58. This one really made me happy. Opened it right in the card shop with Steve, formally of The Easy Life. I got one Black last year but it was Manny Acta. Why the hell would they even make a Manny Acta black? Seriously, that was like a big F.U. from topps. This on the other hand is much better. 2 time Cy Young winner, who's star is on the rise. Hey when does he become a free agent? The Mets really need pitching. HA! Lincecum is the first pitcher since Dwight Gooden and Bret Saberhagen to win the Cy-Young in his second year in the league. Gooden with the Mets and Saberhagen later becoming a Met, think about it. Its your destiny Lince.

Laugh in the New Year

2010-01-01T17:52:00.001-05:00

Hey all. Just a quick post today but this is for everyone who wants a good laugh. Happy New Year all. Be back tomorrow with another card post. And to everyone I have been in contact with about trades, I am pulling the cards this weekend and they will be in the mail on Monday. Enjoy.

R.I.P. Dr. Death

2009-12-30T18:41:00.002-05:00

I regret to inform readers that Dr. Death Steve Williams has passed away after a long battle with cancer last night at the age of 49. At this time no further details are available.

Williams was considered one of the top wrestlers in the world throughout the 80's and early 90's. He was recruited into pro wrestling by Bill Watts and was named PWI 1982 Rookie of the Year. Watts discovered him at the University of Oklahoma, where he was a star lineman on the football team and a four-time All-American Heavyweight wrestler. Many of his peers in wrestling over the years believed had he not played football and focused solely on wrestling he would have been a strong candidate for an Olympic Gold medal in either 1984 or 1988.

While never garnering the respect he deserved in pro wrestling in the States, Williams was a big success in Japan. Eventually earning a worldwide reputation as one of the best ever to grace the squared circle.

I have met a lot of wrestlers through the years, unfortunately I cannot say I had the privilege of ever meeting Steve Williams. He was an extremely talented individual and will certainly be missed. I want to send my condolences out to his family and friends.

TTM - Mark Williamson

2009-12-29T20:11:00.003-05:00

Today I have a new TTM for my list, former Baltimore Orioles pitcher, Mark Williamson. Thanks Mark.

Mark was born July 21st, 1959 in Corpus Christi, Texas. He was originally drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 12th round of the 1981 amateur draft. He did not sign with the club. He was drafted again the following year in the 1982 draft by the San Diego Padres in the 4th round.

He played in the Padres minor league system before being traded to the Baltimore Orioles with Terry Kennedy for Storm Davis in October, 1986. Mark was called up to the majors the following year at the age of 27. He played in his first major league game on April 8, 1987 taking the loss 6-4 against the Texas Rangers. Williamson pitched 1.2 innings giving up 2 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks with no strike outs. He went on to finish the year with a record of 8-9 with a 4.03 ERA.

Mark had his best MLB run from 1989 to 1990. In 1989 he finished the season with a 10-5 record and a 2.93 ERA. In 1990 he came back and ended the season with a 8-2 record with a 2.21 ERA.

Mark played his entire MLB career with the Orioles from 1987 - 1994, finishing his career with a record of 46 - 35, an ERA of 3.86, and 397 strike outs and 21 saves. The highlight of his career occured on July 13, 1991 when he pitched a combined no hitter with Bob Milacki, Mike Flanagan, and Gregg Olson against the Oakland A's.

2004 Topps Crack Jack

2009-12-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

Let me start off by saying I love this set. About a year ago I bought a 5,000 count box from my local card shop. It had a bunch of commons from this set and that was my introduction to it. As much as I like it I have never purchased any additional cards for the set. However, I decided as a personal Christmas present to myself I deserved a box of these. So onto E-bay I went and won an auction. After I was done with the box I am now 62 cards away from finishing this set. I will post the remaining cards on here and I have updated my want list. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Please help me finish this one off.

Thought I'd start first here with a man who ended his career with the Mets. Mr. Alou. Was very happy to see Alou in Mets uniform. Alou was a big presence in the locker room and I hope we can find someone to take his place. As much as I love Reyes and Wright at their age they just can't seem to take control and become the leader the Mets Locker room needs. Have a good retirement Alou.

Ahh Cliffy. I always loved Cliff Floyd as a Met. I was lucky enough to actually see the Mets play on my birthday, sorry cant remember who they were playing, but Floyd won the game himself 2-1 with 2 solo home runs in the game. Another good locker room guy.

The last Mets game I went to was Glavine's first game after he won his 300th game. One heck of a standing ovation for him when he took the mound. I have to say I was very selfish. I had the tickets about a week in advance and knew Glavine would be pitching so the day he won his 300th I was rooting against him so I could see it in person. Does that make me a bad fan?

I had to put this one up because Luis Castillo was considered the Mets MVP last year for one reason and one reason only, he was the only opening day position player who didn't go on the d/l. How sad is that? And what's even funnier is we're trying to trade him. The best player for the 2009 Mets and we throw him on the trading block? Don't get me wrong, would I rather have Orlando Hudson playing 2nd base for us, maybe, but last year he actually looked like he deserved the contract we gave him. With the current issues the team has, I think trading Castillo should be the least of our concerns.

Alright, lastly we have Gary Sheffield. The Doctor's nephew. Gary Sheffield has wanted to be a Met his entire career thanks to Dwight Gooden. It was nice seeing him in a Mets uniform and I think he did a much better job in the field then most people thought he would. Sorry you wont be back next year, good luck elsewhere Gary.

Here's a list of the remaining cards I need:

1, 3 (Albert Pujol's swinging), 13, 20, 30, 34, 49, 51, 57, 60, 80 (Sammy Sosa), 80 (Felix Pie), 86 (Burt ShottEn), 95 (Gary Sheffield, Yankees), 98, 100, 104 (Edwin Jackson), 108, 109, 124, 126, 127, 140 (Curt Schilling, Red Sox), 145, 150, 151, 163, 166, 167, 173, 179, 182, 184, 185, 186, 190, 191, 192, 194, 195, 196, 198, 200, 203, 204, 206, 209, 214, 216, 217, 218, 220, 222, 224 (Ivan Rodriguez, Tigers), 225, 228, 229 (Jason Giambi fielding) 231, 232, 233, 236 (Jorge Posada)

Again, any help you can give is greatly appreciated. Help me finish this one off and knock it off my list.

What a Christmas

2009-12-26T18:29:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post today but it's important. I got a new computer for Christmas, with a scanner of my very own. I can finally focus a lot more on the blog. I have a lot of good posts coming up. Today is just a quicky.

I also got about 15,000 cards in random lot boxes. Wish me luck on those, it's gonna take me forever to organize them. Random cards from the 70's up to today. Of course a lot of them are from the 80's card boom. Which by the way means if you have a list of late 80's/early 90's give me a head's up and i will definitely check it out and see what I can do 4 U!!!

Happy Holidays

Silent Night Deadly Night

2009-12-25T17:50:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas All. As a horror fan I have to make mention of one of, if not the, most controvesial movies of the 1980's, Silent Night Deadly Night. Was happy to add this to my collection and give it a watch prior to this festive holiday. Let's start with a brief synopsis of the movie.

A young boy watches his parents killed by a thief in a Santa suit. He spends his youth in an orphanage, staying quietly to his self, but his mind is further bent by an ironhanded Mother Superior. He finally gets a job at a local store, where he finally snaps when he is required to wear a Santa suit, and goes on a killing spree that leads him slowly back to the orphanage.

This movie created quite the stir in 1984 when released due to the killer being dressed as Santa Claus. The PTA fought the release of this film due to it's subject matter and it's Christmas release. Siskel and Ebert even went as far as to read the film's production credit's on the air and saying "Shame, Shame" after each one. Large crowds (mostly angry families) formed at theaters and malls around the nation to protest the film. TriStar Pictures, its original distributor, pulled all ads for the film six days after its release (November 15). The film itself was also withdrawn shortly thereafter due to the controversy.

It was later re-released by an independant distributer, Aquarius Films, beginning in Spring of 1986, with an ad campaign which replaced the original "Twas the Night Before Christmas" audio track with a new one that centered around the controversy surrounding the film and edited out all the close up shots of Billy in the Santa suit with weapons.

Despite the controversy, it became a cult classic among horror fans. Myself on the other hand, I thought it was just okay. The movie is very tame by today's standards. Not that that is a big issue with me. Some of my favorite films are old school B & W films. But to be honest I personally felt sorry for the character of Billy.

As much as I love horror and the more gore and craziness in a horror movie the better. Just seeing someone in a Santa suit shooting someone or chopping them up with an axe actually did disturb me, and that takes a lot. It is a decent movie but just a little disturbing at the same time. The acting is so-so and the story does actually seem like it could happen. Overall it gets 3 burning skulls out of 5. Please enjoy the trailer below and again, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Ryota Igarashi

2009-12-18T21:42:00.004-05:00

Just thought I would do a quick post today on the newest NY Met, Ryota Igarashi.

Ryota was born May 28, 1979 in Chiba, Chiba, Japan. He was drafted by the Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball in the 2nd round of the 1998 draft. He pitched for the Swallows from 1999-2009 when he became a free agent and signed with the Mets.

I have to say I'm interested to see what Igarashi can do in MLB. I worry a little with him having had Tommy John surgery and missing the entire 2007 season. But he came back in 2008 and pitched well in his return. Plus for a 2 year, $3 million deal, you really cant complain. There's a lot of upside there.

His stats through 10 years in Japan consisted of a 44-27 record, 3.26 ERA, with 51 saves. He has a fastball that has been clocked at 98 mph and some very nasty off-speed stuff. Check out the video below to see him strike out the side. Wish I could translate for you all but I'm still in the process of trying to learn Japanese.

TTM- Ron Darling

2009-12-17T21:34:00.003-05:00

First things first, I am sorry for my absence from the blog for so long, but I am back and hopefully better than ever. Hope I can still have some readers. As my welcome back post I want to speak about one of my favorite autographs that I have ever received back. Mr. Ron Darling!!!

Ronald Maurice Darling was born August 19, 1960 in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was selected by the Texas Rangers in the first round (9th pick) of the 1981 MLB Draft. In his first year with the Rangers Minor League organization he put up mediocre numbers which led to a very ill advised trade in which both Darling and Walt Terrell were traded to the Mets for Lee Mazzilli. For the Mets, Darling and Terrell combined for seven double-digit win seasons. They traded Terrell three seasons later for Howard Johnson. Which by the way, when I was a kid playing baseball with friends, oddly enough, if I was pitching I would scream I'm Ron Darling, and if I was playing the field (no matter where I played) I screamed, I'm Howard Johnson. Wow, that was a run-on sentence. ANYWAY....

Darling was called up to the majors in late 1983. The Mets had the worst record in the National League and second-worst in the majors when Darling debuted on September 6, 1983. He was impressive in that start but left the game down 1–0 and the Mets lost 2–0. The Mets were also last in offense in the N.L. (Boo) Darling's 0–3 start were all in decent pitching performances that season. He finished his season with a complete game victory and was in the majors for good. Ron Darling threw five pitches, a slider, "drop" curve, circle change, splitter, and four seam fastball.

As a Mets fan, I would have to mention his performance in 1986. In 1986, everything came together for the Mets and Darling was no exception. He finished with a 15–6 record and posted his career-best 2.81 ERA which was third-best in the N.L. He also received the only Cy Young Award votes of his career, finishing fifth behind Mike Scott who had his best season. (Ball Scuffer!!!) The Mets led the way most of the season and their top four starters all received Cy Young votes. On May 27, Darling tied his career-high with 12 strikeouts in a five-hit complete game victory which, despite a poor April, raised his record to 6–0. He was good on the road but even better at home with a 10–2 record at Shea. His worst blemish was off the field when, on July 19, he and teammates Bob Ojeda, Rick Aguilera, and Tim Teufel were arrested outside a bar in Houston, Texas for fighting with security guards (who were also off-duty police officers). All four were released in time for the following game and the worst results were $200 fines but the incident fed into the Mets' reputation as a rowdy crew that season. Despite the run-in, Darling was featured on the cover of the August 25 issue of Sports Illustrated magazine. If you would like to read more about this incident, as well as more about the 1986 NY Mets, I highly recommend the book, The Bad Guys Won by Jeff Pearlman. An awesome book about the 1986 Mets. After reading it I can't believe my mother let me root for them at 6 years of age!

In his career he pitched for The New York Mets (1983-1991), The Montreal Expos (1991) and The Oakland A's (1991-1995). He finished his career with a 136-116 record, a 3.87 ERA and 1,590 strike outs. He was selected for the 1985 All-Star Game and was a Gold Glove winner in 1989. His last MLB effort was on my 15th birthday, August 15, 1995.

Since his retirement he has been a broadcaster for the Oakland A's, had a FOX show called Baseball Today and has appeared on The Best Damn Sports Show Period, as well as providing baseball analysis for the YES Network (EVIL) and Fox Sports Net. He currently works as a color commentator for the New York Mets on SNY with Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez.

Because of their popularity, Darling along with Cohen and Hernandez have created a website, Pitch in For A Good Cause, where the net profit from the merchandise sold by the website goes to charity; specifically, the Cobble Hill Health Center, Juvenile Diabetes Research Center, and The Danbury Women's Center. Please check out the website.

I have to say I was absolutely shocked to receive these autos back in the mail. Sure I mailed them, but I didn't really expect them back. This was one of, if not the, biggest surprise I've ever received in the mail. I even gave Steve, formally of The Easy Life, one of them (not pictured here).

Mr. Darling, thank you so much. I am honored to add you to my collection.

Old Aid

2009-10-20T09:34:00.000-04:00

When I was younger I loved Married With Children. As a matter of fact my old friend Bart and I used to quiz each other on episodes, we knew everything about every show. As the years passed the TV sitcom has all but disappeared. One night I could find nothing on TV and there on Nick at Nite (Damn I must be getting old) was Married With Children. I have been watching again ever since. I really need to buy the seasons on DVD.

Anyway today I wanted to give you all a blast from the past. Maybe you'll remember this, maybe not but either way it is funny. Please send your donations and long live Axel Bundy! Enjoy.

TTM - Bob Shirley

2009-10-18T09:09:00.003-04:00

I was very happy to get this card back in the mail. It is the oldest card I now have signed. It's not in the best condition but thats ok. Today's sig is Bob Shirley.

Bob Shirley was born on June 25, 1954 in Cushing, OK. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 1st Round (8th pick) on the 1976 Amateur Draft. He made his MLB debut the following year on April 10, 1977. He pitched 8 2/3 innings in his debut, getting the win against one of his future clubs, the Cincinnati Reds. He struck out 11 and walked 4 in the game.

He has played in both the American and National League. Over his 10 year career he played for the San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and the New York Yankees. He was never a dominant pitcher, having his best full season in 1980 going 11-12 with a 3.55 ERA.

Shirley finished his career with a 67-94 record and an ERA of 3.82 when he retired in 1987. He never made a big impact in the game but it's still nice to add another card to my collection. And I know most of us would give up just about anything to even spend half the time in the majors that he had. Thank you Mr. Shirley.

Traci Brooks

2009-10-09T12:00:00.000-04:00

Here is another autograph I was lucky enough to get when I saw TNA Wresting live in Binghamton. The woman who puts the T and A in TNA, the lovely Traci Brooks. After the show I bought 2 pictures, one of Alex Shelley (see previous post) because I saw he was signing autographs and the other was Traci Brooks. I didn't see her anywhere but hey I wanted the pic. All of a sudden I turn around and who's standing behind me but this vision of beauty. This is pretty much how the conversation went.

Me: Traci, I didn't think you were coming out. (To do a meet and greet)

Traci: Oh, I always come out to greet the fans, I would be nothing without you guys.

Then she hugs me. I about lost it right then and there and somehow stammered out the words asking for her autograph. Her response:

Traci: Of course sweetheart. Whats your name?

I actually had to stop and think for a minute, really I did, I reverted to being a shy little kid who hides whenever someone says hi. I was just awestruck at how unbelievably nice this woman was (especially in comparison to my experience with Alex Shelley) and of course struck by her beauty. Pictures do not do this woman justice. So she signed my picture, gave me yet a second hug and thanked me for coming to the show and was then off to greet other fans. If God took me at that moment I would've died a very happy man.

Here's a brief history for this beautiful woman. Traci Brooks, was born Tracy Brookshaw and grew up on a pig and chicken farm in St. Mary's, Ontario, Canada. In 2000, she won the Toronto Sunshine Millennium Calendar contest which led to her being named Miss June 2000 and interviewed in the Toronto Sun. Brookshaw went on to engage in promotional modeling work with the Molson, Labatt and Budweiser beverage brewers. In her interview, Brookshaw said that she aspired to be "the next WWF Superstar". This led to her being introduced to Ron Hutchinson, a professional wrestler who operated the Sully's Gym professional wrestling school out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Brookshaw began training under Hutchinson in March 2000 and debuted in January 2001 as "Tracy Brooks".

And here is one of my favorite notes. On July 26, 2009, it was revealed that TNA had signed a deal with Playboy making Brooks the first TNA Knockout to ever pose for Playboy. However, on September 2 it was reported that Playboy had decided not to publish Brooks' photo shoot on their magazine. Deciding instead on doing a spread on the recently deceased Farrah Fawcett. The photo shoot was instead released through their Cyber Club on September 17, 2009 and pictures are easily found through any search engine. I did not post them cuz I like to think of this site being, PG-13.

Hope you do enjoy the additional pics I have included though and again a big thank you to Miss Brookshaw for just being the great person that she is.

TTM - Fernando Valenzuela

2009-10-07T17:54:00.003-04:00

I'm back today with one of my more shocking TTM autographs. A man who took the country by storm and had everyone swept up in Fernandomania, Fernando Valenzuela. I sent this one out just hoping to get it back. Like most of my doubles that I send for sigs if I didn't, no big deal, but when you can add a name like this to your collection it's always good.

Fernando Valenzuela is billed as born on November 1, 1960 in Etchohuaquila, Sonora, Mexico. Like many of today's Latin American stars that date is questionable though as even in his remarkable rookie season many observers guessed him much older than 20. Many teams scouted him in the Mexican Leagues but it was the Los Angeles Dodgers who eventually signed him.

After acquiring Fernando Valenzuela in the summer of 1979, the Dodgers assigned him to the Lodi Dodgers (now the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes) of the High A Level California League, where he posted a 1-2 record and a 1.13 ERA in limited action. In 1980 Valenzuela was promoted to the Double A Level San Antonio Missions. There Valenzuela led the Texas League with 162 strikeouts, and ranked third in ERA. Valenzuela was called up to the Los Angeles Dodger bullpen in September 1980. In the last month of the season, Valenzuela helped the Dodgers to a Western Division tie with the Houston Astros, pitching 17 2/3 shutout innings of relief over the course of ten games, during which he earned two wins and a save.

Valenzuela's efforts made him the odds-on favorite to be the league's top rookie in 1981, and he didn't disappoint, starting the season 8-0 with five shutouts and an ERA of 0.50. Punctuating this dominance on the mound, Valenzuela had an extremely unusual but flamboyant wind-up (looking skyward just at the apex of every pitch), which drew attention of its own. He became an instant media icon, drawing huge crowds from the Los Angeles Hispanic community every time he pitched and triggering high demand across the country for his rookie baseball cards. The craze surrounding Valenzuela came to be known as "Fernandomania."

In addition to his skills on the mound, Valenzuela also made a name for himself at the plate. During his rookie season, Valenzuela batted .250 and struck out just nine times in 64 at bats. That season, and again in 1983, Valenzuela was the recipient of the National League's Silver Slugger Award for pitchers. In 1990, his last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Valenzuela hit .304 in 69 at-bats, with one home run, five doubles, and eleven runs batted in. In 936 career at-bats - roughly two full seasons worth of at-bats for a full-time position player - Valenzuela had ten home runs and 84 runs batted in. On at least two occasions with the Dodgers, Valenzuela was called upon to play outfield and first base in marathon extra-inning games in which he did not pitch.

Valenzuela was considered an exceptionally good hitter for a pitcher. His best year at the plate was 1990. when he hit .304 with five doubles and 11 RBI in 69 at-bats. His career batting average was .200, with 10 homers, 26 doubles, and 84 RBI in 936 at-bats. Valenzuela was even used on a number of occasions as a pinch hitter, batting .368 (7-for-19) in such situations.

In addition to his 10 years with the Dodgers, Fernando also played for the California Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, and St. Louis Cardinals before retiring in 1997. The Dodgers invited him to Spring Training in 1999, but he respectfully declined. Fernando was also a 6X All-Star, Gold Glove winner (1986) and 2X Silver Slugger award winner (1981, 1983)

Since his playing days ended Fernando has done Spanish-language radio color commentator for the Dodgers and was also a coach for Team Mexico in both the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic's, and now his biggest honor ever.......being added to my collection. Thank you Mr. Valenzuela!

Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead

2009-09-29T22:00:00.001-04:00

No that is not a typo and yes you read the title correctly. Today's review is for the Troma Feature, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead. I like to pride myself on being able to find some obscure titles but this one takes the cake. I am constantly on the look out for movies outside the public eye and to do this I check websites such as Upcoming Horror Movies, read magazines like Fangoria (US), Gorezone (UK), Horror Hound (Canada, Bi-monthly and by far my favorite) as well as read books such as Zombie Movies: The Ultimate Guide. However I may as well be a nube when it comes to horror because only recently was I introduced to Fulci and this is the first Troma film I've ever seen. That even includes their classic Toxic Avenger. But enough about my shortcomings, lets give a little info about Troma followed by a plot of this film.

Troma is a film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Hertz in 1974. The company produces very low budget movies, many of which have garnered cult followings. Their films are most known for their shocking imagery. They typically contain overt sexuality, graphic violence, gore and nudity to the point where the words "Troma Film" have become synonymous with them. You may then be surprised to hear that many actors and actresses were actually involved in these films before they were "discovered". They include Vanna White (Graduation Day), Kevin Costner (Sizzle Beach, USA), Samuel L. Jackson (Def By Temptation), Marisa Tomei (The Toxic Avenger), Vincent D'Onofrio (The First Turn-On!), James Gunn (Tromeo & Juliet) and Trey Parker and Matt Stone (Cannibal! The Musical). Troma's most recent release is Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead. The following is a plot summery written by Troma Entertainment.

When the American Chicken Bunker, a military-themed fried-chicken chain, builds a restaurant on the site of an ancient Indian burial ground, local protesters aren't the only ones crying fowl! The previous tenants, fueled by a supernatural force, take "possession" of the food and those who eat it, and the survivors discover that they must band together before they themselves become the other white meat! Film lovers have been starved for sustenance. The relentless diet of predictability and pretense Hollywood has been serving up just doesn't cut it. Poultrygeist is hearty food for thought. In Poultrygeist, Troma takes on the the fast-food industry-skewering the soulless restaurateurs-in the world's first horror-comedy film to feature zombie chickens, American Indians and a bit of singing and dancing! It's Poultrygeist!

Ok, first things first this movies gets 5 Burning Skulls, hands down, no questions asked and I'll tell you why. Let's start with the movie's great tagline:

Humans... the other white meat... Unless you're black, then it's dark meat... Or if you are Asian, then it's yellow meat... Or if you are Native American, it's red meat...

This movie absolutely has it all. It is a funny, gorey, love story, musical about zombie chickens!!!! Those words don't even sound like they belong in the same sentence! Now don't get me wrong here, the acting, not the best, the effects, definitely no CGI in this one, and the plot, I mean c'mon its about ZOMBIE CHICKENS! But Troma still manages to put together what is fast becoming one of my favorite movies. The first time I watched it I wasn't convinced but this movie grows on you like a fungus. It is awesome.

Even the characters names are great. The love story revolves around Arby and Wendy. That's funny. (Wendy, played by Kate Graham, is absolutely beautiful in that girl next door kinda way and is a riot) But it doesn't stop there, also in this flick we have Humus, Carl Jr., Jose Paco Bell, Micki and Denny. Denny wants to "one day leave American Chicken Bunker and open up my own place. I'll call it.........Denny's.........oh Shit!!!!" Another great bit is some of the protesters being a group of lesbians that call themselves C.L.A.M. which stands for Collegiate Lesbians Against Megaconglomerates. They are hot as hell too. They need their own movie.

I will warn anyone who attempts to watch this that it is definitely not for everyone. I originally typed a couple reasons but I decided against it. You watch it and tell me what you think. That is a challenge to every reader of my website!!! Enjoy the trailer and Pleasant dreams!

Trade With Thoughts And Sox

2009-09-28T18:46:00.004-04:00

Sorry I haven't been posting a lot lately. I have been working on my horror collection quite a bit. Between watching, recording, buying and dvr-ing. I am glad to say I am now up to 280 horror movies in my collection.

A couple weeks ago I got a great package from Thoughts and Sox. Knocked a bunch of stuff from my want lists and a big thank you goes out for that. I chose the following cards to show on here for a specific reason so lets get right to it.

Adam knows that I am a New York Mets fan (pity me please) and sent me a nice chunk of Mets cards in addition to cards for my sets. So out of all the cards sent, why did I choose these three you ask? Well the story starts like I have mentioned numerous times already so I'll try and make it brief.

As a kid I collected cards. I loved it. Collect em, trade em it was a blast. However when I hit my teen years I stopped. Last year I started again after a very long time. In my "Inaugural Season" I collected Topps, Topps U&H, Topps heritage, Topps A&G, and Goudey. Needless to say I have not finished any of them yet. Because of this I decided, being the Topps man that I am, this year I would only collect Topps, Heritage and A&G. See where this is going?

I was doing really good until I saw what the Goodwins were going to look like and then I decided, well whats one more set. Mind you I haven't bought my first box of these yet but payday is right around the corner. Now thanks to Adam I have to work on O-Pee Chee and Goudey too. I can't just have these great cards from those sets. Thanks Adam for bleeding my bank account dry. HA! :)

Alex Shelley

2009-09-22T16:56:00.000-04:00

I got this autograph at The Broome County Arena in Binghamton, NY when TNA wrestling came to town. I always heard that this guy has an attitude and pretty much thinks his shit don't stink. After meeting him I tend to agree. He just did not seem happy to be there and in general just treated everyone like crap. Which is a shame because he is one of my favorite wrestlers. He was nice enough to sign this for me though so I guess I gotta thank him for that.

Alex Shelley was born Patrick Martin on May 23 1983 in Detroit, Michigan. He was initially trained by Bobo Brown and Breyer Wellington. He then joined BCW Can-AM Wrestling School and was trained by Scott D'Amore and Joe E. Legend and on March 2, 2002 made his wrestling debut as Alex Shelley. He chose his name by combining the forename of Alex DeLarge, the protagonist of the 1962 book A Clockwork Orange and the surname from Pete Shelley, the lead singer of the 1970's punk band, The Buzzcocks.

Shelley has wrestled for numerous independent promotions across the United States including, Border City Wrestling, Combat Zone Wrestling, All American Wrestling and many more including my local wrestling affiliate Squared Circle Wrestling. He has also worked for Ring of Honor (ROH), Total Nonstop Action (TNA) and even had a tryout match for the WWE back June 12, 2005. He fought Simon Dean on an international version of WWE Heat in a losing effort after being hit with the Simonizor. Unfortunately, nothing came of it.

Shelley debuted in Ring of Honor in 2003. He has wrestled there as recently as 2008 and in his time there has fought many great wrestlers including Steve Corino, Bryan Danielson and CM Punk. He had his own faction in ROH called Generation Next which consisted of himself, Austin Aeries, Jack Evans and Roderick Strong. He did not hold a title during his time in ROH but along with Jimmy Rave and Abyss did win the Trios tournament in 2006.

Shelley signed a non-exclusive contract with TNA on July 8, 2004. He was paired with Goldy Locks and named "Baby Bear" Alex Shelley. Shelley requested his release from TNA later that year after then booker, Dusty Rhodes, stopped utilizing him. He re-signed with the company in 2005 after Dusty Rhodes stepped down as booker. In TNA he has wrestled in both the X Division as well as in the Tag Division, wrestling the likes of AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Sonjay Dutt, Eric Young and the Dudley Boys. He is a former TNA X-Division Champion and has also won the Chris Candido Memorial Cup with Sean Waltman (X-pac) and was part of the team to with the TNA World X Cup in 2006 with Chris Sabin, Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal. He currently wrestles mostly as part of the Tag Team, The Motor City Machine Guns with partner Chris Sabin.

Trade with Roll Out the Barrel

2009-09-20T15:20:00.006-04:00

Alright I was finally able to get to a scanner so I wanted to get caught up on some trades that I did recently. Today we have Ed at Roll Out the Barrel. I got a nice box full of cards from Ed a couple weeks ago and I want to apologize to him for a couple things, first not thanking him sooner and secondly not mailing out his return package yet. I pulled a bunch of cards for you and I will be putting them in the mail for you tomorrow.

I got so many cards from so many different sets I'm not even sure where to begin on this one. Thanks to Ed I have eliminated some cards from the following lists, 1983 Topps, 1991 Topps, 2006 Topps, 2007 Topps, 2008 Topps, 2008 Topps Updates and Highlights, 2008 Topps A&G, 2008 Topps Heritage, 2009 Topps, 2009 Topps Heritage, and 2009 Topps A&G, as well as some various mini cards as well.

I decided to start things off with these two great 1983 cards. We'll start first with "The Kid" Gary Carter. A guy who hams it up anytime the cameras are around. If anyone was meant for a NY team, its Carter. A guy that can definitely handle the press and without his arrival to the Mets one would have to wonder if the 86 Mets could have won it all. Don't get me wrong, they were one hell of a team without the Kid, with Hernandez, Gooden, Knight, Strawberry and many more but having the Kid behind the plate definitely helped.

I also needed to include this great George Brett card because when I was little my first real baseball bat was a Louisville Slugger, George Brett bat. Not only that but I also had a George Brett glove. The funny part is, when I got them I don't even think I knew who George Brett was. Ahh to be a kid again.

Next up we have this nice 2008 Carlos Beltran Topps Heritage card. I chose this one to show because I have always been a Beltran detractor. He got his contract from the Mets after his amazing 2004 postseason and I never thought he lived up to it. Now that his contract is almost up and I take a step back and look at his production, I started to finally get on the bandwagon, especially with the way he started off the 2009 season. Hitting for average and hitting lots of balls in the gap as opposed for hitting for power. As soon as I do, what happens? He spends half the season on the D/L. Ask Steve from the Easy Life, I am the biggest jinx in the world. Anytime someone has a no-hitter going I put on the game and they blow it as soon as I do. If you have a favorite player who came close but blew it just blame me, it's probably my fault.

Lastly we have this great 2008 A&G Charles Dickens. My favorite set and a card for a man who wrote one of my favorite stories, A Christmas Carol. I actually performed A Christmas Carol at a theatre in Scranton, PA back in 1999. I played Fred, Scrooge's nephew. I used to act a lot back in those days. Did many plays/musicals in both NY and PA. A Christmas Carol was one of the best shows I ever had the privilege to work on. Unfortunately I had to quit acting due to my work schedule, but now that I have a better shift at work who knows maybe I can get back into it.

I want to again thank Ed again for all of these cards and again I will get your cards out in the mail tomorrow.

2CW - My Sacrifice

2009-09-12T00:13:00.000-04:00

Here's a great video showcasing my local wrestling company, 2CW, Where wrestling is the entertainment!!! This video includes wrestlers such as, Main Event Jason Axe, Isys Ephex, Slyck Wagner Brown and many more. This is a great montage of this company and definitely worth a watch.

Blair Witch Project 3 of 3

2009-09-11T17:39:00.001-04:00

After the eight grueling days were over, shooting wrapped and the arduous task of editing material began. In all, Ed and Dan had over 19 hours of usable footage. They kept their promise to John Pierson by producing a segment for the second season of Splitscreen. The piece, now featuring a new cast appeared on Bravo in April of 1998. The discrepancies in the cast seemed to matter little to the fans who were so enthralled by the plight of these students.

Throughout the Summer and Fall of 1998 the picture played in a handful of smaller film festivals across the country. Those successes eventually led to their acceptance into the Sundance Film Festival in 1999. In the early morning hours of January 22nd, 1999, The Blair Witch Project was the first film to be picked up from that years festival when a young company called Artisan snatched up the rights for reportedly between $1 and $1.5 million.

The next six to seven months before the film was released in theatres became a blur for the duo. They appeared on magazine covers, talk-shows, and even went to the Cannes Film Festival in France, perhaps the most prestigious place on earth a filmmaker can have their work shown. On July 16, 1999, Artisan floated the film out in a limited release. Reports quickly came in of lines around the block and sold-out theatres everywhere it was playing. Two weeks later, on July 30th, the film went wide across the country.

America had a severe case of "Blair Witch" fever. Despite Artisan's backpedaling on the "true story" angle as the release approached, large numbers of moviegoers were still confused as to what was reality and what wasn't. This created a fog of mystery and intrigue around the film, which only helped catapault its numbers even higher. In its opening weekend the film took in almost $30 million. It went on to make almost the same the next weekend, a feat almost unheard of with theatrical releases. When it was all said and done the film grossed over $140 million in the U.S. alone, the worldwide total was somewhere in the neighborhood of $248 million.

As for me personally, I love this movie. I watch it every couple of weeks. It never gets stale for me. I love the concept, though not original as many might think it be. More hardcore horror fans know this movie is very much like the 1980 film Cannibal Holocaust, which is quite possibly the most shocking and controversial film ever made. Due to graphic violence and actual animals being killed, the film is still banned in many countries. However the plot is essentially the same. A group of people go out in the woods, this time the jungles of the amazon to prove cannibals do not exist. (more on this film in a later post) When they dont come home, their footage is found and viewed. Ed and Dan claim to have never seen the movie prior to making the Blair Witch Project.

However with its amazing marketing campaign, how little the movie cost to make and what it pulled in this movie by far gets 5 Burning Skulls. Was it the scariest movie? No. Was it the goriest movie? Absolutely not. But the acting was so good to the point that even though most of us knew it was fake we thought the reactions were real. And the way the characters played off each other, everything in this film from pre to post production was done beautifully and will be appreciated by many for years to come. Again, Happy Birthday Blair Witch Project. Please enjoy the trailer below followed by some brief where are they now's with the actors. Pleasant dreams!

Heather Donahue: Heather has continued to pursue acting, mostly in television. Recent roles include the sci-fi original Manticore and 2008's The Morgue. In recent years Heather has sought to distance herself from anything Blair Witch related.

Joshua Leonard: Josh has remained active as an actor in both independent film and television. He recently made the jump to directing, and is currently helming a drama titled Everything's Alright.

Mike C Williams: Mike took a three year hiatus from acting but returned to positive reviews in Ed Sanchez's film Altered. He has also worked with Dan Myrick again, co-starring in the film The Objective. Mike has his own website, www.dearmrspielberg.com

Blair Witch Project 2 of 3

2009-09-10T16:53:00.001-04:00

The casting process was very important because all of the "found footage" had to be shot by the actors themselves. Because of this they not only needed people who could act but also people who could work cameras and sound equipment or were at least willing to learn.

One actor who was all but cast even before the auditions started was Josh Leonard. He learned about the project about a year earlier while living in New York and working for a Documentary production company. After seeing a listing and getting in contact with Ed, the two remained in sporadic touch. The casting notice that went out made no bones about what potential the actors were getting into. As Heather Donahue recalled during an interview on the Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn in 1999, the notice said something to the effect of "Completely improvised film, shot in a wooded location, shooting is going to suck as much as you can possibly imagine."

Even after reading that over 2,000 people came out to audition for the roles of the final 2 campers. Josh read with many of the hopefuls. When Heather entered the room, Dan Myrick walked up to her and said "You've served 7 years of a 9 year sentence, why should we let you out on parole?" Her impromptu performance won her the role of the director.

Rounding out the cast was a young, trained actor from New York City named Mike Williams. He was fresh out of college and looking for his first film role. Williams background was strong and improv and personally believes he got the part because himself and Josh became fast friends at casting and that initial chemistry won him the role.
The Blair Witch project was shot over the course of eight days in October 1997. The scenes in the woods that make up the majority of the movie were shot in Seneca Creek State Park in Maryland, with much of the interviews and documentary footage being shot in the real life nearby town of Burkittsville.

Contrary to popular belief, the trio of actors were not simply sent out into the woods without direction or any idea of what was happening. they were equipped with a GPS and each day were given a set of coordinates. In addition, each was given a small film canister with their name on it, with character directions for that day that were to be kept to themselves.

During the day, Dan, Ed and Greg Hale would stalk the actors using Hale's military training. All of the actors stated they stayed in character for the vast majority of their time in the woods and only occasionally would the producers make themselves known to assure the actors that everything was going according to plan.

Nightfall was when all bets were off. The producers would ascend on the actors while they slept and begin their harassment. This including, stalking, pre-recorded noises, physically messing with their tent and belongings. It's a common misconception that at these points in the film what you see on screen is not acting but rather genuine reactions to the frightening things happening around them.

Unlike most narratively traditional films, the conditions and setup required that the picture be shot in chronological order. This led to the final scene at the house in the woods, which turned out to be the one major exception to the hands-off policy. Due to some technical issues on the first pass, the final scene was actually shot over multiple nights and required a little more direction by Ed and Dan in order for everything to appear seamless in the final cut. Once that was finished, the real story had just begun.

Check back tomorrow for the conclusion of my review of the Blair Witch Project.

Blair Witch Project 1 of 3

2009-09-06T22:55:00.003-04:00

Let me start by wishing The Blair Witch Project a Happy 10th Birthday. Thats right. Ten years ago the world was swept up by Blair Witch Mania. You could not read the paper, watch television or even talk with your friends without someone bringing up this movie. This was thanks to the excellent marketing campaign the creators, Dan Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez. Including a special one-hour show that appeared on, the then, Sci-fi Channel, entitled Curse of the Blair Witch which included friends and teachers, along with TV spots from news shows all to create further realism for this movie. Hell, there are still people out there today who actually believe this is a true story. When I went to see it in the theatre's I even stayed through the credits just to see that little note at the end that says this is a work of fiction, any resemblance to actual people or events, blah blah blah.

Dan and Eduardo met in film school in the early 90's while attending the University of Central Florida in Orlando. While bonding over their mutual love of horror films they discovered they shared and interest in one particular sub-genre, the grainy, documentary-style films and television specials from the 70's. This was where the idea for the Blair Witch Project was born.

The initial concept was simple. A film crew gets lost in the woods, and their footage is found some time later. At the start, their idea was to have the film be shot and edited like an actual documentary, showing the students footage, but also cutting back and forth between other interviews and expert analysis. This additional footage would later become the Curse of the Blair Witch special. With inspiration but no money the project was put on the back burner.

After graduation Ed moved back to Maryland and Dan stayed in Orlando where he began working in the production industry. While there Dan formed a relationship with a young producer named Gregg Hale who liked the project so much he put up the money for Dan to rent a production office and shoot what he describes as an "investor reel." It was just a short proof of concept video, shot with different actors than who would appear in the actual movie. What happened next is hard to dismiss as anything but pure fate.

John Pierson, a long time independent film guru was in town shooting a segment for his show Splitscreen on Bravo and needed a local camera crew. Dan got the job and over the course of the shoot became good friends with John. Myrick sent him the investor reel once Pierson got back to New York and almost immediately received a call back asking if the footage was real.

Pierson decided he wanted to show the footage during the last segment of the first season of his show as a cliffhanger and he would provide the money for a second segment to premiere his second season. It aired in the Fall of 1997 and after the initial airings the message boards at Splitscreens official website lit up with people wanting to know more about the students.

Ed now joined Dan in Florida and created a web page of their own. Creating an entire mythos and history along with message boards of their own. With the internet buzz going and funds coming in from Pierson and what Dan and Ed were able to get together it was time for them to put their money where their mouths were. They knew they had to find their actors.

Tune in tomorrow for part 2

TNA Wrestling Releases Angelina Love

2009-09-05T21:51:00.000-04:00

In a very shocking turn of events TNA has released Angelina love from her contract late Thursday night. Angelina was a major part of the TNA Knockouts division and a former TNA Knockouts Champion. Love along with her partner Velvet Sky were set to take part in the finals of the TNA Knockouts Tag Title Tournament. It will be interesting to see how TNA will explain this.

Love is a Canadian citizen. She came to the U.S. to work for the WWE and got a work visa to be is this country. However, when she was let go from WWE in May 2007 the visa is deemed invalid. Basically, if you are not a legal citizen of the United States, you must apply for a new working visa each time you start work with a new employer. Seeing as how Love, real name, Lauren Williams, is a Canadian citizen working in the U.S., she falls under this category. The person applying must initiate the matter themselves by either having: enough money in the bank to support themselves; a U.S. sponsor; or a company confirming they will employ them in the U.S.

In September 2007, Love was contacted by TNA to appear at their annual October pay-per-view, Bound For Glory, TNA's version of Wrestlemania. For all of the debuting Knockouts, including Love, the 10-Knockout gauntlet to crown the first ever TNA Knockout Champion was a tryout match. She passed with flying colors and was contacted only days later to sign a contract with the company and became a regular television character. As a matter of fact Love with her partner Velvet Sky otherwise known as the Beautiful People are regularly one of the highest rated portions of TNA Impact on Spike. However this is where the problem first occurred.

From a legal standpoint, her work visa issues were supposed to be taken care of before she could sign a contract with TNA but Love did not do so. Likewise, company officials carelessly ignored the issue as well. Considering Love has been working without a visa for the past two years, both she and TNA could face serious legal ramifications should Federal agents become informed of the situation. As for a possible punishment, Love could be subject to deportation and banned from entering the U.S. for ten years. She may also be forced to pay back any money she garnered by working in the U.S. as an "illegal immigrant". It wasn't until recently that this situation was brought to the attention of TNA President, Dixie Carter, and Love was promptly released.

Hopefully this entire situation can somehow be worked out as Love was an intregal part of the Knockouts division and will certainly be missed by friends, fans and co-workers. Please enjoy the match below, Angelina Love vs. Tara at Victory Road 2009. And to Lauren Williams, if we do not see you again, thanks for the memories.

A little bit of this, A little bit of that

2009-08-31T21:50:00.000-04:00

Got a little bit of everything here today in this post. First I want to start by thanking the following people, Matt from A Giant Blog, Kerry from Cards on Cards, Greg from Night Owl Cards, Steve from A Baseball State of Mind, Jeff from Card Junkie and of course Steve from the Easy Life and anyone else whose package I may have missed. Unfortunately I got so many and they got all mixed up so other than the posts I already put up I am so scrambled on who gave me what but they are all appreciated very much. I also, as I've said in the past, don't have a scanner so its hard for me to get stuff on when I get it. Since I could only do a few individual posts I wanted to do a big group thanks to you all.

I also want to send another thank you to Card Cache for running his 2009 Allen and Ginter contest. I was one of the 9 winners chosen, well 8 really, damn you Beardy. That was a really cool thing to do and really appreciated. Thanks to Card Cache I am the new owner of, Prize E: Lot of 46 Mini's, both base and SP.

You'd think I won an award or something with all the thank you's. While I'm at it I may as well also thank the Academy. "You like me, you really like me!"

Moving on. August 15 was my birthday and I was finally able to get a copy of this so even though it more than two weeks later I gotta post it. My mother made me this cake for my birthday.

Starry Night is my favorite painting. I have a huge print over my bed in my bedroom. I could not believe when my mom showed me this. It blew my mind. And those are all cupcakes. I think its insane.

Here's another pic with the border she used to make it look framed. Amazing! If ya can't tell, yes I am a Momma's boy. And in honor of Starry Night, one of my favorite cards.

He likes hanging out with the yo-yo champ and the electron in the Milky Way. Damn, I love Allen & Ginter!

Finally today I want to leave you with a trailer you may or may not have seen. Unfortunately Youtube has disabled the embed funtion for it but please follow the link below to view iti On February 12, 2010, I will be in the movie theater for the first showing. Anthony Hopkins and Benicio Del Toro in the remake of The Wolfman. I have a problem with sequels. Mostly just because they usually suck in comparison to the original but there are some which I have enjoyed, 13 Ghosts, House on Haunted Hill (Though the original was much better), Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Again, original better but remake good as well) and Quarantine just to name a few. But this movie looks amazing and with the all-star cast that it has I can not wait to see this film! The countdown begins.

The Wolfman 2009

1987 Topps set Complete - Thanks to My Giant

2009-08-29T10:43:00.004-04:00

Got a package from Matt over at A Giant blog which helped me close out my 1987 topps set. The woodgrain is finally finished. I know a lot of people like this set but I never really got into it too much. I've always been an 86 man myself. Which I am very close on. (hint hint everyone). I also got a bunch of 89 Donruss but none of them were on my list. Thats cool though got some good cards though including a Darryl Strawberry and a Dave Winfield.

I only needed 3 more cards for the set and here they are.

I needed 2 Pete Rose cards and a checklist. There's just something about that that I find hilarious. I've been going nuts for these cards for I don't even know how long and 2 are the same player and a checklist. Well thats another set down. Thanks again Matt. This one's for you.

Ha thats like the worst movie ever made

Halloween 2 (2009)

2009-08-28T18:20:00.002-04:00

I'm going to start first by saying, I like Rob Zombie. I like his music, I like his other movies, House of 1000 Corpses & The Devil's Rejects and I love his wife. Sheri Moon is hot. But I just do not like his vision of the Halloween series. I absolutely hated the first one. My major problem was the original revolved around Jamie Lee Curtis's character where as in Zombie's version her character doesn't even show up until almost an hour in and the character is just plain forgettable and seems almost like an after thought. So when I heard there was going to be a Zombie sequel I expected the worst. However after seeing the trailer I thought it looked a million times better than the first one so I figured I'd give it a shot.

Picking up right where the first film left off, Laurie is taken to the hospital after supposedly killing the man who was responsible for the deaths of several people in the town of Haddonfield, Illinois. However, her stay at Haddonfield General becomes very brief when a very much alive Michael appears once more, brutally murdering everyone in the hospital to find his sister. Michael disappears, and Laurie survives the infamous Halloween massacre, but is still haunted by it a year later. Laurie struggles to come to terms with her dark past, or at least forget it. But the supposedly dead Michael Myers has other plans, and as the anniversary of his massacre approaches, he returns to Haddonfield once more, with a family reunion planned that Laurie will never forget.

While the film starts off looking like its going to be a remake of the original after about 10 - 15 minutes you see that just like the first film it is definitely a completely different movie. Maybe its because of the original being a horror movie classic or maybe its because Jamie Lee Curtis was so great in her role but I cannot stand Scout Taylor-Compton in the role of Laurie. I think she is a horrible actress and does a horrible job playing a once great heroine.

The movie was however, as I expected, better than Zombie's first shot at the Halloween series. Some great death scenes, great gore and sound effects really add to this movie. Overall though its not something that I think you should dish out X amount of dollars to see in the theaters it isn't a bad movie. But definitely one you wait to see on cable. 3 Burning Skulls. Enjoy the trailer and pleasant dreams.

TTM - Lee Smith

2009-08-27T14:00:00.000-04:00

Today's autograph is a man who deserves to be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame, hands down, no questions asked. The fact that he is not in the Hall in my eyes is an absolute travesty. I am speaking of the former saves record holder Lee Smith.

Lee Smith was born on December 4, 1957 in Shreveport Louisiana. He pitched for 8 teams over an 18 year career in Major League Baseball. He was scouted by great Negro League Player, Buck O'Neil, and drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the second round as the 28th overall pick in the 1975 Major League Draft. Smith started his career as a starting pitcher but struggled in the minors and was moved to the bullpen in 1978. Smith was not happy with the move and tried his hand at college basketball instead at Northwestern State University. In 1979 at the request of former Cubs outfielder, Billy Williams, Smith returned to the AA Midland Cubs as a reliever and played so well he was promoted to AAA in 1980. With the Cubs struggling in last place that year he was given a September call-up.

Smith made his Major League debut on September 1, 1980 against the Atlanta Braves. Smith pitched one inning, giving up no hits, striking out one and walking two. He finished the season with the Cubs and was invited back in 1981 mostly as a middle reliever. A poor pitching year was broken up by the 1981 Baseball Strike. He finished that year with a 3.51 ERA.

The 1981 Cubs closer, Dick Tidrow, had a horrible year and in 1982 Smith, Willie Hernandez, and Bill Campbell all shared closing duties. Smith pitched so well he even started 5 games in 1982. He credits returning Cubs star, Ferguson Jenkins with helping him simplify his delivery and teaching him the forkball and the slider. In 1982, in what would be his last career start, he picked up his first Major League hit, a homerun, against Hall of Famer Phil Niekro. He only managed 2 singles for the rest of his career. He saved 17 games in 1982.

In 1983 he was chosen for his first All-Star appearance though he did not fare well surrendering 2 runs. Although the Cubs continued to lose Smith was pitching great finishing the year with career best 1.65 ERA and 29 saves. He received 1 point in the Cy Young balloting and 8 points in the MVP ballots. He spent his longest tenure with the Cubs pitching for them from 1980 - 1987.

Smith also played for the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, California Angels, Cincinnati Reds, and Montreal Expos before retiring in 1997. He finished his career with, at the time, a Major League Record 478 saves and a 3.03 ERA. In 1991, Smith set a National League record with 47 saves for the St. Louis Cardinals and was runner-up for the league's Cy Young award; it was the second of three times he led the NL in saves, and he later led the American League, once while with the Baltimore Orioles in 1994. He also set the major league career record for games finished (802), and his 1,022 career games pitched were the third most in history when he retired; he still holds the team records for career saves for the Cubs (180), and he also held the Cardinals record (160) until 2006. He is a 7-time All Star, 3-time Rolaids Relief Man of the Year, once in the AL and twice in the NL.

Give me one good reason why this man shouldn't be in the Hall!!!

A Trip to the Card Shop

2009-08-26T18:34:00.004-04:00

Last weekend I went to the local card shop looking to eliminate some cards from my want lists. They have tons of 10 cent commons so Steve, from The Easy Life, and I spent 5 hours going through boxes of cards. I left with just under 800 cards from my lists. Got a lot closer on a lot of sets. I am now only a few away on the 2006 & 2007 Topps sets. I'm so close I can taste it. Anyway, as I was going through the boxes I came across a set that I fell in love with. 1995 Studio. Here's a front and back view for those of you who are not familiar with the set.

I love the look. I love the way they look just like credit cards right down to the last detail. I was able to find 30 cards from this 200 card set. After very little deliberation I knew I had to have them. It went something like this.

(Joe) Wow. I really like these cards. Maybe I should grab them. I don't know, I'm just trying to buy cards I need right now.

(Steve) Oh just get them, you know you want to.

(Joe) OK

And that was that. However after getting them home and looking online it is very hard to locate boxes of these cards. Thats where you all come in. (Hopefully) I've added a new want list for this set up and I'm asking for your help to finish it.

I don't know what it is with me. I seem to have a thing for weird cards. I love this set because of their interesting look. I love the A & G sets for their non-baseball cards. I mean c'mon who doesn't want a baseball card thats an electron ala 09 A & G. That just makes me laugh. And for some reason I have to have them.

This has given me an idea. All of the blogs I read on here have their own quirk when it comes to cards they collect. Whether it be their favorite team ala White Sox Cards, A Giant Blog, or Thoughts & Sox or Night Owl who loves collecting great cards taken at night. Well I have a request. I want to start collecting weird cards. Cards that have a unique look, have players doing weird or funny things or baseball cards that have absolutely nothing to do with baseball.

If you know any full sets I should check out let me know. Or if you have some cards that you think I would appreciate please let me know. Your assistance is always appreciated.

Fresh Meat

2009-08-25T10:00:00.000-04:00

I know most of the people that read this site are card collectors but I have come across some great blogs which I have added to my scroll and wanted to give you all a heads up about them because they are all great in their own special way.

Final Girl - This is a great horror movie site. Good reviews (much better than I could ever do) and a great sense of humor make this site lots of fun. She also talks about a lot of obscure stuff you may not otherwise hear about in the horror world.

Drunken Severed Head - I really like this guys site. A lot of personal experience stuff here but all horror a macabre related. Great read.

Frankensteinia - A site dedicated entirely to Frankenstein. He talks movies, comics, masks, cons, zines, anything and everything to do with everyones favorite monster Frankenstein.

Beautiful Wrestling - Great site dedicated to the women of professional wrestling. Great picture of some of the most beautiful women in the world and reports on what these ladies can do in the ring.

Steve's Wrestling Blog - great site for news and results. Steve details weekly shows as well as Pay Per View's in great detail. Very good read.

So please feel free to check out these sites. Help a Blogga out!

Frankenstein - 1931

2009-08-24T12:00:00.001-04:00

Here is another great card that I got from Night Owl.

Why am I putting up a card of Mary Shelley you ask? Because this is the very talented woman who penned the classic, Frankenstein. Which is today's movie of the day.

Dr. Frankenstein is trying to create life from death. After being shunned by the medical community he previously worked with he has been reduced to stealing bodies from local graves and putting his creature together piece by piece until there's only one piece left, the brain. His assistant (not Ygor, he doesn't show up until a couple movies later) steals a brain from the local university. However the brain he steals is actually a murderer's brain. Once pieced together Frankenstein's monster is brought to life but Dr. Frankenstein and his colleagues are unable to contain the monster and he breaks free. Once out in the open the town mobs together to destroy the monster, but can they destroy what is essentially already dead?

This movie is definitely a classic and Boris Karloff is amazing as the monster. You may be wondering why I keep calling him the monster and not Frankenstein. Well that is because that was his name, the monster. In all of the movies he is never actually named. The name Frankenstein comes from his creator, Dr. Frankenstein. I'm not to sure what I can say about this film that has not been said over the years but it is a great movie to see.

The thing I love most about this film is the pity you feel for Karloff as the Monster. The more you watch the more you realize that this movie is a parody on society. Frankenstein himself does not act out at all unless someone treats him bad. Which is evidenced by his interaction with the little girl. Frankenstein himself even with a killer's brain was not a killer, more of a misunderstood soul. The film shows how we as a society try to destroy and hate all that we do not understand.

I will say this is not my favorite of the Frankenstein films. To be honest I think the best was the sequel Bride of Frankenstein. You felt even more for the monster and the special effects, yes thats right I said special effects, for a movie made in 1935 are amazing.

The original though still is a landmark in cinematic history and gets 4 burning skulls from me. Please enjoy the trailer below and again thanks to Night Owl for the card. Pleasant Dreams!

Contest

2009-08-23T19:57:00.001-04:00

There is a great contest going on right now over a Card Cache, If you haven't already checked it out you definitely should. Lots of great 09 A&G giveaways. Check it out!

Trade With Night Owl

2009-08-23T10:31:00.000-04:00

When I got back into blogging after some months off I was very happy to see that everyone (for the most part) was still running great sites. One of my favorite reads has to be Night Owl. He always has good, long and interesting posts. I recently sent him some cards from his want lists and I just got a package back. The first thing I have to say is a big thank you. I got about 150 2006 Topps off my list, also some 08 A&G, 08 Topps, and 08 Heritage. But thats not all. Two days later I received an envelope in the mail saying he forgot to include these 2 cards.

This card is based on whats known as the "Surgeon's Photograph"

It was taken in 1934 and is probably the most famous picture of "Nessie" It was, at the time, considered good evidence for the existence of the Loch Ness Monster due to it showing the head and neck of the creature where as prior photographs only showed humps and water disturbances. It was supposedly taken by Robert Kenneth Wilson of London and published in The Daily Mail in April 21 1934. When it ran Wilson refused to have his name run with the picture and with him being a doctor came the name Surgeon's Photograph.

This card however could just as easily been in the Hoax sub-set as many years later it was revealed that the photo was a fake. A man by the name of Christian Spurling who formerly worked for The Daily Mail was the one who actually sent it in to the paper. It was actually a toy submarine with carved wood for the head and neck. He sent it in after his father-in-law was ridiculed by the publication.

Also from my favorite sub-set we have The Vampire. I love vampires. Always have. I love reading about them, and watching movies about them. All the way back to the silent movie classic Nosferatu, which at the time was considered so scary people actually fainted in the audience while watching it. Here's a picture.

The scene with him rising straight up out of his coffin stiff as a board is still one of my favorite cinematic moments ever. For any other Vamp fans out there I recommend Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse Series of books. They have been turned into the very popular HBO series True Blood which is also very good. It is a different take on the whole Vampire idea. In both the show and book the Vampires "Come out of the Coffin" and admit to the world they are real and try to live in modern society. Very Interesting.

Well I think i've gone on enough of a tangent here. Just wanna say thanks again to Night Owl. I will keep my eyes peeled for anything you need in the future. And between Night Owl, another package I got which I will mention in a future post, and a recent trip to the card store I am VERY close to completing the 2006 Topps Set. Please help me finish this one off.

2CW

2009-08-19T12:30:00.000-04:00

2CW otherwise known as Squared Circle Wrestling is a local independent wrestling company run out of Syracuse, NY. They travel through the Upstate, NY region putting on shows in Syracuse, Binghamton, and Watertown amongst other places. They have recently started branching out and will begin doing shows in PA and MA.

Their slogan is "Where Wrestling is the Entertainment" And nothing could be more true. They work their storylines right into the matches and pre-match interviews. So when you go to their shows, instead of seeing two hours of soap operas you get 3 plus hours of wrestling.

They have their own group of local talent who live in Syracuse and work their shows on a regular basis but they also bring in talent from ROH and TNA as well. We have also gotten to see former WWE stars such as Scotty too Hottie, The Blue Meanie and Hacksaw Jim Duggan. From ROH we have gotten El Generico, Nigel McGuiness, Bryan Danielson, Die Hard Eddie Edwards and All Money is Legal. From TNA we have seen A.J. Styles, Homicide, The Motor City Machine Guns, and Samoa Joe.

The show has an old ECW feel to it. The fans really do become part of the show. They just had a show on my Birthday in Syracuse. Unfortunately I was unable to attend but I have included a video to hype up the show just so you can get a feel for the product. Steve at The Easy Life will definitely like this one. Definitely low budget but lots of fun. After the shows the wrestlers all come out and talk to you, sign autographs and just hang out. It's a great time. Check out 2CW.com for more details.

1991 Score

2009-08-18T11:00:00.001-04:00

Went to the card shop again today. Bought myself some random packs as well as a box of 1991 Score. I still needed a ton of these so I thought this box would definitely help. Unfortunately I need to look a little closer next time. I didn't realize the 91 set was broken up into series 1 and series 2. This was a box of series 1.

Don't get me wrong I still needed a ton of series 1 but I need a whole lot more series 2. I made out pretty well though, eliminating 122 cards from my want list. Here's some notes on this set.

First we have a bunch of the Score All-star cards. I like the look of these. Then again I've always been a fan of the drawn look. Plus the big heads make me laugh. Canseco's is probably in proportion though. Which brings me to....

Body by Roids. Ha! This looks more like a cover of Playgirl than a baseball card. I think the only card that "topps" this one is the Upperdeck card that calls him the best "natural" athlete. I can't remember the year. I think that may have been their 91 set also.

I like these too. Score should have taken the K-Men, the All-stars, the Dream Team and rookie cards and made them into inserts instead of making this set an ungodly 893 cards big.

What are your thoughts on the set? Let me know and please check out my want lists to help me finish this one off.

Birthday Present

2009-08-16T15:35:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned, yesterday was my birthday, and my mother knows how much I love the 2009 Topps A&G set. So get this, she bought me 4 boxes of A&G. The only issue was she got them on Ebay and thought she was getting 4 regular boxes. What we got we're 4 boxes you would find in Wal-mart or Target. Am I complaining? Hell no!!! So what if I didn't get 12 game used. I still made out like a bandit and got a big chunk of my favorite set out of the way. 96 packs/6 cards per pack. I'll take it. Check out my updated want list to see what I mean. I have added my mini want list as well since I now have a good enough amount to put a want list up. Here are just a few of the cards I got.

I got a bunch of the Hoaxes, Hoodwinks and Bamboozles cards. I got all of the following:

If only that one was real.

I think this one is hilarious. There was a guy in the machine the whole time

Who would actually believe they could buy The Eiffel Tower for scrap metal. Dumb Ass!!!

Great April Fool's prank!!!

I was also able to add 1, yes only 1, Creature to my collection. So unfortunately I still need 16 more of these. Too bad it wasn't a uh do I still call em "game used"?

Finally I also got what is now officially my favorite game used ever. Mr Yo-Yo Champion himself.

I got plenty other great cards, including a hand #'d Chad Billingsly. So I now have 2 hand numbered from the set. I also got a bunch of the National Hero's cards. I originally was not going to collect these but since I now have about 1/4 of them I figure I may as well. Again everyone please check out my want list for the update. Please help out if you can.

Happy Birthday to Me - Who's on first

2009-08-15T13:26:00.001-04:00

Today is my birthday. I turn 29 today. Almost to the big 30. Scary stuff. Anyway I know we all have seen this a million times in the past but it's my day so I do what I want!!!

Random Pack of the Day - 1992 Donruss

2009-08-14T12:34:00.000-04:00

This was a fat pack. 27 cards. Only got one off my want list though. I have a ton of doubles on this set so if anyone need any just let me know. Another set that's definitely not one of my favorites but there have been worse sets.

Got some good players here, even though they were all doubles. Here are just a few of them.

Always nice to have a good rookie. Kenny Lofton.....check!

You would think I was an Astro fan or something. I can assure you I am not. Don't even get me started about Scott scuffing balls.

Not a Yankee fan either. As a matter of fact I despise the Yankees. I bleed orange and blue but you can't deny the career that Mattingly had, that's for sure.

Also included in this pack was:

Dennis Eckersley
David Cone (would've put a pic up but couldn't find a photo)
Lenny Dykstra (Nails was playing for the evil Phillies at the time)
Tommy Greene Highlights card (no hitter) I actually have two of these autographed by Mr. Greene already
John Olerud (The boy in the helmet)
Roberto Alomar (Waste of a lot of NY money)
Joel Skinner
Rick Aguilera (should've held onto him for a couple more years)
Checklist 160 (WOOOOOOHOOOOOOO)
Chris James (I'm CHRIS James, Bitch)
Pat Combs
Walt Weiss
Ken Caminiti
Mike Pagliarulo
Joey Cora
Chuck Crim
Steve Olin
Eric Yelding
B.J. Surhoff (who names there son BJ?)
Kelly Gruber
Jay Buhner
Bud Black (Budweiser's new Stout)
Dan Pasqua
Robby Thompson

Random Pack of the Day - 1990 Topps Big

2009-08-13T12:33:00.000-04:00

I recently purchased a box with a bunch of random packs in it so I figured I would do a series of posts on each pack. Let me know your thoughts on the sets.

We'll start first today with 1990 Topps Big. Definitely not my favorite set but I have seen much worse.

There are 8 cards to a pack and I made ok in this one. We'll start out first with one that Kerry from Cards on Cards will appreciate. Mr. Backflip himself, Ozzie Smith

He was Mr. Charisma as well. As a kid I couldn't believe the way he played the game. He was just an all-around great player. Wouldn't have minded having him on the Mets in the late 80's/early 90's. I also love that the stat on the back is that one of Ozzie's favorite activities is playing Backgammon. Well, I can rest in peace now that I know that.

Also got one of my favorite NY Mets of all time. Too bad his career was cut short due to some personal demons. Darryl Strawberry

Unfortunately I do not have a scanner so I am relying on the pictures I can find on the web and I was unable to find this card but I was able to find this classic picture from The Simpsons.

DARRYL.........DARRYL........DARRYL!

Also included in this pack was George Bell, Craig Worthington, Mark Lemke, Bob Geren, Jody Reed, and Carlos Martinez. Well I guess this is another set I'll have to start working on now. I won't put a want list up though until I get a few more. "8 isn't enough" (boy, I'm dating myself) to start a list. The list is big enough already.

Them

2009-08-12T12:30:00.000-04:00

My horror collection is not just American films. I also love foreign films as well. To be honest right now Asia is putting out much better horror films then the U.S. by far. We just keep stealing them and making our own versions of them instead of releasing the originals, which is a shame.

I don't mind sub-titles. I know a lot of people hate them but they have never bothered me. Currently I have horror movies in Spanish, Korean, Japanese and now I have just added French, with the amazing movie Them. (French Title: Ils)

Clementine is a French teacher living in Romania. She lives there with her husband Lucas, who is a writer. One evening Clementine is awakened by the sound of music coming from their driveway. Her and Lucas head outside where they see that Clementine's car has been moved. Lucas heads for the car when the headlights flash on and the car drives away. Back inside the lights suddenly go out, the phone is dead, eerie sounds and flashlights come from the windows and a night of terror has begun.

From the moment they wake up to the noises in the driveway the tension is turned up to 11. You are on the edge of your seat the entire time not quite sure who is there or what is happening. It is similar to the 2008 film The Strangers in the fact that they are trapped in their own home by an unknown person or persons. This film however came out in 2006 so one has to wonder if it played any part in The Strangers being made in the first place.

Clementine and Lucas are played beautifully by Olivia Bonamy and Michael Cohen. They are believable characters and they suck you in to the situation. You sympathize with the characters and hope they will make it out ok.

The lighting is great, the writing is great, as a matter of fact the only fault I can find in this movie is its length. At only 77 minutes the film is very short. I wish it was longer. I cannot fault the movie for that though. Everything else outweighs the fact that it could have been longer. The movie gets 5 Burning Skulls and is a definite must see for any horror fan. I am very happy to say I was able to find a U.S. trailer for this film, please enjoy below. Pleasant Dreams!

Creatures of Legend, Myth and Terror

2009-08-11T13:00:00.001-04:00

Ok, if you read this blog you know I am a horror buff. And if you read this blog you know how much I love A & G. And if you read this blog thank you! (all 4 of you, hehehe) So how happy was I that A & G included a mini set this year called Creatures of Legend, Myth and Terror? Words cannot express.

Here's what I have so far:

Unfortunately the Griffin card was just a copy and paste job so it doesn't look as good but man do I love this subset. I must have all of them. Still so many great one's to get. The Dragon, The Vampire, The Unicorn, Bigfoot!!!!

This is like the best of both worlds for me. If they could figure out a way to make them octogon cards with the creatures in a wrestling ring I'd be set for life. So far I have bought A box, 3 blasters and 2 random packs. I have 3 down and 17 to go. Please help a horror/card brotha out! :) ha!

1990 Score

2009-08-10T12:30:00.000-04:00

So I head down to my card shop the other day for some boxes, needed to put some stuff away & get some plastic ones to mail out stuff for you all. Anyway while I'm there I decided to pick up a couple packs of A & G. (Coming in a later post) and I look up and see some old boxes of cardboard goodness from the days where cards were a plenty. If you have checked my want list you see I still need a bunch of old stuff so I decided on a box of 1990 Score.

Not the most appealing set but I needed them. To be honest the only Score set I really like is 1988 and even they are ugly as hell. I have to say the collation was great. 16 cards a pack and I only wound up with maybe 10 - 20 doubles. That is just plain unheard of back then. I got rid of a bunch of cards from my want list including.........

#561 Ryne Sandberg error card showing him as a 3B not 2B. This card Beckett's for $8. Now I Know Beckett is stupid and if I did try to sell the card I'd be lucky to get $2 for it but here's what I found funny. The whole set is "worth" $15. So this one card is worth more than the rest of the set combined. Sorry White Sox, I cant give ya this one as I only got one, but if I had gotten 2 you know 1 would be coming your way for your little side project.

Got a bunch of other great cards and had a great time bustin the box. I have what few doubles I got in this box plus many from before, if you are looking for help with this set let me know. And again please check out my want lists, help me close this one out.

UFC 101 And Packages

2009-08-09T17:46:00.002-04:00

Wow. I sucked at predicting the UFC fights this time around too. If you are a betting person. Check my picks and go with the exact opposite of what I say. Didn't get a single fight right. You can check the matches below in an earlier post. Even though I picked Anderson Silva over Forrest Griffin I hyped how great Griffin's chin was and said Silva would have to submit him, instead what happens.....he gets knocked out three minutes into the fight. Thats why I give myself a zero this time around.

Very quick post today because I am working on your packages today. Just got out of work and I am putting them together now. You know who you all are. So expect a gift in the mail in the next couple days from me.

The House on Haunted Hill

2009-08-08T09:30:00.002-04:00

When I speak of this movie I do not mean the 1999 remake, I mean the 1959 original. Don't get me wrong, I actually did not mind the remake. I thought it was definitely one of the better remakes I've seen. Good casting, acting, and it followed the original almost to a T. Maybe that will be a future review but today I speak of the original. Please enjoy a plot summary below.

Millionaire playboy Fredrick Loren hosts a party for his 4th wife Annabelle Loren at the "House On Haunted Hill," a house that has seen seven murders, Fredrick invites 5 guests: Lance Schroeder,a pilot, Ruth Bridges, a journalist, Watson Prichard, the owner of The House On Haunted Hill, Nora Manning, a worker for one of Fredrick Loren's companies, and David Trent, a psychiatrist. Fredrick will offer each of them $10,000 to spend a night in The House On Haunted Hill. They all want the money. At midnight, the caretakers lock to doors, and the terror begins! Who, if anyone, will make it out alive?

I have to say this is one of my favorite movies ever! The remake was alright but the original is a horror classic that should not be missed. The movie, starring horror icon Vincent Price, is a must see for any horror fan. One of the first horror movies I can remember as a kid was the 1953 classic House of Wax, which has been replicated numerous times including a remake in which Paris Hilton is killed in extraordinary fashion. That right there makes the re-make great. But I digress.

Vincent Price is one of the biggest names to ever grace the screen in the horror genre. His name is up there with Boris Karloff & Bela Legosi as well as later horror names like Christopher Lee, and even later legends like John Carpenter, Stephen King and many others. Vincent was one of the originators of horror. He has been involved in more horror movies and television broadcasts than one can count. From movies like House on Haunted Hill and House of Wax, prior to his death being involved in cartoons that some of us grew up with. From Scooby Doo episodes in 1985 to Tiny Toon Adventures in 1991, prior to his death in 1993.

The rest of the cast is great in this movie as well. Including Richard Long who appeared in a couple Twilight Zone episodes, playing David Gurney in the episode Person or Persons Unknown and as well as Uncle Rick/Dr. Rex/Doctor Sigmond Friend in the episode Number 12 looks just like you where in your teenage years everyone is given plastic surgery to make them beautiful. You have a book to look through to see how you want to look. It's like a Fingerhut catalog of faces. You are not forced to get the surgery, its your decision, or is it?

The movie is a black and white classic for all horror fans. This is one of the movies that helped to make the entire horror movie genre. This movie helped scare the hell out of our parents before the gore-fest films we have today. But it is also a pre-cursor to the films of today as well. While there is no gore and very little blood to speak of, even though you could not tell in black and white film anyway, it is a classic that helps to bring the horror community to where we have come. This movie is my first 5 burning skull film and I definitely recommend it to a horror fan who may not have seen it or to a classic movie buff looking for a film to take them back in time.

It amazes me, a guy born in 1980, that this once scared the life out of people but between the great acting and the great story its an amazing film for anyone horror fan or not. Please enjoy the trailer below, and pleasant dreams.

UFC 101: Declaration

2009-08-07T11:22:00.000-04:00

UFC 101: Declaration will be taking place this weekend inside the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA.

The PPV event will feature the lightweight title bout between champ BJ Penn and top contender Kenny Florian. The PPV broadcast will begin airing live at 10PM ET/7PM PT.

As always, Fightline will be providing free live coverage of the show, as well as the latest breaking news leading up to the event. They will have quick preliminary card results beginning at 7 PM EST, followed by detailed round-by-round coverage of the main card at 10 PM EST.

Here is a rundown of the show with my predictions for the Main Card:

Main Card:

- UFC Lightweight Championship: BJ Penn (c) vs. Kenny Florian

I do not like BJ Penn at all. I think he is a over-rated fighter and his attitude sucks. Don't get me wrong he does have some big wins in his career but he hasn't done anything special recently except whine about his loss to Georges St. Pierre. Kenny Florian on the other hand is a star on the rise. When he came off the ultimate fighter he was already a good fighter. Since then he has improved every aspect on his game. I smell a new Champ.

Prediction: Kenny Florian

- Forrest Griffin vs. Anderson Silva

This has the makings of a blockbuster fight. Forrest Griffin won the first season of The Ultimate Fighter helping to bring UFC into the mainstream. He has since won and lost the belt and has a great career ahead of him. He is unfortunately fighting The Best pound for pound fighter in the world in Anderson Silva. Silva is coming off a disappointing title defense and will be looking to redeem himself in this fight and that is a scary thought. Griffin has a great chin so I'm guessing submission here.

Prediction: Anderson Silva

- Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks

I gotta go with Amir in this one. He has not fought since he won the ultimate fighter 2 seasons ago and has been dying to get back in the octogon. Working through some injuries to get himself back in shape he's gonna want to make an impact in his return fight and he has the talent to do so.

Prediction: Amir Sadollah

- Ricardo Almeida vs. Kendall Grove

I'm going with another Ultimate Fighter alum in this one. Kendall Grove needs to win this fight to get on track. He started off strong coming out of the show but then things went downhill. After a couple losing efforts he was relegated to the pre-show. He's back to his winning ways and I see him keeping it up

Prediction: Kendall Grove

- Kurt Pellegrino vs. Josh Neer

This is my sleeper fight. Both very talented fighters. They can both keep it standing and both take it to the ground. This is a very hard one to call.

Prediction: Josh Neer

Preliminary Card (May Not Be Televised):

- Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley

- Tamdan McCrory vs. John Howard - Gotta root for Tamdan in this one. He owns a MMA gym in Binghamton, where I live. I wanna join. I don't plan to fight but I love the sport and its a great way to get in shape.

- Thales Leites vs. Alessio Sakara

- Matt Riddle vs. Dan Cramer

- George Sotiropoulos vs. George Roop

- Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort

TTM - Gerald Young

2009-08-06T12:30:00.000-04:00

Today we have another TTM autograph. I just love getting these back. It's always nice to come home to a gift in the mail. Today it's Gerald Young.

Gerald Young was born on October 22, 1964 in Tela, Honduras. He was a major league outfielder known for his long strides and blazing speed. He was however considered somewhat of a "hot dog" because of what appeared to be a lackadaisical style (including unnecessary basket catches) He was the first person born in the Honduras to play Major League Baseball.

Young was drafted in the 5th round of the 1982 MLB amateur draft by the New York Mets along with Rafael Palmeiro and Dwight Gooden as part of a draft class that set a major league record for a single team when 12 of those players reached the major leagues. Boy, if only we kept him and Palmeiro, both right from the start.

Young was traded to the Houston Astros, and made his Major League Baseball debut with them on July 8, 1987. He showed promise by hitting .321 and stealing 26 bases for the Astros, finishing 5th in National League Rookie of the Year voting despite playing less than half a season with the major league club. Young's best season in the major leagues would come the following year, 1988, when he finished 2nd in the NL with 65 steals. 1989 was disappointment for Young offensively, although he did manage to finish 8th in the league in steals (34) and accomplish a rare defensive feat by recording 412 putouts with only one error and adding 15 outfield assists.

Young would spend the next three seasons splitting time between the Astros, their Triple A affiliate the Tucson Toros, and the disabled list (with an assortment of injuries). Although he was successful at the minor league level, always hitting over .300, his batting statistics for the Astros never replicated his earlier success.

At the end of the 1992 season, the Astros granted Young free agency and he signed with, and became an inaugural member of the expansion Colorado Rockies team that began play in Major League Baseball in 1993.

Young appeared in his final game on August 11, 1994, playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was released that October by the Cardinals. In January 1995, Young was charged with cocaine possession when Houston Police Department officers found a crack pipe with cocaine residue in the vehicle that he was driving. He would never play major league baseball again.

He currently participates in youth baseball camps throughout the country.

He finished his career batting .246 with 446 hits and 155 stolen bases.

Thank you Mr. Young.

Black Sheep

2009-08-05T13:00:00.000-04:00

When I say Black Sheep I don't mean the Chris Farley & David Spade comedy. Through the years there have actually been over 10 films American and Foreign with the same name, Black Sheep. The movie I am speaking of however is the 2006, Johnathan King directed horror film from New Zealand. Check out the poster below. This movie is a riot. If you want a "bloody" (yes I know thats British, so shoot me) good laugh you should definitely check this one out. Beneath the poster is a brief synopsis.

On a farm in New Zealand three young boys, brothers Angus (Eli Kent) and Henry (Nick Fenton) Oldfield and Tucker (Sam Clarke) are rounding up sheep. Angus, who wears a leg brace and walks with a limp, kills Henry's pet sheep Dudley and terrifies him by dressing up in the dead sheep's carcass. Years later Angus comes back to the farm, with a sheep phobia, only to find out his brother, Henry, has been genetically engineering sheep leading to horrific consequences.

This movie is very funny and will give you one hell of a laugh. I mean, think about it. A horror movie where you are scared of sheep because they will turn you into zombie/sheep creatures. Do I really need to say more? I mean that right there tells you it will be hilarious. The actors do a great job at being believable in this crazy horror/comedy. The effects are great for a film not getting a major theatrical release. And not to ruin anything but lets just say there is a scene with Henry (Nick Fenton) with his pants down locked in a room with a sheep. Its classic! "You wouldn't understand"

The movie gets 4 Burning skulls as a great underground horror/comedy which has lately been seen on the IFC channel. I definitely recommend it if you're looking for a good laugh. Get ready for the "Violence of the Lambs!" Enjoy the trailer below. Pleasant Dreams.

TTM - Seth McClung

2009-08-04T13:30:00.000-04:00

The A&G sets are perfect for autographs. I send off all the doubles I can. I have some doubles left though don't worry. They'll make my doubles list soon enough. Anyway, as of today here is my latest TTM.....Seth McClung.

Seth was born February 7, 1981. It still messes me up that people in the majors are older than me. Than again I will be 29 in 2 weeks so I should be used to it by now. Anyway back to Mr. McClung. He has pitched as both a starter and a reliever in his brief career.

Seth comes from a sporting family. His father, Mike, was an all-state high school football player. His brother, Marcus, is a former football player at Virginia Tech and the Canadian Football League, his brother Shawn played extreme sports, and his younger brother Sam was a lineman at Tusculum College in Greenville, Tennessee.

McClung began the 2006 season with the Tampa Bay Rays as a starting pitcher, was sent later that year to the minor leagues, and was converted to be a closer.

He started the 2007 season in Triple-A Durham of the International League, before being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Late in the 2008 season, after impressive relief outings for the Brewers against the Chicago Cubs, his nickname 'Big Red' began to stick on account of his stature and pitching command and velocity.

Not much to say yet on this young man's career, but lets see where it takes him. Thank you Mr. McClung

Shaun of the Dead

2009-08-03T13:30:00.000-04:00

If you have not seen this movie by now, I highly recommend it. Lets start with a little plot summary and then I'll tell you what makes this such a great movie.

Life isn't too good for Shaun (Simon Pegg). He lives with his best friend Ed (Nick Frost), neglects his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield) and despises his step-dad (Bill Nighy). When Liz dumps Shaun, he vows to get his life back on track. Unfortunately, this is the day that the dead have decided to come back to life. With a cricket bat and Ed by his side, Shaun sets out to rescue those he loves and those he doesn't love, and heads to the safest place he knows...the Winchester Arms Pub.

This is a classic horror comedy. Mixing horror and comedy usually makes for a great mix. I absolutely love this movie. I decided to sit down and watch it, for the um-teenth time, so I figured I'd put a post up about it. All of the actors do a very good job and having Bill Nighy definitely gives legitimacy to this movie. The bar scene with the zombies coming in is one of my favorite movie scenes ever. The zombies are coming in to kill everybody and suddenly the juke box "on random" plays Queen's Don't Stop Me Now. It's hilarious. There is only one part that is slightly gorey so it's definitely a movie you can watch with your lady friend. The movie is great. And how much does the actor playing David look like a grown up Harry Potter? That just cracks me up! I give it 4 and 1/2 burning skulls.

I know I have yet to give out 5 burning skulls but when I think of a 5, I think of the Exorcist or The Shining. A classic. This is a great parody and definitely deserves a watch. If you haven't seen it you should definitely check it out. Horror fan or not you will definitely get a kick out of this great British comedy. Later this week I will throw up a review of another British Horror/Comedy, Black Sheep so check back. Enjoy the trailer below. Pleasant Dreams.

2009 Allen & Ginter

2009-08-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

I started collecting cards again last year. I hadn't even seen a baseball card before that since I was probably 12 or 13, so needless to say I didn't know anything about the sets that we're coming out. When I saw the A&G set last year I immediately wanted to collect them. I just love the old time look and I love the fact that they are great for signatures. In fact check back tomorrow for one I recently got back. This year though I had to limit myself. Last year I started collecting Topps, Heritage, A&G, and Goudey (none of which are finished, check out my want lists if you can help) and it really stretched my wallet. So I decided this year I would just do Topps, because I will always be a Topps guy, Heritage because I like the way they look and The Goodwin's when they come out because they look phenominal. As much as I love A&G, I figured the past two years they looked the same so they would this year too. But I was wrong. I loved the new set, but still, I said no, I had to limit myself.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) for me I went to my local card shop last week for another box of Heritage only to find out they didn't have any. At this point with cards on the brain what was I to do. You guessed it, I bought a box of A&G and of course just like last year I love them and I have to get not only the whole set but the whole set of mini's. I think one of the things I love most about the set are the non-baseball cards. I mean what other set can you say, "Damn-it, I just need that electron card and I'll have a complete set!" How classic is that?

Plus how can you go wrong buying a box with a guaranteed 3 inserts? Check out my pulls:

As great as the Phil Hughes card is (cough) Screw the Yankees (cough) my favorite is the Todd Helton. Because, believe it or not, it is actually my first game used with a stripe. I have plenty of game used but thats my first 2 color. But it doesn't stop there check out this great Matt Laporta mini.

Woo-hoo, hand numbered!!!! As of right now I have 0 doubles for this set because so far I have only bought one box and I am unfortunately very poor at the moment but in the (hopefully) near future I will have more and add them to my doubles list. Any help with this set will be greatly appreciated. I have been checking other want lists and found some stuff that I have for the rest of you so expect some emails soon. In the mean-time please check my lists which I continually update, I need all the help I can get.

The Pink and Black Attack is Back

2009-08-01T10:30:00.001-04:00

And I don't mean Bret Hart. I had some posts already typed and set to go but I had to push them out a day for this. Even though I am a wrestling fan, I don't normally watch WWE Smackdown. Something made me watch it this week and boy am I glad I did. I was treated to what very well may be the match of the year, between Champion Jeff Hardy and challenger John Morrison. These two men put on one hell of a show. Even if you are not a wrestling fan, i beg you, watch the following videos in order. I can almost guarantee you will love it. I will say the match starts off slow, but any good match should. It builds into one of the best matches I've seen in WWE in quite some time.

The match was great and the subsequent CM Punk heel turn was as well. They have been teasing it for over a month so you knew it was coming but I am just so happy they actually finished the match and then had it happen. Anymore they interrupt the Main Event for a screw job finish. It's really annoying week after week. Last night we were treated to a great main event match with a great spot afterwards. Keep it up WWE, even though we know you wont. It's a shame the feud is Hardy and Punk and not Hardy and Morrison, that's for sure.

Tune in to WWE Smackdown every Friday night on your local My Network TV affiliate, check local listings. Also tune in to WWE Monday Night Raw this Monday on Spike TV hosted this week by Jeremy Piven 9/8c

All The Boys Love Mandy Lane

2009-07-31T16:39:00.001-04:00

Today's movie is another straight to DVD feature, All The Boys Love Mandy Lane. This one I definitely understand why. First let me give you a plot summary of this crappy movie and then I'll tell you why.

The orphan Mandy Lane is a beautiful, virgin and pure teenager raised by her aunt, desired by her schoolmates and a close friend of the outcast Emmet. After the death of their high school mate in a pool party, Mandy befriends Chloe, Marlin, Red, Bird and Jake. Red invites the group for a weekend party in the isolated ranch of his family, with all the boys disputing who would succeed in having sex with Mandy Lane. They meet the henchman Garth that takes care of the ranch and he asks the group to go easy on the drugs and booze. In the middle of the night, a stranger wearing a hood attacks Marlin in the barn; when Jake seeks her out, he faces the killer, beginning a night of bloodshed and terror.

This movie took forever to get going. And when it finally did there wasn't much to it. They tell you who the killer is half way through it and you don't really care. One of the major flaws with this film for me is the characters. None of them leave any type of lasting impression with the exception of Anson Mount who plays the ranch hand, Garth. To me he was the only believable character in this movie. It also does not help that Mandy Lane is supposed to be this beautiful girl that everyone wants and personally I believe her co-stars Whitney Able and Melissa Price are better looking than her. To be honest I didn't see the fascination with this girl at all and isn't that supposed to be the premise of this movie in the first place?

Very little gore in this flick. But as i've said before, horror movies don't necessarily need it but this film needed something thats for sure. There was no tension either. You knew when the killer was coming and what was going to happen when he did, that is except for the ending. I give this movie 2 Burning Skulls and the only reason its not a 1 or even a 0 for that matter was the twist at the end. I will not spoil it for you but it is a good one. Unfortunately that is the movie's only redeeming quality. Enjoy the trailer below and again, Pleasant Dreams

TTM - Paul Molitor

2009-07-30T14:26:00.004-04:00

**Update**

Well I've been working off and on for the past 10 hours but I have my entire want list done. Tomorrow I tackle the doubles list. From there I can finally start contacting you all about the double I have for you all.

************************************************************************************

I was very excited to receive this one back in the mail. It's always nice when you can add a Hall of Famer to your collection. I give you....Paul Molitor.

Paul was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota on August 22, 1956. He played 21 seasons in the majors with the Milwaukee Brewers, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Minnesota Twins. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, in 2004, with 85.2% of the vote.

Molitor was selected in the 28th round of the 1974 free agent draft by the St. Louis Cardinals, but instead opted to go to college at the University of Minnesota. He was a three year starter for the Golden Gophers, earning All American honors as a shortstop for his sophomore and junior years. After his junior year in college, he was selected third overall in the 1977 free agent draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. He signed with the Brewers and began his professional career in Iowa, playing for the Class A Burlington Bees of the Midwest League.

He played numerous positions with the Brewers including 2nd base, shortstop, third base and what he was most known for, the DH. Molitor played 44% of his career games as a DH. In 1987 he had a 39 game hit streak which still stands as the fifth longest in modern day baseball and is the longest since Pete Rose's 44 game hit streak in 1978.

Molitor signed with the Blue Jays as a free agent in December 1992. He was a key part of the Blue Jays winning their second World Championship as he batted .500 in the series and was named World Series MVP. He is also the only person in World Series history to have 2 doubles, 2 triples and 2 home runs in an individual series.

In 1993, with the Blue Jays, he led the league in plate appearances with 675 and hits with 211. In 1994 he lead the league in games played with 115 and singles with 107. He also stole 20 bases that season without ever being caught. That is just one behind "Misunderstood Met" Kevin McReynolds 1988 major league record of 21.

In 1995 he left the Blue Jays to join his hometown Minnesota Twins. He acquired his 3,000th hit in Minnesota and is the only person to ever hit a triple for that milestone hit. In 1996, Molitor was the first 40-year old to have a 200 hit season. He led the league that year with 225 hits. Molitor also remains the last Major League player to drive in 100 or more runs in a season while hitting fewer than 10 home runs (9 HR, 113 RBIs).

Molitor's lifetime statistics include 2,683 games played, 1,782 runs scored, 3,319 hits, 234 homeruns, 1,307 RBI's, a .306 batting average, and 504 stolen bases. He batted .368 in 5 postseason series, and was an all-star seven times. Molitor recorded these statistics while missing nearly 500 games due to various injuries throughout his career.

Molitor is one of four players in major league history with at least 3,000 hits, a .300 lifetime batting average, and 500 stolen bases. The other three are Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner and Eddie Collins, none of whom played the game beyond 1930. Molitor is the only player ever to accomplish those feats and hit at least 200 home runs.

Words can't express how happy I am to add this card to my collection. It's not that I mind having a collection full of Gary Varsho's and Andy Benes', hell I'm just happy to get an autograph. I think we all are. We're all fans for a reason and getting that piece of cardboard with a sharpie squiggle means a lot to us no matter who it is. But adding a legend of the game like Paul Molitor means that much more. Thank you Mr. Molitor.

Insanitarium

2009-07-27T13:00:00.000-04:00

Today's horror movie is not a Fulci film. This film was written and directed by Jeff Buhler. I chose this film because one of its stars is "The Girl at the Video Game Store" herself, Olivia Munn. Other actors include Jesse Metcalfe, Kiele Sanchez, Peter Stormare and Kevin Sussman. So as you can see, nobody special and it was a direct to DVD film. I was very surprised by this movie, I was thinking it would be a low budget suck fest. (According to many movie sites, a lot of people did feel this way) But, personally I disagree. The effects were great and the story was pretty good too.

Metcalfe plays Jack, a man who pretends to be crazy in order to save his sister Lily (Sanchez) from being involuntarily hospitalized. Once inside the institute, the siblings discover that a doctor (Stormare) is using his patients like lab rats, forcing them to take a drug that turns them into flesh-eating psychopaths.

The thing is, the reason I don't think people like this movie is they don't notice that this movie is an homage to the entire horror genre in general. There is a killer in the film who is obviously a play on Hannibal Lector, Olivia Munn is a nurse named Nancy ala the Nightmare on Elm St series, a crazy guy named Loomis ala Halloween, hell the main characters name is Jack ala Cuckoo's Nest. I think the movie is actually genius. It is so simple and yet goes right over most people's heads. I definitely recommend it, if you've heard bad things don't believe them, check it out. 4 Burning Skulls. Enjoy the trailer, and again Sweet Dreams!!!

WWE Night Of Champions Results

2009-07-26T23:00:00.000-04:00

Boy did I suck tonight 2 for 8. With an average like that I could play for the Mets. Ouch! Well I need to find some humor in their season up to this point. Hey at least i'd be batting .250 Anyway here are the results. These are courtesy of WrestlingInc.com. Check them out for all your wrestling news and rumors. They also have a much more detailed results page that covers the PPV hold for hold.

WWE Unified Tag TeamChampionship Match

Chris Jericho & ? (c's) vs. Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase

A recap of Edge's interview was shown. Chris Jericho got on the mic and said that he made a mistake picking Edge as a tag team partner and Edge was selfish for leaving him without a partner. Jericho went on to introduce The Big Show as his partner. Big Show came out sporting a new outfit, it looked like he borrowed Jack Swagger's gear.

Show started the match overpowering Rhodes. After the initial moments, the match was more even, as both teams traded the advantage. Rhodes at one point hit Jericho with a moonsault, but Jericho was able to kick out.

As the match went on, the crowd got more behind Jericho and Show and Legacy wrestled like heels. Legacy looked good here. The finish of the match saw all four men in the ring and Jericho hit Dibiase with the codebreaker. Big Show followed it up with the colossal clutch on Dibiase for the win. Average opener.

Winners And Still WWE Unified Tag Team Champions: Big Show and Chris Jericho

ECW Championship
Tommy Dreamer (c) vs. Christian

Dreamer came out first to a good pop, but Christian came out to a better one. They exchanged slaps to start the match before Christan took control.

Striker and Matthews were talking about an autograph session that Dreamer was at, and Matthews jokingly asked how many people showed up, three or four? Way to bury your own champion. Striker went on to note that Dreamer had a lot of fans.

Both mean tried to make the match work, but the fans just don't buy Dreamer as champion or the ECW title as a real championship. Christian hit Dreamer with the kill switch to win the ECW Championship to a good pop.

Winner and NEW ECW Champion: Christian

WWE United States Championship - Six Pack Challenge
Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Primo Colon vs. MVP vs. Carlito vs. The Big Show vs. The Miz

It was announced that Primo Colon was replacing The Big Show since Show won the tag titles. That's stupid. There were a lot of cool moves in the match, but with six competitors, it was all over the place.

With Show out of the match, Swagger played the monster in the match. Primo and Carlito worked together for a little bit, until Carlito hit Primo with the backstabber. Kofi came in from behind and nailed Carlito with the trouble in paradise to retain the title.

Winner and still WWE United States Champion: Kofi Kingston

WWE Women's Championship
Michelle McCool (c) vs. Melina

McCool nailed Melina with a dropkick as Melina was doing her entrance. Melina quickly recovered and the match was back in the ring.

This was one of the better Women's championship matches in awhile. McCool at one point hit a DDT on Melina on the security wall outside of the ring.

The finish of the match saw McCool reverse a pin attempt to pin Melina and retain the title.

Winner and still WWE Womens Champion: Michelle McCool

WWE Championship - Triple Threat Match
Randy Orton vs. Triple H vs. John Cena

This being Philly, Cena got more boos than he's been getting lately as he came out. Triple H got a mixed reaction as well during the introductions.

Fans were really booing Cena as the match went on, even getting quiet during Cena's offense. It came down to HHH and Cena at one point, and it didn't have the heat that you'd expect. They went back and forth for a bit before The Game hit Cena with a spinebuster and followed it with a pedigree. HHH went for a pin, which was broken up by Orton.

The match went outside the ring, and Orton and HHH battled on the table, but the table was spared. Cena broke it up and went for the STF on HHH, but Orton broke it up and he and Cena battled in the ring. They traded blows, with the crowd giving a 'YAY' for Orton, and a 'BOO' for Cena's punches.

The finish saw HHH get Orton in a sharpshooter. While HHH had Orton in the sharpshooter, Cena got the STF on Orton, so he was in the STF and sharpshooter at the same time. Orton tapped, but the referee didn't know what to do and didn't stop the match. Legacy hit the ring. Cena got Rhodes up for the Attitude Adjustment, but Orton nailed Cena with the RKO to a big pop to pin Cena.

Winner and still WWE Champion: Randy Orton

Really??? You put the WWE Title match, before the Divas title? You've gotta be kidding me!!!

WWE Divas Championship
Maryse (c) vs. Mickie James

The crowd was dead for this match after that last one. Finally, Maryse was going for her finisher, but James countered and hit a DDT to pin Maryse clean.

Winner and NEW WWE Divas Champion: Mickie James

If you would've told me Ziggler would be in the match before the main event I woulda told you you were crazy. This match should've been the curtain jerker

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match

Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler

Maria accompanied Ziggler to the ring. The crowd is still dead from the last match. The two tried their best to get the crowd into it, and this was Ziggler's best showing to date.

The finish saw Mysterio hit the 619 and splash to get the clean win. The crowd was quiet until the end. Good match, hurt by the crowd reaction until the end.

Winner and still WWE Intercontinental Champion: Rey Mysterio

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match

CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy

They're running short on time. Crowd was pretty quiet again, the Maryse - Mickie James match really sucked the life out of the arena

Punk was working Hardy over with kicks late in the match when Hardy reversed it into a twist of fate. He went for a swanton, put Punk got his knees up. Punk was able to hit the GTS and smiled as he covered Hardy, but only got a two count. He kept going for covers, but Hardy kept kicking out.

Punk went outside the ring and grabbed his belt and started walking towards the back. Hardy attacked Punk in the aisle and got him back into the ring. He hit another twist of fate, followed by a swanton bomb to win the match and the championship!

Winner and NEW World Heavyweight Champion - Jeff Hardy

WWE Night of Champions

2009-07-26T18:34:00.003-04:00

Well I did much better with my TNA predictions than I did on UFC. I finished 8 out of 9. Lets see how I do with their counterpart the WWE. I have been a WWE fan since I was 10 so its been quite some time now but boy does the show suck now. Unfortunately it has been part of my life for so long I just suck it up and deal with it. Here's a run down for tonight's card along with my predictions. Also after the show tonight I will have the results this time, I promise.

WWE Woman's Championship

Michelle McCool (c) vs. Melina

Neither one of these women are very talented. But then again WWE doesn't really have many good female wrestlers. Mostly just eye candy. McCool is learning and does have potential though. The company seems to like her a lot to. I'm sure dating the Undertaker helps too.

Prediction: Michelle McCool

WWE Divas Championship

Maryse (c) vs Mickie James

Mickie is the best female wrestler on the roster, hands down. Unfortunately the company doesn't see her that way. They would rather have the belt on a bleach blonde Barbie look-a-like like Maryse, even though she has little, if any, in ring talent. Mickie should win but won't.

Prediction: Maryse

WWE Unified Tag Team Championship

Chris Jericho & ??? (c) vs. Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr

Edge should've been Jericho's partner, however due to possibly career ending Achilles tear, he is out of both this match and wrestling for quite some time. So Jericho will have a mystery partner. The question is who. Personally I really want Christian for the match but he has his own match tonight so that is unlikely. Stranger things have certainly happened but it's not likely. If I had to guess, something tells me it will be The Miz. Jericho is my favorite wrestler and has been for years so you would think I would be siding with him on this but I'm not. The plans we're to have Edge turn on Jericho and go face, therefore I believe they weren't gonna be holding those belts long anyway. With him not even in the match anymore there is no reason to keep the belts on them. Plus for some reason Vinnie Mac is pushing the crap out of Rhodes and Dibiase. I think Dibiase has potential but if Cody's daddy wasn't the American Dream Dusty Rhodes, he would have never even got a second glance.

Prediction: Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase

WWE United States Championship - Six-Pack Challenge

Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Big Show vs. MVP vs. Carlito vs. Jack Swagger vs. The Miz

There is a lot of talent in this match. What bothers me the most is, the person I think will win, is the least talented of the bunch. Kofi is a great high flyer and the fans love him. He will never hold the World Title but has a great career ahead of him. The Big Show is one of the most under-rated wrestlers ever. Used properly he could have been bigger than Andre, and I do mean that but Vince blew it with him. MVP is finally getting over with the fans. He is a very talented guy who is making the most of his second chance in life. Carlito is not only a great wrestler but is very charismatic. Another guy that if pushed the right way could be huge but is unfortunately forced by the company into mediocrity. Who would've ever thought the Miz had it in him. He can actually wrestle. I'm shocked. And he's really good at drawing heat. So I've just made great arguments for all 5 of these men, the problem is Vince McMahon loves Jack Swagger. The guy is horrible. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying he doesn't have potential but he still has a lot to learn. He's still a kid and he's already a former World Champion, it's ridiculous. What happened to when you earned titles and they weren't given to you just to get over?

Prediction: Jack Swagger

WWE Intercontinental Championship

Rey Mysterio (c) vs Dolph Ziggler

It pains me to even say that. Dolph Ziggler???? Really? The scary part is, with Mysterio having contract disputes and Jeff Hardy taking time off soon, they have to give the belt to Ziggler to try and create more talent for the talent starved Smackdown show. I repeat.....What happened to when you earned titles and they weren't given to you just to get over?

Prediction: Dolph Ziggler

ECW Championship

Tommy Dreamer (c) vs. Christian

First and foremost, ECW SUCKS!!!! Ahhh I feel so much better. Vince took a great company and great memories from my childhood and wiped his ass with it. I am happy that Dreamer holds the belt though, he's the only ECW Original left. But as a peep i gotta go with Christian. This isn't really a prediction more like a wish

Prediction/Hope: Captain Charisma Christian

WWE World Heavyweight Championship

CM Punk (c) vs. Jeff Hardy

In case you are not aware. Jeff Hardy's contract is just about up and he is taking some time off when it does and I can't say I blame him. Another Vince screw up. Hardy could've been the next Shawn Michaels. Thanks again Vinnie Mac you scared another one away, just like RVD

Prediction: CM Punk

WWE Title

Randy Orton (c) vs Triple H vs. John Cena

Personally I think they should keep the belt on Randy Orton to help his push. He is way over right now and is the best heel I've seen in quite some time. Take that Triple H. You wish you had half Orton's talent. Oh wait that's right you don't need it, you married the bosses daughter.

Prediction: Triple H

Check back later for the results and feel free to tell me what you think. Also check out my want lists. I finished off the 80's and got started on the 90's today.

Reason for my absence

2009-07-25T23:42:00.005-04:00

Hey everyone, sorry no posts for a while but here's the reason why. Meet my new nephew Damien.

Here's a picture of me with Damien

Here's a pic of both my nephews Dominick and Damien

Been spending a lot of time with this little guy after I get out of work lately. Now if only I could find a woman dumb enough to have one with me. Ha! I'll be back tomorrow with a new post. And I will also be adding more to my want/doubles lists. Just started collecting the 09 A&G's and I'm excited about them.

PS:

Dominick is only two but we've already taught him to say METS!!! Gotta teach 'em young

TNA Wrestling: Victory Road 2009, Previews and Predictions

2009-07-18T12:55:00.002-04:00

This Sunday, July 19, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling presents "Victory Road" live and exclusively on Pay-Per-View!

The epic event will be available on InDemand, DirecTV, Dish Network, TVN, Viewer's Choice and more!

Please enjoy the preview below:

Here is a full match breakdown, along with my predictions:

The "Blueprint" Matt Morgan vs Daniels

I see the Main Event Mafia sweeping this Pay Per View. I think they will win all of their matches. Not necessarily something I want but I believe this is the way they will go. And even though Morgan is not in the Mafia, his gimmick right now is that he wants to be so i see him taking the match.

Prediction: The "Blueprint" Matt Morgan

"The Monster" Abyss vs. Dr. Stevie

With Raven no longer with the company and this feud starting to run its course I see Abyss taking it to Dr. Stevie. As a matter of fact I see this as a squash match for Abyss all the way. However this is a normal match and Abyss will take it to the extreme which I believe will cost him this match and lead to a no DQ match next month.

Prediction: Dr. Stevie by DQ

Sharmell vs. Jenna Morasca

This will be the bathroom break match. I mean really, does anybody care? I'm really surprised that a company that prides themselves on their wrestling would even put this match on a PPV

Prediction: Everyone goes to get popcorn because they don't care!

New Japan Tag Team Championship: Team 3D vs. The British Invasion

This one should be easy to call. I don't believe New Japan Wrestling will have their Tag Champs lose their belts for another companies PPV. Team 3D keeps the belts. The 22-time tag champs, and arguably the best tag team of all time retain.

Prediction: Team 3D

TNA KNOCKOUT WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
Tara vs. Angelina Love

Tara just won the title 2 weeks ago on TNA Impact on Spike. I don't see them pulling the belt off of her that quick. Doesn't make much sense. Then again I have seen crazier things. These two women are so hot!

Prediction: Tara

TNA WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
The Main Event Mafia's Scott Steiner & Booker T vs. champions Beer Money, Inc.

Again I believe the Mafia will win all their matches tonight so I am going with the team of Booker and Steiner. I don't think they hyped them tagging together up enough. Booker, formally of Harlem Heat, and Steiner, formally of the Steiner Bros., are two of the best tag teams ever. The two of them tagging together is a big thing. I'm not even sure how many Tag Titles they've held. Dropped the ball a bit there. Beer Money is the tag team of the future, as long as they don't break up anytime soon. This should be a great match.

Prediction: Scott Steiner and Booker T

TNA LEGENDS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
The Main Event Mafia's Kevin Nash vs. champion "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles

I'm torn about this match. I'm giving it to Nash but AJ is by far the better wrestler. AJ is far better than Nash was even in his prime. But I have some issues with the match. As great as AJ is, he's still relatively a kid and therefore should never have been given the "Legends" belt to begin with. Nash has had so many knee surgeries at this point he can barely walk. I have no idea how he'll be able to keep up with AJ. As Good Ol' JR would say, "This match will be bowling shoe ugly."

Prediction: Kevin Nash

SAMOA JOE'S MYSTERY ADVISOR WILL BE REVEALED
Samoa Joe vs. "The Icon" Sting

With the way they have been pushing this feud Joe has to win. And anyone who doesn't know that Taz is Joe's advisor is an idiot. They show the orange and black, show his #13, show his FTW signs but then pretend to not know who it is? Really? After the match Taz and Joe will beat the crap out of Sting. Who, if anyone, will make the save?

Prediction: Samoa Joe

TNA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Mick Foley vs. champion Kurt Angle, leader of The Main Event Mafia

The Hardcore Icon vs. The Olympic Gold Medalist. I miss the Foley of old. I understand he cant do all the crazy stuff he used to but I love hardcore Foley. I pray Foley has one more "extreme" match in him. I want to see him and Abyss go at it. Foley will come close but Angle will take it and the Mafia will leave Victory Road with all the gold (minus the Knockouts Title)

Prediction: Kurt Angle

Check back after the show for the results.

TTM: Bobby Valentine

2009-07-17T23:23:00.003-04:00

I mail off a lot of my old doubles to try and get them signed. Some of you will remember this. Well I just got back one that I didn't believe I would. I'm very excited to add him to my collection. Mr fake glasses and mustache himself......Bobby Valentine.

Bobby was born May 13, 1950 in Stamford, Connecticut. He attended both USC and Arizona State University. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1969. The very same year one of his future teams, both playing and managing, had their "Miracle" season. Over a 10 year playing career he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, California Angels, San Diego Padres, New York Mets and the Seattle Mariners. In his first season with the Angels he immediately became an offensive star, hitting over .350 in his first month as a starter. Valentine was the Angels' shortstop, but in May temporarily shifted to center field. However, on May 17, 1973, Valentine was a victim of one of the most gruesome injuries during that era when he suffered a multiple compound leg fracture at Anaheim Stadium when his spikes got caught in the outfield's chain link fence while attempting to catch a home run ball hit by Dick Green. He missed the rest of the season and was never quite the same after that.

He began his managerial career in Texas with The Rangers. His most successful season with them was 1986 when they finished 2nd in the AL West. He was fired in 1992. In 1995 Valentine began his first stint as manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines. The team surprised all of Japan by finishing 2nd that year. However due to a dispute with the teams General Manager, Valentine was fired at the end of the season. From here its was back to the states and joining the Mets organization. He started by managing the Norfolk Tides but was "called up" to manage the big club in 1996. In 1999 he lead the Mets to a wild card berth which saw them defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks but then lose the League Championship to division rivals, the Atlanta Braves. 1999 was also the year in which he was discovered to have sneaked back into the team dugout after being ejected, by wearing a disguise consisting of a change of clothes, sunglasses, and a "mustache" painted on his upper lip with eye black. One of the funniest moments in Mets history. Here's a video of Bobby telling the tale, along with a picture.

He was fired by the Mets in 2002 and began his 2nd stint with the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2004 where he manages to this day. Thanks for the auto Bobby V, just wish it was a Mets card.

The Girl at the Video Game Store

2009-07-12T15:40:00.004-04:00

**Update**

I've already had to update this 3 times cuz you tube keeps deleting it. Stupid copyright issues. Be back tomorrow

Steve over at the Easy Life has been posting some interesting You Tube videos lately so I thought I would capitalize on this.

I love the G4 channel. Well I did when it was all video game stuff all the time. Now I just watch those shows. Attack of the show recently celebrated their 1000th episode and for that Parry Gripp, front man from Nerf Herder, wrote a song for them.

The women of G4 are absolutely beautiful. They need a calender or something. I think I might do a future post all about them.

UFC 100 Results

2009-07-12T00:52:00.003-04:00

Boy did my predictions suck! I only went 6 out of 11. Better luck next time I guess. The following are the results taken directly from Fightline.com. Check them out for all your MMA news, UFC, Strikeforce, Affliction, they got it all.

Preliminary Card

- Shannon Gugerty defeated Matt Grice via submission (guillotine choke) at 2:36 of Round 1.

- Tom Lawlor defeated C.B. Dollway via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:55 of Round 1.

- Dong Hyun Kim defeated T.J. Grant via unanimous decision (scores of 30-26, 30-26, 30-26).

- Jon Jones defeated Jake O'Brien via submission (guillotine choke) at 2:43 of Round 2.

- Jim Miller defeated Mac Danzig via unanimous decision (scores of 30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

- Mark Coleman defeated Stephan Bonnar via unanimous decision (scores of 29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Main Card

Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan Belcher

Round 1: Belcher missed a couple of leg kicks early on before landing a nice kick to the body. Akiyama landed a nice high kick before getting low-blowed, causing a break in the fight. Akiyama landed some nice shots. Belcher connected with a nice shot that dropped Akiyama, but Akiyama was quick to get back to his feet. Akiyama landed a nice combo. They had a good exchange, with Akiyama getting the better of it, although Belcher did land some big punches. Belcher kicked Akiyama in the thigh, but Akiyama caught his leg and took him down. 10-9 Akiyama.

Round 2: Akiyama took the fight to the ground early. Akiyama landed some shots from the top and controlled Belber. With two minutes left in the round, Belcher was finally able to get back to his feet. Belcher connected with a couple of nice jabs. Akiyama landed a nice jab to finish the round. Akiyama looks pretty tired at this point. FightLine.com scores it 10-9 for Akiyama.

Round 3: Belcher landed a nice high kick. Akiyama landed some nice shots. Both men stayed standing. Akiyama landed a spinning back kick. Akiyama continued to get the better at the standup. Akiyama floored Belcher but Belcher was quick to get back on his feet. Belcher used his foot to push off the cage and nailed Akiyama with a blow to the face. Akiyama's left eye is swollen shut. Akiyama took Belcher down as the round comes to a close, but Belcher was able to get up. Fightline.com scores it 10-9 for Akiyama.

Winner via split decision (scores of 30-27 Akiyama, 29-28 Belcher, 29-28 Akiyama): Yoshihiro Akiyama

Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson

Round 1: Both men touched gloves to start the fight. Henderson rocked Bisping early with some big shots. Bisping looks hurt. Henderson continued to use his strength advantage to control Bisping. Henderson landed a big right just as the round ended. Fightline.com scores it 10-9 for Henderson.

Round 2: Henderson landed a big right hand a minute into the round that rocked Bisping. Henderson continues to be the aggressor but Bisping is dodging Henderson's shots. Henderson landed a huge right that knocked Bisping out, followed by another on the ground with just a little under two minutes left in the round.

Winner at 3:20 of Round 2 via KO: Dan Henderson

After the fight, Henderson noted that even with the win, he wasn't sure that Bisping would ever shut his mouth. Henderson went on to say that he feels like he deserves a title shot after this win.

UFC Welterweight Championship
Thiago Alves vs. Georges St-Pierre

Round 1: St-Pierre took Alves down early and got his back. Alves was able to scramble out and get up to his back. The rest of the round stayed standing, with St-Pierre getting the better. Finally with about 45 seconds left in the round, St-Pierre took Alves down. Alves was able to get back up to his feet as the round came to a close. FightLine.com scores it 10-9 for St-Pierre.

Round 2: St-Pierre was able to take Alves down early. St-Pierre almost mounted Alves but Alves was able to scramble out. Alves is bleeding badly out of the nose. St-Pierre dominated the ground game. With under 40 seconds left, Alves was able to get back on his feet, but St-Pierre pressed him against the cage as the round came to a close. FightLine.com scores it 10-9 for St-Pierre.

Round 3: Both men stayed on their feet. St-Pierre took Alves down yet again. With two minutes left in the round, Alves was able to get back on his feet. A swift kick took Alves down. St-Pierre pounced on Alves but Alves was able to hang in there. Another dominant round for St-Pierre. FightLine.com scores it 10-9 for St-Pierre.

Round 4: St-Pierre took Alves down again to start the round. St-Pierre attempted an arm bar, but Alves was able to slip out and get on top of St-Pierre for the first time during the fight. St-Pierre was able to get back on his feet without much damage. St-Pierre went back on the offensive and took Alves down and got Alves' back. St-Pierre went for the rear naked choke as the round ended. Fightline.com scores it 10-9 for St-Pierre.

Round 5: St-Pierre completely dominated the round with take downs and superior wrestling. Another 10-9, maybe even a 10-8, round for St-Pierre.

Winner via unanimous decision (scores of 50-45,50-44,50-45): Georges St-Pierre

After the fight, St-Pierre was asked about moving up a weight class and facing Anderson Silva. St-Pierre noted that he's not big for his class and walks at 185 lbs., but didn't give a definitive answer either way.

UFC Heavyweight Championship
Frank Mir (Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion) vs. Brock Lesnar (UFC Heavyweight Champion)

Round 1: Both guys refused to touch gloves before the fight. Mir's left knee is taped up. Lesnar landed some early inside kicks then took Mir down and landed some short elbows. Lesnar is being very patient while in Mir's half guard. Lesnar is dominating Mir on the ground and landed some shots from the top to Mir's body. The round ends as Lesnar controls Mir on the ground. Fightline.com scores it 10-8 for Lesnar.

Round 2: To start the round, Mir's face looks in bad shape. Mir landed a flying knee and some good shots before Lesnar took him down to the ground. Lesnar kept dropped multiple hammer fists to the head, before the referee finally stopped it. Lesnar was roundly booed after the win, and promptly flipped off the audience for their reaction.

Winner via KO at 1:48 of Round 2 and still UFC Undisputed Heavyweight Champion: Brock Lesnar

After the fight, Lesnar told te UFC fans to keep booing him and that he loved it. Lesnar gave a dick-ish interview to finish the fight. Frank Mir was more complimentary, giving Lesnar props and saying the he still has stuff he has to work on.

They weren't sure there would be time for the Thiago vs Fitch match so since there is its our new Main Event if you will.

Paulo Thiago vs. Jon Fitch

Round 1: Fitch went for a takedown but Thiago was able to get Fitch in a arm-in guillotine. Fitch fought it and was able to get on top of Thiago's back. Fitch kept trying to control Thiago, but didn't do much damage. FightLine.com scores it 10-9 for Thiago.

Round 2: Fitch landed a right and shot in, and clinched with Thiago against the cage. Thiago got in a front face-lock. Fitch was able to get back up to his feet. Fitch maintained control, and was able to squeak out this round. FightLine.com scores it 10-9 for Fitch.

Round 3: Fitch dominated Thiago again and controlled Thiago the entire round. Towards the end of the round, Fitch tried to lock in a rear-naked choke, but was unable to secure it as the round ended. Another 10-9 round for Jon Fitch.

Winner via unanimous decision (scores of 29-28, 29-28, 30-27): Jon Fitch.

Predictions for UFC 100

2009-07-10T18:15:00.000-04:00

Tonight looks to be the biggest UFC show ever. And what better show than UFC 100. Two title matches, The Ultimate Fighter coaches collide and much more. Below are my predictions for what looks to be a great night in MMA. We'll start first with the preliminary bouts.

Matt Grice Vs. Shannon Gugerty

Name:	Matt Grice
Height:	5' 8" (173 cm)
Weight:	155 (70 kg)
Record:	10-2-0

"The Real One"

Name:	Shannon Gugerty
Height:	5' 10" (178 cm)
Weight:	155 (70 kg)
Record:	11-3-0

Both of these fighters are coming off tough losses in their last fights. Matt Grice to Matt Veach via TKO at Ultimate Fight Night on Spike and Shannon Gugerty to Spencer Fisher via a choke submission at UFC 90.
Neither fighter has a winning record in the UFC but their overall records definitely show the potential both fighters have. Grice came into the UFC with a 9-0 record so with 2 losses in his last 3 fights he needs a win to stick around in the UFC. Matt is a four time Oklahoma state wrestling champion in college as well as a three time outstanding wrestler. Shannon, however, is a Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and loves to choke his opponent out. This match should be chuck full of takedowns but where I think Grice would take you down and lay on you for 5 minutes, Gugerty will go for submission after submission with his BJJ background. I give the edge to Gugerty.

Prediction: Gugerty by submission

CB Dollaway Vs. Tom Lawlor

Name:	CB Dollaway
Height:	6' 2" (188 cm)
Weight:	185 (84 kg)
Record:	9-2-0

"The Doberman"

Name:	Tom Lawlor
Height:	6' 0" (183 cm)
Weight:	185 (84 kg)
Record:	5-1-0, 1 NC

"Filthy"

These two men have a lot in common. And that's what scares me about this fight. Both Dollaway and Lawlor made a name for themselves on the Ultimate Fighter TV Series on Spike, both men were great collegiate wrestlers and both are coming off big wins. Dollaway over Mike Massenzio via TKO at UFC 92 and Lawlor over Kyle Kingsbury at The Ultimate Fight Finale. All of these things make it sound like it should be a great fight, so why am I scared? For the exact same reasons that should make it good. I see this fight going one of two ways. Since both men are great wrestlers they will try and stay on their feet the whole match and knock the other guy out, or each round someone will get a take down and just lay on their opponent like most wrestlers do. I've seen both of these men fight and I have to say Dollaway definitely has that killer instinct so I'm giving him the edge in this one.

Prediction: Dollaway by Decision

Dong Hyun Kim Vs. TJ Grant

Name:	Dong Hyun Kim
Height:	6' 1" (185 cm)
Weight:	170 (77 kg)
Record:	11-0-1, 1 NC

"Stun Gun"

Name:	TJ Grant
Height:	5' 10" (178 cm)
Weight:	170 (77 kg)
Record:	14-2-0

TJ Grant is coming off a huge win against Ryo Chonen at UFC 97 via split decision. That was his UFC debut and he wants to go out and show everyone it was not a fluke. Grant is another former wrestling champion and Brown belt in Jiu-Jitsu. However I give the edge to Kim in this fight. He brings something to the UFC that no one else does, a forth degree black belt in Judo. Now you may ask yourself, how Judo really helps in MMA considering many Judo throws and take downs involve using you opponents Gi which are not worn in the UFC? The answer is many UFC fighters have Zero training in Judo at all for that very same reason. You sick a fourth degree black belt on someone who doesn't know what to expect and you can almost guarantee a win. Besides his name is Dong, how can you not go with that?

Prediction: Dong via TKO

Jon Jones Vs. Jake O'Brien

Name:	Jon Jones
Height:	6' 4" (193 cm)
Weight:	205 (93 kg)
Record:	8-0-0

"Bones"

Name:	Jake O'Brien
Height:	6' 3" (191 cm)
Weight:	205 (93 kg)
Record:	11-2-0

"Irish"

This could be the sleeper match of the night for me. This should be a very interesting match. We'll start first with Jake O'Brien. A longtime UFC fighter with a record of 5-2 in the UFC. O'Brien started out strong in the UFC winning his first four fights on his way to what seemed like an inevitable title shot. However injuries and two consecutive losses to both Andrei Arlovski and Cain Velasquez took him right out of contention. He dropped down to a more optimal weight class and won his last fight via split decision over Christian Willisch. O'Brien is working to get back towards the top in a new weight division. Jon Jones however is one of the youngest fighters in the UFC at 21 years old and is undefeated not only in the UFC but in his career. He is 2-0 in UFC but he has not shown he can finish a fight. Both of his wins in the UFC have come via decision over Andre Gusmao and Ultimate Fighter 1 star Stephen Bonner in his last fight. This fight is very hard for me to call. Its too close to call, if I could push I would so instead I am going to give the edge to Jones because he's from Endicott, NY and thats where I live. Gotta root for the hometown boy!

Prediction: Jones via Decision

Mac Danzig Vs. Jim Miller

Name:	Mac Danzig
Height:	5' 8" (173 cm)
Weight:	155 (70 kg)
Record:	19-6-1

Name:	Jim Miller
Height:	5' 8" (173 cm)
Weight:	155 (70 kg)
Record:	13-2-0

Both of these guys are coming off tough losses. Danzig is actually coming off 2 in a row to both Josh Neer and Clay Guida both at Ultimate fight night matches on Spike. Jim Miller is coming off a losing effort to Gray Maynard. Both will be looking for the win here because the loser might well be out of UFC for a while. In the UFC if you aren't winning you aren't fighting. Miller is a Brown belt in BJJ and Danzig has held numerous MMA championships with other organizations. Another tough one to call but I think Danzig knows if he doesn't win this one its three strikes and your out. With that in his mind I give him the edge.

Prediction: Mac Danzig by Decision

Mark Coleman Vs. Stephan Bonnar

Name:	Mark Coleman
Height:	6' 1" (185 cm)
Weight:	205 (93 kg)
Record:	15-9-0

"The Hammer"

Name:	Stephan Bonnar
Height:	6' 4" (193 cm)
Weight:	205 (93 kg)
Record:	14-5-0

"American Psycho"

This is another interesting match up. Coleman at 44 years of age is definitely past his prime in MMA. And prior to his last match, a loss to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 93 had not been in the octagon since UFC 18. Stephen Bonnar though, also coming off a loss has never really lived up to his potential. We've seen glimpses of greatness from him but he cant seem to get it all together. However with Coleman's age and lack of recent fights I give this one to Bonnar.

Prediction: Stephen Bonnar by TKO

Yoshihiro Akiyama Vs. Alan Belcher

Name:	Yoshihiro Akiyama
Height:	5' 10" (178 cm)
Weight:	185 (84 kg)
Record:	12-1-0, 2 NC

Name:	Alan Belcher
Height:	6' 2" (188 cm)
Weight:	185 (84 kg)
Record:	13-4-0

"The Talent"

This will be Akiyama's debut in the octagon. He is a big name in Japan looking for stardom in the UFC. And what is his specialty? Judo. Thats right another Judo practitioner making his way into the UFC. Belcher however is no slouch. He is coming off two big wins in his last two fights over Dennis Kang and Ed Herman. He is a well rounded fighter with a Brown Belt in BJJ. I'm giving Belcher the advantage in this fight because of his experience edge in the UFC with 8 of his 17 career fights coming in the octagon.

Prediction: Alan Belcher by decision

Dan Henderson Vs. Michael Bisping

Name:	Dan Henderson
Height:	6' 1" (185 cm)
Weight:	205 (93 kg)
Record:	24-7-0

"Hendo"

Name:	Michael Bisping
Height:	6' 2" (188 cm)
Weight:	185 (84 kg)
Record:	18-1-0

"The Count"

Here we have the Clash of the Coaches. Experience vs Youth. And also a nice guy vs a total jackass. I absolutely hate Michael Bisping. He has a horrible attitude and is just a complete jerk. What he does have however are a lot of amatuer accomplishments including: 1995 Silver medal – world jiu-jitsu championships; 5 x British kickboxing champion; God knows how many times British Sport jiu-jitsu champion.
Accomplishments in pro competition? Cage Rage Champion, Cage Warriors Champion, FX3 Champion, TUF 3 Champion, Coach on TUF9. He's also coming off three straight wins, most recently against Chris Lebin at UFC 89. Dan Hendo Henderson has his own list of accomplishments though including: Former PRIDE Middleweight and Welterweight Champion (1st fighter in history to hold both belts simultaneously), 1992 and 1996 United States Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestling team member, 1988 USA Junior Freestyle champion, 1988 USA Junior Greco-Roman champion, 3-time USA Senior Greco-Roman champion, 3-time USA University Greco-Roman champion, 1990 USA FILA Junior World Greco-Roman champion, 1990 Amateur Wrestling News Freshman All-American, 1990-91 U.S. Olympic Festival champion, 1991 and 1993-94 University Nationals champion, 1993-94 U.S. Nationals champion, UFC 17 middleweight tournament winner, RINGS 1999 King of Kings Absolute tournament winner, coach on season nine of The Ultimate Fighter. This match has a shot at fight of the night. I believe these two will put on one hell of a show. I'm giving the edge to Hendo for his experience and also because I really want to see Bisping lose.

Prediction: Dan Henderson by submission

Jon Fitch Vs. Paulo Thiago

Name:	Jon Fitch
Height:	6' 0" (183 cm)
Weight:	170 (77 kg)
Record:	22-3-0, 1 NC

Name:	Paulo Thiago
Height:	5' 11" (180 cm)
Weight:	170 (77 kg)
Record:	11-0-0

Jon Fitch is one of the best welterweights in the UFC today. He has 10 fights in the UFC and has lost only one and that loss was to Welterweight Champ Georges St. Pierre. His most recent win came over Akihiro Gono at UFC 94. He also has wins against Brock Larson, Diego Sanchez, Josh Burkman and Thiago Alves just to name a few. He is a black belt in BJJ and a former freestyle wrestler. His only downfall if any is inability to finish off his opponents. 6 of his 10 UFC bouts have had to go to the judges scorecards. Paulo Thiago is an undefeated fighter with one match in the UFC where he defeated TUF 1 fighter Josh Koscheck. He also has a black belt in BJJ and is still a police officer in Brazil. I think Paulo has a bright future in the UFC and a win over FItch would be huge for his career. Not knowing to much about him yet though I have to go with Fitch in this one.

Prediction: Jon Fitch by decision

Georges St-Pierre Vs. Thiago Alves

Name:	Georges St-Pierre
Height:	5' 10" (178 cm)
Weight:	170 (77 kg)
Record:	18-2-0

"Rush"

Name:	Thiago Alves
Height:	5' 9" (175 cm)
Weight:	170 (77 kg)
Record:	22-4-0

"Pit bull"

This is the match that should be fight of the night. We have two of the best fighters in the world today in this one. Georges has wins over such fighters as Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, John Fitch, BJ Penn and many other big names in this sport. He is one of the best all around fighters in the sport. Just listen to him describe his training. "I started martial arts when I was six, doing Kyokushin karate. When I started training for MMA, I started wrestling with the national team and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with Nova Uniao. I now train in wrestling, BJJ, Muay Thai, and boxing. When I first met Stephane Patry and his team I decided I wanted to become a champion in this sport." Thiago Alves has won his last 7 fights in the UFC. He is a purple belt in BJJ and a multiple time Muay Thai champion. If Georges takes him lightly the Pitbull will leave with the belt. I give the advantage to St. Pierre though. He took an opponent lightly once before, in Matt Serra, which cost him his title. Now that he has it back I dont see him doing that again.

Prediction: Georges St. Pierre via TKO

Brock Lesnar Vs. Frank Mir

Name:	Brock Lesnar
Height:	6' 3" (191 cm)
Weight:	265 (120 kg)
Record:	3-1-0

Name:	Frank Mir
Height:	6' 3" (191 cm)
Weight:	240 (109 kg)
Record:	12-3-0

This is a rematch from UFC 81. It was Lesnars debut fight in the UFC and depending on who you ask he was screwed in that fight. Check out the fight below and tell me what you think. This time though, the belt is on the line and Lesnar not only wants to keep the belt but get revenge on Mir. Lesnar is a multiple time wrestling champion both amateur and professional with the WWE. Mir is an accomplished athlete who is looking to show Lesnar like he did before that he is the better man. Personally I want Lesnar to win and I think if it came down to a slugfest there is no question that Lesnar would win. But for some reason I see this fight going the same exact way the first one did. Lesnar will take control with his fists and go in for the kill and Mir will catch him in a submission.

Prediction: Mir via Submission

So there you have it. Those are my predictions for UFC 100. You agree? Disagree? let me know. PS, not sure why but some of the fighters photos wouldn't post which is really weird considering the worked just fine yesterday. Please enjoy the original Lesnar vs. Mir fight below and check back later this evening for results.

UFC 100 Preview

2009-07-10T12:30:00.000-04:00

The following is a preview directly from UFC.com. I will be back tomorrow with my thoughts on who will win the fights as well as the results following the Pay Per View.

Jul-11-2009 7pm PT/10pm ET
Event Type:	PPV Live
Location:	Mandalay Bay Events Center, Nevada

Description:	It's the biggest event in mixed martial arts history, and for UFC 100, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is bringing out the big guns. Two championships will be on the line when UFC heavyweight title holder Brock Lesnar defends his crown against rival Frank Mir in their long-awaited grudge match, and UFC welterweight champion Georges "Rush" St-Pierre puts his belt up for grabs against Brazilian knockout artist Thiago "Pitbull" Alves. Also, The Ultimate Fighter coaches collide as Dan Henderson takes on Michael "The Count" Bisping in a pivotal middleweight showdown. UFC FAN EXPO - Taking place on July 10th & 11th at the Mandalay Bay. Register Now / Expo Tickets Tickets for the UFC® 100 Viewing Party at Radio City Music Hall in NYC are on sale now and will be priced at $25 through July 3 (July 4 through the event they will be priced at $30). Tickets can be purchased at the Radio City Music Hall Box Office, Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, or online at www.radiocity.com. Tickets are also available by Ticketmaster phone at 866-448-7849 or 212-307-7171. Watch UFC 100 on Pay Per View (outside of North America, Click Here), and worldwide on Yahoo! Sports and UFC.com. Mandalay Bay Events Center doors open at 3:45 pm PT The first bout will begin at 4:35 pm PT The first televised bout will begin at 7:00 pm PT