Greene’s Dreams Don’te Come True

After the second loss of the year to UMass in the Carrier Dome, I was convinced that Donte Greene hadn’t had the season necessary to send him to the draft. Me and my friends had no clue that this would in fact be the last time we saw him playing. About a week later, at the school sponsored party called “Mayfest”, I saw Greene and stopped to talk to him. He was good friends with my roommate, so he gave us the inside scoop that he was not going to come back the following season. We said our goodbyes and I have not seen or heard his name much since that time.

As the draft approached, I began to take an interest in where he would be going. I got excited as I heard he would be a mid first-round pick. This is also where the 76ers were positioned. I began to have thoughts of seeing Greene once again, however this time in a different uniform.

Like all other Syracuse faithfuls, this yesterday was not as great as I had hoped. As the mid-round picks came and went, Greene’s name was not called.

It was not until the 28th overall pick that Memphis finally decided to pull the trigger on Greene. I was extremely disappointed to see this happen. Both for me and him. For me, because Syracuse will not be as good as they could have been next season. For him, because he will not receive the contract that was used to lure him away from college life.

One positive is that after the blockbuster trade between Memphis and Minnesota, Greene will have the chance to play with OJ Mayo. I believe that this could be a fierce twosome in years to come. Though their supporting cast is not very good, these two young and talented players could be used to build a very dominant team.

It will be interesting to see just how these two are used and whether or not they will make a large impact in the NBA. The only thing that worries me is the Syracuse team of next year. Will Jonny Flynn be able to rise to the role of team leader? Will Rautins and Devendorf be healthy and productive? Only time will tell how everything plays out.

By the way, I didn’t spell the title wrong, its spelled like his first name. Like the “Don’te Leave” shirts that were made.

Curt Schilling… A Sure Hall of Famer

As a avid Phillies fan, my views may be skewed, however I believe that Curt Schilling is a Hall of Famer, even if he did not return from surgery next season.

As a kid, I grew up frequently attending Phillies games and sitting right behind home plate. Though I was young, I do remember Curt Schilling very clearly. Even as a kid, I knew there was something special about him and more than a decade later, my childhood beliefs have been confirmed. Curt Schilling has gone on from his early to days as a Philly, to become an elite pitcher of his time.

Throughout his career, Schilling has won three World Series, has been selected to the all star team six times, led the league in wins twice, and has had over 3000 strikeouts. Additionally, there are many memorable moments, such as the bloody sock game, in which Schilling has demonstrated his sheer grit and determination. While he does not poses the best resume of all time, I believe that it is more than sufficient enough to get him into the hall of fame.

On today’s PTI, I heard that Curt himself does not believe that he is a hall of fame player. Curt Schilling has had a very strong career and has entertained fans across the country. He deserves the honor to be remember for all that he has done for the sport. While he is probably not a contender on his first ballot, I believe that his numbers, tenacious attitude, and love for the game are enough to get him into the hall of fame very soon.

My Bonnaroo wish list.

If I were attending the festival, this would be my schedule, starting Friday, June 13.

If you have not heard of some of these bands, check them out, cause their good. Those in bold, are the ones i would not miss.

Friday, June 13

Umphrey’s McGee 2:15-3:45 (Which Stage)

Les Claypool 4:15-5:45 (Which Stage)

State Radio 5:45-7:15 (The Other Tent)

Chris Rock 7:45-8:45 (What Stage)

Metallica 9:00-11:30 (What Stage)

My Morning Jacket 12:00-3:00 (Which Stage)

Saturday, June 14

Donavan Frankenreiter 1:00-2:15 (The Other Tent)

Ben Folds 6:15-7:45 (Which Stage) or Iron and Whine 6:30-8:00 (This Tent)

Jack Johnson 8:00-9:30 (What Stage)

Pearl Jam 10:15-12:15 (What Stage)

Phil Lesh and Friends 12:15-4:15 (Which Stage)

or Kanye West 2:45-4:15 (What Stage)

Sunday, June 15

O.A.R. 4:45-6:15 (Which Stage)

Robert Plant and Allison Krauss 6:15-7:45 (What Stage)

I may have missed a couple good bands, ut i think this is basically the ones that I would make a note to see. If anyone sees any of these shows, post the setlists and some comments about the shows.

Out of Work…and Bonnaroo

As I lay in bed after a morning of failed job searching, I cannot help but to mourn over the fact that I am not on my way to Manchester, TN. As bands, comedians, and fans pour onto the grounds of Bonnaroo this afternoon, I will be sitting in my bed trying to imagine what could have been.

For the past few years, I have yearned to tag along with my brother and his friends, as they took the 16 hour drive down to the music festival. However, seeing as I was in High School, I was unable to because of finals. I was always told by my mom, “just wait, when your in college, you will be able to go too.”

But am I going this year?

NO!

And why not?

Because I have to work!

Do I have a Job

NO!!!

I am a 19 year old kid with no experience doing anything and nobody wants to hire anybody without experience. What am I to do. I have tried to use connections to get jobs, but I am always skrewed over by something or someone. Well, I guess I just have to keep looking.

If anyone has a job in South Jersey, please let me know!

Also for those of you hoping to read a post about Bannaroo and not my pathetic summer, here you go.

The festivals lineup looks great. Jack Johnson is headlining this year, and while his new cd was a major bomb, I hope he is still capable of playing some of his old stuff. Also headlining is Pearl Jam and Metallica. While I admit that I do Not Know too Much about these bands, what I have heard of them is all good. There are many other great bands, including State Radio, Donavan Frankenrieter, and Iron and whine. Check out my next post for my top picks at the festival.

Back from Israel

As the title may have given away, I have just returned from a trip to Israel. You know the country with bombs going off everywhere you step. Actually, the truth is could not be further from the truth.

First of all, I never once saw an explosion, heard a gun being fired, or even a single person fear their life. This is because the situation is not as bad as Fox News has portrayed it to be. If not for their shitty food, I would have thought that I was in New York City.

It is such a beautiful country, with some of the nicest people I have met. Sure there are soldiers on every street carrying an M16, but personally, I think that this is cool. While there is a slight language barrier, US globalization has forced every citizen to know some English. In fact, most know the language fluently.

I will post a picture or two, but it is impossible to catch the beauty of the country in just one still frame. It is not enough to see it, you must experience it in order to get the full impact. The people are more friendly than  any person in the US. They open their homes to strangers and help anyone in need. This while being surrounded by four countries that would like nothing more than to wipe them off the map.

I went to Israel on a ten day trip that was given to me for free by Oranim Birhright. I traveled the country with a tour guide, a medic, and eight Israeli soldiers. We stopped at a great number of sites, even though there were hundreds more that we could not see. We were fed and housed in hotels. All of this, for not one single penny! If you can qualify for this trip than you must take it. There is no reason not to.

I wish I could explain just how this trip has changed me, but it is impossible. I have changed my attitude towards others, towards the country itself, and towards my religion. I cannot explain why or how, all I can say is that it has changed. It was one of the best experiences of my life and I sincerely thank the people who have given me this opportunity. I hope i have changed someones mind about attending this trip and I hope it will have the same effect on them.

Pete Francis and Braddigan 10/11/12 of June!

Back up guitarist and Drummer of the band Dispatch will perform together for three nights in Southbridge MA, Asbury Park NJ, and Falls Church VA. Now I am a very big Dispatch and State Radio fan, but I am not ye sure how I feel about the other two. Can Brad and Pete really pull off a great concert with Chad being absent?

I say no. First of all, Chad did lead vocals for the group and while Brad and Pete can sing well, they do not carry the same intensity as Chad. Additionally, Chad writes far better songs than either of the two. So don’t expect to hear any of your old Dispatch favorites, because Chad wrote most of them. Maybe you will hear Carry You and Fallin’. But these songs just don’t get me going like any of Chad’s stuff.

So my final diagnosis would have to be that this concert is just not worth it. I would save my 15 bucks for the Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, and Trey concert later this summer, in August I believe.

If anyone ends up going please tell me how it was and what the set list was.

Have a good one

Movies this week.

After taking a long break from the movies, I went back in full force this week. All I can say in the end is, I wish i had taken another week off. Out of the three summer blockbusters, only one was watchable.

This was “Ironman.” Jon Farveau surpassed my expectations with this film and Robert Downy Jr. was very funny and fit the role extremely well. However, I do not know where the hell those muscles came from. The story did not go anywhere, but man was Ironman cool looking. The movie has raked in over 280 mil. and I expect much more when this thing hits the shelves.

The next movie I saw disappointed me more than any other movie I have seen in my entire lifetime. This was “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” I should have known from this corny title and Harrison Fords age that this movie would suck, but since it was Indy, I had to see it. I was excited to see Ford do his own Indiana Jones Style stunts, with the fake bullets hitting everything around him and explosions around every corner. However, I also noticed that these effects were cheap and plan old boring. For example, when he is running on the rafters in the warehouse in the beginning, you can clearly see dirty/scratched up plexy glass covering the holes. And all i have to say about the story is, Aliens!? Common Steven, you cant be serious.

Finally, I went to the midnight showing of “Dont mess with the Zohan.” I would like to forewarn all of you not to go and see this movie. This is because  besides for  Emmanuelle Chriqui, Dalia, There was no point to this movie. I think Adam Sandler should have just stuck to not making movies instead of digging himself into a deeper hole with this one. I mean Spanglish, The longest Yard, Click, and chuck and larry, weren’t bad enough? I just hope that Love Guru does not disappoint me as much.