Enjoy…

Sign: Aquarius
Hometown: Houston, TX
Hair: black/brown
Eyes: brown
Measurements: 34c-25-36
Height: 5’5

Hobbies: dance, art collection,
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I have for most of my life been in one player guitar bands. I cannot say if has been by design or fate. Being the lone guitarist and having eclectic tastes in music I have relied on a diverse collection of guitars to paint a sonic spectrum of tone. One aspect of this spectrum is mixing acoustic and electric characteristics.

At one point I was using an ES 335 for this task. While the ES335 is a great guitar, it is not going to give you a pure acoustic guitar sound. The other drawback to the classic Gibson is the ES 335 is prone to feedback when pushed to the limits with gain. Read the rest of this entry »

The TMRzoo “Beat the House” Week 7 NFL picks and predictions are live and voting is now open. The House didn’t stand a chance in week 6. The membership’s 9 correct picks were plenty enough to top the House’s 6. The Madden 10 simulation on the Xbox 360 only nabbed 8 of the 14 picks correctly. It as a tough week for everyone. Get your week 7 picks in now and try your best to Beat the House and move up the TMR Leaderboard in the process. Read the rest of this entry »

In the American League Championship game on Tuesday night between the Yankees and Angels, some very poor base management occurred between Yankees catcher Jorge Posada who was on third base and Yankees’ second baseman Robinson Cano, who was running from second base to third. For some reason, Posada didn’t run home, leaving both men on the third base bag at the same time. Angels’ catcher Mike Napoli alertly and correctly tagged out Cano, who was not on the bag anyway, then he noticed that Posada wasn’t on the bag either and tagged him also.

Third base umpire Tim McClelland incorrectly called Posada safe and play resumed. Instant replay clearly showed Posada was not on third base when Napoli tagged him, not from one, but from every single angle. And it didn’t take several minutes. It was shown on the big screen in right field before Angels’ manager Mike Scocia even reached the third base line to argue.

This was just one more in a series of awful calls this post-season. There is no question that we have seen some of the worst officiating this post-season that we have had the displeasure of seeing in a very long time. In the 21 post-season games we have seen to date, going back to the Divisional Series, we have seen horrendous calls made at first base, second base, third base, along the foul line in the outfield, and some very questionable balls and strikes. No series has been immune.

Three weeks ago, in a Southeast Conference football game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the LSU Tigers, with moments left in the game, Georgia scored what they thought was the winning touchdown. As they behaved like young men, reasonably celebrating their significant accomplishment of possibly beating the then 5th ranked team in the country, something shocking happened: The referee in the end zone threw a flag on them for excessive celebration.

This resulted in LSU getting fantastic field position on the ensuing kickoff and scoring relatively quickly and easily to end the game. Immediately after the game, SEC officials reviewed the penalty and declared that there was no excessive celebration by Georgia players and that no flag should have been thrown. While the penalty didn’t specifically cause the Bulldogs to lose, it certainly contributed to their loss.

Last Saturday, the #1 ranked team in the nation, the Florida Gators, played at home against the unranked Arkansas Razorbacks. The Razorbacks gave the Gators one of their toughest games of the season, leading by a touchdown nearly the entire game. Late in the 4th quarter, Arkansas was hit with a 10-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that gave Florida a 1st down and helped fuel their game tying touchdown. Florida ultimately won the game with a last second field goal. The next day, both SEC officials and the head referee, the one who made the actual call, said that the call should not have been made and it was a bad call. The block thrown by the Arkansas player was a clean hit and there was nothing wrong with the play. Again, the call didn’t cause Florida to win the game, but was a contributing factor.

Oh, the point to this, in case you’re wondering is that it was the exact same referee crew in both the LSU-Georgia game as the Arkansas-Florida game. The SEC has taken swift and decisive action and has suspended the entire crew. They are not eligible to work their next scheduled game, and are not allowed to work another game until November 14th. It is still up in the air whether or not they will be allowed to work a bowl game or not.

Major League Baseball can learn a lot from this example. Note the phrase quick and decisive action. While it’s true that umpires who work one post-series of games do not work the next series (baseball’s way of spreading the wealth). For example, the team that is working the NLCS cannot work the World Series. It’s also very clear that when an umpire makes a call that is so apparently wrong that it’s admitted by all parties immediately after the game, he shouldn’t be allowed to work the next game in the series. Particularly when that botched call directly affects the outcome of the game, or a scoring situation, as we’ve seen several times already this post-season.

Yes, umpires are human, and they make mistakes. But the problem is that baseball’s outright refusal to use instant replay, compounded by the overall arrogance of the umpires in general is so great that they often don’t even feel the need to confer with colleagues to make sure they got the call right, begs for something to be done.

This is the last season under the current umpire’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. A new CBA will begin with the 2010 season. There is still time to work out new details and put in new procedures for umpires to follow. There is still time to give them the help they so desperately need to get the calls right. There is still time to put in punishments for umpires who don’t perform to the levels that is expected of them at the major league level.

Why can’t they be suspended for a series or two? Why can’t they be sent back to Triple-A for 30 days for extra instruction? Players are when they don’t perform. So are coaches and managers. What makes umpires special that they should get any different treatment?

This is the opportunity for change. Right now. If things keep going in the direction they are, or stay the same, baseball has no one to blame but themselves.

The word of the day is sh!t… as in “The House took a big sh!t in week 6″. The membership posted 9 wins out of 14 to The House’s 6. The simulation of the week on Madden NFL 10 for the Xbox 360 came in second place with an 8-6 record. The tally stands at Members 4, House 2 so far in 2009. Tune in tomorrow when the NFL week 7 picks and predictions are released. Read the rest of this entry »

Enjoy…

Sign:Taurus
Hometown- Spring, Tx
Hair- Brown
Eyes- Brown
Measurements- 34D 25 34
Height- 5’9”

Hobbies- Working Out, Watching Football, Zuma Dancing
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These are meal plans for individuals who are looking to add size and strength. The meals are packed with high quality calories to ensure quality gains in size.

Get-Big Meal Plan for Workout Days

Meal 1
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1 cup cooked oatmeal (prepare with water only or the above mentioned milk and add cinnamon or other spices)
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed oil (mix in with the oatmeal)
• 1/4 cup raisins (mix in with the oatmeal or eaten separately)
• 1/2 cup mixed frozen berries (mix in with the oatmeal or eaten separately) Read the rest of this entry »

To celebrate the October 20th DVD and Blue ray release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, The Zoo is giving away a Transformers prize pack which includes the 2-Disc Special Edition DVD, a Transformers T-shirt and a Transformers poster, courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment, to ONE lucky winner.

Synopsis:
One of the most popular, thrill-packed, franchises of all time is back with even more action and more Autobots and Decepticons! In the highly anticipated Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Decepticon forces return to Earth on a mission to take Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) prisoner, after the young hero learns the truth about the ancient origins of the Transformers. Joining the mission to product humankind is Optimus Prime, who forms an alliance with international armies for a second epic battle. Read the rest of this entry »

A Celebration of the Beauty’s Feathered Hair, Big Smile, and Iconic Images

On the occasion of Farrah Fawcett’s passing, Playboy’s editors and photographers offer their unique recollections of working with the fearless and extraordinary beauty, along with a six-page tribute containing some of the star’s most iconic photographs (issue available on newsstands and at www.playboydigital.com Friday, October 16). The tribute also features, firsthand, personal recollections from Farrah’s Playboy photo shoots. Read the rest of this entry »

This year’s National League Championship Series is a replay of last season’s: The Philadelphia Phillies vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers of course, hope it’s not an exact replay, because last season, the Phillies beat them in five games.

It did not take very long for the Dodgers to dispatch the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Divisional Series. Everyone on the planet expected the Cards to take care of the Dodgers, maybe even sweep them. The Dodgers shocked the baseball world by completely shutting down the Cardinals’ hitting and taking advantage of pitching mistakes, and being the ones doing the sweeping.

Dodgers’ pitchers held the Cardinals’ batters to a .262 average, with 1 HR and only 6 RBI over the 3 games. Matt Holliday was held to a .167 average with a solo HR. Albert Pujols went 3-for-10 (.300) with no homers and only 1 RBI. The Cardinals’ best hitter of the series was rookie Coby Rasmus (likely NL Rookie of the Year). Rasmus hit .444 (4-for-9) with 3 doubles and an RBI.

The Cardinal’s pitchers didn’t do any better. The three starters combined for an 0-2 record with a 4.76 ERA over the three games. The relievers were not bad, however. In 8.2 innings pitched, they only gave up 2 earned runs for a 2.08 ERA. Cy Young Award candidate Chris Carpenter got lit up in Game 1 for 4 runs on 8 hits and 4 walks for a 7.20 ERA. Cardinals’ other Cy Young candidate, Adam Wainwright, faired much better. He pitched a gem in Game 2. He only gave up 1 run on 3 hits over 8 innings. But closer Ryan Franklin couldn’t close the door and gave up 2 walks and 2 singles, with an error sandwiched in the middle, to blow the lead and the save for the Cardinals’ 2nd loss of the series.

The Dodgers, on the other hand, batted when they needed to and pitched much better than anyone expected. As a team, they batted .276. Both Andre Ethier and Rafael Furcal hit .500. Ethier, my series MVP, hit for the series cycle, if there is such a thing. He had a HR, a triple, 2 doubles, and 2 singles, 3 RBI, and 5 runs scored. Not a bad three game set.

Their starting pitching was very, very good. 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA over 17.1 innings pitched. They were anchored by Vincente Padilla, of all people. Padilla was completely given up on and outright released by the Rangers earlier this season. The Dodgers picked him up for nothing, and really made the most of it. Against the Cardinals, he pitched 7 strong shutout innings and only gave up 4 hits. He is the only NL starting pitcher with a 0.00 ERA so far in this post-season.

As expected, the Philadelphia Phillies had little problem with the Colorado Rockies. Well, they had some problems, but they were small and they were quickly overcome. Philadelphia outhit and outpitched the Rockies, and Colorado still came within an out of taking it to Game 5. But, with 2 outs in the top of the 9th inning of Game 4, Ryan Howard and then Jason Werth got a couple of clutch hits, scoring three runs and giving the Phillies a one-run lead that troubled closer Brad Lidge would not give up.

The Rockies hit .254 in the series, which is very misleading because LF Carlos Gonzalez hit a post-season (so far) high of .588 (10-for-17), and catcher Yorvit Torrealba hit .357 (5-for-14), but none of the rest of the starting lineup hit higher than .250, and most were much lower.

The Phillies, on the other hand, had 7 of 8 regular players in the lineup hit over .250, and 6 of them hit over .300. 2B Chase Utley hit .429 (6-for-14) with a solo HR. 1B Ryan Howard hit .375 with 3 doubles and 6 RBI.

Phillies’ pitching was good, doing what it had to do, when it had to do it. Newly anointed staff ace Cliff Lee was just that, the staff ace, as he started Games 1 and 4. He combined for a 1-0 record with a 1.10 ERA over 16.1 innings. He gave up 2 runs on 11 hits. Closer Brad Lidge showed signs of the brilliance he exhibited last season when he was a perfect 48 for 48. He appeared in 2 of the 4 games, pitching 1.1 innings. He gave up 2 walks, but no hits, and most importantly, no runs. So far, his 2009 post-season is perfect. 2 saves in 2 opportunities.

The Rockies’ pitching was as bad as Philadelphia’s was good. Colorado ace, Ubaldo Jimenez, couldn’t get anything going. In 2 games, he gave up 7 runs on 15 hits over 12 innings for a 5.25 ERA and 1 of the 3 Colorado losses. The other 2 losses were both picked up by closer Huston Street. He lost Game 3 when he gave up a sacrifice fly to Ryan Howard, allowing Jimmy Rollins to score. He lost Game 4 on the aforementioned hits to Howard and Werth, sending Colorado home for the winter and sending Philadelphia onward to LA.

The NLCS starts tonight in Los Angeles. The Phillies will start Cole Hamels against the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw.

In Hamels last five starts against the Dodgers, going back to last season (including the 2008 NLCS), he is 4-0 with a 1.46 ERA. Matt Kemp is 4-for-12 (.333) against him with a double and Ronnie Belliard is 7-for-26 (.269) with 2 HR. Hamels has handled the rest of the Dodgers lineup pretty handily over the past couple of years. He owned them in the NLSC last year, going 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA and earning MVP honors.

Clayton Kershaw, the young Dodgers hurler, went 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA this season. In two games against the Phillies this season, he went 0-2 with a 5.23 ERA. Raul Ibanez has hit him for 2 doubles in 5 at bats (.400) and 2 RBI, but both slugger Ryan Howard and hitter Shane Victorino have both only hit .125 against him. In last season’s NLCS, Kershaw pitched 2.0 innings in short relief and gave up 1 run.

In Game 2, the Phillies will send out Pedro Martinez and the Dodgers will send out Vincente Padilla. Ironically, Martinez is a former Dodger while Padilla is a former Phillie. Martinez hasn’t pitched in about two weeks, and fortunately he missed his last start against Colorado, which would have been brutal on his sore neck and shoulder.

In his short season, Martinez is 5-1 with a 3.63 ERA. He has never faced the Dodgers, but he has faced some of their current players. Combined, the current Dodger staff is batting .223 against Pedro. Jim Thome is a dismal 6-for-35 (.171) against him with 14 strikeouts, but 3 of those 6 hits are homers. And Manny Ramirez is only 5-for-30 (.167) against Pedro with no homers and 2 doubles, but 13 punchouts.

The Dodgers will counter in Game 2 with Padilla. Padilla has not had a great season. After an erratic 8-6 (4.92 ERA) record with the Texas Rangers, they unceremoniously dropped him. The Dodgers picked him up for the stretch run and the post season and he has paid off in a big way. Since coming to the team, he has only gone undefeated (3.20 ERA) going 4-0 in 8 appearances.

Padilla has faced the Phillies once, last season. He gave up 7 runs on 7 hits over 6 innings pitched. He has faced several of the current roster, however, and combined they are batting .286 against him. Ryan Howard is 1-for-2 with a HR, and Raul Ibanez is 9-for-28 (.321) with 2 HR and 4 RBI.

On the batter’s side, the Dodger’s certainly have Ryan Howard’s number. Coming into this series, he is batting .190 against them in his career. This is the worst batting average he has against any NL team. Jimmy Rollins also has not hit well against the Dodgers. His .232 average against them throughout his career ties them with the Chicago Cubs for the team he has hit the worst against. Chase Utley, however, has done fairly well against them, batting .304. And he particularly likes Chavez Ravine, where he’s batted .354 over his career.

Anytime you talk about the Dodgers’ hitting, you have to start the conversation with Manny. He destroyed the Phillies’ pitching in last season’s LCS, hitting .533 with 2 HR, 2 doubles, and 8 RBI. He hasn’t faced the Phillies since, but they know he can do serious damage anytime he has a bat in his hand. The other guy they have to keep their eye on is Andre Ethier. He only batted .232 in last season’s NLCS, but has hit .275 against them this year, and he is on fire right now.

The number one key to the Phillies winning this series is Brad Lidge. They can and will take several of these games into the 9th inning with a lead. The question is, will he be able to hold on to it for the save. He was pure money last season. This season he led the majors in blown saves with 11. If he can hold the lead the team gives him, they will be in great shape.

The key to the Dodgers having a shot at winning this series is their bench. It is very deep, and it is very good. They have power with Jim Thome, they have speed with Orlando Hudson and Juan Pierre, and they have key hitting with Pierre, Mark Loretta (walk off pinch hit to win Game 2 against Cardinals), and Ronnie Belliard.

NLCS SCHEDULE:
Game 1: Thu Oct 15, 8:07pm
Game 2: Fri Oct 16, 4:07pm
Game 3: Sun Oct 18, 8:07pm
Game 4: Mon Oct 19, 8:07pm
Game 5: Wed Oct 21, 8:07pm
Game 6: Fri Oct 23, 8:07pm
Game 7: Sat Oct 24, 8:07pm

PREDICTION: PHILLIES IN 6 GAMES
Let’s make this interactive. Who do you like?? Drop me a line at neil@tmrzoo.com and let me know who you think will win and what you think the keys to the series will be.

The NFL Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for Week 5 of the 2009 NFL Season have been announced and are shown below. Nobody guessed this week’s offensive winners correctly, but James Harrison was a popular pick for defense. Better luck next week. Read the rest of this entry »

The TMRzoo “Beat the House” Week 6 picks and predictions are live and voting is now open. The House was victorious for the second consecutive week last week. The membership’s 9 correct picks weren’t enough to top the House’s 11. The Madden 10 simulation on the Xbox 360 only nabbed 8 of the 14 picks correctly. Get your week 6 picks in now and try your best to Beat the House and move up the TMR Leaderboard in the process. Read the rest of this entry »

To celebrate the release of the Ear Force Z1 PC Gaming Headset, The Zoo is giving away ONE headset, courtesy of Turtle Beach, to ONE lucky winner.

Prize Description:
The Ear Force Z1 delivers high-quality sound, rugged construction and superior comfort in a compact design that’s easy to carry along with your gaming gear. Built for gamers “on the go”, the Z1 delivers big sound in a small package – and at a great price.
Read the rest of this entry »

Enjoy…

Sign: Pisces
Hometown: Houston
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Blue
Measurements: 34-25-32
Height: 5’2

Hobbies: working out, shopping, spending time with family

Skills: hair & make-up artist Read the rest of this entry »

Traditionally we find ourselves pairing a great cigar with a great Scotch. While this combination works there is no better pairing for a great cigar than a great beer. The other night I found myself with a Macanudo Maduro in one hand, a snifter of great beer in the other.

Maduro cigars are very rich in flavor. Macanudo has been able to produce a Maduro that is full flavored and rich yet smooth ad creamy. The Macanudo Maduro is medium body with caramel tones in the flavor. The wrappers of these cigars and from Cuban and Dominican seed tobacco that is double fermented. Read the rest of this entry »

As you listen to Alice In Chains’ “Black Gives Way To Blue” good gives way to great. AIC’s first release in 14 years is an album worth waiting for. There are 3 components in my opinion that make AIC sound like AIC. The first crucial component for AIC to sound like AIC is Jerry Cantrell’s guitar.

Jerry Cantrell has never been a slouch on the guitar. Jerry has always had great tone and textures in his playing and writing. With this release it seems like he has somehow brought his playing to another level. In the opening song “All Secrets Known” there is a mixture of power chords and synthesizer like volume swells. The open track also features an Indian influenced sitaresque guitar solo. Read the rest of this entry »