I think it’s a good trade for both teams.  I understand that many Kings fans are angry with the trade but it seems to me that Johnson was not very happy to be playing in LA despite his contract extension.  I think it started to go south a few years ago when Kings GM Dean Lombardi had very negative comments about Johnson’s alma mater, Michigan, and said Johnson was  ”awful as a hockey player” when he played there.  I become more convinced of his discomfort with the Kings when I read Johnson’s comments about the trade.

 “I’m excited by this. I’m excited to go a team that wants me and to play in a great sports city.  “I want to be part of the solution there. I know they’ve had some bad breaks and some tough seasons, but it’s going to be great when it turns around. Really, I don’t think there is anything sweeter in sports than being part of a team when they get it turned around.”

One of the Kings strengths in their youth system are their young defesneman which made Johnson expendable.  The Kings have called up Slava Voynov to take Johnson’s spot.

Carter has been unhappy ever since he was traded from the Flyers to the Blue Jackets but he’s proven that he can find the back of the net.  He’s scored as many as 46 goals in a season and a fresh start for the 27 year old is just what he needs.

You can read the Dean Lombardi conference-call here.

NHL Los Angeles Kings – Home Jersey design iPhone 4 / 4S Snap-On Case

LA Kings – Jack Johnson (photo by Dimur)

After the game, Manchester City filed a formal complaint with UEFA.  Toure also expressed his feeling to the media after the match.

”Football is football and the fans come to enjoy the game, and we don’t want things like this to happen. Mario is now able to control things like this and that is very important for the club.”

Today UEFA made the announcement that there was enough evidence to start disciplinary procedures.

 ”Following a complaint lodged by Manchester City FC, UEFA has today opened disciplinary proceedings against FC Porto for the improper conduct of supporters (article 11 bis of the UEFA disciplinary degulations) during their UEFA Europa League round of 32 first-leg match against Manchester City FC last week.”

UEFA went on to say that the case would be dealt with on March 29th.  A video on YouTube shows what appears to be the “monkey chants” that Balotelli claimed he heard whenever he touched the ball.

UEFA Champions League Final 2011 FC Barcelona v Manchester United

“That’s nothing new for me. I always report early to spring training. That’s something that I’ve done since the first day I got invited to big-league camp. I think it’s very important for me to get outside and pretty much be on your own program to do the things you want because (later) this week when everybody gets here you’re not on your own program anymore.”

“I’m just really excited to be here, it feels good to be outside. I’ve been training for three months, hitting in a cage in St. Louis, and it feels good to be here for some spring baseball.”

Pujols found out the hard way that a big contract has no meaning for a Mike Scioscia lead team.  During the daily player meeting, Pujols’s cell phone rang thus interrupting the meeting.

The result?  ”I already got fined” said Pujols jokingly.  Sources around the club are saying that the fine for a first time offense could be as much as a nice lunch paid by Pujols and delivered to Scioscia.

MLB Men’s Los Angeles Angels Albert Pujols Home Short Sleeve 6 Button Synthetic Replica Baseball Jersey

Ten years later, the team who turned Moneyball into a success has signed soon to be 40 year old and 2-time suspended steroid user Manny Ramirez.  It’s a move that sends Moneyball back to its infancy.

I read a few articles that defends the signing of Ramirez and suggests it’s a good move.  David Schoenfield of ESPN wrote;

“The A’s have nothing to lose by signing Manny Ramirez, because for $500,000, they’re taking a flyer on one of the game’s all-time great hitters.

Why not add Bonds and McGwire while they’re at it.  If having “all-time great” written over a scribbled out “known steroid user” is what you want next to a name then the A’s got it.  Oh and it’s just a measly $500,000 who cares?  Moneyball cares.  Or at least it did.

Maybe the A’s have been into Moneyball for so long that they forgot who the player is that they signed for only $500,000.  Well let this Dodger fan explain.

Welcome to Mannywood.  A run down town with tumble weeds blowing over the feet of a tireless left field rotation.  Blue bandannas that had been thrown around a littered mountain of dreadlocks now cover the folded seats.  The Dodger Dogs leave a not so pleasant taste in your mouth and parking is still over priced.

That’s right A’s fans.  You can thank your organization for this bargain deal.  The media circus that will hound the club house with their only interest being the impact of Manny’s 50-game suspension on a young team will be endless.  Who needs that? Certainly not the A’s.

I understand that both the Angels and the Rangers have made big deals and the A’s feel they need to do something.  But all this shows is desperation. I wish the A’s luck, they’ll need it.

Baseball – A Film by Ken Burns

Grohl was part of the band Nirvana in the early 1990′s and went on to lead his current band, The Foo Fighters.  He has recorded, produced and played every instrument on multiple albums.  His passion cannot be questioned.

But Grohl seems to be frustrated about the attention other types of music are attracting, especially computer produced music.  Before the 2012 Grammy Awards, Grohl was asked by the Associated Press about being a spokesman for Rock music.

“I feel a little bit of responsibility and a lot of pride. I’m (expletive) proud to be in the (expletive) Foo Fighters. … We’re a real (expletive) band. If I were a kid in (expletive) Tulsa, Okla., who loves rock bands and plays with my rock band in the garage, and I turned on the Grammys and saw a rock band with choreographed dancers playing to computers, I’d be bummed until the Foo Fighters came on, and then I’d think, ‘Oh, good, humans that play instruments’.”

His feeling were repeated on stage when he accepted one of his four Grammy’s;

“To me this award means a lot because it shows that the human element of music is what’s important. Singing into a microphone and learning to play an instrument and learning to do your craft, that’s the most important thing for people to do.”

“It’s not about being perfect, it’s not about sounding absolutely correct, it’s not about what goes on in a computer. It’s about what goes on in here [your heart] and what goes on in here [your head].”

I have mixed feelings concerning his comments.  On one hand I agree that it takes much more talent to do what he and his band mates do.  On the other hand, to put down a group of people for making music their own way rubs me the wrong way.

There are musicians who make a living using a computer as their instrument.  I’m certain that they put in hours of hard work to perfect their sound.  It takes that person’s heart and the thoughts that flow through their head to produce a sound that will be loved by many.  It’s not that person’s fault that they have the chance to use a computer in a way that Grohl could only imagine when he started playing the drums.

I’m sure that the musical stars of the Big Band era had many negative things to say about Rock and Roll in the 1950′s.  Just like you can’t blame the first Rock stars for plugging into an amp, you cant blame people that want to use their computer as their musical voice.  If the means are available, use it.

Listening to a band that plays and produces great sounding music is what I enjoy and I’m all for Dave Grohl defending that but I’m not everyone. I’m just one person who would rather listen to rock over anything else.  Music expands and evolves over time and I hope Dave Grohl continues to give fans a lifetime of music that he excels in.  In the mean time there is always room for more innovation, inspiration and the motivation for new music.

The Foo Fighters new album: Wasting Light

With these rumors come the speculation about what the new iPad 3 specs will be.  Will it be quad-core?  Will the camera improve? Will it be 4G?  We don’t yet know the answers to these questions but we can answer one question with confidence.  The value of the iPad 2 will drop.

If you believe that the iPad 3 will release next month and you own a iPad 2 then the time to sell it is now.  A new iPad 2 with 32GB and 3G will run you around $700.  You can expect that price to drop quickly once the iPad 3 is officially announced.  So if you want to sell your used iPad 2 the same will hold true.  The price you can sell it for today will be much higher then if you wait until the iPad 3 is released.

So what are your options?  First off, you are betting on the fact that the rumors of a release date are true and time is ticking on the value of your iPad 2.  If you believe it to be true then you have options when selling your iPad 2.

I have three options for you.

1. eBay.  Everyone knows how eBay.com works and so does everyone else.  The problem with that is that the site is flooded with iPad’s and your auction fees are high.  The good thing about eBay is that if you are running out of time and want to sell it to the public, then this is the best option for you.

2. Amazon. With Amazon.com you will get more money for your iPad 2 because the sale will counter act the high eBay auction fees. The draw back is that your iPad 2, if not priced right, may sit on the Amazon site for a longer period of time then it would over at eBay.

3. Gazelle. I like the way Gazelle.com works.  You just type in iPad 2 and select the model you own and the condition.  The site will automatically give you a price.  Right there on the screen you will know how much money you will get for your iPad 2 and that’s it, you’re done.

No matter the option you choose, you will have the satisfaction in knowing that you will get more  money today then you would next month if the iPad 3 comes out.  You will have that much more money to put towards your new iPad3 and one less unused Apple product sitting around the home.

FigureThingsOut.com is having a caption contest.  What do you win? Well let me tell you my friends.  You get your name in bold for all to see!

I know, I know, you’re excited.  So let me give you the back story.

Action movie superstars Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger both had shoulder surgeries.  With a combined age of 129, I’m surprised it was only shoulders.  As they both star together in upcoming movies, Schwarzenegger had this to say:

 ”After all the action, stunts and physical abuse shooting ‘The Expendables 2′ and ‘The Last Stand,’ it was time for a little tune up on my shoulder. Look who was coincidentally waiting in line behind me for his shoulder surgery.”

We want your best captions (the “S” means you can have more than one).  The funnier the better.  Just scroll down below and leave your best captions in the comment section.

Rocky: The Undisputed Collection (Rocky / Rocky II / Rocky III / Rocky IV / Rocky V / Rocky Balboa) [Blu-ray]

The Arnold Schwarzenegger Collection (Commando / Predator / The Running Man / Total Recall)

With news just coming out today that Clippers guard Chauncey Billups has a torn achilles and is now out for the season, what will the so called Clipper fans do?  My guess is that they will run and hide with their tails between their legs and sit out the rest of the season too.

What would happen if the Lakers go on a hot streak?  Do “Clipper” fans come back to the purple and gold?  Well guess what? We dont want them anywhere around the Lakers.  Laker fans who have remained with the team through their ups and downs will remember who the true fans are.  There is no room for fans with grease on the bottom of their shoes who make the switch across the hall to the faded red locker room whenever they please.

I just wish that Billups was healthy.  Now the Clipper fans will be able to cover my Facebook wall with excuses when the Lakers beat them down once again.

2010 NBA Champions Los Angeles Lakers Video

I don’t have a problem with people playing games on Facebook.  I don’t even have a problem when I get invited, the first time.  After I deny a request multiple times, I would think that person would get the hint.  Some do and some don’t and some think that if I deny a FarmVille requesst that its then okay to send me a request for another game.

Play games without bugging your friends – PlayStation 3 160GB System

If you have Facebook friends who send you requests for what seems like every game ever played on Facebook, there is a solution.  Here’s how you get it done and block them from sending you app invites and requests.

Step 1.  Log into Facebook

Step 2. Look towards the top right of the screen and look for the word “Home”.

Step 3. Next to the word “Home” you will see an arrow pointing down. Click on that.

Step 4. On the drop down menu, click on “Privacy Settings”.

Step 5. On the bottom of the new page locate “Blocked People and Apps”.

Step 6. Look to the right and click on “Manage Blocking”.

Step 7. Look for the section in the middle of the page which reads “Block App Invites”.

Step 8. Where is says “Block Invites From” type in the person’s name which you wish to block.

Step 9. Smile, you’re done.

I hope this helps.

Why would the Dodgers be happy with news of the contract?  This now sets up a potential mega deal in 2013.  The Dodgers will soon be under new ownership and they’ll want to make a big splash in the free agent market to show fans that they’re serious about bringing a World Series title back to Los Angeles.  Hamels would be the perfect pitcher to go after and the most likely to sign with the club.

Hamels was born and raised in southern California and his parents still live their.  Hamels will be 29 years old next year and will no doubt want a large contract to finish off his successful career.  That contact will not come from the Phillies.  They already have three players who make upward of $20 million per season (Holladay, Lee and Howard) so there is little left in the bank for a forth.

The Dodgers would be the perfect fit.  They want to sign a high profile pitcher for big money and Hamels wants a big money contract.  Everyone in baseball knows that the best thing the Dodgers can do to put themselves in title contention is to sign a top tier pitcher who will dominate in pitcher friendly Dodger Stadium.  Having already proved that he is a big game pitcher (2008 Word Series MVP), Hemels would be part of one of the best starting rotations in baseball which is led by current Cy-Young winner Clayton Kershaw.

Cole Hamels Career Stats: (provided by Baseball-Reference.com)