The Garden State of Mind

Our Interior Design Business

2012-01-26T17:58:00.004-05:00

Thanks for the post from Barney Crosby

My husband and I just opened an interior design business in Portland. We were both interior designers working for other people, and we figured it would be best for us to go out on our own. We were spending a lot of time making other people rich off of our hard work, and knew that could do it alone. What we didn’t realize is how hard it is to get clients. We know we are both talented designers, but we haven’t been so great at the business side. We love the freedom, but feel bogged down in administrative and financial work. So much goes into starting a business. We needed to have a contract for our clients to sign, and we definitely needed to start marketing ourselves if we wanted to make enough money to stay afloat. I definitely gained a new respect for my old boss when I started to realize how much work it takes. We searched wireless internet Portland and hooked up our wireless internet immediately. Online marketing is such a large part of any business these days and this service allows us to tap into that.

My Model Train Layout

2012-01-22T13:20:00.003-05:00

Recently I went to an art festival that was held in the local train station. Walking around looking at all the displays I found myself in the back corner of the concourse. My eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. Right there in front of me was a huge Model Train Layout. 3 or 4 trains were running at the same time. Passenger trains and freight trains wove their way in and out of cities and towns through the country and between mountains. This got me thinking about dusting off that old box of trains in the basement and putting something together for (me) the kids. They are just about the right age to actually enjoy model trains and it would be something we could do together.

Other than the train around the Christmas tree when I was a kid I never really had a model train layout. What did I know about building one? I did a bunch of research on the internet and turned up a great Model Train Blog Site that ended up being a huge help. They have a bunch of how to articles and even recommend an inexpensive guide that really helped me through the project.

I now have a great Model Train Layout that my kids and I enjoy together.

Need to Move

2011-12-27T10:55:00.003-05:00

This guest post from Margaret Mills

We went to satellitetvfamily.com when we first got married to get some movie channels and it’s actually worked out well. We just ate and ate when we first moved in together because we were nesting but that meant both my new wife and I put on a few pounds and neither of us were feeling very good about our bodies. I actually found a workout channel on there that had steps we could do together in the comfort of our new home (we really couldn’t afford two gym memberships) and we’ve been trying to work out at least 3 times a week. It’s hard to have the motivation since we both work exhausting jobs and we want to spend time together but at least this way we’re working out beside each other and not wasting away at the gym. I know I’ve lost about 3 or 4 pounds so far and Shelly looks great, too, so we’ll see where we end up if we keep this going for a few more months.

New Jersey Photography is KAshots

2011-11-12T13:19:00.001-05:00

It is always hard for me to choose what to throw up on my walls. Do I go with a picture of a flower, do I go with a picture of an animal, what about that awesome view of New York. The hardest part is actually finding the material to choose from. Retail stores have pictures to hang on walls, but then everyone in America is going to have that same picture hanging on their wall.

I want something a little more custom and unique. New Jersey Photography is where that uniqueness came in for me.Not only do they have a bounty of images to choose from, I get the comfort of knowing this was shot by a real person. A real photographer! How cool is that? She even lets me know when new pictures are up on the site. Every once in a while I like to refresh my decor, and this is the place to do it. KAshots.com has everything I could ever want in photos that are so vivid they just jump out and grab you. Custom photography is the way to go!

Enjoying trick or treating like I used to as a kid

2011-11-01T13:50:00.000-04:00

Guest post written by Betty Howard

When I do special things with my kids I try to think about enjoying them like they enjoy them. It just makes it a lot more fun and as long as it's within reason and I am the responsible adult, it makes our time together so much more fun! I decided that I wanted to do that too for Halloween this year. I thought that it would even be good to try and dress up with my kids' costume them this year too. I think that as soon as I told htem about it, they were excited too!

But one of the things that I had to worry about so that we can still have fun is to stay safe on Halloween. So I used my Clear Philadelphia to look up a few extra tips and what times peiople are expecting to start turning on their porch lights for trick or treaters.

I did find some extra trick or treating safety tips and used them. Our costumes, a family of cowboys and cowgirls, were such a big hit with everyone that saw us!

Teribble Neighbors

2011-08-22T14:53:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Darwin Barton

Getting a new place is something I’ve been looking forward to for the longest time and it’s mostly because my bad neighbors at my place now are driving me crazy. They’re up at 6am running back and forth across the floor and it’s so loud down here it sounds like there’s elephants on the roof. I finally found a great little townhome near my office and put in a bid so barring anything weird I think I should get it soon. I went to http://SecurityChoice.com to see about an alarm and I’ve been talking to my buddy Chris who does cabinets about whether or not he would put in a new set in the kitchen so I’m ready to move even before I get offered the house! I love my place now but with these neighbors there’s no way I can live here for more than another few months before I go crazy. I can’t wait to have my own place and hopefully my neighbors will be much better there!

New LED TV Shopping

2011-06-19T18:29:00.003-04:00

There is no need to be scared when looking at new led tvs. I used to get worried when buying new electronics but not anymore. There is enough information out there to tell you what each TV can and can't do. Most TV's are going to look great, but it's about durability HZ and 1080p.

If you don't know the differences, shop around. Check out the manufacturer's websites. They always have info on what model has what options. Your best bet is to stay with a 160HZ 1080p TV. I know 3D is all the fad right now, but believe me it's just a fad.

You'll end up dizzy paying so much more for a 3D TV when you can get a really high quality Panasonic Vierra for half the price. Even RCA has some good models worth checking out. And you can never go wrong with a Samsung. I've had one for years, my brother has had one for years, my father has had one for years...need I say more?

Our green, attractive office makeover

2011-05-18T07:16:00.002-04:00

I think a lot of people have the wrong idea that going green means sacrificing style. But I think that there's enough evidence by now that's definitely not the case. I'm heading up the green committee at work and am working on transitioning our office into a beautiful but green working environment.

One reason that I chose to head up this committee is because I recently gave my home a green makeover and learned a whole lot in that process. So I'm applying some of that knowledge to our office space too. I found a more efficient energy plan during my home makeover on the site newyorkenergyrates.com and as soon as I got appointed as the committee chairman, I went on there to find an environmentally conscious energy plan for the office.

So presenting that plan and getting our business signed up for it was my first step in the green office makeover. I thought that would be a great way to kick it off anyway. We're also installing energy efficient window shades, which I think will cut some costs too.

Inside the Ring w/Johnny Sixshooter March 11 Edition

2011-03-15T23:05:00.001-04:00

Jeff Hardy Destroys TNA

2011 has come in with a big bang for TNA Wrestling and not in a good way. Last week TNA held its Victory Road PPV. The main event was billed as Sting vs. Jeff Hardy. Sting had just returned to TNA a couple weeks earlier to take the world title away from Hardy. Things were looking up for TNA; the upstart company pulled off their best Neilsen Rating for Impact in over a year (1.4).

There was somewhat of a buzz for Victory Road. Accompanying the Sting/Hardy feud was a number-1 contender’s match with Mr. Anderson and Rob Van Dam. Victory Road was going to set up an exciting path to the company’s very exciting Lockdown PPV where every match is inside a steel cage.

All this buzz and good will was swept away in a matter of about 60-seconds. That is exactly how long it took for Jeff Hardy to disgrace TNA and the entire world of wrestling. Nothing is confirmed, so the Sixshooter has to say allegedly…but what has been reported from backstage sources is a scary reminder of how substance abuse can destroy a career.

Sources backstage say that Hardy was not in any state to wrestle that Sunday. Hardy was thought to be on some sort of substance putting him in an inebriated state. The story goes that Sting refused to have a prolonged match with Hardy because of his condition.

As a fan watching Hardy stroll crookedly towards the ring, there was a sense that something was wrong. Sting looked genuinely agitated, and then the unthinkable began…Eric Bischoff was sent out to tell both wrestlers the match needed to be over immediately. On air Bischoff was playing his character and telling a story of there now being a no disqualification stipulation. But it was clear to see; Bischoff put the microphone down next to both wrestlers and gave instructions.

Backstage sources say Sting was told to end the match immediately. As the bell rang Jeff Hardy began to sloppily taunt the crowd by trying to throw his shirt into it. Sting looked on with disgust as he waited for Hardy. Sting then hit Hardy with a punch, Scorpion Death Drop, and then pinned him for the win.

It was plain to see that Hardy was trying to get out of the pin, Sting hooked his leg and did not let him up. Sources say Hardy did not know this was going to happen. As Sting’s music played, Hardy sat confused. The crowd then started to yell obscenities about what they thought of the match and as Sting walked up the ramp it was easy to hear what he uttered back, “I agree!”

This did not sit well with the Sixshooter. Paying for a PPV, I want my PPV to end on time and to be exciting. This PPV ended 15 minutes early. The Sixshooter emailed TNA and demanded an apology from TNA President Dixie Carter. Much to my surprise, one was given to me. One has to respect a President of a company to have the capacity to know when her fans have been wronged, but one has to also say this should have been avoided.

Jeff Hardy has had nothing but legal trouble the past several years. Sources have always told stories of Hardy substance abuse issues. TNA should have never let Hardy get into the ring if there was even a mere thought of an issue. Instead TNA let Hardy destroy their reputation/credibility and all in just under 60-seconds.

The WWE has reached out to the past to promote Wrestlemania. Trish Stratus, Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Undertaker, HHH, and the Rock have all returned to help sell the big event. This nostalgia tour was needed. Raw and Smackdown have been missing the “it” factor for a long time and in 3-short weeks the WWE has brought back their attitude.

The Rock has been a joy to watch and listen to and the Sixshooter does not mind seeing HHH if he is not fighting for a world title. Stone Cold and Trish Stratus are a nice bonus as well. The Sixshooter expects this year’s Wrestlemania to go down in the books as one of the best.

Sin Cara is about to make his debut with the WWE. Mexican fans will know him as Mystico. The high flyer has been brought in to replace Rey Mysterio whose contract is reportedly up in the next couple of months. Check Sin Cara out on Youtube for a real treat.

That is it for this month Sixshooter-a-holics make sure to check me out daily over on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/matthew_guerra. As the great Mankind put it, "Shut your role and know your mouth."

This Day in Sports

2011-03-15T23:03:00.000-04:00

1869 - The Cincinnati Red Stockings played their first game. They were the first professional baseball team.

1912 - Pitcher Cy Young retired from baseball.

1962 - Wilt Chamberlain finished the NBA season with 4,029 points in 80 games.

1962 - Canadian figure skater Donald Jackson became the first man to land a triple lutz jump.

1969 - Bob Beamon set an indoor record for the long jump with 27 feet, 2 3/4 inches. On October 17th at the Olympic Games in Mexico he jumped 29 feet, 2 1/2 inches.

1991 - Sergei Bubka of the Soviet Union became the first pole vaulter to clear 20'.

Paula Dean's Home Cooking

2011-03-15T21:59:00.002-04:00

One of the best shows on the Food Network is Paula Dean's Home Cooking. This is the greatest show. The host, Paula Dean, has one of the most charming sorts of personalities on television. I love watching her host this show and seeing which new recipes she has to introduce to the audience. I am always impressed by the sorts of recipes she invents and love seeing them on my satellite tv that I got after seeing this direct tv Specials Information. Paula Dean is truly an amazing woman and one of the most down to earth people on television.

I a! lso love Paula Dean because she has real world taste buds. All too often, baking shows on television feature recipes that are too difficult to make or just do not taste right. Sometimes, chefs have taste buds that are much too cultured for the tastes of ordinary people. Not Paula Dean! This amazing woman knows how to create recipes that the ordinary person loves. She is truly a phenomenal person for the ways in which she creates food that everyone loves.

She even has created her new line of bakery goods that are available at all sorts of grocery stores. I think her recipes taste so sweet and delicious. Whenever I want to learn a new and sweet recipe for a treat, I am sure to turn on Paula Dean's Home Cooking for some great ideas.

This Day in Sports

2011-02-25T08:29:00.002-05:00

1940 - The New York Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens played in the first hockey game to be televised in the U.S. The game was aired on W2WBS in New York with one camera in a fixed position. The Rangers beat the Canadiens 6-2.

1941 - The Boston Bruins set an NHL record after going 23 games unbeaten. Their record during the stretch was 15-0-8.

1951 - The first Pan American Games opened in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

1957 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that baseball was the only professional sport exempt from antitrust laws.

1964 - Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali) became heavyweight-boxing champion in an upset victory over Sonny Liston.

1978 - O.J. Simpson was a guest on "Saturday Night Live."

1981 - The Boston Bruins and the Minnesota Northstars set a record for most penalties in a game. There were 84 penalties that totaled 392 minutes.

1989 - Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, fired head coach Tom Landry after a 29-year career.

1995 - Major league baseball announced that regular season games would be played in Hawaii for the first time.

2002 - Jayson Williams, the former NBA star, surrendered to New Jersey police. He was charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of Costas Christofi. Christofi was killed by a shotgun that was recklessly handled by Williams. Williams was released on $250,000 bail.

2005 - It was announced that the Walt Disney Co. had agreed to sell the Anaheim Mighty Ducks to billionaire Henry Samueli and his wife Susan. Samueli's company was the operator of Arrowhead Pond, the Mighty Ducks' home arena.

Inside the Ring w/Johnny Sixshooter Jan. 11 Edition

2011-01-12T12:34:00.003-05:00

Year-End Sixshooter Awards

2010 was a year filled with wrestling surprises. The Miz became WWE World Champion while Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan took their talents and crossed the line to TNA. The Nexus took over Raw, for a while, Rob Van Dam debuted over in TNA, and Jeff Hardy won the TNA World Championship only to follow it up with a drug arrest that will cause him to lose that belt in 2010. So who was the best of the best in 2010, the Sixshooter knows.

Best Feud Award: The nominees are John Cena vs. Wade Barrett (WWE), The Motor City Machine Guns vs. Beer Money (TNA), and Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels (WWE). The clear-cut winner is Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels. These guys really put on a show at Wrestlemania. The significance of the streak vs. the career of Michaels really put this feud over the top for the Sixshooter.

Best Newcomer Award: The contestants for this one are Wade Barrett (WWE), Daniel Bryan (WWE), and Generation Me (TNA). Generation Me did some really good things in the TNA tag division this past year but nobody can touch what Wade Barrett did this past year. Wade Barrett shot to the top of the Raw roster with the Nexus angle and showed he belonged there, even if he does look like a fake Superman with that haircut.

Best Tag Team Award: There were a lot of strides in tag team wrestling this past year. The teams up for this year’s award are Beer Money (TNA), Santino Marella/Vladamir Kozlov (WWE), and the Motor City Machine Guns (TNA). All three were impressive in 2010 and each held titles but the most exciting team of 2010 was the Motor City Machine Guns. The flashy moves of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin were just too electric to be ignored.

Wish You Would Retire Award: This was very competitive this past year. The nominees are Mick Foley (TNA), Goldust (WWE), and William Regal (WWE). Mick Foley is the winner hands down. While the Sixshooter does not mind having Foley around on the mic, there is no need to see him wrestle…ever again. The Sixshooter is actually upset he saw him wrestle as many times as he did in 2010 for TNA. If you cannot “go” in the ring anymore, don’t.

Diva of the Year Award: The Sixshooter has studied this one very, very, very closely. The nominees for this past year are Madison Rayne (TNA), Natalya (WWE), and Eve (WWE). The winner has to be Madison Rayne. She is beautiful, good in the ring, and has been at the top of the card for the entire 2010. Did the Sixshooter mention she is beautiful?

Wish You Would Jump Ship Award: This is a tough one. What wrestler from 2010 really needed a change of scenery from WWE to TNA or from TNA to WWE? The nominees are Samoa Joe (TNA), Randy Orton (WWE), and A.J. Styles (TNA). Each one of these guys would do well switching sides and although it will not be happening anytime soon one can dream. The winner of this award has to be Samoa Joe. TNA cannot find the right way to use Joe and something tells me a Joe vs. C.M. Punk storyline would work out just fine.

Cruiserweight of the Year Award: The cruiserweight division was a hot one this past year. The competitors up for best of 2010 are Jay Lethal (TNA), Evan Bourne (WWE), and Daniel Bryan (WWE). As much as the Sixshooter wants to give this to Bryan it has to go to Jay Lethal. Black Machismo broke out in 2010 with a hot feud vs. Ric Flair and he never looked back.

Superstar of the Year Award: Here we are, this is the best of the very best. The nominees for Superstar of the Year are John Cena (WWE), The Miz (The WWE), and Jeff Hardy (TNA). The Miz made huge strides this year and Jeff Hardy has been a competent champion for TNA but at the end of the day John Cena keeps out performing everyone. The ratings pop when he is on the show and the merchandise keeps flying off the shelves. Until that slows down there is no stopping John Cena.

That is it for this month Sixshooter-a-holics make sure to check me out daily over at http://www.garden-state-of-mind.com or over on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/matthew_guerra. As the great Bobby Heenan used to say, “Randy Savage is the most dangerous man in any sport, from wrestling to checkers!”

This Day in Sports

2011-01-12T11:48:00.002-05:00

1906 - The forward pass was legalized by the football rules committee.

1921 - Kennesaw Mountain Landis became the first commissioner of baseball.

1946 - The Cleveland Rams were granted permission to move to Los Angeles.

1958 - Major league baseball players Stan Musial and Johnny Padres were guests on the "Ed Sullivan Show."

1960 - Dolph Schayes of the Syracuse Nationals became the first pro basketball player in the NBA to score more than 15,000 points in his career.

1966 - Red Auerbach won his 1,000th game as coach of the Boston Celtics.

1993 - It was announced that Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) had Hodgkin's disease.

1999 - Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball was sold at auction in New York for $3 million to an anonymous bidder.

2000 - Charlotte Hornets guard Bobby Phills was killed in a crash during a drag race.

2002 - Brenden Shanahan (Detroit Red Wings) got his 1,000th career point in a 5-2 win over the Dallas Stars.

2004 - Cam Neely's No. 8 was retired by the Boston Bruins.

Inside the Ring Oct. 10 Edition

2010-10-21T22:28:00.004-04:00

Goldberg at Wrestlemania 27?

“They” have arrived in TNA and in a “we should have known” moment Hollywood Hogan and Eric Bischoff turned heel by taking over fictional control of TNA from TNA President Dixie Carter. The former NWO leaders have formed a union with Jeff Jarrett, Abyss, Ric Flair, Fortune, and the newly heel Jeff Hardy.

It is a bold move by TNA to turn Hardy heel, but one that had to be made. Jeff Hardy’s act had become stale and by putting him at the top of the card as the bad guy will eventually pay off. Is there an alignment with Matt Hardy on the horizon? Word backstage is there will be a Hardy Boys reunion when Matt’s no compete clause is up. He was released from his WWE contract last week.

Who won’t be around for this new takeover of TNA? Kevin Nash. Big Sexy could not come to terms on a contract with TNA and will not be resigned. There is always a chance that the 2-sides work something out later on, but do not count on it.

Bill Goldberg looks to be a lock for Wrestlemania 27. Word backstage is that Goldberg has been in negotiations for months to be inducted into the WWE hall of fame followed by one final match. There has been no word on his opponent just yet, but if the WWE goes thru on their plans to turn John Cena heel…we have a perfect opponent.

Sting may be on the outs with TNA as well. Sources claim that Sting may have his sights set on being inducted into the WWE hall of fame come Wrestlemania. There’s not much left for Sting to bring to the wrestling ring. Hanging the boots up is the right move.

Mickie James, the former WWE diva, showed up on TNA Impact 2-weeks ago. Dixie Carter was very big on signing James and believes that her company can build the Women’s division around her. This is a nice signing; the Women’s division had been lacking since the defection of Gail Kim to the WWE.

Speaking of John Cena, he will be filming his 4th WWE movie shortly. “Blood Brothers” is scheduled for a 2011 release. There is no word on if this movie will get a wide release or go to select theatres much like Cena’s latest “Legendary”.

Bret Hart had some choice words for Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff this past week. In an article over at AOL Fanhouse hart based both Hogan and Bischoff’s tenure in TNA, "Well, I'll be honest. After being in WCW and being around them, you start to realize that these guys…Bischoff in particular…never understood or knew anything about wrestling. They just struck me as guys that didn't understand wrestling. To see them working with another company now, to me, I think you'll eventually see that they don't know anything. They didn't know anything then and they don't know anything now. They're not going to make a difference anywhere they go."

The Sixshooter does not think Hart will be on either of Hogan’s or Bischoff’s Christmas list this holiday season. Those are interesting words from someone who is getting paid by the WWE. Hart did not have such opinions until he signed his new contract. The WWE is paying him, so I get it…but how does Hart have the gall to say anything when he took money to go to the company that not only had a part in his brother’s death but also publicly humiliated him. Does money cure all ills in the Hart family?

Chris Jericho’s contract with the WWE expired 2-weeks ago. There is no indication he will work for anyone other than the WWE at this time. Jericho is planning to tour with his band Fozzy over the next several months. There might be a possible Wrestlemania return in the works, but do not hold your breath.

That is it for this month Sixshooter-a-holics make sure to check me out daily over at http://www.twitter.com/matthew_guerra. As the sometimes puzzling Bret Hart used to say, “I am the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.”

Inside the Ring Sept. 10 Edition

2010-09-22T22:11:00.001-04:00

Senate Race Gone Wrong

The WWE thought it was on easy street with former CEO Linda McMahon getting a clear cut shot at a Connecticut Senate seat. This was the great white shark for Mr. McMahon. Finally a person in the McMahon family would get some respect from the outside world as something more than just a leader of the circus aka wrestling.

What Mr. McMahon did not count on was the attention that this Senate race would bring on his own product. There is so much heat right now on wrestling there is talk of government regulations. For years the WWE has considered their talent independent contractors. Well it is very hard to be independent if you have no time off and are not allowed to work for someone else.

These wrestlers get paid well but when you do the math most are not doing as well as you would think. Yes the top echelon gets paid in the 1-million range, but not everyone is in that top tier. The lower guys are raking in a reported 60-70K yearly. Sounds like a good living, but not when you take into account there are no health benefits and you are working 200-dates a year. Oh, and you have to pay for your own travel most of the time.

There are reasons all of these wrestlers die young and penniless. Most of these guys and girls are uneducated jocks who are on the road all the time without families and without vacation time. They burn out, get released…and then have nothing to turn to but drugs and death. The Sixshooter would like to see one person who can debate that fact. Would you like to see the list of young dead wrestlers again?

The WWE might have done a good thing by pushing Linda McMahon for Senate. They may have finally pushed enough people around to the point where they push back. Perhaps the government regulating the WWE is not the best idea or the best use of their time, but if it gets the WWE to change their ways…give some of the talent some time off they can actually use…maybe, just maybe less and less of these tragedies will become reality.

Kevin Nash’s contract is reportedly up in a couple weeks. There is no clear cut sign that TNA will be bringing him back. At this point they should probably move on from Nash. Yes he has been productive on the show, but it is time to trim the fat on this roster. Too many older wrestlers are getting face time with very little ratings to deserve their higher salaries.

Here is an interesting stat that will blow you away. On October 1st, 2005 TNA debuted on Spike TV with a 0.8 rating. On that roster were Jeff Jarrett, Raven, Jeff Hardy, A.J. Styles, Abyss, Christopher Daniels, and Monty Brown. On September 2nd, 2010 TNA drew a 1.0 rating. On that roster are Hulk Hogan, Kurt Angle, Mr. Anderson, Jeff Hardy, A.J. Styles, Mick Foley, and Sting.

Just look at that name difference. How can TNA justify paying this higher end, older talent like Mick Foley and Hulk Hogan when there just is not the ratings to prove their worth? Answer is, they should not be. The Sixshooter is the biggest Hollywood Hogan fan ever, but you have to call a spade a spade. They moved Hogan to a good guy role on the show and it has not worked out.

Sting and Kevin Nash keep alluding that the bad things they do on the show will be proved right…but that has been panning out for 6-months already with little fanfare. And what about Jeff Jarrett, he is a shell of his former self in the ring. And once again they are misusing a veteran giving him a face role instead of the heel he plays so well. What about Rob Van Dam? This guy was on fire in TNA and they had to slow him down because they cannot afford to keep paying his appearances. If they cut some other older talent they could pay him whatever he wants.

The WWE has decided to go with an all female cast on this season’s NXT show. Let me know how that goes…because it will not be pretty. No pun intended. Can they update the John Cena character already? This guy has been doing the same smiley, I’m not a rapper anymore gimmick for the past 5-6 years. So Chris Jericho has decided he may walk away from the WWE. Let me think about that one for a while. So the guy who is now playing the Lance Storm character is retiring; goodbye.

That is it for this month Sixshooter-a-holics make sure to check me out daily over on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/matthew_guerra. As the great Arn Anderson used to say, "People don't ask how you won, they ask if you won."

You Play to Win the Game Remix

2010-09-22T22:08:00.002-04:00

99 Words for Boobs

2010-08-26T13:31:00.002-04:00

99 words for boobs - watch more funny videos

Inside the Ring W/Johnny Sixshooter August 10 Edition

2010-08-22T10:24:00.002-04:00

Young vs. Old

The WWE has been trying to elevate younger talent recently by pushing the envelope with young stars such as Nexus leader Wade Barrett. They are selling a tale of young guns getting taken to the top, forcing older stars to the bottom of the card or off of the roster. This is a good story, but in reality it is not working as well as they would like to believe.

The WWE has been down in key demographics recently as the younger stars take over Raw. Among males 18-34 and 18-49 Raw is down to the lowest in seven weeks and scoring a 1.86 according to Nielsen Company. What does this mean, well it means that these male viewers cannot relate to the new WWE stars.

It means that the WWE has found out that the fans still want to see the older established stars such as HBK and HHH. The young guys are good to show for a good match or two, but they have not earned the right to be the top guys. Last week the WWE had Daniel Bryan return at Summerslam and figured this would be a big deal to the fans.

The end result was a lackluster crowd reaction and even smaller buzz across the internet. Nobody cared because as good a wrestler as Bryan is…he is irrelevant right now. Nothing more than a low card guy who has not been the focus of any wrestling company’s show. Sorry Ring of Honor fans, you do not count yet as a big wrestling promotion.

Former leader of ECW Paul Heyman stated in a recent interview that if he was to take over TNA the first thing he would do is get rid of everyone over the age of 40. Now this is a joke to the Sixshooter. If Heyman was to do this, TNA would be off of Spike TV in 3 weeks because the ratings would be nonexistent. Should TNA be prominently pushing guys like Hulk Hogan or Ric Flair…not in any shape or form. But they are not doing so. Anyone who watches the show can see that they are background fodder as are wrestlers such as Kevin Nash, Sting, and Jeff Jarrett.

The real in ring stars such as Beer Money and the Motor City Machine Guns are getting their chance to shine and they are doing a fantastic job. It takes time to establish young stars in the minds of viewers. For some reason in TNA, the younger stars such as A.J. Styles and Samoa Joe have not taken off.
Maybe they are just not good enough. Maybe the lack of microphone skills hurts them. Maybe the old guys are just still better than them. The moral of the story is, do not be so quick to wish for new blood because sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t.

Lance Cade, formerly of the WWE, passed away last week at the young age of 29. The WWE has done a good job lately of trying to provide their current and former wrestlers with rehab if needed. They even pay for it. This one does not fall on them; Cade was given every opportunity to clean up. Some just never do.

Such is the case of Scott Hall who reportedly will be entering rehab once again for his alcohol addiction. The Sixshooter hopes one day Hall will find peace with his life. What a waste of a talent, Hall should have had many more years in the top of the card than he ended up having; all because he could not put down a bottle.

Samoa Joe should be returning from his 1-month suspension this week according to backstage sources. Joe was suspended for throwing a tirade in front of TNA officials when ring announcer Jeremy Borash announced that Joe’s match with Jeff Hardy had 30-seconds left on their television time limit.

Joe’s opinion was that doing that gave away the finish of the match. Samoa Joe was right, but to pull what he did in front of high ranking officials…that gets you suspended and moved down the card. The Sixshooter will be surprised if Joe finishes the year on the TNA roster.

That is it for this month Sixshooter-a-holics make sure to check me out daily over on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/matthew_guerra. As the spectacular Chris Jericho used to say, "Three times babe of the year, huh? Wasn't Babe a talking pig?"

This Day in Sports August 22nd

2010-08-22T09:27:00.000-04:00

1950 - Althea Gibson became the first black tennis player to be accepted into a national competition.

1951 - 75,052 people watched the Harlem Globetrotters perform. It was the largest crowd to see a basketball game.

1972 - Due to its racial policies, Rhodesia was asked to withdraw from the 20th Olympic Summer Games.

1989 - Nolan Ryan became the first major league pitcher to strike out 5000 batters.

2001 - Brett Hull signed a 2 year deal for $9 million with the Detroit Redwings.

2003 - Albert Pujols (St. Louis Cardinals) went 0-5 to end a 30-game hitting streak.

Inside the Ring w/Johnny Sixshooter July 10 Edition

2010-07-30T18:45:00.004-04:00

ECW Invasion?

ECW has found new life in TNA. The number-2 wrestling company in America has decided to take a page from the WWE and give Extreme Championship Wrestling one more shot at life. Hard Justice: One Last Stand will see the likes of Tommy Dreamer, Rob Van Dam, Jerry Lynn, Al Snow, Simon Diamond, Johnny Swinger, Sandman, Bubba Ray and Devon Dudley, Raven, Stevie Richards, Shane Douglas, Mick Foley, Super Crazy, and possibly New Jack.

The Sixshooter is not quite sure what TNA is looking to get out of this PPV, but it will at least be a stray from the norm. TNA has had some good in-ring action lately, but they have become irrelevant. Since the failed Monday night experiment there has been a major lack of buzz surrounding the company. The WWE has taken off with its new Nexus storyline and is flying towards Summerslam.

The Nexus angle at first seemed a little forced but it has taken on an New World Order feel. They will never be the NWO, but this is the closest we’ll ever see again. If the WWE was not going for a PG audience the Nexus group could really have some staying power. But in the end, we know how the story will end. John Cena wins, and the Nexus will start to fight amongst themselves.

The Sixshooter does not like to say he told you so, but he told you so. Abyss has turned back to his “monster” roots, and it was not a moment too soon. Within 2-weeks he has been involved in some of the higher rated segments on Impact. It is anyone’s best guess who “they” are, but here’s to hoping that it is the return of Father Mitchell. For those of you who used to watch TNA when it was on Saturday nights…you know how good Mitchell was as a manager.

Is Chris Jericho getting ready to walk away from the WWE? The word going around backstage is when Jericho’s contract is up in the next few months he is seriously considering walking away from Vince McMahon. Jericho was not very happy with how he was treated when he landed a new game show on ABC. It was subsequently canceled, but Jericho is still not happy. There is interest from TNA, but the Sixshooter does not think it is in the budget for them to get a deal done.

Scott Hall was recently released from the hospital after suffering from pneumonia. The Sixshooter really hopes the Bad Guy gets his act together for real this time. Perhaps it is time to get away from wrestling for good and just figure out who you really are Mr. Hall? Hall’s former partner Kevin Nash is still plugging along in TNA. Nash is in line for a push over the next several months. But do not look for him to get into the title picture that part of Nash’s career is over.

So who is the leader of the Nexus? There have been rumors galore, but if I was a betting man I would put my money on HHH. If that is the case, however, the WWE needs to have the Nexus turn on him. You cannot squash this angle just as it is bringing new stars to the forefront of the WWE roster. Even if the plan was to have a HHH emerge as the leader, those plans need to be changed.

Former ECW leader and WWE writer, Paul Heyman, is in talks with TNA to take over creative. There were some rumors going around backstage that a deal was in place, but Heyman was spooked by the lack of total control. If Heyman is to take over he wants TNA on his terms meaning his people will be working there. If TNA is smart, they give him the keys to the car and let him drive it to wherever Heyman wants to go.

That is it for this month Sixshooter-a-holics make sure to check me out daily over at http://www.garden-state-of-mind.com or over on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/matthew_guerra. As the great Bobby Heenan used to say, “A friend in need…is a pest!”

This Day in Sports July 30th

2010-07-30T15:58:00.002-04:00

1930 - Uruguay won soccer's first World Cup. They beat Argentina 4-2.

1966 - England's soccer team won the World Cup.

1968 - Ron Hansen of the Washington Senators made the first unassisted triple play in the major leagues in 41 years.

1971 - U.S. President Nixon gave the keynote speech at a banquet honoring seven new inductees into the Professional Football Hall of Fame.

2001 - Former Dallas Cowboy receiver Michael Irvin entered an innocent plea for a felony charge of possession of less than a gram of cocaine. The charges stemmed from Irvin's arrest August 9, 2000.

2001 - Lance Armstrong became the first American to win three consecutive Tours de France.

Real Issues, Real Facts July 4th Edition

2010-07-05T11:19:00.003-04:00

Happy 234th Birthday America

As you were watching the Macy’s Fireworks on your vivid, HD, flat screen, TV, and listening to the choreographed music (Battle Hymn of the Republic, God Bless America etc) on your surround sound, I am sure most of you must have felt this is the greatest country in the world. You would happen to be correct.

Just because the United States is the greatest country in the world and has survived 234 years doesn’t guarantee it will exist another 234 years and if that is too far off to wrap your head around…it doesn’t guarantee the country’s existence 20 years from now…nor does it give us a guarantee that it will be here 2 years from now. Most Americans, however, do not give that a thought. Neither did a whole heck of a lot of Romans…but that empire collapsed, the Mayans, the Egyptians they built the pyramids for Christ sake and couldn’t survive. The Soviet Union existed one day and was gone the next, it happened that fast.

You have all heard the title for those who fought WWII as “the greatest generation” not to take away any of their thunder, but I place that label on those who fought the revolution. Those who fathered this country. Those who drafted our Constitution. Back when it was a struggle just to put food on the table on a good day never mind while fighting a war in your own city streets or cornfield. Real work real sacrifice. When it took weeks to travel from NY to Philly not 2 hours by car.

To survive another 234 years will take work. That’s right and not the kind of work most of you are used to…standing in front of the microwave waiting for your 30 second breakfast. The work I am describing will make sure our country will be here for generations to follow. All we have to do is one thing.

Keep our politicians from screwing everything up!

Hold their feet to the fire and allow our constitution to work for us. Our politicians have been figuring ways around our founding document for quite some time. They grab power that is not in the constitution, like congress mandating that all citizens must buy health insurance or be fined (that’s not in the constitution).

None, however, more blatant then the presidential executive order. Obama has decreed 57 so far Bush jr 291, Clinton 364, Bush sr. 166, Regan 391. There is no provision in our constitution for such an executive order. They use a Supreme Court decision to wiggle around that fact but basically they are laws that bypass the congress and our constitution. The most egregious would be president FDR’s executive order #9066 which set up the Japanese internment camps during WWII. That’s right a president rounded up American citizens based on their ethnicity and through them into prison camps via executive order.

This is the greatest country in the world but it takes real work to keep it that way. It is easy to be lulled into thinking all is well while you are mesmerized by your flat screen, but pay attention and make your voices/opinions heard.

“Government is only a convenience created and managed by the people, with no powers of its own except those voluntarily granted to it by the people.” Ronald Reagan

It’s time to speak up!
-Pat Guerra

Contact your Senators:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=NJ

Contact your representatives:
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

Contact the President:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Contact your NJ state Senator or Assemblymen:
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/SelectMun.asp

Inside the Ring w/Johnny Sixshooter June 10 Edition

2010-07-05T10:55:00.002-04:00

Who's NXT?

WWE Raw has been revitalized with an invasion angle that should have happened years ago. NXT, the struggling Syfy show, brought out its rookie class to invade Raw the past several weeks; first with a gangland beating of John Cena only to follow it up with another attack featuring Raw main-eventers and Bret Hart.

The NXT wrestlers headed by first season’s winner Wade Barrett flexed their muscles by holding their own in the ring with the likes of John Cena and Randy Orton. And the WWE audience responded with higher viewership. Raw has gained almost .5 million viewers since the invasion angle began. Will it hold up, only time will tell.

TNA is about to change forever, but what is changing is anyone’s guess. CEO Dixie Carter has stated in several Tweets over the last two weeks that big changes are about to happen in TNA. There are several rumors out there right now that need to be discussed. One of them has Paul Heyman coming in as creative director.

Another scenario is that TNA will no longer be doing monthly PPV’s but instead give away free PPV specials on Spike TV. An interesting option but the Sixshooter is not quite sure how that will equate to money for TNA. As for the Heyman rumor, it does have some legs. Two of Heyman’s favorite performers are now in TNA (Tommy Dreamer and Rob Van Dam). Add to the fact that it seems TNA is now doing an ECW invasion angle, it just makes sense.

Scott Hall’s 9-lives have come to an end with TNA. Hall was arrested before last month’s PPV and charged with disorderly conduct. He reportedly did not inform TNA about the transgression and was then released by the company. This is a convenient reason, but TNA was looking to trim payroll. Also gone from the company is ODB, Roxxi, and there may be more to come.

The WWE held on to the services of long time announcer Jim “JR” Ross. The legendary voice of wrestling will no longer be used in an on-air capacity. Instead, Ross will become more of a talent evaluator. TNA pushed hard to sign Ross, but in the end the WWE was just too much of “home” for the good old Oklahoma Sooner.

Brian Danielson was abruptly released from the WWE after the NXT attack on John Cena. The reported reason is because Danielson used a choking motion on the ring announcer. The WWE has been very conscious of this type of thing since the murder suicide of the Chris Benoit family.

It is a pretty ridiculous reason to fire someone, but apparently the wrestlers have been told enough about this issue so Danielson was made an example of. TNA has already been in contact with the former NXT contestant, but a return to the WWE in 90-days is not out of the question.

Booker T. returned to TNA several weeks ago during a house show. Do not look for this to be a full-time return however. Booker’s wife has become pregnant with twins, and the former 5-time WCW champion will not be coming back to any promotion on a full-time basis. He has discussed the possibility of coming back as a backstage agent, but there is no telling when that would happen.

Abyss is about to return to his evil monster roots in TNA, and not a moment too soon. There are some rumblings that he will be a part of the new ECW group, but either way it is nice to see that TNA recognized that Abyss as a good guy…just was not working. When you are supposed to be the top face and you end up last in a top ten contender fan voting poll that is a very telling stat.

That is it for this month Sixshooter-a-holics make sure to check me out daily over on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/matthew_guerra. As the great Roddy Piper used to say,
"Just when you think you know the answers, I change the questions."

The Green Hornet Trailer

2010-06-22T07:39:00.001-04:00

Seth Rogen finally unveiled his new action movie The Green Hornet last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live. And I have to admit, it looks a lot better than I thought it would be.

Middle Men Trailer

2010-06-17T22:42:00.002-04:00

Looks like someone is trying to do the 90's version of Boogie Nights...and I'm all in! Luke Wilson hasn't done a good movie in a while but this one looks promising. All we are missing is some Heather Graham nude scenes and away we go...

Real Issues, Real Facts June 16th Edition

2010-06-16T17:37:00.003-04:00

BP is the cause of the 2 worst oil disasters in history!

That’s right both the Valdez spill and the current gulf disaster are the fault of BP. This knowledge is just starting to hit the media. They apparently have a corporate culture that doesn’t care to change.

The issue with the Valdez spill wasn’t that the tanker ran aground it was that the containment of that oil didn’t happen until it was too far gone. What could have been a spill covering a few acres stretched 1100 miles. The leader of the botched containment efforts in the critical hours after the Exxon owned tanker ran aground wasn't Exxon Mobil Corp. It was BP PLC, the same firm now fighting to plug the Gulf leak. BP owned a controlling interest in the Alaska oil industry consortium that was required to write a cleanup plan and respond to any spills. It also supplied the top executive to the consortium, Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. Years of cost cutting and poor planning led to staggering delays in response over the first five hours after the tanker ran aground, according to the state commission's report. That Commission’s Legal team head (Mr. Zygmunt Plater) mentioned in a recent TV interview he regrets not using BP’s name in the suit and instead named the management company they controlled (Alyeska). Bp didn’t have assets were they needed to be to contain the spill. Realizing BP botched the containment, Exxon took over 24 hours after the spill but by then it was far too late.

Bottom line BP was supposed to be prepared for a leaking tanker in Alaska and they were not. They were supposed to be prepared for a leaking oil well in the gulf and they were not. They had a refinery blow up in texas, which killed 15, and received 87 million in fines from the government because they have not yet made improvements. Bp is appealing the fine.

Let’s focus on the gulf spill. I think in time we will find out for sure that it was BP’s cost cutting negligence that caused the disaster that claimed 11 lives in the first place. Regardless of that determination ask yourself this. If you owned a company that drilled oil wells a mile below the surface of the ocean would you be prepared to cap said well if it leaked? Wouldn’t you have a plan in place? Wouldn’t you run a practice drill every now and then? Remember Bp’s first attempt to cap the well that huge 100 ton containment box. They had to build that from scratch once the well started leaking. It took weeks. Then when that didn’t work they had to develop another plan..and then another..etc.

My company sells equipment parts. We have a plan in place to deal with a part that fails. It doesn’t happen much but if it does we replace it immediately. If my company drilled mile deep oil wells, we would have a plan in place for worst case scenarios and likely scenarios. We would also run drills once a year or so to make sure equipment is strategically placed around our well assets and so that our staff was properly trained. It makes sense doesn’t it? But that level of preparedness would require a few of those dollars that would normally go toward profits. For BP that’s a no no.

I am supporting a world wide boycott of BP. Their brands include Castrol, Arco, Aral, Am/Pm, Amoco, Wild Bean Café, & Safeway gas. I know the pitfalls of the boycott but the ends justify the means. Those who work for bp now can work at the new companies that buy up BP’s assets after it goes belly up and current BP stations can change brands.

It’s Time to Speak up!!
Pat Guerra

Manager Goes Nuts

2010-06-16T17:30:00.001-04:00

You have to admire his dedication with the slide!

Real Issues, Real Facts May 19th Edition

2010-05-19T18:40:00.011-04:00

Obamacare

No one knows how this mammoth healthcare bill is going to turn out. We all hope it fixes the issues just as all the politicians promised. It’s too bad there isn’t a model somewhere in the country that contains all the same major provision the ObamaCare bill does for us to examine sort of like looking into a crystal ball. Well there is the state of Massachusetts can be our crystal ball.

According the Mass. state government website their 2006 health care bill was the model for Obama’s health care bill. They implemented all the same major provisions in 2006.

The Mass. bill:

•Requires all to purchase state approved health ins or fines are levied just like ObamaCare.

•Requires employers to offer affordable health insurance or fines are levied just like ObamaCare.

•Forces insurance companies to eliminate preexisting condition clauses just like ObamaCare.

•Allows kids to stay on their parents plan till the age of 26 just like ObamaCare.

•Sets up a state regulated insurance exchange for those mandated to purchase health insurance for those whose employers don’t offer ins. just like ObamaCare.

•Subsidizes the cost of purchasing a health plan for the poor just like ObamaCare.

Four years into the Mass. healthcare bill costs to state government have created a huge budget deficit. Insurance costs have spiraled upward, the state’s population face the highest health insurance premiums in the nation, the insurance companies are suing the state so they can raise health premiums so they don’t loose money again this year, and the state’s 10 member healthcare advisory board proposed healthcare rationing as a means to control costs.

This is the model that the nationwide ObamaCare bill is patterned after.

I am sure members of congress have made our ObamaCare bill much worse for the nation than the Mass state legislature did for its own state. I have no faith in our elected officials. I am sure they didn’t get the job done right.

I don’t need a crystal ball to know that most politicians are in it for themselves not the citizens. We need a fresh approach; we need candidates that aren’t going to become career politicians, those that are in for 1 or 2 terms then out! Candidates that will actually speak the truth so you know where they stand at all times so that they don’t have an escape hatch to bail out of when the crap hits the fan.

It would be nice to fix our health care issues, but I have no faith at all that ObamaCare is going to make the overall situation any better.

Its time to speak up!
-Pat Guerra

Rojo Johnson Debuts

2010-05-17T23:03:00.006-04:00

Will Ferrell found a way to make minor league baseball enjoyable. I wish the Mets would roll out a guy to the mound drinking beer, because that's the only way their fans can get thru the games!

Inside the Ring w/Johnny Sixshooter May 10 Edition

2010-05-16T09:24:00.002-04:00

Game, Set, Match!

The Monday Night War turned into an annihilation. The WWE flexed its muscles and pushed TNA off of Monday nights rather easily. All it took was some scared executives and Wrestlemania season. The WWE decided to make its draft special a 3-hour show which put it up directly against TNA for 2-hours. The numbers were staggering, in how TNA got dropped to a 0.5 rating.

This rating was the lowest in Impact history. TNA decided to drag its tail between its legs and head back to Thursday nights. That’s why they decided to leave Mondays but let’s dive into this a little more. TNA first moves to Monday but Spike sees that the Thursday night replay was still doing a good rating.

So instead of pulling the plug on the Thursday show, forcing viewers to watch on Monday…Spike insists that TNA keep the Thursday replay. That was the first big mistake. You cannot give the audience a choice; of course they would keep watching Thursday instead of splitting time between Raw and Impact.

The next big mistake was tinkering with the timeslot on Monday. First they decide to go head to head 9-11 PM. That was a joke from the start. They were never going to put a dent in those ratings for at least 6-months to 1-year. Then they move Impact to 8-10 PM which made more sense.

But does it take a rocket scientist to understand that the best way for TNA to have built a Monday audience was for them to be on 7-9 PM? You keep that schedule for about 6-months, and then evaluate what you see. If the numbers are good and you think it’s time to go 8-10 PM, then do so. The problem is, when it comes to TV sadly executives have no clue.

So now TNA is on 9-11 PM on Thursday nights. It follows a new wrap-up show called TNA Reaction (which by the way is awesome…check out this new refreshing approach to a wrestling show). What does this all mean for the long run? Not much. TNA can survive on Thursday nights. If the ratings come back to the usual 1.2 range Spike will have no problem holding special shows on Monday nights here and there.

Where TNA needs to go from here is pretty simple. Try to go out and get some PPV’s on Saturday night. Mix it up, get people to watch on a night they can hang out with the boys and kick back with a few brewskies. This is your audience TNA, wake up. As for the WWE, they win again but not the way they wanted to.

The WWE was secretly hoping that this new Monday Night War would eventually get them more viewers. It did not. They lost viewers. Last week’s show was down to a 3.1. The WWE likes to be in the 3.4-3.6 range. But the WWE machine will continue to roll on Mondays because it is now iconic. There’s Monday Night Football and Monday Night Raw.

It looks like former WWE superstar Hurricane Shane Helms is about to sign with TNA wrestling. Reportedly, he has verbally agreed to a deal. TNA is also in talks with former WWE diva Maria, but they have hit a snag when it comes to money. To sign all of this new talent, some old talent has to go. Tara is no longer with TNA as of this past Sunday. She is looking to get back to the WWE, but that does not look to be in the cards right now.

The WWE has let Shelton Benjamin go. There has been no word on where he will end up. Not everyone can sign on to TNA. Especially with the full roster TNA has right now. The most likely scenario is that he gets used on a pay-per-play deal in TNA, where he gets paid a fixed amount per appearance. This helps keep the cost down for TNA, but the drawback is the WWE can swoop in at any moment and sign these stars.

There is a possibility that Batista will be walking away from the WWE in the near future. The Animal is supposedly irate over losing a lead role in an upcoming WWE movie. So much so, he has threatened to give his notice. Somehow, the Sixshooter thinks they will work things out.

Do not look for the “old” John Cena to return. Cena was asked on his official twitter last week about if he thought his character was too watered down. Cena thought that in today’s market he could no longer do his “rapping” routine that brought him fame. It is sad that Cena actually believes this. The WWE has watered down its entire product, and the show has been dramatically affected.

That is all for this months Sixshooter-a-holics. Like the great Scott Hall always says, “Another win…for the good guys!” Make sure to check me out on the web daily over at twitter: http://www.twitter.com/matthew_guerra.

Super 8 Teaser Trailer

2010-05-16T09:18:00.003-04:00

J.J. Abrams latest...Super 8:

Hurricane Helms to TNA?

2010-05-10T13:58:00.003-04:00

Looks like there is a Hurricane coming thru TNA...and that its name is Shane Helms. The former WWE superstar will be reportedly signing on with TNA as soon as his 90-day no-compete clause expires. Backstage rumors have it that Helms verbally agreed to join the organization last week.

This Day in Sports

2010-04-22T07:43:00.002-04:00

1876 - Eight baseball teams began the inaugural season of the National League. In the first game Boston beat Philadelphia 6-5.

1914 - Babe Ruth made his pitching debut with the Baltimore Orioles.

1915 - The New York Yankees wore pinstripes and the hat-in-the-ring logo for the first time.

1945 - The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Detroit Red Wings, 2-1 in Game Seven of the Stanley Cup finals.

1982 - The Atlanta Braves ended their 13-game winning streak to start the season. It was the longest streak of wins at the beginning of the season in major league baseball history.

1994 - Michael Moorer became the first left-handed heavyweight champion.

Inside the Ring w/Johnny Sixshooter April 10 Edition

2010-04-16T08:42:00.000-04:00

The injury bug has cropped up in the WWE. According to WWE.com, Ezekial Jackson will be out up to 6-months with a quadriceps injury. WWE had high hopes for Jackson in 2010; this is a big loss for the organization. But this is not the only WWE injury news, now there is a possibility that HHH might have to sit some time out as well with a neck injury. The Game will try and fight thru the injury but the WWE has been pulled from all house shows for now.

The elephant in the room has to be talked about; how long can HHH keep going as an active wrestler? This is a man who has blown out both quadriceps, both knees, and his neck. HHH is no longer young enough to just bounce back. In a year that might see the retiring of HBK as well as the Undertaker, the WWE might be at a crossroads with the possibility of the HHH having to evaluate his future with the company.

There is a strong possibility of good old JR, Jim Ross, joining TNA at month’s end. According to JR’s personal website, Ross’s contract will be running out on the 30th of this month and while there have not been any negotiations on the WWE’s end there is still a chance he signs back. Former ECW owner/creator Paul Heyman has also been contacted by TNA to join up.

Heyman has been hesitant unless he can get some creative control in the company. It is a touchy issue but if it can be worked out TNA could get that innovative creative mind they need behind the scenes. Right now TV is being written by Vince Russo, Hulk Hogan, and Eric Bischoff. Russo’s style has been throwing too much at the average viewer all at the same time. Stories need to be slowed down in TNA to maximize their impact.

Chris Kanyon passed away at his New York City apartment last week of an apparent suicide. The former WCW star was an innovator when it came to creating new wrestling moves. Never really appreciated as a main event guy, Kanyon flourished in the mid-card with characters like Positively Kanyon, Champagne Kanyon, the Alliance MVP, and Mortis. His brief run with the WWE after they purchased WCW was one of the few entertaining parts of the WCW/ECW takeover angle. Kanyon was 40-years old.

The WWE will be making a TV change in the next few months. Friday Night Smackdown will no longer be on MyNetwork TV. Its new home will be the SyFy network. NxT, which has been airing on Tuesday nights on SyFy, will no longer be on that network and might be cancelled altogether. There is always the possibility that the show might just air on WWE.com. This is a significant move for the WWE because SyFy will be kicking in a reportedly additional 15-20 million dollars for the rights of Friday Night Smackdown.

Backstage people in TNA are reportedly concerned about whether or not the demons of Jeff Hardy’s past have crept back into his life. Hardy has had drug issues before in his career and TNA is keeping a watchful eye on him. So far Hardy has had some ring rust from his layoff and TNA is hopeful it is just that, and not a bigger issue.

Christopher Daniels, the Nasty Boys, and Consequences Creed are no longer with TNA wrestling. Daniels has already signed on with Ring of Honor, which is on weekly over at HDnet. Christopher Daniels was a TNA original, did he deserve to get released…probably not. But in this world of wrestling if you do not produce television ratings your run will be short. Time and time again Daniels was put into the spotlight and did not draw. That is not entirely the Fallen Angel’s fault because the writers have some blame in this as well.

That is all for this month Sixshooter-a-holics, make sure to check me out daily over on Twitter over at http://www.twitter.com/matthew_guerra. As the great Santino Marella has said, "I’ll beat you like a rented mule, or a mule for purchase, bottom lines is, if there’s livestock involved I’ll beat you like it."

David Wright Situation Commercial

2010-04-08T16:35:00.000-04:00

Gotta love David Wright and the Situation getting together on this commercial. Some real funny stuff, too bad the Mets still stink!

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World Trailer

2010-03-26T07:58:00.004-04:00

Been hearing about this one for a while. Starring Michael Cera and was directed by the heavy dude in Shaun of the Dead/Hot Fuzz, Nick Frost. Definitely a little different, should be fun.

Boobs for Pirates

2010-03-21T08:40:00.001-04:00

Disney is searching for real treasure chests for its upcoming shoot of the next "Pirates of the Caribbean" swashbuckler -- that is, women with natural breasts.

The movie studio has banned actresses with artificial enhancements for the fourth installment, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," directed by Rob Marshall and starring Johnny Depp as the drunken buccaneer Jack Sparrow...

New Jason Batemen, Jennifer Aniston Flick

2010-03-18T11:15:00.002-04:00

Has Jason Batemen finally made me want to go see a Jennifer Aniston movie?

Inside the Ring w/Johnny Sixshooter March 10 Edition

2010-03-17T07:48:00.003-04:00

Last Monday night the Monday Night Wars returned but did TNA make an Impact? The ratings data that was collected would say, “Not much of one” but if viewers got a chance to see both shows they could definitely feel a different vibe. TNA’s first Monday Impact pulled in a 1.0 rating according to Nielsen Media Research. WWE Raw drew a 3.4.

TNA and Spike TV were happy to be able to retain most of their viewers from Thursday nights; they had been in the 1.1-1.2 range for weeks. The WWE took a slight dip from the previous week’s 3.6. So what does this all mean? TNA has a lot of work to do to compete with the WWE. The Sixshooter has predicted it would take at least 6-months for Impact to make a dent in the ratings and it looks like things will go that way.

The WWE is a machine that may never be beaten. When you have been around for this many years people see you as something iconic. Watching Raw is something you do every week…a way of life, how could you ever change that? The only hope that TNA has is that the old WCW fans find out about Impact and start watching.

Jeff Hardy made his in ring return to wrestling this past Monday vs. A.J. Styles. Hardy pulled off a good match but do not get used to seeing Hardy every week just yet; legal troubles are still looming. Hardy is up on several drug charges with several court dates coming shortly.

The Wrestlemania hype is in full effect in the WWE. Raw and Smackdown have been pumping out show after show dedicated to the yearly event and most of their top angles are a big hit. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels rematch has taken off again, but will both men be able to duplicate last year’s 5-star match? The Sixshooter thinks they will. There have been reports that Michaels plans to take a leave of absence after the show; so one might expect another loss for the Heartbreak Kid.

Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon has had a decent enough build up but is anyone really lining up to see Wrestlemania for this? The Sixshooter has a hard time believing anyone really wants to see an aged, limited Bret Hart taking on an aged, limited Vince McMahon. The feud between John Cena and Batista has heated up in recent weeks and while Batista is very limited in the ring there is a definite believability in the hatred between these two men.

Who would have called TNA turning Sting overnight into the biggest heel in either promotion? Sting taking out Hogan and RVD at once on Impact last week was very impressive. The line of the night had to be from announcer Mike Tenay stating how he couldn’t believe what Sting was doing. Really Mike? Sting fought Hogan for 6-years in WCW; we should have all seen it coming.

With RVD back in wrestling where does that leave his former ECW buddy Tommy Dreamer? Dreamer was released a month ago from his contract with WWE. Word going around backstage in the WWE is that Dreamer will be showing up on the Impact after his no-compete clause ends.

Looks like Awesome Kong is done with TNA. Reports backstage are that she was granted her release from the company. Kong had been in an altercation with Bubba the Love Sponge over some comments he made about Haiti on his twitter account. TNA sent Kong home and she has not been on television since. More proof of the release came last week when Kong’s tag division belt was given away without even mentioning her name on air.

That is it for this month Sixshooter-a-holics make sure to check me out daily over at http://www.twitter.com/matthew_guerra. As the Rock used to say, “You ain’t nothing, you’re five feet nothing, hundred pounds to nothing, whoa excuse the Rock one second (his phone rings)… hello? Oh wait its nothing he says he knows you!”

This Day in Sports

2010-03-14T10:04:00.002-04:00

1960 - Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors) scored a record 53 points.

1962 - Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors) played every minute of a game for the 47th consecutive time. The streak ended during the Warriors' next game.

1967 - The AFL and the NFL held the first common draft. The two leagues merged in 1970. The first player chosen was Bubba Smith, a defensive lineman from Michigan State.

1972 - The Cincinnati Royals of the National Basketball Association announced that the team's franchise would be moved to Kansas City, Missouri at the end of the season.

1992 - Stacey Augmon (Atlanta Hawks) scored the 6,000,000th point in NBA history.

2005 - Major League Baseball gave a congressional committee about 400 pages of documents related to drug testing. It was also reported that Bud Selig would be willing to testify in hearings planned for March 17.

Predator Sequel

2010-03-13T10:34:00.000-05:00

Someone finally smartened up and put together a sequel to Predator...the original one...that actually makes sense and looks pretty impressive. Director Robert Rodriguez has something here, check it out:

DeNiro as Lombardi

2010-03-09T17:45:00.000-05:00

Now this is going to be an interesting film. The legendary Actor Robert DeNiro has agreed in principle to star as the legendary Packers Coach Vince Lombardi. Can't wait for this one!

The Monday Night Wars are Back: TNA vs. WWE

2010-03-06T18:36:00.003-05:00

It's on Brother! This Monday night the wrestling wars are back as TNA takes on Goliath in WWE Raw. TNA is promising a huge surprise in the first 5-minutes of the show (can you say RVD?) so make sure to tune into Spike at 9-PM. After that, it's all about who has the better show...Raw or Impact...just like it used to be with Raw or WCW Nitro. Will TNA make some waves in the ratings, probably not for a while, but there will be excitement in the air come Monday night at 9.

Drive Monkey Drive

2010-03-04T21:55:00.004-05:00

Rob Van Dam Signs on with TNA

2010-03-04T15:56:00.000-05:00

Looks like business is about to pick up on Monday Nights! Rob Van Dam has reportedly come to terms with TNA Wrestling and should debut this Monday Night when TNA goes head to head with Monday Night Raw at 9 PM on Spike TV.

All the President's Men Reunite on SNL

2010-03-04T15:32:00.001-05:00

James Toney Signs with UFC?

2010-03-04T08:52:00.000-05:00

In an interesting move by Dana White and the UFC, looks like former Heavyweight Boxer James Toney has signed on with the promotion:

The Ultimate Fighting Championship didn’t become a billion-dollar enterprise by having its executives take crazy risks. The company was built methodically, with the larger goal always in mind.

But on Wednesday, the bus swerved sharply in a different direction when UFC president Dana White confirmed that the company had signed boxer James Toney to a multi-fight contract.

Matt Guerra Teams up with Base-Heads.com

2010-03-04T08:49:00.001-05:00

Yours truly has teamed up with Base-Heads.com and will be posting there from time to time. Make sure to show my new article some love:

It’s time for the crack of the bat, the pop of the mitt, and the smell of pine tar. Spring training is in the air and more importantly it is time for another Major League Baseball 2K game. MLB 2K10 has hit the shelves as hard as Albert Pujols hits a hanging slider, but did 2K Sports improve upon MLB 2K9?

Top of the Morning to You

2010-03-04T08:08:00.002-05:00

Is there any other way to start your day other than the Filet of Fish commercial?

Inside the Ring w/Johnny Sixshooter Feb. 10 Edition

2010-02-16T09:42:00.003-05:00

The Monday Night Wars are Back

As reported last month by yours truly TNA had been in talks to move Impact to Monday nights. The rumors have turned into reality. Last Monday TNA’s president Dixie Carter announced that on March 8th Impact will move permanently to Monday nights going head to head with Monday Night Raw every week from 9-11 p.m.

“On January 4 wrestling fans showed us they’re ready for a new professional wrestling alternative on Monday nights, and we’re answering that call. Bringing ‘Impact’ to Mondays is our most exciting move yet in a year that’s already been filled with huge milestones for TNA” said Carter via an official TNA press release.

This move is a bold one that the Sixshooter is a little leery of. Going 9-11 p.m. is a dangerous scenario for TNA. Spike TV has left the door open to an eventual change to 8-10 p.m. but you never know the truth when it comes to TV executives. Monday Night Raw averages around a 3.5-rating every week. TNA Impact on Thursday nights has been pulling in around a 1.2-rating every week.

Monday night will not be that easy to win. It will take at least 6-months for TNA to make a dent in the WWE machine. What is the number that would make Spike TV happy for now, well the Sixshooter has learned that if they stay in the 1.2-range Spike is fine with it. My guess is TNA’s goal is to shoot up to at least 2.0 in 6-months. That is possible, but they have to go all out with exciting storylines and some key acquisitions.

For months TNA has been toying with signing RVD. The Sixshooter believes there is already a handshake agreement in place, but there is no proof to it. The odds are you will see RVD on March 8th. He is the only impact player still out there ready to jump right into the ring. There are not any other big impact players out there to be had other than RVD. One name to watch is Bill Goldberg.

Goldberg owes a lot to Hogan and Eric Bischoff. They put him on the map in WCW and he has not forgotten it. He also had a bad experience working in the WWE, even though he was a huge ratings draw for them. If TNA wants to make a splash they sign Goldberg, but there is no telling what type of in ring shape he’d be in. Interestingly enough, Goldberg is on the new Celebrity Apprentice coming on in March…so it would give TNA some added exposure.

How is the WWE reacting to competition? Well, they are not reacting. The WWE still does not see TNA as true competition. This stance may hurt them, because everyone likes “the new guy”. The WWE needs to revamp their storylines and stop pushing aging stars such as HHH, Shawn Michaels, and the Undertaker. These wrestlers have a spot on the show for sure, but they are no longer main-eventers.

The WWE has decided to replace its ECW brand with a new innovative show called NXT. This will blend the Ultimate Fighter with Tough Enough. Rookie superstars will be paired with veterans in this reality show. The show format is still unclear but there will be 2 or 3-seasons of it during a year. At the end of each season a wrestler will be promoted to a brand (Raw or Smackdown).

This is an interesting concept for the WWE, one that actually has the Sixshooter interested in watching. Tough Enough was a very good show, changing up the concept is an idea the WWE can really get behind. UFC’s popularity went thru the roof with their Ultimate Fighter show, the WWE hopes to follow suit.

The WWE is still toying with the idea of having Bret Hart wrestle one on one with Vince McMahon at Wrestlemania. Hart had a stroke several years ago and is still not in tip top shape. The WWE is better off having them in a tag match where they can hide Hart, but there has not been a final decision yet.

Scott Steiner’s run in TNA has come to an end. The 2-sides could not reach a contract agreement and he was given his release. This may be the end of the road for Steiner, a return to the WWE does not look to be in the cards. There is always the chance that Hogan and Bischoff ask for him back in TNA, but this may be the last we see of the Big Bad Booty Daddy.

Well that is all for this month Sixshooter-a-holics. You can check me out daily on twitter at http://twitter.com/Matthew_Guerra. As the legendary Captain Lou Albano used to say, “That guy has the brain of a dehydrated BB!”

Inside the Ring w/Johnny Sixshooter Jan 10 Edition

2010-02-06T09:28:00.006-05:00

Change is Coming

The first shot was fired, but was it a successful one? Hulk Hogan debuted in TNA wrestling a couple Monday nights ago and proved his new company belonged on the big stage. TNA pulled down an impressive 1.7 rating in its two-hour Monday night debut. In contrast, the next week, Spike TV’s top show UFC pulled a 1.5 going against Monday Night Raw. Spike TV executives took notice of this all-time best TNA Impact rating and have reportedly decided on throwing TNA on the regular Monday night schedule starting in the next few months. The rumored time slot is for 8-10 PM.

So what has gone on since Hogan’s arrival? There has been a lot of upheaval in the organization. Jeff Hardy signed a deal with TNA, Orlando Jordan is now on board, Scott Hall and 6-Pac are around for a little while, and the one and only Ric Flair signed a 1-year contract with the company. To top it off Mr. Kennedy, now known as Mr. Anderson, made his TNA debut last week at the Genesis PPV. Even the Nasty Boys came out of retirement to put in a couple months of work. With Eric Bischoff helping Hogan run TNA, anything is possible.

Where is TNA going now that Hogan has arrived? The 6-sided ring is gone and the company is in a major transition period. It is going to take a couple PPV’s to really get a feel for what TNA is going to become. Right now their thought is to put on really good wrestling sprinkled in with some old favorites who know how to entertain the fans. That cannot last forever and Hogan knows it. He has to build up guys like A.J. Styles and Samoa Joe into believable stars. One thing Hogan knows is how to become a star.

The WWE combated Hogan’s arrival with an old favorite of their own in Bret “the Hitman” Hart. The Sixshooter watched both returns and has to say the Bret Hart arrival was not treated the right way. It should have been a surprise. It looked and felt like the WWE was just wheeling him out there to keep people from watching TNA. The WWE was going to win that night’s rating without Hart’s involvement. People have been assimilated to watch that show every week. It will take months of Monday night competition to even make a dent.

And what is Bret Hart going to really do in the WWE? He can no longer wrestle because of multiple head injuries, and he is not really in shape. As soon as this was announced the Sixshooter thought it would end up with Michaels vs. the Undertaker at Wrestlemania with Hart being the guest referee. My thought has not changed. Somehow this will end up happening, you can bank on it. And this idea is a mistake because one thing that was awesome last year…was that Michaels/Undertaker match. What a classic, why change it in any fashion?

The WWE films division is in for some upheaval. Mr. McMahon himself is going to be taking over the division. This has disaster written all over it. WWE shows cannot flow well because of constant re-writing by McMahon. And judging by the selection of guest hosts that were relevant 5-10 years ago…he does not have the sound judgment to understand what people want to see now. Poor John Cena, run away and pull a Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson while you still can.

RVD is still toying with the idea of a wrestling return. What organization he chooses is a mystery to everyone. RVD reportedly likes the idea of a WWE return, but he does not like their full-time schedule. The WWE has been dead set against giving RVD a shorter schedule, so that looks like a dead-end. Mr. Monday Night has toyed with the idea of joining TNA, but they will have to blow him away with a high-money deal to get him. According to sources, RVD is not to enamored with the younger talent in TNA. If RVD does not feel like his return will be “important”, he will not return. TNA would have to up the ante and promise a world title run. The Sixshooter has a feeling, at some point this will happen.

Well that is all for this month Sixshooter-a-holics. You can check me out daily on twitter at http://twitter.com/Matthew_Guerra. As the legendary Ric Flair says, “Whether you like it or not, it’s the best thing going today.”

Check His Major

2010-01-05T11:59:00.002-05:00

Now that is a major that a lot of College Kids are into.

Inside the Ring w/Johnny Sixshooter Dec. 09 Edition

2009-12-10T23:00:00.002-05:00

Sixshooter Year End Awards

It’s that time of year again, the children are nestled all snug in their bed and the big man is about to drop off some presents for all the Sixshooter-a-holics. And of course it is time for the Sixshooter Year End Awards for sports entertainment excellence:

Tag Team of the Year Award: TNA’s Beer Money wins this hands down. Robert Roode and James Storm took over wrestling’s best tag division this year with great match after great match. The WWE’s Priceless featuring Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase are a distant second, but they made a lot of progress towards being in contention next year.

Rising Star Award: Kofi Kingston narrowly gets this award over TNA’s Desmond Wolfe. Kingston has gone from a sideshow act to top of the card performer. His character has also jumped in leaps in bounds as he dropped the sill Jamaican accent. Wolfe shot up to the top of TNA’s card right away, but in all fairness to Kofi he was only on the scene for 2-months.

Time to Retire Award: This one goes out to the tag team called DX. HHH and Shawn Michaels are way past their prime. The act is old, the jokes are not that funny anymore, and they have now become what they used to make fun of…they are the old guys that just will not retire. DX has become a comic book character of what they used to be. Time to hang up the boots boys, actually the time was about 3-years ago but who’s counting?

Diva of the Year Award: Angelina Love is no longer employed, but she could not be ignored. Her run as TNA Women’s Champion did not go unnoticed. Week after week she put on good performances in and out of the ring all the while looking exceptional as she did it. Maryse was the only WWE Diva in contention but her knee injury took away too much of her in ring time this year to warrant the award.

Mid-Card Wrestler of the Year Award: This was a hard one to give out because there were a lot of wrestlers that were deserving of the award. These guys put in the hard work while the main-eventers take a nap in the back. In the end, this had to go to Santino Marella. This is a controversial pick, but he is truly the only performer in the WWE who is consistently entertaining. Think about that statement for a while and you will agree. TNA’s Scott Steiner comes in at a close second. He not only was in a lot of TNA’s highest rated segments, Steiner brought back the Frankensteiner at several PPV’s bringing down the house in cheers. Who would have thought it?

Announcer of the Year Award: This was the easiest award to hand out. Don West was by far the best announcer this year. TNA rewarded him by letting him go. West offered enthusiasm and added the bad-guy element that wrestling has been lacking. His replacement, Taz, has not lived up to the hype so far. The WWE really does not have anyone even on any of their shows who stands out. If you were going to rank the best, perhaps Matt Striker is the way to go.

Champion of the Year Award: You cannot put this on anyone’s mantle but John Cena’s. Cena was champion for most of the year in the WWE and seems to always be in the mix. Does he deserve it? Before you say no, remember this guy produces ratings. When he is not on the show, they suffer. When he returns they jump up so he matters a lot.

Comeback of the Year Award: TNA’s Christopher Daniels deserves this award over all others. Daniels had to suffer thru the gimmicks of Curryman and Suicide, now he is fighting for the world championship. The Fallen Angel has always had the talent, but now he is finally developing a believable character to go along with it. He looks the part, and that is a big part of being in the main-event.

Wrestler of the Year Award: The wrestler of the year is someone who show in and show out is one of the top guys. Look no further than Chris Jericho. The Sixshooter may not agree with how the WWE is using him, but Jericho has been a top guy all year. He has also been an integral part of both Raw and Smackdown. One has to ask, where would the WWE be without him right now? TNA’s Amazing Red was this year’s best performer in the ring, but Jericho cannot be matched in TV Time and importance to his brand.

Promotion of the Year Award: The WWE was leading in this category most of the year but TNA turned it around in the end of 2009. The additions of Desmond Wolfe and Mick Foley have proved to be wise ones. Also, the signing of Hulk Hogan is a huge deal for TNA. So huge they’ll be up against Raw 8-11pm ET on Monday January 4th. Make sure to tune in because competition means both shows will get better. Since the Monday Night Wars died with the demise of WCW, the WWE has taken you for granted. Do not let them do it any longer. Force their hand, Tivo them and watch TNA.

That is all for this month Sixshooter-a-holics, make sure to check me out daily over at http://www.twitter.com/Matthew_Guerra. As the all-time great The Rock used to say, "You've got a lot of class, and it's all low."

Inside the Ring w/Johnny Sixshooter Nov. 09 Edition

2009-11-21T10:53:00.003-05:00

Hulk Hogan Signs with TNA

Hulk Hogan has arrived in TNA and the timing is just right for something special. Hogan is no longer able to wrestle a full-time schedule, but what he can do is lend credibility to a brand that needs some. Expect Hogan to show up on Impact by the end of the month and help TNA bring in the New Year with the 24” pythons.

What will Hogan be doing in TNA? Word backstage is that Hogan has been given some creative power and that he will be working alongside head writer Vince Russo to help bring TNA into the WWE’s league. TNA also supposedly partnered with Eric Bischoff (former head of WCW) to help produce new television.

Word going around is that it will be a Monday night show from 8-11 p.m. on Spike. Spike TV helped fund the deal to further expand its relationship with TNA. The deal will not only end with Hogan. Reportedly Rob Van Dam and Mr. Kennedy have been already contacted to sign. The other party TNA is interested in is Ric Flair.

TNA does not have visions of Flair and Hogan wrestling full-time again, they would rather have both on their show in a leadership/management position. It just makes sense at this point to bring over the names that people know. TNA has a legitimate shot to make some noise with the emergence of their young talent in Matt Morgan, A.J. Styles, Hernandez, and Samoa Joe.

As for the WWE their take on the situation is that competition is a good thing. In an interview with expressnightout.com Chris Jericho explained his view on the Hogan signing, "Anything that makes that company bigger is better for us. Competition is what we thrive on, so good luck to them. I hope they get a real big boost from it.”

The WWE just signed a new 4-year contract with USA to keep Raw on its network. It’s good to see stability in the Raw brand. Being on the same network for another 4-years makes it easy for Raw to become, dare I say it, a legacy program. If everyone is used to seeing it in the same place week after week, it just becomes normal to watch it.

TNA has nixed its annual Turkey Bowl for this year. Instead, look for a 1-night tournament featuring the likes of Desmond Wolfe, Suicide, Bobby Lashley, Abyss, Kurt Angle, D’Angelo Dinero, Homicide, and Robert Roode. The winner takes home a shot at their respective division titles. The Sixshooter is upset that the Turkey Bowl is done, seeing someone have to wear that ridiculous turkey costume was a riot.

The WWE has announced its upcoming guest hosts of Raw. On November 30th Verne “Mini-Me” Troyer hosts, on December 7th we shall see Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, and on December 14th it will be Dennis Miller’s turn. How does Stacey Keibler not get to do this? The Sixshooter has to officially go on record saying that having a guest host every week makes watching Raw a hard thing to do.

Former WWE wrestler turned UFC star, Brock Lesnar is facing the toughest fight of his life and it is not an angry opponent. Lesnar reportedly had surgery this week that will correct a bacterial infection in his intestines. The word going around is that he may never be able to fight again, but that is just speculation at this point.

The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels are reaching the end of their road with the WWE. Both superstars are rumored to be heading into their last years of in-ring competition. The Sixshooter believes when push comes to shove they will both sign on to another year before hanging them up.

There is no word yet on the status of Booker T. and the WWE. Booker had been saying that the WWE was interested in bringing him back, but word backstage is that is not the truth. As for Scott Steiner, he was on his way out with TNA but officials really liked his work over the last month and have decided to keep him around.

That is all for this month Sixshooter-a-holics, make sure to check me out daily over at http://twitter.com/Matthew_Guerra. As the great Scott Hall used to say, "Kick him when he’s down, he’s easier to reach!"

Give Me That Stick!

2009-11-21T10:52:00.000-05:00

Clippers Announcers Suspended But Why?

2009-11-21T10:30:00.001-05:00

Here is a transcript of the conversation between color-commentator Ralph Lawler and color analyst Michael Smith, which occurred Wednesday night about Memphis center Hamed Haddadi:

Smith: "Look who's in."

Lawler: "Hamed Haddadi. Where's he from?"

Smith: "He's the first Iranian to play in the NBA." (Smith pronounced Iranian as "Eye-ranian," a pronunciation that offended the viewer who complained.)

Lawler: "There aren't any Iranian players in the NBA," repeating Smith's mispronunciation.

Smith: "He's the only one."

Lawler: "He's from Iran?"

Smith: "I guess so."

Lawler: "That Iran?"

Smith: "Yes."

Lawler: "The real Iran?"

Smith: "Yes."

Lawler: "Wow. Haddadi that's H-A-D-D-A-D-I."

Smith: "You're sure it's not Borat's older brother?"

Smith: "If they ever make a movie about Haddadi, I'm going to get Sacha Baron Cohen to play the part."

Lawler: "Here's Haddadi. Nice little back-door pass. I guess those Iranians can pass the ball."

Smith: "Especially the post players.

Lawler: "I don't know about their guards."

Now please, tell me what was wrong with that? This is a definite sign at the wussification of America!

This Day in Sports

2009-11-21T10:00:00.000-05:00

1934 - The New York Yankees purchased the contract of Joe DiMaggio from San Francisco of the Pacific Coast League.

1959 - Major league baseball lifted the ban on inter-league trade.

1964 - The Detroit Red Wings began a streak of 47 straight wins when leading after two periods. The streak ended on January 23, 1966.

1977 - Walter Payton (Chicago Bears) ran for an NFL record 275 yards against the Minnesota Vikings.

1982 - The National Football League (NFL) resumed its season following a 57-day player's strike.

Latest Adam Sandler Pic: Grown Ups

2009-11-21T09:36:00.002-05:00

Inside the Ring w/Johnny Sixshooter Oct. 09

2009-10-21T22:32:00.003-04:00

TNA Comings and Goings

The TNA youth movement might be taking a step forward in the upcoming weeks. Word going around backstage is that both Booker T. and Scott Steiner are on their way out. Management has decided that a full-fledge youth movement is the way to go. Steiner, who is good friends with Jeff Jarrett, reportedly would rather hang the boots up then stick around without his pal. Booker T. has been at odds with the TNA creative team since being told he would have to lose to Matt Morgan on Impact.

Both of their contracts are up in the next couple months and barring a change of opinions they will both be on their way out of TNA. RVD has once again surfaced as a name TNA is interested in. The odds of him signing are still slim, but TNA is trying hard. According to backstage sources they would like to bring RVD and Mr. Kennedy on board in the next couple of months and are clearing payroll to do so.

The WWE may be without good old J.R. in the near future. The Oklahoma Sooner’s contract is up in a couple months and word going around is that he will be jumping ship to TNA. While that would be a welcome addition, do not bet on it. J.R. is a very loyal WWE supporter and would not want to burn his Titan Tower bridges.

Kevin Nash signed a new 1-year contract with TNA this past week. The WWE had shown interest in the artist formerly known as Diesel but could not come up with a light schedule that would suit the aging big-man. Nash can no longer work more then once a week and the WWE would not provide that.

Is anyone else bored to death of these guest hosts on Raw? What started out as a good idea has turned into a nightmare. Each week the show consists of various plugs for whoever is on it, while most of the time the so-called celebrity really is not that big a deal. The ratings have become stagnant, enough already WWE let’s make a change.

The word going around is that the WWE is planning a War Games PPV. For those of you out of the know, War Games is a concept that was thought up by the old WCW. Think steel cage and 3-teams vying for supremacy. It is a very entertaining PPV if done correctly. The Sixshooter admits that if DX is in this match, he will not watch.

The wrestling world lost another legend the other day with the passing of Captain Lou Albano. The famed wrestling valet rose to prominence with his signature rubber bands and a spot in a Cyndi Lauper music video that launched him into super-wrestling stardom. Captain, you will be missed.

So finally the Sixshooter got his hands on a copy of the Rise and Fall of WCW DVD. By far this is the best WWE produced DVD I have seen. But that is not saying much. My main issue with the DVD is they actually rehashed a lot of footage and interviews from the 4-Horsemen and Ric Flair DVD’s. That is just cheating the fans. You shoot footage for every DVD, not just one and rehash it.

The good part of this DVD is it actually lets you into the business aspect of wrestling and why things were the way they were. Could they have done a better job, yes, but it is definitely worth a look. Anything WCW makes what you see now on TV seems like a bad dream. TNA and WWE are miles away from where WCW was. Maybe someday they will look at the old footage and figure out what sells.

That is all for this month Sixshooter-a-holics, make sure to check me out daily for up to date wrestling news as it happens. As the great Macho Man Randy Savage used to say, "Snap into it!"

The Expendables (unofficial trailer)

2009-10-14T14:01:00.004-04:00

Here it is folks, the next Stallone masterpiece featuring the likes of Mickey Rourke, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Stonecold Steve Austin, Randy Couture, and the man the myth the legend Dolph Lundgren.

Real Issues, Real Facts Sept. 28th Edition

2009-09-28T18:43:00.002-04:00

Cap and Trade, This Bill Will Double Your Household Expenses

Thanks to Michael Jackson’s death most of us do not know that the cap and trade bill passed the house, the media kept its 24hr eye on a dead guy instead. Nor did we know that the Democrats limited debate on this bill to just 3 hours. HR2454 is about 1500 pages how could you debate it for just 3 hrs? It is now in the hands of the senate. The proposed law would put a government established limit on emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses and then decrease that limit each year until it brings our emission rate per capita down to the year 1867 levels. (Life was good in 1867 lets return to that era).

A political bureaucracy will be created to monitor emission allowances and to allow them to be traded among all who need them. If you have extra then you would “trade” them, which really means sell them to the highest bidder. The first few years of the bill it banks in some free allocations. This allows it to lesson the blow initially using “the American people are too dumb to figure it out if we delay the real effect of the bill a few years” approach. The Administrator of said bureaucracy would have a great deal of control over who gets the allotted “free” allowances. That person, an unelected, political crony, then becomes “the Wizard of OZ”. Business decisions, career decisions, household decisions, will all be weighed by how much the cost of energy is first and need later.

The first problem with this bill is that it won’t take effect until after the next presidential election. Shenanigans! If this bill is our saving grace than Obama should own it and make it take effect during his 1st term, this way he can be judged in the next election on how it works. The second is that it caps emissions and then reduces them to 1867 levels. As an economy grows the need for emissions increase. So how is that going to work? Since the availability of emission allocations decline as demand increases the political forces who have influence over who can obtain the energy become the de facto rulers of our economy. I for one am looking forward to trading in my car for a horse and buggy.

Every business would have to obtain allocations to use energy for whatever reason. Not just those with smoke stacks. You would need them to buy gasoline for your trucks, propane for your forklift, the electric used in the production facility, even to power the space heaters. As the cap lowers and we still need to emit, the cost of those allocations increase which means the products cost more to the consumer.

What about the plants that create our electricity? When they hit their cap then they must buy more allocation credits from the bureaucracy, that the bill creates, and pass the cost down to you the average Joe who has a pse&g bill.

Most opponents of the bill say the real cost increase for a ton of CO2 emissions because of this bill will be about $100/ton. Using the Energy Information Agency’s info you can then estimate the cost to all of us. For the average family of four it will add $1 per gallon of gasoline. It will increase your natural gas bill by 60%. It will raise your electric bill by 140%. Let’s not forget the increase in virtually all of the products that you buy since all of them take some sort of energy to produce, the manufacturers must pass the cap and trade tax down to the consumers.

I am all for cleaning up our pollutants but there has got to be a better way. What about rewarding those who cut their emissions by either new technology or just efficiencies. I am beginning to think that Obama’s super hard sell and timing for his healthcare bill is to distract everyone from the cap and trade bill. It worked in the House of Representatives.

Cap and Trade is a fancy way of saying Energy Tax.

Write your senators today and tell them to vote NO on the cap and trade bill.

It’s Time to Speak Up!
-Pat Guerra

Contact your Senators

Contact your Representatives

Contact the President

Contact your NJ state Senator or Assemblymen

Another Pirates Movie

2009-09-12T14:14:00.001-04:00

From Joblo.com:
It was announced today at an event at Disney's D23 Expo that Johnny Depp will be starring in the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, On Stranger's Tides. They didn't reveal any details, but they did trot Depp out in full Jack Sparrow regalia. He appeared to be trying not to laugh as he asked the audience if they had seen a talking frog. Strange name, ON STRANGER TIDES. Not sure what could be stranger than a guy playing the organ with his tentacles...but hey, maybe this one will have a storyline that makes sense. (Honestly though, just give me Johnny Depp in eyeliner. I have a kind of thing for that.) The film is slated for release in Summer 2011.

Inside the Ring w/Johnny Sixshooter September Edition

2009-09-10T22:25:00.002-04:00

Beautiful People Minus One

TNA Wrestling was forced to release one of its most popular wrestlers this past week because of work visa issues. Angelina Love of the Beautiful People was let go last week much to the surprise of many backstage. Love was told to take care of the issue in recent months but when no action was taken TNA reportedly felt that having her on the roster was a legal liability.

The WWE was forced to suspend Rey Mysterio for a month after a failed drug test. Mysterio, a repeat offender, was forced to lose on television after voicing his displeasure in a recent radio interview. Mysterio reportedly felt that he failed the test because of a mix-up with a supplement he had taken. The McMahon’s do not like when a wrestler publicly attacks their wellness policy.

For all of you TNA fans who DVR the show and ended up missing out a couple weeks ago, you are not alone. TNA changed the title of the show in the listings causing us DVR freaks to miss out on the action. That episode of Impact pulled in a year-low 0.9, TNA is hoping that the DVR issue helped cause this.

The WWE has bagged itself a good wrestler courtesy of the new promotion Ring of Honor. Nigel McGuinness, who held the title in ROH for over 350 days straight, agreed in principle to a contract with the WWE two weeks ago. There’s no telling how the WWE will use McGuinness, but he is a solid wrestler with pretty good mic skills so the sky is the limit…well I guess the WWE inept writers is the limit.

That last line was written with the Price is Raw episode last Monday night that featured Bob Barker. Now at what point is Bob Barker relevant today? He isn’t. He used to host the Price is Right…key work is used to. Thirteen years ago he was in a movie with Adam Sandler and it was funny. That was thirteen years ago. The WWE is spoon feeding their fans terrible show after terrible show.

TNA presents No Surrender this week. The show is hosted from Orlando, Florida and will be headlined by a world title match with Kurt Angle, Sting, A.J. Styles, and Matt Morgan going at it in a 4-way. TNA is on a youth movement. They want to get their young stars to become established stars. Will they finally put the title on one of their younger stars? A.J. Styles has a good chance to walk away with it.

In another match for No Surrender, Bobby Lashley will be making his much anticipated return to the ring vs. Rhino. Rhino has been made to look pretty strong over the past month leading to this match, but do not look for him to last more than 5-minutes against the returning Lashley. If TNA wants Lashley’s run to be a success it has to be Goldberg-like. Have him come in, hit some huge moves, and wipe the floor with competitors. Do this for a couple months and as DDP would say, “bang” you have a top star.

Something caught the Sixshooter’s eye the other day while watching Raw. It was Cody Rhodes. Yes, that’s correct…Cody Rhodes. His passion with Randy Orton was something he has never shown before in and out of the ring. To be honest, I did not think he had it in him. But he showed he has some promise, now if he could only get put into a decent storyline that showcases him and not Randy Orton.

Mr. Kennedy’s no-compete clause with the WWE ended last week. Look for him to show up possibly as soon as this Sunday in TNA. Another face that might be debuting soon is that of Candice Michelle. With Angelina Love departing, look for TNA to quickly strike a deal with Michelle to replace her.

That is all for this month Sixshooter-a-holics, make sure to check me out daily over at http://twitter.com/Matthew_Guerra. The Sixshooter was unable to get a screening of the Rise and Fall of WCW DVD this month, but look for a review in next month’s article. As the great Jesse the Body Ventura used to say, "Dusty Rhodes wouldn't win a bodybuilding contest for best abs…he'd win for most abs."

This Day in Sports

2009-09-03T09:34:00.002-04:00

1895 - The first professional football game was played in Latrobe, PA. The Latrobe YMCA defeated the Jeannette Athletic Club 12-0.

1947 - The New York Yankees got 18 hits in an 11-2 win over Boston. All 18 hits were singles.

1957 - Warren Spahn (Milwaukee Braves) recorded his 41st career shutout.

1966 - Bobby Orr (Boston Bruins) signed his first NHL contract. The two-year deal paid $70,000 plus a signing bonus, gave Orr the top salary in hockey.

1970 - Vince Lombardi died of cancer at the age of 57.

1970 - Billy Williams (Chicago Cubs) ended his National League record of 1,117 consecutive games played.

1981 - The Boston Red Sox and the Seattle Mariners played the longest game in Fenway Park history. The game was ended in a 7-7 tie after 19 innings. The Mariners won the game 8-7 when it was resumed the next day.

1984 - Bruce Sutter of the St. Louis Cardinals set a National League record by earning his 38th save of the season.

1986 - The Houston Astros beat the Chicago Cubs 8-7 in the 18th inning. The game was ended the day before after 14 innings were played. The two teams had used a record 53 players the day before.

1990 - Bobby Thigpen set a major league record when he got his 47th save.

1999 - Mario Lemieux's ownership group officially took over the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins. Lemieux became the first player in the modern era of sports to buy the team he had once played for.

2000 - Kenny Lofton tied a major league record when he scored in his 18th straight game.

2001 - Bud Smith became the 16th major league rookie to throw a no-hitter. It was his 11th career start.

Oh Look it's the Great Gazoo

2009-09-01T22:43:00.004-04:00

Oh no it's the New York Mets David Wright...my bad

Rambo 5 Green Lit

2009-08-31T14:09:00.001-04:00

From the Toronto Star:
The punch-drunk Rocky may have finally wobbled into the sunset, but it seems Sylvester Stallone isn't quite ready to send his second-most famous character out to pasture.

A fifth Rambo movie has officially been given the go-ahead, Variety reports. The storyline this time has John Rambo "fighting his way through human traffickers and drug lords to rescue a young girl abducted near the U.S.-Mexico border."

Though the self-titled fourth film in the series, released last year, grossed a relatively modest $42 million in the U.S. and Canada, its overseas take was considerably higher. Variety pegs it at $113 million, though BoxOffice.com says that figure represents the film's total worldwide gross, including $70 million overseas.

Stallone, who turned 63 in July, can at least be credited with keeping the movies' settings timely, if not downright prescient. Last year's entry was set in war-torn Burma. The preceding film in the series, released in 1988, took place in Afghanistan.

Regardless of the setting, Stallone will have a tough time ratcheting up the series' escalating kill count. In figures collated by the movie website FirstShowing.net, that statistic has risen from 1 in the first movie to 69, 132 and a 236 in last year's entry. That works out to 2.59 kills per minute (3.04 if you don't count the time taken up by the end credits).

The number of sex scenes in each film, meanwhile, has remained constant: 0.

Rambo No. 5 is scheduled to start shooting next spring. The Internet Movie Database reports that Mickey Rourke is rumoured as Stallone's co-star. It gives a projected release date of 2011.

Before that, Stallone will show up as star, writer and director of The Expendables, whose cast includes Rourke, Jason Statham and Jet Li, as well as a veritable who's who of '80s genre stars: Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts and Steve "Stone Cold" Austin. Those luminaries portray a band of mercenaries trying to overthrow a dictator in South America. It hits theatres April 23.

TNA Wrestling Signs New TV Deal

2009-08-17T23:05:00.002-04:00

TNA wrestling has signed on with Spike TV for another 3-years according to a press release from TNA. The deal includes 10 specials along with the weekly 2-hour Impact show. TNA has also been pushing for a 2nd show that would run either Tuesday or Saturday. There is no word if this will happen or not this year.

Don West Announcer No More

2009-08-17T23:02:00.002-04:00

TNA Wrestling has apparently let go Don West as their lead color commentary guy. At the tapings tonight Taz took over. Reportedly West will work with marketing/promotions from now on. Is this a good move for TNA, I'm not sure. West seemed to be finally coming into his own as an announcer. If Taz brings attitude to the show, maybe this works out...maybe.

Real Issues, Real Facts August 11th Edition

2009-08-12T21:42:00.003-04:00

A Great Healthcare Public Option Analogy

You hear people disagreeing with the Obama health care plan mainly because of the Public option he keeps talking about. People feel that eventually the public run health care option will run the private companies out of the business and all we will be left with is the public option. Obama combats this by saying “if you want to keep your private plan…you can” He is not telling the whole truth. You can keep your private plan if you are willing to pay for it and as long as it exists. Here is my analogy to break it down into relatable terms.

In your town there exists a burger joint called Mcburger, the most successful burger chain in the nation for decades and it has droves of loyal customers. All of a sudden Mcgovernment opens up next door. They sell the same burgers with the same great quality and taste, but at slightly cheaper prices. Mcburger’s customers are hesitant to try Mcburger the first year and most of the customers that Mcgovernment has walkthrough its door are those who could not afford Mcburger’s food and those who never had a burger before.

After the first year that Mcgovernment is open Mcburger realizes that they have lost some market share to Mcgovernment so they reduce their prices going into the 2nd year, even though the cost of doing business goes up each year. Mcgovernment, not worrying about profit margins, is able to keep prices a few points cheaper than Mcburger.

After the 2nd year that Mcgovernment is open Mcburger realizes that they have lost more of their customers to the cheaper public burger option and they lower their prices to the lowest they can and still hope to stay in business. So Mcburger buckles down and cuts extra employees and improves efficiencies, but Mcgovernment still sells their burgers cheaper. They doen’t have to turn a profit, they don’t pay property taxes, they don’t pay income taxes, if they run out of money they either borrow it from McChinese or have the McFederal Reserve print more. Mcgovernment doesn’t have to worry about the cost of doing business they never have to turn a profit.

After the 3rd year since Mcgovernment opened more than half of Mcburger’s customers have switched to the lower priced Mcgovernment burgers and Mcburger can no longer stay in business.

Now the only Burger joint in town is Mcgovernment. Once this happens you can only get burgers the Mcgovernment way. How Mcgovernment wants to cook them, how they want to price them. They don’t have to worry about the wait times in line, or the pleasantness of their staff. They are the only burger joint in town take it or leave it.

Reform healthcare YES, include a public option NO. Tell your congressmen and senators not to include a public option. Tell them to work on malpractice reforms, preexisting condition exclusions, ways to reduce the cost of procedures and drugs to begin with, etc, etc. Tell them to get to work, but tell them to leave the public option out of the plan.

Its Time to Speak Up!
-Pat Guerra

Contact your Senators

Contact your Representatives

Contact the President

Contact your NJ state Senator or Assemblymen

Inside the Ring w/Johnny Sixshooter August Edition

2009-08-12T21:40:00.002-04:00

TNA Backstage Shocker

Some people say wrestling imitates real life. In the case of Jeff Jarrett and Kurt Angle, no statement could ring truer. Several weeks ago Jeff Jarrett was reportedly told to take his guitar and go home by TNA CEO Dixie Carter. How can the man who runs the backstage and creative process in TNA be told to go home and more importantly why?

According to backstage sources, it turns out that Jeff Jarrett was actually living with Kurt Angle’s ex-wife Karen Angle. If you flash back a couple months ago, Kurt Angle was on the Howard Stern show talking about his failed marriage and that he thought she was actually seeing a wrestler while they were still together. Supposedly Kurt is right.

After hearing about the news Dixie Carter went on a backstage tirade telling Jarrett to take a leave of absence. Jarrett agreed and has not been seen or heard from since. Word is we may never see or hear from him again. Dixie Carter has been reportedly talking about buying him out from TNA.

What is ironic about this story is that Jarrett was actually in an on-air angle with the former Angles’. Both Jeff Jarrett and Kurt Angle went back and forth on television discussing each one’s misfortune in marriage (Kurt Angle’s divorce, Jeff Jarrett’s wife’s passing). Now this news rolls out and TNA is in a major shakeup. Who will get total creative control of the show?

Reports are that right now Vince Russo, of WCW fame, is writing most of the show. There are also rumors of a possible reaching out to former ECW leader Paul Heyman. Either way expect some big changes in the direction of TNA, and that might not be a bad thing.

The WWE has been on a roll lately with their new guest host feature on Raw. Last week’s host, Sgt. Slaughter, pulled in whopping 3.8 cable rating. This leads the Sixshooter to believe that the WWE will have a lot more former stars guest hosting Raw in the future. Expect the likes of Ric Flair to begin showing up.

Jeff Hardy has not yet signed an extension with the WWE according to backstage sources. Hardy may take some time off when his deal expires in the next couple of months. There is no word that Hardy would be looking to jump back to TNA at this time. TNA liked having Hardy on their roster, as he was a big draw when it came to selling merchandise, but in the end he is just too big a risk due to his checkered past.

The Sixshooter got a hold of the new WWE DVD for the Macho Man. As far as content, the DVD had a lot of big matches in their entirety. But as far as production value, this one was a big dud. It actually looked like the WWE put absolutely no effort into this production.

Hosted by Maria and Matt Stryker, who have no business even talking about the Macho Man, this DVD barely gave you an insight into Randy Savage at all. There were no commentaries from other wrestlers, just blabber from Maria/Stryker then another match. This DVD was really disappointing in every way. How do you put together a Macho Man DVD and not show me Macho Man vs. Hollywood Hogan in WCW?

This lack of quality has the Sixshooter doubting how good the upcoming Rise and Fall of WCW DVD that will be coming out August 25th. Can the WWE actually show footage of another promotion doing good things? Can they actually cater to fans that did not like to watch their own show? Can they have a WCW DVD without HHH telling the Sixshooter how bad it was there, even though he was in it for a minute? The answer is, probably not.

Mr. Kennedy’s no-compete clause is almost up, and there is no doubt in the Sixshooter’s mind that he will be in TNA. Mr. Kennedy is a talent on the microphone and an average in-ring performer, but the crowd draws on his charisma. Having him on television every week can only help TNA. He is a young, fresh face to throw out there along with the newly signed Elijah Burke and Bobby Lashley.

That is all for this month Sixshooter-a-holics, make sure to check me out daily over at http://twitter.com/Matthew_Guerra. Next month the Sixshooter will have a review of the upcoming Rise and Fall of WCW DVD. As the great former WCW announcer Tony Schiavone used to say, “This is the greatest night in the history of our sport!”

The Real Star Wars

2009-08-11T18:58:00.001-04:00

It should have really went down like this!

Super Mario Sex Tape

2009-08-09T14:32:00.001-04:00

Who would have thought good old Mario would decide to go the route of Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian and throw out his own sex tape with the beloved Princess? I guess with this economy everyone needs to find a way to make an extra dime!

Real Issues, Real Facts July 29th Edition

2009-07-29T21:11:00.003-04:00

Healthcare Reform? Obama is not telling the whole truth

The congress is in the middle of coming up with a bill that will transform health care in this country to fit Obama’s goals. It sounds like a great idea. We all know health care costs a lot. I am glad to see that they did not rush something through to meet the president’s deadline of Aug 31st. that would have been a huge mistake just like the last stimulus bill.

Health care needs to be addressed, some things need to change. Obama and his supporters, however, are not telling the whole truth about their plan. They state that 47 million people don’t have insurance and that we need to cover them. Well that’s just not true. 47 million people didn’t have insurance at some point last year. Even if they just missed a month or two of coverage they are in the 47 mil, so deduct them. Also deduct the 8 million or so illegal aliens he included in the 47 mil, also deduct the 10+ mil people that are eligible for insurance that just haven’t applied, also deduct the millions that simply didn’t want it feeling that they didn’t need it. All said and done and there is about 8 million people that don’t have coverage that want it, that are citizens, that we could cover. 8 Million is way different than 47 million.

Why spend 1 trillion dollars to cover 8 million people. That doesn’t make sense. Let’s just hook them up with lets say a $500/month Aetna type plan. That would only cost 48 billion.

Obama wants there to be a public plan option for everyone. In other words he wants to start a government agency or company to provide health insurance like private companies Aetna or Horizon does now. He claims that it will drive down costs for everyone even those on private plans like Aetna. It may drive down those costs; however, what Obama is not saying is that it will eventually put those private companies out of business leaving only the public plan which is nothing less than socialized medicine.

This government or public plan never has to make a profit and like our government will probably run in the negative or deficit. Private companies have to make a profit to work. The public plan would never have to report earnings to its shareholders. It never has to worry about its stock price. If it needs more capital to operate the government would just print more money, or raise our taxes. For instance we all know Medicare will only survive if they raise our taxes to pay for it. Why would this public plan be any different?

This is all nonsense they are not telling you the truth. And if you don’t believe me look at the government’s track record. They have at times not told the whole truth or just lied…WMD’s

Here is what needs to be done. There needs to be reform of the lawsuits. Let’s figure out how to curb the frivolous lawsuits driving up the cost of insurance and health costs. Let’s work on making health services more affordable to begin with. For instance how is it right for a hospital to charge you $25,000 for a procedure if you didn’t have insurance but only charge Aetna $3,000 for your same procedure? That is BullSh*t. There has to be a better balance than that. The FDA won’t allow the importation of drugs from other countries even though they are the same pills the same drug companies sell here. Prescriptions cost double to ten times the cost here vs. in Canada or Mexico. All the pills are made in the same factory in Romania anyway what’s the difference?

There is plenty of change that can happen without us having to have a public plan option. Urge your congressman to nix that out of the deal and to take their time with this. There is no rush!

Its Time to Speak Up!
-Pat Guerra

Contact your Senators

Contact your Representatives

Contact the President

Contact your NJ state Senator or Assemblymen

This Day in Sports

2009-07-25T15:18:00.002-04:00

1850 - In Worcester, MA, Harvard and Yale University freshmen met in the first intercollegiate billiards match.

1947 - Fortune Gordien of Oslo, Norway set a world record discus throw of 178.47 feet.

1978 - Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Red's broke the National League record for consecutive base hits as he got a hit in 38 straight games.

1987 - The Salt Lake City Trappers set a professional baseball record as the team won its 29th game in a row.

1999 - Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France. He was only the second American to win the race. He won the race again in 2000.

1990 - Rosanne Barr sang the National Anthem in San Diego before a Padres baseball game. She was booed for her performance.

2004 - Lance Armstrong won his record sixth consecutive Tour de France.

Real Issues, Real Facts July 21st Edition

2009-07-21T18:08:00.003-04:00

NJ is Limiting Your Constitutional Rights

Everyone knows about the 1st amendment to the constitution it protects free speech, press, religion and assembly. The 2nd amendment protects your right to bear arms, the 3rd protects you from the quartering of soldiers, etc, etc, etc. The 9th amendment is worth noting it states; the enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. This means that all of our rights are protected weather or not they are specifically spelled out somewhere in the constitution. The best thing is that even though some of these rights do not pertain to you currently, as in you aren’t in need of that right of a speedy trial or haven’t written a newspaper article in a while, you still have them.

Around the country from state to state different laws limit your rights. They qualify your rights, they regulate them, and they tweak them. NJ does it. Laws are on the books that stipulate conditions, make you pay fees for certain things, get permits, etc. For example in NJ you can not open a business that allows people to smoke tobacco in the building (unless it’s a casino) where are we? China?

NJ just passed a law stating that groups of a certain size only have the right to publicly assemble a dozen times a year. They will control this through the issuance of permits for the gatherings. It will be up to the local, city government (mayor or town council) weather or not you get your permit. The most public argument for this bill was “With email and txt messages, why does any group need to gather more than a dozen times a year in person these days?” Politicians feel that the public will be safer if large groups are controlled, a large group with bad intentions could cause havoc.

This law is a bad idea no matter how you look at. Even if you think 12 times a year is enough, once you place a limit on something you can change that limit. You can limit it out of existence, this year you can assemble 12 times, next year 10, the next 8 etc, or you can use the same idea and start limiting other constitutional rights.

I am sure you agree and will join me and the 80 million others in the country who feel this way and insist that this law be repealed by contacting your state officials and congress. The right to assemble is in the constitution as an amendment in black and white. This new law has to be unconstitutional. I hope you are as pissed off as I am over this! You with me?

Here is the catch. This law that NJ passed isn’t about the right to assemble, it’s about the right to bear arms. Amendment #2 instead of Amendment #1. A lot of you are now saying too yourself, “oooh this is about guns” (there are 80 million gun owners in America) you were with me when it was a 1st amendment issue. What Happened? If you can limit a constitutional right, no matter which one it is, you can limit it out of existence or start limiting others. You don’t need to care about “guns” you need to care about your constitutional rights. What number the amendment is does not indicate importance. For example which is more important the right to free speech (amd 1) or a women’s right to vote (amd 19)? The right to bear arms is in black and white like all the others.

The NJ legislation just passed a law limiting the purchase of a handgun by a legal gun owner to 1 per month. Legal gun owners in NJ have to pass the most stringent background checks in the country without this law. It is not about how many you can buy in a year, it is about limiting a constitutional right by a state. Next year it could be 10 guns, 10 years from now it could be 1…or none. Limiting a constitutional right no matter which one is dangerous business. Governor Corzine has not yet signed the bill although he is expected too. Contact him and let him know this is going too far and to veto it. Tell him to enforce the current laws, throw the criminals in jail, be proactive against crime not reactive, but don’t limit constitutional rights because it makes good press.

Contact Corzine

It’s Time to Speak Up!
-Pat Guerra

Bobby Lashley Officially Signs

2009-07-16T09:55:00.004-04:00

Bobby Lashley has officially signed on the TNA roster according to ESPN. He will be at this Sunday's Victory Road PPV. Lashley had been in negotiations with TNA for several months. TNA will reportedly let Lashley work in MMA as he works with TNA. There is no word on how TNA will use Lashley as of yet, odds are he'll work as a face (good guy). Prior to working for TNA and MMA, Lashley was a two time ECW World Champion while in the WWE.

This Day in Sports

2009-07-16T09:51:00.002-04:00

1950 - The largest crowd in sporting history was 199,854. They watched the Uraguay defeat Brazil in the World Cup soccer finals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

1964 - Little League Baseball Incorporated was granted a Federal Charter unanimously by the United States Senate and House of Representatives.

1970 - The Pittsburgh Pirates played their first game at Three Rivers Stadium.

1985 - The All-Star Game, televised on NBC-TV, was the first program broadcast in stereo by a TV network.

Am I Getting Bombed...Literally?

2009-07-15T09:12:00.003-04:00

This is the point where I'd freak out. This Jet did a flyover in Detroit near some apartment buildings.

Inside the Ring w/Johnny Sixshooter July Edition

2009-07-14T09:30:00.003-04:00

A Hollywood Hogan Return?

Before you can utter out the words, “NWO 4-life” do not get too excited. We have been down this road before with Hulk Hogan. Hulk is down on his luck (a bitter divorce battle), he is on the outs with Vince McMahon (fight over money to work Wrestlemania), and now he is flirting with joining TNA Wrestling.

Back in 2003, the reports are that Hogan had verbally agreed to go to TNA. He shot footage of Jeff Jarrett hitting him with a guitar in Japan. TNA loves to show you this footage as much as they can. He backed out at the last minute, supposedly because of a knee injury. The word backstage is he got scared away from TNA because he would be blackballed by the WWE if he made such a move.

Now a WWE hall of famer, Hogan has no such worries. If he chooses to sign with TNA he can cash in on a payday without worrying if he’ll ever make it to the hall. The question is does TNA need him and do they even want him? The Sixshooter sees a real nice way to use Hogan in TNA. The Main Event Mafia is pretty much the NWO already, so adding the leader of that group just writes itself.

Nobody wants to see Hogan in the wrestling ring on a regular basis any longer and in joining the Main Event Mafia he would not have to. Mick Foley is in the same type of role currently with TNA; limited wrestling but a lot of face time on television. Hogan would be great for this. Spike TV could slap his face on everything. Let’s even throw him on Jesse James is a Dead Man for an episode.

So as you can tell the Sixshooter would like to have Hogan in TNA. There would have to be some reshuffling of the Main Event Mafia so there would not be too many members, but it is definitely doable. You make stars out of wrestling stars in this business. Samoa Joe and A.J. Styles are great wrestlers. Their star level is not that high though. Being on the same stage as a Hogan could change that or you could see what it did for Billy Kidman back in WCW. Only time will tell.

The Sixshooter loves this guest host idea for Raw. Seeing the Million Dollar Man on television again was an absolute treat. The word is we’ll keep seeing old stars come back to this role. There is even a possibility that the before mentioned Hogan could pop up for a week. I wonder if Ted DiBiase Jr. has it in him to become a star in the WWE. His father has such a charisma on camera, but sometimes that is lacking from Jr.

One face you will not see as a guest host of Raw is Tazz. The human suplex machine is about to debut this weekend at TNA’s Victory Road PPV. Originally it was reported that Tazz would not be a wrestler in TNA, but from recent reports it seems Tazz will in fact be wrestling for the company. If he is in shape he could be a huge deal in TNA.

Injuries have hit the WWE hard recently. With Batista already sidelined for 3-4 months, they could ill afford another injury to a top star. Regretfully they were hit with a blow last week when Edge went down with an apparent Achilles injury. The word backstage has him being out at least 5-6 months if not longer. The WWE is now in some trouble because their mid-card is lacking star power.

Where have you gone Shawn Michaels? There is still now definitive word on the show stopper’s return to the WWE but it is probably coming soon. The WWE likes to keep these returns under wraps, but something tells me this guest host scenario is going to come into play very, very soon. As for his buddy HHH; is there anybody more stagnant than this guy? His character is so stale, HHH really needs an overhaul. Cut the hair; get back to a wisecracking attitude. Times have changed HHH; this tough-good-guy attitude just does not work any longer. And by all means it is time to ditch the sledge hammer.

Well that is all for this month Sixshooter-a-holics. Remember you can catch me here for regular updates. As the former great HHH says, “Jericho...Liberace called and said he wants his pajamas back!”

Real Issues, Real Facts July 13th Edition

2009-07-13T13:51:00.004-04:00

Our Government – Too Big to Succeed

Would the founding fathers of our country deem our Government “to big to stay in power” and thus want to declare another independence?

It sounds like an absurd question to ask, but our government for the last 40 or so years, has been slowly turning us from citizens into subjects. The founders of this country were subjects of a King until they declared their independence. At each turn we the people of the United States seem too content with the current technology and all the shiny objects in our life, that make our lives “easy”, to care that we are becoming dependant on a bloated government for our every need. Much like how subjects (not citizens) are dependant on their King.

For decades now you have been content with working more and taking home less. You are content with allowing your politicians to grow the size of government so that it affects every aspect of your life allowing it to be your biggest expense second only to the house you live in. If a politician says “it’s not fair that poorer families can’t get approved for mortgages” you allow the government to create companies like Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac to hand out loans to those families that regular banks felt were too risky. If they say a company is “to big to fail” you allow them to nationalize it. When the government doesn’t have dime 1 of the recent 800 billion dollar stimulus bill you allow them to print or borrow it pushing the debt to your children.

So, back to the question. Would the founding fathers of this country have such a bad taste in their mouth over the size and scope of the government to want to declare another independence? Let me tell you this, they believed in limited government, personal freedoms, self sufficiency, they weren’t afraid of a hard days work, they didn’t believe that the government should solve all life’s problems. (They truly new what problems were, they were of a time when just having a loaf of bread in the house was a luxury.) They felt that the people knew how to run their lives better than any government could.

I think the founders of our country would realize like I have that our government has forgotten why it was created to begin with, and that the politicians are running the show, slowly turning the clock back to a time when the people may have believed they were “free” but in reality were just subjects, dependant on their government for everything.

When will you wake up and realize that our government is too big and can not keep heading down its current path without turning us into subjects via taxation and regulation?

Its time to speak up!
-Pat Guerra

Contact your Senators

Contact your Representatives

Contact the President

Contact your NJ state Senator or Assemblymen

Hitler is Pissed the King of Pop Died

2009-07-01T22:37:00.001-04:00

Vince Vaughn's Latest: Couples Retreat Trailer

2009-06-30T20:36:00.002-04:00

Zombieland Trailer

2009-06-18T20:55:00.005-04:00

Here is a new one directed by Ruben Fleischer starring Woody Harrelson. Looks pretty funny, and rumors have it Bill Murray and Matthew McGaughey will be doing cameos as zombies.

Danny Devito Goes Wild

2009-06-13T15:10:00.001-04:00

Danny Devito is great, not only is he trying to pick up this reporter...he's openly drinking about 8 AM on television. I'm guessing this is why I love this show so much because I'm betting 90% of it is written/acted with a bunch of alcohol involved!

Inside the Ring w/Johnny Sixshooter June 09 Edition

2009-06-11T09:13:00.006-04:00

Rating the Competition

Summer is here and as the weather gets hot, so does the wrestling competition. The Sixshooter is going to make your viewing a little easier by analyzing each brand’s roster. This is the list of wrestlers to look at for the rest of 2009.

Let us start off with the top dog, the WWE Raw brand. My number 3-ranked wrestler is none other than HHH. He has not been around lately, taking some much needed time off, but HHH is a force on Raw. His return last week sparked ratings and Vince McMahon will take notice. Expect big things from Hunter the rest of this year. Really big things, like the World Heavyweight Title.

The number 2-ranked wrestler is Randy Orton. The Legend Killer has been on top of his game all year long. You get a lot of points for carrying Batista on your shoulders through a feud nobody cares about. Orton is all that is right with the WWE. He is young, energetic, good on the microphone, and can wrestle. The title picture shall stay in his grasp the rest of this year.

Over in the number 1-ranked spot is John Cena. As much as he is hated by true wrestling fans, nobody can argue with the numbers. When Cena is on the show the ratings go up. When Cena’s merchandise is on the shelves, it quickly exits. There is no more marketable guy on the Raw roster than John Cena and the WWE knows this. He has stayed away from the title picture long enough. Look for the McMahons to find a way to get Cena involved with the title and quickly.

The number 3-ranked wrestler on Smackdown is an easy one. Chris Jericho will be a mainstay in the title hunt. Jericho, while the Sixshooter thinks he should go back to his old fun-loving gimmick, has been a big part of the WWE storylines since his return. Over in the number 2-ranked spot is none other then Edge. The Rated R Superstar no longer has to worry about the Vickey Guerrero storyline holding him back any longer so the sky is the limit. The number 1-ranked spot has to go to C.M. Punk. Punk will be a big player the rest of this year because, simply put, he is a fresh face for the viewers to fall in love with. And it does not hurt that he can really go in the ring.

Now let us move along to the ECW brand. The number 3-ranked wrestler in this group is Evan Bourne. The WWE loves his talent, and needs it to start to show itself in great matches. Bourne has all the tools to excite the crowd and look for him to do so in the upcoming months. Bourne is the younger version of Rey Mysterio. He never really deserves to be in the title hunt, but he will carry a feud based on his in-ring ability.

The number 2-ranked wrestler from ECW is Christian. His decision to switch from TNA to WWE was not a wise one. He left a show that is actually higher rated then the one he currently resides on, never a smart move. The odds are that he was sold a bill of goods about becoming a contender on Smackdown or Raw only to have the rug pulled out under him, but the fact is he is on ECW and will be in the title hunt for the rest of the year.

Over in the number 1-ranked spot is Jack Swagger. The kid has a little bit of everything, well almost everything. Swagger has the in-ring ability but he still lacks a presence on the microphone. That is starting to come though, and look for Swagger to be a big part of ECW for the rest of the year. Before we head over to TNA let us give some respect to the women of the WWE. Headlining the Divas is Maryse. The Sixshooter has gotten a lot of entertainment watching this French Canadian do her thing. This blonde-bombshell is going to be a mainstay on top of the Diva division.

TNA has had a strong year so far. The addition of Mick Foley has really helped out along with the emergence of the Main Event Mafia. Coming in at the 3-spot is Samoa Joe. Joe has been up and down so far this year, but with the long awaited debut of his mentor Taz the Sixshooter thinks big things will follow this big man for the rest of this year.

Over at the number 2-ranked spot is Matt Morgan. This is a controversial pick but remember, this is on what they will do the rest of the year. And the Sixshooter thinks that Morgan will become an Impact player with TNA. He has all the physical skills and seems to be finally getting a push with the higher level talent. Look for Morgan to keep moving towards the top.

The number 1-ranked wrestler is A.J. Styles. The Phenomenal One has not received the push this year that would have been expected. Look for him to get that push going forward. Styles is TNA, as much as Sting was WCW. And like Sting he sometimes gets overlooked but it is his time to shine. There will be a World Title in his future and the future is now.

There has been some comings and goings in the world of wrestling recently. Batista is supposedly out 3-4 months with a torn pectorial muscle. Vickey Guerrero reportedly gave her notice to the WWE and was promptly met with a humiliating pig storyline. Sometimes the WWE is classy all the way to the end. Mr. Kennedy was given his walking papers along with Umaga. Look for both to turn up in TNA at the end of the summer when their no-compete clauses run out.

Rob Van Dam said in a recent interview that he is in contact with TNA weekly. It would be nice to get a hold of him, but the Sixshooter doubts Mr. PPV will make the move. That is all for this month Sixshooter-a-holics. Make sure to check us out daily. Remember, we update daily and break wrestling news first. As the great Sid Vicious once said, “You are half the man that I am and I have half the brain that you do.”

Mickey Rourke as Whiplash

2009-06-10T23:20:00.002-04:00

Let the rumors end, Mickey Rourke is indeed Whiplash in Iron Man 2. Rourke, shown in this leaked set pic, will play the Russian who develops his own version of an Iron Man suit...but with, you guessed it, whips.

Bret Michaels Tony Awards Accident

2009-06-08T06:49:00.001-04:00

Who would have thought that you would need safety gear to perform at the Tony Awards? Well, Bret Michaels should have. Watch the end of this video when he tries to get off stage before the stage attacks him. Yeah, it did not go to well. Ouch indeed!

Grape Lady Falls Hard

2009-06-05T16:31:00.002-04:00

This is worth the watch just to see the look of concern on the hosts faces!

This Day in Sports

2009-06-05T15:44:00.001-04:00

1927 - Johnny Weissmuller set two world records in swimming events. Weissmuller set marks in the 100-yard, and 200-yard, free-style swimming competition.

1963 - The NHL held its first amateur draft. Twenty-one players were selected. Montreal chose first and selected Garry Monahan.

1967 - The National Hockey League (NHL) awarded six new franchises. The Minnesota North Stars (later the Dallas Stars), Oakland Seals, Los Angeles Kings Pittsburg Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers and the St. Louis Blues received their NHL franchises.

1973 - The first hole-in-one in the British Amateur golf championship was made by Jim Crowford.

1989 - The Toronto Blue Jays lost their debut game in the Skydome against the Milwaukee Brewers.

1991 - Brett Hull (St. Louis Blues) won the Hart Trophy. The feat created the first father-and-son team to win the Hart Trophy.

Poll: Who is the best Closer?

2009-06-02T09:11:00.005-04:00

Mr. Fired

2009-05-31T21:28:00.004-04:00

Mr. Kennedy is with the WWE no longer. The oft-injured superstar was released after a backstage altercation on Monday night. Interesting enough, Kennedy was about to get a big push as a top face on Raw. TNA is already foaming at the mouth to get at Kennedy...who will most likely debut within the next 3-months with the company. For those of you who didn't know, Kennedy has worked for TNA in the past. TNA needs to take a chance on this guy, he has charisma...something TNA lacks.

Kurt Angle to Dance With the Stars?

2009-05-20T09:07:00.003-04:00

Rumors are swirling that TNA Wrestler Kurt Angle may be among next season's cast of Dancing with the Stars. This would be great exposure for TNA Wrestling. There is no truth to the rumor that he'll be on the show with this striking young man:

Inside the Ring w/Johnny Sixshooter May Edition

2009-05-18T14:42:00.007-04:00

WWE in Ratings Scare

Has the beginning of the end started for the WWE? In a time where usually ratings have stayed quite strong the WWE has seen a recession in their television ratings. Last week’s Monday Night Raw, bare in mind that is going into a PPV, pulled a 3.3. That is the same as the week before and far off from last year’s 3.6. In fact, ECW on Tuesday night actually pulled its lowest ever rating with a 0.9. So if you want to update your wrestling scorecards it goes WWE Raw, WWE Smackdown, TNA Impact, WWE presents ECW.

There is an oversaturation of the WWE product right now. Somewhere up in Titan Towers, the WWE brain trust thought up the idea of starting their own competition. The plan was to make Smackdown and ECW their own brands and have them compete with Raw. This was a very good idea. If you have no competition, create your own. The problem is how it was implemented. If you go by the numbers WCW was the 2nd favorite promotion not ECW. Extreme Championship Wrestling was nothing more then a glorified independent show. It was very entertaining, but nothing more. They never pulled good television ratings.

So why did ECW make the cut, and World Championship Wrestling did not? The problem is the McMahon family has never embraced what they own; WCW. It was always about putting WCW out of business. Then when they accomplished that, all the WWE thought to do was gloat about it. The main issue with that strategy is how it clouded their business judgment. At its worst WCW was drawing a 2.0 television rating. At its best it was getting an 8.0. Those fans were still around, and the WWE knew it. But they did not want to swallow their pride and start up a WCW show. Instead they did the watered down ECW that has tanked.

How does the WWE fix their mistakes, how do they get viewers back? Vince McMahon believes that moving to a PG format will help do so. Sorry Vince, but that is never going to work. This is not a PG society, and the people that watch wrestling want to see violence and off the wall storylines. Right now the WWE provides the violence, but the storylines are so simplistic they make your head hurt. The reason the WWE had a boom in the late 90’s and early 2000’s was because they embraced something new and inventive. They embraced everything WCW was doing and tweaked it. They embraced what ECW was producing and tweaked it. Now that there is nobody to copy, they cannot tweak.

So the Sixshooter is going to fix it for you free of charge Mr. McMahon. Hire Eric Bischoff, former head of WCW, and Paul Heyman, former head of ECW, and give them total creative control. Let them rebuild your wrestling empire with inventive storylines that will get people talking. The best part of wrestling in the 90’s and the early 2000’s was “the water cooler” factor. Everyone who works in an office knows what that means. For those of you who do not, “the water cooler” factor is the talk you hear in the office about what you saw on television last night. You could not talk about television without mentioning wrestling during those great years…because every night something crazy happened that had to be talked about. It is time to get people talking again.

TNA is reportedly close to coming to terms on a long-term deal with former ECW champion Bobby Lashley. He appeared on the show at last month’s PPV, but was only on a reported 3-day deal. Lashley will continue to pursue his mixed martial arts career while he wrestles for TNA. Amazing Red, who was a mainstay in the X-division during TNA’s early years, has reportedly agreed to a new 1-year deal with the company. He was seen on Impact a couple of weeks ago and will be featured in a PPV pre-show matchup next week. The WWE has started toying with the idea of bringing back Kurt Angle when his TNA contract runs out in September. There will be some interest from Angle, but the odds are he will resign with TNA. Backstage sources say Angle likes the short work schedule and the creative control TNA gives him.

Will Jeff Hardy be staying with the WWE when his contract expires in the next couple of months? The WWE would like to know the answer to that question as well as his many fans. Right now it looks like Hardy will be stepping away from the WWE to take a breather. Reportedly TNA does not have any interest. Hardy did work for TNA briefly before going back to the WWE, but that did not end well (Hardy missed his last PPV). That is all for this month folks. As the great Macho Man would say, “Ooooooooooooooooh Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Why's The Treadmill On?

2009-05-15T15:28:00.001-04:00

I don't care why, because I cannot get enough of watching this guy bounce off the wall!

Throw It Down Big Man

2009-05-14T08:41:00.004-04:00

In honor of the NBA playoffs, here are my favorite Bill Walton quotes. Sadly, he has not been able to call the playoffs this season due to a bad back:

"The Atlanta Hawks need all 13 lottery picks"

"If Anthony Johnson (Pacers backup G) ever gets a jumper whos gonna stop him"?

(After Tony Parker has a pass deflected out of bounds by the defender): "Tony Parker just made the worst pass… in the history of Western Civilization!"

(Exchange between Bill Walton and Tom Hammond): “John Stockton is one of the true marvels, not just of basketball, or in America, but in the history of Western Civilization!” Tom: “Wow, that’s a pretty strong statement. I guess I don’t have a good handle on world history.” Bill: “Well Tom, that’s because you didn’t go to UCLA.”

"Steve Nash is the most unathletic player in the league."

(Dejected After the Blazers failed to convert a 3 on 1 fast break): "That was the worst execution of the fast break in the history of the Trail Blazer franchise"

"You look at Vladimir Radmanovic, this guy is cut from stone. As if Michelangelo was reading and a lightening bolt flashed before him."

"Tracy McGrady is doing things we’ve never seen from anybody – from any planet!"

(When Larry Johnson was a member of the Knicks): "What a pathetic play from a pathetic human being"

Walton: "That’s a terrible defensive effort by Robert Horry. He didn’t even make it difficult for Rasheed Wallace to score.”
Snapper: “Well, what do you expect? Earlier you said that Wallace could be one of the best players in the game, and now you want Robert Horry to guard him one-on-one?”

“Oh my, Kobe is really putting on a show out there. He’s making Ray Allen look like a sixth grader!”

"Mick Jagger is in better shape than far too many NBA players. It's up in the air whether the same can be said of Keith Richards."

(And here is my personal favorite):"Greg Ostertag is one of the top centers on this planet!"

Streaker Runs Faster Then Reyes

2009-05-13T18:28:00.002-04:00

The Mets should sign this guy, look how he slides...it's all about fundamentals kiddies!

Worst First Pitch Ever

2009-05-11T17:45:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Gary Dell'Abate aka Baba Booey for that one!

Review X-Men Origins: Wolverine

2009-05-07T09:26:00.004-04:00

There are really good superhero movies and there are the X-Men superhero movies. The distinction is pretty clear. X-Men superhero movies give you the feeling of, “there’s something there…but”. There is always the thought that they could have done more with the story. X-Men Origins: Wolverine, sadly, is no different. As much as you want this to be a good movie, it misses the mark.

Let us start with our main character Wolverine. Hugh Jackman does a fantastic job from start to finish with this grizzly comic icon. As a viewer, you are almost saddened that the script was not beefed up enough to match his abilities. The special effects while mostly good are a little lacking when it comes to Wolverine’s pre-adamantium claws. The hardest part of doing an X-Men film is that every character has a vast interesting background. The problem X-Men Origins has, is that it tries to ignore too much of those vast backgrounds.

For anyone who sees this movie there will be two characters that leave you with a bad taste in your mouth and they are Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Gambit (Taylor Kitsch). The bad taste is not because they did a dreadful acting job, in fact they were quite good. The bad taste is how mismanaged they are in the script. Ryan Reynolds gives you a glimpse of a funny/exciting character. The problem is, he was given mere minutes of screen time. The same can be said for Taylor Kitsch. Gambit is a memorable character, and this movie needed more of him.

In the end, the holes in X-Men Origins’ script are too gaping. The “Weapon X” portion of the film is way too short and should have been explored more. And not to spoil the ending of the movie, but there are X-Men alongside Wolverine. Yet in the original X-Men movie that this one is precluding…they do not know him. Well how do they not know him if they met him already? Yes it is a quick meeting, and yes they are younger, but something tells me they would remember a guy with iron claws coming out of his hands.

There is already talk of a sequel for Wolverine and hopefully the director and screen writers take some notes from this critic. The storylines are already there to be used, just pick up a comic or read it on Wikipedia. Write off of that, do not write the movie and throw in some storyline stuff just to make people happy. It is already written for you, just condense it and modernize it so you can fit it into a movie. But sadly I have a hard time believing any movie that starts with X-Men will truly hit the mark.

-Matt Guerra

Macho Man DVD

2009-05-05T09:01:00.001-04:00

It is about damn time!

Who is the best Closer on the planet today?
	Francisco Rodrguez
	Jonathan Papelbon
	Brad Lidge
	Mariano Rivera
	Jonathan Broxton