Saturday, October 22, 2011

Agent -- Center Olin Kreutz walks away from New Orleans Saints - ESPN

Agent -- Center Olin Kreutz walks away from New Orleans Saints - ESPN:

'via Blog this'

Summary: After spending his first 13 years with the Chicago Bears lineman Olin Kreutz was dealing with negotiating a new contract last year and had even offered to take a reduced salary so he could remain with the same team and retire a Bear but when things became public it got messy and he eventually signed a 1 year deal with the Saints. He is 34 years old and has been playing football for around 20 years so when he's been hurt on and off throughout this year it's been frustrating. Kreutz has a sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee and it seems between the frustration of that and the stress of his split from Chicago has caused that passion that kept him going for the game to disappear. He and his agent had a meeting with the coach and owner because he felt it's just not in his heart right now and he does not want to collect a check if he can't give it 100% everyday.

My take: Finally. Thank you Olin Kreutz. After listening to all the bitching and moaning for months about the football players contracts and now dealing with the basketball players it's refreshing to hear a guy say I'm not going to game the system. He didn't need to say anything, he's a 6 time pro-bowler and he's still playing at a high level even with that sprain. Kreutz just basically refunded the Saints over half his salary because he didn't feel it was right and I applaud him for that. Think about how many times we've seen players walk away from our favorite team over the refussal to give that extra 2 million per year that another suiter had to offer, or they wouldn't add anymore guaranteed money and all of a sudden poof, he's gone. Player's change teams every other year it seems like lately. There is no loyalty anymore, other then Peyton Manning and Tom Brady players just don't stay with one team past their initial contract anymore and if they do it's for 100 million(ie:Brady, Manning, Peterson, Johnson)

Let's show our kids this guy, Olin Kreutz deserves some fans, I can tell you this....he got at least one more when I read this story.

+Joshua Hastings
@joshuadavid1121
www.MassAuthentics.Ecrater.com
http://massauthentics.tumblr.com/

Friday, October 21, 2011

How Many of Me

How Many of Me:

'via Blog this'

Neat little site that when you fill in your first and last name and verify that your over the age of 13 they tell you how many ppl in the entire united states have your first name, what your first name ranks statistically in popularity, and then does the same with the last name and gives some examples of famous ppl with the last name, and then finally let's you know how many ppl with the same exact first and last name as you in the united states.Here's how mine went.


Joshua Hastings
  • There are 680,897 people in the U.S. with the first name Joshua.
  • Statistically the 72nd most popular first name.
  • 99.77 percent of people with the first name Joshua are male.
  • Names similar to Joshua:

Joshua Hastings
  • There are 69 people in the U.S. named Joshua Hastings.

Let's change history....if the Red Sox hadn't completed the biggest regular season collapse in the history of the game






http://espn.go.com/espn/page2/story/_/id/7123270/off-base-wonders-happened-red-sox-won-one-more-game






In a town that's sports crazed like Boston anything short of a championship is a dissapointment but with the love-able loser tag still freshly in the back of our minds we find excuses  and defend our hometown teams till the day we die. There is never a simple statement such as the Patriots were overmatched by the defensive front of the Giants and Bellicheck underestimated their ability to dominate the game to the point that we would lose. That's the problem. It's never that the Giants won, it's that the Pats lost. Since the magical run of the Red Sox to come back from down 3-0 to the Yankees in the ALDS we've been spoiled by greatness. Deep pocket's have given the owners the ability to hide mistakes that would set other teams back for a decade. Just think of what we have put into shortstops alone in the last 10 years. Since the infamous Noma' trade it has been a revolving door with one heralded veteran after another, each one brought in to solidify the position and each one shown the door as quickly as the last. Millions of dollars and errors later and we find ourselves still waiting for the next shortstop of the future. Slick fielding top propect in the wings could be ready by next season but that's the least of our problems....don't let Lackey be the one mentoring him, Jose Iglesias isn't old enough to buy beer yet, but with Lackey, Beckett and Lester around I think there's plenty extra in the clubhouse.





+Joshua Hastings
@joshuadavid1121
 www.MassAuthentics.Ecrater.com
 http://massauthentics.tumblr.com/

Card Counting Christians Beat Casinos Out of Millions

Card Counting Christians Beat Casinos Out of Millions

+Joshua Hastings
@joshuadavid1121
www.MassAuthentics.Ecrater.com
http://massauthentics.tumblr.com/

It's not illegal, is it cheating? I'd say no, everyone tries to use whatever information they have available when they are gambling, even if you know the exact cards there is no sure fire way to win no matter what. You can give yourself a much greater chance to succeed obviously but why is that any different then a poker player who can read his opponents better then everyone else at the table because he was a psycology major in school? Use whatever abilities and information you have available to make the best decision possible and go from them. It's called gambling for a reason. 

Charity....A few things to consider-What non-profit should we donate a percentage of sales to this month???

I'd like to announce that the winning charity that will be getting this month's donation will be




Whoever comes up with the charity that I choose for our donation this month will win a Michael Jordan Upper Deck insert card as just a little thank you from MassAuthentics for helping us find the perfect place where our money is needed the most. Please post your ideas in the comments section of this post in the blog and I will announce the winner as soon as I decide. Thanks for all your helps guys and girls!


Each month i've decided to donate 10% of sales to a charity or non-profit and I'm looking for suggestions from my readers, circles on google, and their friends and family. Please leave your suggestions in the comments section of the blog and let me know where you think we should donate for the month of October and why you think that organization is in need of our help. I'll read all of the ideas and do a little backround to make sure a high percentage of donations go towards the actual fund and not in the president's pocket from his salary and then give the final decision right here in my blog and on Google Plus as well and let everyone know where and why I decided to donate to that charity/non-profit. If anyone wishes to make a matching contribution or an additional one just let me know and I'll point you in the right direction.


Ok, there are a few important things to consider when you decide that you want to donate to charity. It's not as simple as, well i've got $100 extra this month so let's go down to the homeless shelter and hand the first person you see the cash. You want to make sure that your money is not only going towards a good cause in name but that the money will be used in a way that you can be proud of. Don't do this blindly, a little research goes a long way and your going to feel a lot better about it if you spend the time so check around.

As sad as it is to say, not all "charities" are what they imply they are, some are not even authentic/real, they just create a website and spread the word as quickly as possible, catch a few unsuspecting good Samaritans that didn't do their homework and then poof their gone, no website, no workers, no charity....and your money is gone with them. Not a penny spent on what you had intended.

Michael Jordan Upper Deck Limited Edition rare insert

There are other examples of fraud also, maybe your looking for a charity that helps homeless veterans find housing. You see that the Veterans Assistance Fund is operating locally right in the next town over, now you've never heard of them but you look at their website and it looks nice, several nice looking "employee's" are listed and there are photo's even. An office is even listed but it says the headquarters is located in Florida so you call the number listed for the manager of your local branch. After talking with the nice women you decide to go ahead and give the $500 you had saved up because you had a brother that just passed away and at one point in his life he was a homeless veteran so it's a little tribute to him in your mind. Plus, the women explains how the money is used, some goes directly to the local shelter even. Well, technically the women didn't lie but what you didn't realize is that although this is a legit "charity"  and they do donate a portion of the money to the local shelter, that manager gets 50% of all donations she takes in and then the "president" get's 40% for his salary and other "expenses". In the end, out of your hard earned $500 only $50 actually goes towards what you had intended.

This is why it's important to check how donations are used. It's not uncommon for the people that run these multi-million dollar charities to take a salary. That's not even something I have an issue with, these people have important jobs and they are typically dedicating much more then a normal work week to raising money for the organization. Many of the heads of these large charities have spent their entire lives speaking up for the cause and that's just as important as the actual money, awareness is huge. Don't immediately cross off an organization because you see that salaries for organization leaders, take into account the size of the charity and what responciblities their job may entail, but as always, if you don't feel 100% comfortable about somewhere keep looking. THERE ARE LITERALLY THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS of charities out there that could use your help, if your going to put your hard earned money in the hands of a charity, make sure it's used for exactly what you expect. 

REMEMBER LADIES AND GENTLEMEN A LITTLE RESEARCH GOES A LONG WAY!

+Joshua Hastings
@joshuadavid1121
www.MassAuthentics.Ecrater.com
 http://massauthentics.tumblr.com/


Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Rosco Allen highlights The League - ESPN


Update- UNC got a commitment from Brice Johnson, the 25th ranked recruit in the 2012 recruiting class to enter college. That will now be 4 recruits out of the top 65 players in the ESPNU 100. The class is ranked #2 so far behind only Arizona and the Tar Heels may still have spots open depending on who decides to enter the NBA next season. This could be reminisent of the year UNC won the title after dominating the regular season with a host of returning big time recruits and mixing in a few fab freshmen like Marvin Williams who ended up a lottery pick and he didn't even start for UNC.

If North Carolina can secure a committment for Rosco Allen after his visit the end of this month that will be the 4th recruit in the top 65 players this upcoming 2012 class. They already have a pg, c and sf coming in but wings are what UNC is short on if anything so there's always room for another blue chipper on Roy's roster. While the recruiting services say that it's a 2 horse race between UNC and Stanford there is a gap about the size of the grand canyon between the two in terms of basketball prowess. While he may get increased playing time and be guaranteed a starting spot if he plays for "the cardinal", he's going to get much much more national exposure playing for the Tar Heels obviously, especially since the ACC has now turned into the best conference in the country with the addition of Pitt and Syracuse and UConn possibly looking to come also. Roy Williams turns college prospects into NBA lottery picks at a higher rate then any other coach in the country, yes even the John Calipari at Kentucky. While coach cal may end up with the number 1 pick 3 of the last 4 years UNC puts more players in the first round then anyone. PERIOD. And this year with the likely stars that will be leaving in Henson, Zeller, Barnes, and even possibly Kendell there plenty of room on the roster. COME ON DOWN TO CHAPEL HILL MR ALLEN, WE'D LOVE TO SEE YOU IN THAT CAROLINA BLUE.



Rosco Allen highlights The League


FranciscoBy Joel Francisco
ESPN Recruiting
Archive
CORONA, Calif. -- The League by Compton Magic was chock full of talented teams from all over Southern California as well as a couple of out-of-state contenders in Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) and Basha (Chandler, Ariz.). The Class of 2015 was represented well by 6-foot-10 Stephen Zimmerman (Las Vegas/Bishop Gorman) and possibly the most polished scoring guard in 6-5 Tyler Dorsey (Los Angeles/Ribet Academy). Overall, though, it would be the continued improvement of 6-9 senior Rosco Allen (Las Vegas/Bishop Gorman) that caught our eye throughout the day.

Standout players

Rosco Allen
2012, WF/PF, 6-9, 200 pounds
Allen is one of the more unique prospects in the country. The multi-skilled 4/3 is difficult to contain on the offensive end due to his shooting ability and desire to get to the rim. His basketball IQ is high, as demonstrated by a few of the nifty dimes he handed out during the event. He is still undecided as to where he'll play his college basketball (he'll decide after his North Carolina visit Oct. 29) but it appears it will be a two-horse race between the Tar Heels and Stanford, with Oregon and UNLV still hanging on.
Tyler Dorsey
2015, SG, 6-5, 180 pounds
If there is a more skilled 2-guard in the Class of 2015 than Dorsey, we haven't seen him. He pushes the ball at a relentless pace (slick handle) while weaving through traffic and he delivered some high-level assists, as well. He can knock down midrange pull-ups or finish through contact with a solid amount of dexterity. He still has a tendency to over-handle the ball and take too many contested shots, but that should improve with experience.
Grant Jerrett (La Verne, Calif./Lutheran)
2012, 6-9, 210 pounds
College: Arizona
After a pedestrian performance (was double-teamed and didn't get many clean touches) against Windward, Jerrett came out with a vengeance against Long Beach Poly. He drained jump shots, rebounded in traffic, swatted shots and had a couple of monster jams as his team dominated the Jackrabbits from the beginning. One of the more underrated aspects of his game is his passing ability. Jerrett is the most skilled big in the country and is only going to get better with added strength and experience.

Surprise player

Jaron Hopkins (Chandler, Ariz./Basha)
2013, SG/WF, 6-4, 180 pounds
Hopkins is a high-level athlete with an ideal basketball frame for the Division I level. He plays hard and has a knack of getting into the lane due to his burst and slashing style. However, we are still questioning his position at the next level. He needs to swish jump shots at a much more consistent rate and he has a tendency to use too many dribbles to break down defenders. With improved skill development and efficiency, he has all the physical intangibles to be a sought-after recruit.

Two to watch

[+] EnlargeTBD
Courtesy of Joel FranciscoMcKay Anderson can knock down long-range jump shots off the catch or in transition, and he has the ability to finish above the rim in transition.
McKay Anderson
(La Verne, Calif./Lutheran)
2013, WF, 6-5, 180 pounds
Anderson is a terrific all-around basketball player who is improving with each evaluation period. The lanky lefty moves well without the ball, knocks down shots, and is deceptively bouncy. He plays with a blue-collar mentality and will crash the boards despite his slight frame. Anderson is a late-blooming prospect who will catch the eye of college coaches this upcoming season.
Isaiah Bailey (Compton, Calif.)
2014, 6-5, 180 pounds
There may not be a prospect out West with a better looking frame than Bailey. He is that prototypical wing-type with broad shoulders and very long arms. His basketball skill and overall savviness are just beginning to blossom, but he does affect the game with his energy and athleticism. He is tough to stop in the open court due to his bouncy nature and slashing ability. Once his ball skills and fundamentals improve, he has high-major potential.
'via Blog this'

+Joshua Hastings
@joshuadavid1121
www.MassAuthentics.Ecrater.com
http://massauthentics.tumblr.com/


Deion Sanders or Derrelle Revis? Who ya got?

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:7119072

'via Blog this'

At this point I think it's pretty clearly Deion because of how many different ways he could change a game. When you factor in the returns, he could touch the ball twice in 60 minutes and be the MVP, it was crazy. Sanders was more then just a football player though, he was an entertainer, a game all in himself. In an era when the Cowboys were America's Team with the trio of Emmit Smith, Michael Irvin and Troy Aikman he was the equivalent of all three in one on the defensive side of the ball. Teams rarely threw to his side of the field, let alone his man. While Sanders was slight in his build and not a very good tackler he more then made up for it in his speed and quickness which allowed him to cheat on route's and bait the quarterback into making a throw to a receiver that looked open only to make the recovery and interception. 


Revis is much more of an all-around defender, better tackler, more solid build. Revis isn't nearly as flashy and does not make a spectacle of his dominance. Revis is bold and def makes his opinion of his greatness known but your more likely to hear from coach Rex Ryan then from the man himself. I think Revis can go down as one of the best of all-time, but he's not Neon Deion. 

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Palmer to Raiders.....it looks like

+Joshua Hastings
 @joshuadavid1121
www.MassAuthentics.Ecrater.com
http://massauthentics.tumblr.com/

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7118158/oakland-raiders-verge-getting-carson-palmer-cincinnati-bengals-sources-say

So, one of the all-time worst, stingiest, cheapest, ignorant, clueless, stands his ground and refuses to trade Palmer unless he gets blown away by an offer and Palmer lets him off the hook and stays at home(like he said he would) because he stated he would never put on a Bengals jersey again, so Brown does not have to pay Palmer his salary for this season. Then, the Raiders are playing inspired football to start the year and even better since owner Al Davis passes away and they lose their starting quarterback to injury....this is after an offseason in which they lost their top pick Robert Gallery and best defensive player Nnamdi Asomugha both to free agency. Somehow with all of this happening around the team they are playing their best football in years, maybe even in a decade.

Well, they made that idiot owner of the Cinncinnatti Bengals that offer that "blew him away" with a first round pick and a conditional second round pick that turns into another first round pick if the raiders win a game in the playoffs this year.....Well, I don't really like the owner if you can't tell but it looks like the Bengals are going in the right direction, they have some good young talent in Dalton at quarterback and the kid from Georgia at receiver so with these high picks hopefully they can keep building...

what do you guys think? Did Raiders give up too much? Bengals made the right move?


Sunday, October 16, 2011

Marcus Lattimore of South Carolina Gamecocks out for season with knee injury - ESPN

Marcus Lattimore of South Carolina Gamecocks out for season with knee injury - ESPN:

'via Blog this'

News out of South Carolina isn't good....Star Running Back and heisman hopeful Marcus Lattimore is out for the rest of the season with a torn ligament in his left knee and also has some cartilage damage. Surgery will be delayed for a few weeks to allow the knee to stabilize and then it will be rehab for the man previously leading the entire SEC in rushing.

Loosing Lattimore is compounded because just last week coach Steve Spurrier dismissed oft troubled quarterback Steven Garcia which is the 5th time he's had public discipline issues in his time at SC, one again this one is supposedly for alcohol if what his father says is true. Abstaining from drinking was one of the conditions of Garcia's reinstatement to the team after he was kicked off previously.....


what is going to happen next to South Carolina? I heard bad things happen in 3s!