superdad

Superdad wanted to send his condolences to the family of one Norm Van Leir.  It was shocking see the ex-Bull and current analyst suddenely leave us so abruptly.  There was only one Norm in Chicago and I just wanted to say thanks to him as I sort of grew up watching him in Chicago.

I grew up around Chicago and the Bulls started winning championships when I was just growing as a fan of the Bulls.  Yes Michael Jordan was the greatest and still is the greatest that ever put basketball shoes on.

Besides that, Norm Van Lier was always there to chime in whether the Bulls won by twenty or if you watched within the last few years they lost by twenty.  He was always there and now he is not and I was glad that I was a part of the long ride with “Norm.”  A true class act and contant professional that will go down an as icon in Chicago Sports history.

A big two thumbs up yesterday to Chicago’s Comcast Sportnight for giving a long tribute to a man that gave so much to his favorite team on and off the court.  No one challenged the Bulls as much as Norm did and he we are truely sad in Chicago for losing such a great guy.

Any futbol fans out there?  I’m a fan on of the Champions League, and right now is a good time to get in onto the action.  Right now the tournament is in the round of 16 where each team gets a shot on each other’s home field. They call these legs and right now the first leg are finishing up today.

Here are the final score from the first leg as of right now.

Liverpool beat Real Madrid 1 to 0 in the last minutes of a draw.

Chelsea beat Juventus 1 to 0

Bayern Munchen beat Sporting Clube 5 to , that’s five road goals too so SC is all but done.

Yesterdays games

Barcelona and Lyon tie 1 to 1

Arsenal beat Roma 1 to 0

Inter Milan and Manchester United tie at nil.  This match may determine who goes to the Final.  The best team in Italy against the best of England.

FC Porto tie Atletico Madrid 2 to 2.

All the legs are all but over as leg 2 will begin March 10th as the UEFA Cup is in action as well.

Manchester United is the defending champion looking to defend its title.

As leg one finishes some teams are still alive while others need a miracle to advance to the next round.

Here is some stuff for you watch who is better Messi or Ronaldo?  Just copy the link

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2390760/lionel_messi_or_cristiano_ronaldo_who_is_best/

Whether you liked the moves or not the Chicago Bulls moved some pieces of the puzzle.  I am not jumping up for joy for any of the trades, although we might be making these moves for the future rather than now.  It was hard to see Andres Nocioni go, who has become a favorite among the fans for his overall toughness and Sefolosha will be missed at the defensive end.  Larry Hughes got what he wanted a trade but, to the New York Knicks, which is in rebuilding right now. The Knicks have already a few ex Bulls players so that was no surprise.

I honestly thought the Bulls were going to move some of their higher priced talent but I think the latest news on Amare Stoudamire with his newest injury might of killed any deal bringing him to Chicago.  Brad Miller is an ex Bull from the 05 season who has improved providing he has been around and has played a lot of minutes compared to when he was with the Bulls.   I still like him over Drew Gooden who was dealt whom seems to like taking long jump shots and really does not solve the issue the Bulls have inside the paint. An added piece as well was the unknown forward/guard John Salmons who has been a quiet surprise for the Sacramento Kings averaging over 18 a game this year.  He might be the steal of the deal if he continues playing with the same aggressiveness that helped make him a starter for the Kings this year.  The rest of the new cast is mostly players who have yet to prove themselves on the NBA level.

All together not exactly blockbuster deals but I think getting the extra pick from Oklahoma City will pay off in the end and should give the Bulls  flexibility for top ten talent from the draft in 2010.  Plus with getting rid of some high priced contracts for example Larry Hughes the Bulls will be able to make a good case for some of the high price free agents in the off season.  Go to Bull.com for more details on all of the new faces.  Thank you Picsearch for the cool logo.

Anyone out there a Facebook user?  Well I am and I understand there is a new privacy policy now, where Facebook may have more control over more of what you post onto your profile.  They already ask for permission from you, but they may have more access to that info for as long as Facebook is around whether or not you are a part of the social network.  The final decision is still a debate but many people are pulling a lot of stuff off of their page in case Facebook chooses to allow info to be seen by a anonymous third party without you knowing.

All I have to say it post at your own risk.  I mean I use pretty good judgement on what not to put on my page.  Sure we get goofy some times and say things or post videos that might not be suitable for all ages but that is why there is an 18 and over policy to even sign up for the site.  In addition there are settings for your profile that you can make you appear more private. You just have to use some more common sense that is all.  People tend to blow things out of proportion and this in another example.

However the main thing is try to stay professional and think before you post something that you may regret posting later.  Maybe take a few extra things off of your info page if you are really scared that others may use this against you. I use my Facebook more as a way to show my personality and my professional skills and less about posting a thousand pics of my kids.  I will be more conscious of the new rule but not scared out of my pants.  I mean I do post birthday pics or special occasions but for the most part I only post a few pics at a time.  Some people do way more than that, if you ever noticed.

In regards to posting pictures or videos of others that are not knowing of you having those pics.  That is an issue you should take on with a case by case basis. I just would not post something that can lead to someone else getting in trouble. Do you really want to be that guy similar to the Michael Phelps situation who took that pic?  I thought that was a cheap shot out of jealousy and un necessary judgement.  Just think of of it this way would you like it as well if someone posted something on you that made you feel uncomfortable. Probably not so remember to be kind to those that are not aware of what you may have in the photo vault.

Please respond if you have any other comments and check out this link for more info from the founders themselves for more detailed info. There is even a group being developed as we speak for creating a Bill of Rights for Facebook users.

http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?blog_id=company&m=2&y=2009

At least Alex Rdoriguez has some people to learn from as Alex Rodriguez has interviewed with Peter Gammons telling him that he did indeed take performance enhancing drugs or steroids, does it really matter.  This was a smart move as we have seen that the general public has sort of forgiven players like Jason Giambi and Andy Pettite.  This is a bigger player than both of those combined but at least he is confessing unlike some others that still do not want to tell the truth.

Ex players with just as big egos like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmero, Mark McGwire and even Sammy Sosa are still trying to get the love back as all of these players are not confessing.  I give A Rod credit, although would you expect anything less from him, as he needs to be loved as he is a kind of player that relishes the spotlight.

The full interview of Alex Rodriguez confessing about his steroid use to Peter Gammons can be seen tonight at 5/ 6 central on Sports Center.  They are already talking on ESPN about this, as it is the biggest story of the day and the biggest since the beginning of 2009.  Who better than Peter Gammons “Mr Baseball” to interview the biggest baseball star ever to confess to using steroids during the 2001-2003 time period.

In summary I will say thank you Alex for now, but you still broke the rules regardless if it was the culture of the game at the time.  At least the damages maybe less severe as you have now cleared your name publicly.  However I wonder if he learned a lot from seeing an ex teammate, Roger Clemens go up in flames by fighting the reports and fighting the tests.   A Rod might be saved by the fact that he at least confessed when evidence he knows is out there saying the same.

First it was Barry Bonds, then it was Roger Clemens and now the next shocker Alex Rodriguez has joined the club of allegedly using steroids.  What should we think now the next time a big time baseball player signs a huge lucrative contract.  How did he get that good?  It is a real shame that baseball one of the greatest sports in the land is now under constant watch for the next big name to come out as being a steroid user.  The people I feel the worse for are all of those kids that look up to these players like role models and even like heroes at times in their lives.

Of course the baseball season will obviously continue as last year, despite the release of the “Mitchel Report”, was still a very lucrative and profitable year for MLB.   It even earned Bud Selig a nice lofty salary of 20 plus million a year as the current Commissioner.  That is another issue all together right?

These owners and commissioner are not even releasing any kind of remorse for the actions of its own players.  Yes they are the owners and did not take these illegal steroids however they allowed this to happen to their sport.  Sure they feel sorry for not steeping up to the plate when allegations first came out on star players but did they really.  No matter what, the owners will still be making money no matter who gets caught next for steroid use.

It’s another example of how many times a sports star may yes earn that 120 plus million dollar contract but in actuality it’s kind of the same as leasing a luxury car.  You lease for a few years because you know your going to get the attention like a team like the Yankees love to be.  The New York Yankees are always known for getting anyone for the simple reason to win as many championships as possible at no matter what cost.  You got to think now they better start looking at their players with a closer eye the next time young prospects with a huge upside cross their path.  Not just the Yankees but everyone across MLB.

Now I am not saying Alex Rodriguez is a terrible person for his actions.  The stuff was legal at the time he allegedly failed his anonymous test and that is not directly his fault.  MLB should be accountable as well allowing this steroid cloud to develop.  Sure Rodriguez should know what goes in and out of his body but when you are trying to get signed for a 100 plus million multi-year contract what would you do.  Money can get the best of us at anytime in our lives and this might be another example.

In summary, what next? The game of baseball will be okay as it always finds a way to attract fans however I will think twice investing in uniforms for individual players.  I love baseball for the team chemistry, the thrill of victory and the heartache of defeat but selfish ways of giving yourself an edge is not.  Beware of athletes until you know the truth.  Sometimes the truth hurts but in reality we learn from our mistakes and move on and make better wiser decisions.  Alex Rogriguez will move on as well he has 200 million to wipe those tears.

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers winning their sixth Super Bowl Win.  The win was not an easy one as the Arizona Cardinals gave the Steelers everything they had in another excellent Super Bowl performance.

“Big Ben” is the man again winning his second championship and would have been MVP but Santonio Holmes made the catch of the night giving the Steelers a last minute touchdown.  This happening after only a few minutes after Larry Fitzgerald went Jerry Rice style going for a long touchdown run.  Kurt Warner played his guts out but came up on the wrong end, after another Pittsburgh comeback.

Mr 92 Steeler linebacker and Defensive Player of the Year also made the defensive play of the Super Bowl.  When the second half was winding down Kurt Warner threw a interception that went for an 101 yard interception return.  That play before half gave the Steelers a 17 to 7 lead going into half time.  Had Arizona scored at least a field-goal the game would have been tied.  Harrison deserves a lot of ackolades for that incredible interception and even better run back that was the longest in Super Bowl history.

All around awesome game and was really just as good or even better than last year’s New York Giant stunner of the New England Patriots.  As a once Pittsburgh resident when I was younger it feels good.  I still love my Chicago Bears but if the Steelers are champions that is okay by me.

Lastly, the commercials were awesome! Loved all of the movies coming out and the “Boss” well he is the “Boss.”  Hope you all enjoyed Super Bowl XLIII.

Happy Birthday to me as well.  30 feels good..