The Decision Made Mine Easy

"Don't ever underestimate the heart of a champion." ~ Rudy Tomjanovich. Remember those infamous words? It has been sixteen long years since this Rockets fan has seen his team make it to the NBA finals. I've been missing Rudy T. like Texas A&M has been missing RC Slocum. In essence, each team has been nothing short of disappointing since each of these coaches were shown the door, minus a few moments of competitive brilliance for the Rockets under Rick Adelman. That being said, they still failed to advance beyond the Western Conference Semis. Before I digress, let's take one more look at that glorious June night in 1995 as the Rockets secured their second straight NBA title:

We Were All Cheated On

In 1994, I took up the game of golf. I was horrific at it in the beginning. I'm decent today as I carry somewhere around a 12-14 handicap. Anyhow, that year I tuned into the United States Amateur Championship hosted by the USGA. The venue was TPC at Sawgrass. The cameras from NBC were there as a golfing phenom was introduced to the entire country up close and personal in their living rooms. He won that event. In 1995, he returned to defend his title and NBC returned as did I to watch a repeat take place. A true legend was in the making. In 1996, he returned once again, and tried for the three-peat. I, along with NBC, returned and watched as he pulled off the improbable and became the first player in the history of the game to win three consecutive US Amateur Championships. For the first time in a long time, golf was mainstream. All thanks to Tiger Woods and Nike. Hello World...

From Idol To The Voice (Don't You Judge Me)

Dammit. Here we go again. I am going to expose a bit of my dorkism in this post. I'm a bit of a sucker for reality television. I hate this fact about myself. But, I embrace it and I am happier for it in the long run. I'll watch Idol and countless other shows beyond your standard studio production. Look, I watched Days of Our Lives religiously throughout high school...don't you judge me. Hence, this is nothing. Now that I think about it, whatever else you people (looking in the mirror here) watch should be deemed the equivalent of Harvard entry testing material when compared to a soap opera. Damn you Stefano DiMera.

Welcome back. 1-800...636...86..........86. Wait, what just happened? I'll tell you...I just channeled my inner "Rome on a mobile." As I was saying, welcome back. I first became "interested" (<---code for paid attention for the very first time) in American Idol in 2006. This was the season that Chris Daughtry was told by Simon Cowell that "he did not have a lot of charisma and he was not a stand alone star." For the record, Simon corrected his obvious oversight as the season sped along and Daughtry has been the only product spawned from this creation with two consecutive No. 1 albums out of the gate. Which brings me to one glaring, obvious fact: how in the name of all that is holy did Taylor Hicks finish as your winner from this season? Birmingham, AL, this is on you. How did you infect the entire country with this nonsensical crowning? I must digress for a moment. This season brought us Michael Sandecki. If you recall, he is the Clay Aiken wannabe. His singing is obscene and dreadful. However, he is part of the afore-highlighted hyperlink (click it dammit) which is in the top 10 moments in the shows history. This season was the beginning. I've "paid attention" in each subsequent season (stop judging right now) which is always touted as "the Best" season yet. Anyhow, Idol has yet to produce a "rock" winner, but that might change this season. Check out James Durbin on YouTube. The kid's got a shot.

Yet, this is not a post about the chronology of American Idol nor a season by season recap. I don't have the time nor the inclination to punish you all with regurgitated facts and clips from America's top rated show over the past decade. No, I merely wish to point out that NBC has taken notice (finally) and countered with The Voice. The premise here is the judges in the opening rounds cannot see the face and appearance of the vocalist until they hit the button which swivels their chair 180 degrees from facing the audience to facing the stage. In doing so, they are saying "I want to work with you" and begin lobbying if other judges are involved. The contestants now must choose which judge they want to coach them as they will help form an initial eight person team for said judge. Speaking of the judges, they are Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo, and Adam Levine. The required "drama" went both ways in the opening rounds, which are now complete. The judges will now cut their teams in half this upcoming week. The host of the show is Carson Daly, who is a bit stiff thus far. Bro, relax a bit and embrace the contestants a little. Call Seacrest if you feel the need to regain your MTV TRL mojo. Overall, I think NBC has something here with The Voice. The concept is unique and compelling. If you are a reality dork like myself, give it a whirl.

Oh, I almost forgot: NFL owners and players, get your egos together and figure out how to divide billions of dollars. Is it really that hard?

Lastly, Osama bin Laden: is it hot down there?