lpahomov

Blunt Sports Talk from Mr. Bundy: Sochi, Cardinals, and Windmill George

February 5, 2014 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Shaun White out of Slopestyle

*Photo courtesy of CBS Sports

Apologies to all Shaun White fans, the career 17-time gold medalist will not be going for 2 more golds at this years winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. White was expected to participate in both slopestyle and halfpipe at the Olympics, however due to a reported wrist injury, as well as questionable slopestyle conditions in Sochi, Shaun has decided to withdraw from slopestyle. Instead he will be focusing all of his time and energy on winning his 3rd consecutive Olympic gold medal in the halfpipe competition.

“After much deliberation with my team, I have made the decision to focus solely on trying to bring home the third straight gold medal in halfpipe for Team USA,” he said in a statement released earlier today. “The difficult decision to forego slopestyle is not one I take lightly as I know how much effort everyone has put into holding the slopestyle event for the first time in Olympic history, a history I had planned on being a part of.”

White also admitted that his wrist is OK, but he does not want to risk re-injuring it and losing out on his other Olympic goals.

“With the practice runs I have taken, even after course modifications and watching fellow athletes get hurt, the potential risk of injury is a bit too much for me to gamble my other Olympic goals on,” he said.

With his best interest in mind, it would be selfish for us to want him to risk injury just to participate in slopestyle. Whether it’s slopestyle or halfpipe, White will be at the Olympics attempting to make history again.

Larry Fitzgerald Restructures Contract with Cardinals

*Photo courtesy of USA TODAY Sports

In his 10 year career, Larry Fitzgerald has been amazing for the Arizona Cardinals. He’s one of the few athletes who have spent their entire career with one team and was hoping to continue to do that with the upcoming 2014-15 NFL season. But after rumors of him being traded due to his immense $18 million salary cap for 2014, it didn’t look too good for Fitzgerald and the Cardinals.

Luckily though, things have worked in Fitzgerald’s favor, as he revealed on Twitter yesterday evening.

If the Cardinals planned on doing better than the playoffless season that they had this past year, they knew they would need a loyal, veteran and lucky for them they got to keep that with Fitzgerald. Depending on the specific numbers and cap rules within the agreement, the Cardinals should be able to improve their team and increase their Championship hopes.

Windmill George

Paul George and the Indiana Pacers are cooking this season, with the best record in the NBA. George has not been simply leading the Pacers to the best record, but has been doing so in spectacular fashion. A lot of people have seen and heard about George’s extreme 360 windmill dunk against the Clippers on January 18th, but George proved that he isn’t done with the crazy dunks, with this dunk from last night’s game with the Atlanta Hawks.

*Image created by Kenyatta Bundy from Pacers vs. Hawks Feb. 4, 2014 game footage

Just Nasty.

Writer’s Note

I would, with great pleasure, like to introduce myself as the new official sports columnist for SLA media. With me you can expect blunt honesty, and a wide range of sports coverage, from the Olympics to the NFL to the NBA. No sports stone will be left unturned. Thank You.

By: Kenyatta Bundy Jr

SLA Media Sports Columnist

Flapp Review

February 5, 2014 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

By Melissa Alvarez Staff Writer

In 2010 it was Rovio Entertainment’s “Angry Birds”, in 2011 it was Imangi Studio’s “Temple Run”, in 2012 it was Omgpop’s “Draw Something”, in 2013 it was King’s “Candy Crush”, and in early 2014 has arrived the game from hell, Flappy Bird.

Flappy Bird if you haven’t already heard, is the #1 app in both the Apple and Android app markets, and honestly, I don’t know why. The object of the game is to keep tapping the screen of your device in order to keep Flappy Bird from falling to his/her very impractical death.

The challenging part about the game is that Flappy Bird has to fly in between, and we might as well just say it, the stolen warp pipes from Super Mario Bros. without touching them. If you come into contact with just the slightest edge of either pipe, Flappy Bird will die and you will have quit the game with newly found anger issues.

So who created this pixelated monster? Nguyen Ha Dong. He originates from Hanoi, Vietnam and has solely been running his own company, .GEARS studio for 4 years. He himself admitted in an interview that he’s not even sure why his app has suddenly spiked in the game market. He also gave credit to the kids in schools that have, and still are, downloading and sharing his game.

Flappy Bird can be considered fun if you enjoy throwing your phone at walls. It’s simple in the most difficult of ways. If you do choose to download this life consuming app, be my guest. But when you finally make it to a double digit score and are proud of this accomplishment, I think maybe it’s time to start rethinking your life choices.

I think our friend 22amysmc said it best:

Lights, Camera, Oscar Predictions!

February 2, 2014 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

By Will Amari

Staff Writer

People are lined up at the downtown Roxy. Popcorn is popped. Soda is served. It may be cold and rainy outside, but here in the movie theater, it’s dry and warm. When the lights go down and the screen lights up, people know that it’s time to see their favorite stars perform in a film they will never forget. Oscar season is here again!

2013 has been a great year for movies. Who wasn’t shocked by the critical acclaim of Disney’s animated, “Frozen?” Or amazed by Tom Hanks’ performance in “Captain Phillips?” And let’s not forget about Matthew McConaughey’s astonishing comeback portraying Ron Woodroof in the much celebrated, “Dallas Buyers Club.” With five best director nominees and nine best picture nominated films, it’s time to reflect on some of the many memorable films of 2013.

Read on for my Oscar predictions for the four main categories; best actress, best actor, best director, and of course, best picture. Continue reading for an analysis of the Big Winners for this year’s Academy Awards.

Best actress nominees: Amy Adams in “American Hustle”, Cate Blanchett in “Blue Jasmine”, Sandra Bullock in “Gravity”, Judi Dench in “Philomena”, Meryl Streep in “August: Osage County”, June Squibb in “Nebraska”.

And the Oscar goes to: Cate Blanchett and not Meryl Streep? That’s right! Blanchett plays the neurotic socialite, Jasmine, who divorces and moves in with her blue collar sister, played by Sally Hawkins. Hers is the absolute standout performance of the year and although Meryl comes close, the Oscar truly belongs to Blanchett. The Academy would agree.

Who might win: Sandra Bullock in “Gravity”

Who definitely won’t win: Judi Dench in “Philomena”

Who I want to win: Cate Blanchett in “Blue Jasmine”

Who the Academy overlooked: Carey Mulligan in “Inside Llewyn Davis”

Best actor nominees: Christian Bale in “American Hustle”, Bruce Dern in “Nebraska”, Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Wolf of Wall Street”, Chiwetel Ejiofor in “12 Years a Slave”, Matthew McConaughey in “Dallas Buyer Club”.

And the Oscar goes to: Matthew McConaughey who transforms into his role as the emaciated Ron Woodroof, a Texas cowboy/electrician who was diagnosed with aids in the mid-1980s. In this film we are reminded that McConaughy is a true movie star who deserves to be recognized for such a stunning performance. This of course, wouldn’t be the first time, the Oscars nominated a praised actor for playing the role of an AIDs patient. Tom Hanks won the Academy Award for best actor for his role “Philadelphia” as Andrew Beckett, a young lawyer who was fired from his job because he was found out to be HIV-positive.

Who might win: Chiwetel Ejiofor in “12 Years a Slave”

Who definitely won’t win: Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Wolf of Wall Street”

Who I want to win: Matthew McConaughey in “Dallas Buyer Club”

Who the Academy overlooked: Joaquin Phoenix in “Her”

Best director nominees: American Hustle (David O. Russell), Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón), Nebraska (Alexander Payne), 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen), The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese)

And the oscar goes to: Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón). Yes, it’s more than just a sci-fi film. The story’s all told through the point of view of Sandra Bullock’s character, Ryan Stone, who gets stranded in the scary world of outer space. No director has ever portrayed fear and anxiety on screen as well as Alfonso Cuarón. This movie gets an A in special effects as well as for originality.

What might win: 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen)

What definitely won’t win: The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese)

What I want to win: Gravity

Who the Academy overlooked: Inside Llewyn Davis (Joel and Ethan Coen)

The best picture the nominees are as follows: American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity, Her, Nebraska, Philomena, 12 Years a Slave, and the Wolf of Wall Street.

And the Oscar goes to: 12 Years a Slave, produced by Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen and Anthony Katagas. This film accurately portrays the true story of Solomon Northup, a free man abducted and sold into slavery. It’s not a light-hearted popcorn movie, but a gruesome description of America’s most shameful period of history. If any film is more deserving of an oscar than all the rest, it’s this one. This is the year director and producer Steve McQueen will win the Big One. See why many call this masterpiece “The Schindlers List of today.”

What might win: Gravity

What definitely won’t win: Philomena

What I want to win: Her

Who the Academy overlooked: Inside Llewyn Davis

This is just one man’s opinion. The decisions of the Academy are often unpredictable. The answers won’t be revealed until Sunday, March 2. However, for now let’s just sit back and watch the movie.

App Review: App Nana

February 2, 2014 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

By Kennedy Coverdale Staff Writer

Want to earn free Amazon, iTunes, or other gift cards ? This could be the right app for you.

App Joy, or sometimes called App Nana, is a free app that helps you download different apps that you might enjoy. Most of the apps are almost unheard of though.

Depending on which apps you choose, you earn a certain amount of points, or ‘nanas’ as it’s called in the apps. Some apps might give you 200 nanas, while other can give up to 7,000 nanas.

All these points add up and can enable you to choose a gift card for Amazon, iTunes, or Paypal. As the price of the gift card goes up, so does the amount of nanas you must earn in order to pick such a gift card.

In order to use AppJoy, you must make account only using an email and a password. No activation required or usernames.

Wondering how you get all these nanas? Actually, it’s not that difficult. You get 10,000 nanas for signing up, and 400 nanas each time you sign in. Inviting others to join AppJoy gives 2,500 nanas per person you invite. The cheapest gift card available is a one dollar Amazon gift card that costs 30,000 nanas, so they highly encourage you to get apps.

Most of the apps that it offers are free to download. Others cost money, but they will warn you before hand. Some apps require a certain action in order to obtain nanas, like registering for a website or actually playing the game.

The downfall of this app is it’s speed. it’s a bit slow when trying to get nanas, and sometimes opens a bunch of other windows doing so. I had some problems with this and it discouraged me from downloading more apps for more nanas.

It’s the Super Bowl People!- Sports Talk with the Straight Shuter

January 30, 2014 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

It’s the Super Bowl People- Sports Talk with the Straight Shuter

by Jesse Shuter

Staff Writer

Photo Courtesy of http://thepointsguy.com/2014/01/last-minute-ideas-for-getting-to-the-2014-super-bowl/

This years Super Bowl is going to be one for the record books. We get to watch the number one offense take on the number one defense. We also get to watch two of the biggest NFL story lines square off against each other. The first one being Peyton Manning’s record breaking all time best season for an NFL quarterback. The other being Richard Sherman and his huge defensive abilities, and yet even bigger mouth.

I’d like to start with my prediction for the Super Bowl champion. I predict that the Broncos will win the Super Bowl over the Seahawks, 27-20. I predict a pair of field goals, at least, for both teams. The Broncos action packed weapon filled offense, will finally meet it’s match on defense. While the Seahawks offense is pretty evenly matched with the Broncos defense, except for their super weapon, some know him as “Beast Mode”, Marshawn Lynch.

The weather in this game should play a relatively big part in this game. If it is anything like the Eagles-Lions game, which assuming its snows, it will be, then it could completely alter the outcome. In snow, my prediction stays the same, however in a blizzard or even a moderately large snow storm my prediction changes. This is because in the Eagles game, there was no secondary on the defense, and no deep pass game. In this case I have Seattle winning 28-21. This is because there will be no field goals, and also seattle has a much better run game, and even though the Broncos have a better short pass game, if Percy Harvin is healthy then the Seahawks may be able to almost keep up with the Broncos pass production.

Pro Bowl Review

I would like to start by saying, nice try Rodger Goodell. The NFL Commisioner, Rodger Goodell, revamped the idea behind the Pro Bowl for the sake of the players. He in fact was ready to get rid of it because it cost much more than it earned financially. However the players much enjoy the Pro Bowl and all it’s honor. So Goodell brought in Hall of Famers Deion Sanders and Jerry Rice to make the game more fun.

I actually enjoyed the game. Sanders and Rice made sure that the defenses were actually trying, which was nice to see, at first. The first two and a half quarters were very entertaining, but then I realized that this was getting boring. As much as I hate the no defense Pro Bowl from the past, I still like seeing these insane offenses score in crazy ways that would never happen in a real game, but none of that because the defense was too good, and the offensive line was not.

My recommendation is that the Pro Bowl be replaced by a skills competition. This way the players get to be honored and the fans get to watch really great athletes to really cool things. It could be like a more advanced NFL scouting combine, with more difficult events, and also rewards. The players would be battling for titles like, fastest offensive/defensive/NFL player; most accurate passer; strongest passing arm; best catching ability offense/defense; etc.

Next Year

In the spirit of preparing for the Super Bowl, I would like to give my (very) early picks for next year.

AFC Championship Game: Indianapolis Colts vs. Kansas City Chiefs. Winner: Colts

In this epic rematch from perhaps the biggest comeback I’ve ever seen the Colts win again, and the Chiefs realize why Andy Reid was fired.

NFC Championship Game: Detroit Lions vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Winner: Eagles

Another epic rematch from the Snow Bowl, in this scenario the Eagles fix their defense by signing Jairus Byrd/T.J. Ward/Both and the Lions new head coach Jim Caldwell realizes that there is too much talent on this team for it not to be any good.

Super Bowl: Indianapolis Colts vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Winner: Colts

As much as I HATE to say it. The Eagles do not win this year, The Colts offense goes to fast for the defense and the Nick Foles makes at least one key mistake to cost them the game.