"Pause that..."

People at Geese Chatter and our readers have been scouring the internet for things in dire need of being paused. This first one was already posted and paused by Evan Turner. @ThekidET is a noted veteran of the pause game - always making sure to cover his tracks before posting on his Twitter or Instagram. Six days ago, he put up a photo of 76ers rookie, Arnett Moultrie, with a lollypop on Instagram with the caption, "#PicFrame the rook loves his suckers #pause." On behalf of Geese Chatter and "pausers" everywhere, I would like to commend Evan Turner on a job well done.

Another well done should be handed out to J.R. Smith who admitted his Instagram photo was a bit sketchy, but too good to pass up on.

One of our readers, Marquis, hit me up with another rap lyric that needs to be paused. Who was the culprit? Shocker...Drake.

Started From the Bottom - Drake
"I can turn your boy into a man..."

And upon further research, I came across this all-timer from Drake...

Fuckin' Problem - A$AP Rocky ft. 2 Chainz, Drake, & Kendrick Lamar
"If you comin' for my head, then motherfucker get to bustin..."

Gay? Straight? You be the judge.

Yogi Berra Quotes

Without question, Yogi Berra is my favorite quoter. Here are some of his gems:

1. "This is like deja vu all over again."

2. "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."

3. "You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six."

4. "Baseball is 90% mental -- the other half is physical."

5. "A nickel isn't worth a dime today."

6. "You can observe a lot just by watching."

7. "You should always go to other people's funerals; otherwise, they won't come to yours."

8. "90% of the putts that are short don't go in."

9.  "If you can't imitate him, don't copy him."

10. "If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else."

Lock of the night

What's a Hoya?  To be quite frank, I have no clue.  My brother-in-law once told me but since then I have forgotten.  Tonight Georgetown (18-4, 8-3 Big East) plays Cincinnati (19-6, 7-5 Big East) in a battle for the Big East.  If the Hoyas walk out victorious, they will sit on top of the standings.  If they lose, first place will be up for grabs.  We have Otto Porter Jr. for the Hoya's who averages 15 points and 8 rebounds a game against Sean Kilpatrick of the Bearcats who averages 18 points and 5 boards.  Look for these studs to light it up for both teams.

Bubble Watch: Three Paths to the NCAA Tournament for the UMass Minutemen

The UMass Minutemen are currently presented with the opportunity to make it to their first NCAA Tournament in 15 years.  They sit squarely on the bubble and the stretch run of the 2012-2013 begins this week.  If they can fulfill one of these three scenarios, they should be dancing in March...

DMV Basketball Players

For those that don't know I was born in a hospital in Washington DC, grew up in a home in Takoma Park, Maryland, and when I was 3 moved to Chevy Chase, Maryland where I live within a 5 minute walk of the border to Washington DC.  Needless to say I rep the D[M]V.  For all of you non-DMVers that stands for DC Maryland Virginia.  I put the bracket around the "M" because I am a Maryland guy. I have always been fascinated by the extreme basketball talent that comes from the DMV and I never pass up the opportunity to mention to my friends which College and NBA players went to a High School near me, or someone who I have played against in AAU.  As I get into this post I will write about the most known players that went to high school or are from the DMV and now play at a high level of basketball or will be playing at a high level soon.  From this post I want readers to realize that the DMV is the best place for up and coming basketball players.

"Pause that..." - Rap Lyrics

Anyone who knows me understands that I'm not the biggest rap fan. Half the time, I can't understand what those guys are saying. Anyone who finds themselves jamming to these songs and doesn't pause the track (literally and figuratively) when they hear these lyrics has to do some serious self reflection...

Get Loose - T.I.
"Takin' cum to the face, yeah I like it like that."

Ridin' - A$AP Rocky feat. Lana Del Ray
"Uh, uh. Catch me ridin' like a bitch."

Here Comes Da Boom - DMX
"Motherfucka', I'll rip your butthole outta place."

She's Married to Who?! 2/7

Big Day of Soccer

I’ll start off my first blog by thanking the crew of Geese Chatter for taking my in. I’m glad to be on board. 

Today there were many soccer games in action from International friendlies and World Cup qualifiers. Ill briefly cover some of the main ones though. International power house Spain took on Uruguay and beat them easily 3-1 thanks to Uruguay’s goalie letting a shot by Cesc Fabregas from 30 yards out go right through his hands and trickle in the back of the net. England pulled off a lucky 2-1 win against Brazil because Brazil failed to convert on a penalty kick which would of put them ahead at the time. France fell to Germany 2-1 in a game that lacked any spark because France sat back defensively while Germany pounded it down their throats. And finally Argentina beat Sweden 3-2 and didn’t even need their star Leo Messi to score.

But lets not forget about good old USA. They kicked off their World Cup qualifying today against Honduras today. They were led by my personal favorite player Clint Dempsey and had some other big names out their such as goalie Tim Howard and midfielder Michael Bradley but did not have all their big guns which I’m sure coach Jurgen Klinsmann regretted once they lost 2-1. It was an all around disappointing performance by the USA but Clint Dempsey did score their lone goal and boy was it a beauty.

What makes this goal so impressive? Lets compare it to baseball. Everyone knows how difficult it is to catch a ball over your shoulder when your running. Now try kicking a ball coming over your shoulder. But my man Clint Dempsey does it with no sweat. Ball comes over his shoulder and he one time volleys it out of the air past the goalie into the back corner or the net. A world class finish for our goal of the day. Thanks and goodnight.

2013 Red Sox, The Novel

I've been charged with the task of breaking down the Red Sox for this upcoming season, and although it is entirely too early to be making any sort of solid predictions I'll do my best.

2013 will be an interesting year for the Sox.  With such high expectations for the other teams in the AL East, the boys from Boston have gone for the most part under the radar this offseason.  Their smaller more temporary acquisitions being overshadowed by blockbuster deals and PED discussions.  All in all making solid moves and having low expectations isn't a bad place for a building team to be.

As of now the lineup for the Sox goes like this:

Ellsbury CF
Victorino RF
Pedroia 2nd
Ortiz DH
Napoli 1st
Middlebrooks 3rd
Drew SS
Gomes LF
Saltalamacchia C

The starting rotation should look something like this:

Lester
Dempster
Buchholtz
Lackey
Doubront

So just looking at the roster, a few things jump out to me...

1.  The lack of a dominant power bat.
Its been a while since the Sox haven't had a guy that could be counted on for mid-30 HR type numbers.  I don't think Ortiz is that guy but him and Napoli might have to account for that roll.  Napoli absolutely kills it at Fenway, putting up 3 HRs, 8 RBIs, and batting .462 in Boston last year.  That being said, personally I would move Victorino down in the order below Middlebrooks and slide those three up a spot.  Ellsbury and Pedroia provide a solid 1-2 punch at the top of the order and I like Ortiz-Napoli at 3-4.

2.  Will Middlebrooks will be important.
Middlebrooks had an impressive rookie campaign last year and if the sox seriously want to contend he'll have to keep improving.  When he came up last year I compared him to a young Nomar.  Maybe a little bit of Boston bias but I think Middlebrooks has the potential to build himself into an elite third baseman, similar style to Longoria.  As far as 2013 goes I believe Middlebrooks will play a key role in how long the Sox are able to stay in contention.

3.  Injuries scare me.
And now we finally come to the biggest fault of the Red Sox for the last 5 years.  The teams we put together can not...I repeat CAN NOT stay healthy.  If you look at our lineup for this coming year the player with the shortest history of injuries (aside from maybe Stephen Drew...) is our catcher.  Our catcher who when he was with the Braves suffered a mental breakdown and found it physically impossible to throw it to the pitcher, oh and he did have back spasms last year.

Ellsbury gets hurt almost every year (sometimes a few times) but when he plays looks like the second coming of Christ.

Victorino could be real solid but is getting up there in age and has struggled with injuries as his body ages.

Pedroia will be a key piece to keep healthy.  He really serves as the spark-plug for the offense, even if he's hurt, hopefully he wont need to show us how tough he is this year.

Ortiz has been working the last few years to suppress any of the doubts in my head that he can still produce. He'll put up some solid numbers as long as he can keep his foot out of that boot for a year.

Napoli hardly has a hip.  Honestly this doesn't worry me very much.  The contract we signed him with is laden with incentives so I know he'll play hard until his hip completely disappears.

Middlebrooks missed some time last year but nothing huge.  He'll be the rock of the lineup.

Stephen Drew is JD Drew's brother, that in itself scares me.

Gomes is interesting.  We signed him earlyish this offseason to play leftfield for us.  Apparently the Sox front office was unaware that he really isnt a leftfielder.  At his best, Jonny (...) Gomes is a sub par DH, the man is horrendous in the field and I believe Red Sox Nation will tire of him quickly.

Saltalamacchia should be fine and even if he isnt we have THREE catchers on roster plus Mike Napoli.



After all that negative I think its important to look at our biggest offseason signing, John Farrell.  Back when Farrell was the pitching coach for the Red Sox everybody loved him, this will be important in getting the team to play like it cares (unfortunately not our strong suit lately).  Farrell also has an important job reworking the pitchers on staff.  Lester and Buchholtz in particular need work living up to the potential they showed early in their careers.  Boubront showed some good stuff last year and it'll be fun to see how he can build on that.  Its important that we don't expect too much from Ryan Dempster, the man is getting old and has hung steady around 12 wins for a while now, but if we get those 12 wins they'll be much needed.  Annnnnnnd the last pitcher: Lackey.  Who knows?  The guy is only a few years removed from being a top tier pitcher, the thing is that those years in between were brutal.  My prayers are with John Farrell when it comes to working with him.


Ok, that was long...

But I still need to tell you highlights of what will happen this year...


The theme of this upcoming season for the Sox is "transition".  Management will be looking to transition towards newer, cheaper, and more promising talent.

The first and most obvious transition position is at shortstop.  Signing Stephen Drew to a one-year deal served as a placeholder to keep the position warm for one of their two not-quite-ready future stars.  At some point in the year, even if Drew plays well, the Sox will call on either Jose Iglesias or Xander Bogaerts to step up and show they can play.  This might come at September call-ups but don't expect Drew to be back in 2014.

Jacoby Ellsbury is entering into the last year of his contract with the Red Sox.  I believe the that Sox have little intention of resigning him at what would be a steep price.  This leaves the team with a few options.  If Ellsbury is playing well and we live up to expectations and are far from contention the idea of shipping him before the July 31st deadline could be an option.  They could get some good pieces from a contender, move Victorino over to center and plug Ryan Sweeney into right.  If Ellsbury struggles (or gets injured) trading him is not an option.  I have a feeling the Sox would give some practice reps to a younger guy, probably not replacing Ellsbury if he isn't hurt but maybe in left or right field.  My favorite prospect right now who might be ready by then would be Jackie Bradley.  I think Bradley will have a fine career, hopefully with the Sox.

It seems to me that, despite his consistency behind the plate and in the batters box, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is being pushed out of the Red Sox plans.  The direction of the Red Sox backstop is moving towards Ryan Lavarnway.  In all honesty I love Lavarnway and think he'll develop into an all-star catcher.  Right now the Red Sox have three catchers on roster, not counting Napoli.  I see management working Lavarnway in as much as they can, moving Salty to DH if Ortiz has struggles, and if not spending much of the year platooning.

Things the Red Sox Need to Have Happen

1. Limit injury time, specifically Pedroia and Ortiz
2. Bring their still young pitchers back into form
3. Rally around Middlebrooks (I'm positive he's key)
4. Have fun.  Red Sox teams are much more fun to watch when the guys get along and want to play

Things the Red Sox Can't Afford to Let Happen

1. Lackey cannot get off to a poor start
2. Friggin injuries
3. A lot of things, 2013 is an uphill battle.  Gotta be perfect

 Ok ok, that was long but I didn't even mention the bullpen.  Looks pretty solid this year, disappointing that we lost Atchinson to the Mets but having both Bailey and Hanrahan should make for some fun 9th innings.

Remember everything I said.  Xander Bogaerts, Ryan Lavarnway, and Jackie Bradley are the stars of the future.

Game Show Switching (Monty Hall Problem)

The Resident Jew and I always talk about how, if you don't switch your case on deal or no deal at the end of the game, you're the biggest sucker in the world.  This situation reverts back to the Monty Hall Problem.  Most of the time people believe lady luck is on their side and that they picked the winning case and in some 'cases' they did, but the odds are not in their favor.  At all.

She's Married to Who?! 2/6

"Pause that..." - Premier Post

Ladies and gentlemen I am absolutely stoked to be getting back to the whole blogging scene. Between the time Sir Marko announced the comeback and now, I've been pondering what I would cover. Geese Chatter features plenty of people who are more than capable of writing about sports or attractive women. I, on the other hand, like to consider myself the resident expert of "pause." What is "pause" you ask? Simply put, it's a less offensive way of saying "no homo". Learn more after the jump.

New Writers

The Chatter have recently added two new members to the blog.  I want to introduce both of them as they will be covering two totally different topics.

Why Don't We Love The World Baseball Classic?

With the start of baseball's real world championship tourney looming on the horizon, the lack of enthusiasm by the general population is deafening.  Baseball is our sport.  We invented it and embraced it as a part of our culture for well over a decade.  And so its at least a little curious that if questioned, the average American would not be able to tell you when the WBC starts (March).

Part of it can be accounted for by the general disinterest growing for the sport by our people.  Americans have been leaning away from baseball, complaining about the game's length and slow pace.  It's a shame that people feel this way, but it is also a bit ironic.  Baseball gained popularity in the mid 1800's because it was a fast paced game that anybody could play.  Even though baseball has lost some of its steam I believe the reason for disinterest goes beyond that.

The biggest reason that we, as Americans, do not care about the World Baseball Classic is the lack of the best players on the rosters.  Look at the starting rotation for team USA and I could list plenty of MLB teams with stronger front 4's.  Dickey, Vogelsong, and Pettite are far and away the biggest names.  Good pitchers, but not the best America has to offer (Verlander and Kershaw come to mind).

Mauer and Arencibia will represent America well but it is an injustice to any potential fans for the reigning NL MVP Buster Posey to not hold down the USA catching spot.  There is no way Teixiera is a better 1st baseman than Joey Votto, he just isn't.  Aaron Hill might be better than Brandon Phillips but Phillips is an exciting player and I don't really have a problem with him being in the lineup.  Jimmy Rollins is nowhere near the best SS out of America, Ian Desmond would probably be my pick.  David Wright is a great 3rd baseman and might be the right choice, Chase Headley would be a solid pick too.  The outfield is where real starpower is lost with none of Mike Trout, Andrew McCutchen, and Josh Hamilton representing their countries.

The point is, Americans recognize talent.  They also recognize when we aren't seeing a full display of the best ballplayers in the world.  People watching this upcoming World Baseball Classic will undoubtedly see some great baseball but the fact is that they will not be seeing the best players in the world.  Pair that with sub-par stadiums (dolphin stadium last WBC.....) and we can only hope to eclipse the average attendance of about 20,000 we had last time.  Personally I'm looking forward to watching the Dutch team, tons of good infield prospects.

Its snowing in Ohio and we lost to Akron, the world is falling apart.

P.S.  I hate Ray Lewis

I'm excited for baseball!

Irrelevant Dickey gif but I never get tired of it

Some Nuggets for Your Bowl

4 Things I Think (That May be Wrong)

1. Colin Kaepernick will have as successful a career as RGIII. Kaepernick has a rifle arm to go along with his speed and seems to have a knack for avoiding big hits. Why I think he will have as good a career as RGIII, even though he isn't as good, is that he has a much better coach and a solid defense, neither of which are leaving anytime soon.

2. Ed Reed will have a significant impact on the Patriots defense next year. The rumors started flying this week, and I think Ed Reed signs with the pats and solidifies the secondary as the leader the Pats have been missing since Rodney Harrison.

3. The Ravens will miss the playoffs next year. With Ray Lewis leaving, and the inability to sign all of their free agents, the Ravens will be a far different team next year. Without their emotional leader, I think they will return to the team that looked quite average for most of the regular season.

4. Ray Lewis's emotions are not an act. Before these playoffs, I had been quite certain that Ray's dancing, crying, etc were all an act. Well, I've changed my mind because that average looking Ravens team before the playoffs flipped a switch after Ray's retirement announcement. This may be coincidental  but I am ready to think its not an act.

The Little Things

With all the media coverage focusing on the "brownout" or on the controversial no call on the 49ers 4th down play, some of the little things tend to be overlooked. I have chosen 2 plays that were big plays, but are receiving less fanfare today.

Making the Argument

First matter of business, thank you to all of you who have been frequenting the site. For those of you waiting for the SMTW pieces, you will be rewarded tomorrow. For now however, I'd like to take a look at what turned out to be one the most intriguing Offensive Rookie of the Year races in recent memory.

Sports Book Recap

So Xavier didn't win, simple as that.  But they did cover their spread.  So we are starting the season off 0-1 on picks.  Anyways, logging off for the night.  Back to the zoo tomorrow with some animals to watch the Superbowl.  Have a good night everyone.

3 Thoughts

As I sit here watching the Michigan vs. Indiana game and the Wizards vs. Spurs game I have realized a couple things.  Some of which are only reconfirmations of past beliefs but also some new insight on other things.  Read after the jump, if you want to read my thoughts on Indiana and the Wizards.

Sports Book Lock of The Day

Today lock of the day is.

Xavier's money line at Richmond, +145? That is a no brainer. Rub it down and lock it up.

Game Day

The Umass basketball team is down in Charlotte playing the 49ers in an A10 battle.  Both teams stand at 4-2 in the conference and are looking for that extra push to put them on top of the standings.  The Minutemen are coming off a huge win at La Salle (a last second shot by Chaz Williams to win by 1), and are ready for their next meal.  For the betting purpose of this blog, the Minutemen are dogs by 1.5 points.  The line opened at +1 and have been pushed to +1.5.  I don't think this line matters though, because in my opinion the minutemen will win straight up.  Umass played their best game of the year against La Salle and are 6-1 on the road.  Why stop there?

Dustin Johnson and Paulina Gretzky

Does having a smoke show as a girlfriend have direct correlation to how you perform in sports?  As it stands right now Dustin Johnson and Paulina Gretzky are currently involved with each other, and as it stands he is the current leader in earning for 2013...

Prediction: NBA Top 10 Draft Picks 2013

Most college basketball fans are sitting at home thinking its the 1st of February, March is on the doorstep and it is almost time for March Madness.  NBA fans are thinking its only about half way through the season and the all-star game hasn't occurred yet.  And then there are people like me, who are already looking at who is going to be drafted in this years upcoming NBA draft, and NO, it is NOT because my Washington Wizards are due for a high draft pick.  (Unrelated note: I do not think the Wizards are as awful as their record may show, and I could see us picking in the mid teens this year).  I have compiled a list, in no order, who I think will be the top 10 draft picks in June, and yes, it is only february, and neither the college basketball season nor the NBA season is over.  If the NBA did not institute the one year at college rule, I must say that my top 10 would be different because Andrew Wiggins, from Huntington Prep (same high school that produced OJ Mayo) would most definitely be a top 10 pick.  My list is after the jump...