September 14, 2003
ESPN.com loses a viewer
I can no longer put up with ESPN.com's front page taking 20 to 30 seconds to load, especially since I use its front page not as a destination but as a navigation tool to get elsewhere on the site. So I'm switching my allegiance to CBS Sportsline. If I wanted to watch television, I'd flick on the tube.
JasonCalacanis said:
Yeah, ESPN Motion works well but it should have more option. Like, uhhh, i don't care about NASCAR I just want to get NBA news. Also, I don't want to have it autoplay when I load the page.
I bookmarked the NBA page and just go their instead of the homepage.
best jason
September 03, 2003
Anna Kournikova quits correspondent gig
TE! Online News: Turns out Anna Kournikova has decided she's not cut out to be a sports journalist, saying she was uncomfortable interviewing other players as a reporter for the USA Network during the U.S. Open. Thanks to IWantMedia for the pointer.
August 21, 2003
Playing chess on the Web
I used to be quite the chess freak. Started playing at age 12, and within a year I was beating my eighth-grade teacher. I've still got a dog-eared copy of Chess Openings, a 300-page tome that I still pull out every other year or so. Alas, my brother and close friends who were fellow chess nuts no longer live close by, so I'm in a chess wilderness these days.
If I want to get back on the wagon, though, the Internet beckons. Today's NY Times carries an article, Tools to Dress Up The Web Browser, that dissects all things chess. Because it will disappear behind a firewall in a week, I'll pluck out the noteworthy links here:
Playing chess on the Web:
• the Chess Rally site (you must own the software)
• the Internet Chess club costs about $49 a year to join, although you can play as a guest or get a free trial membership
• uschess.org (the Web home of the United States Chess Federation)
• the Microsoft Network gaming site
Shopping for chess items:
Chesstopia.com, thechessstore.com, chess-shops.com, chessforum.com, chessexpress.com, chesscafe.com and houseofstaunton.com.
Taka said:
I love itsyourturn.com. It's not just for chess but the good thing is you don't have to be online at the same time to play with someone. So you can just make your moves when it's convenient. Could be good for playing with your brother :-)
Taka said:
BTW, I also wrote a plugin for the Awasu RSS reader that monitors my account and converts it into an RSS feed. So when it's my turn to play, I get a notification balloon pop up to let me know. How cool is that?!
These days, I *live* in my aggregator :-)
JD Lasica said:
A fascinating place to live these days. Thanks for the postings.
July 26, 2003
Lance nearing tour win
After today, it looks as though Lance Armstrong will win the Tour de France.
Meanwhile, the Times looks at the Wired Tour de France.
July 21, 2003
Armstrong increases Tour lead
Breaking news: Amazingly, Lance Armstrong survives a crash and increases his Tour de France lead from 15 seconds to 1 minute 7 seconds.
July 06, 2003
The Tiger Trap
OK, so it's a Web publicity stunt, but it's still better than most: 29 unsuspecting golfers. 4 Buick Rainier SUVs. And Tiger Woods on the prowl. A five-minute mini-movie.
There's a Dallas Morning News story on it all, written by Tom Maurstad, but the site doesn't remember my log-on and won't let me in.
May 22, 2003
Annika Sorenstam shoots a 71
One minute ago, Annika Sorenstam shot a 71 in her opening round of the Colonial. She played well, but bogeyed the last hole to finish one above par. She said earlier that she hoped to shoot "around par," so this was a good day for her. The announcers on the USA network said she's got a 50-50 chance to make the final cut tomorrow and play through Sunday. I hope she does well.
May 15, 2003
Stick a stake in the Lakers
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Here in Northern California, we watched the lunar eclipse usher in a new era as we drank a toast to the demise of the most arrogant team in professional sports. And most pampered. As the ESPN sportscasters summed up the loss during a too-lengthy obituary tonight: "You half expected David Stern to run onto the court and say, 'Wait a minute! Best of nine!' "
The false dynasty is no more.
ed cone said:
i'm with you until the "false dynasty" thing. three in a row is pretty dynastic.
Kynn Bartlett said:
Thank goodness it's over.
You think it's bad in northern California -- try being in southern Cal and not enjoying the Lakers.
--Kynn
JD said:
First two championships were legit. With the third, they used sixth and seventh players -- the referees -- in Game 6 of the western conference finals. Legitimately, their two-term reign as champs should have ended right there.
I suppose if they celebrated their victory with style and grace and even a hint of humility, we non-Laker fans could have overlooked that egregious miscarriage of sports justice. But Shaq, Rick Fox and Kobe don't know a thing about class.
May 09, 2003
Webber's injury changes everything
I just heard on ESPN that Chris Webber tore cartilage in his knee last night and will miss the rest of the playoffs. Sometimes it's just brutally unfair how thngs go in professional sports. The Kings have had the best team in the NBA the past two years. They should have won the title last year, were it not for (a) the appalling display of officiating in Game 6 of the western finals, a stink-it-up performance that raised suspicion of a fix and calls for an inquiry by no less than Ralph Nader; (b) their untimely display of poor free throwing shooting in Game 7; (c) the freak tip that led to Robert Horry's game-winning 3-pointer in last year's Game 4. Quite a series.
NBA fans were looking for a rematch of perhaps the best rivalry in professional sports. Now that Webber is out, and Bobby Jackson has a fractured cheekbone (though he's able to play), it's hard to think that the Kings can pull off the unprecedented -- winning an NBA player without their star player. Imagine the Lakers without Kobe or Shaq (not hard to imagine ... they wouldn't even make the playoffs). Or the Spurs without Duncan, or the Mavs without Nowitzky.
Shit. The fans of Sacramento deserve that title.
April 17, 2003
NBA playoff odds
Here are Vegas' odds on the NBA playoffs:
Sacramento Kings 2-1
Los Angeles Lakers 11-5
San Antonio Spurs 3-1
Dallas Mavericks 8-1
New Jersey Nets 20-1
Detroit Pistons 20-1
Indiana Pacers 25-1
Portland Trail Blazers 25-1
Minnesota Timberwolves 35-1
Philadelphia 76ers 35-1
New Orleans Hornets 50-1
Utah Jazz 50-1
Orlando Magic 60-1
Milwaukee Bucks 75-1
Boston Celtics 75-1
Phoenix Suns 75-1
Seems about right, except for the Blazers, who should be about 1,000-1.
I'm a Kings fan -- I was a season ticket holder the first five dreadful years they were in Sacramento -- so gotta like the fact that the big boys in Vegas like 'em best. I don't think the Lakers can fourpeat if they have to win seven-game series on the road in San Antonio and the Big Tomato, as we call Sactown. Any takers?
