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Is the AppleTV the Tommy Herr of Apple’s Lineup?

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…Or how Apple’s product line reminds me of the 1985 St. Louis Cardinals batting lineup.

Tommy Herr was the switching hitting second baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals back in the mid-80s. For whatever reason, when I saw the AppleTV in action, I thought of Tommy Herr. Let’s discuss…

The Cardinals of ’85 featured a run-scoring batting lineup starting with Vince Coleman, Willie McGee, and Herr.

But before we get to Tommy Herr, we have to lead off with 1985 Rookie of the Year, speedster Vince Coleman who swiped a league best 110 bases. Vince’s job was to get on base, cause disruption, steal some bases, and score runs. Does Vince’s job remind you of the origin of the iPod?

Apple’s iPod wasn’t the first music player on the market. But once released, it surely caused disruptions in the music player industry. It stole market share and boy, it’s still scoring runs ala its sales figures.

Once Coleman was on base, next up was Willie McGee. The 1985 National League MVP, McGee could do everything. He could hit (.353), steal bases (56), and roam the outfield, but his main task was to advance Coleman on the base path. Sound a little bit like iTunes?

iTunes (and the iTunes Store) does a little bit of everything. Music, videos, television shows, movies, audiobooks, podcasts, and games are all there with iTunes. But the main function of iTunes is to advance the iPod in the marketplace.

Now we come to Tommy Herr batting third for the Cardinals. Herr was not a power hitter, but he sure could drive home the runs. In 1985, Herr hit .302 and drove in 110 runs while only hitting 8 homeruns. Driving runs home but yet not a power hitter… ahhh, the AppleTV…

The AppleTV is not a power hitter in Apple’s lineup but is designed to bring the runs home straight to your living room. Like Herr, the AppleTV makes contact and keeps the iPods and iTunes content moving towards home.

And like the rest of the Cardinals lineup, Apple’s product line is flexible enough to change up the batting order and star different players. Andy Van Slyke, Terry Pendleton, and Ozzie Smith moved around the lineup while Apple’s Macs, MacBooks, iLife, iWork, and Pro apps can get it done as well.

No, I didn’t forget about the cleanup hitter who knocks the ball out of the park, clears the bases, and brings in the runs. Jack Clark had the duty for the Cardinals in ’85, and in Apple’s lineup, the cleanup hitter will be none other than the iPhone.

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Dwyane Wade, I Was Wrong

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I was wrong about Dwyane Wade being able to make a comeback to the rigors of NBA play as he made his first appearance in a loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. Having a dislocated shoulder or two (or seven), it’s simply amazing he could come back after six weeks and actually be effective, scoring 12 points in 27 minutes.

And he just wasn’t an outside shooter, taking it to the rim on occasion. Most impressive. Converse has the right advertising campaign with “All In” describing Wade’s play and determination.

So I was wrong urging Dwyane Wade of getting season ending surgery.

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Happy Flamin’ Easter!

Happy Flamin’ Easter Batman! Went to Easter brunch at the Pacific Club that featured the Easter Bunny, a petting zoo, and a burning limo! Last year, we tried going to the Pacific Club for Easter brunch, but they were already booked. This year we got reservations and enjoyed the petting zoo and pictures with the Easter Bunny. The petting zoo also had a little piggy.

Anyway, back to the action. While waiting in the long line for a balloon animal from Scrapee, a kid comes by and says the limo’s on fire. I was wondering what he was talking about when I saw black smoke in the air. Of course, I had to run TO the fire and take pictures. Sure enough a limo was on fire and a bunch of people were watching as the Fire Department went to work.


At that time, I figured standing near a burning vehicle with gasoline wasn’t a good idea, so I went back to check how the balloon animal line was. During the ruckus, we got this balloon bear.

On the way out, we checked out the aftermath of the blaze. The limo was totaled and even the car parked behind the limo suffered some major heat damage.

The pictures from a Happy Flamin’ Easter.

Lost Some Weight

Went to my annual HMSA HealthPass appointment (free) where my results showed that I lost weight compared to last year. I lost 3 pounds!

To celebrate, I went and got a Iced Blended Mocha from Coffee Bean (no whip of course). :S

2007 March Madness: Complete

Congratulations to “show me the money”, who came out victorious in the 2007 March Madness Contest. He scored a 138, which is the highest point total ever recorded by our game since it’s start four years ago.

Now we have to coordinate a team building event to pass out the prizes. Oh, Gee Why, don’t forget to remind “TeamMadness” what is required of him for coming in last place.

“show me the money” will decide where the festivities will be held. Stay tuned for more details.

March Madness 2007 Kicks Analysis #9: The Champ

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The Gators of Florida repeated as National Champions beating the Ohio State Buckeyes, but in either case, Nike claimed another victory in collegiate men’s basketball and solidified its place as the shoes of champions. With this Gators win, Nike-wearing teams have won 7 of the last 8 championships.

In their honor, here are pictures of Florida’s starting five wearing their Nikes.

ncaa2007-finals-kicks

Sadly to say, I’ve been stumped. I haven’t been able to identify the Nikes worn by Al Horford and Taurean Green. Horford’s wearing a slightly older sneaker that’s no longer on sale. I think it’s some type of UpTempo model. For Green, I couldn’t find any clear shots of him and his shoes. Also, that black on black colorway with little highlights make it tough to pick up details. Can anyone help me out here?

Congratulations Gators.

Shandi Who?

The second dancer eliminated on Dancing with the Stars is Miss USA 2004, Shandi Finnessey. Who’s that? Exactly, as the Tabasco Man says. Even though there were worst performances and lower scores, Shandi just doesn’t have the fan base to vote her to the next round.

I think Dancing with the Stars needs to drop this beauty pageant connection. The past two beauty queens, Finnessey and Shanna Moakler, have both been eliminated in Week 2. While they may have the look and some dancing talent, no one knows who they are. Clyde Drexler and Billy Ray Cyrus performed worse than Finnessey, but people still remember them and therefore vote for them.

If Dancing with the Stars wants to keep the beauty queen angle going, they’ll need to go after higher profile people like Vanessa Williams. Maybe former Miss Hawaii USA and Miss Universe, Brook Lee, or Miss America 2001, Angela Baraquio, might have a chance if the state of Hawaii backs these pageant winners.

How about going after television show hosts like Brooke Burns or Brooke Burke?

‘Nuff said, ’nuff Shandi.

Awesome Season Finale of Battlestar Galactica

Just finished watching the season finale of Battlestar Galactica, and it was a great end to season 3. Lots of twists, turns, and answers, and Jimi Hendrix/Bob Dylan’s All Along the Watchtower plays a prominent role.

The final Cylons were revealed and I would have never guessed them, Colonel Tigh, Anders, Chief Tyrol, and Tory. The return of Starbuck as a Cylon or savior?

Season 4 starts in 2008. 🙁

Here’s the end of the episode if you missed it.

The full episode is available on iTunes –
Battlestar Galactica - Battlestar Galactica, Season 3 - Crossroads, Pt. 2

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