A Brief Statement on the NFL's Referee Situation

As the title says, this'll be brief.  I won't pretend to know all of the details.

If you saw the highlight from the final play of the Seahawks-Packers game last night, you'd think that the situation has hit rock bottom.  Seattle WR Golden Tate may have committed an offensive pass interference penalty even before the moment in question, but the way the rules are stated, it is clear that because Golden Tate gained possible possession of the football after the Packers defender, it should have been ruled an interception, rather than a touchdown.

We need Ed Hochuli and his guns back ASAP.

I, like you, would like to hope that the positive in this situation is that the NFL will work harder with the referees to get them back into the game.  Beyond ruining the integrity of the game, the lack of experience (some would say ability, as well) for the replacement refs is going to make the game more and more dangerous as the weeks carry on.  Sadly, it was believed that the NFL was assigning the best replacement refs to the bigger games, including Sunday and Monday night football games.

Remember that when the players were on lockout last year, the consensus is that the finalized deal favored the owners more so than the players.  I expect that the owners will use that as motivation to continue to avoid bending when dealing with the normal referees union, and that the finalized deal, whether it occurs soon or not, will end up favoring the owners once again.

Unfortunately, this play doesn't strike me as hitting rock bottom, because it won't affect a team's bottom line.  They're still gonna sell tickets, people are still gonna tune in to watch, and advertisers are still gonna pay to show their commercials during the game.  The NFL is a powerful product that is nearly unbreakable here in America.

Perhaps I'm wrong, and perhaps we'll hear about some positive progress in the coming days, in hopes that the refs return soon.  However, I remain skeptical because when it comes down to it, the NFL is a business to these owners, and business is running as usual for the time being.

What the heck, man? The Ostrich Pillow

Today's WTHM makes me giggle, but I don't think I'm particularly against it yet.  I just hope it brings you joy like it did for me.

Article: This time, our source material can be summed up in this video.


Summary: I mean, the video's only about two minutes long, so you should take a second to watch and get the gist.

Notables: At first sight, I wasn't sure how the breathing/circulation would work, but then I saw that they made a face hole, so that helps.  The arm holes are probably there to give you some more support as you put your head down on the desk.  Seemingly, this is meant to be a full coverage pillow so that you can fall asleep with your head against any surface.

Opinion: No matter how you feel about the merit of this product, there's no denying that it has a goofy look.  I got a particular laugh watching the person sitting the train, appearing to fall asleep with the ostrich pillow on their head.  The video sells the idea that a power nap will increase your productivity by 34% per day, but that really depends on how they measure productivity.  However, regardless of what the actual statistic is, I think that sleep (or at the very least, mental rest) definitely increases productivity.

I'm not willing to just shrug this one off as a goofy product because I actually like the idea behind it.  I am always a proponent of getting more sleep, though I do understand that some people are the type that just need more time to accomplish what they're trying to do.  I wonder what the odds are that the pillow can come with a built-in alarm, as I know most people struggle when it comes to exiting the power nap.

Nonetheless, it's a novel idea and if the price isn't too high, I think I'd like to try one myself, even though I rarely sleep with my head down on the desk.  Maybe the ostrich pillow will help me start doing that and consequently, taking shorter naps.  I think the last nap I took was 3 and 1/2 hours.

I hope you enjoyed this entry and upon seeing the product, laughed and expressed the same sentiment I did: What the heck, man?

Men's Tennis is Amazing

Hey folks.  It's been awhile since I've posted an entry, simply because the restart of school has kept me pretty busy.  And of course, by busy, I mean trudging through the wealth of content in my advanced accounting classes, then letting my brain rest by playing video games.  It's a hard life, I know.

The US Open ended recently, with Serena Williams finishing her awesome summer with yet another big victory, and Andy Murray claiming his first major championship by defeating the best hard court player in the world right now, Novak Djokovic.  Watching parts of the Murray-Djokovic showdown reminded me of my love for tennis, and the excitement that these players can produce.  I, like many, prefer watching men's tennis, as the game is faster and more powerful.  Today I wanted to share some thoughts as to why I think we are in a can't-miss era of men's tennis, and why we need to continue to watch the scene closely.

Andy Murray won his first major championship match after falling short four times, most recently at Wimbledon when Roger Federer took his throne back, going through Murray.  Many have felt for awhile that Murray's time to reign would be soon, but you can't blame the guy for continually getting to semi-finals and finals and falling just short.  It's time to once again share my favorite sports statistic: since 2006 and prior to Murray's win, only one man not named Federer, Nadal, or Djokovic (Juan Martin Del Potro) had won a major.  2006, people.  Do you remember 2006?  It was my first year of college.  The Super Bowl that year featured the Steelers and Seahawks.  It's been a long time.  Think about it: four majors every year, and three men have been winning all of the tournaments for the last six years.

So why is that appealing?  It's all of the little moments that have come with this tireless reign that have defined this exciting time in men's tennis.  Djokovic didn't fully blossom until a couple years ago, and he had an impressive and dominant year last year.  Before him, Federer and Nadal dominated the scene, seemingly appearing in every single major final.  The rivalry was emotional and strong, and seeing these two battle on the grandest stages of tennis was spectacular.  Other guys like Murray, Del Potro, and Robin Soderling have hinted at dethroning the triumvirate over the years, pulling the occasional upset over one member of the big three, only to fall short against another one of them (with the exception of Del Potro and now Murray).

Now that Murray has taken his place as a true contender, winning the gold medal in London and now the US Open, I can't wait for what next year will hold.  Murray and the big three have been mainstays in major tournament semifinals over the years, and it wouldn't be farfetched to see these four guys in the finals of the next major, the Australian Open, again.  Once they get there, it becomes unpredictable.  You never know which of these four guys will have the best game on any given day.  With Federer aging and Nadal dealing with injuries, many believe it is now time for the Djokovic/Murray rivalry to hold center stage in 2013.  Others believe that Federer and Nadal are certainly not done yet, and will come back rested and ready at the start of next year.

No matter how it may turn out, I can't wait for the next tennis season to roll around.  We are in a time where four men are in a class above all of the rest.  Will they hold court?  Will new talent emerge and break through?  Are Federer and Nadal going to pass the torch and ride off into the sunset, or are they going to take over again in 2013?  Murray's win at the US Open has left all of us tennis fans salivating for the next season, and you would be foolish not to turn in and catch the excitement.