OBE's Dose

"DC" Skins PREgame #12 - vs Minnesota - Purple and Horned

2010-11-27T23:48:00.000-05:00

First I want to get some more apologies out of the way for not blogging a lot more during this holiday break. I was spending some quality time with my family, mostly my nephew and niece. I hope you have had as nice and interesting of a few days as I have this holiday. Let's just say I am probably one of the most experienced single, child-rearing adults out there who has never actually sired a seed of his own, nor babysits for a living (that's a blog for another time). But, win or lose, since I've been consistent with doing my Redskins predictions week in and week out, I figured I should keep with it. I will make this short though.

The Vikings fired their coach this week. Does it mean that the organization and team will be inspired with new leadership and possibly play harder? Maybe. Take a look at the Cowboys.

With that being said, the Vikings still have been a mess as a team, and in the center of all that (literally and figuratively) has been their QB Brett Favre. His turnover numbers and passer rating are just plain atrocious, he's been playing hurt, and he's definitely had one of his worst years he's had in recent memory. And I didn't even get into his off-the field issues. (Let's just say that he's appropriate that he is a Viking, because his situation with Jen Sterger shows that he is one "horny" dude.) Favre is slated to start, but I do think the Vikings have a better chance if he gets out of the game (which, in my opinion, he may).

As far as the Redskins are concerned, even though the win against the Titans have gave them some renewed hope for the season, they are still a mess as an organization too. Not to mention, that win last week came with a huge price, as most of the players ended up banged up, or hurt considerably (as in the case of Clinton Portis and others, hurt for the whole year).

I think the Redskins will win this game. Though the Redskins are banged up (most especially on the offensive line), the offense should do enough, while their defense will probably carry the team by causing the Viking offense (mainly Favre) to make mistakes and put them in decent field position. However, I do think the Vikings will keep this game close. As I said, the Redskins are a dysfunctional organization as well, and some of that is going to show on the field somehow. Not to mention, though Favre will probably be expected to make mistakes, Adrian Peterson can ease him off a little bit on offense, as that Viking O-line is a lot more solid than the Redskins'. Furthermore, I did say earlier that the Vikes may have more of a chance if Bret Favre comes out sometime during the game. And with the history of the Redskins defense hurting people this year, there might be a chance he comes out... which may actually help them.

Final Prediction Redskins 21 Vikings 17

I just have a feeling this will be an ugly game, on both ends. And I think the Vikings the "ugliness" can hurt the Vikings more. As of now, it doesn't look like any serious championship contenders will be playing in this game, and it will probably show in the scoreboard.

The Redskins also have proven to play down to their competition, which is why I picked such a close score. But, I do think the Redskins need this game. They need all the wins they can get though, and they must pick up the games that they are expected to win down the stretch. Since they are at home, this could be one of those wins.

If the Redskins win, they will go 6-5. They simply can't go in a key matchup next week against the Giants at 5-6. Therefore, the sense of urgency should be up (despite what we've seen this season), and it should help make a difference.

But, we'll see come roughly quarter after 4 PM EST.

HTTR,

-OBE

"DC" Skins Postgame #11 - Titanic Effort Returns Hope

2010-11-24T00:44:00.000-05:00

Yes... another late blog. I do realize this should have been posted about two days ago, but who's keeping track?

Anyway, after being left for dead after the massacre against the Eagles last Monday night on national television, the Redskins have gotten some hope back with this 19-16 overtime win against the Titans. This was a game that the Redskins had to win, and going into the game, it didn't look good because the Titans won all the games against the NFC East, and they were very banged up with a lot of key injuries. Not to mention, the Titans are just plainly a lot more talented than them.

As the game was played, it didn't look to good for the Skins initially as well. They allowed the ball deep into their own territory for the first Titans possession, then allowed a touchdown punt return during the next. But fortunately for them, they were only down 7-0. They responded a possession later and tied it at 7, but they could have easily been down by a lot.

Then, the injuries started coming. Special teams players started to go down, then some offensive linemen, then Clinton Portis (again), then more offensive linemen. They were banged up already to start off the game, and they started to lose even more players? It looked bad. Very bad. The coaches were moving people around the line, putting tackles as guards, players who played normally played on the left on the right side, and so on. That offensive line was a patchwork job, and it didn't look like it was going to hold up, especially against a defense that sacked the quarterback the most in the NFL.

But the Redskins offensive line really surprised me. Despite this line being banged up and abnormal, it still probably put up the best effort it has all season. McNabb was only sacked three times, and in most cases, they gave him time to throw the ball. The mistakes that McNabb made and the interceptions he threw were more on him than on his offensive line. There was even one interception he threw where he had forever to throw the ball. Along with the fact that Vince Young was replaced by a rookie quarterback in the 4th quarter, this gritty play of this offensive line, as well as key stops on defense kept the Redskins in it in the end, and the game came down to a Redskins field goal in the end of regulation, which wasn't made. Therefore, it went to overtime.

Overtime was more of the same. The Titans moved the ball a little bit, and depended on Chris Johnson to do so, but apparently the Redskins play made it clear that they would make Rusty Smith (Vince Young's replacement) try to beat them. And of course, he wasn't able to. And after they punted, and when the Titans gave the ball back to the Redskins, offense did it's thing and allowed McNabb to make a few plays. But at the same time, Titans also committed a lot of stupid penalties in this period, including a few unnecessary roughness and holding penalties. So, in the end, the Redskins moved the ball far enough so they had a chance at a field goal. Ironically, that field goal was a yard longer than the field goal that was missed to end regulation. However, Gano (the Redskins kicker) was able to boot it in for the win.

As I said, this is a good win for the Redskins, and it restored some hope in this town and showed that the season is not lost (yet). They beat a team that they weren't supposed to beat and are clearly more talented than them on paper with a very bad offensive line, after a demoralizing loss a week before. Therefore, people in DC have started to rejoice for the week, because the smiles are more apparent after the win. Not to mention, the "P" word could be back in the conversation if there happens to be a couple more key wins. And that starts next week, with a very winnable game against the Vikings (who has a geriatric quarterback with some off-the-field camera phone "issues" and also just fired their head coach).

But, with this win, people here in the DMV should feel good, for now. If they play with that same heart, as they get healthy, they will definitely get back into the postseason conversation. But, it's still very hard to say whether this win determines if this team will be playoff bound. It may be doubtful that the line will perform the way it did that day, and how well (or if) everyone heels up as the season goes on.

For now, just take it for what it's worth... a win against a more talented Titans team. Whether it gives momentum throughout the upcoming games, we'll just have to wait and see. It does restore hope though. I always believed that hope is the rope of the faithful and loyal. And from living here all of these years, the fans of this team are one of the most faithful in the country.

That being said, Redskins fans can have something to hang on to for now. Let's just see how long it hangs out there.

HTTR,

-OBE

"DC" Skins PREgame #11 - at Tennessee - Remember the Titans

2010-11-21T01:43:00.000-05:00

The Redskins are coming off one of the most disappointing losses in recent memory against the Eagles. In my opinion they simply have to get a win here to get back in the conversation as far as "playoff contenders". Most people aren't picking the Redskins to do a lot in this game, and that's understandable, considering that they stunk it up on National TV last week, and the Titans have some weapons on offense, and are pretty solid in defense. If they win a game that they are supposedly not to win, that will at least get a little of that bad taste out of their mouth, and get them confident for the next week.

But, as far as if it's actually gonna happen, that may be a whole different story. After this past week, most of the fans have been dejected and disappointed, and even the most loyal ones realistically believe they can't win this game, and to expect disappointment again. As it was said, Tennessee has way too many offensive weapons, with Chris Johnson, Vince Young, and Randy Moss (who was acquired not too long ago). And with the way the Redskins offense has been playing lately (mainly, the offensive line getting McNabb destroyed), the Titans D can shut them down.

I consider myself a pretty loyal Redskins fan. But realistically, like a lot of other Redskins fans out there, if you look at the situation realistically, it's just hard to pick them in anything right now. They're offensive line is terrible, they're missing a few key players on defense, and right now, they're just not a good team.

Prediction: Redskins 21 Titans 37

I will say, that Clinton Portis finally coming back should help the Redskins out a lot, and can possibly get McNabb that pass protection he needs, as a solid blocking running back. Ironically, Albert Haynesworth can be an ex-factor in this game too. He's coming back to his original team, and might be motivated to play, since that is where his brother died. Conversely, the way Shanahan and the defensive coaches play Haynesworth could have a huge say on this game as well.

As I always do whenever I picked the Skins to lose... I hope I'm wrong. But right now, all signs point to the Titans winning, and I just can't avoid those signs (especially if they're too obvious). Fortunately, realistically picking a team to win, and hoping for a win are two different things. So, although I'm doing the former, there's no reason that I can't believe in the latter.

But like I said, we'll see what happens.

HTTR,

-OBE

PS: If there are a lot of mistakes in this blog, I did most of it when I was only half awake. (Just so you know).

My thoughts on Pacquiao vs Margarito - A Story of Playground Supremacy

2010-11-20T19:34:00.000-05:00

I realize I am a week late for this blog. I meant to do this blog sooner, but I was out and about working for the community. Not to mention, I had a lot of things on my mind that I am not really at a liberty to discuss here.

But about this fight... if you are a Manny Pacquiao fan and/or you are a Filipino (which, in both cases, I am), then you loved this fight. From the introductions when he came out to AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" and Joe Esposito's "You're the Best" (from the Karate Kid Soundtrack), all the way to the Larry Merchant post-match interview, you were entertained if you were a Pacquiao fan.

Since I am clearly not a boxing analyst or expert, instead of telling you my specific thoughts of what took place during the match, I am going to summarize my thoughts through a story that some people may relate to when they were kids...

Imagine if you knew a kid who was probably one of the smallest in the playground. He was always short, and initially was grouped with all the small kids. Since this kid is a small kid, he had to continuously prove himself. So in time, when kids his size pushed him back, he continued to hold his own and knock them down, until they were no longer a challenge for them. He then became the toughest little kid in that group.

As time went along, bigger kids started to notice him. These kids are part of 7 different groups, with each group having bigger kids than the previous group. Many of these kids tried to get a piece of this kid, but, as time went along, he got stronger. When each of the top kids in each of these groups tried to push him, he kept knocking them down.

After beating some of the best kids from the last 6 groups, out comes a very big kid from that last 7th group. Now the kid has some doubters that he might not do so well. He already went a tough road beating up kids from the last 6 groups. To add on, this big kid towered over the little kid. As big as this kid is, he could have easily been part of the 8th group. Not to mention, because the little kid got so popular standing up to the bigger kids, his classmates elected him class president. He was taking a lot more responsibilities, and probably cannot focus on standing up to the bigger kids as much. Therefore, there were a few people saying that he might not win if he fought this bigger kid, who was naturally much bigger than him.

However, the time came when the little kid had to confront the biggest kid he's ever seen. When the big kid tried to push the little kid around, not only did the little kid push back, but he hit him a lot... and I mean a lot. He hit the big kid so much, that his face was messed up really bad. And to add on, when it was obvious the big kid was already beaten, the small kid decided to show mercy and not "make a statement" by knocking him down.

In my opinion, this story of playground supremacy may somewhat mirror Pacquiao's journey through boxing. He started his career as a flyweight, then he kept moving up, beating guys and winning world championships in 7 different weight classes. This all then culminated into an 8th world championship in his fight against Margarito, who was a pretty big super welter-weight (Margarito had to cut weight to get this fight, while Pacquiao had to bulk up). And despite being elected to the Philippine Congress and taking a lot more responsibilities and having a lot more distractions, he managed to do his job and easily win his fight against Margarito, so much so, that he didn't need to send a message by going for a knockout at the end of the fight.

However, if I could add something else to the story, to make it even more accurate... a kid who's arguably as good as this kid (Mayweather), needs to get a confrontation with this kid to settle who really is the best in the playground. Every kid in this playground wants to see this confrontation, and kids from other playgrounds all over the world do as well. However, there's always an excuse being made (mostly from the other kid) to prevent this from confrontation from happening.

I doubt Pacquiao will move up another weight class and go for a world title in a 9th weight class. That would be unprecedented if that happened. But right now, the only fight that the boxing world wants to see, and the only fight that matters, is Pacquiao vs Mayweather. Hopefully, they would find a way to make it happen, but as it looks right now, with Mayweather's legal problems, it's highly unlikely that it will anytime soon.

But before I end this entry, I just thought I'd throw out one more factoid out there (which I posted after the fight). Manny Pacquiao has more wins all year in Cowboys Stadium than the Dallas Cowboys (with Pacquiao having two wins in 2010, while the Cowboys are still winless in their home stadium in the 2010 season). And as a Redskins fan, that gives me a comfort. LOL

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE

"DC" Skins Postgame #10 - Shocked and Embarassed

2010-11-16T23:59:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to say too much about this game. Simply put, it was tough to watch if you're a Redskins fan. The team got embarrassed, humiliated, degraded, or any other negative verb you can throw out there that summarizes pure disappointment.

I am not going to blog about it, not only because it may be a little tough to do so as a fan, but also, the local, as well as the national reaction to the overall Redskins performance (as well as the overall Eagles performance) is practically mutual... the game was not even close. (And that's an understatement).

Instead of talking about it, I'll post a rant from one of the more respected sports radio shows out here in this area, because of the unbiased commentary. This was from Chad Dukes and Lavar Arrington from 106.7-FM "The Fan". Chad Dukes was mad, and really exhibited the passion, and frustration the fans from this area have been going through in years, and just shows how loyal the fans are in this town.

If anybody from the organization heard this rant, I hope they took some notes. People are really disappointed in major failure and expect the best from what they pour their heart out to, as it is in real life.

With that being said, for this team as it relates to this season... this is "Rock Bottom". And when you're at your very worse, you can only get better, which is the way I see it. Although I am probably as disappointed as Chad Dukes with this performance, I always try to find the positive that may come out of a bad situation.

We'll see how they play against another solid team in the Tennessee Titans next week, to see if that pain can actually serve as a motivator to turn the season around. But with this performance, even though I am cautiously optimistic, I still remain more skeptical that this team can turn it around for this season.

So until then, we'll see how it goes. But I will say right now, since I put a lot of faith in my team in that last prediction and lost a lot of it, it may be hard to pick them for the rest of the season.

I will say, that I was right about one thing though. I was right in titling the pregame entry "Redemption". That game yesterday was indeed "Redemption", but it was just more appropriate for the other team.

That's all I gotta say about that.

-OBE

"DC" Skins PREgame #10 - vs Philadelphia - Redemption Part 2

2010-11-15T20:31:00.000-05:00

This is only going to be a quick thoughts blog, just because it a bit after 8:15 PM kickoff is in more or less 15 minutes. I'm just going to get a few quick thoughts in, and then my predictions.

First thought... the Redskins had a very long bye week to sit on their loss. They played the early game in Week 8, and play the final Monday Night game in Week 10. Unless they have huge injuries (like Clinton Portis) there should be no excuses that they aren't prepared or refreshed for this match.

In the two weeks leading into this matchup, all that the DC sports media can talk about is benchgate... did Shanahan do the right thing benching McNabb?, how would this affect McNabb and contract negotiations?, the long-term future of the Redskins?. But whatever happened two weeks ago, is the past. The Redskins have a chance to forget what happened two weeks ago with a huge victory tonight and right the ship (so to speak).

Some breaking news took place today as well. McNabb finally signed his contract extension. This is important because he doesn't have to worry about a contract anymore, and he can just focus mainly on football.

I do think the Redskins are going to win this game, but it's gonna be far from easy. The Eagles are coming off one of their biggest wins of the season against Peyton Manning and the Colts, a team that the Redskins lost to. The Eagles defense were able to contain Peyton Manning and the offense, and Mike Vick and their running back were able to capitalize on the suspect running defense of Indy.

With that being said, the Redskins should be prepared with their two weeks off. McNabb and his team needs to redeem themselves after letting an opportunity slip two weeks ago. And given it's the Eagles and it's McNabb's former team and it's Monday Night football, they should be giving a bit more effort.

Prediction Eagles 24 Redskins 27

Whether I'm right and wrong in this prediction, we can all agree that this game is a crossroads of destiny for this Redskins team. In my opinion, whatever the results will be will be a huge indicator of how they will finish the season.

HTTR...

-OBE

These videos take me back... Way Back

2010-11-13T01:39:00.000-05:00

Most people know that I was born in the Philippines. I don't really remember a lot from my very early years in the Philippines, from when I was born to when my family moves to the United States when I was 6, but I found a couple of videos in YouTube that really took me back.

The first is one of my favorite action series when I was growing up. I remembered it as "Bioman". Take a look...

Basically, it's an early version of the Power Rangers (although, not the earliest). I had fond memories of this show, as my brothers and I watched this with some of our friends in our neighborhood, right before "Muppet Babies". A key plot in this show, was when Yellow-4, one of the team members, died because she got killed by the bad guys. I remembered having dreams about that when I was a little kid, and crying. Looking back at some of the clips, I'm surprised how violent this series was, and had a lot of adult situations, considering that this was a kids' show.

Another show I ran into in YouTube that I remembered watching in the Philippines was Batibot. Basically, it's a Filipino Tagalog version of "Sesame Street"...

I remembered a lot about this show, most especially the big goofy turtle. This show would come on right before a real English and American version of Sesame Street. In fact, I learned that this show was actually sponsored and produced by Children's Television Workshop. Kind of makes me wonder though, that from all the Tagalog on this show, that my brother and I was able to "unlearn" Tagalog when we moved here to the US.

I also remembered a lot of other shows. Of course, I do remember watching Voltron, Transformers, and Thundercats, like many normal kids around the world. But as far as Filipino specific shows, I do remember watching a variety show called Eat Bulaga with "Tito, Vic, and Joey" that aired during lunch time. I also remembered watching Filipino soap operas too (which names I couldn't remember), which haunted me for a long time, because of so many "adult situations" like people drowning, and getting run over by cars. I couldn't find YouTube footage of those shows as I remembered them though.

Anyway, it was great to re-live a lot of my early Filipino memories through YouTube. It's always great to see where you came from, even when you were probably way too young to remember anything.

On an unrelated note, I hope Manny Pacquiao wins tonight.

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE

People are Awesome

2010-11-11T23:59:00.000-05:00

I know I have been dropping the ball as far as posting blogs, therefore, I thought I'd do a very quick, yet very productive and upbeat post with this entry.

Saw this video the other day on my phone, because it's title caught my eye when I saw it on the YouTube widget. Check it out...

Enough said!

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE

"DC" Skins PREgame #9 - What Game?

2010-11-07T00:33:00.000-04:00

The Redskins aren't playing this week, so I don't have anything specific to write about when it comes to "pregame" thoughts this week. During bye weeks, most sports blogs covering the Redskins would evaluate what the team has done so far, and what it can do to move on or get better. Frankly, I'm tired of reading about the McNabb-Shanahan controversy, bench gate, how our best cover cornerback can't catch, and how our best catching cornerback can't cover, so I'll refrain talking about the Redskins. They don't have a game until Monday the 15th, so there's definitely a long gap in between games. I will say though, that as far as recovery, this bye week came at a perfect time for the Redskins... right in the middle of the season, since you won't get burned out by having a bye week too late, nor do you lose your rhythm by having your bye too early.

But instead of talking about the Redskins, I'll just talk about Week 9 in general, and some short general thoughts...

I don't think there are really intriguing matchups this week that really jump out at you. The most, I guess would be Tampa Bay and Atlanta, since both teams are in the same division, and both locked in at 5-2 fighting for the top spot. I will say, that I am still not sold on Tampa, and I am pretty sure that the Falcons should win this game handily, and make the Bucs look like pretenders, while making themselves serious contenders in the NFC with the Giants.

Indy and Philly kind of looks interesting, considering that it is rumored that Michael Vick will be back. But, of course, I'm rooting for Peyton Manning and the Colts, because any loss by division rivals is a good one for the Redskins. If Manning looks as good as he did against the Redskins and pick apart that Philly defense, then Indy should have a win.

Kansas City and Oakland is an interesting game, because it's a NFC West rivalry game. We don't care too much about here in the East Coast, but the fans of these teams really value this rivalry. They're both not too far off of each other in the standings, but both are in the top-2 spots of this division, so this should be an interesting game.

I guess Pittsburgh and Cincinnati is an intriguing game as well, since they are also both on the same division, both with a lot of talent. Not to mention, they both love to talk trash to one another, which should make the matchup even more entertaining. But, since the Bengals are having a disappointing year, and the Steelers have managed to keep the ship together when their quarterback didn't play, the edge will go to Pittsburgh. But, don't be surprised if this game is close, or if Cincinnati happens to pull it off.

I will probably end up watching the Ravens and Dolphins game though. I could care less about this matchup, but since the Ravens are the team that I pay attention to whenever the Redskins aren't playing, I will probably see this game. There's nothing intriguing to me about this match though. However, I have bought in to the fact that the Ravens will go pretty far. Their offense can still use a good amount of work, but they are still one of the most balanced teams around.

I do have a meeting in my church that I have to attend after church, so I will be missing a good amount of the early games. I probably might not be watching too much of the late games either, considering that the Capitals play the Flyers later that afternoon.

But with that, it should still be an interesting week to watch football... so if you have nothing else better to do, go ahead and watch.

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE

PS: Don't forget to set your clock back before bed.

Another Reason Why I Love the Japanese...

2010-11-05T10:18:00.000-04:00

The Japanese brought us innovative electronics, efficient automobiles, crazy game shows, and animation such as Akira and the Dragon Ball franchise. and Sasuke/Ninja Warrior. Now they have brought it's natives an outrageous way to learn English...

Go to YouTube and type in "Zuukin". There's a bunch of these videos. It makes me smile. :-)

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

Ignore...

2010-11-04T23:01:00.000-04:00

Normally, I'm all for acknowledgment. When someone does something notable (hoping that it's great) it deserves to be recognized. However, this blog post will discuss the other end of the spectrum (sort of).

A couple of nights ago, I attended the Washington Wizards home season opener. Before the game, the Wizards' star rookie, John Wall does the Dougie.

When I saw it, I viewed it as a kid trying to have fun and giving the home crowd something to be excited about in his first home game in the city that he represents, all the while, trying to zap some energy into a franchise that has been in need of it for years.

However, one national radio personality (who will remain nameless on this blog), decided to criticize this, and tried to spin this in the most elitist way possible. He compared Wall doing this dance to low-IQ street thuggery and robbing a bank, and that the "elite" point guards who play and have played in the league will never do something like this.

When I heard this, I just shook my head because it's completely asinine. Many times, I have respect for this guy and his opinions, as I think he usually has educated and well thought out opinions, but it's just obvious that he was just saying this to try to get a reaction... so people will call his radio show, waste some ink and pixels on him in paper or in the blogosphere, or take up bandwidth in YouTube. And believe me... it worked. There's tons of reactions all over the world wide web.

So the lesson to be learned from all this, is that whenever people say asinine things to try to get a reaction, the best thing to do is to ignore them. To give them any kind of reaction or publicity at all just plays into what they want you to do. So the best way to do not do that, is to not give them the light of day, and not do anything relating to them at all.

Look at it from a professional wrestling standpoint... whether you're a good guy and get heavily cheered, or your a bad guy and get severely booed, they are the ones getting paid and the ones with the most job security. If you're someone whom fans aren't sure to cheer or boo and practically gets little or no reaction, then you're gonna have trouble getting booked and getting paid. So the best way to try to make these people to go away is to ignore them.

But if you think about it, by giving John Wall some air time in his show, he probably had the reverse effect of what he intended, and more people probably respected John Wall even more after his rant, considering some well-researched bloggers refuted a lot of his points. Here's an example of such a blog that did a great job in doing so.

So, in case someone is trying to get under your skin... the best thing to do is to just ignore. Don't play into their hands by giving them the time of day.

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE

"DC" Skins Postgame #8 - Haunting Loss

2010-11-01T20:53:00.000-04:00

Being that yesterday was Halloween, it is fitting that this loss against the Lions is haunting for the Redskins. As I said, they had all the momentum and the opportunity to go into their bye-week at 5-3, with a winning record, on the thick of things on the race for the division, or maybe in the conference. Yet, they blew a game they had a great chance to win down the stretch... and now more uncertain about the future than any point in the season. And I didn't even mention the "Bench-gate" scandal that took place in the end of the game.

As expected, the Lions were a tougher out than their 1-5 record indicated. Matthew Stafford is a decent young quarterback, he came back from an injury, they have a talented defensive line, and they were well rested, playing at home, coming straight out of their bye week.

Stafford looked rusty to start off the game, but luckily for them, the Redskins offense couldn't capitalize with their opportunities. It was a defensive battle to start off, with the Lions defense getting pressure on McNabb, and the Redskins making a few plays. If I can recall, the first points weren't scored until the 2nd quarter.

But, as when the scores started to come, it was a see-saw battle. When the Lions scored, the Skins countered with another score. The Redskins were able to get two quick field goals in the end of the half to lead by 6 at break.

Come the 3rd and 4th quarter, the battle continued. It was a pretty good battle. Score after conter-score, with nice drives, as well as defensive and special teams plays. It continued up until down the stretch, up until the end of the game. When McNabb got intercepted, and the Lions scored that field goal, even though they were down by 6, the chances weren't that good.

But, what really sealed it was when McNabb got benched for Rex Grossman with under 2-minutes to play still only down for 6-points. And in the first play, "Sexy Rexy" got sacked, fumbled the ball, and gave up the go-ahead score to seal it.

Before I give my opinions on that particular "bench-gate" incident, I want to talk about what I generally saw in the game. The Lions defensive line dominated the front line, as they totally destroyed that shaky Redskins offensive line. And honestly, the way it looked, it could have been A LOT worse. With the pressure they got on McNabb, it's a surprise he didn't get hit more, or leave the game injured. Not to mention, the Skins couldn't get the run going, and most of their plays that they made in offense were on the air. And, a lot of the scores they got were from good special teams or defensive plays getting them good field position.

So now... the issue with Shanahan benching McNabb. Like many people who saw it... I'm not buying his reasons. Yesterday, he said he benched them because McNabb didn't know the two-minute terminology as well as Grossman did, since he's been in the system a lot longer. After the press conference today, he said that he wasn't well-conditioned and that his "cardio" wasn't good enough.

As much as I don't like to say it, that last statement is kind of making Albert Hayneswoth look more credible with his issues with Shanahan earlier in the year, and makes him look like he uses "conditioning" as a trump card to give him an excuse not to play people. And, the fact that Haynesworth actually had another solid game yesterday, shows that he isn't as bad as Shanahan made him out to be earlier in the year.

Regardless, no matter what shape you think your player is in... if he's clearly the best player you got, you put him in down the stretch. And clearly, McNabb is better than Rex Grossman. He's more mobile, can allude the rush, and has been and thrived more in pressure situations than "Sexy Rexy". Even if he knew the terminology more, the fact that you put an immobile quarterback against a shaky offensive line that has been killed all-day long by that Lions frontline was a very questionable move.

As far as the reason that it was said that McNabb wouldn't have been capable of running the two minute offense because of his "cardio" or his capability... I don't buy that at all. He says that the Skins have never been in a two minute situation all year. Apparently, Shanny couldn't turn the clock back a couple of hours, because McNabb got some much needed 3-points in a two-minute situation before halftime. Sure, it was only a field goal, and it was earlier in the game when he is supposedly not as "tired", but still... he showed he's capable of doing what he needed to do, when he needed to do it.

Looking forward to the rest of the season, this loss, and the "bench-gate" situation can lead to two different results, both on the opposite sides of the spectrum...

One is (which is the one that most people I have heard in the airwaves are predicting), that this is a crippling loss, which will take the Redskins out of contention, and they will fall apart as the year goes on (adding all that to the fact that the McNabb negotiations have all been killed and this organization has to go back to square one, and be uncertain about the future again).
OR... this loss can fire up this team, like how the loss to the Rams ealier in the year fired them up to win against teams that they are supposed to lose to. And just like that Rams loss, who do they play in their next game? Donovan McNabb's Eagles. Rewind back into last year, when Andy Reid benched McNabb in favor or Kevin Kolb. When McNabb got his spot back, he played his best football of the year and almost closed the year with a division championship (until the Eagles pooped it out against the Cowboys in the last week of the season, then in the opening round of the playoffs).

As someone who is normally an optimist, I'm inclined to think that the latter option is more than probable for the Skins. And realistically, I do think they can come back from this loss and do better. I hate sounding like an apologist... considering that they haven't really done anything mind-blowing so far in the first half of the season, but from looking at the schedule, it looks like they might've gotten the tougher games out of the way. IMO, the toughest games they have left are against the Giants twice, and the Titans. If they can steal a couple of those games, and beat the teams that they're supposed to beat (and yes, I predict the Buccaneers to slowly as the year goes on), they can get back in the conversation.

But, as we all know, the NFL is a week-by-week, "what have you done for me lately?" league. You're only as good as your last performance... and if the Redskins happen to bounce back after this loss and convincingly win against the Eagles, people will start talking about them again.

It's a shame though that they will not get that chance in another 2 weeks. Their next game won't be until Monday the 15th, so they have A LOT of time to think about this win... and the local media has a lot of time to stew on this loss and fill the airwaves with a lot of chatter. That's why I said that it was important that they get this win... not only for their psychological outset in these two weeks, but also, because of what I previously said, that this area is so linked to this football team, that when the team loses, the mood in this area is terrible. Therefore, most people will feel terrible during the first half of November. (I say "most", because this statement won't apply to me.)

As I last year, the President isn't dead... so all is not lost in DC in these next two weeks. But, if this city's football team can bounce back from their latest setback (which I can see that they are more than capable of)... then all will be much better again.

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T23:58:00.000-04:00

...from El Último.

He is said to be inspired by The Ultimate Warrior, Ric Flair, Eddie Guerrero, Delirious, and Spike Dudley. Showed up in a couple of Halloween functions this year. He loves to be loud and obnoxious. See the only wrestling promo he ever recorded.

Not to mention, he stole my championship belt (and my shirt). He steals them every Halloween, and gives it back the day or two after. (He's such a nice guy).

Happy Halloween.

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE

PS: Will do the Redskins Postgame blog tomorrow.

"DC" Skins PREgame #8 - at Detroit - A Win is Needed... I Ain't Lion.

2010-10-30T23:59:00.001-04:00

I'm gonna try to keep this short... the Redskins need to win this game.

As this game is played, the Redskins have a huge chance to go into their bye week with a lot of momentum... as they currently have with a 4-3 winning record, a 2-1 NFC record, and they're unblemished at 2-0 in their own division. If they win against Detroit, they will be 5-3, and be alone in 2nd in the NFC East, and only a half-a-game behind the New York Giants for the division lead.

However, they can't afford to look back. The Lions are 1-5, and some people say the Redskins should win this game (since they should be motivated after what happened in Week 3 last year), but it's gonna be far from an easy win. As I said in last week's blog, the Lions have been in every single game they were in, and their win-loss record does not do them justice of how good this team is this year.

And, despite of the 1-5 record, this team has improved from last year. They've drafted a playmaking pass-rusher in defense with Ndamukong Suh, who can potentially have a field day and give McNabb a lot of trouble. They still have Calvin Johnson, who look like he's gotten even better. Their running back Jahvid Best, though struggling currently, is a solid young guy. And on top of that, their quarterback with the big arm, Matt Stafford should be back, who had his way with the Skins last year. Add that to the fact that the gamblers at Vegas are favoring the Lions to beat the Redskins to win by around 3 points, this should be far from an "easy win".

However, do I think the Redskins can rise above all that and pull of a win? Yes I do. Although, I do potentially see McNabb having some problems with the improved Lions pass rush, I do think he'll get some off to his tight ends. Not to mention, as crazy as it may sound, Ryan Torain and the Redskins running attack can have a big game this week. And I do think the Redskins defense will be aggressive against Stafford, and will never get that Detroit running game going. I do think that they will remember the loss from last year, and really use it as fuel to turn up the aggressiveness. Add that to the fact that the Redskins have put someone out in just about every game this year... the Lions may not be an exception, and can potentially hurt someone.

Final prediction... Redskins 27 Lions 19

Like I said, the Redskins really need this win, and the players and the coaches should be up for it. It would not only be great to go into a bye week with a win, but they'll go in as one of the more solid teams in the NFC with a 5-3 record. Add that to the motivation they should have for being humiliated last year, should add up to a Redskins win. Afterward, they can rest up on a long bye week and meet the Eagles at their homefield on 11/15. If they can pull off the win, it looks like the stars may start to align for a nice run for a playoff spot, or a division crown during the 2nd half of the season.

But, one thing I find interesting is that in this game, two specific players are playing in opposing teams... Kevin Barnes and Jahvid Best. This is what happened the last time these two met (in the college level)...

I doubt this would happen, considering that Kevin Barnes is far down the depth chart for the Redskins, but the fact that these two are on opposing sidelines. I'm kind of surprised this sports potpourri hasn't been mentioned in the airwaves (if it has, I must not have heard it).

Hopefully, I'm right with this prediction. A win really will get people around here very excited for the first half of November, and that's something I'd like to look forward to.

HTTR!!!

-OBE

Is Your Rent Too Damn High?

2010-10-29T22:56:00.000-04:00

Jimmy McMillan thinks so...

In fact, "Rent is too Damn High" is not only the whole platform that he runs behind, but also the party that he represents. (High rent/cost of living or operation = bad economy, less jobs, hungry kids, poverty = EVIL).

Not to mention, he's a karate expert.

I'm not going as far as saying that he would win (or if a lot of people are going to take him seriously and actually vote for him), but he's definitely gonna get some attention come election day on Tuesday. (If he hasn't done so already, since he's gotten a few million people to watch his debate footage in mere days.)

I do agree with him though... rent is too damn high. Have you seen how much rent costs on average in downtown DC? sheesh

D4P...PD

-OBE

Greeting Your Friends A Happy Birthday...

2010-10-27T10:24:00.000-04:00

I feel it's pretty important to greet the people in your life a happy birthday! A birthday is a day when something great happened... you came into this world, and you were given life. I feel it's always important to be thankful, and recognize that.

In fact, in Facebook, so long as your birthday is listed your profile (or even if it's not, and I just happen to know it), I greet you a happy birthday. I don't just do it any other way though, because so long as I can write on your wall, I do it with a personalized greeting (it's personalized to the level that I actually know you) and post it with the following video...

I like to think that I started this social media birthday video greeting craze. (A lot of other people are just starting to get into it recently). As this video said, this is the 3rd version of my personal Facebook birthday greeting (which I change every year on April 1st), and years before Facebook became my networking tool of choice, I used to do this on MySpace.

In MySpace, I had 25,000+ friends, and I managed to do it for everyone who listed their birthdays by initially posting a playlist of my motivational videos on their wall. Then, it evolved to me posting that playlist preceded by the following video...

Like I said, since I had so many friends on MySpace, this became one of my most popular videos. People love to be genuinely greeted a happy birthday, and they will definitely appreciate the gesture.

Unfortunately, I rarely log into myspace anymore, since it's interface is clearly inferior as compared to Facebook. Since my MySpace page is an Artist page, and has over 5,000 fans, it doesn't show the birthdays anymore, therefore I can't greet people a happy birthday on MySpace. However, it's definitely a different story when it comes to my Facebook page. I value the people in my network, and I greet them a happy birthday whenever it's time.

This week I happened to greet a lot of my Facebook friends a happy birthday. Therefore I thought it appropriate for me to do this blog.

But all in all, there's plenty of creative ways to greet your friends a happy birthday on social media, or just generally appreciate them. I am still trying to find a way to do it on Twitter, but apparently, it's not as possible, considering that you don't have to be as personable with your followers, as well as the ones you're following.

Whatever the case may be, if you know if it's your friend's birthday, take the time to greet them. If you give it some extra kick (by doing something like a video), I'm sure they'll appreciate it that much more.

Like I said, you can also do something like this even when it isn't someone's birthday. As I always believed... adding value to others' lives, will add value to your own.

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE

Wizards Making Magic in the Commuity

2010-10-26T20:18:00.000-04:00

In lieu of the start of the NBA Season today, I just wanted to point something out that my hometown team, the Washington Wizards have done...

Salute to the Stars

Most of the Washington Wizards players, including this year's 1st round pick John Wall, took the time to serve veterans hors d'oeurves and food. That's definitely a great way to show appreciation to those who have served this country, and defend the right for all of us to be our own "destiny choosers".

Normally, I'm skeptical with these "NBA Cares" campaigns, considering that it's done more for positive PR purposes, to build face and credibility, and make themselves look good than they really are. I usually remember this quote from the Bible when I hear about big organizations "giving back" to the community...

Matthew 6:1-4

"Be careful not to do your `acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

But, as the case with the Wizards, I don't think that they aren't doing it so much only to show off they are servants of the community. For years, even before the "NBA Cares" Campaign, they followed the example of their late owner Abe Pollin and did stuff for the community all the time, without announcement and glorification. He has done tons for the DC community, like revitalize what practically was a DC slum into one of the most thriving parts of DC. but it wasn't until Abe Pollin died that we knew most of what he really meant to the community and all the things that he has done. That example follows with his successor, Ted Leonsis.

So with that, I would just like to say enjoy the NBA Season. If you were expecting an NBA prediction blog, I am not going to do one (as I didn't do one for the NHL at the start of their season). The season is just too long, with way too many games played. It takes a lot of work to analyze an NBA season (and even then, the so-called experts don't even to get it right)...

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE

"DC" Skins Postgame #7 - Game Turnover

2010-10-25T12:36:00.000-04:00

As I noted while watching this game on Twitter, this Redskins game against the Bears has probably got to be one of the ugliest games I've ever seen. It was so ugly, that it was pretty comedic... and I had a lot of moments where I was laughing out loud.

As both teams' records indicate, this was a close game. However, I thought that more points were actually going to be scored. Cutler clearly has the capability to throw the ball and run up the score if given the protection, and I thought Donovan McNabb would put in a better performance than he had put, since he was playing in his hometown. Instead of an offensive performance on both sides of the ball, what we got is a low-scoring, and sloppy, defensive, turnover-laden game.

During the 1st half, the Redskins were dominating the field position battle, and usually got the ball on or around mid-field to start off possessions. However, they couldn't finish off drives, by either having 3-and-outs, or by turning over the ball when they were in enemy territory. The Bears D kept it close for the 1st half, and one interception by them put them over on the scoreboard come halftime (despite being dominated statistically by the Redskins).

In the 2nd half, the Bears seemed to have all the momentum, and they were moving the ball up and down the field. However, it was their turn to be sloppy. The Redskins defense (most notbably, Albert Haynesworth), caused a key goal line fumble that prevented the Bears from going up 21-10. But despite the opportunity, the Redskins offense didn't really capitalize and didn't move the ball deep enough out of their own territory to give the Bears bad field possession after a punt.

The Bears still continued to move up and down the field, however the Redskins defense kept showing up. DeAngelo Hall (the Redskins quarterback), kept on picking off Jay Cutler, and he ended up with 4 interceptions to end the day (which ties an NFL single-game record). One of those interceptions was taken all the way back for a touchdown, and gave the Redskins the lead.

But even though the Redskins defense kept giving the offense opportunities, they failed to capitalize. As either McNabb immediately gave the ball right back by throwing an interception, or they would be relegated to a 3-and-out. Had the offense played a lot better during the game, they would not only had a chance to close the game down the stretch, but this game would not have been close (considering how much advantage the Redskins had in field position).

Overall, both teams' defenses keep their team in the game. They kept it close, and each had more than their share of turnovers. So this game could be classified as "ugly", because of all the turnovers, and all the mistakes. But a lot of people like low-scoring, "ugly" defensive battles in football, so if you're into that, this was the game for you.

I also thought that because of the Bears' offensive line woes, that the Redskins will sack Jay Cutler a lot more. If you checked my twitter, I was actually tweeting each time Jay Cutler got sacked, because I thought he would have gotten sacked a lot throughout the game. In the first 20 minutes of the game, it looked like my prediction was gonna be correct, because Cutler got sacked 3 times. But as the game went on, he was only sacked one more time. I probably should have tweeted the number of turnovers that took place in the game (9 total... 6 on Bears, 3 on Redskins). Or, if I tweeted every time DeAngelo Hall had an interception, I would have matched the Cutler sacked number.

I did say in the pregame blog post, that the winner of this game would look more like an NFC contender. I'll have to retract on that statement, because the Redskins have not really separated themselves from the "midcard" of the NFC. Seems like the defense may start adjusting to the scheme, but when the offense is not firing, and the running game is stalling (as it has been all year), then their chances of winning will go down significantly. Not to mention, the Redskins have yet to have a "statement game", in which there was no question that they were truly the better team on the field.

But, I will say that this was a good win. It was an important win that they had to get, because it's a win inside the NFC, and could play in down the stretch when it comes to tie-breakers. It was also a win against a team that played well so far in the season, and had a decent record with some wins against quality opponents.

However, as good this win is, next week's game against the Detroit Lions actually worries me A LOT. Detroit has been a laughing stock of a franchise during a good part of the decade, but it seems they are slowly starting to turn things around. They are currently 1-5, but they're record is not indicative of how good this team could be, or actually is. They were pretty much in every game they were in (4 out of their 5 losses were by one possession), and they destroyed the Rams, which were a team that manhandled the Redskins earlier this season. Their rookie Ndamukong Suh seems to also be paying dividends for that defense. To add on, the Redskins seem to play down to their competition. If the Redskins looks at this team's record, and happens to take them lightly, especially if they are picked to be favorites (which they may be, because of their superior record), they are going to get embarrassed. But to make matters worse, the Lions will be coming off of their bye-week, which means they will be well-rested and probably be healthier than they have been all year. They might have their starting QB back, Matthew Stafford, and he picked the Redskins apart last year as a rookie to end the Lions' infamous 17-game losing streak.

I'll talk more about the Lions' next week. For now, Redskins nation can enjoy this win, as this was a hard fought win. They have to continue to work hard, and keep the momentum going. This area is so tied with this team, that if the Redskins continue to win (no matter what the circumstance), this area remains happy.

Got to keep the happiness going.

HTTR,

-OBE

"DC" Skins PREgame #7 - at Chicago - Contender or Pretender?

2010-10-24T00:58:00.000-04:00

For the Redskins, this game against Chicago has to be the biggest non-divisional game they've had this year. They are 3-3, and the Chicago Bears are 4-2. If you check at various power rankings, most "experts" will have these two teams ranked close to each other. More importantly, this game would put a bit of separation between the "midcard" (to put it in pro-wrestling terms), against the headliners of the NFC. To put it in layman's terms, this game will make the losers look like pretenders, and the winners look a little more like contenders possibly in line for a "push".

So, to break it down...

To win this game, the Redskins have to continue the ground game going. Ryan Torain had a pretty good game last week against Indianapolis. Although, as I said before, the Colts, have historically had bad run defenses. Chicago's defense, in my estimation, should be a bit tougher (as they have 3 playmakers in Urlacher, Briggs, and Peppers). So, if Torain doesn't have a good a game as he had last week, there shouldn't be a surprise. On the other end, they shouldn't allow big plays to opposing running backs (who happen to be slumping). During the past two weeks, Brandon Jackson of Green Bay, and Joseph Addai from Indy, who managed to be slumping, caught the Redskins in big plays. Matt Forte of the Bears is also slumping in the ground, and if the Redskins somehow let him get off the snide for this game, it may be tough.

But the most important key to the game, I feel, is that the Bears offensive line is allowing the most sacks against their quarterbacks, 29 total. Their starter Jay Cutler, got sacked 23 times alone. If the Redskins can take advantage of this and keep this going, and not give Cutler the opportunity to use that strong arm of his to find his receivers, and make him look like Peyton Manning, the Redskins are going to be picked apart.

An X-Factor for the Bears, would be their returner Devin Hester. He's returned a few back for touchdowns this year, and seems to be back in the saddle when it comes to his return game. One interesting storyline they've talked about in regards to Devin Hester as it relates to this game, is that he has a chance to beat the record of Brian Mitchell (a Washington Redskins alumni) when it comes to returning punts.

With that being said, I do feel the Redskins will do enough to win. If Haynesworth is back (which early reports say that he will be), there will be a huge body eating double teams from that bad offensive line, and the pass rush will definitely get to Cutler. And if that's the case, the Redskins will definitely get a few sacks, and possibly get some picks and add on to their turnover ratio. The Redskins offense may have some troubles against this defense, but I feel they will do enough in this game to score more than the opponents. As far as the "X-Factor" is concerned, I do believe that the Redskins would shut down Devin Hester and not let them break Brian Mitchell's record.

Final prediction: Redskins 31 Bears 21

I do feel the Redskins need this game more than the Bears, because if they lose, they'll be 3-4, with a worse chance of recovering in a competitive division (in which 2 teams are currently tied for 1st at 4-2), than the Bears who will be at 4-3 at a competitive, yet recently slumping division (Packers lost 2 in a row, and the Vikings had a slow start). Hence, I'm picking the Redskins win. It's not necessarily gonna be an easy game, but I do think they should win.

Hopefully, when all is said and done, my hometown team will look more like a contender than a pretender.

HTTR,

-OBE

The Old Washington Senators are Going to the World Series...

2010-10-22T23:49:00.000-04:00

As you may know by now, I am a hardcore DC sports fan, so I just thought I'd mention that an old throwback Washington DC team is going for a world championship.

The Texas Rangers are going to the World Series.

For those who don't know, they used to be the old school Washington Senators before they left for Texas in the 1960s. They've never made it to the World Series since moving to Texas, until tonight. So you can't help but applaud them.

With that being said, I should not like this team, since it left DC decades ago for Texas. However, since I wasn't in America (much less on this Earth) during that time, the animosity isn't there, and it wouldn't affect me that much. And since they beat the Yankees (the team that tries to buy a championship every year) and use ginger ale to celebrate instead of champagne, more power and bonus points go to them!

However, if the San Francisco Baseball Giants happen to pull off the NLCS against the Phillies, I will root for the Giants. Out of all the teams remaining, they have the least amount of reasons for me to root against them. Not to mention, I got to see my home team Nationals beat them during my birthday, so it would be somewhat of a consolation to see them in the World Series.

So congrats to the Washington Senators... err, Texas Rangers. Definitely well deserved, and a first time for everything!

-OBE

Movie Review: The Blind Side

2010-10-19T23:59:00.002-04:00

I haven't done many movie reviews in this blog (if I've done any at all), but I feel I should do one. (Maybe I'll do more... who knows). But, I finally got to see "The Blind Side", because it finally debuted on HBO this month.

For most of you who don't know about this movie, to briefly summarize it (without spoiling it), it is based on the true story of Michael Oher, a big, athletic, but homeless teenager from the projects, who was sympathized and brought in by a wealthy Memphis family. Michael at first was reluctant to speak to anyone about his past, but as the movie goes on, the family (most especially the matriarch Leeann, played by Sandra Bullock) tries to get to know him, and eventually accepts him as one of their own. And as all of this was happening, we find out that Michael is a very gifted football player, who becomes one of the most coveted offensive lineman recruits in the country.

As far as inspirational sports dramas, this is a good one. As I said, I'm not going to spoil this movie (although, many have already seen it). After seeing it, I can see why this movie garnered the positive reviews that it did. Unlike many token inspirational sports movies, it didn't have the token ra-rah speech that is supposed to get you pumped. Don't get me wrong, a lot of times, I do appreciate those speeches... but this movie simply didn't need it. The story and character development alone was very inspirational, and made the movie outstanding. The humanity and personality of the characters jumped out of the screen, and you really started to care for the characters, as well as the story. Sandra Bullock did an excellent job portraying Leann Tuohy, and based on her performance, it was no wonder that she won an Academy Award for that role.

Maybe the fact that it was based on a true story made the characters and story more relatable (well, to me anyway). I felt that the fact that a good amount of the movie was real, made it more real to me, and something that can relate to your situation. Like I said, Michael Oher is a real person, and his "rags to riches" story about how he was brought up by the Tuohys is real... as he is now the starting offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. Even though Hollywood may have slightly changed/twisted the story a bit to make it more fit for the silver screen (as what they usually do in films based on true events), you can still feel the authenticity of this story.

But other from this movie being inspirational, it also had it's moments that would make you laugh, cry, or make you feel other emotions. Which is why overall, I think this movie is a pretty good movie, and that I would recommend you rent the DVD or check it out on HBO if you haven't yet done so. I can't give a "star rating" like the typical movie critic (since I don't consider myself an "official" one), but I would say that it is a pretty good movie that is worth your and your family's time if you need your heart strings pulled on.

D4P...PD

-OBE

"DC" Skins Postgame #6 - Can't Stop the Colt Train

2010-10-18T12:45:00.000-04:00

I would have done this blog shortly after the game, but I was sleepy and went straight to bed shortly after. But, this blog is just in time for lunchtime, and you could choose to read it since a popular topic around the DMV during break time would usually be how the Redskins played the day before. It could definitely add some new insight on your discussions.

If I could simply put it, if there was a game that would be considered a "good loss", in my opinion, this game would be it. For most of the game, Peyton Manning was what he usually is... a smart, calculating, quarterback with a high football IQ that can pick apart defenses at will. However, the Redskins defense exceeded my expectations in this game, forced key turnovers, had key stops, and kept it close. They did what they can do to keep Peyton Manning off the field and give the offense as many opportunities as they can, which included sacking Peyton Manning deep in Colts territory to cause a fumble which eventually led to a score. As I previously predicted, I thought the Colts offense would put up 30+, but they held them under 30, which was a win in itself.

However, contrary to what I just said, a lot of people would blame the defense for this loss, most especially, the secondary for allowing a few big plays (including one touchdown), and not catching interceptions. It would have been great to have those interceptions (and the result would have probably been different if that was the case), but defensive backs are not paid to catch balls. They are paid to mess up plays, and make sure the opposing offense doesn't go forward. Picks and turnovers are usually considered "icing on the cake", and it's the offense's job to score points. But, they have had 3 turnovers, so there's not much more you could really ask from them. Not to sound like an apologist, but although many people would blame the Redskins defense for losing the game, it's not simply the case.

In my opinion, the offense was more to blame for the loss. Don't get me wrong, they've had a solid game also. As expected, the running game seemed to have woken up playing a historically bad Colts run defense. Not to mention, Donovan McNabb led the offense to two long touchdown drives. But, it was down the stretch and when it mattered when the offense did not produce. When the Colts got greedy and decided to pass under the two minute warning to seal the game, the Redskins defense stopped them and held them to a 3-and-out. The Redskins offense got the ball back with the opportunity to tie or win the ball game. However, the Redskins didn't respond and was held to a 3-and-out of their own, which all but sealed the game for the Colts. (Sure, they had their remaining two timeouts left, and had a chance to hopefully get a last second touchdown with one big play, but more often than not, the odds weren't on their side, as the game ended with an interception.)

However, in my opinion, Redskins fans still can't feel bad about this loss. The Redskins played an all-around complete and balanced game. Unfortunately, they just played it against a pretty good team, and a very smart and a future hall-of-fame quarterback, so it just wasn't enough. Nobody likes a loss though, so there's definitely understanding that there will be some disappointment during the next few days here in the DMV. However, I will say that if they keep this kind of effort up in the next two weeks on the road (and not play down) against a improved and solid Chicago Bears team, and a much improved Detroit Lions team whose record isn't indicative of their performance, then they have a solid shot of taking a 5-3 record into their bye week, in time for a big Monday night divisional matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles (who destroyed a good Falcons team this week, and in my estimation, may already have Michael Vick back).

However, they just need to take it one game at a time. They have Chicago up next. And if they can build on the positives from this game, the Redskins can continue building that momentum and can possibly become one of the more solid teams in a wide open NFC.

But aside from this game, there were a lot of great games that were shown in my viewing area this week. The Baltimore Ravens lost a close one to the New England Patriots in overtime. Both teams played well and I thought it was going to end in a tie. But as good as Joe Flacco has played in this game and as much as he has grown in the past few years, we've seen why Tom Brady has earned the reputation he has now. As for the afternoon game, the Vikings pulled off a close victory against the Dallas Cowboys. This was a good game, and you can tell that both teams really wanted to win this game. I'm not a fan of either team, but as a fan of football, I enjoyed watching it. But as a Redskins fan, I had to be especially happy of the result, since the Dallas Cowboys stay in last place of the NFC East. But, it's already close to mid-season, and the quality of football should pick up (if it hasn't already).

So until an entertaining NFL Week 7...

HTTR,

-OBE

"DC" Skins PREgame #6 - vs Indianapolis - Man(ning) Up

2010-10-16T23:54:00.001-04:00

After last week's win, Redskins Nation feels good. They are 3-2, coming off consecutive wins over 2 teams that most people didn't give them a chance with, they played hard when it counted, and shut down a couple of high powered offenses down the stretch. Therefore, Redskins fans felt pretty good all week, and they have all the confidence in the world against the Colts.

I, on the other hand, probably wouldn't be as confident as every Redskins fan in this area. This Colts team really worries the heck out of me. Considering how much Donovan McNabb got hit last week by Clay Matthews, Dwight Freeney has the potential to do the same and leave Donovan sore the next day. Not to mention, overall, the defense has been solid this year, while the Redskins offense still lacks a running game, doesn't scare anyone in the passing game (and outside of Cooley and Moss, doesn't have a weapon that can scare you), and they've had issues with the offensive line.

As far as the Colts offense, they are still solid, and solid for one reason... Peyton Manning. No matter who you give him at receiver, he will find a way to use him, and make him a threat, (with Pierre Garcon, and Austin Collie being prime examples). Not to mention, they still have a solid wide receiver in Reggie Wayne, and Dallas Clark. And though the Colt running game hasn't been on par this year, it's probably as solid as the Redskins (if not, more threatening than the Redskins').

The Redskins do have a chance in this game though. The Redskins defense has been great when it mattered, especially late in games. They got pressure on the quarterback, and got key stops. If the Redskins can keep this up for most of the game, continue to get to Manning and get key stops, they have a great chance of winning. However, it would be a tough task, because Manning is such a great quarterback, and can direct an offense like no other QB in the game today. Technically, he's his own offensive coordinator. And as good as Aaron Rodgers is, and was last week until he was shut down by the Redskins in overtime, in my opinion, Manning is in a different level. He has been in the dance for a while... and have a tall task in shutting him down.

But, the best way to shut down that offense is to keep it off the field. As I said last week, it is CRUCIAL they find a running game and find some balance in that offense. Historically in the last few years, Indy has been weaker on the run. If they can keep the ball on the ground, play ground control offense, and pass when they need to... they can wear this Indy defense down, and more importantly, keep Peyton Manning and that offense off the field. If they do all this, the Redskins have an AWESOME chance of winning.

Many fans, and even prognosticators and radio hosts in this area are high on the Redskins, and feel they have a nice shot at winning this game. They feel the Skins have a lot of momentum going for them, their defense have been playing well, and they will ride this high to hold off Peyton Manning and the Colts (who have not been as impressive as they have been last year) at primetime.

Although I do think the Redskins have a shot at winning this game, I don't think it's a big shot. Honestly, I do think that Manning would be too much. He has a high quarterback IQ and may figure out the Redskins and how to pick them apart. Not to mention, although the Redskins offensive line is healthier they have been than the past three weeks, I still think they are too banged up to contain the playmakers in the Colts' defense. So here's my prediction...

Colts 31, Redskins 24

I do think the Redskins will score some points, but the Colts will outscore them by a touchdown. I think Peyton Manning and his weapons will be too much for the Skins defense, and the Colts defense will be too much for McNabb, unfortunately.

However, I will say that an another reason I'm picking the Colts to win, is for reverse psychological purposes. I want the Redskins to win, and the past few weeks, I have been wrong more than I am right (regarding football prognostication). I'd be glad to admit I'm wrong if I'm proven wrong.

So to the Redskins, please prove me wrong. Hope they show me that Peyton Manning wouldn't be the calculating beast that I portrayed him to be in this blog entry.

HTTR,

-OBE

How I did 3000 pushups in a day

2010-10-16T19:04:00.000-04:00

Last time I wrote a blog a few days ago, I said that I planned on doing 3000 pushups that day. And, if I succeeded in doing so, that I will evaluate my experience in my next blog entry.

I completed my task, and a promise is a promise. Therefore, I will do my duty and chronicle my experience of how I completed such a monumental task. I do regret, that I didn't do this right after the experience. I was tired, not only because of the large amount of pushups, but I also had my hands full with kids the next couple of days...

First of all, when I woke up in the morning, I told myself that I will do 3000 pushups for the day. It's been a while since I've done so, and I have really slacked off since doing 511,000 pushups in 2009. It was a good way to get some of that mojo back, considering, that this was a bit of a slow year for me.

Last year when I did more than half-a-million pushups, I would usually have 500 pushups done before noon, and I would average about 1400 pushups a day. It didn't start off that way, when I woke up, I've done 100 pushups when I made the decision to accomplish this task, and 100 more after breakfast. Then I didn't do anymore pushups until lunch time. I got caught up in a bunch of other tasks, that I didn't start picking it back up until around the afternoon.

So, come around 4:00pm, I got a bunch of the stuff that I needed to do finished, and I could focus more on doing pushups. So from there, since I was focused, I've done 100 pushups every few minutes or so. I've done a lot in a span of an hour or so, but I had to try to keep my form and breathe right, so I had to focus and slow down a bit. By 5:30 pm, I reached the 1000 mark.

After reaching the 1000 mark, I didn't want to burn myself out too quickly, so I knocked off 300 more in the next hour and a half. So, at around 7:00pm, my pushup count was at 1300.

At 7:00pm, a Washington Capitals game came on in TV. Last year, I made it a habit, that when a Caps hockey game came on in TV, I will do 900 pushups during the course of every game. I would do 300 each period... 100 before the period starts, 100 during the under 10-minute television timeout, and 100 after the intermission horn sounded. That would lead to 900. If there was overtime, I would do 100 more pushups some time after the game is over (not immediately, if game ends in sudden death rather than shootout). So, in a course of one hockey game, I would up to 1000 pushups. This explained why I was able to do so many pushups last year.

But, after the hockey game (which in case you were wondering, the Capitals won), I had 800 more to do. It was around 9:30pm, I was tired, a bit sore, but I wasn't sure if I was going to do it. Then, I told myself, if I can get at least a couple hundred every hour before I go to bed, I should be able to get it done. I was watching reruns of Avatar: The Last Airbender on Nicktoons, Southpark, and sports highlights and if I did 100 during a course of a 30 minute episode, I should be okay.

I promised myself that I wouldn't go to bed until I reached my goal. Because that was the case, I ended up going to bed late. I actually dozed off on the couch before midnight, and was still 200 short of my goal. After midnight, I woke up knowing I didn't finish my goal yet. Therefore, I did 100 as soon as I woke back up, and roughly about 30 or so minutes later, around 12:45 am, I done my last 100.

(In case you don't believe me, I logged a lot of my progress on this pushup quest on Twitter. Check the October 13th tweets).

So, there you go... that's my journey for doing 3000 pushups. It wasn't hard, and the reason why it wasn't was because I had a decent system of when to do the pushups, and tie doing some of my reps to doing something I enjoy (such as watching hockey and cartoons). For the other reps, I just had to keep telling myself that I had a goal to accomplish, and I would set my mind on that goal until I accomplished it.

However, if you're reading this, I do recommend that you train yourself to do pushups first, and not take on such a monumental amount of 3000 pushups in a day to start off. It took me about a couple of years for me to attempt this feat. (I first and only other time I attempted it, was last year, when I accomplished my personal best of 3700 pushups). You have to habitually program yourself to do a lot of pushups and get it in your "muscle memory" before you can attempt an amount like this.

So, that's how I did 3000 pushups. I know that with a lot of hard work you can do it too...

However, believe it or not, if doing pushups isn't your forte, you can apply this to any goal you want to accomplish. If you have a monumental goal to accomplish, try to tie it to something that you like to do (or have to do), and set your mind to that goal until you accomplish it.

How's that for Out-of-the-Box Empowerment?

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE

Me Doing Pushups...

2010-10-13T22:50:00.000-04:00

Just for fun, here's a video of me doing some pushups...

And here's a picture of me doing those pushups forever...

I did those pushups using the "Perfect Pushup". As I referenced before somewhere in this blog, I did more than 500,000 pushups in 2009.

I am doing this blog, for motivational reasons (for me). I'm actually trying to do 3000 for the day today. I've really slacked off in pushups this whole year as compared to last year, so this is my way of getting back in it. As I'm typing this, I have done 2400 for the day, and have 600 more to do between now, and before I go to bed (probably some time after midnight).

Anyway, I'll blog about my results, as well as a little bit more detail about why I'm doing this challenge in my next blog. As of now, I still have a lot of work to do in the next couple of hours.

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE

One Way to Be the Best in the World at What You Do...

2010-10-12T23:35:00.000-04:00

...is to be the only one in the world who can do what you do.

I've always believed in this. You have to be unique, and differentiate yourself (and what you do) from everyone else, so much so, that no one else can do what you do.

Even if a talent is a "general" talent, you can still be the best in the world at it. For example, anyone can cook, but not anyone can fry chicken with in a very unique and unforgettable way. Colonel Sanders found out how to it with 3 secret spices, and launched Kentucky Fried Chicken with his "Original Recipe". He became the best in the world at cooking chicken in that manner (not in general... although, that can be argued). If you put your own unique twist on something you do every day, and you can do it like nobody else in the world can... then you will be the best in the world at what you do.

That's how I approach a lot of things in life, whether it be speaking, marketing, etc. Lord knows I'm not the best in the world at any of those things if you look at it from a general point of view. However, most people who have seen my work know that I do things so differently, that they don't know how to "classify" me, and stick me in my own category. Therefore, since I'm the only one in my own niche, I'm the undisputed best person at it.

The concept may be a little hard to fathom, but if you think about it, it's kind of simple to grasp. To be declared the best at anything, you usually have to win a race to earn the right to be called the best. It's easier to win the race if there aren't many horses in the race (much less... if you are the only horse).

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE

OBE's Twitter = Glorified Status Update Thought Portal

2010-10-11T23:59:00.000-04:00

(@OBECorp)

A lot of people know that I haven't always been a big advocate of Twitter. I have always preferred Facebook more, because it makes it easier to keep up with people in your network. I've always felt that twitter was more of a glorified status update, and in a way, is a little colder than Facebook, because the people you connect with doesn't necessarily have to connect with you.

However, if you have been following me on Twitter during the past few days, I've been using it a lot more. Since it kind of is a "glorified status update", I will use it as a more intimate thought portal of all sort of updates. Whatever is on mind, whatever I might be doing, I will try put it in my twitter (so long as it is appropriate and won't have serious future repercussions on me). It could be about business, it could be about motivation, it could be about sports... whatever. It will even give you a more frequent, and a more intimate look of what might be on my mind, and what I like to talk about, no matter how fun (or boring) you think it might be. All my feeds will also automatically feed into my twitter (whether it be this blog, or other things I post on the internet). I'm thinking that's what the original creators of Twitter had in mind as how to use this website, when they came up with that idea.

Though I will use Twitter in this manner, I will keep Facebook a less-cluttered haven for important updates for the people I've connected with. I'm proud to say, I have met, and know most of the people on my Facebook account, and want to use that website for special updates and make it easy for the people to follow my profile and are genuinely interested in what I do to easily interact with me. On the flip side, I interact with my Facebook friends too, and having my profile less cluttered will help me do just that. I want to continue to use Facebook as a place to interact (after all, you can't greet "Happy Birthday").

But another "FYI" about Twitter as it relates to Facebook, I also do feed my Facebook status updates on twitter (with the hashtag #fromFB). Therefore, if you want to know about what I'm thinking on Facebook, you'll see it on Twitter too.

So Twitter will be my everything page. It's still on it's "experimental stage" but it will definitely be feeding a lot about me, and you can really get to know me (even my leisure side) from twitter. Don't worry, I will not be keeping my updates "niched" like a lot of so-called marketing experts who are only on social media to try to sell you something... (I'm sure you've seen a lot). Since I haven't been a big advocate of twitter, I unfortunately haven't gotten a lot of followers on it. Whether I get more followers from doing this or not, wouldn't be the main objective of me doing this...

The main reason why I'll be doing this, is because as some kind of "public figure", we have to find better ways to genuinely connect with the world and be more transparent. Connecting through social media provides that. And, frequent updates (no matter how insignificant it may be to the reader), will provide that kind of transparency and help us more become more relatable.

So if you haven't already, follow me on Twitter at @OBECorp. It'll be fun...

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE

"DC" Skins Postgame #5 - Pack It Up

2010-10-11T11:39:00.000-04:00

This is definitely one of those games where I don't mind being wrong. Most of what I wrote in the last blog turned out to be untrue, from how the game was going to be played, down to the prediction. As far as these prediction blogs, I will always take a Redskins win over being right.

Got to give it up to the Redskins during this game. They played the game short-handed, with Portis being out with injuries, and with Haynesworth gone from grieving the loss of his brother, and it definitely showed. Portis' absence definitely showed, because that Redskins running game looked like as bad (if not worse) than it has all season. Not only that... but one lesser appreciated fact about Portis, is that he is one of the best pass-blocking tailbacks in the game. He is usually effective blocking linebackers. Up until he got injured late in the game, Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews abused the offensive linemen all day long. As far as Haynesworth, he could have definitely helped against the Packers running game. For example, Green Bay RB Brandon Jackson had a 70+ yard gain in the first quarter, which eventually set up a touchdown. In my opinion, there was no way he would have gotten that with Haynesworth plugging up that D-line. The Packers running game has been bad all year, but the Redskins actually made it look good for 3 quarters.

The Redskins gutted out that win. They came back down 10 in the 4th quarter, and ended up tying the game to force it to overtime. McNabb made some plays through the air (because there was no running game), and wide receiver Anthony Armstrong had a few big catches down the stretch, including a 50+ yard touchdown catch. But more importantly, the defense made a lot of key stops down the stretch when they had to, pressuring Aaron Rodgers, and hit him when it counted. They also got off the field quick, and gave the Redskins offense some opportunities towards the end.

But, with all that being said, there are still major concerns about this Redskins team. They still played pretty bad for 3 quarters. I found this game very hard to watch for most of the game. Aaron Rodgers had his way most of the game, and he was leading that team up and down the field. And like I said a few paragraphs ago, the defense (most especially Clay Matthews) was having their way with the offense for most of the game, and McNabb had his share of hits. Their running game is still pretty bad. Until they find a solid running game, it will be hard to discuss them as a serious contender.

This Redskins team was also fortunate a lot of times. In my opinion, if Green Bay tight end Jermicheal Finley wasn't hurt in that first series, Aaron Rodgers would have had another huge option, and the score might not have been as close. Not to mention, Clay Matthews, who proved to be a Redskins killer all game, was out most of the final quarter, because he got hurt. If he was playing in the end, the offense might not have made the plays they'd have made. And Green Bay was also a "doinked" field goal away from winning the game in the last few seconds of regulation.

However, you can't take anything away from the Redskins defense. They really kept the Skins in the game all day. They held a really solid offensive Packer team to 13 points. Despite the Packers marching up and down the field, they held them to one touchdown, and usually had them kicking field goals. The Packers pretty much won all statistical battles (except final score), and the defense had a lot to do with that. They even had a crucial 4th and Goal-line stand in the game that prevented a touchdown early in the game, which ultimately made a difference in the final score. This defense came up tremendous in overtime, stalling the first drive with a huge sack on Rodgers, and with Redskins safety coming up with a huge interception in Packer territory, that all but sealed the game.

So what next? What does this mean in the next game? Like I said, they really need to find an effective running game. Not having a great running game would be a huge concern in their next game, against a team like the Colts. Everyone who knows football, that the best way to beat the Colts is to keep Peyton Manning and his offense off the field. The best way to do that, is to have a ball-control ground game, which the Redskins clearly don't have right now! As far as the Redskins defense is concerned, although they have been solid in the last two games, they have been bad in the two games previous, allowing 30 points in each of the two losses. Most of the time, a Peyton Manning-led Colts offense can put up 30 points against anyone. However, I would say that one glaring factor about the Colts that could really give the Redskins a chance is that their defense hasn't been great. That defense lost them two crucial division games, and if the Redskins can take advantage of that, by having putting up points early, and have a great running game that will control the clock, then they have a great chance of winning. Not to mention, over the years, the Colts defense was always known for being relatively weak against the run. So, again, it is CRUCIAL that the Redskins find their running game against the Colts.

But, no matter how ugly it was, this was a GREAT win for the Redskins. It keeps them on top of the NFC East, and for now, one of the top teams in the conference. And like I said, it is against a solid team who was one of the favorites to go to the Superbowl early in the season. So to all Redskins fans, definitely enjoy this win. Hopefully, they can continue to build on it, as there are still some tough games in the next few weeks.

HTTR,

-OBE

10-10-10: A Day of Destiny?

2010-10-10T23:33:00.000-04:00

In my opinion, it has been great that we've been having all of these same month/day/year dates since the turn of the millennium. To me, it's pretty serendipitous that we've had these kinds of dates. Some argue that there's something special about these days. People usually try to plan something special during these days... like schedule a big event (like a wedding), try to induce early labor and have a baby, or just do something really great. (In case you don't remember, the Summer Olympics started in China at 8-8-08 two years ago). Many say something good happens during these days. Some are even calling it a "day of destiny".

It's always great to have these "special days". After all, these days only take place 12 times every century. However, in my opinion, days don't have to match the month and years for it to be special. Any day is as great as you make it.

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE

PS: If you were expecting my Redskins postgame blog, I'll do one tomorrow morning. (But, they won, and beat a decent team, so it should be a fun one for me to write). Just thought I'd get this one out of the way first before the day is over.

Mister Rodger's Offensive Neighborhood - "DC" Skins Pregame #5 - vs Green Bay

2010-10-09T22:19:00.000-04:00

I haven't really had much of a chance to think about the Redskins game against the Packers. However, being the semi-pro motivational sports blogger that I am, I will still offer my thoughts.

Just at first glance, Green Bay has a high powered passing offense. Not only is Aaron Rodgers is probably one of the best young quarterbacks in the game, but he has a lot of toys to play with at the passing game. He has 4 viable weapons to throw to in his team, and his offensive line has kept him relatively clean. That offense does have a significant hole in their running game though, ever since Ryan Grant was lost for the season earlier in the year. On top of their offense, their defense is decently solid too. They have a great pass defense led by an outstanding corner in Charles Woodson, and they have very good young LBs in Clay Matthews and AJ Hawk. So based on all this, the Redskins have a lot of concerns.

However, I do believe that the Redskins can give this team a competitive game. If the game against Philadelphia last week wasn't an indication of how solid this Redskins team can be when it wants to be, then I'm not sure what is. Although Clinton Portis is out, the Redskins slowly look like they are starting to find their running game, and through Mike Shanahan-like fashion, possibly having a no-name tailback start to produce on the ground for the team. Not to mention, the offensive line is slowly getting healthy again. If you give a chance for McNabb to make some plays, he could really punish you, as he did previously against Dallas and Houston, and last week against Philly.

Although the Redskins look like they can make this game competitive... do I think they can actually win? I honestly think it may be a tough game. Although the Skins are coming off a huge win against a division rival with a lot of confidence and momentum, and even though they have proven they can step up their game when needed, and although the Packers haven't looked that impressive during the last few weeks (especially in their almost loss against the Lions)... realistically, I just see so many obstacles for the Redskins to overcome. They still don't have as many proven weapons as the Packers, and the new defensive scheme still hasn't fully adjusted to it's personnel.

Prediction... Redskins 24 Packers 27

Like I said, I do think that the Redskins should make this competitive, and the game might be decided late in the 4th quarter. However, if the Redskins could steal this game, I do see special teams having to do with that. The Redskins changed to a more solid punter, and the kicker has been pretty solid so far this year. And the return game has big play speed and capability.

If special teams does end up playing a factor and even steal a win for the Skins, then that would be great for Redskins fans, as it would be a huge win against another solid team. And that would be huge considering the next few games they have coming up in the weeks after. I'm hoping that is the case, but we'll see.

HTTR

-OBE

OBE and Ovi at the Capitals Convention

2010-10-07T23:28:00.000-04:00

In the spirit of the start of hockey season today, I thought that I would briefly evaluate on an experience I had this weekend. I had the privilege to attend the Capitals convention, held by Washington Capitals NHL hockey team.

Many people would know that I am a huge mark for Washington DC sports. As far as Washington professional hockey is concerned, my appreciation for it is no exception. I do admit that I haven't followed this team as long as many of the die-hards our there, but I have followed them a lot longer than most of the bandwagon fans that has recently followed this team during the past couple of years when the team just started getting good. I have followed this team during their perennial playoff runs, as well as their first Stanley Cup run in the late 1990s, and have been interested with them ever since. From the acquisition by Ted Leonsis, to the signing of Jaromir Jagr (ugh), to drafting of all the young stars, and the eventual rebuild to prominence, I have been followed this team for more than a decade.

Since this team has captured a part of my heart, I figured I'd show some support and attend this event. I wanted to see what it was like. I wasn't able to attend the previous year's convention, and I heard the experience was pretty good. From the revealing of the 2011 Winter Classic Jersey, to the return of Olie the Goalie to the Capitals organization, there were definitely a lot of things to look forward to in this convention. There were also lots of opportunities to take pictures with players, autograph sessions, panel discussions, and even lots of things for the kids (such as games, street hockey, etc). There were also plenty of opportunities for local vendors to showcase their wares.

To get to my experience, I wanted to absorb the atmosphere, do as much as I can, and meet as many players and alumni as I can. In reality, it was a bit impossible to do all that... so I had to narrow it down to a few main objectives to try to accomplish. Meet Alex Ovechkin, shake hands with Ted Leonsis, get some Winter Classic Gear, and hopefully get something for free that my nephew might like. I was able to do 3 out of those 4 things.

After the Winter Classic gear was revealed, I thought I would get some kind of WC paraphernalia. Therefore, I decided to get a John Carlson #74 Winter Classic shirt. This convention was the only absolute place to get gear like this. I also bought a big magnet of the W eagle logo to stick on my car (which along with the Nationals' "DC" logo, is one of my favorite logos in sports).

As far as possibly getting something for my nephew, I was able to snatch a huge Alex Ovechkin poster for him when the cheerleaders were throwing free stuff out. I was about to get him a Slapshot (the Caps' mascot) bobblehead, but some inconsiderate middle-aged man snatched it from my hand when the cheerleader threw it to my direction. I was honestly pretty upset when that happened and was about ready to curse out and fight the old man, since I was going to give it to my nephew and the old man had 3 posters already. However, my pacifistic side got the better of me. Instead of the bobblehead, I was able to get the poster. I did almost hurt myself getting it though, because if grown men are desperate to snatch prizes away from others, then I had to be more aggressive. So, I had to dive to get a prize. I don't know if Joey can appreciate this yet, since he's not the sports fan like I am, but as he grows up and gets more interested in sports, I'm sure he will.

But speaking of Ovechkin, as good as having a poster of him was, I am glad to say that I have had the pleasure of meeting him. I had "meeting an MVP" in my bucket list, so it was important for me to meet him. Therefore, I signed up for a picture opportunity with him. I had to shell out a few extra bucks to do so, but I felt it was worth it. The picture turned out nice. Take a look...

Meeting him ended up being the highlight of my day. And although I slightly upset his reps by doing so (since I apparently held up the line for two very long seconds *sarcasm*), I got to give him that copy of "You Are Awesome". He's already accomplished a lot, so he doesn't need to read it to be reminded of being awesome... but it couldn't hurt. I also did give a copy of the book to one of his lesser known teammates, Mathieu Perreault during the autograph session. Perreault has been re-assigned to AHL's Hershey Bears, so I'm sure it can impact him more if he reads it.

But, as you may guess, the one thing that I didn't get to accomplish was to meet the Caps' owner Ted Leonsis. If you have read this blog previously, you would know how much respect I have for the guy, and I even have meeting him in my bucket list. I wanted to personally thank him for the impact he had in my life, and in philosophies, and I was hoping that I would have gotten him to sign my copy of his book "The Business of Happiness". To me, meeting him would be like meeting Donald Trump for most people. The bright side is, since I do plan on being plugged in to this area and attending a few Caps and Wizards games/events, I'm sure I'll eventually get a chance to meet him.

But, overall, the convention was definitely a great experience. Sure it wasn't perfect, as there were long and confusing lines, crowded areas, rude people and staff members, but it was still a great event that I would recommend that fans of not only the Washington Capitals, but fans of hockey can enjoy. Whatever mistakes they made, will eventually be corrected the following years, knowing the organization that's running it. And as someone who has been around his share of events, and appreciate event management and community engagement, I really found this event worthwhile. It can also be a great event to take the kids (so long as they can appreciate it). There's something for everyone.

But, I figured I'd it's appropriate to talk about this experience, not only because the NHL season started today and I'm pumped about it... but also to again remind all my readers that it is important to do what you like, invest in your interests, meet your heroes, and have as much fun as you can. And in some points, if the situation isn't the best, you still have to make the best of it. Out-of-the-box empowerment? You're damn right it is.

OBE and Ovi? You bet! No 6 degrees of separation needed here. :-)

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE

PS: Let's go Caps!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2010-10-04T23:55:00.000-04:00

I hope you have your pink and proudly displaying it.

Many people know how much this cause hits my heart. I have been running Susan G. Komen's Race for the Cure during the past 3 years, and have been an advocate for this cause and even raised some decent money for this cause. My family has had a history with this disease, and it has even affected my mother. It's a terrible disease, and I would never want to see anyone bear the pain that I've seen my mom bear from this disease. It's undoubtedly one of the most lethal silent killers of women around the world, killing millions of women every year. I bet we all personally know at least one person that has been directly affected with breast cancer.

This disease really hits my heart close, so much so, that I was compelled to even created my own breast cancer awareness promotional product. I give these out to anyone who has joined me in the cause to fight breast cancer and making a donation. (See the page for details).

I just wanted to write this to remind everyone to wear their pink this month. If you're like me, and feel it's not your kind of color, just remember that it's for a great cause and you're doing it for millions of women around the world... or maybe just one woman you personally know who has been severely affected by this disease. If you don't have any pink to wear, donate any amount of money (big or small) and I'll be glad to send you something to wear.

So with that, don't forget to wear your pink this month. It's definitely appropriate, it's for a great cause, and you definitely won't be less of a man (if you are one) for doing so. Millions of women will love you for it.

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE

"DC" Skins Postgame #4 - Mac 5 Race for Redemption

2010-10-03T22:41:00.001-04:00

Well, I won't keep this entry long, as you will probably read enough about this game in the blogosphere. But, as far as how much television drama this game produced before, during, and after the game, I would say that it didn't disappoint. This game definitely made for good must-see television.

Pregame started by the crowd cheering McNabb, then quickly jeering him after leading the Redskins to a quick 14-0 lead. Then, Michael Vick, who was arguably the hottest QB in the NFL, gets hurt. Thus, putting Kevin Kolb (the Eagles' original hand picked successor to McNabb) against his former mentor. What a turn of events.

The game ended up being close. The Eagles scored a couple of field goals and a TD (with an unsuccessful 2-pt conversion), and the Redskins added another field goal to make it a 5 point game. And, that's what the final score ended up being... Redskins 17, Eagles 12.

As far as what I saw in the game, although I'm happy McNabb got his redemption and that the Redskins are momentarily the NFC East division leaders, I felt the Redskins played their usual ugly game. As soon as Vick went out, and Kolb came in, it seemed like the Redskins let up a lot (and in my opinion, played down from not being worried about Michael Vick anymore). And even though this was his homecoming, McNabb did NOT have a good game (~60 passer rating is not going to cut it). They kept dropping interceptions, and the offense really slowed down during the 2nd half... again.

In my opinion, even though Kevin Kolb wasn't overly impressive filling in for Vick (and may not get his starting job back if Vick is good to go next week), I felt he still had a more efficient game than McNabb, and he outplayed him during the minutes when they were directly competing against each other. Kolb moved the ball, he was efficient, and even had a higher quarterback rating. If the Eagles weren't stupid with a lot of their penalties, the Eagles could have won this game. They left a lot of points on the board, and the Eagles could have just as easily won as they lost.

As a Redskins fan, the bright side for my team and it's fans is, that the running game looked significantly better during this game. And overall, as this team adjusts to the schemes, this Redskins team could just get better during the season. Not to mention, this is definitely a win that they can build on emotionally, and carry that emotion into the next few games, which will undoubtedly be very tough (as they play the Packers and the Colts in the next two weeks).

So I'm definitely happy with the result of this game, both as a Redskins fan, and as a general football fan. But, I do feel that they could still play a lot better, and they still have a long long way to go to be considered a serious contender. The next few weeks against the Packers, Colts, and Bears will definitely be a good measuring stick as far as where this team stands.

I will say that I'm equally as glad that many people in the area will be happy this week, and that the Eagle fans I know can't talk smack to me this week. :-)

Til next week...

HTTR

-OBE

VickNabb - "DC" Skins Pregame #4 - at Philadelphia

2010-10-02T23:29:00.000-04:00

From last week's result, the media and fans around the area have been extremely worried coming into this football game. With the embarrassing, and humiliating loss to St. Louis Rams last week, there's good reason for a lot of worry.

The Skins are still near the bottom of the league when it comes to their ground attack, and the defense still haven't gotten in sync. Many people say it's the scheme, others say that it's personnel. Maybe, it's a little bit of both.

I was driving home yesterday, and I heard a replay of a Chris Cooley interview on Sports Radio. The radio hosts apologetically (and unintentionally) attacked his team and how they played during the last 5 quarters. Cooley even said that it was disappointing because it was somber in the locker room after the loss, and the whole team probably felt they let Coach Shanahan down.

However, based from the Cooley's voice inflection and tone during the interview, the Redskins seem confident with their gameplan on Sunday, and he feels that they can really beat their team. Maybe they see something in the game film that they can exploit, or maybe they like a few matchups. But, what I got most out of this interview, is that they are really anxious to redeem themselves, and want to get this win for their coach, as well as their quarterback.

Whether they'll do it or not... we'll see. I will say, that based on what we've seen from the Eagles during the last two weeks, as compared to the Redskins... Redskins fans have a lot to worry about. Michael Vick has arguably been the hottest quarterback in the league, and he has weapons to utilize (mainly, the explosive DeSean Jackson). Not to mention, as it looks right now, the Eagle running game is certainly done better than the Skins', and their defense has been solid when it counted. So on paper, the Eagles should DESTROY the Redskins.

My inner homer fanboy instinct tells me to give the Redskins the benefit on this one. From what it looks like this early in the season, this team plays up to their competition, and could probably play a lot better if they really have a reason to be fired up to. For Week 1, it was a season opener against the hated Dallas Cowboys... enough said. For Week 2, they played well for 3 quarters until they poo-pooed a 17 point lead during the last quarter and a half against Houston because they were probably "content". In Week 3, it just seemed they were uninspired during the whole and expecting to rollover a team they should have beaten and prayed some really bad football.

This week, the big story line is McNabb going back to Philadelphia... What's going on inside his head when he has to play the team he's played for 11 years? How will the Philadelphia crowd react to him? How will he compare to the QB that he lobbied so hard to go to Philadelphia last year... the QB that no one wanted? There are a lot of story lines in this match... and a lot of reasons to get up for this match. And with McNabb being the leader that he is, and being extra motivated to play against the city that traded him... I think he will play so hard because he doesn't want to be disappointed. That could make a significant difference.

But to add on, there's a lot in the line... as the winner of this game has the inside track for the division lead, and will momentarily be in first place of the NFC East.

The line for this game is that Vegas is picking the Eagles to win by 5.5 (maybe 6) points. Here's my prediction...

Redskins 33 Eagles 27

I don't think the Redskins defense will do extraordinarily well, but I do think they are due for a decent running game. Both teams will put up points, and could have a potential for a shootout. I don't think the Redskins will stop the Eagles from putting up points in the board, but do I think McNabb and the offense will do just as well against the Eagles D? Quite possibly. Based on the Cooley interview I discussed a few paragraphs ago, there might be some holes in the Eagles defense they can exploit, and McNabb has played against that defense for 11 years.

Maybe my fanboyishness of predicting the Redskins to win may make me look like a fool. The Eagles look so much better on paper. But, my I do have a gut feeling about this game. And, I do believe that something other than stat sheet measurables can influence this game. And that's where I feel the Redskins have the advantage.

This should be an exciting game though. Based on the storylines alone, this is some must-see TV. My brother, as well as a few of my friends are Eagles fans. So, I'm hoping that for my sake, I'll be smiling after this game is over... rather than getting an earful.

HTTR

-OBE

...Just to Make it Today

2010-09-30T22:40:00.000-04:00

It's been ages since I've seen this...

I probably haven't seen this video in full since the 90s. Say what you want about the guy born as Stanley Burrell and his fall from grace in the early 90s, but this song has a lot of truth and insight (as well as simplicity) in it's lyrics. And, that melody just stays with you.

Anyway, I actually did think about this song, not because of some random instance, but because I have been doing a lot of thinking. I have something going on tomorrow that, depending on what happens, may have the potential to change a lot for me. But then again, it may not...

Rest assured, tonight I'll be doing a lot of what this particular video is saying to do (even a little more so than I have been). I'm gonna need it.

Classic Jim Carey

2010-09-29T22:59:00.000-04:00

Check it out...

This was back during the "In Living Color" days back in the late '80s. I remembered it being hilarious when I first saw it when I saw this as a kid on Sunday night during prime time. When I watch it now, it's even funnier. Feel free to laugh.

Because as I said before, laugh a lot... because laughter helps life worth living. ;-)

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE

When Your Mad... Change the Channel

2010-09-27T23:13:00.000-04:00

Here in the DC area, I notice that on a Monday after a Redskins loss, depending on how bad the loss is, people are very somber around this area. Today was no exception...

It just seemed, today, people were missing something. People lacked the energy, and some people just felt down all throughout the day. Even while checking my Facebook and Twitter earlier today, people were posting status updates of discouragement. People were overly defensive with some trash talk, people were angry, and one of my friends even posted that she doesn't like football season, because it makes people grumpy. It just goes to show how much influence the Redskins have on people in this area, and how much influence the NFL product has in general. People are so emotionally invested in their teams, that it pretty much determines the whole attitude for the week. And considering that many would consider the Redskins loss yesterday is almost as bad as the Detroit loss last year, people were really down today.

As I said, it is a bit senseless to be angry about things that you can't control. However, we're only human, and at times, it's just a bit hard, especially if what we love keeps disappointing us.

So with that, my advice is to try to get your mind out of it by momentarily focusing on the other stuff that may give you joy or pleasure. If you can also productively expel your negative energy as well, then even better. This doesn't apply to just sports fandom, but also in life in general.

For example, if I'm angry, I write (either here on my blog, or in a journal), I exercise by doing pushups, etc. If I'm mad about the Redskins, I either write here on my blog, or I try to find something else on TV. To rephrase the latter, CHANGE THE CHANNEL.

It's not really rocket science. When you find a bad and un-entertaining TV program, it wouldn't make too much sense to keep watching, would it? No it wouldn't. Same thing goes for your emotions. If whatever is around you is making you feel terrible, you should either change the channel and find something else, or just turn the TV off and walk away. It's that simple.

And as an avid DC sports fan (and not just of the Redskins), one way I am metaphorically "changing the channel" by hyping myself up for the upcoming NBA and NHL seasons. The Wizards kick off their training camp tonight with their own version of "Midnight Madness", and the Capitals have their annual convention this weekend that I plan on attending. So, if the Redskins are bad, as a sports fan, I'm glad I have other DC sports teams to fall back on and root for.

But, don't confuse "changing the channel" for abandoning your loyalties. You can still be interested in whatever you are interested in, but if it's making you feel terrible at the moment, you have to momentarily get away from it and find something else and not be immersed to it. Comeback to it later when it's the right time. More often than not, programming usually gets better, eventually.

So if you're disappointed at something, one thing to deal with it is to change the channel. There are a lot of options out there, and you just have to be open enough to find them. And like I said, the programming should eventually get better.

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE

"DC" Skins Postgame - Week 3 - Ramn You!

2010-09-26T22:13:00.000-04:00

For the Redskins, this game was a terrible game all around. I stand by what I said yesterday about the Redskins. The team is a lot better than they were (and what they showed today), and they SHOULD have won that game, handily. Unfortunately, they didn't show up.

They were outplayed in both sides of the ball. The Rams gave their rookie quarterback have a lot of time to throw, stay poised, and literally have his way with the Redskins. They let no-name receivers have solid games (conveniently one week after DeAngelo Hall complained about not covering the opposing #1 receiver the week before), and they didn't even need their main weapon Steven Jackson (who was pulled out early due to injury). The Redskins couldn't even stop their back up running backs, who literally ran down their throats, and controlled the 2nd half.

The Ram defense wasn't that impressive. The Redskins offense was just terrible. Although they seemed to have gotten better with the run (as expected and predicted), they got away from it once the Rams kept answering back. From the moment the game started when the Redskins fell down early by 14, they couldn't seem to get the upper hand. When the Redskins got close, most of the time, they'd kick field goals instead of get touchdowns. They left a lot of points in the board.

This was a discouraging loss to the Redskins and Redskins Nation. They lost to an opponent that they should have beaten handily. But not only did they lose, they lost by the same margin that I predicted them to win. (Good thing I'm not being paid to be an analyst, LOL). However, based on this performance, Redskins fans should be VERY discouraged during the week they play a Philadelphia Eagles team with a red-hot quarterback.

With that being said, I could be wrong. As evidenced by yesterday's post, it wouldn't be the last time. Donovan McNabb could still be ultra motivated to play his former team, and his team will rally around him. Who knows... if they pull a game like how they played an undefeated Saints team early last December, they might have a chance. In a league full of professionals, there's always a puncher's chance. This could be the loss they need to help them turn things around. You never know...

What I do know, is that Redskins fans around the DC area wouldn't like listening to sports radio this week, and sports media and personalities won't like going to work. It's always dreary in the town of DC after a bad loss, and there were many dreary days last year, with the low point being the loss to the winless Lions. This loss isn't as bad as that Lions loss, but it ranks up there, considering it was against a rookie quarterbacking a team that was trying to stop a huge losing streak that carried from the previous year. But as I said last year when the Redskins lost to the Lions, don't get down from one loss, even it's the worst loss in the world. You can't get mad at things you can't control.

I will say, that if the Redskins could happen to pull out a win against Philadelphia next week, they will somewhat redeem themselves. Whether or not that will happen, and if they can prepare themselves to make it happen, is another story.

We'll see...

-OBE

"DC" Skins Pregame - Week 3 - at St. Louis

2010-09-25T22:42:00.000-04:00

After the last week Redskins disappointing yet encouraging loss, they are playing an 0-2 St. Louis Rams team. As I said last week, this good be a perfect bounce-back game for them, and I'm sticking by that.

When I listened to the DC media all through out the week, I heard that there were some worried about the game. Many were worried because of how the Skins played the Rams last year when they almost blew it, and also when they played them two years ago, when they blew it and gave them their first win. Some were worried because they played New England Patriots in the preseason, in the notable 3rd game that played the starters, and pretty much played well against them. Despite all of this, I am going against what a lot of people around here are saying, and say that this will be a relatively easy win for the Redskins. Here's why...

First of all, this Redskins team is clearly a different team from the last two years. They are better coached and seem to now have leadership at quarterback. So results that took place in the last two years shouldn't be overestimated. As far as these Rams blowing up the Patriots in pre-season, even though the starters got most of the reps that game, it still doesn't mean jack. I've noticed that most of the great teams in preseasons use the exhibition games more as tuneups rather than a serious measure of skill. And teams that usually end up very solid throughout the regular season would have bad pre-seasons (such as the Colts, who more often that not, have terrible pre-seasons).

Even though the Redskins lost last week, I still felt the positives outweighed the negatives. It's always bad to give up a 17 point lead, and currently have a 32nd ranked (out 32) running game, but McNabb and the passing game seemed to have woken up, and they lit up the scoreboard with just about everyone involved last week.

The Redskins defense was only bad for 1 quarter this season, and I don't think they'll be that bad at any point against the Rams. I see this defense getting to Sam Bradford, as he is still green and will commit mistakes, and the Rams offensive line has as much issues as the Redskins (if not more). The only notable weapon they have on offense is their running back Stephen Jackson, and I don't see him carrying the team enough to win the game.

And, as far as the Redskins' 32nd ranked running game, this is a good game to get better, as the Rams' have the 32nd ranked defense against the run. Clinton Portis, and whoever else will be in the backfield should have solid games and should break a combined 3-digits on the ground, which should ultimately set up the pass. And, after the defense got embarrassed last week in the final quarter, they should be looking for some redemption, and should protect the lead better should they get it.

The Vegas line has the Redskins as 4 point road favorites. I have them covering that total easily, as I see this being a double-digit win for the Redskins. Ultimately, the Rams still have more general issues all-around in both sides of the ball, and it should show up in the scoreboard. And like I said, the Redskins should be looking for some redemption.

Final score prediction... Redskins 31 Rams 17

I see the Redskins up significantly after the 3rd quarter, and I don't see them blowing that lead. I do see them giving up a garbage touchdown towards the 4th quarter during a prevent defense, but they should pretty much hold the Rams in check.

I will say though, if the Redskins do happen to screw up, and blow this game, people around this area will start panicking. Although, people always say that it's hard to win in this level (since everybody is a professional), this is a game the Redskins should win. But, with how things turned out last year for the Redskins (with the team dealing many winless teams their first win), it would be understandable why this sentiment would be prevalent in this area.

But as I said, I feel this is a different team, and the results shouldn't be the typical results that fans of this team have come to expect during the past few years. We'll see in about 20 1/2 hours if I'm correct. I think I will be.

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE

Spending the Friday Night...

2010-09-24T23:33:00.000-04:00

...tucking in some kids.

My brother and his wife is celebrating their 4 year wedding anniversary in Upstate New York/Canada to see the Niagra Falls, and my other brother and I decided to spend the weekend taking care of our nephew (Joey) and niece (Cady), 6 and 3 respectively.

So far, it's been interesting. I took them shopping, and let them pick clothes and toys (as long as they're reasonable). Afterward, I took them to the mall's playground, let them drink milkshake, and they've crashed from a sugar high a couple hours after coming home. Fun...

Let me just say, you haven't lived if you haven't tried to change a 6-year old who's stubbornly sound asleep in the fetus position from his outdoor clothes to his pajamas.

Even though I haven't always been big on spending long Friday nights getting trashed and clubbing (like most single people my age), this is still a change of pace. And honestly, I'm okay with it. Babysitting these kids always provides good training for the future, I always say. Not to mention, these kids love me about as much as (maybe even more than) I love them. Many people have always said I'm a natural with kids.

Future father of the year... this guy. LOL

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE

Pretty Exciting College Football News for My Alma Mater

2010-09-22T23:44:00.000-04:00

Read this...

The Maryland Terrapins, my alma mater, and the team that I am proud to root for, is playing one of the consistently great football programs over the past few years, The Texas Longhorns. They will have a home-at-home series taking place in 2017 and 2018. This team won the National Championship a few years ago, and are consistently in the conversation usually playing in primetime in early January in a BCS bowl game. They even played in the championship this past year, and was arguably, an injured quarterback away from winning it all.

I am truly excited about this. If I'm still living in this area (but maybe even if I am not), I will be in FedEx Field with bells on, when this series comes here in 2018.

This news also excites me for another reason. The fact that they are willing to test themselves by playing one of the best programs in the country says a lot, and something that I have tons of respect for. As I have been taught many times during my life, being around and competing against the best, will make you great.

Though the Maryland program could still be a lot better (and no where near Texas at the moment), I have no doubts they'll improve within the next 7 years, and possibly make this interesting. Who knows? I guess we'll have to wait.

D4P...PD!!!

-OBE

Ran for President Once in DC

2010-09-21T22:46:00.000-04:00

I logged into an old YouTube account of mine, and looked at some videos I favorited. I happened to find this video...

Little did people know, I actually did run for President (sort of).

Long story short... I didn't end up getting the gig. But it just goes to show, that you shouldn't be afraid to go for it. Even if it's not likely you'll be successful or even if you think you'll be humiliated in some way or another, you still have to try.

To paraphrase something I said a few posts ago, an instance of humiliation is less painful than a lifetime of regret. You'll never know if you don't show up.

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

"DC" Skins Postgame - Week 2 - Overtime Ouch

2010-09-19T23:07:00.001-04:00

Redskins 27 Texans 30.

That final score wasn't surprising to me at all. As I said during my blog post yesterday, the Vegas line had the Texans winning by 3 pts, and I agreed that line was close to accurate (I predicted a 4 point Texans victory in my blog). Even though I was close to right in that aspect of my overall prediction, I was wrong with more.

I predicted that the Texans would control most of the game with the offense, and though the Redskins will keep it close and may catch a few breaks, their offense will struggle overall. I was wrong. The Redskins controlled most of the game with their offense. They kept the chains moving by keeping the ball in the air. McNabb distributed the ball well to just about any receiver or the active roster. It was surely a difference compared to last week.

However, it was during the 4th quarter where it seemed to have fallen apart. I didn't see half of this quarter on the TV, but listened to most of it on my car radio, and on my Android smart phone. They didn't close this game when they had a chance. They had a chance to all but seal the game making it a two-possession lead midway in the 4th quarter. But they didn't. They had a chance a chance to make a crucial 4th down stop, but instead turned it into a game tying touchdown with Matt Schaub finding arguably the best WR in the league for a huge score. And, in overtime, they had a chance to seal the win by kicking a long field goal, but the kicker let himself get "iced" (though the kick was difficult, the kick should have been made, considering that it was good before the timeout was called). So, instead of closing the game late, the Redskins let a good team stick around. If you have a 10 point lead going into the 4th quarter, and if you're up by 3 possessions in the 3rd quarter, you win the game.

To add on, the running game still has some issues. Most of the rushing yards came in the drive in the 4th quarter where the Redskins failed to capitalize, and before that drive, the Redskins had only 3 rushing yards overall. This is one of the problems the Redskins need to seriously address if they want to eventually be considered as bonafide contenders.

However, with all that being said, there were a lot of positives that the Redskins can build on in this game. Although, admittedly the Texans' secondary was a significant weakness of Houston, McNabb started to find his passing game, and involved pretty much EVERYBODY. If he can replicate a significant fraction of that passing game, they should have their fair share of wins. Defense also held the running game that was so explosive last week, and had the overall advantage in 3 out of the 4 quarters against a very solid high powered offense. So those were definitely positives.

With that being said, this game should have been a Redskins win. However, since it took place in the beginning of the season, and it's not against a conference or division opponent, it's definitely a loss that's not too damag they can build on. So, all in all, I would say that the loss should not be a complete disappointment. As I said before, the AFC South is stacked, and this Houston team is a young team with some young talent that can surprise a lot of people when all is said and done. So, losing to them in a competitive game (that you probably should have won if you made key stops) should not cause panic. As long as they show they can correct the mistakes they made (like they have showed they can correct a lot of their offensive woes from last week during this game), then the Redskins should still do decent during the season.

Up next, they have the St. Louis Rams. This could serve as a great "bounce back" game, with their overpaid rookie quarterback with offensive line issues and practically no weapons (with the exception of Steven Jackson). So, if they handle business and win the game against this team handily, that could be a good indicator of character, as well as how well they can do this year. This time last year, when they faced this team, they barely eeked out a win, and that really set the tone for a disappointing year (which included a loss in the next week to a Detroit Lions team that lost it's previous 17 games). I shall blog more about my thoughts about this game later this week.

So, for those Redskins fans panicking because they blew a big lead in the 4th quarter and lost the game... I say calm down. The team they played will be solid for the whole year, and the loss wasn't against a division opponent, so it's not as damaging. And since it happened early in the year, there's plenty of time for mistakes to be corrected, and the team can build on this loss. However, I will say that if the team loses next week (or even wins unconvincingly), then fans should start to worry a bit.

But until then, all Redskins fans (and all people in general) should enjoy the week. NFL football is great and could be tolling due to the emotional investment, but there's a lot outside of that which probably matter more. So in case you're down after any loss, remember that.

So until next week keep your hopes high and read my other blogs. There are better days ahead...

HTTR,
-OBE

"DC" Skins Pregame - Week 2 - vs Houston

2010-09-18T21:51:00.001-04:00

As I said in last week's blog, I'm going to try to make these pregame and postgame blogs a weekly weekend habit, because this NFL football is a topic people in the blogosphere can really get into, and it is also a topic I love to talk about. Gives this blog a little bit of balance. ;-)

However, like I said last week, I'm just gonna focus on Redskins games. If I talked about a lot of different teams every week and all of the games playing this week, I don't think I could get all my thoughts down. (I mean, I can, but it would just take forever) I'm not a sports journalist, nor do I work for the organization. I just want to offer my particular "out-of-the-box" authentic view as a genuine fan of the game. (I will say, that to make these entries easier to identify, I'll prefix these particular blogs will be prefixed with "DC" Skins (Pre/Post game...).

Now that I got the housekeeping out of the way, let me get this started...

This week, I'm not going to get into the off-the-field drama with the women in the locker room remark by Clinton Portis about Inez Sainz and the New York Jets locker room, or whether or not Albert Haynesworth is injured or not. I will just be focusing on my thoughts primarily about the game itself (such as players to watch, other notables), what I think the keys to victory are, and my predictions (as I hope to do every week).

With that being said, as a Redskins fan, this game scares me. Even though the 'Skins should be familiar with the offense because Kyle Shanahan coordinated the Texans offense last year, it still doesn't look as good in the Redskins' point of view. The Texans put up 34 points against a formidable Colts team, whom many are picking to go to the Superbowl. They have arguably the best wide receiver in the game in Andre Johnson, and they have the top (non-passing) offensive player of Week 1 with the sudden emergence of their running back Arian Foster, who had 231 yards rushing last week (and undoubtedly got picked up by many Fantasy Football owners). Their offense is clicking, and they outgunned Peyton Manning and the Colts (which says a lot).

The Redskins offense has a lot to do before catching up to this offense. Although they are patterned similarly, Houston is way ahead. The 'Skins didn't put up an offensive TD last week, and was outgained by Dallas in about a 2.5/1 ratio. And, as I said last week, even though I appreciated the win, the Redskins were extremely fortunate to get the win, considering how much Dallas shot themselves in the foot.

Many are saying if the Redskins are gonna have a shot at winning, the defense has to step up big time. I agree. The Redskins defense played relatively well against Dallas by keeping points off the board and making some plays (that turnover to TD to end the half didn't just happen by itself... DeAngelo Hall was a big part of that), however Dallas' bad playcalling and mistakes had a lot to with them not scoring many points either. I'm sure Houston's offense would be a lot more disciplined, and the defense has to match them.

Arguably, as it looks right now, the Redskins defense is better than the Colts defense, and I don't think they're gonna let Arain Foster put up 231 yds in the ground against them. And since they showed that they can make plays and force mistakes, that can really help them out. But, they still have to stop the big play, and not let Houston march up and down the field willingly (like Dallas during the end of the game). If they do, the game will be a lot uglier than last week's Dallas game.

I will say though, that these teams do know each other pretty well, despite being in opposite conferences. Houston head coach Gary Kubiak is under the Mike Shanahan coaching tree since he was his coordinator in Denver, and Kyle Shanahan (Mike's son) coordinated under Kubiak last year in Houston, and practically built Houston's high powered offense. Based on that, it should be an interesting chess match, especially on offense.

But based on everything I've said so far, and from what was seen last week, the overall edge goes to Houston. The Skins haven't really gotten their running game going yet, and the only the tight ends have shown some glimmer of hope on the offensive side of the ball. And like I said, the Skins still haven't scored an offensive touchdown. And even though I think the Redskins may have the edge on defense, Houston's defense is still nothing to sneeze at. The gap between the 2 offenses, in my opinion, is larger than the gap against the two defenses. As far as special teams go, when all is said and done, I don't think we'll be talking about ST come the end of the game.

So I give the edge to Houston. The line for this game is Houston by 3. I think that sounds about right. As much as I would like the Redskins to win every game, and I would like to think that Redskins will perform better than they did last week, but even if they do perform better, the realist and prognosticator in me would think that it may not be enough.

Game prediction... Houston 28, Redskins 24.

Of course, I will be more than happy if I'm wrong and if the Redskins happen to pull out a win. It should be an interesting game nonetheless. Like I said, the coaching staff is familiar with each other, and from that, it should be an interesting match to watch.

HTTR,
-OBE

PS: I do regret, I probably won't be watching the whole game though. On an unrelated note, I do start my first day as a Youth Counselor in my church that evening, (which is another way to make an impact with "our future"). Therefore, I may miss a good chunk of the 2nd half. But, I will still post my postgame blog sometime after the game.

I wanna be the very best...

2010-09-17T22:03:00.001-04:00

It's an oldie, but goodie (and pretty ridiculous too)...

The Smosh guys have been notorious in comedic viral videos for a very long time. I believe I first saw this video when I first joined myspace (which was more than five years ago). Probably one of the original YouTube celebrities when the website first launched. Not many people can get away with licking Jesus (they probably asked for forgiveness immediately after they did so).

Like I said, it's always great to have a good laugh. Laugh and live, live to be happy. I hope this video has done that for you, for now. This mention is kind of motivational too (though, in a ridiculous way).

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

Passion = Craziness???

2010-09-16T23:57:00.000-04:00

If you happen to stalk me on Facebook (and don't worry, I don't mind, but actually flattered if you do), you might have noticed something written in the "About Me" section under life philosophies I subscribe to. One statement says...

you have to put passion and heart in everything you do, even if you sometimes look crazy for doing it

I really believe in those words, and take them into heart. If you have ever seen me give a presentation, whether it be a good one, but most especially during a bad one... you would be able to tell. If I truly believe in something, I am not afraid to stick my neck out there, risk my well-being as well as my pride, and sometimes even look like an idiot, while doing so.

Back when I was younger, I didn't subscribe to this philosophy so much, and because I haven't, I have had many regrets and disappointments. And those disappointments came in the form of complacency, boredom, and lack of relationships (whether it be with the opposite sex, or people in general).

Since then, I have taken more risks and was less afraid to show people my true passions and how I really feel about things. I have not been afraid to give complete strangers hugs, tell people what I feel about them (although it may make them cry tears of joy or anguish), or sometimes be overly loquacious or vocal when I probably shouldn't be. Do I still experience disappointments? Unfortunately, yes. And, there were even times when I was ridiculed behind my back. But that kind of disappointment nor ridicule combined would not outweigh the disappointment of myself thinking what could have been if I didn't show my true nature.

As much as I laughed at the Phil Davison speech I posted in this blog a couple of days ago, I have respect for what he did. Even though he looked silly and committed a lot of public speaking no-nos (you'd think he would know better with his Master's Degree in communication), I had to respect what he did because he stuck himself out there and passionately talked about what he believed in (even if he looked like a crazed lunatic while doing so). This is sort of reminiscent of Howard Dean's memorable scream a few years ago when he ran for office (although imo, Dean wasn't as over-the-top, although it was more scrutinized because he was running for President at the time).

But, don't get this confused with me saying that you should just go crazy and do anything you want. You should take risks and show your passion, but they should still be calculated risk. Passion should only fuel the fire of your cause, not guide it. In my opinion, that's like driving a high powered car while blindfolded.

So I just want to end this in saying that you shouldn't be afraid to show your passion, and do what your heart is telling you to do... even if you will eventually look crazy for doing it. But at the same time, you still have to be calculating and know what you're doing. And if you get ridiculed and rejected, so what?...

"An instance of humiliation bears less burden than a long period of thinking of what could have been."

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

My Quick Thoughts on the DC Mayoral Race

2010-09-15T23:06:00.001-04:00

Primary Election Day in both Maryland and Washington, DC took place yesterday. When I woke up this morning, I woke up to the news that Adrian Fenty, the incumbent mayor of DC, has lost his re-election campaign to Vincent Gray, who will be inaugurated the new mayor in January (that is because whoever won the Democratic primary would win the the ticket due to the Republican party not having a candidate). In some aspects, I kind of surprised, but on the other hand, I knew it the change was imminent.

I won't talk about this subject too much, because I wasn't a registered voter in DC, nor am I a political insider who knows the true situation. I also usually prefer not to talk about politics (due to it being a very taboo and sensitive subject matter to most). But from just hearing from others who have more educated opinions on this, and just from mere observation of seeing where DC is now compared to 4 years ago, Fenty has upheld his office and done well in his job. He has reformed education, re-built schools, and rebuilt and redeveloped several parts of DC. The guy really provided results. All doing so as the youngest elected mayor in the city's history.

So what went wrong? Many say he was cocky, controversial, and downright arrogant. He refused to answer questions about "secret trips", he appeared cocky in his media appearances, and he refused to admit any "mistakes" he may have made, despite what his advisers told him. He thought the results he provided were to enough to get him re-elected. Unfortunately, for him, they weren't. But like I said, I am not in the position to provide full political commentary. So instead please check out this following article by the Washington Post, which is probably a much better read detailing the situation. (It's actually pretty good journalism as well).

Do I think that the DC voters made a mistake in not re-electing Fenty? Perhaps. Like I said, the man provided results and had DC in the right direction, in my opinion. But, at the same time, I do understand why he was not re-elected. To be an effective leader, you have to be genuine and likable. And during these past 4 years, the DC voters didn't feel he related to them enough for them to believe he can effectively lead this city in another 4 years.

But time will tell if Vincent Gray will be a great mayor. I'm hoping and praying he will continue the road that Fenty started to blaze in leading DC in the right direction, and at the same time, not lose touch with the people who put him in office. Good luck to him.

We all have a lot to learn from the results of this particular election. If you're in a position of leadership (or in any position representing others), it is true that results are optimal but certainly not enough, because connection is crucial. (The latter statement in bold, is actually one of the first lessons I learned as a public speaker).

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

Jawdropping Political Speech

2010-09-14T23:48:00.000-04:00

In the spirit of election primaries today here in Maryland, I thought I'd share a video I saw a few days ago here on the Internet.

Just want to say, that someone who speaks in public passionately, I can appreciate it. But as a citizen who votes for leaders to represent us, I am flabbergasted. Let's just say, if you are going to pursue speaking, can serve as a good reference guide (mostly, of what not to do). Gonna keep the commentary to a minimum, just watch...

Apparently, he has a Masters Degree in Communications... Really?

From what I heard, he didn't get the nomination. Surprised?

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

Self-Perception vs. Self-Deception

2010-09-13T23:59:00.001-04:00

All my life, people have told me things that discredit me. Ever since I was young, cynics, peers, friends, and even family members and loved ones, have called me things like "unstable", "untalented", "worthless", and "failure". Some said those things, having my best interests at heart (after all, as I said, some of these statements came from "loved ones"). But regardless who said those things, they proved to be hurtful, and I believed them for a while (because, in all honesty, there were some truth to them).

I've learned something in my life, and it is something that has resonated with me for years. If you believe in something strong enough, your mind will assimilate to accept it as truth, regardless if it is actually true. When people have called me all those negative things, I felt extremely depressed at those times, and felt exactly what I was being called. Many times, even worse.

And it was these times, when I would read or listen to inspirational scripture, self-help books, and general motivation literature or products. When I did, I was encouraged, because I was convinced that I'm not worthless, and that I am valuable to this world, and to people I come in contact with. The right words made me believe I am talented, and have tons to contribute. And when I got away from negativity, and at times found positivity by people encouraging me, and telling me that I am awesome (even though many things around me told and showed me likewise)... I really believed it. And because I believed it, people have called me inspirational, and I felt inspirational, even at the moments when I felt I had better days.

So whatever you're feeling right now, take the negative thoughts on your head, the toxic "truth" (more accurately... "half truths") that people tell you and purge it out of your system. As much as you don't like to admit it... these things can slowly grow and hurt you. Then replace it with positive visions... visions of greatness, the greatness that you aspire to be (but haven't reached), and convince yourself that you are and will be that greatness.

Some may say that doing what I just said in that last paragraph is considered, "self deception". I don't. I believe that if you envision and focus a lot on something that you ASPIRE to be, and you do your best to become that aspiration, by thinking like it, acting like it, and owning it, you aren't lying to yourself. If it is something that your HEART truly wants... it is a HUGE part of your being. You aren't being "fake" by thinking in that way. In fact, you are more "real" by doing so for accepting your true desires and what your heart really wants, more-so than if you keep accepting your undesired "truth".

So in case you have naysayers and in case you are doubting yourself, just envision yourself truly being great. I've learned most of my life, that people like to knock you down, and once you're down, they'll try their best to keep you down, so you can be as miserable as they are. But in reality, you have done something great in your life (most people have). And because that's so, you aren't worthless, you ARE talented. Focus on that particular truth, and you shall overcome your obstacles around you (and within you).

"Perceive your true awesomeness within... and you shall achieve it."

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

Week 1 Post Game Redskins Thoughts

2010-09-13T01:53:00.000-04:00

Gonna try something new here in this blog. Before AND after every game, I am going to offer my thoughts on the upcoming Redskins game. Not is it only gonna create more general interest in my blog within the next few months (because people get fever-pitched hot during football season), but I feel I can offer it with my own unique kind of insight that only I can offer. As you can see, I've done the "before" thoughts already for this week. Now comes the "after"...

First and foremost, I would have to say that it feels great that the Redskins beat the Cowboys. I feel good and proud for my favorite team that they won, but I'm equally as happy that the so-called "fans" of the Cowboys that I discussed here in this blog will be quiet, if only until their next meeting.

I have to admit, the game was ugly. Dallas kept shooting themselves in the foot in the whole game with penalty after penalty. And on top of that, they spotted the Skins with a touchdown with that terrible turnover converted to a touchdown to end the 1st half. I hate to say this, but honestly, if the Cowboys played a more disciplined game (which they aren't known so much in doing anyway), they probably would've won this game.

On the Redskins' side, some parts looked pretty ugly too. They didn't score an offensive TD, when they had a few great opportunities to. McNabb threw to guys' hands, but couldn't hold on to the ball. Not to mention, in that last Cowboys' drive, they could have done a better job stopping that drive (rather than letting them drive the length of the field). They also allowed a lot of overall yards during the game.

Luckily, it's only week 1. Most of those mistakes are correctable, and if they do a good job to address and correct them, there will be better games ahead. It does go to show, that there is a quite a long way to go for the Skins, if they want to be perceived as well improved, and as a solid contender.

As far as what I saw that the Redskins do well... their young offensive line held relatively well against a more seasoned Cowboy defensive team. I was also impressed with how Trent Williams held Pro Bowler Demarcus Ware in check for most of the game. And overall, as compared to last year, this team looks like it's seriously improved (and that's very evident in the coaching as well).

How that game ended just put the cherry on top. I don't think I'll forget it in a while. Here's a video of the game's end...

All throughout the game, they mentioned #71 Alex Barren, being one of the most penalized players in the league. Luckily, that reputation helped the Redskins out. (Even then, if he didn't hold, Orakpo may still have sacked Romo).

But those last few minutes when the Cowboys were marching out the field surely had my blood pressure up. There were times when the Skins had great stops, only for them to not matter, because the Cowboys kept moving the chains a down or two later. Although these heart stopping games are great when my team wins, I would still rather not having them (considering, they can be equally devastating if they lose).

As I said in my last entry, the Cowboys have some issues themselves, and they would surely not roll in this game like how many experts picked them to. They even had a chance of getting upset by a well-improved team. With the exception of the final score prediction, I was pretty spot on.

But like I said, the Skins have A LOT of work to do, to establish credibility throughout the year, as well as back in their organization, because this win was UGLY, and it could have as easily been a loss. They have to face another team known for their offense next week, the Houston Texans. The Redskins surely can't pull a win next week if... 1) they don't score any points (like they've barely done this game), and 2) if they are depended on winning in luck. They just beat the heavily favored Colts this week and put up 38 points, so you know they could be pretty good this year. Redskins simply can't win, if they only put up 13 points like they have in this game.

Even though the win was ugly, one thing about the game that I thought didn't look ugly, was the burgundy jersey with the yellow (gold) pants that the Redskins were wearing. The yellow pants weren't worn since the '70s, and I thought it was a nice touch that it was brought back. Not to mention, it's a nice change of pace from the usual white jersey on burgundy pants.

Those are my thoughts on this game. The win was definitely satisfying, but like I said, there'll be another good challenge come next week, so stay tuned for that (as well as my pre and post game thoughts on it). For now, as a Redskins fan, I'm proud of their win, and hope they can keep it going.

But it's getting late now, and I should probably hit the hay. So to all of the Redskins faithful, have a good night! I sure will.

HTTR
-OBE

The Redskins Thoughts and Predictions 2010 Blog

2010-09-12T15:55:00.000-04:00

I just thought I'd offer my thoughts about the team before the big game kicks off tonight. I'm also currently watching the other games that are on in my area, and since I am not playing fantasy football again this year, nor have the NFL RedZone channel (which Comcast only offers with their Sports and Entertainment package), to me, it's not as easy to get in the games because of I have limited to no rooting interest. Therefore, I figured I should offer some of my thoughts.

As far as the Redskins go this year, as a fan, I'm cautiously optimistic. There are many fans around here who are always blindly optimistic, and always expects the Redskins to go to the Superbowl every year come opening kickoff, but as one of the ones who look more towards history and reason, the only way to be optimistic with this team is to be "cautiously optimistic".

They have done a lot of great things during the offseason. The organization got rid of a lot of the deadweight (with the exception Albert Haynesworth... but I'll get to that later), they fired their main personnel player, their fired their coach, and they found reasonable and competent replacements. As much as I liked Jason Campbell when he was here, Donovan McNabb is also a great upgrade. And as it looks like now, the owner has kind of fired himself from personnel decisions. Just based from that, they looked like they immediately addressed some of the biggest problems that's been holding back this team for years.

Next up, they had to address a huge weakness... their offensive lines. The offensive line they had last year had issues with injuries, and the guys who had to step up wouldn't start in any team in the league. They were responsible for Jason Campbell getting beat up last year. Therefore, they addressed it by drafting an O-lineman with their 1st pick, Trent Williams, whom they feel can be the cornerstone they can build their line around long-term. They've gotten some solid veteran guys for the line through free agency and trade (Hicks and Brown). So now, their O-line, though still not elite (as compared to teams like the Vikings and Packers), is much improved!!!

This year, they've also switched their defensive scheme from a 4-3 to a 3-4. Many say that this switch may hinder the team, but I feel it will help them more. With the exception of Andre Carter (who is still a good player), this scheme is probably tailored more towards the strengths of the personnel, most especially Orakpo, the young linebacker who is more of a hybrid linebacker-lineman type.

As far as everything else goes, the running game I think will be solid and well-improved. By bringing in competition in the off-season, I think coach Shanahan knocked a lot of the diva out of Clinton Portis, and made him hungrier overall. The wide receiving core still offers some concern (as the young wideouts are still unproven, and Santana Moss possibly facing a suspension for his illegal substance issue), but I think their tight ends are skillful enough to pick up a lot of the slack.

The huge problem (and I mean that literally) that I see can be haunting them in the long term if it's not addressed, is Albert Haynesworth. They paid this guy a lot of money, doesn't cooperate, still isn't in the best shape for a person with his contract, and continues to clash with the coach. And, because of this, he could be a "cancer" in the locker room. It's hard to get rid of him outright, considering of how much the owner and the previous regime invested in him. So in that case, the organization is handcuffed. If they let him go, they want to get a fair price for him (such as a 2nd round draft pick), but as of now, no other teams seem to bite. So as of now, they have to deal with it, or just wait it out.

As far as predictions go, they obviously can't be as bad as last year. If I was overly optimistic, I would pick them to go 10-6 or 11-5. However, as more of a realist, I think it's more than fair to pick them to go 8-8, or if they're lucky, 9-7. Even though I like McNabb and think of him as an upgrade compared to Campbell when it comes to leadership, and track record, I'm still not sold that he will stay healthy for the whole year. Not to mention, you still have the Haynesworth situation, and the non-proven receiving core. So I think around the .500 mark will be good. But, if they surpass those expectations, I would be ecstatic, but not too overly surprised.

But as for the game tonight... I do think the Redskins will do better than most are expecting, and possibly even pull an upset. The Cowboys have some issues of their own too, and it was evident during the pre-season. They will not blow out the Skins, and I don't think they will be as dominant as many people say they are and win the NFC. I do think, that this game will be a close one, and as a Redskins fan, I'm inclined to pick an upset...

Redskins 20, Cowboys 17

The Redskins fans have been waiting for this for months. They have been pumped up for weeks, and I think they will be the X-factor to this game. Therefore, I'm picking the upset.

So those are my thoughts. Hope everyone enjoys Week 1!

HTTR
-OBE

DC does not stand for "Dallas Cowboys"

2010-09-11T23:26:00.000-04:00

As promised (and in the spirit of Redskins vs Cowboys rivalry to kickoff opening season), I will offer a few thoughts on the Dallas Cowboys (but mostly, their DC area fans).

This entry will expand on the video that I posted on yesterday's blog (which was featured by Comcast Sportsnet for a while). When you walk around here in the DC area, you will definitely not find a shortage of Dallas Cowboy jerseys, and flags sporting Dallas Cowboy flags or decals. Yes, there is a huge so-called fanbase of Dallas Cowboy fans in this area. Through my eyes, here are the reasons why...

I feel that most are Dallas Cowboy "fans" here are only fans just to spite the Skins. Most feel that the Redskins have disappointed them over the years (and arguably, you can't argue that because of how the Daniel Snyder regime turned out), therefore, many in this area feel they have to cheer for this team's most hated rival. As I've said in that video in my last entry, most of the so-called Dallas fans in this area have not been to Dallas, or anywhere near Texas, and probably can't point Dallas out in the map. And yet they claim that team, and claim their traditions like it's been part of them their whole lives. I call the "BS" card on that. Respectfully, the way I see it, most Dallas Cowboy fans here are poseurs, because the only reason why they are "fans", is because they are "anti-fans" of the Redskins. Most Dallas Cowboy fans that I know around here, talk about the Redskins just about as much (if not more) than they do than their so-called team. So the way I see it, I see them as closet Redskins fans, rather than the "true" Cowboy fans that they have labeled themselves as.

Most of the Cowboy fans here in DC are contrarians. I've been told, they show up to Redskins pre-season exhibition games (such as the Buffalo Bills game that took place about a month ago) that don't count and mean nothing (that their team has no part in), and show up in their Cowboys jerseys, just because they crave the negative attention. They enjoy "trolling" on others' experience, try to steal the thunder of fans trying to have fun enjoying their team in their stadium, and do so in an elitist type of attitude, because "their" team has owned the rivalry over the past few years. If the Redskins were actually playing the Cowboys in those games... fine, but preseason games? Really???

That's what I have a problem with. As someone who tries to look at the positive in many things, and as a motivator who tries to encourage the positive within people, I have a problem with that "trolling" attitude. I have little respect for people who try to steal others' joy, no matter what the situation. I mean, I can respect some good trash talk between fans, but if you cross that line and it's evident that you're just trying to be a jackass, just for the sake of being a jackass with an elitist type of attitude, then that's when I lose that respect.

I will say, for the most part, I don't have a problem with the Dallas Cowboys fans who are actually from Dallas or Texas. They grew up with that team, and can appreciate that team for what they are, because they've been around them. Not to mention, a lot of the Cowboy fans that I actually know who are from Texas that ended up here, are intelligent football fans that can actually carry a decent discussion (unlike many of the "fans" from here in DC).

Now, if you hate the Redskins, and feel that you have to cheer for Dallas to reinforce that... fine. But, I would think, that if you hate the Redskins so much and want nothing to do with them, and not watch, see, or hear from them as little as possible, I would think you'd want to cheer for another team from another division who play the Redskins very rarely when it matters (like the Baltimore Ravens for example, who are local and actually have a respectable and solid football organization). IMO, cheering for a fierce division rival knowing they'll frequently play the team you hate, is almost like a divorced man getting re-married to his ex-wife's sister. Though you should get away from a bad memory, you go to something that will else that will fuel that memory further.

That's my opinion. I'm sure many people won't like it, but I'm equally sure that there are many who agree with it. Take it for what it is. I just wanted to offer some insight from my point of view on why a lot of Dallas Cowboy fans around here are understandably looked down on.

Not to mention, this is what makes these rivalries fun for the fans... civil trash talk with well thought out points and blogs from passionate fans.

HTTR,
-OBE

DC Pumped

2010-09-10T23:27:00.000-04:00

In spirit of the Sunday night kickoff between the Redskins and Cowboys, my blogs leading to the game will be discussing anything related to the game. Let me tell ya, everyone here in DC is pumped for the football season. Even more-so this year, considering that the Redskins play their hated rival in the opener. It is said that these "rivalry" games are more-so for than fans rather than the players, but let me tell ya, A LOT of people here in the area is uncharacteristically energized this whole week, fans or players...

All week, there has been "spirit week", with all sorts of events leading up to this game. The city of Washington DC, as well as surrounding counties in the Metro area, officially declared this whole week "Redskins Week", there were special "Beat Dallas" T-shirts made, all over the roads (and railways), commuters were honking if they "hate Dallas", and earlier today, there were even several pep rallies.

Over the past few years, we didn't have all of this. Just goes to show the magnitude of the importance that this matchup has to the people in this region. This is so, not only because most of the people around here live and breathe the Redskins football team, but also because the Cowboys have their share of fans here too (I'll post another blog about the Cowboys and their fans tomorrow). I highly doubt they are doing all of this in Dallas (although, I could be wrong).

Although, I will say that the players probably don't need all of this to get ready to play. In fact, most of the true and loyal fans probably don't need all of this to get pumped up either. Just the excitement of a new game, and a new season should be enough to wake you up.

However, despite all of this, I do think that overall, this "spirit week" could be a good thing. Although I heard many people say that these activities make the fanbase and the region look hokey and cheesy, and in a way, flatters Dallas by putting them on a pedestal... I feel that any function that unites people under a common purpose, spark lots of activity, creates buzz around the region, as well energy and positive memories, is something that we definitely need more of. Therefore, I'm totally okay with all the pep rallies, amplified trash talk, etc.

I'll go ahead and throw my hat in for this "Redskins Spirit Week". Check out this video that I made about a couple of years ago...

I actually sent this video to Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic, and they decided to feature it in their website for a little while (if you don't believe me, see the watermark in the screen). As you can see, as a passionate Redskins fan, I have quite the disdain for Dallas myself, and admittedly, was rather brash with my trash talk (though I kept it civil and intelligent).

Like I said, I do plan on doing a blog on my thoughts about the Dallas Cowboys (not so much about the team itself, but mostly around their luster, and why a lot of people here detest them so much). I may even get to the reasons why I said the words I said in that video.

Overall, I do think it's awesome to see that this "spirit week" and the start of the football season really put this area in such a ruckus of excitement. I'm all for anything that gets people pumped. I just can't imagine how this would carry on when the game actually kicks off on Sunday night.

It should be fun...

D4P...PD
-OBE

Are You Ready for Some Football??? 2010 Edition

2010-09-09T18:54:00.000-04:00

In case you don't know, the NFL Season kicks off tonight. It seems like there's a lot of buzz throughout this particular season, and from the looks of it (at least from my viewpoint) many people are more excited than they have been in a long time. It may have something to do from all the free agents who switched teams (ie: McNabb, T.O.), to this year's overpaid draft class (ie: Sam Bradford, Tebow, Suh, and Bryant), to all the drama that's been taking place in the offseason (Haynesworth, usual Brett Favre, etc), people are undoubtedly talking a lot about the football season. Add to that with the fact that there's a possibility that there might not be a season next year due to a need for a new collective bargaining agreement, this season may be one to remember for years to come.

I'm going to do this blog entry in a similar way that I did last year, offer a few thoughts and opinions about a few teams/storylines going into this season, then offer some general predictions, such as superbowl matchups, as well as what I generally think might happen to a few players or a few teams. I will also still not offer predictions of divisional champions, playoff berths, nor a Super Bowl Champion. So here are some predictions (minus my opinions on the Redskins)...

Thoughts...

Most of the teams seem significantly improved, and it appears hard to separate the teams this early in the preseason. Therefore, I would say there's no team (or teams) that really separates itself from the rest of the league.
The bay area teams will be surprising and much improved. 49ers have a solid chance of clinching the NFC West, and Jason Campbell will improve the Raiders.
The Jets may be overrated, and I think they will fall short from the expectations they have hyped themselves up for.
The AFC South is STACKED!

Predictions

This will be Bret Favre's final year!
The Bills and the Seahawks will be the worst teams in the league.
The Steelers will fall in a big hole in the first few games and won't recover in what seems to be a 2-horse AFC North race.
with the Rams' O-line issues Sam Bradford will be hurt before the year is over (God forbid)
Dallas won't become the first team to host the Superbowl in their own stadium
Early Superbowl Matchup Prediction: Ravens vs Vikings (all purple Super Bowl)

In case you're wondering the reasoning behind the Super Bowl Matchup, after some thought, even though I feel the Vikings may not be as good as they were last year and don't look as good on paper as teams like Dallas or even Green Bay, they are still solid all around in every position, and if you catch a break or two in the playoffs... you never know. As far as the Ravens, I usually pick them high every year considering I'm pretty familiar with them, but they look like a great team this year, with significant upgrades on offense, an always solid defense with unbelievable leadership, and they have some sick depth.

So those are my general thoughts/predictions of the upcoming 2010 season. You may have noticed though that I have withheld my thoughts on the Redskins. I have a whole separate blog (or few) for that in the future. I may offer a few thoughts on the team in general, and I will definitely offer a few thoughts on this initial game in Dallas. So stay tuned.

Let the gridiron theater begin. As I said last year, I love this time of the year! This season should be a lot of fun.

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

Kickoff in the Capital

2010-09-08T23:58:00.002-04:00

With all the craziness I had going on in Labor Day, I failed to discuss one of the leisurely activities that I'm interested in... kicking back and watching a good game of (American) football.

As we all know, the NFL kicks off its 2010 season tomorrow. And, for those of you who have followed this blog since it's inception, you would know that I am a serious Washington Redskins fan. However, I will not be talking about my thoughts on the NFL Season, nor the Washington Redskins in this particular entry. We have tomorrow's entry for that. Instead, I will be offering up a few thoughts as it relates to the College Football Season, mainly because we had two marquee matchups locally here in the DC area in Labor Day.

Many are aware that I am a University of Maryland alumni. And on Labor Day, the Terrapins were embroiled in a huge rivalry game against the Navy Midshipmen. They had a good in-state rivalry going since 1905, and their series have been deemed as "The Crab Bowl" classic. The rivalry has settled down over the last few decades, as controversies between the programs have separated them both. It used to be a frequent meeting early in the 20th century, but before Monday, the last time they played each other was in 2005 (and before that, 40 years earlier in 1965). This past Monday, their rivalry was renewed as they played in Baltimore.

I had plans of attending this game, however I wasn't able to. But, I was still able to catch it, and more importantly, enjoy it. The game did not disappoint. The Terrapins ended up winning by a score of 17-14. And although it was a rather sloppy game, I was proud that the Terrapin football team showed heart and character by allowing limited scoring and making stellar game-changing plays (despite 7 Navy red zone possessions), and knocked off QB Ricky Dobbs off the Heisman race by forcing him to turn the ball over a couple of times, and getting a crucial defensive goal line stand on to seal the game. The game had my heart racing in the last couple of minutes, and I certainly wasn't disappointed with the result. It was a hard earned win for the Terrapins.

It was apparent in this game that the Terrapins aren't the most talented team, and probably has a long way to go if they're serious about competing in the ACC, but this was an extremely important win. This win was against a quality Navy team who won 10 games last year, made up of disciplined young men who will one day be serving our country. That same year, this Terps team lost 10 games. This win can possibly set the tone for the rest of the year. And even though this game was sloppy, this game can serve as a great building block to correct whatever mistakes they have and help turn the program around from a dismal 2009.

But all-in-all, I do hope they make this rivalry series more frequent (considering the Annapolis touchdown club has recently just made a trophy for this game). For now, it may be too much to ask that they make this rivalry an every-year home-at-home series (although, I do hope that it eventually happens), but if they play this game every couple of years on a neutral site like Baltimore or Landover, both organizations can benefit, and I believe it will please many in-state fans.

The second football game took place later that evening, pitting the non-BCS Boise State Broncos and the Hokies of Virginia Tech (representing the BCS-conference of the ACC). This game had national title implications, as the winner would have strong national championship aspirations (especially if they win the rest of their games through out the year).

Admittedly, I didn't see much of this game, since I didn't really have too much rooting interest for this game. (I was switching in between this game, and watching WWE Monday Night Raw, which ironically was being held in the Verizon Center in DC). However, from what I did see, this game did not disappoint, and definitely surpassed the hype. Boise went up quickly on a fast run, Tech worked back to take the lead, and the game was decided in the last couple of possessions (which I happened to catch). In the closing minutes, Boise was down by 4, and rallied with a late touchdown to win by 3-points. It was an exciting finish, just about as exciting as the Maryland-Navy game. I would say though that the skill level and talent of these two top-10 ranked teams, and that this game had national title implications, added more to the over all quality of this game.

I will say this though, that games like this (as well as future well-contested games with two top teams playing each other that will be played throughout the season) further proves that college football needs a playoff system. This has been brought up countless times over the few years with how the BCS controversially ranks the teams. But this game will show that there will probably be many teams that will prove their case all throughout the year that they deserve to play for a National Championship, not just two team. Every major sport, college or professional, has a well-structured, tournament-style, playoff system to crown an undisputed champion, except for Div. I college football (even Division 1-AA, D2, or D3 football have their respective playoff systems). I won't get into too much into the need of a playoff system as there will be no shortage of discussion about this through out the year, but I will say that it probably would be best for the teams, the players, and the fans if it were to happen. If it does happen, I understand that it will probably not be perfect the first time around, but I'm sure it would be better than the current system they have now.

But all in all, I am looking forward to an interesting college football season. I wish I can tell you more about the other teams, but it's a little bit harder if you don't have a rooting interest for them. All I know, is that the SEC should be as strong, as always, and that there are a lot of quality teams that will probably have a decent case for the championship come the end of the year. And if Boise State remains undefeated the whole year, I don't see why they should be left out of the conversation in favor of BCS schools who probably didn't want to play them in the first place. My main hope for this season is that the only team that I root for, the Maryland Terrapins, would have a vast improvement, so they don't have to fire Coach Friedgen. A 7-5 record with a bowl game berth should be sufficient (at least). Hopefully, that can happen, and even better, they can surpass that goal.

But, here's to a great season! Remember, NFL blog tomorrow, definitely before kickoff (and not just before midnight).

-OBE

Motivational "Bathing"

2010-09-07T23:57:00.000-04:00

I took a nice four days off from blogging, partly because I had a busy enjoying my labor day weekend, but mostly because I wanted the previous blog to be visible as long as possible. I am proud to say that people have taken advantage of my "ULTIMATE" labor day sale, so I just want to take a moment right now to say thank you for those who did. I guarantee that you have made a great investment to an awesome life. bathing

Unfortunately though, I was a little disappointed that this limited "sale" was not as successful as I hoped it would be (and certainly not a success to my standards). And mainly the reason why, is because the ones whom I expected to take advantage of this sale, the ones that I know could probably use the motivation and the guidance these books and CDs have to offer, didn't take advantage of this. $10 is as low of a price as you can get, to get quality motivation... and you would think that many people would be interested. Surely, that wasn't the case. And I even admitted on Facebook, that this sale was done mostly for the people who weren't able to get my stuff yet (who may have had "price" as their main objection).

But, I can't be bitter about this. I felt I did a lot of things right, offered my quality and hard earned life work in a great price, and just left the ball on the court of others to take advantage of a great offer. I can't be bitter and dwell on the decisions that people don't want to make. After all, it's not my life, it's theirs. And as the old cliche goes, you can only lead a horse to the trough, but you can't make him drink.

I don't really have much more to say in this blog, but I just want to end this entry with this saying I once read from Zig Ziglar in one form or another... "...many say motivation doesn't last... well, neither is bathing which is why it is recommended daily." Now, this is another reason why I felt that offering my work to many during this past weekend was so important. A lot of people lack the will, because they lack the daily motivation to take the necessary steps to be what they want to be. And I felt, many could have gotten that kind of motivation for less than the price of a couple of cigarette packs, Starbucks Venti lattes, or shots of vodka (everyday vices that a lot of people probably "bathe in" daily, and throw much more than $10/day doing).

Just something to think about.

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

THE "ULTIMATE" LABOR DAY ANNOUNCEMENT...

2010-09-03T01:23:00.022-04:00

Well here it is! The blog that many have been waiting for. I'm going to try to keep this blog short and sweet, and get straight to the announcement. So without further ado, here is the big news...

From now until the end of labor day (or some time early in the morning of September 7th), I will be marking down all of my "ULTIMATE Crash Course" products. I will be slashing the prices of my CD, as well as my books SIGNIFICANTLY... BY MORE THAN 50%. Here's the link...

http://www.ultimatecrashcourse.com/UCC/ultimatemarkdown.html

My CD, which was originally just under $24 (if you bought it in my website, or in Amazon), is now available for $10. That's an astounding 59% reduction. You can also get not one, but both of my books combined for a price of $10! These books retail for $12.97 each, which means that you can get both of the books for LESS than the price of one! But the best thing is, if you want to get all 3 "ULTIMATE Crash Course" titles (the CD and both books), you can get them all for a paltry $17. Throw in the fact that you'll have awesome extra bonuses shipped with your order... AND that everything is shipped to you for FREE. I'm pretty much going nuts with this. How awesome is that?!

In case you're wondering what my motivation is for doing this... I wanted to do this because I know that this economy sucks, people are struggling, and tons of people are either unemployed or broke. Therefore, I wanted to make my brand of motivation as accessible as possible, and give as much of it as I can (reasonably). And what better time to do it, during a long holiday weekend when everybody will be home. Although, I would say that me choosing the labor day weekend is purely coincidence. (Being that labor day is a holiday dedicated to hard work, and not being afraid to die believing in your work).

All in all, I feel that as tough as it is today, we need to some form of motivation and inspiration more than ever. And the fact that a lot of kids just started school, the need to achieve and to motivate others to achieve is something that needs to be prevalent. And by doing this "super sale", I am offering some great "ultimate motivation" and insight at the most affordable price you will ever get it. Ask many motivational speakers how much they will charge for their advice and time... and I can guarantee that most of the "experts" you ask will laugh at you if you offer them $10 for their time. In fact, there are even some speakers out there that are so full of themselves, that they will probably charge you more than $10 to have lunch with them, while making you pay for the lunch.

So I would say that this is the perfect time to get some quality motivational products at a very low price. But like it says in the page... if you want to take advantage of this, you better act soon, as this deal will only be available during this Labor Day weekend. So come September 7th, this page will disappear and the respective prices will go back up to what they normally sell for.

In any event, I do encourage you to take advantage of this. Even if you have previously bought any of these titles, take advantage of it again and get copies for your friends. I'm sure you know at least one person that can use something like this. Give the gift of motivation. (Not to mention, you can keep the wristbands and stickers for yourself if you like). If you don't want to buy it for them, encourage them to get it for themselves by forwarding them the page.

I can guarantee though that if you do take advantage of this deal, no matter if you keep your order for yourself, or if you give it to someone else, you will feel like a much better person for it in the long run.

Here's the link one more time...

http://www.ultimatecrashcourse.com/UCC/ultimatemarkdown.html

Happy Labor Day!

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

Reminder...

2010-09-02T20:46:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to use my 75th blog post to remind all my readers and my social network friends and followers that the big exciting OBECorp surprise is coming up!

In fact, I'll tell you the time frame when I will approximately break the news. I will be breaking the news first in this blog tonight between midnight and 3am EST. I will definitely be staying up late tonight, just for you. (I'll try to stay up anyway for the last meaningless Redskins preseason game).

Since this blog automatically feeds to my twitter, the news will be breaking on twitter shortly after this blog is posted. But, I won't be posting the news, nor the blog entry on Facebook until tomorrow morning.

I will also be sending e-mails to my e-mail list come tomorrow afternoon telling them about it. However, I won't be sending the e-mails until tomorrow afternoon (when everybody is probably off of work). So, if you've signed up for my e-mail list in my website, you will be hearing from me there as well.

But once this announcement is made

Just to give you a hint on what this surprise will actually be... let's just say that I'm making "ultimate motivation" more accessible.

Curious yet? Stay tuned. ;-)

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

A Few Quick Thoughts on My High School Reunion

2010-09-01T23:53:00.000-04:00

Well, if you've been reading this blog, you may know that I attended my high school reunion this past weekend. I figured that I use some time in this blog to briefly discuss a few of my thoughts of my experience after seeing everyone after 10 years. I really will try to keep this brief, not because I want to get it over with and didn't enjoy the experience (it's actually quite the contrary), but because if I spend too long writing, I might spend a little more time than I would want to reminiscing. If that's the case, it would take me forever to write this blog.

Anyway, I just wanted to say, the more things changed, the more they stayed the same. I attended my reunion curious to see the changes after 10 years, but mostly everybody I recognized looked the same (facially), just a little more mature. I took my part and socialized with a few of the people I knew, and even met a few people I didn't recognize back before I graduated.

I would have to say that this statement applied to me as well. And even though I have become a speaker who's spoken to people all over the country, I decided to play my role as the quiet and seemingly unrecognizable guy. Many people who really know me would know that even though I speak, I do a great job at it because I was quiet and usually prefer to listening others talk (and gain insight partly through observation). I played this role during the reunion, and I happily did so. But as far as me being "unrecognizable", although a few people surprisingly recognized me, many more haven't. (Wasn't really surprising, because as I've said before, I was super timid in high school). One girl I had English class with (named Jasmine) couldn't remember my name. Someone even thought I didn't graduate in the class, and I graduated with the class of '03. (If I can find ever find the video of this exchange, I may post it here).

I got to walk around the refurbished gymnasium, as well as the old auxiliary gymnasium where we held wrestling practice. We held our practices in the back half, and the cheerleaders held their practices in the other half (most days there was a divider in the middle of the gym, but there were some days that there weren't, hehe). I even got to walk the "hall of champions" and it made me smile when I saw the picture of my friend Adrian Belcarris when he won the state championship in 2001. It was even more special, considering I was there to see it. Seeing the new gym did make me slightly upset though, because I always thought it was messed up that the county waited for that gym to collapse and put more priority in building new state-of-the-art high schools (and adding seats to the county council by doing so), while letting existing schools like Oxon Hill to slowly go down.

Overall, I had a great time re-connecting with old classmates and reminiscing my high school days. People were surprised that I am a motivational speaker and a published author considering I was the quiet guy in high school, but like I said before, I didn't come there to do that. Just re-connecting and finding out what some of my classmates have been through during the past 10 years (considering what I've gone through with some of them) made the weekend worthwhile.

I will say though, I did feel odd that I was probably the one of the few guys (if not the only guy), who followed with the black tie dress code for the reunion gala by actually showing up in a tux and bowtie. (I'm used to wearing a suit and tie, so I thought it was a tux nice change of pace). Like I said, the more things change, the more things stay the same... ;-)

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

Oh Hi Mark

2010-08-31T23:57:00.000-04:00

This isn't really one of my usual empowerment or life observation blogs, but I would have to say that this is one of those entries that encourages you to find laughter and happiness in the simplest things. Watch this movie clip (viewer discretion: strong language and adult situations)...

It's from the movie "The Room" a film starring, produced, and directed by Tommy Wiseau. I have managed to find more clips from this movie on YouTube and find the film somewhere on the Internet. I have to say that it was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It is poorly acted, poorly produced, the dialogue and story's continuity and flow is inconsistent, and you will want to punch yourself after watching it. Wiseau's English throughout the film is so broken, it sometimes reminds you of those old japanese martial arts movies (where they dub english audio). This also adds on to how bad this movie is.

But, on the other side of the coin, because it's so bad, I will recommend it only for people to have their mind blown to see an example of how NOT to make movies. I'm not a filmmaker, but I can clearly see that there are major flaws in this movie. Not to mention, if you need a good laugh, a good way to do so is to watch this movie. Even though the movie is meant to be a tragedy, and the ending is sad, you just can't help but laugh when watching this movie.

Some info on this movie, it was so bad, that it has become so popular and became a cult favorite. It's even become it's own internet meme. (If you don't believe it, just look all over youtube).

Anyway, slightly more serious blog tomorrow. Just thought I'd lighten the mood a little bit.

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

Much Needed Break... But I'm Back!!! (With An Upcoming Surprise)

2010-08-30T22:50:00.000-04:00

In case you may have not noticed, I have taken a weekend break from blogging. It was mostly because I had a full weekend, getting reacquainted with my former classmates in my 10-year high school reunion with the Oxon Hill High School Class of 2000, as well as spending a little bit of time playing with my nephew and my niece.

But don't worry, I will get back to blogging all things motivation, all things insight, all things sport, all things life, all things "OBE". In fact, I want to make an announcement that I have something big planned for all my blog readers, as well as my friends in social media come labor day weekend. I will break the news exclusively here on this blog sometime during the span of the 3-day weekend.

What is it? You have to tune in to find out. But I promise you... it's gonna be rewarding, it's gonna be great, and it's gonna be ULTIMATE.

Until then... keep checking out the blog and reading the blog posts. I'll definitely continue to provide some good content.

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

One Weird Life Goal I Have...

2010-08-26T23:46:00.003-04:00

One goal I actually have on my "Ultimate Life List" is to have my own Wikipedia page written about me.

It's a weird goal, and I don't know why exactly I came up with this goal. I guess I always felt that you have truly made it if someone has thought enough of you to write a small well-thought-out and researched biography of you, what you have accomplished, and have several other websites that point to specific points of what you have done and your significant contribution to this world.

Hopefully, WHEN this happens, it will be under good circumstances, and my "fame" won't be because I do anything to cause a bad rep (ie: Seung-Hi Cho). I would want to be immortalized with people believing I have made some sort of positive impact.

But why Wikipedia? It's a worldly recognizable reference point in the Internet, it's easy to find, well moderated, and it's written and maintained by regular (yet educated) people. I just recently discovered (when randomly googling people via the blog entry two days ago), that my good friend Arel Moodie (whom I blogged about previously) has his own Wikipedia page. Makes me motivated to have one too.

Hopefully I will get my own complete Wikipedia page one day. I think it's great to have one, not because I want to be recognized or immortalized, but in my opinion, it's a good indication that you have done something significant to change someone's life, and change the world (somehow).

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

When in doubt about an "opportunity", check out...

2010-08-25T23:20:00.001-04:00

Ripoff Report

There are probably hundreds, no... thousands of "opportunities" out there claiming you can legitimately make a lot of money online, offline, or wherever. Most of all, they claim you can make it very easily by posting a link here, send an e-mail there, or some other small menial task. And in a few weeks, you'll make more money working a few hours, than you ever have working full-time in years. (After all, they have pictures of their ginormous checks, and numerous transactions in their clickbank accounts). I'm friends with a few "online marketers" in Facebook, and I've noticed that some of them are guilty in this.

The ripoff report website above gives you a good idea of what you should be careful of out there. If it's not a legit opportunity, chances are, someone filed a report and wrote about it on this site. These reports are pretty detailed, and a lot of them have comments backing it up.

Honestly, I wish I knew about this site back when I was in college, or back when I got out of college. I'm not proud to say, that I've gotten ripped off several times from a lot of companies who aren't so "honest", and fell into a lot of scams. It would have saved me a lot of heartache.

So definitely use this Ripoff Report if you smell something fishy about a certain opportunity. I've been using this for a while now, and whenever I type up something I'm skeptical about... more often than not, I find it in this site. But, I will say, that not all opportunities are "bad", so if you find one that isn't, I urge you to pursue it. This website can help you determine just that.

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

Have you Googled Yourself Lately?

2010-08-24T23:42:00.000-04:00

Just for fun, I decided to "google myself" today. I used to do this quite often, but I haven't done it in a while...

After doing so, I found that just by typing my name, I'm apparently very visible in the Internet now. It might be thanks to my blogging, it might be from the YouTube videos I've done some time ago, it might be because I'm in a lot of social networks. A lot of those may have contributed to my internet visibility. I typed in my name (without the quotes), websites that features my likeness (or likenesses of what I worked on) dominated the first 5 pages. Even the session I taught in February in Atlanta was found in the first few pages. And the first mention of another "Obedoza" isn't until page 3 (remember, this is a search without quotes. I think that's pretty cool. I dominate the "Obedoza" niche in Google. haha

One surprising (and great thing) is that despite all of this "visibility", my personal information (with the exception of my PO Box, which I don't mind people knowing) isn't published publicly. This is a good thing, for obvious privacy reasons.

Just thought I'd share that. So if you're trying to find me, I shouldn't be too hard to find (in the Internet). Just goes to show a small example of how powerful Google has become.

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

Killer Ab Workout on a Couch

2010-08-23T23:41:00.000-04:00

Check out the following video...

I've done this ab workout for the first time in a long time the other day (only double the reps), and my gut was sore for a couple of days. But, I've also watched my diet a bit, and started seeing some results only after a few short days.

This wasn't the first time I've done this workout, but it was the first time I've done it in a while. I remembered how much it burned, so I decided to go at it again.

I recommend you try it as well, and let me know how you feel after doing this for the first time. If you don't have a 6-pack like I do, I'm sure you'll feel it. And if you get results, let me know...

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

Congrats to the Mystics!

2010-08-22T23:19:00.001-04:00

Many people know that I am a huge supporter of the Washington DC professional sports scene. I get very excited when I see the teams here experience tremendous success. Sadly, with the exception of the Washington Capitals (who did well last season, only to disappoint in an early 1st round exit last year), it hasn't happened too much around this area, lately. However, today is a day to celebrate!

The women's professional basketball team in this city (the WNBA's Washington Mystics), are making the playoffs. Not only are they making the playoffs, but they clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference, meaning they increase their chances of advancing far because they will be playing most of their playoff games here in DC.

Women's basketball has never been as appealing and probably doesn't have the star power to draw like men's basketball, but women ball players are great and skillful athletes. Honestly, one of the best basketball games I ever remember seeing was a women's basketball college game (Maryland vs. Duke for the 2006 National Championship).

So, to sports fans in DC, I encourage you to support this team during their playoff run (either by going to the playoff games, or if not, watching them on your TV). This is the best shot of DC getting a professional championship in one of the "Big 4" sports since the Caps earlier this year, so they definitely can use your support. (Depending on when the games are, I am seriously thinking about showing up for a game or two).

So congrats to the Mystics basketball team, owner Shiela Johnson, Ted Leonsis, and everyone in Monumental Sports and Entertainment. They definitely faced adversities (with their star player Alana Beard being hurt all year), worked hard, and thrived throughout the year. Hopefully, they can bring a championship here to DC.

D4P...PD
-OBE

An Oxon Hill Clipper... 10 years after

2010-08-21T20:47:00.000-04:00

I'm actually trying to write this as I'm watching the Redskins preseason game against the Ravens (while tweeting), so I will try to keep this decently short.

I just realized that in one week, my high school reunion will take place. Wow! Thinking about that makes me feel a little bit old.

As I look back to my journey during the past 10 years, I honestly can't believe the road I have taken. Despite some skepticism and some naysayers, I just have to look back and saw... WOW, I have grown a lot (as a person, but not so much in height, hehehe).

I was a top student in an "urban" high school minutes away from the DC. Graduated top 10%, in the Honors Society, and I was part of "It's Acadmic" (our school's "quiz show" club) so I liked to think I was pretty smart. Honestly, I was sort of a nerd.

And although I wrestled for 3 years in high school, and I stayed in decent shape usually by lifting after school, it was more evident I was a nerd. A shy, timid, quiet, nerd at that. (I couldn't even muster up the courage to ask the girl I wanted to ask to prom). I never hung out in any cliques, I was sort of an outcast, and my circle of friends consisted of my wrestling teammates, and the few I still see often today. But despite all this, I would say I wasn't really "teased" considering some people confused my quietness for a small sign of psychosis. I was still considered an athlete. If you ask me then what I thought I would go through in the next 10 years... I would have said I would be creating video games or designing computer programs. I never would've thought I'd be where I am now.

It blows my mind that I'm a motivational speaker now. Like I said, I couldn't even ask a girl out to prom 10 years ago. Now I'm spreading messages of good will through speeches, books, and internet videos. And by doing this, I even got to connect with some "important" people which includes best-selling authors, millionaires, award winning television personalities, and even gorgeous magazine models. (Not bad for a shy timid nerd, lol).

It has been an interesting journey in the past 10 years, filled with a roller-coaster of emotions and pivotal events to shape me to the person I am today. And the funny thing is, I still have ways to go, and even more "changes" to partake in. I have plenty of life goals that I still want to accomplish, but who knows if those goals will change in another 10 years. Like I said, I probably would have been a computer programmer (probably a portly one), if I stayed on the same goal I had 10 years ago.

I don't really say all this to brag, because I don't think I have accomplished much yet (to my standards). Honestly, what I am really interested in, is seeing how well my other classmates are turning out. I'm sure a lot of them even accomplished much more than I have, and gone much further from where they were in high school. A lot of my former classmates, are also my friends in Facebook, and a handful of them are settled with their own families... which I consider extremely huge accomplishments. I am very anxious to see where everyone has come. I am also wondering if the girl I was afraid to ask out 10 years ago will be there, lol.

It should be an interesting reunion weekend next weekend. I am really looking forward to seeing not only old friends, but everyone else. It should be a treat to see everyone after 10 years.

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

Rediscovering "A New Earth"

2010-08-20T23:24:00.000-04:00

Because of the "issues" I am currently having (which I mentioned in my last blog entry), I am re-listening to Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth in audiobook. I have been quite upset about what has been said to me, and about me. I have had a few days to stew upon my current situation, but the more I thought about my situation, and what was said (especially the things that were said justifying (what I strongly feel) is the wrong... the more I it made me upset, because I can't seem to make sense out of it. I'm always all for doing the right thing, and when people are doing nothing but making excuses and trying their best to wrongly justify things that aren't right... no matter who you are or where you are in the hierarchy, it will make me upset. Therefore, to try to make sense of things, and try to find some peace, I decided to start to re-listen to one of the deepest, most insightful works, that I have ever had a chance of absorbing.

I have only re-listened to the 1st couple of CDs. I did realize some of my faults during my current situation, and probably could have approached it in a different way after listening to some parts of it. I remembered hearing one quote that really stuck out of my mind... "realizing your own insanity is when you can gain your sanity", and by hearing that quote, it did make me look at myself a little bit.

But, after listening to most of the other parts I have listened to so far, most of my other points in this conflict I'm having were further emphasized. When Tolle discussed "possessions" and how we feel our attachment to the need to "own" certain things gets in the way of our own enlightenment, I thought about that significant flaw the person I'm having a conflict with has. What I always try to convey is that we all have mortal flaws. And we have always have to recognize them first and try to do something about them, rather than live in denial. I just wish people will realize that when I try to point that out (much more... not try to justify the antithesis of that).

But like I said, I will not discuss my full unfortunate details of my "issues" I'm currently having with people around me in this blog. The Internet is never the forum to completely air out your dirty laundry. But I just thought I'd get a little bit off my chest again (without revealing too much), as it will help me better express myself in the long term.

I also wanted to write because I am really hoping that re-listening to this awesome work (mixed with some faith in a Higher Power and some prayer) will help bring back some of the peace I lost during the past few days. I do plan on listening to one more CD before I get to bed (like I said a few blogs ago, your mind is more receptive during that time).

I'll hopefully keep you updated in some future entries.

-OBE

"Keep the Faith, Stay True to Yourself, and Keep Going."

2010-08-19T23:30:00.001-04:00

I haven't felt all too good during the past few days due to personal conflicts I currently have going on. (Although, my readers may have not noticed because I try to stay upbeat on my posts, in my blogs, and in Facebook). I won't discuss my problems in detail here in this blog, because I don't feel that this is the appropriate forum to do so, and this isn't the setting to air some possible dirty laundry and the issues I have with the people in my life right now.

But whatever problems I might currently be having, a few things I have learned during times of trouble are to keep the faith, stay true to yourself, and keep on going. And that's why I think despite what I'm going through right now, that keeping consistent with this blog is important. Whatever problems I have in the real world, this blog is one of my outlets of momentary escape from all of that, and will always serve as a productive source of self-expression, as well as self-evaluation.

Like I said, I won't openly discuss my "issues" here, so I'll start wrapping up this blog. I just want to ask that for anybody who happens to be reading this blog to please pray for me, and pray for the people around me. The easiest things that are supposed to be apparent in life are to determine right from wrong, good from evil, truth from lie, or reality from fantasy... but apparently, these are the conflicts we struggle with everyday and will take our all our life to resolve. And believe it or not, it is even harder to convince the people around us the difference between those contrasts above (especially if they have their mind made up, and closed it because they are afraid it will conflict to their own so-called "truth").

"Keep the faith, stay true to yourself, and keep going." That's all I need to say.

-OBE

Something that makes me LOL

2010-08-18T23:45:00.000-04:00

Just to mix it up a bit, and stray from my usual empowering deep/philosophical/motivational/advisory blog posts, I thought I'd briefly discuss (and recommend) something that makes me laugh...

I watched cartoons like Yu-Gi-Oh! and Dragon Ball Z when I was younger. (In fact, not many people know, the name "OBECorp" is actually somewhat inspired by "Kaiba Corp." in the Yu-Gi-Oh! series). These cartoons (ie: anime) were fairly interesting when they were imported from Japan and brought on TV a few years ago, but the Internet YouTube community happened to make it even more so interesting.

Enter the "Abridged Series" craze. As many may know, the overall story in many anime cartoons take way too long to tell, and the story structure has it's share of "filler" (ie: acts that doesn't advance the overall plot)ots and non-sensical pl. Therefore, a guy name Martin Bellany (aka "littlekuriboh"), decided to start the abridged craze by making his own abbreviated parody of the 1st episode of Yu-Gi-Oh!, filled with his own voiceovers, silly allusions to the original series, mixed in with pop-culture references. That got popular very fast, so he decided to make more.

A few hundred thousand views and couple of YouTube bans later, we have a craze, that's still going strong. Since then, his abridged series have inspired hundreds more in YouTube (most of which, sadly isn't nearly as good). Not to mention, his YouTube channel won Mashable's Funniest YouTube channel in 2009.

What's even more impressive is that this dude's panel drew 1700 people in the 2010 Otakon convention... on a Sunday morning. 1700 people? For a parody panel? That is crazy! Many "celebrities" can't draw that many (in a Sunday morning, no less).

"Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series" (YGOTAS for short) started the craze, but "Dragon Ball Z Abridged" by Team Four Star (TFS), took it to another level. Dragon Ball Z was great because of it's story and action packed battle scenes, but it was also notorious for filler, slow storytelling, and bad English dubbing. Team Four Star is composed of a bunch of DBZ fans, with gifted voice talents, and told the story within the Dragon Ball Universe in an extremely hilarious and creative way.

Enough of me blogging about them though... if you're familiar with these 2 cartoons, feel free to check out the "abridged" versions yourself. Here are the YGOTAS and TFS YouTube channels. (You may still get the jokes even if you're not familiar with the cartoons). Whenever I have a bad day or I'm down on myself and need to laugh, I watch some of this stuff.

But simply put, these guys are comic geniuses and have become their own celebrity. They've also become brands upon themselves (if these guys weren't restricted by IP rules, they will probably never have to work). Like I said, if you can draw 1700 people in the middle of Baltimore on a Sunday morning, you're doing something right.

So if you need a laugh, I do recommend finding an "Abridged Series" in YouTube... mainly the YGOTAS and TFS abridged series I discussed. You can find more abridged series in YouTube, and although most are bad, some of them are pretty good. But the aforementioned are the two that I closely follow. So check em out when you can.

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

(I guess that I take back that this isn't an "empowerment" blog, considering laughing is a form of empowerment and wellness.)

Die a Little Bit...

2010-08-17T23:40:00.000-04:00

‎"Sometimes you have to die a little bit to truly live"

I posted that quote yesterday in Facebook, when it randomly popped up in my mind. I'm not sure exactly where the true source of this quote was, or if it was just created by my subconscious mind. But, I've been thinking about this quote the whole day, and the more I thought about it, the more I thought it was profound.

I won't elaborate too much on it on this blog (considering that when I share a quote, I believe the listener should let it sink in before any analysis takes place). But, I will say, that every time a part of you "dies", there will be somewhat of a change in you (good or bad), and that change in your being can ultimately help your life become more interesting, either for better or for worse, which will truly help you "live".

That's what I think of the quote, so take it as is. You may have a similar, or even a different interpretation of it, but whatever you may think of it... you may agree with me that it is a rather deep quote that you can write forever about.

I will end this entry with another quote...

"That which does not kill you will make you stronger."

This quote is well-known, and paraphrased in many different forms. I think this quote is somewhat related. I do believe "dying a little bit" doesn't mean dying completely... and since "dying a little bit" won't "kill you"... it will only make you stronger so you can truly live.

Make sense? Just think about it a bit.

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

Why I Blog Like an Owl

2010-08-16T23:44:00.000-04:00

If you have been reading my blog in the last couple of weeks, you might notice I do most of my blogs late at night. A lot of those posts actually come right before midnight. Well, there's actually a reason for that (and it's not because of procrastination issues, wink wink).

The reason why I actually do most of my posting late at night is because I usually go to bed shortly after I hit the publish button. And the two most consistent as well as crucial times of the day when your brain determines a good part of your being and does most of it's "programming", occurs 1) a few minutes after you wake up, and 2) just before you go to bed.

As you may know, I have read tons of self-development books and articles (and even wrote a couple of books on my own... see the Amazon widget above this entry). Many of these books will agree with this statement, and it's because the most crucial times for your brain to "absorb" things is before and/or after you slip into consciousness.

If you think about that, it makes sense. We do the most habitual things that we do after we wake up and before we sleep (such as brush our teeth, say our prayers, read, exercise, etc). Not to mention, that's why a lot of experts out there don't recommend you falling asleep with the TV on... as it would fill your mind with impurity just before you slip into unconsciousness. (Refer to Eckhart Tolle's bestselling book "The New Earth" for more on this.)

But since I want to make blogging and openly expressing myself as a bigger part of who I am, I decided I should do this "self-expression" during the crucial time of just before going to bed. Not only will it help me get this activity to be more habitual, but by doing this, I am programming my brain and telling it that this is important to me.

However, one downside to this is, if I decide to do a negative or angry post before going to bed. Anger and negativity is unhealthy for your being, and you should not go to bed with it. I'm sure many of you heard the quote... "do not go to bed when your angry" right? In that case, if I decide to post a more negative post (since we all can't be perfect), I might do those a little earlier during the day.

So in case you are wondering why I'm always cutting it close as in doing my blog posts, you have your answer. So, my advice is... if you want to make something a big part of not only your day, but also your life, "program" yourself to do it before/after bedtime consciousness.

Sweet dreams.

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

READ THIS!!!...

2010-08-15T23:55:00.001-04:00

YOU ARE AWESOME!!!

Well, so much for me taking a day off from blogging. I figured since I did it for two straight weeks, I should keep it going, right? I had a few more minutes to go before the day is officially over, so I thought I'd get one quick thought in and post a blog before it was too late!

Nothing inspirational, nothing thought-provoking, and far from extravagantly loquacious. Just a random thought I had in my head that I wanted to express what I really think of anyone who took time to read this blog.

That is all. Have a great week!

D4P...PD!
-OBE

Last Day of the "Challenge"

2010-08-14T18:00:00.000-04:00

When July ended, I decided to post at least one blog every day for 14 days to get back into the habit of blogging and open self-expression. I truly believe that effective self-expression is a good, consistent, and effective way to know yourself better, and is an over all healthy for your own being in general. Not to mention, it's good to do for me, because doing consistent blogs helps get my name out there more, and will overall increase my internet presence. Everyday blogs, videos, and tweets are a great way to do that. (And since I'm still not completely sold and believe in twitter yet, and I haven't had much chances to do videos, I decided to choose blogs to increase my internet presence.)

But during these past 14 days, I have kept my promise, posting at least 1 blog everyday since August 1st, with a total of 15 blogs total. I know I could have done better, but I felt I've done well in holding my end of the bargain. Though my posts weren't numerous, I did feel they weren't short of content and insight, and many who did read them got a good amount out of them.

Although this challenge is over, would I continue to blog every day? I hope so! I will probably take tomorrow off though, considering I have a full day tomorrow. I'm also spending time with my niece and nephew the whole weekend (and for those with kids, you would know it's hard enough to get things done when their needs to be met). But after that, I hope to continue my consistent blogging parade again to keep my consistency of expression goin.

But like I said, when you make a commitment or a promise (whether it be to yourself, or to someone else), you must do all you can to keep that promise. By doing that challenge, I wanted to show that I truly am one of those who really put my words into action, and not just some hypocrite who just says stuff.

So with that, I just want to thank everyone who's been reading during the past 15 days. I have gotten a good amount of feedback and it's good to know that I have some consistent readers over all. And with that, it will give me even more of a reason to keep blogging. So if you're reading this... THANK YOU! (You know who you are).

Until next time, with even more awesome blogging. But as of now, I have to get back to babysitting.

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

Happy Friday (the 13th)

2010-08-13T17:45:00.000-04:00

As we all know, the first day of this month started on a Sunday, which only means that it's Friday the 13th.

Personally, I don't think much of Friday the 13th and the bad luck it's supposed to bring you. I honestly don't think much of superstitions in general. I always believe that things happen to you based on the position that you put yourself in. Sure, once in a while, you do get bad luck here and there, but I hardly doubt, and probably can't be proven, that it has something to do with what day it is, how many mirrors you break, or what ritual you've done (or didn't do).

Although, I would say that if you believe in something strong enough... that it will probably come true for you. (Which explains why those who believe they are always destined for bad luck will always experience it, and why positive affirmations usually work). So only in that case, I do believe that superstitions could be true.

But I will say that I'm not totally anti-superstitious. The only time when I really get superstitious is when I cheer for my favorite sports teams. The Redskins play tonight in preseason, and you can sure bet, I will be crazily superstitious (such as thinking that me watching the game will have an impact on the team's performance).

So I just wanted to throw that out there. It's just a short blog, so think of it as it is. If you were expecting more, tune in another day. But I will say, that I actually had a more good days than bad days during Friday the 13th, with no traces of Jason Voorhees trying to whack me.

Go Redskins.

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

Advice For Some of My Facebook Peeps...

2010-08-12T23:55:00.001-04:00

I know a lot of my Facebook Friends don't read my blog. And those that probably need to read this blog probably won't even read it...

Whenever I log into Facebook, it amazes some of the status updates and posts I see. I'm all for free expression (always have been), so don't get me wrong. But it's odd that people would just say anything, post anything, do anything, not thinking at all if there would be any future repercussions...

I don't want to sound like some kind of prude by saying what I'm about to say, but some people shouldn't be posting TMI posts to the precise detail to when you fart (true story). And some posts just make some people look stupider than they actually are with every other word being a curse word, or with people just plainly saying very offensive or idiotic things. I doubt people don't want to be portrayed as such.

Your online profiles are a reflection of you. I get that many of us have "warts" and imperfections... but does that mean that we should always flaunt them like some badge of honor? Some of our imperfections show others the adversity we've been through, but many show others how weak our character is and paints us in a negative light. The latter imperfections are what we should not "flaunt".

The reason why I believe this, is because Facebook and Social Media is getting so popular, that it will be here to stay for the foreseeable future. And in my opinion, sites like Facebook and LinkedIn are the future of background checks (if it isn't already). As privacy in these sites get less (which probably will happen due to the power of money and corporate sponsorship), these sites will become a more efficient way for businesses, prospective mates, or people in general, to look other people up and keep up with them. So we have to be careful with what we post in here.

So, in my opinion, just watch what you put out there. Like I said, you never know who is, or will be watching.

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

When in Doubt, Don't...

2010-08-11T23:32:00.001-04:00

...press "Send".

...or "Publish", or "Share", or whatever the button may say that may cause your questionable Internet post/e-mail/blog to go public for everyone to see.

I was about to make a stupid mistake. I was a little over-the-top in this particular blog entry. But after pausing and reflecting, before I pressed the orange "Publish Post" button, I had doubts and just decided to scrap the blog, with "Select All" then pressing "Delete" and starting over.

To make a long story short, I was about to post a very controversial and possibly offensive blog that will lose a lot of the respect that I have worked hard to gain. I realize that by deleting, it does kind of go against my philosophy of not being afraid to show yourself, no matter how controversial it may be, "warts and all". But at the same time, I have to respect myself enough that I wouldn't want to be taken as a joke of some sort. Posting that controversial blog would have probably done just that.

Now I know I'll probably disappoint some people by not posting that blog, as many may think of me as a prude, or may be curious what I was about to post. Let's just say, that I felt it was so crude and offensive, that if many women that I like happen to read it, I would have no chance of a date. Needless to say, I felt I made the right decision.

So in case you have any doubts about what you'll post... just don't post it. This actually follows the advice Ted Leonsis gave in the blog I discussed a few entries ago. You have to consider yourself as a very important person, with enough respect for yourself to uphold your importance. One wrong move can destroy all that.

An upside to openly posting something controversial, is that it will ultimately get you readers and possibly popularity. But at what cost? I personally won't sell myself out to get a few minutes of fame here and there.

So those are my 2 cents for today. And in case you were wondering why my blog was a little late today, this entry should have explained it.

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

Don't Eat That! - A Lesson in Commitment

2010-08-10T22:12:00.001-04:00

This evening after dinner, I was offered some rum cake from the Caribbean. It looked good and it smelled even better. My mother even told me it tasted delicious, so much so that she ate half of the whole cake. However, I declined.

Why? In the beginning of 2010, I made a commitment to give up all types of kinds of alcohol for the whole year, whether it be beer, or any kind of liquor (which includes rum, an ingredient of this cake). Therefore, I didn't eat the cake simply because it contained rum.

Although, the alcohol in the cake was not nearly enough to affect anyone (.5%-1% alcohol content per serving), I made a commitment to stay away from alcohol, and I decided to stick with it. Although it was tempting, because the cake really looked very good, one must fight temptations to keep promises made to ones self. That's a universal rule in life, and we have to realize that to become stronger people.

And no matter how insignificant the temptation may be, you still have to fight it and not take it lightly. If you make excuses just because your temptations may seem insignificant now, excuses will just give them a chance to grow, and to eventually destroy you.

Of course, this doesn't only apply to cake and alcohol, but to even bigger promises and commitments in life, like staying on an exercise program, meeting a deadline, or getting married. Sure, those examples are of a bigger scale and it takes a lot more work on your part to keep those promises, but if you work to strengthen your will power in a lot of your actions in everyday life, you can keep your commitments easily, whatever they may be.

But as it relates to my situation, what I'm trying to say is... try to think that the insignificant 1% alcohol in the cake, to a small distraction that will keep you from doing that project, or that small infidelity that will make you unfaithful. They may be small now, but if you make excuses and give those vices a chance to grow... like I said, they can destroy you.

So in case you're having trouble keeping a promise, whether it be to someone else, or to yourself, just remember my story with the rum cake. You'll be so much stronger for staying to your commitment and keeping your promises, and you will also be a better person for it too.

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE

"The Summoned Self"

2010-08-09T20:25:00.000-04:00

I stumbled on to the following "New York Times" article...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/opinion/03brooks.html?_r=4&ref=davidbrooks

It's an Op-Ed article by David Brooks about Clayton Christensen. It totally blew my mind when I read it. It talks about two ways of how to live a meaningful life... well planned? or summoned? Which way are you living life?

I won't talk much about it, so I encourage you to read the article. I'd rather have you read it for yourself and form your own opinions.

D4P...PD!!!
-OBE