In Last Place.... Change Is Needed

If you remember my previous blog post regarding coaching changes, you may relate well to this latest news. On January 9, the Columbus Blue Jackets of the NHL fired Scott Arniel after only over a year on the coaching seat.

'Til We Meet Again: Scott Arniel

Arniel took over the Jackets in the summer of 2010 and finished his first season with a respectable 81 points. However, they fell further down as the season began, despite the trades that brought high-scoring Jeff Carter from the Flyers. When the team fired Arniel, they were only  standing at 27 points in the standings, the worst of any team. The Jackets will be handled by former Wild coach Todd Richards on an interim basis.

Speaking of last place, the Washington Wizards are the only winless team in the NBA this season, starting 0-8. The Wizards were bogged down by sloppy play, player miscommunication, and even a Twitter tirade by forward Andray Blatche. I even started calling out on Flip Saunders' head. If the Wizards were to fire Saunders, they'd rather forfeit all the games in protest and go 0-66 rather than hire a coach. That's how bad the Wizards are this season. 

In almost every scenario, last placed teams usually go automatic on changing coaches during the season, or after. In that case, bad finishes had to undergo reality checks in the hopes of figuring out what went wrong and how to solve them. In the case of the Jackets and the Wizards, they need to have some soul searching to do after the season in order to right the wrongs and play better next season.

The Strange Side of Burgers

A typical burger consists of two buns, a patty, mayo, mustard, ketchup, lettuce, cheese, tomato, pickled cucumbers, and onions. Of course, burger recipes vary; a common mantra is that the simpler the makeup, the cheaper. But what if the buns were replaced with something else? We now look at the strangest burger recipes ever sold in the Philippines.

McDonald's McRice Burgers

The infamous McRice burgers were introduced to the Philippine fast food market in 2006. Instead of buns, two rice cakes topped with sesame seeds were substituted. The inside of the McRice consists of red cabbage, lettuce, patty and mayo. The burgers were sold in both beef and chicken varieties. The McRice was heavily hyped on both TV, print, and billboard advertisements, but it turns out to be a marketing disaster for the 'Golden Arches'. Very few people liked the taste of the products and preferred a more traditional burger recipe. Worse, a McRice and fries combination would never work well together. They pulled the product off the market after only a few months. The McRice burger was also sold in Singapore. 

KFC Double Down

The Double Down made its way to the Philippine market in late 2010. Fried chicken fillet was used instead of buns, while the inside of it consists of bacon, dressing and cheese, hence the inverse. Again this product was heavily hyped on TV, in print ads, and in billboard signage. On the first day of sales, the product was sold out within hours, so in order to meet customer demands, they started selling the Double Down as a made to order product. Initial reception was positive, until early in the year concerns regarding calorie and fat content forced the restaurant to temporarily discontinue the product. In October 2011, the Double Down was brought back, but instead of the original recipe chicken fillet, the spicy, crunchy 'Zinger' version is used. The product is currently sold in select branches in the Philippines. The Double Down is also sold in Canada, New Zealand and Australia. 

Jollibee Hash Brown Burger

In November 2011 Jollibee started offering the hash brown burger, where instead of buns, two hash browns were used. Inside it contains a patty, cheese and ketchup. The Jollibee hash brown burger is made as a way to fuse the traditional menu of burgers and fries into one; the hash browns, like fries, are made from potatoes. The product was also made for customers to enjoy the hash brown beyond the traditional breakfast fare. So far, it has received a positive response from customers.

The three burgers, whether you like it or not, are great alternatives for traditional, typical burger recipes. So what's next for the burger? Only time will tell.

My Bruins Player Nicknames

First of all, I would like to congratulate the Vancouver Canucks for winning the Stanley Cup Finals rematch at TD Garden today. If not for the four penalties that resulted in goals for the Canucks, it would've been our victory. Anyway, the season is still long so we all hope for a better result on the next game. 

The Bruins this season consist of players that have their own personalities, and in giving them some nicknames, I'm sure you can relate to it.

1. Nathan Horton - The Hatcher

I took the liberty to nickname Horton as 'The Hatcher', after the famous Dr. Seuss children's book 'Horton Hatches the Egg'. Like the character Horton the elephant, Horton is a player known for being tough and inspiring (see Aaron Rome's series-turning hit in 2011 Stanley Cup Finals), and despite missing the remainder of the series, he continues to stay at their side and inspired the team's run to the Stanley Cup. When he returned this season, he rewarded the team with off-the-rebound goal-scoring, and a potential hat-trick guy. 

2. Zdeno Chara - Big Cap

The NHL's tallest player is undoubtedly a gentle giant off the court. On the court, however, Chara is a tough guy willing to protect his teammates and answer officials when the heat is on. No question that the moment he arrived in Boston in 2006, he was immediately bestowed the title 'Captain', and quite appropriately, I named him 'Big Cap' because of his tall stature and his leadership. When Chara lifted the Stanley Cup last spring, he had finally reached the mountain peak that had been growing in stride since entering the league in 1997, and hopes to continue growing it in the coming seasons.

3. Tim Thomas - The Flintstone

Appropriately, Thomas is a stone, err, a rock at the pipes. And combine the place of his origin (Flint, Michigan) with either the Hanna-Barbera 60s cartoon or the real rock itself, you have a very appropriate nickname for a record-setting goalie, whose .938 SV% tops NHL goaltending history last season. And Thomas just keeps getting better with age. He can light a fire with his stick, his pad, his gloves or even his own mask with every save, just like flint and steel rubbed together to make fire. Undoubtedly, despite a belated entry to the NHL in 2006, Thomas is future Hall of Famer when he retires.

4. Shawn Thornton - The Thorn

Known more for his fists than his stick, Thornton is a prickly opponent to fight against. Like a rose's thorn, his punches can puncture opponent's faces with one swing. But while he's not a goal-scoring threat, his tough, street-fighting ways would always prove valuable to the Bruins' physical game (remember Terry O'Reilly?).

5. Brad Marchand - Marchie the Shortie

Marchand will be known more for his penalty-killing ways, as evidenced by his key short-handed goals in last year's Stanley Cup playoffs. So it is no question that his nickname is 'Marchie the Shortie' because of his ability to score on a penalty disadvantage situation. Though he's a PK specialist, he can also score on an even strength, power play and empty net situations. 

6. Tuukka Rask - The Finnish Beast

The goalie mask is an intimidating sight when Rask steps in on goal. This season, Rask is surprising everyone, even his fellow goalie Tim Thomas, with his superior work between the pipes, and slowly rose among the ranks of the top goalies in the NHL. At 25, Rask is still young, but has a bright future ahead of him. 

7. Milan Lucic - The Cobra

WWE's Santino Marella was initially the 'Milan Miracle' when he arrived, then morphed into one of the most colorful characters in wrestling, due to his 'Cobra' finisher. Lucic, though not Italian (born in Vancouver), also possesses a set of fists that are ready to strike when player protection is necessary. His style of play is similar to his teammate Shawn Thornton, but his offensive skills are likened to Horton's and Marchand's. Whether he punches other players or scores a goal, Lucic can be a poison to pick against. 

8. Johnny Boychuk - Johnny Rockets

His nickname was bestowed by Bruins play-by-play man Jack Edwards after every goal. Boychuk's specialty is the slapshot, which is a powerful strike when the puck rocks the inside of the goal, similar to missiles (or rockets) striking enemy territory in wartime. Boychuk, though known more for his penalty killing than his scoring, is a deadly weapon waiting to happen because of these shots.

9. Tyler Seguin - The Mk19

The 2011-12 season has been a success story for the sophomore Seguin, scoring 16 goals as of this writing. Thus it is more appropriate to nickname him 'The Mk19' because of his ability to fire the puck in goal in rapid, closely accurate succession, as well as in reference to his sweater number. 

10. Patrice Bergeron - The Iceberg

Bergeron, now the longest-tenured Bruin at nine seasons, is appropriately nicknamed 'The Iceberg' because, when combining the final three letters in Patrice (Ice) and the first four letters in Bergeron (berg), you have a nickname that keeps on floating even in thin water. And how appropriate? Bergeron continues to float around the TD Garden rink for the longest time, having endured playoff misses, blown chances, concussion issues, and even an ever-changing roster of players. Bergeron's patience was finally rewarded with a Stanley Cup ring in 2011, and no doubt he is one of the greatest Bruins of all time.

With a wide array of characters in a black and gold sweater, there's no question that the Bruins have continued a winning tradition that has been a trademark within a blue-collar city such as Boston. Such qualities endure to fans across Boston, where winning is rabid and excellence is top priority. On a team built on excellent goaltending and balanced offense, this year's Bruins may as well become one of the top teams in the NHL this decade, if they keep their winning culture intact. The season is still a long one, but kudos to this team for an excellent season so far.

NBA's First Coaching Casualty

If you recall my previous post regarding coaching changes, then you may as well relate to this latest piece of information. Just this morning, the Sacramento Kings fired head coach Paul Westphal after two-plus seasons. It was another episode of the Kings' recent misadventures, a team that hasn't seen playoff action since 2006 and was so close from moving to Anaheim at the end of the 2011 season. This despite boasting a promising core of stars with 2010 Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans, center DeMarcus Cousins and guard Jimmer Fredette.

'Til We Meet Again: Paul Westphal

It all began Sunday night when Westphal sent Cousins home after he reportedly asked for a trade, which the center's agent refuted. The Kings did win against the Hornets that night, then a few days later lost badly to the Grizzlies, and then the Nuggets on back-to-back nights. Before the third game in three nights, at home against the Bucks, Kings owners Gavin and Joe Maloof broke the news on Westphal's firing. Keith Smart, who was fired as Warriors head coach in the summer, took his place and coached the team to a come-from-behind win over the Bucks, after which Cousins hugged Smart. Cousins, who had a history of on-court and off-court outbursts, hopes that Smart would be a better communicator than Westphal. 

As for Westphal, famous for playing and coaching in a pair of triple-overtime NBA Finals games with the Suns, good luck on your future endeavors. 'Til we meet again.

Revisiting Grunge, 20 Years Ago

On September 24, 1991, Nirvana's breakthrough album Nevermind was released to record stores. Just four months later, it hit the top spot of the Billboard 200 album charts. Nirvana's breakthrough success sparked the popularity of grunge music. And 20 years after this album hit the top, we revisit grunge music at its peak.

The albums Nevermind by Nirvana, Ten by Pearl Jam, Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden,
and Dirt  by Alice in Chains sparked the beginning of grunge music, which hit its peak in 1992.

Grunge originated from Seattle, Washington, and its music consists of angst-filled lyrics, distored guitars, and loud, raspy vocals, way different from the glossy production of hair metal. In addition, grunge musicians don't care about the elaborate stage production nor the flashy clothes. Live shows featured a simplistic sound stage, and musicians tend to wear flannel shirts, torn jeans, boots and Converse chucks. The first record label dedicated to the genre was the Sub Pop records, which signed Nirvana, Soundgarden and Mudhoney. The release of Nevermind paved the way for alternative rock to enter the mainstream. On this article, we feature the 'Big Four' of grunge.

1. Nirvana

Kurt Cobain - lead vocals, guitars

Krist Novoselic - bass guitars, backing vocals

Dave Grohl - drums, backing vocals

Undoubtedly the standard-bearers of grunge, Nirvana's Nevermind album is one of the best-selling albums of all time, selling around 30 million copies. The album produced hits such as 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', 'Come As You Are' and 'Lithium'. The band's success was unexpected, however it took its toll on Cobain, whose suicide in April 1994 effectively ended the band. Grohl later formed Foo Fighters, who achieved success on their own right. Novoselic would become an activist, and later contributed on the Foo Fighters' 2011 album Wasting Light. Pat Smear was added as a second guitarist late in the band's history, and soon after joined Grohl with the Foo Fighters on two separate stints.

2. Pearl Jam

Eddie Vedder - lead vocals, occassional guitars

Jeff Ament - bass guitars

Stone Gossard - guitars

Mike McCready - guitars

Matt Cameron - drums

Pearl Jam was formed as an offshoot of Mother Love Bone, where Ament and Gossard were members. Before the band's formation, they were joined by Vedder and Soundgarden's Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron as the Andrew Wood tribute band Temple of the Dog, and released 'Hunger Strike' in 1991. Months later, Pearl Jam released the critically-acclaimed Ten album, which spawned the hits 'Alive', 'Evenflow' and 'Jeremy'. The band continues to perform today, and recently released their greatest hits collection PJ20, a documentary and compilation album about the band's history. Cameron joined Pearl Jam in 1998, after Soundgarden disbanded. The band was known for refusing to make music videos during the mid-90s, relying only on radio airplay and live shows to boost album sales.

3. Soundgarden

Chris Cornell - lead vocals, occassional guitars

Kim Thayil - guitars

Ben Shepherd - bass guitars

Matt Cameron - drums

Soundgarden was the first of the 'Big Four' to form, as they were founded in 1984. Their most famous lineup was completed when original bassist Hiro Yamamoto left and Shepherd replaced him in 1990, before the release of their breakthrough album Badmotorfinger. But it was 1994's Superunknown that placed the band on the map. The album topped the Billboard 200 in the spring of 1994, and spawned hits such as 'Black Hole Sun' and 'Spoonman'. The band temporarily disbanded in 1997. During their 13-year hiatus Cameron joined Pearl Jam, while Cornell achieved modest success as a solo artist and as a member of Audioslave, alongside members of Rage Against the Machine. Soundgarden reformed in 2010 and released their greatest hits album Telephantasm. Even though the band reformed, Cameron continues to perform for Pearl Jam while Soundgarden is on hiatus, and vice versa.

4. Alice in Chains

Layne Staley - lead vocals

Jerry Cantrell - guitars, backing vocals

Mike Starr - bass guitars

Sean Kinney - drums

Listed above was their lineup from the 1992 album Dirt, which spawned hits such as 'Down In A Hole' and 'Would'. Unlike their contemporaries, Alice in Chains relied on heavy metal influences to create a rawer sound. The driving forces for the band were Staley and Cantrell, whose harmonic vocals provide the band a distinct sound that would influence later alternative metal bands. Mike Inez replaced Starr at bass in 1993, while Staley would die of a drug overdose in 2002. The band is now led by William DuVall on vocals and recently released Black Gives Way to Blue in 2010.

The popularity of grunge also extends to alternative rock on an overall perspective. Alternative funk group Red Hot Chili Peppers released their breakthrough album Blood Sugar Sex Magik to good reviews, while California-based grunge band Stone Temple Pilots released their debut album Core. In addition, MTV would showcase the other side of grunge through its MTV Unplugged specials. All except Soundgarden performed on MTV Unplugged, with Nirvana's 1993 performance among the most critically acclaimed performances on the show. Another MTV program, Beavis and Butt-head, would also occasionally critique the music videos of Nirvana, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains, mostly to good reviews. And the launch of Lollapalooza in mid-1992 provided young, up-and-coming alternative bands the opportunity for exposure.

Though grunge would no longer exist by the time Nirvana's Kurt Cobain shot himself to death in his Seattle home, its influence endures to future alternative rock bands. An example of which is Dave Grohl's current band the Foo Fighters, whose music is partially influenced by Grohl's former band Nirvana. In addition, bands such as Pearl Jam continue to perform and release albums, while Alice in Chains and Soundgarden reunited. Grunge may be gone, but it will never be forgotten. 

New Year's Traditions in America

In the Philippines, New Year's Day is almost always spent with your families, hence several malls and groceries were closed on this day. No sporting events were held due to this need. But in the United States, they consider New Year's Day as both a holiday and a working day. We look at traditional events held in the United States on New Year's Day. 

The Annual Tournament of Roses Parade

Held in the afternoon of New Year's Day, the annual Tournament of Roses Parade, popularly known as the Rose Parade, features elaborately designed floats using roses as the central theme. The Rose Parade is held at Pasadena, California, coinciding with the annual Rose Bowl football game involving NCAA member schools. The event is produced by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association. One of the tasks during the 17th season of The Amazing Race involved teams partially decorating one of the participating floats that were used for the 2011 edition of the Rose Parade. The Rose Parade was first held in 1890, and has been held annually since then.

The Rose Bowl Game

Like its namesake parade, the Rose Bowl Game is held on New Year's Day at Pasadena, California, and is produced by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association. The events has been produced annually since 1902, except for the years 1903-1915, when various races were held instead of a football game. This was because the initial edition ended up as a lopsided win for the University of Michigan over the University of Stanford 49-0. Tournament Park is the original host of the Bowl before moving to the Rose Bowl stadium in 1923, where it has been held since except 1942, at the height of World War II, where the game was played in Durham, North Carolina's Duke Stadium.

NHL Winter Classic

A fairly new New Year's tradition, the NHL Winter Classic is held annually at an outdoor stadium in the NHL team's city, whether it's a baseball-exclusive, a football-exclusive, or a multi-purpose stadium. The first edition was held in 2008 at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, a suburb of Buffalo, New York, and has been held since, owing to sellout crowds and high TV ratings. HBO also had a chance to follow participating teams in the lead-up to the Winter Classic through its 24/7 specials. 

In the event that New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, these events are moved to January 2, due to NFL Sunday games. 

So if you're still in the mood for New Year's enjoyment, better watch or attend these events to fulfill your New Year's resolution. Happy New Year everyone.

Thoughts About 2012

Another new year just got underway. On the midnight of Saturday, January 1, fireworks exploded, loud music filled the speakers, night parties were held, and midnight dinners filled family tables. What a way to kick off 2012. But along with the anticipation comes the uncertainty of the future. 

Eschatologists have been interpreting the possibility that the world would end on December 21, ranging from the spiritually transformative to the apocalyptic. The Mayan belief is undoubtedly the most widely accepted among common believers, but for the scientists it is all a matter of scientific nonsense. If you were waiting for the end of the world to come, better not accept it. After all, life goes on as usual. If you live life in fear and concern, better stand up and be positive. And if you were willing to take care of the earth, it is possible that our lives will be saved from further destruction.

So we reached a new year. Hope it all goes well for us. And, please, never fear, because as Franklin Roosevelt said, 'The only thing to fear is fear itself.'