NHL Roundup (3-30-11)

Playoffs start in just a few weeks!!

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
NY Rangers
New Jersey
NY Islanders

Northeast
Boston
Montreal
Buffalo
Toronto
Ottawa

Southeast
Washington
Tampa Bay
Carolina
Atlanta
Florida

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Central
Detroit
Nashville
Chicago (8 points behind 1st place)
Columbua
St Louis

Northwest
Vancouver Clinched Division Title. Way to go 'Nucks!
Calgary
Minnesota
Colorado
Edmonton

Pacific
San Jose
Phoenix
Los Angeles
Anaheim
Dallas

Points Leaders
Daniel Sedin (Canucks) - 98
Martin St. Louis (Lightning) - 91
Henrik Sedin (Canucks) - 91

Goals Leaders
Steven Stamkos (Lightnin) - 44
Daniel Sedin (Canucks) - 44
Corey Perry (Ducks) - 40

Assists Leaders
Henrik Sedin (Canucks) - 72
Martin St Louis (Lightning) - 62
Daniel Sedin (Canucks) - 58

Wins Leaders
Roberto Luongo (Canucks) - 36
Carey Price (Canadiens) - 35
Ilya Bryzgalov (Coyotes) - 35

Save % Leaders
Tim Thomas (Bruins) - .940
Pekka Rinne (Predators) - .929
Roberto Luongo (Canucks) - .927

ESPN Power Rankings (Top 10)
Vancouver Canucks (oh yeah!)
Washington Capitals
San Jose Sharks
Pittsburg Penguins
Philadelphia Flyers
Los Angeles Kings
Detroit Red Wings
Phoenix Coyotes
Nashville Predators
Boston Bruins

Currently Reading: Rugby Skills, Tactics and Rules

TITLE: Rugby Skills, Tactics and Rules
AUTHOR: Tony Williams and Frank Bunce
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2008
PUBLISHER: Firefly Books

As I mentioned in my previous post about the movie Invictus, I've recently gotten interested in the sport of rugby.

So we made a trip to the library yesterday afternoon and I picked up this book.

As the title suggests, the book is exclusively about the rules of the game. It goes through the different positions on a rugby team as well. It does not talk about the history of rugby at all but it is a decent book if you have ever wondered about playing the game itself.

As many of the reviews on Amazon suggest, this is a good book if you are completely new to the game.

Movie of the Moment: Invictus

As you can tell from the post title, I've decided to quit calling this column 'Current Watching' since I'm not really currently watching it. I was looking at some older posts of mine with movie reviews and Movie of the Moment was what this column was originally called, so.....hence, it will be called Movie of the Moment again.

So anyway, Invictus, which was originally released in December 2009, is part biopic and part sports movie, 2 really good movie genres.

It was directed by Clint Eastwood and based on the novel Playing the Enemy by John Carlin.

Its main stars are Morgan Freeman, who plays former South African President Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon, who plays the captain of the South African rugby team Springbok. Both of these actors were nominated for Academy Awards, for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor respectively.

The title of the movie, by the way, is Latin for unconquered.

It starts with President Mandela being released from prison and ending with the South African rugby team winning the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

As far as movies go, it was a really good movie but at the same time not completely entertaining. I'm not sure how to explain that but I'll try. The story was really good. The acting was really good. Everything about the movie in and of itself was very good. But for some reason....I dunno...something was missing. Perhaps, it was just kind of slow. But I still liked it.

One thing about the movie is that it kind of got me interested in the sport rugby. I had heard about rugby. I knew that is was the sport that American football basically evolved from. But had never really watched a game or knew much about the rules of the game and what not or anything like that.

This movie got me interested in knowing more about it. It's a very interesting game to watch.

In any case, in my opinion, it is definitely worth watching and probably even worth going out and buying to watch again if you are in the mood. Just don't expect any fast paced type sports movie.

Nader Says Impeach Obama for War Crimes

Hmmmm.........

Currently Watching: The Road

I'm not sure why I call this "column" Currently Watching. It's not like I'm actually currently watching it. I watched it last night. Perhaps someone out there can suggest a new title for this. Perhaps just something as simple as Movie Review.

Anyway, first and foremost, do not watch this movie!! If you have seen it, I am sorry, you will never get those 2 hours of your life back. If you have not seen it, please do not waste your time.

This movie was awful!

This is quite possibly the most horridly boring movie I have seen in my entire life. The phrase ass-achingly dull does not even do justice to how boring this movie was.

I had such high hopes for this movie too.

Great premise - I love post-apocalyptic style movies.

Great cast - Viggo, Duvall, Charlize Theron.

How could you go wrong?

My god this movie was boring. Within the first 30 minutes of the movie, my wife left the room because it was so boring. I stuck with it though, hoping that it would pick up. Certainly, it can't be this flipping boring throughout the whole thing. It has to be one of those slow starting movies. Boy was I wrong on that account. It never did pick up.

It was based on a novel by the same name. I don't know if the book is horrible too because I've never read it but I really don't want to bother with that either.

Lord this was a terrible movie. In fact, I dislike it so much, I am planning on writing the studio that made the movie and complain.

And to make it worse. I own it! I bought this movie yesterday at a Blockbuster that was going out of business. Thank God I only spent a couple of bucks on it.

Please, again, I urge you never to bother watching this movie.

NBA Roundup 2011 (March 20)

So I went to my first Oklahoma City Thunder game tonight. As far as games go, it was pretty disappointing. The Thunder lost by 2 points....to the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors for God's sake!

Personally, I think the players on the Oklahoma City team were trying to throw too many 3-pointers. Aside from the fact that their defense really sucked arse too.

Here are the standings....

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic
Boston
Philadelphia
New York
New Jersey
Toronto

Central
Chicago
Indiana
Milwaukee
Detroit
Cleveland

Southeast
Miami
Orlando
Atlanta
Charlotte
Washington

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Northwest
Oklahoma City
Denver
Portland
Utah
Minnesota

Pacific
LA Lakers
Phoenix
Golden State
LA Clippers
Sacramento

Southwest
San Antonio
Dallas
New Orleans
Memphis
Houston

STATS

Points per Game
Durant (Thunder) - 28
James (Heat) - 26.4
Stoudemire (Knicks) - 26.1

Scoring Overall
James (Heat) - 1794
Durant (Thunder) - 1793
Stoudemire (Knicks) - 1749

ESPN Power Rankings (Top 12)

Chicago Bulls
LA Lakers
Miami Heat
Denver Nuggets
San Antonio Spurs
Oklahoma City Thunder
Boston Celtics
Orlando Magic
Dallas Mavericks
Houston Rockets
Portland Trailblazers
Philadelphia 76ers

Currently Reading: Tales of the Jedi

Title: Tales of the Jedi: Golden Age of the Sith
Author: Kevin J. Anderson (illustrated by Dario Carrasco, Jr.)
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Year Published: 1996

This story takes place nearly 5000 years before the Battle of Yavin (depicted in Episode 4: A New Hope).
It focuses on 2 starpilots, brother and sister Gav and Jori Daragon, who stumble upon the long lost Sith Empire on the planet Korriban.
It also focuses on the inner struggle within the Sith Empire between 2 hopeful dark lords, Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh after the death of the reigning dark lord Marka Ragnos, whose reign brought about the "Golden Age of the Sith."
The storyline continues in....

Title: Tales of the Jedi: The Fall of the Sith Empire
Author: Kevin J. Anderson (illustrated by Dario Carrasco, Jr.)
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Year Published: 1998

This story occurs right after the events of Golden Age of the Sith, which ends when the new Dark Lord of the Sith, Naga Sadow, follows Jori Daragon back into the Republic in an effort to start a conquest of the galaxy against the Republic.

These actions resulted in the Great Hyperspace War between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire. These trade paperback depicts the major battles that were fought in this war including the Battle of Coruscant and the 1st and 2nd Battles of Korriban.

Here is a little bit of background for those that aren't huge Star Wars geeks like me. Thousands of years before Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader and even Darth Sidious came on the scene, there was a huge falling out and a civil war between the Jedi. Some began using new powers that were forbidden and were thus known as Dark Jedi. The result of the Civil War being that these dark Jedi were exiled from the Republic. They found a planetary system that was inhabited by a race of beings called the Sith. The Sith treated these dark Jedi as gods so these dark Jedi ruled over the Sith, calling themselves dark lords. The overall ruler of the Sith took the title Dark Lord of the Sith.

The Best of the Dropkick Murphys

After I had the aforementioned conversation with Dave, I was thinking.....if I were to put together a Best Of Dropkick Murphys album, what would it look like?

So I started writing the list and darned if I didn't end up with a pretty long list. So of course, I had to share it with the readers of Otter Limits.

Enjoy (or don't I don't care, lol!)

1. 21 Gun Salute (Singles Collection 2)
2. Amazing Grace (The Gang's All Here)
3. Baba O'Riley (Live on Lansdowne)
4. Boys on the Docks (Do or Die)
5. Cadence to Arms (Do or Die)
6. Captain Kelly's Kitchen (The Warriors Code)
7. Curse of a Fallen Soul (The Gang's All Here)
8. Famous for Nothing (The Meanest of Times)
9. Fields of Athenry (Blackout)
10. Flannigan's Ball (The Meanest of Times)
11. Forever (Sing Loud, Sing Proud)
12. God Willing (The Meanest of Times)
13. Going Out in Style (Going Out in Style)
14. Hang Em High (Going Out in Style)
15. I'm Shipping Up to Boston (The Warriors Code)
16. It's a Long Way to Top (Singles Collection 2)
17. Kiss Me, I'm Shitfaced (Live on Lansdowne)
18. Memorial Day (Going Out in Style)
19. Peg O My Heart (Going Out in Style)
20. Road of the Rightous (Do or Die)
21. Take Em Down (Going Out in Style)
22. Tessie (The Warriors Code)
23. The Dirty Glass (Live on Lansdowne)
24. The Gauntlet (Sing Loud, Sing Proud)
25. The Rocky Road to Dublin (Sing Loud, Sing Proud)
26. The Spicy McHaggis Jig (Sing Loud, Sing Proud)
27. The State of Massachusetts (The Meanest of Times)
28. The Warriors Code (The Warriors Code)
29. Upstarts and Broken Hearts (The Gang's All Here)
30. Walk Away (Blackout)
31. Which Side Are You On? (Sing Loud, Sing Proud)
32. Worker's Song (Blackout)

The Blaggards: DoTM

The Blaggards are a Celtic rock band from, get this, Houston Texas (not the normal breeding ground for Celtic rock I would think).

To me, they sound more like a cross between Celtic rock and heavy metal. Personally, I don't really take them all that seriously but they are amusing to say the least. Check them out some time just for the fun of it.

Here are some Blaggards websites:
Blaggards official site
Blaggards Wiki article

Standards
Released in March 2005 by NFA Recordings.
Band lineup:
Patrick Devlin - vocals, guitar; Chad Smalley - vocals, bass; Turi Hoiseth - violins; Brian Vogel - drums.
Tracks: 10
"Drunken Sailor" "Bog Songs" "Big Strong Man" "Prison Love Songs" "Slapper's Medley" "Foggy Dew" "Botany Bay" "Rocky Rod to Dublin" "Suspicious Minds" "Irish Rover"

Live in Texas
Live album released in July 2010 by CD Baby.
Band lineup:
Patrick Devlin - vocals, guitar; Chad Smalley - vocals, bass; Michael McAloon - drums; Brandi Belle Clarke - fiddle.
Tracks: 13
"Waxie's Dargle" "Whiskey in the Jar" "Rocky Road to Dublin" "Spancil Hill" "Slappers Medley" "Leaving of Liverpool" "Botany Bay" "Foggy Dew" "Big Strong Man" "Drunken Sailor" "Bog Songs" "Wild Rover" "Irish Rover"

Here are some videos of theirs:

Ranking the Albums: Dropkick Murphys

Earlier today, Dave and I were talking about what our top 3 or 4 Dropkick Murphys albums were. After that conversation, I decided to rank their albums in order of preference on a blog post here.

Keep in mind that this list only includes studio albums, not live albums, not compilations and not splits with other bands.

So here we go......

1. The Meanest of Times (2007)
2. The Warriors Code (2005)
3. Blackout (2003)
4. Sing Loud, Sing Proud (2001)
5. Going Out in Style (2011)
6. Do or Die (1998)
7. The Gang's All Here (1999)
8. Boys on the Docks (1997) (It isn't really quite fair that this one ended up last, mostly because I have not really fully absorbed this album yet).

NHL Roundup (3-3-11)

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
NY Rangers
New Jersey
NY Islanders

Northeast
Boston
Montreal
Buffalo
Toronto
Ottawa

Southeast
Washington
Tampa Bay
Carolina
Atlanta
Florida

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Central
Detroit
Chicago only 6 points behind Detroit!
Nashville
Columbus
St Louis

Northwest
Vancouver Way to go Canucks!
Calgary
Minnesota
Colorado
Edmonton

Pacific
San Jose
Phoenix
Dallas
Los Angeles
Anaheim

Points Leaders
Daniel Sedin (Canucks) - 80
Steven Stamkos (Lightning) - 78
Martin St. Louis (Lightning) - 75
Henrik Sedin (Canucks) - 75

Goals Leaders
Steven Stamkos (Lightning) - 41
Daniel Sedin (Canucks) - 33
Patrick Sharp (Blackhawks) - 33
Ryan Kesler (Canucks) - 33

Assists Leaders
Henrik Sedin (Canucks) - 60
Martin St Louis (Lightning) - 51
Henrik Zetterberg (Red Wings) - 51
Daniel Sedin (Canucks) - 47

Wins Leaders
Carey Price (Canadiens) - 31
Jimmy Howard (Red Wings) - 31
Miikka Kiprusoff (Flames) - 30
Roberto Luongo (Canucks) - 30

Save % Leaders
Tim Thomas (Bruins) - .939
Pekka Rinne (Predators) - .929
Jonas Hiller (Ducks) - .925
Roberto Luongo (Canucks) - .925
Niklas Backstrom (Wild) - .925

ESPN Power Rankings (Top 10)
Philadelphia Flyers
Vancouver Canucks
Detroit Red Wings
San Jose Sharks
Boston Bruines
Los Angeles Kings
Tampa Bay Lightning
Phoenix Coyotes
Chicago Blackhawks
Pittsburg Penguins

Rancid: DoTM

I got the idea of doing this DoTM after listening to the band's album And Out Come the Wolves. Last night, Mandy and I made a stop at Guestroom Records in Oklahoma City during which she asked me to purchase her a copy of this album on vinyl. After which, I realized that I have never done one of these DoTM things for them. So here it is.

Rancid is a punk rock band that started in 1991 in Berkeley, California from the ashes of the classic ska-punk band Operation Ivy.

Here are some Rancid websites:

The official Rancid website.
Rancid Wikipedia article.

DISCOGRAPHY

Rancid
Released in January 1992 by Lookout! Records.
Produced by Andy Ernst.
Band lineup:
Tim Armstrong - vocals, guitar; Matt Freeman - bass, vocals; Brett Reed - drums, vocals.
Tracks: 5

Rancid
Released in May 1993 by Epitaph.
Produced by Donnell Cameron.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 16

Radio Radio Radio
Released in August 1993 by Fat Wreck Chords.
Produced by Rancid.
Lineup changes:
Lars Frederiksen was added as 2nd guitarist.
Tracks: 4

Let's Go
Released in June 1994 by Epitaph.
Produced by Brett Gurewitz.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 23
Singles:
"Nihilism" and "Salvation"
Charts:
This album reached #97 on the Billboard 200.

And Out Come the Wolves
Released in August 1995 by Epitaph.
Produced by Jerry Finn and Rancid.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 19
Singles:
"Roots Radicals" "Time Bomb" and "Ruby Soho"
Charts:
Reached #45 on the Billboard 200.

Life Won't Wait
Released in June 1998 by Epitaph.
Produced by Tim Armstrong and Lars Frederiksen.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 22
Singles:
"Bloodclot"
Charts:
Reached #35 on the Billboard 200.

Rancid
Released in August 2000 by Hellcat Records.
Produced by Brett Gurewitz.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 22

BYO Split Series Volume 3
Released in March 2002 by BYO.
Produced by Brett Gurewitz.
Tracks: 12
This album is a split with NOFX. NOFX performs 6 Rancid songs and Rancid performs 6 NOFX songs.

Indestructible
Released in August 2003 by Hellcat.
Produced by Brett Gurewitz.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 20
Singles:
"Fall Back Down"
Charts:
Reached #15 on the Billboard 200.

B Sides and C Sides
Compilation album released in December 2007 by Rancid Records.
Tracks: 21

Let the Dominoes Fall
Released in June 2009 by Hellcat.
Produced by Brett Gurewitz.
Lineup changes:
Branden Steineckert replaced long-time drummer Brett Reed.
Tracks: 19
Singles:
"Last One to Die" and "Up To No Good"
Charts:
Reached #11 on the Billboard 200.

RELATED DISCOGRAPHY

Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards

Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards
Released in March 2001 by Hellcat.
Produced by Tim Armstrong.
Lineup:
Lars - vocals, guitar; Tim Armstrong - guitar; Big Jay Bastard - bass; Skatty Punk Rock - drums.
Tracks: 13

Viking
Released in July 2004 by Hellcat.
Produced by Tim Armstrong.
Lineup:
Lars - vocals, guitar; Tim - vocals, guitar; Craig Leg - guitar, vocals; Big Jay Bastard - bass; Skatty Punk Rock - drums.
Tracks: 17

Devil's Brigade

Devils Brigade
Released in August 2010 by Hellcat.
Produced by Tim Armstrong and Rayn Foltz.
Lineup:
Matt Freeman - bass, guitar, vocals; Tim Armstrong - guitar; DJ Bonebrake - drums.

Sunday Night Shuffle (3-3-11)

1. You Think You're Nickel Slick But I Got Your Penny Change - Emergy (from the album I'm Only a Man)
2. Side-Stage Syndrome - Stavesacre (from the EP Against the Silence)
3. Where We're Going We Don't Need Roads - Red City Radio (from To the Sons and Daughters of Woody Guthrie)
4. Kenaniah - Petra (from This Means War!)
5. There's a Face - Eve 6 (from Eve 6)
6. Your Love is Extravagant - Casting Crowns (from Casting Crowns)
7. Only Thing I Can Face - All (from Sucks Demos)
8. I Fall Down - U2 (from October Deluxe Edition)
9. Reach for the Sky - Social Distortion (from Sex, Love and Rock n Roll)
10. Nothing to Say - Soundgarden (from Screaming Life)
11. Unburdened - Red City Radio (from Midwestern Hymnals)
12. Brand New Hairstyle - Smoking Popes (from Smoking Popes at Metro)
13. Time to Go - Dropkick Murphys (from Live on Lansdowne)
14. Vasoline - Stone Temple Pilots (from Purple)
15. Understand the Dream is Over - The Juliana Theory (from Emotion is Dead)

New Flogging Molly Album Coming!

Flogging Molly Announces New Album Speed of Darkness!

The album is scheduled to be released on May 31st of this year.

And speaking of Flogging Molly, they will be playing here in Oklahoma City at the Diamond Ballroom on Tuesday, March 15.

Another Born Yesterday Re-Issue Update

Just a link to the Otisburg website.

Born Yesterday Re-Issue Update

New update on the Born Yesterday Re-issue.