The Post with the draft recap
Yeah not really even close for me.

A lot of teams surprised us with some strange picks. The Dolphins needed a speedy wide receiver and Ted Ginn Jr. fits that criteria but they took him way to high at 9. They could've traded down 15 spots and still taken him.

The Vikings needed a quarterback too- unless Childress is so bull-headed that he feels he needs to stick with Tavaris Jackson. However a franchise type running back fell to them in Adrian Peterson so it's hard to jump completely all over the case about it.

The Bills needed a running back but Marshawn Lynch at 12 might have been a bit of a reach. However in the second round they got their linebacker in Posluszny who will fit in perfectly there.

I figured this would've been a crazy first round, but this well exceeded my expectations.

Future prediction- Brady Quinn will make some teams regret not drafting him this year. The Browns gave up next years first round pick where they would've most likely drafted a quarterback anyway. SO they got their franchise qb this year for a lot less money than they would've had to spend next year. Smart...about 2-3 years look out for the Browns
- posted by Brian @ 4/30/2007 02:16:00 PM

 
The Post with the NFL 2007 Draft Preview
As promised here is the breakdown for what is eternally the second biggest day on the NFL calendar. It's the day where teams try to help fills holes with guys coming out of college that are hungry and ready to contribute at a bigger level. This is one of the most intriguing drafts in years because there is no one who knows exactly who is going in the first 5 picks of the draft.

So let's preview with some major questions going into the draft and then- yes- I will attempt to guess all 32 selections in the first round of the draft.

1. ) Who do the Raiders select with the 1st overall pick?
- There are a couple players who help fill needs the Raiders have. Jamarcus Russell, the quarterback out of LSU is a franchise type quarterback and the Raiders are in dire need. Seems logical except for the fact that wide receiver Calvin Johnson is in the draft and many experts consider him the best prospect to come into the NFL in years. Do the Raiders do the sensible thing or go nuts?

2.) Who will be the first five picks in this draft?
- There are about 9 guys who could easily go in those top 5 picks and be totally justified. Russell, Johnson, Brady Quinn, Adrian Peterson, Gaines Adams, Joe Thomas, Amobi Okoye, Leon Hall, Laron Landry. There is plenty of intrigue as to where some of those guys will end up.

3.) Who makes the deals?
- The Lions and Cardinals are trying to trade down, but noone wants to trade up. The Bears and Redskins are still trying to get a deal done for the 6th pick. Miami might still trade Daunte Culpepper to the Raiders which throws the number one pick up for grabs again. Kansas City and San Diego are shopping running backs which might bring an additional first round pick in return. Lots of movement could happen in the next 48 hours.

4.) How will the new character policy affect some draftees?
- The NFL just instituted their policy which holds teams as well as players accountable for bad behavior. There are a few guys- most notably Marshawn Lynch of Cal whose draft stock has suffered becasue teams are worried about the new policy.

5.) Who is going to be the steal in this draft?
- Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio State, Michael Griffin of Texas, former projected top 5 pick Alan Branch....again- lots of intrigue.


OK...time for some predictions- 32 Teams...I'd say if I get 18 right I'm golden. I'm not figuring in trades and stuff- I'm just guessing what teams will pick.

1. Oakland Raiders- Jamarcus Russell, qb LSU

- No way the Raiders can blow this pick. Al Davis loves quarterbacks with big arms and tough demeanors. Russell is that. No way can the Raiders take anyone other than him.

2. Detroit Lions- Gaines Adams, de Clemson

- The Lions have had some bad drafts but they are going to take a guy who many say is the next Jason Taylor. He is a speed rushing end who should be able to help out the Lions defense.

3. Cleveland Browns- Adrian Peterson, rb Oklahoma

- Tough pick here. The Browns need a running back. They could also use a tackle. They could also use a quarterback if they don't think Charlie Frye can cut it. I'm guessing the take Peterson becasue he is a franchise type running back and that is a more pressing need for them.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Calvin Johnson, wr Georgia Tech

- Guy is a great wide receiver who is a monster and widely renowned as the best player in a long time at that postiton coming out of college. Tampa Bay gets him becasue the other teams ahead of them have pressing needs and there are franchsie guys available at those needs.

5. Arizona Cardinals- Joe Thomas, ot Wisconsin

- Left tackle is a majorly important position on the offensive line and the Cardinals need help there badly. Thomas is perfect for them and their needs. This pick seems like a no-brainer.

6. Washington Redskins- Amobi Okoye, dt Lousiville

- A stud defensive tackle that is only 19 years old. He can collapse the pocket and would greatly help the Redskins force teams to become one dimensional.

7. Minnesota Vikings- Laron Landry, s LSU

- The Vikings don't really need a center but they don't really need any of the other marquee players left at this point. Landry is a force and maybe the smartest secondary guy in thsi draft.

8. Atlanta Falcons- Levi Brown, ot Penn State

- Falcons need offensive line help and here it is.

9. Miami Dolphins- Brady Quinn, qb Notre Dame

- The Dolphins are the recipents of good fortune as a franchise (and seriosuly underrated quareterback) fals into their laps at the 9 slot.

10. Houston Texans- Darrelle Revis, cb Pittsburgh

- Along with Dunta Robninson it would give the Texans a great pair in teh secondary.

11. San Francisco 49'ers- Adam Carriker, de Nebraska

- Anderson might be more highly prized but Carriker fits the 3-4 mold.

12. Buffalo Bills- Patrick Wills, lb Mississippi

- Great linebacker and a run stuffer in the middle

13. St. Louis- Alan Branch, dt Michigan

- St. Louis benefits from a falling draft stock of Branch

14. Carolina Panthers- Jon Beason, olb Miami

- They need a backer to replace the all but retired Dan Morgan.

15. Pittsburgh Steelers- Leon Hall, cb Michigan

- Gives them a playmaking, shut down caliber corner.

16. Green Bay Packers- Greg Olsen, te Miami

- They need a tight end and this guy who is believed to be as good as either Shockey or WInslow before him fits.

17. Jacksonville Jaguars- Jamaal Anderson, de Arkansas

- Fills a need for them

18. Cincinnati Bengals- Reggie Nelson, s Florida

- The Benglas need help on the defensive side of the ball- pretty much everywhere.

19. Tennessee Titans- Robert Meachum, wr Tennessee

- The Titans keep the hometown kid around and get themselves some much needed help.

20. New York Giants- Joe Staley, t Central Michigan

- Unheraled prospect that has completely jumped up the draft board.

21. Denver Broncos- Paul Posluzny, lb Penn State

- Great linebacking prospect

22. Dallas Cowboys- Aaron Ross, cb Texas

- Cowboys need to get better in the secondary.

23. Kansas City Chiefs- Ted Ginn Jr. wr Ohio State

- I can't see him dropping to the seocnd round.

24. New England Patriots- Lawrence Timmons, lb Florida State

- New England with two picks is really going to shore uo the defensive side of the ball.

25. New York Jets, Chris Houston, cb Arkansas

- UNderrated corner who will be a huge upgrade for them

26. Philadelphia Eagles- Michael Griffin, s Texas

- Compared to Brian Dawkins he is a great safety with underrated cover skills

27. New Orleans Saints- Justin Harrell, dt Tennessee

- Extremely solid defensive tackel that gives the Saints some depth.

28. New England Patriots- Jarvis Moss, de Florida

- Very fast and would fit perfectly in a 3-4 defense.

29. Baltimore Ravens- Ben Grubbs, g Auburn

- They need interior line help and they get it here.

30 San Diego Chargers- Dwayne Bowe, wr LSU

- They need a receiver and this guy is supposxed to be one of the best right after Calvin.

31. Chicago Bears- Dwayne Jarrett, wr Southern Cal

- Way too talented to far real far.

32. Indianapolis Colts- David Harris, lb Michigan

-Despite the great defensive showing in the playoffs- they need help there.


That's my best guess
- posted by Brian @ 4/26/2007 03:59:00 PM

 
The Post with something cool
Sunday I attended an Eagle Scout Ceremony. For those that don't know it's a high rank in the Boy Scouts of America that is achieved after completing all kinds of merit badges and a huge service project. What made this one extra special was the recipant.

I've been good friends with this one girl for years. We went to church together, school together, and generally hung out a lot. A few years back her younger brother was diagnosed with a tumor on his optic nerve. When the doctors were getting that they cut through the nerve (they had said that was a real possibility) and it made him blind. Instead of pouting or being real upset about it he pressed on and today gets along real well. I visited with him quite a few times and he is just amazing. Also I got to be really close with the family based too off the eldest daughter and I being classmates. This was such a great moment for him and his family.

Despite my quibbles with thigns about the Boy Scouts organization I think it was a huge achievement for him and I realize the importance of it in his, and any kid who acheives it's life. It was such a cool thing and I'm glad I was there to witness the completion of this portion of the goal.
- posted by Brian @ 4/24/2007 02:02:00 PM

 
The Post with the movies I've seen so far this year
As promised here is the list, along with my short thoughts- both good and bad.

Children of Men- Fantastic movie about a post-apolyptic world where women can't have children. Some great acting from Clive Owen and some really awesome looking directing. The chase sequence with teh car and motorcycles is really cool.

Primeval- I was hoping for a cheesy little movie like Lake Placid. Instead I got a movie that was way to much geared towards trying to be serious and some really bad sequences with generic characters. Poorly done.

The Hitcher- Was afraid of how bad they'd mess this up and it lived up (or down) to my expectations. Really bad lead characters and the story was made into a complete joke. They over-do the dramatic sequence with the killer and the family, and they turn the big chase into a fucking music video for Nine Inch Nails "Closer." Might be a cheese classic someday but ruined the original.

Smokin' Aces- Done by the guy who directed Narc and this is a really fun little action flick. Good performances from a star studded cast and the movie knows it isn't earth-changing and loves it. Would've liked a little more time with everyone together in the hotel but as it is great stuff.

Epic Movie- Like any other parody movie. Some parts work, a lot of parts don't. The guys who have started doing these don't understand what makes parodies work. Dropping in hip MTV references doesn't cover for that either. Good stuff from Crispin Glover and Darrell Hammond but not nearly enough from them.

Hannibal Rising- Horrible, horrible film. I seriously have no idea what the producers and directors were going for with this film but I'm fairly certain they failed miserably. They at this point have turned the Hannibal Lecter franchise into a complete joke. Hannibal was a brooding teenager in this which was just dumb.

Reno 911: Miami- Funny stuff from the crew. I think my expectations were way high and they just couldn't live up to it. Overall though I enjoyed the film, especially the cameos from people like The Rock and Paul Rudd as a Scarface type character.

Ghost Rider- Nicholas Cage as the title character was hilarious. Not good hilarious though, like laughing at hilarious. He was made up to look about 20 years younger than he actually is. The plot was really goofy, in fact I was so tired when I saw it I dozed off a little. I tried but wasn't really able to get into it.

Zodiac- I do a lot of reading up on serial killers (yeah it's a quirk) and when i saw David Fincher was directing this I got excited. It didn't really disappoint me. It was presented very matter of factly about what happened and touched very nicely on the fact that they have a belief of who was doing it but were never able to nail him before he died. Jake Gyllenhaal was really good in it as was Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr.

Breach- Loved the movie and I think it was really overlooked at theaters. Chris Cooper was phenomenal in this and the character relationships were really what drove this movie. Ryan Phillipee didn't do so bad either. I really like Luara Linney too.

The Number 23- I really wanted to like this movie but it just wasn't pulling me into it. I also didn't get the ending I expected. In retrospect the ending made the movie really kind of ridiculous. Really implausible to. Jim Carrey was good- just a bad script I think.

Dead Silence- Nice different direction for the guys who directed Saw. They just decided to make a straight up haunted house/town movie and it really worked in a lot of ways. It was creepy and the whole thing with all noise stopping when the ghost was showing up was a cool effect. Nice ending.

Premonition- Damn Sandra Bullock is still pretty foxy looking for her age. The movie however was not anything good. Really ridiculous plot wise and became completely ridiculous as the movie progressed. There is a hilarious review over at Dread Central.com- I suggest checking that out.

The Hills Have Eyes 2- At the very least it was better than the orignal Hills Have Eyes 2. Not near as good as last year's remake and they relied too much on characters noone cares about. Why should I feel sympathy for a bunch of lame brained recruits that keep doing dumb horror movie things. There are some brutal things in it but that does not a movie make.

TMNT- I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. People expecting the Corey Feldman era movies were going to be disappointed. I heard a lot of griping about the CGI in it too but that looked fine as well. Looked and felt a lot like the comic books and that made it feel more authentic. Good to they didn't rely on big name stars to voice the Turtles.

Blades of Glory- Really enjoyed this movie. Will Ferrell again was hilarious and although I've never been a big Jon Heder fan I thought he was ok in this. Despite that though I think with him basically playing and looking like Owen Wilson- Wilson would've been better in this film, oh well. I love me some Jenna Fischer and Will Arnett and Amy Poehler are great in this.

Grindhouse- A fun time at the movie theater for a few hours. I enjoyed Rodriguez's Planet Terror quite a bit more than Tarantino's Death Proof but both had their charms. Zoe Bell in Tarantino's half stole the film almost with her crazy ass car stunts (her body and looks helped too). The trailers in between were hilarious- the theater started cracking up with teh cameo at the end of Zombie's trailer. People who didn't see this missed out.

Perfect Stranger- Just a horrible film. Somewhere about the halway mark of writing the script the writers realized- we have nowhere for this to end. So they started throwing everything at the viewer hoping something would stick. They also fall back on the old Stephen King trick of 3 false endings before the real ending. Halle Berry is still hot though.

There you go- all caught up
- posted by Brian @ 4/20/2007 06:28:00 AM

 
The Post with some upcoming things
Two things coming up soon:

Tomorrow I need to update the list of movies I've seen this year- by update I mean start.

Next Friday with the NFL Draft a day away I will have some notes and things to watch for. If I'm feeling ambitious I might try and guess who each team takes in the round. Suspense
- posted by Brian @ 4/19/2007 02:15:00 PM

 
The Post with some minor anger
I don't really have a lot fo time to go into an in-depth vitrolic rant but here are some quick hit thoughts:

1.) Nothing is better than taking a real problem and attaching a solution to it that has nothing to do with the problem.

2.) No Dr. Phil video games are not what led to the kid shooting up Virginia Tech- That's stupid.

3.) Banning guns is an interesting theory but it is one that would never work in practice. Fact is- the people who would still want to get their hands on guns (the people who use them to kill large amounts of people) will get their hands on them. Banning guns doesn't stop gun violence.

4.) We absolutely need stricter gun laws, and need to have better and deeper background checks. Make it a hassle to buy a gun for people and the process slows down.

5.) Weapons makers do not make guns for people to kill someone else. Some people buy the guns and use them for that purpose though. If we lived in the old West where you could shoot a guy for walking on your land and not be tried for it than yeah you got a point. We live in a civil society anymore and the ability to just go out and buy a gun (like you were able to then) has been shrunk because there are hoops you need to jump through.

6.) Most importantly- This is not a time for politicians to seize this opportunity to put down candidates across the aisle. Let the Hokies heal, and when the election comes around point to this issue and say it means we need to tighten up reigns. Dropping statements now is disrespectful to the families who lost loved ones.
- posted by Brian @ 4/18/2007 02:18:00 PM

 
The Post with some disbelief with our president
Horrific the stuff going on down at Virginia Tech today.

Our White House issued a statement, "The president is horrified by today's events. He still supports the Second Amendment right to bear arms."

Was that really necessary to drop into the discussion? Why couldn't you just apologize without feeling the need to pander to the pro-gun nuts? That isn't me saying I'm anti-gun either because I'm not but there is a time and place to play politics. This is not that time.
- posted by Brian @ 4/16/2007 02:15:00 PM

 
The Post with more foot in mouth
Wow!...I mean just Yikes

Slavery remark sparks county board furor in northern Minnesota

By Patrick Condon, Associated Press

-A county commissioner from northern Minnesota is in hot water for a remark during a board meeting that he would support slavery if his constituents wanted him to. "(I)f the people in my district had voted for slavery, and if the vast majority had, and I was representing them, the answer is yes, I would have voted for it," Commissioner Keith Nelson said at a meeting of the St. Louis County Board.

Nelson's comment came during a board debate in February over a proposed county smoking ban. Nelson said he opposed the ban because most of his constituents wanted him to — and he always followed the will of his constituents.

That prompted a question from fellow Commissioner Bill Kron. "I said there are some issues of conscience where the majority may not be right, for example would you have voted for slavery if the majority of your constituents would have?" Kron recalled Wednesday.

When Nelson said yes, "Everyone's jaws sort of dropped," Kron said.

Still, the comment didn't spark a furor until local media reported that it was available for viewing on the online video site YouTube. Nelson said he believes it's been circulated by smoking ban backers to discredit him.

Nelson told The Associated Press Wednesday that he finds slavery "repulsive" and that he apologizes to anyone who was offended by what he said.

"But I stand by my statement that it is my job to represent my constituents with what they believe," Nelson said.

Upon further reflection, Nelson said, he had decided that if a majority of his constituents really did want him to support slavery, he would resign rather than do so.

That's not good enough for some residents of Duluth, the seat of St. Louis County. The Rev. Denita Williams, pastor of St. Mark African Methodist Episcopal Church, said slavery is an absolute moral wrong that any elected official should oppose even if it goes against the will of constituents.

"He doesn't seem to understand, and for him to hold a public office and not understand that is offensive," Williams said. She said Nelson must offer a public, unqualified apology, "and he also needs to take a diversity class."

Yeah moral class- That'll fix him....Ironic the church's postion considering their stance on gay marriage- No?
- posted by Brian @ 4/13/2007 02:13:00 PM

 
The Post with the Dog vs Cat Diaries
This made me laugh---enjoy








- posted by Brian @ 4/12/2007 02:14:00 PM

 
The Post with me passing something along to all of you
Seriously everyone go to this link and watch the video. Geraldo and Bill O'Reilly screaming at each other is awesome. In a fight my money is on Geraldo. O'Reilly has the backing of the Irish but Geraldo has the mexican populace behind him.

http://http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/04/05/bill-oreillys-head-practically-explodes-as-he-screams-at-geraldo/
- posted by Brian @ 4/11/2007 02:10:00 PM

 
The Post with Imus fun
Don Imus got himself into a bit of trouble last week. He referred to the Women's basketball team at Rutgers as a bunch of "nappy headed ho's." Also during the discussion they were referred to "jiggaboos" Very nice. Everyone has covered the racist, sexist, and misoyginistic overtones of what he said so let's focus on something else. That is the fun of his apology appearance on Reverend Al Sharpton's radio show.

Now the very thought of apologizing for racial remarks on the radio show hosted by a anti-semitic guy like Sharpton in and of itself is humorous. It gets funnier when you realize that Don Imus sounds like Foghorn Leghorn when he gets excited and loud. Also Sharpton sounds like an African-American Foghorn Leghorn- so basically for over an hour you have dueling Foghorn's. That alone is worth the price of admission.

Then Don Imus continuously stuck his foot in his mouth. First he said the comment of jiggaboos was used in reference to the Spike Lee movie "Do the Right Thing." Now it probably was but he had no idea what the term meant, whihc makes it foolish to use. Then he said he envisioned the statement as relating the West Side Story (it was a dark black and lighter balck team anyway).

During the middle of the discussion Imus talked about his work with Sickle Cell Anemia whihc led to a side argument about the government's spending on this disease (which is low). Imus said "Do you know how much money a year is spent on research?" Sharpton answered with, "No, but it's not enough." How would one know that without knowing what is spent per year.

Imus then said he has slept in a house with more black children at one time then Sharpton did in his life. I guess comparing himself to Michael Jackson was supposed to help his cause.

Then the best part of the discussion was this. A black woman called in and was reading Imus the riot act. He tried to respond but she kept cutting him off and Sharpton then joined in cutting him off. Imus finally says, "God. I can't get anywhere with you people." Talk about gasoline on the fire. He immeadiately realzied what he did and rationalized the statement but the damage was done.

Seriously go find this tape online somewhere. It is an hour of bliss. I wish I still had my tv show becasue I would've devoted a whole special to breaking down this tape and mocking it.
- posted by Brian @ 4/10/2007 02:07:00 PM

 
The Post with me discussing Grindhouse
I realized that I need to start my list of movies I've seen for this year so far becasue I'm behind again and it will not be easy to remember things. Maybe this coming weekend I can get on that. However, I wanted to talk about what I saw this past weekend and that was the heavily discussed Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino joint directed movie Grindhouse.

It is really awesome. Especially Rodriguez's part. Planet Terror is almost pitch perfect in nailing the feel of those movies right down to the cheesy dialogue and over the top acting towards the end. Rose McGowan has always been a sexy looking chick and she comes through again in that department in this movie. There were some legitimate laugh out loud parts in that movie and some genuine scary stuff. Even the missing reel gag was extremely well done. Thumbs up all around.

Quentin Tarantino to me though fell short of the mark he was going for. He made a typical Tarantino type film which is dialogue heavy and features heavy emphasis on female feet. What was even worse was he was trying to do something that was heavily inspired by Vanishing Point and Gone in 60 Seconds and still found a way to shoehorn references to those movies in the dialogue. We get what you are doing Quentin- you don't have to hammer us with it. However, Zoe Bell is a sexy looking dame and the car chase with her is one of the best put to film. Also I found out she did all those stunts herself without much tethering (she is a stuntwoman in real life). Plus I love the Poitier girl and she looks sexy in this much like she does in most things.
I think the car chase saved this portion of the movie but it felt dull at times.

Lastly the trailers were hilarious and I'd love to see some of them actually made. Machete with Danny Trejo was great....Werewolf Woman of the SS directed by Rob Zombie was ok but again felt like it was missing the mark- the cameo at the end saved it for me and I won't spoil it....Don't by Edgar Wright was good and the punchline was good. Eli Roth came through with Thanksgiving and it was awesome. Someone said that Roth should just be forced to direct fake trailers the rest of his career rather than actual movies.

Overall I'd give this film an easy A because it takes you back to the feel and nature of these movies nicely. Even the ones that fall short have enough redeeming value to recommend.
- posted by Brian @ 4/09/2007 01:58:00 PM

 
The Post with me making something clear
This isn't necessarily triggered by any one item but more a general statement.

People always get on my case when I mention about being single. The response is usually for people to tell me not to get down on myself and that eventually it will happen. Problem is that's not why I'm saying it. It's just a statement of fact- thinking out loud if you will.

I'm not looking for woe is Brian type responses and I only hope it doesn't come off as that. Reality is, as with anything in life, someone has to go last in line. Apparently that's me. I have no problem with that. Others shouldn't as well.

We either spend every waking moment worrying about things that we can't change and drop our view of life....or we roll up our sleeves and push ahead...I have always and will always push ahead. Don't feel sorry for me- that pisses me off more than anything
- posted by Brian @ 4/05/2007 02:10:00 PM

 
The Post with me talking about last nigth's Wrestelmania
WWE presented what is traditionally its biggest show of the year from Detroit, Michigan and once again came out on top in the end. It was one of those shows that people are either going to like or hate but what was good far outweighed the bad.

Let’s get the bad out of the way first:

- Kane vs Khali was bad, no doubt about it. However it wasn’t nearly the trainwreck people had it pegged as. The match was kept short and they didn’t ask a whole lot of Khali. Most importantly they kept it short.

- Melina vs Ashley was outright terrible. It served its purpose of being the palate cleanser between the hair match and the main event but it was difficult to watch.

- The ECW Originals vs New Breed match was just kind of there. Short, and the ending seemed off considering it would’ve probably made more sense to let the young guys get the win in the match. Also I think they should’ve made the match a hardcore brawl and just let the eight guys fight throughout the building in a true ECW style match. Much like the first two matches listed here though–it was kept short.

- The Detroit crowd was the quietest 80,000 people I’ve ever heard (or didn’t hear as it were). They only half-heartedly got into matches which helped keep some really good matches from becoming more than that.

- The two backstage vignettes with Trump and McMahon were awful. Awfully written, awfully acted, and just awfully undeserving of taking up time.

Now for the good:

- The backstage dance segment was good fun as they trotted out a bunch of blasts from the past and it entertained without becoming overly corny.

- The hair match served its purpose and was really fun for the whole time they were in front of the crowd. The interaction between Umaga and Austin worked perfectly and they threw enough tricks in there so the match never felt like it was overstaying its welcome. Lashley still has some improving to do but he actually seemed to be carrying himself like a star at times last night. Trump got involved enough in the match to earn his pay and despite the awkward Stunner he took afterwards I thought he was fine. Umaga has taken what is a late 80’s WWE heel cartoon act and turned it into a viable gimmick.

- MVP proved that he can go in the ring. At just over ten minutes the match with Benoit will not be in the running for match of the year but it was perfectly solid and it was not just Benoit carrying him. The series of reversals with MVP blocking the Crossface by working over Benoit’s arm was very well done and really played well into the finish. I thought that match would’ve benefited from having some more time.

- Money in the Bank served its purpose and got the night off to a hot start. In hindsight, maybe starting with a huge spotfest wasn’t the best idea because it seemed to deflate the crowd some but that might just be nitpicking. All the guys got a chance to showcase themselves and while I thought it lacked the internal logic of the first one, the highspots were better. Jeff Hardy legdropping Edge was completely crazy, and Hornswaggle is a good sport for taking the rolling Samoan drop off the ladder. Mr. Kennedy seems poised for a big push heading into the spring and summer so it made sense for him to win.

- Batista and Undertaker had their working shoes on and put together a really great title match. There were almost no down moments during that match and they seemed to be working in fast forward through a lot of it. Batista finally since his return carried his end of a match and looked like the star he was positioned as two years ago. Somehow the Undertaker has gotten better with age and is progressing in the ring. His matches now are worlds more entertaining than he was 5-10 years ago.

- John Cena and Shawn Michaels also put together a great little title match that was of a different style than the brawling title match. John Cena has come along by leaps and bounds in the past two years and is not deserving of the reaction he gets from them “smart” fans. He has busted his butt in all different kinds of matches and is one of the few guys on the roster that has a star quality. Shawn Michaels was again part of a great Wrestlemania match as he continually proves himself to be a big game player. Cena did a great job selling the leg injury throughout the early part of the match (He forgot about it towards the end kind of) and the series of counters and reversals worked perfectly towards the end. On Comcast they had a preview of the show beforehand and showed clips of last year’s Cena/HHH title match where they did a similar set of reversals leading to the tapout. This year that series looked less clunky and more fluid. Most would attribute that to HBK, but Cena was a lot smoother moving through the holds. The WWE further drives home the point that Cena is our guy whether the fans like it or not.

Overall I really enjoyed the show. I thought for a four hour show it was well paced and there was a lack of downtime. I wish Benoit/MVP would’ve received an extra five minutes to flesh out the story they were telling because it was solid. The WWE again came through on its biggest stage and as in every other year- the fun comes now in seeing where they go from here.

Also I lost out on the money on tiebreakers- that could go in the bad category. Pizza was good..Wish there would've been more
- posted by Brian @ 4/02/2007 02:04:00 PM