Daniel Millhouse's Blog, page 4

Advertising on Jerseys

With sports teams trying to find new avenues of income some of the purity of the sport is being drained away. Slowly, the original names of the stadiums and arenas gave way to corporate sponsors. Obviously, the inside of these stadiums and arenas are covered in advertising on scoreboards, boards, and even in the bathrooms. Now, NBA teams will soon be advertising on jerseys.
The Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings, and Philadelphia 76ers were the first to unveil their new ads that will be on their jerseys in the 2017-2018 season. The Brooklyn Nets joined the new trend this past week with their deal with Infor. Eventually other teams will follow their lead as other teams have contacted the Celtics to inquire how much they made from their advertising deal with GE.
And this won't be where the trend ends. NHL, NFL, and MLB teams will follow soon afterward. Anything for an extra dollar.  
There is something special about buying a jersey of your favorite player and wearing it out in public, especially at sports events. Instead everyone buying an NBA at the end of this year will effectively be a walking billboard.
This isn't new in sports. Soccer has been doing it for a long time already, but America never fully embraced soccer as one of their own sports. NASCAR has been doing it forever too, but for some reason it never bugged the fans. Perhaps this is because there isn't an official team jersey for each driver as a team such as the Boston Celtics has. It started off that the cars were advertised on before the drivers themselves wore the ads on their driver suits.
There was just something simple about wearing a jersey that only featured your favorite team and/or player. Within five years, that feeling will probably disappear now that this trend has started. It's a shame because even though sports teams are multi-billion dollar business, the jerseys were still pure.
Now that feeling is gone.

Super Bowl LI Predictions Including Prop Bets

On the eve of Super Bowl LI (51 for those of who are wondering where the Roman numeral X's went), predictions and bets are being placed on just about anything and everything. Not just the score, but things such who scores first, who wins the coin flip, and even the over/under on the time it takes to sing the national anthem. If you're in Las Vegas, these are referred to as prop bets and are all things you can gamble on. You're probably able to place similar bets on sports gambling websites as well.

Not immune to this completely, while not placing money down on these various facets of the game, here is the Millhouse list of Super Bowl LI predictions.

Score/Winner: Falcons 34 Patriots 24...
Many may scoff at this prediction, but look at the facts. The Falcons have a more potent offense than the Patriots. Matt Ryan had a career year, the backfield is full of weapons, and they have possibly their best receiving corps in team history.

On the other hand, many act like Tom Brady is the best quarterback ever. Sportscasters have been pointing out that Brady is extremely accurate, throwing only two interceptions the whole season. What many don't want to see is that Brady averages an interception every game when it comes to the playoffs. That's not counting the fumbles (or non-fumbles if you're a Raiders fan). Brady isn't the clutch-performer many think he is. Add that to the fact that he lost Rob Gronkowski, his favorite target, to injury and you can see that the passing game of the Patriots is potentially flawed. Add that to the poor running game they've displayed in the playoffs this year (Lewis 2.7 yards-per-carry; Blount 3.3 yards-per-carry; Brady -2 yards total) and there are holes everywhere for the Falcons defense to expose.

MVP: Matt Ryan...
People love voting for the winning quarterback as an MVP in the Super Bowl. Matt Ryan is poised to be that MVP while throwing to targets such as Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu, and to his backs in the flat.

First Score: The Patriots when Tom Brady hits Chris Hogan...
Despite scoring first, they won't be able to stop the Falcons from scoring more.

First Play: A 2-yard run up the middle by LaGarrette Blount.

First Turnover: Ricardo Allen intercepts a Tom Brady pass.

First Sack: Vic Beasley sacks Tom Brady.

First to Challenge a Play: Bill Belichick in the second quarter

Score at Halftime: Falcons 14 Patriots 14

Leading Rusher: Devonta Freeman with 108 yards rushing.

Leading Receiver: Julio Jones with 138 yards receiving.

First Song Lady Gaga will Perform at Halftime: "Just Dance" seems like a good song to get the energy flowing, but "Born this Way" may end up being the winner with the political atmosphere in the United States and her stance on LGBTQ rights.

Guest Singer Most Likely to Sing Along with Lady Gaga: Tony Bennett.

Length of Luke Bryan's National Anthem Performance: Not being the same time of singer that Lady Gaga or even Whitney Houston is, Luke Bryan will most likely sing the national anthem straight up and not embellish on it. A good number would be 2 minutes and 15 seconds.

Heads or Tails: Tails...but I could be wrong and it could be heads.

Color of sports drink (Gatorade) that is Poured on Winning Coach's Head: Red

Chance Donald Trump will Mention the Super Bowl: He already has, promoting an interview he's doing on Fox News with Bill O'Reilly just before the Super Bowl. Beyond that, if the Patriots do win, Trump will almost definitely congratulate his buddy, Tom Brady.

Miscellaneous Stats: Matt Ryan 330 yards passing along with 3 touchdown passes; Tom Brady 368 yards passing along with 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions; Devonta Freeman 108 yards rushing and 32 receiving along with a rushing touchdown; Tevin Coleman 48 yards rushing and 3 receptions for 67 yards including one touchdown reception; Chris Hogan 7 receptions for 123 yards and 1 touchdown reception; Julio Jones 138 yards receiving from 10 receptions and one touchdown reception; Deion Jones 41 yards rushing; Julian Edelman 5 receptions for 110 yards receiving and 1 touchdown reception; Taylor Gabriel 4 receptions for 52 yards; Vic Beasley 6 tackles along with 1 sack; Dont'a Hightower 7 tackles; Stephen Gostkowski 1 for 2 in field goals; Matt Bryant 2 for 2 in field goals

First Steroid Era Players Inducted

The 2017 Major League Baseball Hall of Fame results were released yesterday and three new names found themselves thrust into mix of other names such as Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron.

Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, and Ivan Rodriguez were announced as the newest inductees to the Hall. All three players are worthy of the award, but only one of them was a first year inductee.

Known as Pudge by many, Rodriguez was arguably one of the best catchers of his generation. Defensively he had no match. The red flag on Pudge's remarkable career was that he was one of a large group of players suspected of taking steroids.

Former teammate Jose Canseco claimed in his book Juiced that he introduced Ivan Rodriguez and Juan Gonzalez to them. He also claimed that future president and then-team owner, George W. Bush, also knew of his star players taking them. Of course, it's hard to believe Jose Canseco. He basically claims that he introduced every star player he was teammates or friends with to steroids, but no evidence other than his word has ever been presented. It also should be noted that Canseco's word is less than trustworthy, yet nearly every player he accused was irreparably harmed. Rodriguez included.

With this latest vote, it appears that the baseball writers have become a little more forgiving in the past year. Anyone with the steroids stigma was considered a long shot for the honor of being called a hall of famer. This year, Pudge broke through to break that barrier, along with Jeff Bagwell who received 86 percent of the vote in his seventh try.

Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds both received over 50 percent of the vote to gain the highest percentage they've received since they became eligible. They're gaining steam. Only two players in history received over 50 percent of the vote and never made it eventually. Lee Smith, who will now be dropped from the ballot after his tenth try this year, and Jack Morris, the winningest pitcher of the 1980's.

Others connected to steroids included Manny Ramirez also received almost 24 percent of the vote this year while Sammy Sosa received eight percent. Next season sees the inclusion Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, and Jim Thome, all of whom have been suspected of some sort of steroid or human growth hormone use.

Writers are going to have to start getting used to the idea that some of those they vote in may have the stigma attached to their careers. Otherwise, they will only be left with options such as Trevor Hoffman, Billy Wagner, and other players that also deserve to go to the hall, but haven't received enough of the vote yet.

Famous People Who Died at 36

As I celebrate another year on this planet, I constantly find myself in some sort of mental competition with those I have outlived. Not by year, but by age. Now, as a 37-year-old, I look back at those who passed away at age 36...and who I have beaten in the game of life (no disrespect intended).

1. Marilyn Monroe - In August of 1962, this icon passed away from a drug overdose. Maybe because of the fact that we never got to see her age, this might be the reason people still see her a sexual icon. The image of her standing on the grate with her white dress being blown upward is perhaps one of the most famous in Hollywood history. Her death also sparked the interest of conspiracy lovers everywhere.

2. Bob Marley - The most famous reggae artist of all-time, Bob Marley died at age 36 in 1991. A victim of a form of skin cancer, Marley also still lives on to this day through his music and the pictures that adorn every other dorm room in America.

3. Doc Holliday - The legendary gunfighter could never be taken down, even when he participated in the Battle at OK Corral. A drinker, a gambler, a dentist, and an overall risk-taker, it was tuberculosis that ended up taking Holliday down in 1887.

4. Princess Diana - The most famous of the modern era British royalty, Princess Diana is perhaps the most famous victim of the paparazzi gone bad. After one of the most famous divorces in history, Diana went on to work for the benefit of many different charities. She could have done more good if she hadn't died in a car accident in 1997, which has also sparked many conspiracy theories.

5. Maximilien Robespierre - Beheaded at age 36 in 1794, Robespierre's role in France in the 18th century eventually led to the French Republic. He was against slavery, for controls in the price of food so the poor could afford to eat, and for a democratic republic. Against the death penalty, he still had a major role in what would end up leading to the beheading of Louis XVI.

 6. General George Armstrong Custer - Forever known for his blunder at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, Custer rose quickly through the ranks despite graduating last his class at West Point. He fought at Gettysburg and fought off a Confederate flank, and he was there General Lee's surrender to General Grant.

From Prince to a Princess; 10 Celebrity Deaths in 2016

Screencap from Return of the Jedi of Carrie Fisher playing Princess Leia
Normally in any other year, I can identify 10 or less celebrities that passed away that had a large impact on me in some way. Whether it is in what I enjoyed watching, what opened me to new types of art, or are part of the background soundtrack of my life, the following people had some sort of impact on me without my ever meeting them once.

This year was different. It was almost as if the Grim Reaper was a sales associate at a retail store and was working his ass off to not only meet a quota, but to also exceed it. One celebrity after another passed away this year, regardless of what they were famous for. Movies, music, politics, and more. It didn't matter what they did to gain notoriety.

What's worse is that it feels like the Grim Reaper is racing to take a few more down before the year comes to a close. So I give you a top 10 list of celebs that passed away that impacted me in some way. This is not to say these celebs are the most impactful than others that passed away this year, it's just the ones that meant the most to me in some way. Your list may be very different.

1. David Bowie: Kicking off the year the wrong way, David Bowie died on January 10. The very first music video I remember while growing up was Bowie's "Lets Dance." Later on, I would receive David Bowie's Never Let Me Down album as one of my very first cassette tapes I owned. I played that tape out until it finally died on it's own. He also played made an impact on the movie industry, but it was his role as Nikola Tesla in The Prestige that I enjoyed the most. I couldn't imagine a better casting choice to play the Tesla role. To this day, some of Bowie's music still rates as some of my favorite music.

Personal Favorite Piece of Work: "Rebel, Rebel"

2. Prince: This one shocked me. He was still young and visibly never seemed to age much. A pop music legend, just as Bowie was, Prince was known for his singing, writing, image, and his eccentricities. What stood out to me the most was his ability to play the music, not just sing over it. Prince is perhaps one of the best guitar players of his generation, but this ability is not what you think of when you think of "The Purple One." He also had the ability to play various other instruments from piano to drums to even having been credited for creating his own instruments to get the right sound that he needed for a song. He also was the writing genius behind other hit songs that he didn't sing on and behind other hit bands such as Morris Day and The Time.

Personal Favorite Piece of Work: "Guitar"

3. Abe Vigoda: Known as Fish on Barney Miller, Vigoda stood out to me for his work in The Godfather as Salvatore Tessio. He just carried a mobster-like presence about him that made him believable as a possible rival to the Corleone family. Later on, though not a major role, Vigoda would appear on Late Night with Conan O'Brien as himself in various skits.

Personal Favorite Piece of Work: The Godfather as Sal Tessio

4. Alan Rickman: Only within days of Bowie dying, Rickman passed away too. Perhaps known for his roles in Die Hard and in the Harry Potter movies, Rickman is about as distinguished of an actor as one can get. One of the best voices in the entertainment industry, Rickman could hold his own against anyone. Bruce Willis or Jason Mewes...it didn't matter. Rickman played the voice of God (the Metatron) in Dogma and it didn't even feel like a stretch. During this same year, he would go on to play Alexander Dane in Galaxy Quest. Later on, Rickman would go on to be the perfect choice for Marvin the Paranoid Android in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. When he died, it was a shock because much of the world had no clue he was suffering from cancer.

Personal Favorite Piece of Work:  Dogma as the Metatron

5. Gene Wilder: Possibly best known for his role as Willy Wonka, Wilder had a charm about him that made movie fans instantly connect to him. His likeability helped him excel in his roles he played in Mel Brooks' movies. As Dr. Frederick Frankenstein in Young Frankenstein, Wilder won awards not only for his acting, but also for his writing. His ability to play off of Cloris Leachman, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Teri Garr, and Madaline Kahn was outstanding and hilarious. Many people also loved him in Blazing Saddles and The Producers.

Personal Favorite Piece of Work: Young Frankenstein as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein.

6. Jose Fernandez: As the rising star pitcher of the Miami Marlins, Fernandez not only had the talent to be an all-star for years to come, but he was one of those type of players you wanted to root for because he genuinely seemed like a good guy and looked like he enjoyed being on there one the field. He had overcome a major injury to come back in 2016 and put up Cy Young Award level numbers until his death in August. In a time where many players appear to only care about the money, Fernandez was the type of player that inspired a new generation of baseball fans to play for the love of the game instead.

7. Anton Yelchin: Still a young actor, Yelchin died when he was pinned in between his car and the security gate of his house. Even though he was only 27-years-old, he still had done enough in his career to establish that he was a talented actor. He took over the role of Chekov in the Star Trek reboot and despite not looking a whole lot like the original Chekov played by Walter Koenig, Yelchin made the role his. Chekov wasn't his only large role in an established series. Yelchin played Kyle Reese in Terminator Salvation and nailed the role. While writing my book, A Hundred Kisses, I had mentally cast Yelchin as the lead character.

Personal Favorite Piece of Work: Chekov in the Star Trek trilogy reboot

8. George Martin: Famously known as the "Fifth Beatle", Martin's producing skills elevated the Fab Four into legendary status. Martin produced over 700 records in his career and was knighted by the Queen of England for his work. Martin was one of only six producers to have number one hit albums in three different decades.

Personal Favorite Piece of Work: The music for the Cirque du Soleil show, Love, featuring music and images from the Beatles

9. Arnold Palmer: The Babe Ruth of golf, Palmer was a golfing legend, winning 62 PGA tournaments. Beyond his incredible golfing abilities and where he has affected me the most, Arnold Palmer is credited for creating the drink named after himself. Three parts tea to one part lemonade, Arnold is said to have famously asked for this drink while at the bar of the Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver, Colorado during the 1960 U.S. Open. Wanting a non-alcoholic drink, he ordered the drink that he said he would have often at his own home. A woman sitting nearby, overheard Palmer's order and told the bartender that she wanted the Palmer drink. A similar incident happened in Palm Springs and the name began to spread. To this day, I'm an Arnold Palmer drink addict.

10. Carrie Fisher: Most famously known as Princess Leia in the Star Wars series of movies, Fisher was the daughter of celebrity royalty. Her mother was Debbie Reynolds, her father was Eddie Fisher, the sister to Joely Fisher, and her stepmother for a time was Elizabeth Taylor. As Slave Leia, her gold bikini costume might be one of the most iconic movie costumes of all-time. Slave Leia's costume is perhaps the most cosplayed role in the cosplay world. What should be noted is that she had other hit roles in movies such as When Harry Met Sally, Shampoo, and The 'Burbs. She even played a small role as the nun that Jay tried to give oral to in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. It's not widely known, but she also punched up the scripts for The Wedding Singer, Sister Act, and Last Action Hero. When the news broke that she had a massive heart attack just before Christmas, it didn't seem real. She seemed too young and feels like one of those actors/actresses that almost seem immortal because of her most famous roles.

Personal Favorite Piece of Work: Marie in When Harry Met Sally

Top 10 Cultural Events of 2016

Screencap from the movie Suicide Squad; Will Smith (left) as Deadshot and Margot Robbie (right) as Harley Quinn
Well, as you all know, 2016 was a jam packed year full of events that most people want to forget about. Obviously, if you're an American you can attest to this fact. Politics aside, there were plenty of other events, for better or worse, that occurred this year that will make it memorable for various reasons. I give you a look at 10 cultural events that changed America this year (that don't involve politics).

1. Musicians and actors galore died this year: Pop culture took some massive hits this year. Prince and David Bowie's deaths were massive and unexpected, but they weren't the only cultural icons to die this year. The music industry lost Glenn Frey, Leonard Cohen, Merle Haggard, Maurice White, George Martin, Natalie Cole, and Vanity. The silver screen and boob tube didn't go without their shocking deaths either. Alan Rickman, Gene Wilder, Doris Roberts, Anton Yelchin, Garry Marshall, Mickey Rooney, Alan Thicke, Noel Neill, Theresa Saldana, Patty Duke, Florence Henderson, Garry Shandling, Abe Vigoda, David Margulies, and Pat Harrington Jr. As far as writers go, Harper Lee passed on as well. And the sports world took massive hits when Arnold Palmer and Muhammad Ali passed on...oh and Chyna died too.

2. Cuba is ripe for the change: Now I know I said I would try to stay out of politics, but I put this topic here because of the cultural significance. President Obama visited Cuba early in the year and just recently with the death of Fidel Castro, the door to Cuba opening up to the world has cracked open a little bit. A country rich with music, sports, and art, if Cuba were to join the rest of the world in the 21st century, a new wave of pop culture and sports stars could feasibly find its way into America. From a tourism standpoint, people can visit the very same beaches that the mob once hoped to turn into a second Las Vegas with nightclubs and casinos. Fidel's brother Raul is still in power and he is surrounded by hardliners, but maybe with continued pressure to join the rest of the world, Cuba's oppressive system will eventually collapse.

3. Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize for Literature...and he couldn't care less: Now it may be debatable that song lyrics count as literature, but the Nobel committee apparently thought so. The awarded Dylan with the award, but they failed to receive an immediate response from the music legend. Once they did, Dylan informed the committee that he wouldn't be able to attend the ceremony and that he "might" make it to Stockholm in 2017. At least that's what we think he said, but sometimes Dylan can be hard to understand.

4. The Cubbies finally won the World Series: Just a year too late to make Back to the Future writer, Robert Zemeckis, look like a genius, the Chicago Cubs not only made their first World Series appearance since 1945, they won their first World Series since 1908. Events such as World War I, the Titanic sinking, and women gaining the right to vote, happened more recently than a Cubs World Series victory. The last time the had made it to the World Series, black baseball players hadn't even been integrated into Major League Baseball.

5. The rise of data collecting devices hit an all-time high: On the surface, devices like Amazon's Echo and Dot with the virtual assistant known as Alexa; and Google's "Google Home" seem pretty cool, but that's only if you don't value your privacy. With a generation of youth that values privacy less than the previous generation, it should be no surprise that a device that presumably captures, stores, and utilizes keywords you say in front of it, has begun to integrate itself into many Americans' everyday lives. Las Vegas hotels have started installing Amazon Echo into their rooms to control functions such as temperature and to possibly order room service. What you don't see is that the information collected helps companies customize the advertisements you are exposed to and stores this information on a database that will either be sold or hacked one day.

6. Apple went toe-to-toe with the government: Shortly after the San Bernardino, California terrorist attack, the FBI wanted to hack into one of the shooter's phones to gain a better idea if the attackers were directed to conduct the attack or if they were lone wolves. A debate erupted when Apple told the government that they wouldn't develop software to allow the United States to access the shooter's personal information from his phone. On one side of this debate was that Apple should be patriotic and do what they can to assist the government to possibly prevent further terrorist efforts. On the other side of the debate was that giving the US government the necessary software to break into Apple produced phones would only lead to a slippery-slope of determining when the software should and shouldn't be used. Eventually the government announced that they were successful in hacking the shooter's phone without the help of Apple. Even then, debates across the country argued when does patriotism override one's right to privacy?

7. Nerds across America wandered around the map to catch fictional creatures: Pokémon Go sprung up out of nowhere to become one of the most successful games in cellphone history. People who rarely stepped foot outside in the real world were forced to visit new places to catch fictional characters that only they could see with the help of their phones. Along the way, the occasional car accident or mugging would occur, but that still didn't appear to hurt the game's popularity. But just as fast as the game gained popularity, the game would decline severely in users within three months of the game's release.

8. Nintendo rehashes their old games...again: When the Nintendo company comes up with a hit game or character, they keep releasing games and re-releasing games with these same characters over and over again. This year was no different. A popular item for Christmas is the Nintendo NES Classic Edition which brings back 30 of those games you played to death in 1980's. All the games are pre-installed into the system, so now you don't have to have all those cartridges that you used to blow into before shoving it into your system.

9. Los Angeles gains at least one NFL team with the possibility of a second coming soon: Several NFL teams flirted with the idea of moving to Los Angeles. In the end, the Rams moved back to LA and the Chargers might not be far behind. The country's second largest city went from no teams to possibly two. So far, the Rams haven't done well, even behind a head coach that had experience guiding a team that changed cities. It took in what seemed forever for the Rams to even play their number one overall draft pick from the 2016 NFL Draft.

10. Every other female under the age of 30 dressed up as Harley Quinn for Halloween: Suicide Squad hit theaters earlier this year and the character of Harley Quinn broke free from being popular with comic book fans to becoming popular with all of America. Margot Robbie's portrayal of Joker's former girlfriend became an instant hit with both males and females alike. By the time Halloween rolled around, tons of women were wearing t-shirts reading "Daddy's Lil Monster" while wearing booty shorts and fishnets. It's conceivable that this costume could end up becoming the Halloween male version of The Crow where guys would still dress up as the undead character years after the movie release. With several more movies in slated to be released featuring Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, her costume is bound to be seen for years to come.

Random Facts About Your Favorite TV Shows

Screencap from M*A*S*H of Gary Burghoff playing Radar O'Reilly
Every television show out there has a story on how it got made, who stars in it, and/or other behind the scenes stories that only some of the most loyal fans to these particular shows would know. The fun thing is that these facts are some good conversational fodder while talking to your coworkers around the water cooler or with your buddies while scarfing down wings and beer.

So here it is, some facts about your favorite TV shows and actors that starred in them.

1. Scotty has no middle finger: Star Trek favorite James Doohan, known for playing Scotty, was in the Royal Canadian Artillery during World War II. On the night of D-Day, Doohan was shot six times, including in the chest where a bullet hit a silver cigarette case and in the right hand which led to his middle finger having to be amputated. So next time you see Scotty do a shot or throw a punch, take a look at his right hand if you can.

2. Radar always hid his left hand with a clipboard: "Radar" O'Reilly of M*A*S*H was always seen holding a clipboard with his left hand. When he wasn't holding a clipboard, usually his left hand was out of the frame of the picture. This was because actor Gary Burghoff was born with a congenital deformity of three of his fingers. Occasionally, you can see this if you pause a scene at the right moment. There have been scenes with Burghoff weight-lifting and holding a football that it is most noticeable. Despite this deformity, Burghoff was a drummer for a band called the Relatives in 1968. The lead singer of this band...Wonder Woman's Lynda Carter.

3. The J. Peterman catalog in Seinfeld is real: In real life, there is a J. Peterman catalog that the writer's of Seinfeld incorporated into the show when a catalog came across their desk. The real life company is based out of Kentucky and the owner is named John Peterman, unlike his TV show counterpart, Jacopo Peterman. Want to go a little more meta? Actor John O'Hurley, the man who played J. Peterman, now works and is a part-owner of the real life J. Peterman catalog.

4. Sophia Petrillo was younger than her daughter: Actress Estelle Getty played Sophia Petrillo in the 1980's hit, The Golden Girls. Her character was famous for being short, old, and the mother of Dorothy Zbornak who was played by Bea Arthur. Make-up and acting went a long way as Getty was actually a year younger than Arthur was in real life.

5. Cobie Smulders was not originally asked to play Robin: A hit show that aired for nine seasons and 208 episodes, How I Met Your Mother's Robyn was not originally supposed to be played by Cobie Smulders. A little known actress at the time, show creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, cast Smulders only after their original choice for the role had turned it down. In wasn't until 2014 when the show came to an end when they stated during an interview who their first choice to play Robyn was...Jennifer Love Hewitt. Afterwards, Bays and Thomas said it was best that Smulders was an unknown actress because it was like America was meeting her for the first time at the same time Ted Mosby did.

6. Portlandia' s Fred Armisen was originally a drummer: Some people have realized that Fred Armisen is musically talented since he became the band leader for Late Night with Seth Myers. What some people don't know is that Armisen used to be a backup drummer for the famous Blue Man Group. Armisen was also for a punk rock band called Trenchmouth during the late 1980's and into the early 1990's.

7. Comet is Air Bud: The dog known as Comet on the ABC hit show, Full House, was played by a golden retriever named Buddy. Later, after finishing his role as Comet, Buddy went on to the big screen to star in kid-friendly movie, Air Bud.

8. Kevin Arnold dated sisters: A hit series in the late 1980's to the early 1990's, The Wonder Years centered around the life of a teenaged Kevin Arnold while his adult self narrated the series. Arnold's love for friend-turned girlfriend, Winnie Cooper, is a main theme for the show as he tries to figure out how women work. As many people know, Arnold wasn't always part of a couple with Cooper the entire series. Arnold dated Becky Slater, sometimes as a way to make Cooper jealous in hopes that she would come back to him. What many people don't know is that the actress that played Slater is Crystal McKellar, the real life sister to Danica McKellar who played Cooper.

9. The number 47 is everywhere: In the spy series Alias, the number 47 appears all the time. Sydney needs to access information on Server 47 to take down SD-6. There are 47 parts to Rambaldi's magnum opus. Marshall wants to improve a camera design so it has 47 exposures. The key code to access the computer room that houses information on SD-6 is 4747. The number 47 is seen in large print on the door Sydney's abductors take Sydney through while she's retrieving her lost memories.

10. Mitt Romney's sister-in-law almost caused a TV show to be cancelled: Terry Rakolta, Mitt Romney's former sister-in-law, started a letter writing campaign that cost the show Married...with Children many of their advertisers. Rakolta was angry and determined that the show be ripped off the air after she witnessed an episode that featured Al Bundy and Steve Rhoades buying a bra for Peggy. Rakolta would go on to be a guest of many talk shows while the show would garner its highest ratings ever less than a year later.

11. Van Wilder wasn't almost a cast member of Buffy: While many people know that Katie Holmes was originally asked to play the role of Buffy in Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, not as many people know that Ryan Reynolds was asked to play the role of Xander. Coming out of high school in real life at the same time, Reynolds didn't want to play a high school kid and instead was searching for more adult roles. Holmes, of course, would go on to play Joey Potter in Dawson's Creek.

12. People would frequently go missing in Philadelphia...and no one cared: In the ABC's TGIF hit, Boy Meets World, it wasn't uncommon for characters to just disappear without a word. Mr. Turner never appeared again after his motorcycle accident. Stuart Minkus disappeared after the first season, only to be seen one more time when they all graduated high school. Corey's little sister disappeared and was replaced by an older pre-teen version. Shawn's sister Stacey was mentioned in one episode when Shawn called her on the phone, only to have Stacey never heard from or about again. Topanga's parents kept changing appearances. Peter Tork and Michael McKeon both played her father at some point. Marcia Cross and Annette O'Toole both played her mother. Finally, two years of the kid's lives go missing. They never were seen attending the 9th and 10th grades.

13. Jennifer Love Hewitt sure passes on a lot of roles: As earlier, when revealed that Jennifer Love Hewitt was originally asked to play Robyn in How I Met Your Mother, she also passed on the role of Piper in Charmed. Instead, Rose McGowan would go on to be cast in this role that would replace Shannen Doherty's character leaving the show.

14. Twitter is not just for Trump: Wil Wheaton was asked to be a reoccurring member of Big Bang Theory after he tweeted that he enjoyed the show. Producers saw the tweet and asked Wheaton to play an "evil" version of himself to be Sheldon Cooper's archrival.

Baseball Hall of Fame 2017 Ballot

Photo of Barry Bonds by Daniel Millhouse
Yet another year goes by and I find myself without an official ballot for Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame for the 2017 class. I know I would have to be a BBWAA writer, but I figure they should have made the exception. Either way, I give you my picks to make the hall this year (in no particular order)...

1. Barry Bonds - All-time home run leader, eight gold gloves, all-time leader in walks and intentional walks, seven MVP's, 12-time Silver Slugger winner, and 514 stolen bases. It's ridiculous that he hasn't been voted in during the first four times he was eligible. One anchor on the MLB Network claimed that he couldn't vote for Bonds solely because Bonds wasn't a nice guy. If that's the case, then explain players such as Ty Cobb, Reggie Jackson, and Don Drysdale who were known to be hated players while still playing.
2. Roger Clemens - Almost the pitcher version of Barry Bonds. Seven Cy Youngs, one MVP, 354 career wins, third on the all-time strike outs list behind fellow Texan Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson, and a 3.12 career ERA. Just like Bonds, he has been passed by four times so far for the hall.
3. Jeff Bagwell - A former Rookie of the Year, MVP, three time Silver Slugger, Gold Glove first baseman, with 449 career homers, a .297 career batting average, over 1,500 RBI's, and 202 stolen bases. In any other time period Bagwell may have stood out more, but he played first base in the National League at the same time as Mark McGwire, Fred McGriff, Andres Galarraga, Mark Grace, Ryan Klesko, and Todd Helton.
4. Trevor Hoffman - He's second all-time in career saves behind Mariano Rivera, second for the Cy Young Award in 1998 and 2006, and sported a career ERA of 2.87.
5. Billy Wagner - Sixth all-time in saves, Wagner often hit over 100 mph on the radar gun and was feared by hitters. He had a career ERA of 2.31, had a K/9 of 11.9, and a WHIP of 0.99. Only John Franco had more saves as a left-handed closers.
6. Ivan Rodriguez - Known for being one of the best defensive catchers of all-time, Rodriguez had an amazing arm that he would use to throw base runners out all the time. Pudge wasn't bad with the bat either. He had 312 homers, a .296 career batting average, over 1,300 RBI's, and 2,844 base hits. He won the AL MVP in 1999, won the Silver Slugger 7 times, and 13 Gold Gloves.
7. Fred McGriff - Overlooked because he played first base in the National League while so many other stars also played, many people don't realize how good he exactly was. He retired with 493 homers (tied for the most with Lou Gehrig for players who failed to reach 500), 1,550 RBI's, a .284 career batting average, and three Silver Slugger awards.
8. Mike Mussina - Mike Mussina won 270 games, stuck out over 2,800 hitters, won seven Gold Gloves, and he only failed to reach double digit wins in a season once in his career (during his rookie season). The Moose was in the top 10 for Cy Young votes nine times, but the closest he ever came to winning was in 1999 when he came in second. Good to the end, Mussina was 20-9 with a 3.34 ERA and a Gold Glove his final season.
9. Vladimir Guerrero - One of the freest swinger hitters in recent times, Guerrero is one of two first-time ballot eligible players I voted for this year (Ivan Rodriguez is the other). He hit 449 homers, had 1,496 RBI's, a .318 career batting average, and 2,590 career hits. He won the MVP during his first season with the ANAHEIM Angels and won eight Silver Slugger awards. If the Gold Glove was solely based on arm strength, Guerrero would have won some. He had a cannon for an arm which kept him playing in the outfield for a couple extra seasons before being converted to a designated hitter. In 2002, he was one homer short of being a 40-40 player. He is also the last former Montreal Expo left with a valid chance at making it to the hall. If he receives enough votes to get in, I hope he goes in as an Expo.

Star Trek Reboot Killed Picard, Seven of Nine, and the House of Mogh

Promotional photo for Star Trek by Paramount Pictures
People often wonder what life would be like if events in the past played out differently instead of the way they did. A change in past events can easily end up worsening a situation just as easy as it can improve the present day.

This happened in the Star Trek universe when it was rebooted after Nero traveled back in time for his revenge on Spock. While the movie was enjoyable, everything in the Star Trek universe was changed. Not just what you saw in the trilogy of reboot movies released to date, but it also changed the universe in other ways you may not have noticed.

For starters, the changing of the universe surely affected the future captain-ship of the USS Enterprises. This means that Jean-Luc Picard may or may not be the future captain of Enterprise D. It's even possible that he not only may not become the captain, he may also decide to enter the field of archeology after making the choice to follow in his favorite professor's footsteps. If the leadership of not only the Enterprise, but also the Federation is shifted around in the past, who knows what the future may hold for other Enterprises.

Another change in the universe is that now with present day events in the original series changed, there's a good chance that the famous kiss between Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhara may never happen. With Uhara and Spock being romantically involved, the storyline from a romantic standpoint has forever changed.

A third change in the universe affects Star Trek: Voyager. With the planet Vulcan now obliterated, future Vulcans such as Tuvok will surely never be born. If his ancestors died in the near extinction of the Vulcan species when Nero blew up the planet Vulcan, Tuvok cannot exist in the future universe. Even if his ancestors are one of the survivors that the elder Spock led, the tragedy would surely change the storyline completely.


In the category of diplomatic relations, if the TNG has changed because of prior events, what will become of the House of Mogh? Not only would Worf's history be changed, but his grandfather, Colonel Worf, who was the legal advocate for Kirk and McCoy in Star Trek VI: Undiscovered County, may have never come to defend them after they were accused of murdering Chancellor Gorkon. With the universe changed, Gorkon may never meet Kirk and McCoy, Colonel Worf's history may take a different direction, and eventually his grandson may never find himself in the Federation, working for Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

Lastly, if the storyline to the original universe is changed, it can be assumed that first contact with the Borg may change. With Picard possibly not leading the Enterprise D, he could never be assimilated and become Locutus. The movie Star Trek: First Contact is completely out the window. Also, Seven of Nine may never become a member of Voyager, if she is ever even assimilated in the first place.

The new reboot of the Star Trek movies have been wonderful so far, led by good acting and intriguing storylines that lead to more debates. It unfortunately leaves the future of the universe up in the air, possibly destroying it as we all know it. On their own, the reboot holds up, but if it changes the future of the greatest captain (Jean-Luc Picard), then was the change worth it?

Talking Turkey: The Truth About Ben Franklin and the National Seal

Coming closer to the big turkey day, a common misconception is that the turkey could have been our national bird instead of the bald eagle. Some people believe that Benjamin Franklin himself argued to make the turkey our national bird. This is simply not true.

After the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin was one of several people tasked with coming up for an idea for the seal of the United States of America. A few ideas floated around, just not the idea of using a turkey.

It is true that Franklin talked about a turkey, but this was in a letter that he wrote to his daughter, Sarah. He praised the turkey, calling it "a much more respectable bird" and "a true original native of America." In contrast, he called the bald eagle "a bird of bad moral character" and "too lazy to fish for himself" because it tends to steal fish from hawks.

The revelation of the existence of this letter later hit newspapers a century later, long after Franklin and his daughter had passed. Franklin's disdain for the bald eagle being on the seal was never publicly revealed until then, as was his respect for the turkey.

Over the years, just as the subject can change when people play the "telephone game," the story of Franklin and the turkey developed into the false notion that he wanted gobblers to be the national bird.

He did not.

The turkey was never considered to be the national bird, thus never putting the status of a turkey in jeopardy from not being the main course for a Thanksgiving dinner.

Turkey and avocado sandwiches...safe.

Those large drumsticks that you enjoy at county fairs...safe.

Your ability to stay awake after a big Thanksgiving dinner...well, that's still in jeopardy because of the tryptophan.