Later Phil

          This is clearly not the way Phil Jackson wanted his career to end.  It’s actually a little sad and depressing; even Phil-haters will agree with this.  This has to be the most sour moment in Phil’s career as an NBA coach- getting swept in the playoffs by the Mavericks, an inferior team, in his last season.  Who would have predicted this would be the case just a little under a year ago when Phil was celebrating his 11^th NBA championship as a coach?  The answer is: not many.

            Phil Jackson is one of the best coaches in NBA history; there is no question about this.  He won 6 championships with the Bulls and 5 with the Lakers.  He holds the record for the most championships won by a coach in NBA history.

            Yet, some have always criticized Phil.  Phil-haters have continually devalued his achievements by arguing that he only won all those championships because he always had the best players of the era playing for the teams he coached.  Critics say that Jackson only won with the Bulls because he had Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen on that team.  Similarly, they say that he only won with the Lakers because he coached Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.  Jackson’s critics like to use the argument that his teams only won because of the players and not because of the coaching to question this great coach’s legacy.

            I personally believe that these critics are wrong.  Phil was a great coach.  How can people disagree with this?  Have Jackson’s critics ever stopped to consider that maybe he had a lot to do with making his superstar players as good as they were under his coaching?  How can all of the credit for the Bulls’ and Lakers’ success be limited to just the players?  Jackson was an integral part of both of these teams.

            Either way, Jackson’s career has now come to a close.  Some will always see him as the best, while others will continue to downplay his success.  It is sad that Jackson’s career ends with an early exit in the playoffs.  Many of his fans will always wish that he had chosen to retire on top after winning one of his many championships.  In the end, however, the fact that he did not win in his last season does not tarnish his image.  After all, very few remember Jordan’s unsuccessful comeback with the Washington Wizards; most choose to remember Jordan’s domination of the league for over a decade while playing for the Bulls.  I hope Phil’s legacy will experience the same treatment.  I hope his fans remember his glory days and not the way his illustrious NBA path came to a close.

Derek Rose= Beast

I'll admit that I am a huge Lakers fan, but the most impressive player in the playoffs right now is Derek Rose.  He is absolutely amazing.  I never thought I could like another Bulls player as much as I used to like the great Michael Jordan.  Rose is the youngest player in the history of the NBA to win the MVP trophy.  He deserved this honor.  He has carried the Bulls this entire season.  I truly hope that the Bulls come out of the east and reach the finals.  Derek Rose is a true boss.

Here is a video of some impressive plays by Rose!

The Worst Movie Ever...Literally

       I have seen some pretty bad movies in my time.  Some have been incredibly awful, while others have simply failed to live up to expectations.  I do not consider myself an expert movie critic, but I love watching films; going to the movies is one of my favorite pastimes.

      Having said that, Battlefield Earth is literally the worst film I have ever seen or will ever see.  Wow!  That movie is bad on levels that I did not believe could possibly be reached.

      I had previously heard rumors about this movie being particularly bad, but I wanted to at least give it a chance.  I rented this movie this last week, against the advise of several of my friends.  After asking several people to sacrifice a night and watch this movie with me, only one other brave soul agreed to go on this adventure with me.  The rumors about this movie were not wrong.  It truly is awful.

      I would discourage any person I actually care about from watching this film.  The story is terrible; it makes no sense.  I cannot believe the head of a major Hollywood studio agreed to make and invest in this film after reading the script.  

      The acting is depressing- especially John Travolta's performance.  Travolta is one of my favorite actors, having starred in films like Grease and Saturday Night Fever.  I think he is very talented and has a very gifted acting range.  His character in Battlefield Earth, however, is clearly his worst acting decision in his career.  It almost hurts to see such an epic actor embarrassing himself on the screen.  I was very disappointed in Travolta for working on this film after reading the script.  No amount of money he may have been paid makes his choice to play this role ok.

      Thus, I would advise anyone even thinking of watching this to think twice.  Listen to your friends who have already gone through the pain of seeing this.  Don't try to be a maverick!  Do yourself a favor- avoid this film!

Here is the trailer for the movie so you can get a better idea of what I am talking about.

Best Workout Class Ever!

I really want to get in good shape this summer before going to graduate school.  I heard that P90X is one of the best workout routines out there to get you into the best shape of your life.  I'm sure P90X is awesome, but this class seems even funner...especially for guys.  The song is pretty awesome too.  Enjoy!

Environmental Law

              Environmental law is inescapable.  It affects all of us in many ways.  The Constitution may not mention the environment, but our laws regulate human behavior to protect it.  Grand part of our citizenry in the United States works very hard to shape our laws and regulations to better the environment.  However, the environment is not in good shape.  What we are currently doing is simply not enough.  More is needed.  Serious environmental issues, like pollution and smog, are very serious problems that seem to worsen as time goes on.  Many politicians choose to protect their government seats by protecting the pockets of their contributors instead of imposing stricter standards that will actually improve environmental conditions.  The system is flawed in many ways.  People in power many times place individual interests before the common good.  Human nature instinctively often makes us choose our own benefit first before thinking of others.  Unfortunately, the environment is likely to continue to suffer as long as this persists.  Yet, we have to hope that maybe future generations will change this.  Maybe they will care more about the common good and about the environment.  If they do, another fundamental year for the environment like 1970 will happen in the future.  The key is just not to give up.

This picture shows that there is still hope!

Thor Movie

I have always been a huge fan of movies about superheroes.  The Dark Knight is by far my favorite superhero film.  The new Thor movie is receiving a lot of media attention because it supposedly takes special effects to a different level.  I'm really excited to see this film.  The trailer looks awesome!  Here it is!

Plus 44

This is one of my favorite songs by Mark Hoppus' other band, Plus 44.  This band is not as good as Blink-182, but they do have some pretty cool songs.  Check this one out!