Flyers, Bengals and the NBA

The Philadelphia Flyers are back. Tied with the Habs at two apiece in Eastern Conference Semifinals. I'm officially back to watching hockey (after a one-year self-imposed NHL boycott following the strike and a year of the Flyers playing too poorly to even care).

The Cincinnati Bengals, meanwhile, appear to have drafted well. The Bengals, sorely in need of defensive help, chose Keith Rivers, an outside linebacker from Carson's alma mater USC, with their first pick (and 9th overall). He's a straight-shooting kid with strong fundamentals, which is just what the team needs.

Cincinnati's second pick is where intrigue came to play. Instead of opting for defensive tackle Trevor Laws (Notre Dame), defensive end Calais Campbell (Miami) or even Quentin Groves (DE-Auburn) to provide defensive depth, the Bengals chose wideout Jerome Simpson (from Coast Carolina)!

What's going on there?

I suspect it was a clear message to Chad Johnson: "We don't need you." Still, it remains to be seen whether a Chanticleer from the Big South Conference can match the numbers Chad Johnson's generated several years running.

Could it be a trade for defensive players for Ocho Cinco could be in the works? Let's hope so.

As for the NBA, I'm unexpectedly back to being a fan. I find myself searching game times to learn when the Cavaliers play next. LeBron's brought me back to the sport after a long hiatus. The last time I remember getting excited about an NBA game was when the Pistons were starting Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer, John Salley and Dennis Rodman.

Since Cincinnati doesn't have an NBA team, and since my attempts to develop affinities with all the Detroit teams (Red Wings, Lions, Tigers and Pistons) always lacked a certain sincerity, I'm officially jumping the Cavaliers' bandwagon.

As for the Flyers, well, I've loved them since 1974. So take that to the bank.

For the record, here are my official affinities:

MLB
Cincinnati Reds

NFL
Cincinnati Bengals *

NBA
Cleveland Cavaliers

NHL
Philadelphia Flyers

International League
Louisville Bats

College Athletics
Louisville Cardinals

Honorable Mention: Bowling Green State University Falcons

NASCAR
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

* I will warn my children of the folly of selecting any association with the Cincinnati Bengals

** UPDATE ** In addition to picking up several more assorted defensive players, the Bengals drafted Louisville's Mario Urrutia in Sunday's rounds. I'd love to see that kid make it big in the NFL, and even more so in Cincinnati. Here's hoping!

Microsoft To Stay Windows XP Retirement?

The Windows Vista complaints (too hardware hungry, too slow, too different, too incompatible, etc.) have been long, loud and consistent. So long, loud and consistent that everything from grassroots Save XP campaigns to corporate requests for continued access to Windows XP licenses are being heard in Redmond.

Ultimately it's the corporate requests for continued access to the older OS that will extend its life, if Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's latest comments are any indication. June 30th may well prove not to be a line in the sand, as Microsoft's previously stated.

Love your XP? Never fear, mainstream technical support continues through April 2009, with limited (patch and security support) scheduled through April 2014.

Patrick Makes History But No One Notices

Danica Patrick made history last night when she became the first woman to win a major auto racing series' race. The fiesty Patrick, whose team I interviewed in 2005, won yesterday's IndyCar race in Motegi, Japan.

Too bad the world isn't taking notice. Today's Courier-Journal dedicated a few column inches, but on the last page of the Sports section.

As for ABC/ESPN? They didn't even broadcast the historic race on a network many can access, relegating the race instead to ESPN Classic.

Unfortunately, the timing just didn't work out. The IndyCar series should (and will) be on an upswing. With the recent IRL/Champ Car split eliminated and the two series set to unite, this last weekend marked one of the very last for the two series to compete at different venues.

Would having competitors from both motorsports series in the Motegi race changed the outcome? Doubtful. Patrick's skills are proven, as are the cars and systems her Andretti Green team brings to the table. She earned this win, no doubt about it.

Earthquake

Lauren and I awoke at 5:36 this morning. The bed was shaking. The windows were rattling in their frames. And, I thought I heard something odd. Lauren asked "what is that?" I put my hand on the wall behind my head, and it, too, was clearly vibrating.

"That's an earthquake," I said.

"You think?" she asked.

"Yup."

And back to sleep we went.

Now I see the epicenter was three miles below ground 131 miles east of St. Louis. Apparently it was felt as far away as Milwaukee and Nashville.

Thankfully only one old brick building had trouble downtown (and only a single street is closed, is my understanding). Damage appears minimal.

Strange way to start a Friday.

UPDATE: Hannah, who sleeps through most everything, says she felt and heard the earthquake, too. The dog was sleeping in her room and woke her up. Oscar was acting "very strange for a minute or so." Then the shaking began, she said (which is how she was awake for the episode).

It's Great To Be A Bengals Fan

Oh, sometimes I rue being born in the Buckeye state. I was smart enough (living in Toledo) to lend my college football allegiances to Michigan and my college hockey favoritism to BGSU, but professional football and baseball in Cincinnati have proven, shall we say, disappointing?

The Chad Johnson saga just got uglier. Now, in addition to demanding an immediate trade, Ocho Cinco says Carson Palmer (one of the nicest guys in the NFL who I've had the pleasure to meet personally) is lying about Johnson's having claimed he would attend a minicamp.

I don't need to read the rest of the story. Chad's a wonderfully talented wideout who's tired of losing. That's understood. But I don't see Carson wilfully misleading anyone.

Meanwhile, I'm a wonderfully loyal fan who's very tired of the losing, as well as the bickering, whining, excuses and futility that seem to mark professional Cincinnati sports (Bengals in particular).

Trek Files Suit Against LeMond

Oh boy. The Greg LeMond v. Lance Armstrong debate is reaching new heights. As if the sport hasn't suffered enough public disgrace, Trek must now add gasoline to the fire.

Trek Bicycling Corp. is now suing LeMond Cycling to end the two entities' 13-year partnership. That's sad, particularly considering the laughability of the filing.

Many cyclists will tell you they support LeMond, and I'll continue riding my Zurich with pride, thanks much.

Much of this lawsuit likely boils down to Trek seeking to extricate itself from the deal and jettison the brand. But Trek (which I lost faith in after breaking two of its carbon fiber road frames within two years due to repeated design failures) is claiming LeMond Cycling is reselling product inappropriately, And it's pissed LeMond has the audacity to continue questioning Armstrong's integrity.

Anyone who knew of Armstrong before he contracted cancer knew he could be, well, unpleasant. That's no secret. Since when is questing someone's integrity (in a sport entirely derailed by drug abuse) a crime?

I'll tell you this much. I could never get more than 900 miles on Trek's proprietary OCLV road frames before cracking the bottom bracket (bottom, non-drive side). My LeMond Reynolds 853 steel frame has six or seven thousand miles on it, all with no cracks or failures whatsoever.

I won't be buying any more Trek products. Count me disappointed, but I don't believe a three-time Tour de France winner selling a few folks bikes at his employee price constitutes a legitimate threat to Trek's vast network of well-aligned dealers. Nor did LeMond make any public comments cyclists haven't already discussed candidly amongst themselves.

Multiple Pileated Woodpecker Sightings

On several occasions, now, Lauren has spotted adult Pileated Woodpeckers on the feeders directly outside our kitchen. Today she (and the kids) spotted a juvenile. They are an awesome breed of bird, large and proud with vibrant red crests.

Myself, I've only seen two by the naked eye before. I keep missing the sightings at the house.

I remember when we moved one of the things I worried about was whether we'd be able to attract the same number and variety of birds (even though we only moved less than a mile). That fear's all but eliminated, as we're enjoying a greater variety of wildlife than ever before. In addition to a Northern Flicker, a Rose-Breasted Grossbeak and a couple as-of-yet unidentified birds, Pileateds are now appearing regularly (two adults and a juvenile). Cool deal.

How 'Bout Them Apples?

I just bought a new family PC. Our cheap and interminably slow Presario breathed its last (or rather its inverter did).

Did I buy a Dell? Wanted to, actually, and I receive a significant reseller discount, but no. This PC is for the family, not me to take on the road each day, so I chose an Apple MacBook. It's awesome. Fast, sleek, secure and perfect for the wife and kids. Everyone unanimously loves it.

That should come as no surprise, considering January 2008 study results published by ChangeWave Research. The company surveyed the owners of new PCs as to their satisfaction, and Apple ranked first and by a long shot.

Here are the numbers.

Some 81% of users purchasing a home PC who bought a Macintosh (powered by OS X Leopard) stated they were very satisfied with the purchase. That's over four-fifths if you're counting at home.

How'd Windows users feel? Look away if you're a WinTel fan.

Only 15% of Windows Vista Home Basic users ranked themselves very satisfied. Yikes!

The news was a little better for Windows XP users, but Microsoft's slated that OS for retirement in just months. Only 51% of home users purchasing Windows XP Professional claimed to be very satisfied.

The best part of my Apple purchase? The Apple store employees figured out (from my credit card) that I run a small business IT consultancy. Now I qualify for reseller discounts (which were applied to the purchase of my family's MacBook). Cool beans.

Windows XP Outperforms Vista

Not much of a surprise there. But the timing of the announcement is curious (considering Microsoft's retiring Windows XP this summer).

ChannelWeb reports that, in tests using identical desktops (one running Windows XP and the other powered by Vista), the Windows XP system consistently outperformed Vista.

For example, the Vista system required almost twice as long as the XP system to reboot (58 seconds versus 35). XP proved much more efficient simultaneously powering multiple applications and maximizing memory/page file use, too.