I JUST BOUGHT MY OWN WEB DOMAIN

Being an obsessive human that I am in having my own web space, I have thought of buying my own web domain. This came about when I was trying to change my blog address (from ashtoncuatro to thelesserknown).


I have found out that there is already a Blogger account which is thelesserknown.blogspot.com which was poorly maintained by the person who created it. It was then that I came across to the web domain registration of google and that is where I purchased and registered my own domain for a modest price.

And now I have www.thelesserknown.com completely mine! Posting resumes after a very long hiatus.

THE THING THAT MADE ME SMILE TODAY!

Here is an article from Shaun Powell (at nba.com), a veteran NBA writer and columnist. After reading this article of his, I immediately liked him! Who wouldn’t? Especially if you are fan of the BLACK MAMBA!

Blessing # 1 rocked!

For NBA fans, there's much to be thankful for

We're all thankful for something. We just don't recognize it as much. Some things, we take for granted. Others, we express gratitude for only sporadically. Mainly on a specific day of the year.

So, in the spirit of what's coming on Thursday, here are 25 blessings the NBA should count:

25: Conseco Fieldhouse

All of the traditional arenas (Boston Garden, Fab Forum, Chicago Stadium) are gone. The best of the new is located in Indiana, hoops heaven, and has all of the nostalgic throwback touches that separate the building from all the rest.

24. Mikhail Prokhorov

The Russian billionaire is bringing deep pockets and a deeper love for basketball, exactly what the Nets need from an owner to survive. There's hope for the franchise after all.

23. Good guys

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade aren't prima donnas, even though they could be. You see it in so many other sports, where a superstar pulls rank and takes advantage of his fawning public. Sure, it sounds strange, giving someone credit for being a professional and a decent human being -- isn't that what we're all supposed to be? Nobody's perfect, but these two ambassadors try awfully hard to be.

22. Brandon Jennings in Milwaukee

High-profile rookie plays in a small market, which helps spread the wealth, and the word about the Bucks. For a while there, people forgot about Milwaukee. Now you can find a Bucks jersey in Kalamazoo without searching too hard.

21. Christmas Day monopoly

Celtics vs. Magic. LeBron vs. Kobe. Nuggets vs. Blazers. Wade plays, Nash plays. While the sports calendar takes a breather, the NBA has the date all to itself. After the NBA Finals and the All-Star Game, this is the most visible day of the season.

20. Oklahoma City

Nobody wanted them to leave Seattle, a great basketball town saddled by too much political mumbo-jumbo. But at least the Team Formerly Known As The Sonics found a place with a porch light on.

19. Ailing but able

Kareem, Maurice Lucas, Brian Grant, Paul Allen. Hanging tough in tough physical times.

18. Jerry Buss

Has there ever been a better owner in the NBA? He spends and rarely meddles. He always seems to make the right decisions involving players, coaches and management. He kept Kobe back when half of L.A. wanted Kobe gone.

17. Loyalty and stability

You don't see it many places. San Antonio's different. Greg Popovich, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker have been together for what, 20 years? Wasn't too long ago when Duncan could've left town. Instead, he trusted his heart, and the Spurs are still winning.

16. Mark Cuban

Say what you will about the man and his emotions, the good outweighs the bad.

15. Arvydas Sabonis

He opened the door for what we see now: Talent pouring in from all over the globe. It made sense that he played for Portland. He was truly a trail blazer.

14. Marv Albert, Jeff Van Gundy

Best play by play, best analyst. Candid, informative and refreshing. Contrary to what TV executives think, not many announcers add much to a telecast. They're the few that do.

13. Winning teams in L.A. and Boston

No, no one's saying this is the mid-1980s all over again. But with basketball struggling in New York, it's good for the league to have great players and winning teams in important markets with rich tradition.

12. Jerry Colangelo

He knows how to put together an international team that's capable of both winning and representing the country with dignity.

11. Steve Nash

Along with Molson's, Celine Dion and Wayne Gretzky, the best thing to come here from North of the border in decades. Not only is he good (two-time MVP), he's also entertaining. That combo is always worth the price of admission, either down here or up there.

10. No widespread scandal

As it turned out, only one referee was on the take. The NBA, or any other professional sports league, couldn't survive a gambling network among the officials.

9. Superman

First came Shaq, unstoppable center and playful man-child. Now the nickname belongs to Dwight Howard, nearly-unstoppable center and playful man-child. Who knew the cape would stretch for years?

8. Phil Jackson

Gotta love his style. It's different. The most accomplished coach in NBA history doesn't try to control every possession, or block the view of courtsiders for 48 minutes, or scream during timeouts. He wins championships.

7. The shot clock

Still the most important innovation the league has ever known.

6. Charles Barkley and the Smiths (Kenny and Steve)

Sir Charles is in a class by himself as an NBA entertainer. Kenny plays a good straight man. And in an era of ex-players and coaches making basketball seem like a calculus test, Steve makes the game simple and easy to understand on NBA TV.

5. David Stern

The commish hasn't lost his touch. Good thing, too. He'll need it at the negotiation table in a few years.

4. NCAA Tournament

This is still the prime talent showcase for the NBA, giving us a chance to see Who's Next.

3. Dwyane Wade

Great.

2. LeBron James

Greater.

1. Kobe Bryant

Greatest.

Good Cocktails - Online Bartender Guide

a good reference site for bartenders

THE LAKERS ARE BACK

It was a moment I always looked forward to in the past few years as an avid fan of the NBA but most of all, of the Los Angeles Lakers. That is.... seeing them back to the Finals after 4 years!

Watching the game where they were down by 17 made me think why are they allowing such thing to happen. When all they have to do is to win 1 game to become the Western Conference Champions. But they proved they are a resilient team by trimming it down and taking over the game in the second half. Man, I can't believe it. They did it again, successfully.

I'm talking about Game 1 vs the Spurs where they were trailing by 20 in the 3rd quarter, but managed to win. And they did it again in Game 5. They proved they can really win if they really want to and if they will work as a team. I do hope that they keep that 'thing' until they win in the Finals. Congratulations to my team! Best of luck to all of us!

KB24 = MVP

The Staples Center crowd shows support for their MVP, and ours too!

Kobe can cross his name on the list of the Greatest Players never to win an MVP award.

The award was personally given by the NBA commisioner David Stern before an electrifying Staples Center crowd who were long before 'christening' Bryant to be the MVP.

After finishing fifth, fourth and third in the voting during the past seasons, Kobe finally won the award with 1100 points over Chris Paul's 892 points. The Lakers superstar got the majority of votes getting 82 first place votes versus Paul's 28 first place votes.

Now Kobe's goal is to win the NBA championship and get the Olympic gold for USA.

The Lakers are now up 2-0 against Utah.

JASON PACKS HIS SUITCASE

photo courtesy of americanidol.com

It was a deserving exit for the dreadlocked crooner as the judges agreed that he is the weakest performer during the Rock and Roll night, as Simon helped him pack his suitcase. The judges were not impressed in either two of his performances stating that his take on Bob Marley's I Shot the Sheriff was karaoke.

I honestly think that there are more deserving contestants who should have stayed longer than Jason. I even think that he should have gone home instead of Brooke on last week's results.

And on another note, I was impressed with Syesha who seems to be getting better as the competition narrows the contestant to three.

I still think that Syesha has chances of winning. But still, votes are the only thing that counts. But either way, the two Davids also deserve to win. It will just all depend on the votes.

BROOKE IS THE BEST

Watch Brooke's performance here http://youtube.com/watch?v=DkHxGthO65Y


She didn't caught my attention at the first stages of the competition. And until the Top 24 was announced, she was not the one I'm rooting for. I heard there are a lot of good singers in this season and it's hard to choose a favorite.

She wasn't recognizable during her first performance. A blond lady with a messy, curly hair singing Happy Together.
Not until I saw her performance with a guitar singing You're So Vain during the 70's night. I honestly loved her voice and was impressed that she could play an instrument. A proof that she has a heart of a musician. Her third song was equally impressive as she got rid of the guitar and sang his nice rendition of Love is a Battlefield. That is when I started to love her even more. Her voice, her style was nicely mixed up. And her looks made me say that if I were to see her for the first time, I would think that she is a movie actress or model and not a musician.

It was Lennon-McCartney night. And I looked forward to her performance. About three singers did a great performance before it was her turn. And I prayed she would pull a great performance either. It's hard to do a Beatles song. And as they say, "Do not screw a Beatles song!" Yeah, you have committed a crime when you murder a Beatles song coz it's like fixing a newly manufactured television. You're not suppose to fix it coz it's perfectly in shape. And I agree with that. The musicality behind any Beatles song is perfect. They're copyrights, and considered priced gems in music.

Her song is Let It Be. Oh God, how will she perform that song. As we know it's one of the cliche songs along with Yesterday and In My Life. Earlier that night, the judges didn't like Malubay's rendition of In My Life. It surprised me again to see that she sang the song with the piano. Such a talented lady she is. I guess some people are just born to be good at music. That separates her with the contestants who could just sing. You're just in a different level when you showcase your voice and your talent in playing some instruments. I am a music freak and I can tell that I am much more impressed with such people. Being a singer is clearly different than being a musician. And this season, America is just so blessed to have Brooke as finalist. I believe that she's gonna be a great singer/songwriter in the future even if she does not win. But I do hope she wins.

I just love Brooke White. She's the most gorgeous nanny in the whole world!