Andrew Melvin "Drew" Gooden

Drew Gooden

Andrew Melvin "Drew" Gooden (born September 24, 1981 in Oakland, California) is an American professional basketball player with the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA. Gooden is a 6'10", 250 lbs. power forward from the University of Kansas.

Source : WIkipedia.com

Google Doodle 22.02.10: Vancouver 2010 (Ice Dance/ Figure Skating)

Edition: Vancouver 2010 (Ice Dance/ Figure Skating)

Date: 22.February.2010

Country: Google Global

Source: http://www.google.co.id/logos/olympics10-icedance-hp.png

About Figure Skating Vancouver 2010

Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal

Shaquille O'Neal

Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (born March 6, 1972), nicknamed "Shaq", is an American professional basketball player, rapper, actor, reserve police officer and a U.S. Deputy Marshal.[1] He is widely perceived as one of the most dominant players in the history of the NBA. Standing at 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) and weighing 325 pounds (147 kg), he is one of the largest players to ever play in the NBA. Throughout his 17 year career, O'Neal has used his size and strength to overpower opponents for points and rebounds.[citation needed.

Following a standout career at Louisiana State University, O'Neal was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. He quickly became one of the top centers in the league, winning Rookie of the year in 1992-93 and later leading his team to the 1995 NBA Finals. After 4 years with the Magic, O'Neal signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers. He won three consecutive championships, playing alongside Kobe Bryant, in 2000, 2001, and 2002. However O'Neal's relationship with Bryant eventually declined into a feud, leading to his trade to the Miami Heat in 2004. He won his fourth NBA championship in 2006, but was traded midway through the season just a year later to the Phoenix Suns. After a season-and-a-half with the Suns, O'Neal was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he is playing alongside LeBron James in the 2009–10 season.

O'Neal's individual accolades include the 1999-00 MVP award, the 1992–93 NBA Rookie of the Year award, 15 All-Star game selections, 3 All-Star Game MVPs, 3 Finals MVPs, 2 scoring titles, 14 All-NBA team selections, and 3 NBA All-Defensive Team selections. He currently ranks 5th all-time in points scored, 6th in field goals, 15th in rebounds, and 7th in blocks.

In addition to his basketball career, O'Neal has released 4 rap albums, with his first, Shaq Diesel, going platinum. He has also appeared in numerous films and has starred in his own reality shows, Shaq's Big Challenge and Shaq Vs.

Source : Wikipedia.com

Google Doodle 21.02.10: Vancouver 2010 (Bobsleigh)

Edition: Vancouver 2010 (Bobsleigh)

Date: 21.February.2010

Country: Google Global

Source: http://www.google.com/logos/olympics10-bobsleigh-hp.png

About Bobsleigh Vancouver 2010

Blood, Sweat, and Tears - Literally

Tonight, the sport of basketball was given a rare Saturday night spotlight at the Air Canada Centre. A national stage was made ready for showcasing; a stage usually reserved for a particular blue and white. Sure, there are traditions here in this country that have etched their importance in millions of Canadian hearts. But you know what? After that thrilling 109-104 win against the Washington Wizards, I'm sure the Raptors managed to win over countless new fans throughout the country.

Yeah. We get it. Toronto is a hockey town (but don't tell that to Chris Bosh). And yes, Canada loves their hockey. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. But understand one thing T-Dot: This Toronto Raptors team is a squad you can safely be proud of.

Don't worry, you can blindly put your trust into this Toronto-based team. You can put forth that hard earned money of yours to purchase a ticket to a home game, and you know what? You won't be disappointed. Why? Because this team has everything this city is known to love and value.

They're scrappy. They put their body on the line. They're blue collared. They're as diverse as a team you can possibly find in the NBA. They have that finesse game. They oohh. They ahh. And most importantly, they have that one figurehead, a captain, a star capable of being so big in this city that they could put it up on top of the CN Tower for Christmas.

And what a better time to showcase all of this than on CBC during a very rare "Basketball Night In Canada". That game had to rank near the top in regards to intensity this season for the Raptors. It had everything. Heck, both teams even drew blood. A Toronto team that doesn't take losing very well - it's refreshing and something we should embrace.

Whether it was Jarret Jack leading the charge, Turkoglu hitting timely buckets, or Bargnani defending the basket with force, Toronto and Canadian basketball fans were on their feet.

Basketball Night In Canada. It has a certain ring to it doesn't it?

Melodifestivalen 2010: Heat Three

My thoughts on the songs/performances/etc:

Oh no, it's not good when the video stream starts out bad. What is going on? I mean, why even offer the service if it's not going to work?

Oh well, it's back on now. The only question is... how long will it last?

What the heck, by the way, was that "commercial" thing Måns was doing?

Alcazar: Somehow their songs always get better when watching them live. The vocals struggled just a little bit, but I loved the staging and the song's quite good as well. An easy qualifier, and one of my favorites so far this year.

Johannes Bah Kuhnke: I liked the anthematic quality of this, but the vocals didn't live up to the song. I bet the studio version's great, though.

Elin Lanto: Wow, she sounded GREAT. I actually loved everything about this. Maybe the girls have a chance this year after all.

Erik Linder: I feel like this melody has been stolen from another song, at least during the verses. To me this was boring as hell, but I wouldn't be surprised if he gets to andra chansen. Trotting out the background singers at the end was a wise move.

Getty Domein: I could be in the minority here, but I really like this. Something about it feels very refreshing. It's probably not catchy enough to make a dent in the competition, but I enjoyed the strangeness of it all, even though his voice did kind of grate after awhile.

Timoteij: This was one of the most cheesy-bad performances I've seen in awhile. The whole instrument thing was weird, especially at the beginning, as were the various facial expressions. The accordion was probably the most ridiculous part. On second thought... strike that, it was the flute.

Darin: It started out a little rocky but improved quite a bit after the first chorus. I love the melody and especially the instrumentation, but the lyrics are still really, really bad. Still, it's probably my favorite ballad so far this year.

Crucified Barbara: I feel like this was a missed opportunity. The vocals were great, but I didn't love the song as much. Still, depending on voters' tastes this week, this could find its way into the top five or even knock out Erik or Elin. It sounds like something that would do really well in Finland. And the fire was cool.

My hopes to make it through: Alcazar, Elin, Getty, Darin
Who will make it through: Alcazar, Elin, Erik, Darin (with Crucified Barbara in the top 5)

UPDATE: Top 5 - Crucified Barbara, Timoteij, Alcazar, Darin & Erik. WHY THE HELL WASN'T ELIN IN THE TOP 5?!?! And Timoteij are the highest vote getters? I've completely lost faith in the Swedish voting public this week. They were probably my second least favorite act today behind Erik, who better get knocked out the next round of voting.

UPDATE: My new prediction - Darin to final, Crucified Barbara & Alcazar to second chance.

UPDATE: Wow, Blue Man Group were kinda awesome. Maybe they should go direct to Globen?

UPDATE: Crucified Barbara and Alcazar to andra chansen and Darin to the final. Can't say I'm 100% excited about these results, but at least Erik's out.

With A Side Of Red - Feb.20/10

A Shoon Classic; More Info Below


You know what it is, another edition of your favorite side dish to absolutely anything and everything. With A Side Of Red - your source for random Raptors tidbits.

First off, an apology to Mr. Hedo Turkoglu. Two days ago, I put out an article wondering what Hedo Turkoglu's "My Player" teammate grade would be in his performance against the Memphis Grizzlies. Obviously, it was an article poking fun at Turk and his unforgettable stat line.

However, last night, it was revealed that Turk had been away from the team recently due to his mother going through an emergency open heart surgery. The dude is playing with a lot on his mind right now, and that I can fully understand. Family comes before basketball. Always. Here's Hedo's post game media scrum after last night's game.



Secondly, how awesome was Rasho last night? If only the world knew he could have saved many fantasy basketball teams this weekend...sigh. But seriously, the guy epitomizes what it means to be a professional. Time to grow that playoff beard Rasho!

Side of Red Note: That picture at the top has viral potential. The creator of the masterpiece is Shoon from REALGM RAPTORS. You can check out more of his work through this link:

Katsenhakeron Deviantart Profile

Lastly, tonight, the Raptors will be making history. Being that the Olympics have put the NHL on a break, the ACC will not be able to host their usual Toronto Maple Leafs.

Meaning?

CUE THE TORONTO RAPTORS AND THE FIRST EVER "BASKETBALL NIGHT IN CANADA ON CBC"!

*starts humming modified version of Hockey Night In Canada theme song*

Raptors Vs Wizards tonight at 7pm est on CBC

Until then, whatever it is you're doing, I hope you enjoyed it With A Side Of Red!