NHL 11
Come Back King
acquired on 1/22/2011
Win a ranked versus match starting the 3rd period down by at least 2 goals

This is a tough one because when you’re trailing against a human opponent online by two goals, after two periods, it’s probably indicative of the other party being significantly better than you. I’ve been down by two after two quite often. That’s easy. The comeback, however, is a massive challenge. In this particular contest, I managed to crawl back, tying the game in the final minute with my goalie pulled. In spite of a scoreless overtime, Henrik Lundqvist stood on his head between the pipes during the shootout and Sean Avery put home the game-winning goal. Upon victory, I put the controller down, raised my arms with both fists clenched and let out a loud “yes!” upon nabbing the elusive achievement.

Gord and Kev are back! This time they’re arguing about who would win the greatest movie villain battle royal of all time.

So here it is, my top five favorite Randy “Macho Man” Savage matches:

5. Opponent: “Nature Boy” Ric Flair
Event: WrestleMania VIII
Date: April 5, 1992
What’s at stake: WWF Heavyweight Championship
NOTES: Though many didn’t give Savage a chance on this night, I was rooting for him with a packed house for my WrestleMania party. This was a memorable match for sure with Flair bleeding all over the place. Savage pulled it out using questionable tactics (a handful of tights), but nobody ever said Savage always played by the rules. This was an awesome surprise World Title victory.

4. Opponent: “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase
Event: WrestleMania IV
Date: March 27, 1988
What’s at stake: WWF Heavyweight Championship
NOTES: Savage claims the big prize for the first time in his career, winning four matches in one night. The finale of arguably the greatest tournament in pro wrestling history included interference from Andre The Giant and Hulk Hogan, but it wrapped up with Savage dropping a picture-perfect flying elbow and celebrating with Liz on his shoulder in their famous pose.

3. Opponent: The Ultimate Warrior
Event: WrestleMania VII
Date: March 24, 1991
What’s at stake: Career vs. Career
NOTES: Though the Warrior was an extremely popular performer, he certainly wasn’t well known for his match quality. With few exceptions, Warrior was out of gas and putting on pathetic matches. This night was different though. Randy was so phenomenal in this match that people still talk about it 20 years later. Multiple flying elbow drops and a touching reunion with the lovely Elizabeth highlight the finish to this spectacle.

2. Opponent: Hulk Hogan
Event: WrestleMania V
Date: April 2, 1989
What’s at stake: WWF Heavyweight Championship
NOTES: This show had one of the biggest buy rates for any wrestling pay-per-view thanks to a phenomenal year-long storyline that culminated in the explosion of the Mega Powers at Atlantic City’s Trump Plaza. Savage carried Hogan to arguably the finest match of his career.

1. Opponent: Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat
Event: WrestleMania III
Date: March 29, 1987
What’s at stake: Intercontinental Championship
NOTES: This is probably the biggest event in wrestling history and Macho Man stole the show with Steamboat, putting on one of the greatest and most dramatic matches the world has ever witnessed. 78,000 (or 93,000, depending on who you ask) were there live to see this classic confrontation in Detroit’s Pontiac Silverdome.

Rest in peace, Macho Man.

Keep in mind, this entry will be posted in that sort of “live blogging” format. That is, I’m just relaxing on my couch with the laptop while the show plays on my TV. So please don’t expect a masterful writing job — I’m just have fun punching up quick notes while the show runs without any pausing, rewinding, or fast forwarding. When the show’s over, so is this report. Here we go…

“WrestleMania 2 – what he world has come to!”

A young Vince McMahon welcomes us to the greatest sports entertainment spectacular of all time from the Nassau Coliseum, just 20 minutes from my home here on Long Island. Joining him in the ring is Susan St. James (the wife of Vince’s good buddy, Dick Ebersol). In comes Ray Charles to sing “America the Beautiful.” Though I remember constantly speeding through this part as a kid, Charles is actually very good — so already I’ve found something I appreciate as an old man that meant nothing to me as a youngster. The song ends with a photo of everybody’s favorite hero, WWF Champion Hulk Hogan!

Now we’re in Chicago with Mean Gene who tells us you can cut the electricity with a knife. That was quick, we’re back to New York with Roddy Piper and his boxing trainer Lou Duva. Piper says if Mr. T knocks him out, he’ll retire. He closes out the interview by saying though T mocked him by wearing a kilt, he’d never shave his hair like an Indian and paint himself black — awesome.

Ring announcer Howard Finkel tells us it’s time for the opening contest. “Magnificent” Don Muraco with Mr. Fuji in his corner takes on “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff. These guys are jacked to the gills. Orndorff just taunted Fuji by making “slant eyes” — I kid you not. Susan St. James just remarked that Muraco may be employing Fuji’s ancient Chinese techniques. There’s some decent back-and-forth action until both competitors get counted out on the floor. Orndorff wants to swing a chair, but the referee intervenes. The crowd is chanting “bullshit” — I never noticed that before.

Mr. T is with “Smokin” Joe Frazier and the Haiti Kid (a midget wrestler with Mr. T’s haircut). T says he’s tried of talking and ready to get in the ring with Piper tonight.

Now we’ve got the Intercontinental Championship match – George “The Animal” Steele takes on the Champion “Macho Man” Randy Savage who has the lovely Miss Elizabeth in his corner. Savage is the heel here, and he’s awesome in this role. Steele plays the Animal character extremely well, but he’s not in Savage’s league in terms of athleticism. Macho is probably the best athlete on this entire card. Steele slows things down with illegal chokes and bites, and, of course, ripping the turnbuckle open to eat the stuffing inside. Savage does what he can to keep things exciting, ultimately pinning Steele with his feet ont he ropes. All in all, this was a fun short match. Steele kicked out of Savage’s flying elbow on the ONE COUNT and completely no-sold it, and that kind of messed things up at the end a bit. He was also pinned in a sort of missionary sex position which was kind of awkward looking.

Back in Chicago, Mean Gene interviews Bill Fralic and Big John Studd. This is great. Gene requests decorum, but Studd squashes a football and argues with Fralic about how wrestlers are better than football players.

In NY once again, we’ve got a squash match at WrestleMania. Yep, it’s Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. George Wells. Wells gets plenty of offense in early, but this is primarily there to showcase Roberts who was a newcomer at this point. Roberts wins with his signature DDT and he wraps Damien, his python, around Wells at the end of the match which causes him to foam at the mouth. Vince informs us that Jake’s undefeated streak remains in tact with this win.

There’s a video package giving us the build up to the boxing match between Mr. T and Roddy Piper.

Now we’re in Los Angeles for Jesse Ventura to interview Hulk Hogan. Hulk says he’s taking out King Kong Bundy in spite of his injured ribs. He also makes a prediction that Mr. T will defeat Piper because he’s fighting for what he believes in. We return to New York and Susan lets us know she’s rooting for Hulk.

Finkel hands the microphone over to Joan Rivers, who was probably 60 here, as the guest ring announcer. She introduces a boatload of celebrity stars — Guest Judges: Darryl Dawkins, Cab Calloway, & G. Gordon Liddy and Guest Time Keeper: Herb (Burger King commercial superstar). This is New York’s main event, scheduled for 10 rounds of boxing. The best part of the introduction is that she misreads “The Ace Cowboy Bob Orton” as “The Ace Comedy — and funny man — Bob Orvin.” I’m not making that up, it really just happened. Now it’s time for the boxing match between Mr. T and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. This is even faker than all the other stuff on this show. Wow, this gets really bad. Mr. T is atrocious. This whole thing is a sloppy, clumsy mess. So this represents the first horrible match that I didn’t really know was horrible when watching as a kid. Mercifully, it ends in the fourth round when Piper gets disqualified for throwing the ref down and bodyslamming T. A melee ensues following the match where all the corner men flood the ring — Vince mispronounces melee twice. Thank god we’re done with Susan St. James with our location switch.

Now we’re in Chicago with Gorilla Monsoon, Mean Gene Okerlund, and Cathy Lee Crosby. It’s funny that they’re all sharing one microphone, it’s sort of awkward as compared to how it would be today where all three would have their own mic. Chet Coppock is the ring announcer. Women’s World Champion Fabulous Moolah defends against Velvet McIntyre. Moolah is ancient here, yet she’s still the Champ and is believeable in the roll of tough old wench. The match is over in under a minute when McIntyre misses a splash off the rope allowing Moolah to pin her and retain the belt.

It’s time for a flag match! The winner gets to wave his flag — so 1980s here. Representing the USSR it’s Nikolai Volkoff with Freddie Blassie in his corner against Corporal Kirshner who represents the good old USA. This is pretty lousy, but that’s ok. Blassie shouts to Kirshner, “get in there you yellow dog!” The mat in Chicago is really miced well, every stomp sounds like somebody beating a drum. Wow — this went faster than I remembered, certainly no more than 2 minutes. Blassie tries to throw his cane in to Volkoff but Kirshner intercepts it and uses it as a weapon. He wins and America reigns supreme over those commie bastards.

Mean Gene Okerlund takes over the ring announcing duties for the 20-man Battle Royal. More celebrities: Clara Peller (Wendy’s Where’s the Beef Lady) is the time keeper, but she is 100 years old and doesn’t even know her name is announced. It doesn’t matter, her microphone doesn’t work anyway. The referees are Dick Butkus and Ed “Too Tall” Jones. Here are the 20 participants: Jimbo Covert, Pedro Morales, Tony Atlas, Ted Arcidi, Harvey Martin, Dan Spivey, Hillbilly Jim, King Tonga, Iron Sheik, Ernie Holmes, B. Brian Blair, Jim Brunzell, Big John Studd, Bill Fralic, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, Russ Francis, Bruno Sammartino, William “The Refrigerator” Perry, and Andre The Giant. This is really cool because the crowd is so into it. Chicago really seemed to get the best portion of the show. Andre wins the battle royal, last eliminating Bret Hart by launching him onto his partner on the floor. The most memorable spot in this match is Perry offering a truce with John Studd, after Studd eliminated him, only to pull Studd out to the floor. As Ernie Ladd says, Perry fools him with “the oldest trick in the book.”

Back in New York, it’s getting a bit confusing now, Roddy Piper sits with Vince and Susan to continue his trash talk of Mr. T. The Long Island crowd cheers the replay of Piper slamming T. We head back to Chicago for Mean Gene to interview Jimbo Covert and the always entertaining Iron Sheik. We also see some highlights of the battle royal that just completed. Cathy Lee is less annoying than Susan St. James, but I’d still have enjoyed this show much better with Gorilla and Jesse like the other WrestleManias of the era.

Now, here comes the best match on the entire show. For the WWF Tag Team Championship, The Dream Team (Greg Valentine & Brutus Beefcake w/ Johnny V) defend their belts against the British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith & Dynamite Kid w/ Captain Lou & Ozzy Osbourne). As a kid, I always liked this match better than anything else on the show and still consider it one of my all-time favorite matches (even though I haven’t really watched it in over a decade). Believe it or not, it really holds up well. Dynamite is a spectacular performer and Davey Boy is very good. Valentine is solid for the heels. Though Beefcake is very limited, they keep his involvement to a minimum which allows this match to shine. The Bulldogs win the belts when Davey rams Valentine into Dynamite and covers him. Dynamite takes a ridiculous bump off the top rope to the floor that doesn’t even get appropriately captured because they just didn’t have the type of camera set up you’d find at a show today. At any rate, the title victory really feels like a special historic moment — something else that’s missing from pro wrestling these days. It sort of comes out of nowhere too which makes it even more fun. Nowadays, you’ll know exactly when the matches are going to end because they telegraph it so blatantly.

After a brief interlude in New York, we’re going out to Los Angeles. Vince really does a great job at making it seem like the main event is going to be something you just can’t miss. Susan St. James says she thinks Hogan will win — what a bold prediction. Out in LA, you’ve got Jesse Ventura sandwiched between Lord Alfred Hayes (ungodly awful) and Elvira (horrible). To make matters worse, there are really only two fully-functional headsets which Hayes and Elvira use; Jesse’s mic is all messed up which is pretty annoying. Our ring announcer, Lee Marshall, gets things rolling with Hercules Hernandez and Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat. I hardly remembered this one, but Steamboat was actually very good in this generic-1980s-WWF-mid-card match. Steamboat wins with a high cross body block. His talent was really wasted in what was essentially a curtain-jerker on the west coast. In fact, with the time zone difference, the LA audience didn’t watch the already recorded matches until after the main event ended, meaning the Chicago portion we just saw would be their “main event” on closed circuit.

In a match that I can recall skipping almost every time I watched this show, Adorable Adrian Adonis w/ Jimmy Hart takes on Uncle Elmer. I’ve skipped this match so many times that I even had to fight the urge to hit fast forward when I saw it was about to start. The reality is it wasn’t that bad. Adonis was deceptively awesome. He weighed 300 pounds and dressed like a woman, but he was actually a tremendous athlete and even even manages to carry Elmer (arguably the worst wrestler I’ve ever seen) to a reasonably decent match. He flips all over the place like an acrobat before securing a clean fall with a flying chop to the prone Elmer. Adding insult to injury, Adonis beats him up after the match until Elmer rolls to the outside.

“Awful” Alfred interviews an enormous Hulk Hogan who vows to win, regardless of his injuries. Jimmy Hart is back out there with Terry and “Hoss” Funk who battle it out with Tito Santana and the Junkyard Dog. I loved JYD as a kid. In fact, a month after this, JYD headlined the first live WWF card I ever attended against Hoss Funk at the Nassau Coliseum in a sort of WrestleMania revenge match. This is a by-the-numbers baby face vs. heels tag match. Approximately two and a half hours in, I’m really tired of watching wrestling at this point and I’m ready for the show to be over. Terry Funk actually does a lot to make things entertaining, bumping on the floor and taking a body slam on a table. Surprisingly, the heels steal one here in our penultimate match with a little assistance from Jimmy Hart’s dreaded megaphone. Terry smashes JYD with the foreign object while referee Dave Hebner’s back is turned, he gets the cover and the team is victorious. Much like the Long Island audience earlier, the Californians chant “bullshit.” Terry sells a knee injury after the bout. Now we’ve got a dozen or so crew members coming out to assemble the steel cage for the main event.

We’ve got a string of video highlights detailing the long build up to the big match and Hogan’s road to recovery following his injury at the hands of Bundy. We also get to hear from Heenan and Bundy — damn this was great. Bundy cuts an absolutely awesome promo about how he’s going to win the belt tonight. Heenan lets us know we’re about to experience “Bundy Mania.” We head back to New York one more time for Vince to get just a little more hype in. Now, we are treated to our main event — WWF Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs. Challenger King Kong Bundy w/ Bobby “The Brain” Heenan inside a “15-foot-high” steel cage. Celebrity Mania continues with Tommy Lasorda as the guest ring announcer, Ricky Schroeder (who was booed) as the guest time keeper, and Robert Conrad (who was cheered) as the guest referee. Hogan slams Bundy, drops the leg, and climbs over the cage to hang onto his title. The spot I remember of Hogan kicking Bundy down to the canvas from the top rope is still cool. The best bumps on the entire show were probably by Heenan in the post-match ass whooping by Hogan. I always loved that part because Heenan was so good at making you want to see him get beat up. Hogan matches were predictable, but you got to see what you wanted. He slays a dragon, and everyone goes home happy.

This was a fun show to watch because it really takes me back. I felt like a little kid watching this show which is always a nice escape from the frustrating and complicated adult world. WWF absolutely overdid it with the celebrities as so many of them contributed absolutely nothing to the show. In fact,some of them, like all three women announcers, were a detriment to the overall presentation. This is also the last time they did a big show from multiple locations which really didn’t mean all that much in retrospect, but I guess it could have been a big deal at the time in terms of making the show seem like a can’t-miss happening. So I’ve had my fill of wrestling for a while after sitting through three hours of this, but I definitely recommend the show to old-school wrestling fans looking for nostalgia or new-school fans who have never seen it.

Going to Disney World is indeed a dream for many kids. The magical experience, enchanting characters, thrilling rides, and immersive atmosphere make it a place of wonder and excitement. It offers children a chance to meet their favorite Disney characters, explore magical worlds, and create lifelong memories. This dream-come-true experience at Disney World can leave a lasting impact on a child’s imagination and sense of joy.

To be fair, a vast majority of the games to which I? buy sports cards and? watch were strictly Eastern Conference match ups. So I will not be posting a detailed analysis of the West. While I don’t want to sell myself short and dismiss my Western picks as being devoid of value or substantive research, I just feel it’s best to simply post the result without a detailed analysis as they are more superficially selected than my Eastern predictions. So here’s what I’ve got for the first round.

Capitals vs. Rangers
Despite struggles chronicled in the HBO 24/7 specials, Washington actually had a heck of a year. However, New York really seemed to have them figured out. The 8-seed Rangers won the season series 3-1 against the Caps, which included 6-0 & 7-0 debacles. I see Henrik Lundqvist and Marc Staal shutting down Ovechkin, and Gaborik & Drury scoring when it counts the most. Rangers in 6

Flyers vs. Sabres
The Flyers have been in disarray as of late, but they’re too talented to get bumped out by Buffalo. The wild card for Buffalo is Ryan Miller because he is so much better than every goaltender the Flyers have. We also don’t know what factor Chris Pronger will play in this series for Philadelphia. While many others are open to an upset, I just don’t see it. Look for Briere to light the lamp at will against his former team. Flyers in 5

Bruins vs. Canadiens
These two teams have a storied rivalry that dates back to the Original 6 days, and we saw it reach new heights this season. Massive brawls that included goalie fights and suspensions will no doubt weigh heavily on the minds of both teams as they enter what will surely be a physically draining series. Though Tim Thomas had a phenomenal year statistically, I simply don’t see him as an elite goaltender and consider him on the same level as Carey Price. With that being said, I think the Bruins are a better team overall and that Zdeno Chara will log tons of ice time as the determining factor in what will surprisingly be a short series. Bruins in 5

Penguins vs. Lightning
Dan Bylsma is the consensus favorite for Coach of the Year based on how high the Pens managed to finish with all of their key injuries. The very fact that they were able to accomplish so much without Crosby and Malkin for extended periods of time really is quite remarkable, but I think Pittsburgh’s run ends in the first round. Tampa’s thrashing of Carolina on the last day of their season, in what was essentially a meaningless game, showed the synergy and fire this team has heading into the postseason. Lecavalier, Stamkos, St. Louis, and company will surely upset the Penguins. Lightning in 6

Canucks vs Blackhawks – Canucks in 5
Sharks vs. Kings – Sharks in 4
Red Wings vs Coyotes – Red Wings in 4
Ducks vs. Preds – Ducks in 7

The NHL reseeds after each round so the following picks may be completely out of whack depending on who advances past the first round. That is, I could theoretically pick two teams to advance to the Conference Final that would actually play each other in the Conference semi-final should I fail to predict the other two series correctly. In any event, here’s a quick rundown of what I see transpiring the rest of the way.

Round 2:
Flyers over Rangers in 5
Bruins over Lightning in 6
Canucks over Ducks in 5
Wings over Sharks in 7

Conference Finals:
Flyers over Bruins in 6
Wings over Canucks in 7

Stanley Cup Finals:
Wings over Flyers in 5

If my Rangers are still alive after the first round, I might revisit my picks with a follow-up blog to provide some detail for how I believe the ensuing rounds will go. In any event, I see Detroit adding to their overwhelming amount of Championships with yet another this June. I hope I’m wrong though and it’s actually Rangers in 7!

By Gord Tep

I’m actually putting this out there as a service of sorts. These common occurrences on Facebook make me cringe because they’re sending out an unflattering message concerning your intellect:

• not knowing the difference between your & you’re
• not knowing the difference between they’re, there, & their
• not knowing the difference between to, too, & two
• not knowing the difference between then & than
• not knowing the difference between who’s & whose
• not knowing the difference between it’s & its
• not knowing the difference between wholly & holy
• not knowing when to use “me” instead of “I”
• not knowing when to use “myself” or “yourself”
• not knowing when to use “he” instead of “him” or “she” instead of “her”
• not knowing that “a lot” is two words
• not knowing what contractions and possessives are (apostrophes)
• putting an extra E in judgment
• putting the dollar sign after the amount
• using fake words like “supposively” instead of “supposedly”
• using fake phrases like “should of” instead of “should have”
• using fake phrases like “based off” instead of “based on”
• being a teacher and still making these errors
• trying to correct people when they already had it right (this one is insane)

Oy vey iz mir

The occasional typo is normal. I’m not talking about that, nor am I talking about perfectly acceptable cell phone abbreviations. I think all of these types of errors are indicative of someone who just doesn’t read. You see it a lot with the confusion of various words/phrases that people have clearly heard and never seen in writing. An example would be writing something like “for all intensive purposes” instead of “for all intents and purposes.” There are dozens of these, but that’s just one that came to mind.

I know it’s just Facebook, and you don’t have to use perfect grammar. Most of us type in all lowercase all the time, and that’s fine for informal e-writing. However, the types of errors I’m identifying are the ones that announce your lack of language skills to the world. I’m not even nitpicking here about misusing (or failing to use) commas, and things of that nature, which might even be debatable depending on how you were taught or what writing style you’re using. If you work on learning the basic items on this list, you’ll avoid sounding uneducated.

Gord is a self-professed creative genius, but he actually makes mistakes all the time.

Good golf clubs and top of the line golf gear is going to improve your game in no time flat, but that’s not what we are going to be focusing on in this article today. Instead we are going to focus on what your mindset is going to need to be in order to prepare for what’s to come.

The 3 Types of Players and What They Need to Know in order to Take Advantage of the Fears You Can Empathize With

Let’s start with the most general type of players, the ones who are average-to-below average. The goal of this type of player is to be consistent and consistent on the course. This player can take their game to another level when they are able to properly “drive the ball” out of the rough. This is the type of player that you would want to focus on on the course since you’ll often find them with great putting.

The next type of player is the classically great. The classically great is a very talented athlete, who can display exceptional mental strength. This player has a tendency to be one of the best on a given day, but is also in a position to capitalize on a variety of different factors.

The final type of player is the two-way superstar. This player will exhibit exceptional athleticism on the course, but does have the mental strength to “embrace” the negative emotions that come with having to perform consistently. It can be a very frustrating year on the golf course, but the two-way superstar will often perform very well, consistently, and often.

Listed below are the 3 most common types of golfers you will come across, broken down into key traits and that can have an effect on your performance and play on the course. Remember these types of players only have to exist on the course and in the right situation for the fear to become real, and that’s why people practice a lot sometimes using equipment as a skytrak golf simulator which help a lot with their golf game.
The Effort

Most golfers will have a simple belief that playing at their best requires them to exert all their effort on the course. This can be a simple formula:

Play 100% of rounds you feel you can do well

Play as well as possible when you can’t

Play hard and feel great

If you are this type of golfer, you will have a much easier time in your career than the “natural” player, but if you are not, you will find it hard to constantly out play your opponent when your game is very inconsistent. Do yourself a favor and research how you can have a consistent win percentage playing 100% of your rounds.

“You can’t win without effort”

Bill Tilden

The Focus

This type of player doesn’t have to commit to 100% of their rounds, but will instead focus on making sure they’re playing at their best when it matters. This player will be able to win games of golf easily, if they know how to get a game plan in place on each hole.
“I can win anything without the focus”

Andy North

The “You won’t get far if you have no goals!”

This is the second main type of player that you will come across. This person is one of the smartest golfers you are likely to encounter and will probably still find themselves struggling to win many tournaments that they play. The purpose of this type of player is to “play to win”. This guy will not care about where they finish as long as they achieve their goals

10. WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event (31 Episodes, 1985-1992)
I have great memories of waking up on Sunday to watch last night’s action on tape.
Personal Favorite: Randy Savage
Standout Performer: Hulk Hogan
Favorite Episode: The Mega Powers Unite

9. Pee-Wee’s Playhouse (45 Episodes, 1986-1991)
My favorite Saturday morning show as a kid.
Personal Favorite: Billy Baloney
Standout Performer: Pee-Wee Herman (Paul Reubens)
Favorite Episode: “Christmas Show”

8. Entourage (88+ Episodes, 2004-2011)
The very definition of a “hip show” in the ’00s.
Personal Favorite: Johnny “Drama” Chase (Kevin Dillon)
Standout Performer: Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven)
Favorite Episode: “Lose Yourself”

7. The Simpsons (450+ Episodes, 1989-?)
It boggles my mind how they’ve managed to say so good for so long.
Personal Favorite: Homer Simpson
Standout Performer: Bart Simpson
Favorite Episode: “Homer at the Bat”

6. The Ultimate Fighter (120+ Episodes, 2005-?)
Each season is entertaining in its own right, but Season 10 is probably the funniest.
Personal Favorite: Rampage Jackson
Standout Performer: Dana White
Favorite Episode: “Gave a Hundred”

5. Dream On (118 Episodes, 1990-1996)
Lovable characters. Brilliant writing. Beautiful women. What’s not to like?
Personal Favorite: Martin Tupper (Brian Benben)
Standout Performer: Judith Tupper Stone (Wendie Malick)
Favorite Episode: “Angst for the Memories”

4. Da Ali G Show (12 Episodes, 2003-2004)
It’s not for everybody, but it makes me laugh harder than any other show.
Personal Favorite: Borat (Sacha Baron Cohen)
Standout Performer: Ali G (Sacha Baron Cohen)
Favorite Episode: “Belief”

3. Curb Your Enthusiasm (70+ Episodes, 2000-2o11)
Every season is phenomenal.
Personal Favorite: Susie Greene (Susie Essman)
Standout Performer: Jeff Greene (Jeff Garlin)
Favorite Episode: “Shaq”

2. The Larry Sanders Show (89 Episodes, 1992-1998)
Top-notch casting and acting for what is probably the smartest show ever written.
Personal Favorite: Hank Kingsley (Jeffrey Tambor)
Standout Performer: Artie (Rip Torn)
Favorite Episode: “The Mr. Sharon Stone Show”

1. The Honeymooners (39 Episodes, 1955-1956)
I’ve watched all of the Classic 39 multiple times, and they never get old!
Personal Favorite: Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason)
Standout Performer: Ed Norton (Art Carney)
Favorite Episode: “Chef of the Future”

As the digital landscape evolves at an unprecedented pace, businesses must adapt to stay competitive. Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), MSP, and cloud computing are no longer just buzzwords they are reshaping industries, redefining customer experiences, and driving business growth.

Our IT services are designed to harness the power of these innovations, empowering businesses to thrive in the digital era. Lets explore how the future of IT is transforming the business world and how you can leverage these advancements to stay ahead. #FutureTech #ITInnovation
Key Emerging Technologies Shaping the Future of IT
1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

Smart Decisions, Smarter Businesses
AI and ML are transforming IT services by enabling machines to learn from data, identify patterns, and make informed decisions with minimal human intervention.

Automation of Routine Tasks: Free up your team to focus on strategic initiatives by automating repetitive processes like customer service, data analysis, and cybersecurity monitoring.
Predictive Analytics: Gain insights into future trends and customer behaviors, allowing for proactive decision-making.
Enhanced User Experience: Personalize customer interactions through AI-driven chatbots, recommendation systems, and automated support.

2. Internet of Things (IoT)

Connecting the World
IoT refers to the network of interconnected devices that collect and exchange data in real time. This technology is revolutionizing industries by providing deeper insights and improving operational efficiency.

Smart Infrastructure: Monitor and control systems remotely, reducing downtime and maintenance costs.
Real-Time Data Analysis: Gain actionable insights from IoT devices to optimize processes and improve decision-making.
Enhanced Customer Experiences: Deliver personalized services by leveraging IoT data, improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.

3. Cloud Computing & Edge Computing

Scalable, Flexible IT Solutions
Cloud computing has already transformed the IT landscape, offering scalable and cost-effective solutions. The future lies in combining cloud with edge computing for even greater efficiency.

Cloud Scalability: Easily adjust your resources to meet business demands without investing in physical infrastructure.
Edge Efficiency: Process data closer to its source, reducing latency and enabling faster, real-time responses.
Seamless Collaboration: Foster remote work and global collaboration with cloud-based tools that keep teams connected anytime, anywhere.

4. Blockchain Technology

Secure, Transparent Transactions
Blockchain is redefining how data is stored, shared, and secured, offering a decentralized, transparent approach to transactions.

Data Integrity: Ensure the authenticity and immutability of records, reducing fraud and errors.
Supply Chain Transparency: Track products from origin to delivery, enhancing accountability and trust.
Smart Contracts: Automate agreements that execute when predefined conditions are met, reducing administrative overhead and enhancing security.

5. 5G Networks

Faster Connectivity, Greater Potential
The rollout of 5G is set to revolutionize connectivity, offering faster data speeds, lower latency, and the ability to connect more devices simultaneously.

Enhanced IoT Performance: Support a larger number of IoT devices with minimal lag.
Immersive Experiences: Enable AR, VR, and real-time video streaming with unparalleled speed and reliability.
Remote Work Revolution: Improve remote work capabilities with high-speed, stable connections, no matter where your team is located.

How Our IT Services Are Paving the Way for the Future

Our IT services are designed to help businesses adopt and integrate these emerging technologies seamlessly, ensuring you stay ahead of the curve:
1. Strategic IT Consulting

Tailored Solutions for Your Future
We work closely with your team to understand your business goals and develop a technology roadmap that aligns with your vision. Our experts help you identify the most relevant technologies and create a strategy for successful implementation.
2. Innovation-Driven Infrastructure

Modern IT Ecosystems
Our IT solutions focus on building a flexible, scalable infrastructure that supports innovation. From cloud migration to IoT integration, we ensure your systems are ready to handle future demands.
3. Security & Compliance

Future-Proof Your Data
With new technologies come new security challenges. Our cybersecurity services are designed to protect your business from evolving threats, ensuring your data remains secure while staying compliant with industry regulations.
4. Ongoing Support & Training

Empower Your Team
We provide continuous support and training to ensure your team is equipped to leverage emerging technologies effectively. Our goal is to foster a culture of innovation within your organization, empowering employees to embrace new tools and strategies.
The Future of IT: A Competitive Advantage

Businesses that embrace emerging technologies today will be the leaders of tomorrow. By investing in AI, IoT, cloud solutions, and other innovations, you can:

Enhance Operational Efficiency: Streamline processes, reduce costs, and improve productivity.
Deliver Exceptional Customer Experiences: Use data-driven insights to anticipate customer needs and deliver personalized solutions.
Gain a Competitive Edge: Stay ahead of industry trends and position your business as a leader in your field.

Lets Innovate Together!

The future of IT is filled with possibilities, and were here to help you harness its full potential. Our IT services are designed to guide your business through this transformative journey, ensuring you stay competitive, secure, and innovative.

Are you ready to embrace the future of IT? Contact us today to learn how our solutions can drive your business forward.

#FutureTech #ITInnovation #EmergingTechnologies #BusinessGrowth

Oh yes! Gord & Kev are BACK for a special 1-hour-plus review of 2010!

After listening to the show, check out our Episode 51 YouTube Playlist!

A Brand New 2010 IN REVIEW show will be posted before the end of they year! Be sure to subscribe to 300 Bucks Damage on iTunes, Zune, or whatever your RSS reader of choice happens to be! Tell your friends, tell your neighbors, it’s the greatest podcast on the Internet!

Kev and I will be back in the next couple weeks with a video package highlighting our upcoming “SUMMER OF GEORGE” competition to kick off everybody’s favorite season.

We’re about to battle it out the following contests:

• Frisbee Golf (Wii Sports Resort)
• Blades of Steel (NES)
• Bases Loaded (NES)
• Tecmo Bowl (NES)
• Arch Rivals (Arcade)
• Tetris (Wii)
• Pit Fighter (Arcade)
• Connect Four
• WWF No Mercy (N64)

Come back soon to see how we match up.

Thanks so much to everybody for your support in the last year!

-Gord

Gord and Kev watch Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure!

Gord and Kev ride the monorail to Springfield.

Gord and Kev improvise for a surprisingly entertaining episode.

Gord and Kev contemplate the greatest movie star battle royal of all time. Check out their tough guy qualifications in the final YouTube Playlist of the season!

Gord and Kev declare Schwarzenegger the Heavyweight Champion of Action Films.

Gord and Kev talk about nothing.

Gord and Kev realize the Easter Bunny was a hoax.

After these messages, Gord and Kev will be right back. Check out the massive youtube playlist after the show!!!

Gord and Kev hate snakes.

Gord and Kev head to the nudie bar.

Gord and Kev pick winners in several fantastic, fictitious fights.

Gord and Kev pose absurd scenarios, trying to determine what’s worth the most moolah.

Gord and Kev board the Starship Enterprise.

Gord and Kev enjoy their sugar-rush before heading off to school.

Gord and Kev revisit the accurate (and inaccurate) technological speculations from yesteryear and hypothesize about tomorrow.

NOTE: Apologies for the poor audio quality — everything will be back to normal next week.

Gord and Kev have a super secret story that they know for sure is true.

Gord and Kev wrap up the Metropolis discussion

Gord and Kev arrive from Krypton

Gord and Kev go over random memories from their first decade on this planet.

Gord and Kev visit better days. The YouTube playlist is back!

Gord and Kev rehash the past decade.

Gord & Kev blow up the death star.

2009 year in review shows are so 2009.

So it turns out we just weren’t supposed to do a show this week. C’est la vie. We’ll be back in action next week though. In the meantime, please check out the archives and enjoy some of our previous episodes.

If you use iTunes, please find us and subscribe. If you use Zune, please do it too. If you use myYahoo, or iGoogle, or some other RSS reader, please add us. Here’s the link to our general syndication feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/3BD

Once you’ve subscribed to 300 Bucks Damage, you’ll get the latest show when it’s posted every Saturday, and you’ll be free to listen at your leisure. You should still visit GordTep.com though because we have plenty of entertaining crap on here, but seeing the subscriber count go up makes us happy.

Also, as always, please spread the word to your friends and neighbors about what a hilarious podcast 3BD is.

Happy New Year!

Gord & Kev select some of their favorite clips from 2009.

Happy New Year!

Gord and Kev have been nice this year.

Honorable Mentions: G.I. Joe Video Game for Commodore 64 (1986), Superman & Batman/Orko (1984), Jabba’s Palace/Ewok Village (1983)

#10 – Synthesizer – 1991
Circa October 1991, I was wandering around Child World looking at the different keyboards. This was one of those gifts that I never asked for and totally didn’t anticipate. I saw the prices and didn’t want to request one because I had decided a hundred bucks or so was too much for one gift. Seeing this in the early morning on December 25 was a super surprise. I even taught myself how to read and play music for a little while, but I got tired of it after a couple months. That was the end of my musical career.

#9 – Cobra Terrordrome – 1986
This was enormous. I have no idea what the price was, but it had to be a lot. There were so many awesome secret compartments in this sucker, even a jail for the captured Joes. It came with a ship too. I remember it launched out of the top. Look this thing up on-line somewhere to see pictures, it’s awesome. Big bases / playsets were a rarity– but one out of like 10 friends would have one, and I’d always be in awe.

#8 – WrestleMania Challenge – 1990
There are two presents that stick out in my mind from that year. One was “The Simpsons Sing the Blues,” which virtually every Simpsons fan got at the time. It was pretty crappy. WrestleMania Challenge, however, was the brand new game for Nintendo. I don’t know how my brother got a hold of this one though because KB & TRU were both sold out when I went looking for them. This was also the first time I was introduced to the multiple box, multiple wrapping paper gag. The game was small, but it was inside several boxes and wrappings so that it was impossible to predict what it would be by looking at it. For 1990, this state-of-the-art game had awesome graphics. Just check out that opening screen of The Ultimate Warrior.

#7 – VCR – 1992
Up until this point, we had one VCR. That VCR resided in the living room. The only problem was that I had a gazillion video tapes and always wished I could watch them whenever I wanted. My desire to go to sleep at night with a movie of my choice playing on the tv was finally realized– and it’s something I often still do (only now it’s with DVDs). Being able to play and record from my bedroom was a huge deal.

#6 – Snake Mountain – 1985
In the same vein as the Cobra playset, this was Skeletor’s headquarters. This precedes the Terrordome by a couple years, and it’s thus more memorable. The most significant aspect of Snake Mountain was that it had a microphone and voice changer. You would speak into it, and it came out of the speaker sounding far more evil that you actually spoke it.

#5 – Hart Foundation – 1987
LJN Wrestling Figures were the absolute greatest toys out there. My collection of everybody from Hulk Hogan to Ted Arcidi was my most prized possession (much like my toys still are today). However, the newly released Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart were impossible to find at Toys R Us or Kay-Bee. The only place that I ever saw them was in a little local shop called “Colony.” Naturally, Colony had them priced at double what TRU sold LJNs for. My parents refused to buy these extra expensive superstars, and I accepted that they would never be part of my league. Miraculously, my brother snatched them up in spite of the price. I was shocked when I pulled back the wrapping paper to see these guys on Christmas morning.

#4 – Topps Baseball Wax Box – 1989
The 1990 baseball season was several months away, but Topps was already producing cards for the upcoming year. I was blown away with a FULL box of packs to open on Christmas morning to get me started on building my own hand-made set.

#3 – Zartan – 1984
My all-time favorite G.I. Joe character. Known as the master of disguise, Zartan came with a mask, and his body changed colors (he became blue) when exposed to sunlight. “Santa Claus” gave me this one at the Long Beach Rec Center during a Christmas party. I was fascinated how he knew my name, and knew that I wanted Zartan.

#2 – Starting Lineup Talking Baseball – 1988
SLTB was incredibly close to being number one on my list, but when you get to number one you’ll see why it couldn’t be anything else. At this point, I was a rabid Met fan. Baseball had conquered He-Man, G.I. Joe, and even Wrestling. At 8, I knew virtually every player in the major leagues, their team, position, and at least a little about them. I studied the 792 Topps cards, and played against neighbors and friends in Rotisserie Baseball leagues. During a Thanksgiving trip to Ohio (visiting family), I discovered this game in a store. You could call it love at first sight. A computerized, strategy-based baseball game that came with all-star & hall of fame teams, yet was compatible with add-ons of every major league team.

#1 – Video Camera – 1993
This was several years in the making. From the time I was about 7 or 8, I desperately wanted a camera so I could make my own movies. Getting that camera was so important that I began saving for it. I would put money aside from my allowance or miscellaneous jobs. In 6th and 7th grade, I started selling baseball cards and card holders that I was buying at card shows for a nice profit. All the money that came in went into my camera fund. Finally, when I was older (13 at this point), I was able to get one. I paid for about half of the camera, I think the total was around $600. The excitement this thing brought me was unrivaled by any gift ever.

Gord and Kev visit Hoth, Dagobah, and Cloud City.

Gord and Kev enjoy pizza and ice cream cake.

Gord and Kev roll the dice, pick the cards, and keep score. When you’re done listening to the show, check out the episode’s YouTube playlist!

Gord and Kev have plenty to be thankful for.

Gord and Kev aren’t the droids you’re looking for.

After listening to the show, check out our Star Wars video playlist on YouTube!

Gord and Kev get annoyed way too easily.

Promo 1

Promo 2

Email us at podcast@gordtep.com

Gord and Kev walk door to door in search of candy.

Gord and Kev trade cards and stickers.

Gord and Kev talk Rocky Balboa and all of his movies.

Here’s a quick refresher in case you’ve forgotten, or never seen, the Rocky series:

Rocky – He goes the distance with Apollo and falls in love with Adrian

Rocky II – He wins the Championship from Apollo

Rocky III – Mickey dies and Rocky loses to Clubber Lang. With Apollo in his corner, Rocky regains the belt.

Rocky IV – James Brown shows up and sings for no reason. Rocky buys Paulie a robot for his birthday. Drago kills Apollo. Rocky trains. Drago trains and injects steroids. Rocky trains some more. Rocky defeats Drago in Russia.

Rocky V – Rocky trains a homeless bum (Tommy Morrison) and kicks his son out of his house so the homeless guy can have his room. The homeless guy dumps Rocky for an evil promoter, George Washington Duke, who says, “Only in America” a lot (yeah, fake Don King). Tommy wins the belt and thanks Duke. The press tells Tommy that he’s no Rocky, so they have a street fight. Rocky beats the shit out of Tommy and then KOs Duke in spite of his warning, “Touch me, and I’ll sue.” Rocky responds after punching his lights out with, “Sue me for what?”

Rocky Balboa – Adrian’s dead. Rocky’s a pathetic old man. As Paulie says, “you’re living backwards, Rocko!” Ultimately, HGH and anabolic steroids allow a 60-year-old Rocky to go the distance with Antonio Tarver, the World Champion.

Best Picture

The original Rocky is unbelievably great. It’s the best one without argument. Sylvester Stallone’s screenplay is phenomenal, as is the acting, the music, the locations, et al. When I was young, this movie was never of any real interest to me. It has the least amount of boxing in it of any Rocky film. Ironically, that’s a huge plus for me now, but as a kid that was what I wanted most. The scenes detailing the development of Rocky’s relationship with Adrian are much more enjoyable as a 29-year-old than they were when I was a 9-year-old. The actual story is just so great. Viki King mentions in “How to Write a Movie in 21 Days” about how the hero’s goal will change, and she uses Rocky deciding that he has to go the distance with Apollo as a prime example.

Worst Films

Rocky IV & V are the films that I loved as a kid. Sadly, they’re both painful to watch today.

The log line for Part IV should have been, “You’ve seen great Rocky films, now watch a bunch of music videos with extra training footage and 70% less dialogue.” There is more “fighting” in this movie than any other Rocky. Apollo dies. Rocky drives late at night while we hear Robert Tepper sing “No Easy Way Out.” Rocky trains. Rocky trains some more. Drago says about five words. Can you believe I loved the Drago character as a kid? He’s like Darth Maul. He’s the cool sequel (or prequel) character that says nothing, yet he is one of the more memorable film characters in spite of his short existence. Oh, and what’s with that robot? It’s so stupid. Rocky’s kid sucks shit too. The best part is when Apollo is at the table and the robot leaves the room, he’s like, “Uh, OK, anyway…” which is how I felt now. As a kid, I probably loved that stupid robot. Since I mentioned Darth Maul, let’s call the robot the Jar Jar Binks of the Rocky films.

In Part V, Eric Murphy gets his ass kicked by Sage Stallone. Nice! It’s funny, I liked it as a kid for the excessive boxing matches and montages (e.g. Tommy Gunn’s winning streak), but this one is really lousy. It’s watchable in the context of the series, but as a standalone film, Rocky V is a joke of a movie. Strangely, I enjoyed the “nostalgic” feeling of this move when I was a kid, but it’s truly faux-nostalgia. There’s legitimate nostalgia in Rocky Balboa, but this one is just kind of there. It’s the only one of the six movies that could be completely erased without anybody caring. Also, why does Rocky’s kid age like six years in a week? The best thing about this movie is the Elton John song at the end, which I subsequently downloaded and listened to 50 times.

Best Monologues

Stallone has some great speeches, and my favorites are actually in the latest installment. I love when he is pleading his case to the commission to get reinstated and when he’s telling his son to take responsibility for his own life. These are both written and performed brilliantly. In my opinion, they’re so powerful that they can genuinely impact the viewer (in this case me) in their (my) own real life.

Favorite Characters

Burt Young is tremendous as Paulie. I had to check to make sure that he received an Oscar for his work in the original film, and he did. His character is so great, and he plays it perfectly.

Burgess Meredith didn’t win any awards for his portrayal of Mickey. However, these films wouldn’t be right with any other actor in this role. Rocky without Mickey would be like Daniel without Miyagi.

The Music

All the music is great except for the “jungle music” (as Paulie would call it) in Rocky V. Bill Conti’s orchestral score is epic and as recognizable as just about anyone ever produced. An honorable mention goes to Frank Stallone’s “Take You Back” song from the street corner that we hear at different times in the series. What a great song. Elton John’s song at the end of V is a hidden gem as well.

Rating the Rocky films

ROCKY ****
ROCKY II ***
ROCKY III ** 1/2
ROCKY IV *
ROCKY V 1/2 *
ROCKY VI ***

Gord and Kev turn the dial back to the 1990s.

After listening to the show, check out our Episode 18 video playlist on YouTube!

Gord and Kev turn the dial back to the 1980s.

After listening to the show, check out our Episode 17 video playlist on YouTube!

What’s a podcast?

This may seem like a stupid question to you, but what the hell. A podcast is essentially a fake radio show. It’s the same as a radio show, but it’s not on the radio. Actually, it could be on the radio, but it would have to be available on the internet as well. The “pod” stems from iPod (duh), Apple’s absurdly popular mp3 player. Personally, I’m a Zune user (yeah, I’m the one), so it could have just as easily been called a Zunecast as far as I’m concerned.

When’s the best time to listen to a podcast?

This really depends on your schedule, but I’ll give you some suggestions.

• During your commute to/from work (either in your car, on the train, on your bike, etc.)
• During your lunch break (if you don’t have anybody else to keep you company)
• Before bed (it will help you fall to sleep if the show is boring)
• While you work (nothing helps hurry the day up more than to listen to Kev and me while slaving away at your desk, or on the construction site, or in the lab, or in the factory, etc.)
• While you eat (breakfast, lunch, and dinner are only enhanced by the sounds of 300 Bucks Damage)
• At the gym (nothing helps you get through that extra mile on the treadmill like our dulcet tones)
• On a date (nothing will turn your date on more than hearing Kev and me yap about utter nonsense)
• While cleaning your house/apartment (we’ll keep you entertained and your home will be spic and span)
• Any other time I didn’t think of…

What’s this post really all about, anyway?

OK. I want you to subscribe to the 300 Bucks Damage podcast. If you use iTunes, please find us and subscribe. If you use Zune, please do it too. If you use myYahoo, or iGoogle, or some other RSS reader… please add us. Here’s the link to our general syndication feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/3BD

Once you’ve subscribed to 300 Bucks Damage, you’ll get the latest show when it’s posted every Saturday, and you’ll be free to listen at your leisure. You should still visit GordTep.com though because we have plenty of entertaining crap on here, but seeing the subscriber count go up makes us happy.

Gord and Kev ain’t afraid of no ghosts.

By the way, if you haven’t already, please subscribe to 300 Bucks Damage on iTunes, Zune, or whatever RSS reader you use. Either search for 300 Bucks Damage and subscribe within the program, or add the following link to your reader: http://feeds.feedburner.com/3BD

If you’re new to the site, feel free to go back and check out some of our podcast archives. Spread the word, 300BucksDamage.com, GordTep.com, tell your friends, tell your neighbors…

As always, please send feedback to podcast@gordtep.com.

Gord and Kev play games on the street and in the schoolyard.

After listening to the show, check out our Episode 14 video playlist on YouTube!

Honorable mentions: Coming to America, Field of Dreams, Pumping Iron, Ghostbusters, Private Parts, Manhattan, Good Fellas.

15. The Naked Gun (1988 – 1 hour, 25 minutes)
Logline: You’ve read the ad, now see the movie!
Favorite Character: Lt. Frank Drebin
Favorite Scene: Frank Drebin as the Ump at the baseball game
Favorite Quote: “Nice beaver!”

14. Old School (2003 – 1 hour, 31 minues)
Logline: All the fun of college, none of the education.
Favorite Character: Frank the Tank
Favorite Scene: The one with Vince Vaughn coughing, “Don’t do it!” at the wedding
Favorite Quote: “… Maybe Bed, Bath, & Beyond, I don’t know, I don’t know if we’ll have enough time.”

13. Anchorman (2004 – 1 hour, 34 minutes)
Logline: His news is bigger than your news.
Favorite Character: Rob Burgundy
Favorite Scene: When Ron meets Veronica at the party
Favorite Quote: “I’m in a glass case of emotion!”

12. Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985 – 1 hour, 30 minutes)
Logline: The story of a rebel and his bike.
Favorite Character: Mickey
Favorite Scene: When Pee-Wee gives Francis and his father the trick gum
Favorite Quote: “I know you are, but what am I?”

11. The Birdcage (1996 – 1 hour, 57 minutes)
Logline: Come as you are.
Favorite Character: Agador (Spartacus)
Favorite Scene: When Sen. Keeley finds out his GOP buddy died in bed with an underage black whore
Favorite Quote: “Oh yes… Coldeman. The ‘d’ is silent in America.”

10. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988 – 1 hour, 50 minutes)
Logline: Nice guys finish last. Meet the winners.
Favorite Character: Freddy Benson
Favorite Scene: Freddy Benson trying to remember Lawrence Jamieson’s name in jail
Favorite Quote: “May I go to the bathroom?”

9. Rocky (1976 – 1 hour, 59 minutes)
Logline: You have a ringside seat for the bloodiest bicentennial in history!
Favorite Character: Paulie
Favorite Scene: When Mickey tells Rocky breaking legs for a loan shark is a “waste of life!”
Favorite Quote: “You’re gonna eat lightnin’ and you’re gonna crap thunder!”

8. Major League (1989 – 1 hour, 37 minutes)
Logline: When these three oddballs try to play hardball, the result is totally screwball.
Favorite Character: Lou Brown
Favorite Scene: Rick Vaughn fighting with Roger Dorn in the locker room
Favorite Quote: “Suck my dick.”

7. Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993 – 1 hour, 34 minutes)
Logline: n/a
Favorite Character: Larry Lipton
Favorite Scene: When Larry wakes up in the middle of the night after dreaming about ring card girls
Favorite Quote: “Claustrophia and a dead body – this is a neurotic’s jackpot!”

6. Back to School (1986 – 1 hour, 36 minutes)
Logline: Registration starts Friday, June 13, at theaters everywhere.
Favorite Character: Thornton Melon
Favorite Scene: Professor Turgeson!
Favorite Quote: “Why don’t you call me sometime when you have no class.”

5. Office Space (1999 – 1 hour, 29 minutes)
Logline: Work Sucks.
Favorite Character: Michael Bolton
Favorite Scene: Joanna quits her job at Chotchkies
Favorite Quote: “We get caught laundering money… We’re going to federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison.”

4. The Highlander (1986 – 1 hour, 56 minutes)
Logline: There can be only one.
Favorite Character: Connor McCloud
Favorite Scene: Kurgan & Connor in the church.
Favorite Quote: “Are you going to turn off the tape or shoot me with the .45?”

3. Swingers (1996 – 1 hour, 26 minutes)
Logline: Coctails first. Questions later.
Favorite Character: Trent
Favorite Scene: Trent dancing on the table in the diner
Favorite Quote: “She was smiling at how money I was.”

2. Star Wars (1977 – 2 hours, 1 minute)
Logline: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…
Favorite Character: Obi Wan Kenobi
Favorite Scene: The swing across
Favorite Quote: “… everything’s perfectly all right now. We’re fine. We’re all fine here now…”

1. Back to the Future (1985 – 1 hour, 57 minutes)
Logline: He was never in time for his classes . . .Then one day he wasn’t in his time at all.
Favorite Character: Marty McFly
Favorite Scene: Skateboard chase
Favorite Quote: “Hey you, get your damn hands off her.”

Gord and Kev head back to school after summer vacation.

Gord and Kev share their favorite summertime memories.

After listening to the show, check out our Episode 12 video playlist on YouTube!

Gord and Kev keep their televisions on even after the cartoons are over.

After listening to the show, check out our Episode 11 video playlist on YouTube!

Gord and Kev turn back the clock to when cartoons were everything.

After listening to the show, check out our Episode 10 video playlist on YouTube!

Step One:
Create a website/blog using WordPress. (www.wordpress.com)

Step Two:
Configure a Twitterfeed to post updates based on the blog’s RSS feed. (www.twitterfeed.com)

Step Three:
Use Facebook’s Twitter application to automatically post your Twitter updates on Facebook. (http://tinyurl.com/5uew7g)

That’s it.

When posting this short post on GordTep.com, a link to it is simulataneously posted on Twitter and Facebook. Pretty cool, eh?

By the way, Kev & I will be back tomorrow for this week’s episode of the 300 Bucks Damage podcast, spotlighting our favorite cartoons from the 1980s and 1990s.

Zemeckis

NOTE: Kev was wrong. Gord was right.

Gord and Kev travel through time once again.

After listening to the show, check out our Episode 9 video playlist on YouTube!

Gord and Kev go Back to the Future!

After listening to the show, check out our Episode 8 video playlist on YouTube!

Gord and Kev recall childhood memories of the happiest place on earth.

After listening to the show, check out our Episode 4 video playlist on YouTube!

Gord and Kev remember famous food mascots.

After listening to the show, check out our Episode 3 video playlist on YouTube!

Ham City Kev: Did Bowser kidnap Janet Jones? Is Goomba in Gretzky’s way? Even if that’s not the case, you gotta figure Wayne’s survival instinct would kick in during such an encounter. Since body checking is not his thing, one slap shot from the Great One should be enough to take out the Goomba. WINNER: WAYNE GRETZKY

LEGEND MATCH: MARIO VS SONIC
HCK: Gotta go with Mario here, and really, it’s no contest. He’s got too many weapons! All he needs to defeat Sonic is 2 things: first, a Tanooki Suit to dodge the Sonic attack, followed by the classic Fire Flower to toast Sonic’s ass. If Sonic wants to get cute with run-ins from Tails, Knuckles, etc, he can try it. Allowing Luigi into the battle just doubles the Mario Bros arsenal. WINNER: MARIO

GT: Is the P-Wing legal? What about Sonic’s super shoes? I always referred to them as Reebok Pumps. Luigi and Toad are worthless, and the Princess can only fly in dreams (e.g., Mario 2). I’ll say that Sonic’s high-definition graphics will overwhelm Mario’s little pixelated ass. He’ll roll through Mario in high speed like a boulder against Indy. WINNER: SONIC

CLASSIC MATCH: DONKEY KONG VS PAC-MAN
GT: This battle should take place at the Mid-South Coliseum, or the Sportatorium, or the Pontiac Silverdome, or some other old arena that held wrestling events in the 1980s and no longer exists. Donkey Kong sure has the edge in terms of brute strength, but Pac Man is an automatic victor if power pellets are legal. Pac will likely run the risk of failing a test for performance enhancers because he’ll already have eaten Donkey Kong by the time the test is administered. Ms. Pac Man could also play the Jessica Lange role and distract DK. WINNER: PAC MAN

HCK: If the great Patrick Swayze has taught us anything (and he has), it’s that ghosts are intangible unless motivated by vengeance. I imagine with names like Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde, Pacman’s ghost pals are not the vengeful sort. One would then assume that Pacman is such a wimp that he dies when touched by something intangible! Even if you don’t buy into that philosophy, Pacman is constantly getting pwned by guys named Inky, Blinky, PINKY, and Clyde, for fuck’s sake! At least with a name like Mario, one can pretend that DK’s nemesis might have connections to the mafia. One barrel from Kong is more than enough for Pacman to choke on. WINNER: DONKEY KONG

DEATH MATCH: SAMUS ARAN (Metroid) VS RYU HAYABUSA (Ninja Gaiden)
HCK: Sure, Samus has one of the greatest arsenals of any video game character in history. But Ryu’s a ninja. Samus would be dead without even seeing what hit her. WINNER: RYU HAYABUSA

GT: Saaaaamus, a word with you. If Samus is in the Samus suit, she has a chance. If that Ninja Gai-den-hay guy from the Wizard is controlling Hayabusa, he wins. I didn’t really care much for either of these games, so I’m booking a draw and going to get popcorn at the concession stand. WINNER: NONE

ICON MATCH: RYU VS SUB-ZERO
GT: I’m guessing Ryu beat Ken in the qualifying match on Raw after HBK took out Bundy. Anyway, since Sub-Zero is an actual human being and Ryu is a cartoon, the Mortal Kombat superstar comes out on top– via fatality or nudality (if somebody from Prodigy in 1995 gave a genuine code). WINNER: SUB ZERO

HCK: Ryu dragon punches waterfalls in his spare time–and he’s supposed to be afraid of some icicles? 10 bucks says Ryu is prepared to fight honorably when Sub Zero slips him up by freezing the floor. Sub Zero then tries to cheez Ryu by sweeping the leg every time Ryu attempts to stand up, but eventually the sweep is blocked. Ryu says, “oh, we’re cheezing are we?” and slips into Champion Edition mode, firing hadoken after hadoken. 30 fireballs later, Ryu stands over Sub Zero’s body and shouts, “HIER EES SUB SEERO! NOW… PLAYN SEERO!” WINNER: RYU

TAG TEAM MATCH: BILLY & JIMMY LEE (Double Dragon) VS PAUL COFFEY & RAY BOURQUE (NHL Hockey)
HCK: Both teams can take a ton of punishment, but there’s one major difference: 7 or 8 punches will knock down the Double Dragon Duo, whereas Coffey and Bourque… well, I’m just not sure if knocking them down is even possible, to be frank. Once Billy and Jimmy are down, I just don’t see Paul and Ray letting them back up. Perhaps the better matchup here would be Coffey & Borque vs the 2 Abobos in Level 3 (those fucks). WINNER: PAUL COFFEY & RAY BOURQUE

GT: “Bimmy” and Jimmy don’t stand a chance against the 77s. You can make their heads bleed in this one, Mikey. WINNER: PAUL COFFEY & RAY BOURQUE

FATAL 4-WAY, ELIMINATION STYLE: LINK (Zelda) vs LITTLE MAC (Mike Tyson’s Punch Out) vs SIMON (Castlevania) vs MEGAMAN
GT: Little Mac knocked out Mike F’n Tyson in his prime. Nobody in the world could do that. Link needs swords that shoot electric swords or candles or magic flutes; Mac only needs his fists. Megaman and Simon can battle to the back because nobody cares about them. WINNER: LITTLE MAC

HCK: Agreed (though plenty of people care about Megaman and Simon, Gordo). Simon, Megaman, and Link all have pretty straight-forward attacks, nothing Mac can’t dodge easily and counter attack. Mac over Simon, Link over Megaman, Mac over Link. WINNER: LITTLE MAC. There are ways to? buy bulk ammo online these days for real for safety purposes but one must have good responsibility.

UNSTOPPABLE FORCE MATCH: MIKE TYSON (Punch-Out) VS BOB BACKLUND (Ham City Kev’s legendary CAW for N64′s WWF No Mercy)
HCK: Yeah, we threw in an inside reference for the final battle. How good was my Backlund creation? Well, all you readers remember how insanely tough Tyson was, correct? My Backlund would stretch Tyson so hard he’d shit himself. Backlund would then reach down Tyson’s shorts and force feed Kid Dynamite his own feces. You see, it’s not enough for my Backlund CAW to break his opponent’s body. He cannot rest until his opponent’s spirit is broken as well. WINNER: THE BOB BACKLUND CAW

GT: Backlund walking on his knees, making his weird bug-eyed face from the hour-mark of the ’93 Rumble. Even his maxed stats are no match for Tyson’s devastating uppercuts and jabs. Only a Buster Douglas CAW would stand a chance. Backlund might win with practice, but it takes a few times to get the timing down. Backlund could potentially win a best of seven series. There’s just no way he’s winning the first match. WINNER: MIKE TYSON

Gord and Kev wax nostalgic over the great video games of the 1990s.

After listening to the show, check out our Episode 2 video playlist on YouTube!

Gord and Kev reminisce about some of their favorite classic arcade and console video games from the 1980s.

After listening to the show, check out our Episode 1 video playlist on YouTube!

Honorable Mentions: NHL Open Ice (Arcade), Gears of War 2 (XBox 360), River City Ransom (NES), Sonic 1 (Genesis), USA Basketball (Genesis), Smackdown vs. Raw (PS2), Fight Night Round 3 (XBox 360), Legend of Zelda (NES), Superman (Atari), UFC Undisputed 2009 (XBox 360)

10. Tecmo Super Bowl (NES, 1991)
Before EA and Madden monopolized the NFL genre, there was Tecmo. It had the real teams, the real players, and the ability to play a full season with stats. I’ve never even been a big football guy, but I still loved this game.

9. G.I. Joe (Commodore 64, 1985)
Most have never even heard of this game, but I have very fond memories of this one. A two-sided disk was required to hold this graphical monster. For some reason I recall the character selection screens featuring top names form both G.I. Joe and Cobra, including Zartan and Destro, among others.

8. 7th Guest (PC, 1993)
What an awesome game! In the early Pentium and CD-Rom days, this game was king. There were countless unique, hard-to-solve puzzles and a pretty cool story. It was sort of like Clue in a haunted house, with a whole slew of brain games.

7. NHL ’95 (Genesis, 1994)
An NHL game was bound to make this list. I chose ’95 because it was revolutionary in that it was the first to track statistics, hand out year-end-awards, etc. It took the greatness that everybody remembers of ’94 and upped it several notches.

6. Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out (NES, 1987)
From Glass Joe all the way to Kid Dynamite, this game was pure fun. Everybody who ever owned a Nintendo had to love this game. I can still remember the excitement I felt the first time I knocked out Iron Mike. Give him a call at 007-373-5963.

5. WWF No Mercy (N64, 2000)
WrestleMania 2000 was great, No Mercy was better. The best gameplay in any wrestling game, bar none, with a phenomenal create-a-wrestler engine. Kev and I spent countless hours playing this one in college. His Bob Backlund creation is legendary.

4. Baseball Stars (NES, 1989)
This is what a baseball game is supposed to be. Creating players and powering up their stats to reflect real-life counterparts was a blast. My brother and I played season after season in this game, and it never got old– excellent controls and graphics. Amazingly, this game still holds up pretty well 20 years later.

3. Star Wars (Arcade, 1983)
I can remember playing this one in the arcades and feeling as if I was actually flying an X-Wing through the death star trench. The cockpit style machine matched with the vector graphics made this one of the coolest video game experiences ever.

2. WrestleFest (Arcade, 1991)
Whether you’re playing the Royal Rumble or Saturday Night’s Main Event tag team matches, WrestleFest delivered in every way imaginable. My favorite characters in this game were Mr. Perfect and The Earthquake, but all of them were cool. I got so good that I could beat it on a single quarter– approximately 15 minutes of playtime. It seems like just yesterday I was playing this at the Caribbean Beach resort in between trips to Epcot and MGM Studios.

1. GTA IV (XBox 360, 2008)
Simply put, this game is a masterpiece. It’s the most entertaining and complete experience of any video game ever made. Liberty City feels so incredibly real. Driving around, not even worrying about advancing the story or playing the side missions, is remarkable. Throw in tremendous characters, storylines, dialogue, etc. I am not one for long games, nor am I usually willing to put the necessary time in required to beat a game. However, with GTA, every hour was enjoyable. Even after beating the game, I went on to finish the Lost and Damned add-on which was a great game in and of itself. If you haven’t played Grand Theft Auto IV, you must.