Seattle Bike Expo 2010

This weekend was the Seattle Bike Expo. I headed out there with my dad and saw a lot of vendors, some awesome bikes and some great shows.

They even had a classic bike exhibit featuring tons of bicycles.

Like the "Lemon Peeler":


The highlight of the expo was by far the World Champion artistic cyclists from Germany. They were Corrina Hein, Stefan Musu and Lukas Matla.

Here's a picture of Corrina performing a stunt:

And since I realize that pictures don't do their performance justice, here's a video from the event that I found over on BikingBis.

Prepare to pick your jaw up from the floor. I'm just warning you.



(This is from Just Northwest)

Remember when Seattle had an NBA team?

Former Seattle SuperSonic Danny Vranes doing an Ivory Soap Commercial. This is a tad bit retro.

Oh to be back in 2008

Tiger Wood with the 2008 Orlando Magic Dance Team? I'm sure nothing happened!

This is why Casey has such a hard time getting car insurance

Whoopsee!

Jim Mora Jr. is now a coach at Bellevue High School

So what does a head coach do after he gets canned for a poor season at the helm of the Seattle Seahawks? He ends up coaching high school football.

After one year in his dream job -- head coach of the Seattle Seahawks -- longtime Pacific Northwest resident Jim Mora was dumped on the heels of a 5-11 season in which the team looked much worse than their record. There didn't seem to be a lot of buzz for Mora as the league's coaching carousel turned, and quite possibly for good reason -- he frequently looked overmatched and seemed to lack impulse control, which is a problem when you're dealing with 53 finely-tuned athletes at the height of the sport. Mora did some local radio, spent some time on the NFL Network crew, and now it seems that he's found another coaching job -- with Bellevue High School.

Strangely enough though, I'm sure Mora will find the offensive line situation much more favorable at Bellevue. And his backup quarterback is probably a whole lot better too.

Outdoor Photo of the Week: Mount Rainier from Tacoma

This week our Outdoor Photo of the Week is from Tai Nguyen.

This photo is taken from atop an apartment building in downtown Tacoma. It gives a small glimpse of Tacoma with the backside of the convention center, the bridge and the Tacoma Dome. This picture was taken on Sunday, February 21st.

You can view more of Tai's work at www.tywynn.com.

Think you've got a great outdoor photo? Want to see it hosted on Just South of North? Send your submissions to justsouthofnorth@gmail.com.

Please include your name, a short caption about the photo (date, location, and what makes it special) and your location.

Check back each Sunday for a new Outdoor Photo of the Week.

I love making fun of the Middle East

Well, I mean they love to shake hands.

How to tell if your conference is a joke

After watching a lot of the Pac-10 Tournament, I have to say that the conference is a big joke. Ugly game after ugly game and even though it's cool that Washington won, I'm pretty sure they're gonna get a 16-seed in the NCAA Tourney. Here are some signs your conference sucks...

1. The conference basketball championship tournament is played in the Toyota Center in the Tri-Cities and you can't sell half the seats in the arena.

2. Instead of getting a bid to the NCAA Tournament, your team receives a check from the Publishers Clearing House for thirty dollars.

3. When your conference talks about expansion, it names schools like "The Community Colleges of California" and "East West North Montana State College for Canadian Citizens."

4. To boost attendance, your conference suggests dime beer night. On college campuses. For women's games.

5. The best player in the conference is Gary Coleman.

6. Your conference's baseball league consists of fat guys playing softball.

7. Your conference's top Bowl Game invite also doubles as a chance for your school's intramural football team to work on their flag grabbing skills.

8. The conference website is just a Craigslist Ad.

9. The best part about the conference? The refs are extremely overweight and easy to heckle.

10. Washington St. is dominating your conference in the football standings.

Bad news out of Spring Training

While I was yukking it up about the Red Sox pitching prospects, some bad news reared its ugly head about Boston's prospect Ryan Westmoreland. He has a brain malformation that will require surgery.

The team announced Saturday that doctors diagnosed a cavernous malformation in Westmoreland's brain, which will be operated on in Phoenix on Tuesday.

Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated broke the news on Twitter.

Westmoreland, who turns 20 in April, left camp in Fort Myers, Fla. on March 4 and was diagnosed the next day in Massachusetts. 

That's not fun. Not in the least. Prayers go out to Westmoreland and his family as this is a very serious ailment and hopefully he'll come through it fine and be able to be back out on the baseball diamond.

More pitching awesomeness from the Red Sox

Spring training is the perfect time to hype pitchers, and that's what I'm going to do. The Red Sox have no shortage of pitching (although don't talk to me about a big bat) and it seems they might have another guy waiting in the ranks or at least some pretty tasty trade bait.

The 2008 first-round draft pick of the Sox, Casey Kelly, pitched three innings and gave up just one home run during an intersquad game. What's remarkable is this guy started out as a position player before moving to the mound, and apparently he's taken to the bump quite fondly. Hopefully he can generate the kind of buzz that gives the Sox some flexibility to either move him up or at least dangle him to trade for a free agent.

He was able to mix those pitches pretty well as he continued to work on improving his secondary pitches -- his curve and changeup. Overall, Kelly feels those offerings are coming along nicely. As he prepares for his first full season as a pitcher-only, he couldn't say enough good things about what he'll take with him whenever his time in big-league camp comes to an end. With innings a bit at a premium, he understands that might be in the not-too-distant future.

"If they sent me down tomorrow, [I'd be happy]," Kelly said. "Just being around all these pitchers, I've definitely grown as a pitcher the last couple of weeks." 

And that's your spring training breakdown that may or may not mean anything by the time the baseball season is in full swing.

Pau Gasol is a cool guy

This is good friend and fantastic photographer Dustin Snipes, who is basically ruling LA right now. He got to do a photo-shoot with Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers and by all accounts, Gasol was an awesome guy. And he's really tall.

The Count has something to say about Twilight

Awesome.

Reese Court is a horrible, cursed place

Having experienced too many heartbreaks by women's teams in Reese Court, and listening to the latest spooky occurrence - The No. 1 seeded Eagles losing to Montana St in the Big Sky Conference Women's Basketball Tournament 65-57, I have come to the conclusion that this place is cursed.

Did somebody build it on an ancient burial ground? Is there a Montana jersey buried under it's foundation?

Several times the EWU Volleyball program clinched the No. 1 seed in the Big Sky Conference Tourney, only to be upset by Sacramento State in the Championship Game. When the EWU men's basketball team finally won the Big Sky and were off to the NCAA Tournament in 2004, a promising program in the making fell apart. Head coach Ray Giacoletti left, some seniors graduated, but a sure-fire head coach was brought in to replace him - Mike Burns, who had ties to area and was the associate head coach of the team before he took a brief hiatus down at WSU.

By all accounts, Burns should have been able to turn it around. However, the next season they won only 8 games. The coming of Rodney Stuckey never lead to a Big Sky Championship. Promising players transferred and now Coach Earlywine is now only getting the program back on it's feet.

This isn't normal! There has to be something wrong about this place. Can't we implode the place and just play games at the Spokane Arena? I'm getting some priest or witch doctor to cleanse the place of any evil spirits, but knowing the luck of the place, a ceiling tile will probably fall on them.

Washington 3A State Basketball Tournament: Day 3 results

There were only four boys teams and four girls teams that remain in the quest for a state championship today.

Day 1 showed us who was really state material and who wasn't.

Day 2 provided some close finishes and exciting endings.

Day 3 was sure to do the same.

BOYS:

In game 1 Union fought to a one point victory over Lakes.
Union 63, Lakes 62

And game two saw Enumclaw show why they are the only undefeated team in the state. Coming of a nail biter against Bellevue, the Hornets pounded Shadle Park.
Enumclaw 46, Shadle Park 34

That means tomorrows state championship game is:

Union vs Enumclaw, 7:00 PM

(View the complete bracket here)


GIRLS:

The first game was close with Holy Names squeaking past Shadle Park.
Holy Names 47, Shadle Park 42

The second game was even closer as Cleveland won by two over Mercer Island.
Cleveland 57, Mercer Island 55

That means tomorrows state championship game is:

Holy Names vs. Cleveland, 9:00 PM

(View the complete bracket here)

Matt Nichols NFL bound? Sure seems that way.

I came across this today on ESPN.

Under the radar quarterback: Matt Nichols

Todd McShay thinks so. He says that Nichols reminds him of a young Tony Romo. And don't be surprised if in 5 years we see Nichols as a potential starting in the NFL.

Pretty sweet for an Eastern star.

Skip to 2:15 for the Nichols part:

Summit on the Summit

A few weeks ago I wrote about the Summit on the Summit documentary that would be airing on MTV on March 14.

Here's your reminder that Sunday is March 14.

For the Summit on the Summit, a number of celebrities climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to create awareness of the growing global clean drinking water crisis.

Here's another look at the preview. The show airs at 9 PM Eastern/ 8 PM Central.



(This is from Just Northwest)

Northwest Photographer of the week: Marta Miller

Another Friday means another installment of Northwest Photographer of the Week. This is from Marta Miller of Snohomish County.

Hey, thanks for the site! Its so great to see everyone's perspective of our state through the camera lens! This was taken in Feb 2010 at Deception Pass. The sunset was breath taking!

Thanks Marta for the photo!

Think you've got a great Northwest photo? Want to see it hosted on Just South of North? Send your submissions to justsouthofnorth@gmail.com.

Please include your name, a short caption about the photo (date, location, and what makes it special) and your location. Check back every Friday for our Northwest Photographer of the week!

I want to be a Canadian Pop Star

This is from "How I Met Your Mother", as one of the main characters was apparently a Canadian pop star. Anyone want to take a trip to early 90s Canada?

Washington 3A State Basketball Tournament: Day 2 results

Day 1 had a number of close games, and Day 2 proved the same.

Here's a recap for Day 2 of the 3A tournament:

BOYS:

Game 1: Lakes 74, Glacier Peak 61
Game 2: Union 69, Rainier Beach 54
Game 3: Enumclaw 66, Bellevue 63
Game 4: Shadle Park 63, O'Dea 54

Only four teams remain. That means that Round 3 for today(March 12) looks like this:

Game 1: Lakes vs. Union - 7:00 PM
Game 2: Enumclaw vs. Shadle Park - 8:30 PM

(View the complete bracket here)

GIRLS:

Game 1: Holy Names 62, Prairie 36
Game 2: Shadle Park 49, Seattle Prep 37
Game 3: Mercer Island 52, Kennedy 50
Game 4: Cleveland 65, Shorecrest 52

That means that Round 3 for today(March 12) looks like this:

Game 1: Holy Names vs. Shadle Park - 7:00 PM
Game 2: Mercer Island vs. Cleveland - 8:30 PM

(View the complete bracket here)

Tim Tebow is a moron, well kind of

Tebow has been torn to pieces in the days leading up to the NFL Draft, and he just added more fuel to the fire.

While former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow wowed evaluators with his on-field performance at the NFL combine last month, he scored a 22 out of 50 on the Wonderlic test, the Palm Beach Post reported, citing an NFL source.

The 12-minute test measures an individual's learning and problem-solving abilities.

According to the Post, the average Wonderlic score for an NFL quarterback is 24. The newspaper also reported that the quarterback prospects in Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest rankings on ESPN.com -- Sam Bradford of Oklahoma (36), Colt McCoy of Texas (25) and Jimmy Clausen of Notre Dame (23) -- scored higher than Tebow.

So despite all signs pointing to Tebow being a first-round bust and a moron, keep in mind that he's a winner! Nevermind he competed against competition that is a step below the NFL and could just run over guys in the spread offense (something he can't do in the pros), and his throwing is suspect (something that you need to have in order to be a great NFL quarterback. Not so much arm strength, but accuracy). Ignore the Tebow behind the curtain. Nope. Nothing to see here.

This was my haircut in third grade

But apparently this lady is not in third grade, she's in Walmart.

A fantastic sight

Seeing Yankee Stadium fall apart like this is just a wonderful feeling. Seeing that mammoth piece of crap get torn down without even the dignity of a spectacular implosion is sure fitting.

And you know what? There are still several questions that arise with the final gasps of the place, such as...

Why did the Yankees move from the stadium when it was actually only 30 years old? (You see Yankee Stadium was renovated in 1973, which basically means it was completely redone - kind of like Soldier Field and Lambeau Field a few years back - oh, and Key freakin' Arena in Seattle) The sole reason of moving into a new park that was designed to extract every possible dollar from their fans was clearly greed.

Was George Steinbrenner among those who was crushed in the rubble? Sadly no.

Enjoy your day Yankees fans!

J.R. Smith might have the dunk of the year

I mean... how about that?

Season tickets you just gotta have

If you're a baseball fan, you should get these seats. Sell the house, and live in your car.

How to tell if you're a terrible texter

Are you a bad texter? Here's how you can tell...

1. You have long lines of ".................." in your texts.
2. You don't realize that texting isn't on your phone plan and rack up a $700 phone bill.
3. You use "LOL, ROFL, BRB" in the most innaproriate ways possible. Example...

"My sister just died"
"LOL"
"Why would you text that?"
"That's means Lots of Love? Right?"

4. You have a knack for putting the wrong letters in front of words, so instead of saying "I'd like to get paid today" to your boss, you send "I'd like to get laid today."
5. You ask people how they're doing at least five times during a texting conversation.
6. It takes you five minutes to type one line.

So be warned. Don't be "That texting guy."

Google Maps now has biking directions

Yesterday it was announced that Google Maps will now be featuring bike directions. Which is great.

But how are biking directions different from regular driving directions?

Well take where I'm located for example, Issaquah, WA. Say I am feeling ambitious one morning and want to bike to Seattle. Well the driving directions would be straight down I-90. Can't do that on my bike.

The feature, called Bike There, gives you directions and routes that are either trails, roads with dedicated bike lanes or roads that are good for biking and allows for riders to avoid hills whenever possible.

And Bike There is really easy to use. Just head over to the Google Maps page, and just like you used to be able to pick between car route, public transporation route or walking, you now simply select "bicycling" from the drop down menu.

The official Google blog also had this to say about the feature:

We've also added information about bike trails, lanes and recommended roads directly onto the map. This can help you get a better sense of your route, or let you find trails nearby for a recreational ride. When you're zoomed into a city, click on the "More" button at the top of the map to turn on the "Bicycling” layer. You'll see three types of lines appear on the map:

-Dark green indicates a dedicated bike-only trail;
-Light green indicates a dedicated bike lane along a road;
-Dashed green indicates roads that are designated as preferred for bicycling, but without dedicated lanes

You can head over to Google Maps and try it out for yourself. Now what's your excuse for now biking into work?

(This is from Just Northwest)

Sounders FC gameday

The Seattle Sounders FC take on the Portland Timbers tonight for the Community Shield.

Here's a preview from the Sounders FC site:

Washington 3A State Basketball Tournament: Day 1 results

Earlier today we ran a preview of the Washington 3A high school state basketball tournament in the Tacoma Dome.

Well, it's been a day full of basketball. 16 games in both the girls and boys divisions.

Yet, only 8 boys teams could win and only 8 girls teams.

Here's a recap for Day 1 of the 3A tournament:

BOYS:

• Glacier Peak 59, Franklin Pierce 47
• Lakes 79, Franklin 66
• Rainier Beach 67, Bremerton 63
• Union 63, North Central 54
• Enumclaw 49, Meadowdale 43
• Bellevue 50, Foster 34
• Shadle Park 72, Renton 62
• O'Dea 77, Mt. Rainier 61

That means that Round 2 for tomorrow (March 11) looks like this:

Game 1: Glacier Peak vs. Lakes, 3:30 PM
Game 2: Rainier Beach vs. Union, 5:00 PM
Game 3: Enumclaw vs. Bellevue, 7:00 PM (This is the game to watch. #1 in the state vs #3)
Game 4: Shadle Park vs. O'Dea, 8:30 PM

(View the complete bracket here)


GIRLS:

• Prairie 47, Lynnwood 38
• Holy Names 60, Yelm 33
• Shadle Park 47, Capital 46
• Seattle Prep 45, Bonney Lake 39
• Mercer Island 62, Mt. Rainier 31
• Kennedy 61, East Valley 55
• Shorecrest 52, Lakes 42
• Cleveland 68, White River 57

That means Round 2 for tomorrow (March 11) looks like this:

Game 1: Prairie vs. Holy Names, 3:30 PM
Game 2: Shadle Park vs. Seattle Prep, 5:00 PM
Game 3: Mercer Island vs. Kennedy, 7:00 PM
Game 4: Shorecrest vs. Cleveland, 8:30 PM

(View the complete bracket here)

Boo Montana!

Can I relay to you the hatred I have for Montana? I'm not going to be classy. I'm not going to be professional. The state of the Montana sucks. It's basically a large truck stop in between Idaho and the Dakotas. Their fans are a very close cousin of New York Yankees fans, except with mullets.

And they'll celebrate being in the NCAA Tournament after defeating the Big Sky's No. 1 seed in the Conference Tournament Championship 66-65. The reason? Anthony Johnson isn't human.

The 6-3 senior from Tacoma, WA (Wonderful recruitment Eags) went off for the Grizzlies tonight for 42 points, obviously his highest total of the season and career. Montana trailed Weber State for most of the game and it appeared that the Wildcats were in control but Johnson kept going off, 34 of his points came in the second half. Weber State tensed up and did a perfect choke job.

And now I have to listen all about the Grizzlies before they get blown out in the first round. WONDERFUL. Can we just do away with conference tournaments?

The Ultimate Knife

Looking for that gift for the outdoors person who has everything?

Well, look no more. Because I guarantee that they do not have this.

Introducing the Wenger Swiss Army Knife Giant Multi-Tool. That's right ladies and gentlemen, for only $833.69 this beast of a knife (pictured right) can be yours.

Now the knife may weigh in at just about 2 pounds, but what would you expect from a knife that has 85 different features?

It's basically the Tim "the Toolman" Taylor of knifes.

My favorites of the features include:

• Removable tool for adjusting bike spokes, 10-mm hexagonal key for nuts
• Laser pointer with 300 ft range
• Mineral crystal magnifier with precision screwdriver
• Flashlight
• Golf club face cleaner
• Golf divot repair tool
• Keyring
• And of course a second keyring (why you need two is beyond me)
  

(Please note, the site where this knife is featured, outdoorgb, states that the knife is not meant for practical use but rather for knife collectors)

Still, it's pretty awesome.

(This is from Just Northwest)

Washington 3A State Basketball Tournament

Today the 3A State Tournament starts for both the boys and girls. And each bracket contains a team that I will be rooting for.

In the girls bracket, I'll have to root for my old high school White River. The Hornets begin play tonight at 8:30 against Cleveland.

On the boys side I'll be rooting for the school across the river from White River, and that is Enumclaw. Enumclaw is going for a perfect season and their tournament starts today at 3:30 PM against Meadowdale.

Here are the 16 teams for the boys bracket: (View a complete bracket here)

• Franklin Pierce


• Glacier Peak


• Franklin


• Lakes


• Bremerton


• Rainier Beach


• North Central


• Union


• Meadowdale


• Enumclaw


• Foster


• Bellevue


• Renton


• Shadle Park


• O'Dea


• Mt. Rainier

Here are the 16 teams for the girls bracket: (View a complete bracket here)

• Lynnwood


• Prairie


• Yelm


• Holy Names


• Capital


• Shadle Park


• Seattle Prep


• Bonney Lake


• Mt. Rainier


• Mercer Island


• East Valley (Spokane)


• Kennedy Catholic


• Lakes


• Shorecrest


• Cleveland


• White River

Just South of North will be updating you on each of the days games through Saturday's championship.

Apparently Snow Bleeds

Normally things in Antarctica... aren't red.


Yegads! That is a part of Taylor Glacier, specifically the Blood Falls, located in the dry valleys of Antarctica. Apparently, a lake was covered by the glacier about 2 million years ago, trapping the microbial life inside. They have evolved independently of outside life for all that time, and were discovered due to a few leaks from under the glacier.

The water coming out is red due to iron, and is incredibly salty with almost no oxygen in it. The microbes — 17 different kinds have been found there — must use sulfur as a catalyst instead of oxygen, which has never been seen before.

If any facehuggers pop out of that thing... I'm out!

Miles Daisher skyaking

Today I came across a new sport and it looks awesome. Skyaking.

Now what is skyaking? Well, it's a combination of skydiving and kayaking. Interested? So was I.

The article talks about how Miles Daisher has changed the sport of skydiving after he decided to jump out of an airplane in a whitewater kayak. Thus, "skyaking" was born.

Daisher, who is 40 and from Twin Falls, Idaho, has been perfecting the sport of skyaking for about eight years now.

The article was pretty interesting, if you get a chance you should check it out. Or, you could just watch a video:



Want even more of Miles Daisher and some of the awesome stuff he's done? Well then here you go:



(This is from Just Northwest)

When you're broke, you just have to go to another country to play basketball

Remember Antoine Walker? The former NBA player who collected nearly $100 million during his playing career, only to now be in $4 million dollars in debt. He's now starting a comeback in professional basketball to work off some of that debt... to the tune of $7,000 a week in Puerto Rico.

According to reports coming out of the island, Walker's deal with the Guaynabo Mets is for one month, guaranteed, as they want to see what kind of shape he's in. He is reportedly being paid $7,000 a week. Another former NBA player, Marcus Fizer, also joined the Mets at the same time. They started the season 4-0 according to the standings posted on Latinbasket.com.

If you think about it, that's a pretty ridiculous salary there, and it would be considered a dream job by most of us normal folks. The problem is, even at $7,000 a week, Walker's "salary" puts a very small dent in his actual debt. Poor Antoine, by all accounts a super nice guy who just had too many people clinging on to him and extravagant tastes. Bad money management means he'll be probably pulling off these desperate money acts for some time.

Almost Sounders season

We're big Sounders FC fans around here at Just South of North and will actually be at a few games this season.

The first game I'll be at will be this Thursday when the Sounders take on the dreaded Timbers of Portland. Boo Portland.

But first. Here's a video for the start of the season.

The Zags lost last night

People I don't want to sit next to on the bus

1. People that randomly break out in song - Because this means I'm in some alternate reality where life is actually a musical. And I hate musicals. Espicially musicals about buses.

2. That guy that wears a top hat - aka Jack the freakin' Ripper. Sitting at the bus, staring straight forward, probably deciding how I'll look as a lampshade.

3. Gonzaga fans - Stop complaining about last night, you're still making the tournament.

4. That guy that dresses up like a Stormtrooper - Actually this guy is totally cool in my book.

5. The BO Person that wants to sit as close to possible to me as possible - And to better grasp the amount of BO, I would suggest you stuff your head into a pile of hockey equipment after a game. Then roll around in some cow excrement, sniff the bottom of a horse's hoof, dive into an outhouse head first and take a big sniff of that stinker the Zags laid down in Las Vegas!

6. Meth Addicts Anonymous - Did you just ask to use my phone? Why did you call all these numbers, why were they calling back and demanding money?

7. Super-talkative person - "How 'bout this weather?" ... shut up.

8. People that take up more than just one seat - Oh you're going to sit next to me? With your shopping cart of rare junk collectibles plucked from the mines of Spokane. Sure! Oh you're oozing over into me? I can feel your fat rolls. ick.

Epic Video: Handsome Men's Club

Brandon and I are up for a vote to join this club at next week's meeting. I sure hope Matt Damon is there.

Casey already has one of these ordered

If you truely want to remember the 2010 Olympics, you may want to buy yourself one of these bad boys.

Millions of people tuned in to watch the Olympic closing ceremonies in Vancouver this past Sunday. If you were among them, you might have thought, "What a nice tribute to Canada." Or, "It's great to see the athletes of the world come together." Or, "I really need one of those giant inflatable beavers."

If the last of those sentiments applies to you, good news! According to the Ottawa Citizen, for just five grand, one of those huge rodents can be yours. It's an even better deal considering that's 5,000 Canadian dollars, making it only $4,846.88 U.S. (If you want the 35-foot-tall moose, it'll cost you a little bit more.) 

Only 5,000 dollars for a huge beaver? How could that not be an awesome investment. Something tells me, one of these things will find its way on Oregon State's football field next season.

Further proof newspapers are screwed

We like to keep tabs with the Newspaper industry here at the ol' Just South of North, since at one time Casey and I wanted to be journalists. Then we realized newspapers wont be around in five years. Want proof? US companies are now for the first time spending more money on digital media as opposed to print media.

US companies will spend more this year on digital and online advertising and marketing than on print for the first time ever, according to a study released on Monday.

Companies will spend 119.6 billion dollars on online and digital strategies and 111.5 billion dollars on newspaper and magazine advertisements and other print campaigns, according to the study by California-based Outsell.

Outsell, which provides research and advisory services to the publishing and information industries, described the spending shift as "an industry milestone crossover event." 

What does that mean? That means if you want to sell your product, buying an ad in a solid publication is no longer the preferred choice.Hence, newspapers are screwed. Hooray!

Reasons why you're still single... Ron Artest Hair

If Ron Artest is your moral compass when it comes to picking what you're going to do with your hair... you're in trouble.

I mean look to the right. What the hell is that? Does he have Vulcan spray painted into this hair? And at least he's an NBA player and can usually score any night of the year.

If your internet surfing arse is doing this... well I hope you enjoy eating dinner alone. For the rest of your life.

There I Fixed It!

Go to ThereIFixedIt.com. It's amazing.

Things you don't want to hear during Spring Training...

1. Your star pitcher just got lit up by the Baltimore Orioles, but it's only the first game of spring training. Don't read too much into it. Nevermind your star pitcher showed up overweight, got a face tattoo and was seen taking body shots off of Madonna. No worries. Nosireee!

2. Steroid rumors from one of your team's legendary players to which he denies any connection. Then you look at his rookie card and realize he looked like PeeWee Herman when he came into the league.

3. Clubhouse chemistry issues that should be resolved by the time the season starts. (In other words, somebody is getting stabbed before the All-Star Break)

4. Hey! Your DH hit .200 this year and is 38! But he's looking to bounce back! He even bought a bowflex this offseason and used it once. Then he realized he had to assemble the thing.

5. Trade rumors on where your best player will be by the second week of the season. Never a good sign.

6. "Nobody thinks we'll do anything this season but I think we'll surprise some people" ... okay Washington Nationals... you go do that.

7. "If we need an extra bat, hey... Barry Bonds is always on the market!"

8. Anytime your team is already sending out season ticket renewal forms - you know you might be in trouble this season.

9. "Can you imagine if Lebron played for the Indians!? We'd be unstoppable!"

10. Guess who we got? Carlos Silva!

Outdoor Photo of the Week: A Northwest sport

Today's Outdoor Photo of the Week is from Brian Stern.

Here's what he had to say about it:

Saw this picture and thought of you guys.

Only in the northwest will you find such a native willing to bear the February cold, to catch some ferry waves!

You can view more of Brian's work at his site briansternphotography.com

Think you've got a great outdoor photo? Want to see it hosted on Just South of North? Send your submissions to justsouthofnorth@gmail.com.

Please include your name, a short caption about the photo (date, location, and what makes it special) and your location.

Check back each Sunday for a new Outdoor Photo of the Week.

Casey got hungry, wanted a taco

Yeah, he does this sometimes...

Lackey starts spring training off on the right foot

Sure it's a spring training game and it means absolutely nothing, but it's good to hear that the Red Sox big off season acquisition had a good start yesterday.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- It started with precision and ended without a blemish. John Lackey's debut in a Red Sox uniform -- at least the unofficial one -- went off without a hitch.

The right-hander, who signed a five-year, $82.5 million pact to join forces with the Sox back in December, sent down all six Twins batters he faced in his first Grapefruit League contest on Saturday afternoon.

"I felt pretty good," said Lackey. "It's a good place to start from. It's always different when you have to sit down and get back up for that second inning. It's a little harder to get loose that second inning, as opposed to the first. But overall, [I felt] pretty good, and I'll keep moving forward." 

When you have Beckett, Lester and Lackey as your 1-2-3 in the starting rotation, you're doing reeeeallllyyyy good for yourself. Maybe they wont need a big bat this season after all...

Epic Photo: Broncos fans never cease to amaze

Casey is marrying Broncos fans... does he realize what he's getting into?

What really killed the Dinosaurs...

Saw a feature on Yahoo! today about what really killed the dinosaurs, which cracks me up because how the heck are we supposed to know how a bunch of lizards bit the dust 60 million years ago. I can only imagine what did them in...

Okay, well that would definitely do it.

Stuckey doing fine, released from hospital

Good news being reported, about an hour ago the AP said Rodney Stuckey has been released from the hospital.

DETROIT — Detroit Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey was "doing well" and was released from the hospital Saturday afternoon following his collapse on the bench Friday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

All tests done at the Cleveland Clinic came back normal, the team said. He was returning to Detroit and will undergo further tests.

"He's doing well," Pistons strength and conditioning coach Arnie Kander told The Associated Press on Saturday morning.

Stuckey spent the night at the hospital for observation while cardiologists checked him out. He was conscious and breathing on his own as he was taken to the hospital after collapsing into Kander's arms on the bench during the third quarter.

Let's hope they can find exactly what happened because that kind of thing is very serious. It's good to hear that Rodney is doing better.

Oh Portland

I'm in Portland, Oregon today.

Here's a typical Portlander:

Rodney Stuckey collapses during NBA game

BAD News. Former EWU basketball star Rodney Stuckey collapsed during an NBA game against the Cavs with a seizure. ESPN reported that it looked like he was unconscious when he was taken into an ambulance and off to the hospital in Cleveland. This is a very sad development, I was watching that game and I'm in shock. Holy cow, hopefully we can keep you updated to his situation.

UPDATE - ESPN is reporting that Stuckey is conscious and breathing on his own.

Northwest Photographer of the week: Krystal Brown

Our Northwest Photographer this week is Krystal Brown, an outdoor enthusiast and it certainly shows in her great photography. Here is what she had to say:

I have always had a passion for art, whether it be drawing, painting, or photography. I have been a photographer for about 6 years, the last 3 years pursuing it as a career. My favorite photography is nature and spontaneous portraits. The northwest has so many beautiful plants and scenes that it's hard not to live here and not be an outdoor photographer!

I've attached one (it was so hard to choose!) of my favorite photos that showcases Northwest foliage. This was taken off one of the many Mount Baker trails.

You can see more of Krystal's photography at http://www.solarflarephotography.com/.

Think you've got a great Northwest photo? Want to see it hosted on Just South of North? Send your submissions to justsouthofnorth@gmail.com.

Please include your name, a short caption about the photo (date, location, and what makes it special) and your location. Check back every Friday for our Northwest Photographer of the week!

Smallville Season 10

For those of you who don't know, my favorite show on television is Smallville. Has been since I watched the pilot the night the show started 9 years ago.

Well yesterday the CW announced that they have renewed Smallville for a season 10!

I am too busy most nights to watch any TV at all, so I was sad to see the one show that I actually watch going to leave. But now I'm stoked for a 10th season.

Here's what the press release said:

March 4, 2010 ( Burbank , California ) ─ The CW Network has announced that its hit series “Smallville” will return in the fall of 2010 for a momentous tenth season.

“Smallville,” a modern retelling of the Superman legend, stars Tom Welling as Clark Kent . The series moved to Friday nights this season, where it currently ranks as network television’s #1 show in its time period among men 18-34 and men 18-49. Additionally, “Smallville” has dramatically improved The CW’s ratings performance in its Friday 8:00-9:00p.m.time period by 67% among adults 18-34 (1.5/6), 200% in men 18-34 (1.8/7), 75% in adults 18-49 (1.4/5), 183% in men 18-49 (1.7/6) and 74% in total viewers (3.12million).

“Smallville” joins the five previously announced series – “The Vampire Diaries,” “Gossip Girl,” “90210,” “Supernatural” and “ America ’s Next Top Model” – which will all return for another season on The CW.

“Smallville” was developed for television by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar (“Shanghai Noon,” “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”), based on the DC Comics characters. Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson serve as executive producers, along with James Marshall, Mike Tollin, Brian Robbins and Joe Davola. The series is produced by Tollin/Robbins Productions, Millar/Gough Ink and Warner Bros. Television. SUPERMAN was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Now I can't wait for how they are going to advance the current storylines. Should make for a great spring for the show.

Epic Video: Community

Every Thursday is Community on NBC.

While NBC might have royally screwed up the Olympics, this show hits a home run. Last nights episode was HILARIOUS.

Alice Telford

My dad directed me to an article about Alice Telford.

If you have a moment, you should check it out. It's a great story and very inspiring one.

Here's a snippet:

She’s petite, quick to smile, and full of energy. In spite of a knee replacement, some arthritis issues and a recent 86th birthday, Alice keeps up a schedule that would make Jack LaLanne proud. She begins her mornings by carefully working on her knee, putting it through a little physical therapy to aid its recovery from the surgery, then she climbs stairs—a full sixteen flights before breakfast.

Oh and by the way, she had to recently reduce her maximum daily riding distance to ONLY 70 miles.

You can read the rest of this great story over at Cycle and Style.

(This is from Just Northwest)

Milton Bradley thinks Chicago sucks

So Milton Bradley (the guy that the Seattle Mariners got to unloaded for Carlos Silva) sucked for most of his time with the Chicago Cubs, which he apparently blames on the windy city.

“Two years ago, I played, and I was good,” Bradley said. “I go to Chicago, not good. I’ve been good my whole career. So, obviously, it was something with Chicago, not me.”

Considering he was actually quite productive before going to Chicago, there might be some truth about it. Or Bradley has just been a nutcase his entire career and the Cubs were the first team where he was a nutcase and a not-so-great player. Uh oh...

Lebron James does another sick highlight, this time he almost hits his head on the rim

Awesome Lebron James videos are now becoming a weekly occurrence. Notice in this video that he has to duck and avoid the rim when slamming down the alley oop. Holy cow.

Bad things to say to Tiger when he returns to golf

1. So I know this good strip club just down the road...
2. Don't go around the tree! Attack it like you want to run it over!
3. Do you text message?
4. So you looked TOTALLY akward during your last press conference
5. Why is your wife following us?

Beltre plays with reckless underwear habits

After making a small baker's dozen of Adrian Beltre jokes concerning his testicles last year, I'm going to have to BEG him to wear a cup this year when he suits up for the Red Sox. This isn't Seattle, some people in the AL East can occasionally hit the ball a time or two.

"They say I'm crazy not to wear the cup," Beltre said. "But I say, if the ball's going to hit me there [once] every 11 1/2 years, I'll take my chances.'' [...]

Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu insisted Beltre wear a cup when he came back from the injury. It didn't last long.

"I wore it for a couple of days so they think I'm wearing it,'' said Beltre. "After that, I stopped. At the end of the year, I was back to natural.''

But why on Earth would he go back to the hot corner without protection?

"That's a good question,'' Beltre said.

RIP Adrian Beltre's manhood.

Rodney Stuckey - don't mess with him

I'm sorry if I ever show my blatent EWU fandom, but here is Rodney Stuckey delivering a MONSTER BLOCK. You just have to see it.

In other news, Adam Morrison did nicely on the bench the other night for the Lakers.

Epic Photo: This dog has some wheels!

Burning rubber with those wheels!

Hoppa, A Mixed Breed Dog Born Without Front Legs, Uses A Prosthetic Device To Walk Outside In Tel Aviv

Hoppa, a four-year-old mixed breed dog born without front legs, uses a prosthetic device to walk outside in the central Israeli city of Tel Aviv February 28, 2010.

The device was invented especially for Hoppa by a animal-loving art student, who hopes his wheeling device will improve the lives of pets born with abnormalities or with amputated limbs.

Can he pop a WHEEL-E?... oh I kill myself sometimes.

Earth in HD!

NASA just released it's latest "blue marble" photo of the entire earth. Since this is 2010, it was significantly more detailed than all the other "blue marble" photos of the planet they have released. If you're wondering what that means, I can't help you but I can only assume that means photos of the entire freakin' planet.

This is the latest photo released by NASA, put together through a montage of high detail photos.

Pretty cool eh? And it's a significant improvement over the world famous Apollo 17 photo of basically the same thing.

Yep things just look cooler in high def.

I-5 Colonnade Mountain Bike Park

The Northern Rangers headed out to the I-5 Colonnade Mountain Bike Park in Seattle, Washington. Here's a short preview of the area:



(This is from Just Northwest)

2010 Eastern Washington football schedule

The Eastern Washington University football schedule for the upcoming season was released today. Here is a look at it:

2010 EWU Schedule
9/2 - at Nevada
9/11 - Central Washington (site to be determined)
9/18 - Montana
9/25 - at Montana State
10/2 - at Weber State
10/9 - Northern Arizona
10/16 - at Northern Colorado
10/23 - Sacramento State
10/30 - at Portland State
11/6 - Open
11/13 - Southern Utah
11/20 - Idaho State

The post-Matt Nichols era will begin with a big game in Nevada. Should start the season off on the right foot.

The reason that the game against Central is listed as "site to be determined" is that the two schools are trying to work out the game to be played in Qwest Field. Last season the Eagles took on Portland State in Qwest and it was an AWESOME game.

Now the big note is that the game against Montana is on September 18. That game will be HUGE! Not only is this always a huge game, but it also is Welcome Back Weekend with all the students returning to campus.

Oh, and it would be the first football game in history played on RED TURF. Pretty darn sweet. And you can bet your socks that the Northern Rangers will be out there.

Check out our video from last year about the Eastern gameday experience:



Man I wish football season was closer!

Live Game Blog: Cal State - Bakersfield/Gonzaga

It's Gonzaga! It's Cal State Bakersfield! It's Senior Night! This game has absolutely no bearing on anything and Gonzaga will probably crush Bakersfield.

It has all the makings of a wonderful live game blog. Stay tuned, because I'll probably take 2,378 shots at Gonzaga.

FOR THE FULL GAME BLOG CLICK HERE

Chile earthquake shifted the Earth's Axis... yep we're screwed

Yep, that Chile earthquake was one of the most intense in human history. And it shifted the Earth's axis. Wow.

The massive 8.8 earthquake that struck Chile may have changed the entire Earth's rotation and shortened the length of days on our planet, a NASA scientist said Monday.

The quake, the seventh strongest earthquake in recorded history, hit Chile Saturday and should have shortened the length of an Earth day by 1.26 milliseconds, according to research scientist Richard Gross at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

"Perhaps more impressive is how much the quake shifted Earth's axis," NASA officials said in a Monday update.

The computer model used by Gross and his colleagues to determine the effects of the Chile earthquake effect also found that it should have moved Earth's figure axis by about 3 inches (8 cm or 27 milliarcseconds). 

Anytime you can shift the Earth's axis by three inches... you just got to do it right? It looks like we're on pace for a 2012 end of the world scenario. Hooray!

Coolest desk ever

When I make my millions, I am soooo getting this desk.

Note to the bible preaching guy at the STA Bus Place

STA Bus Station - Sometimes a scary place to be since there are some fairly sketchy/wacky people  hanging out there.

Crazy Preacher Guy - This guy's sole goal is to piss people off to "spread the word." Pretty terrible way to spark intelligent debate about religon.

Combine the two and you have a royal situation of crap on your hand. The last thing people at the STA Bus Plaza want to be told is there going to hell.

When actually, they're going down Division St.

So what does this guy actually accomplish, two pissed off STA guards who have to stand by this guy to make sure he doesn't get stabbed for being a royal douche. And then every poor tweaker riding the bus freaking out because somebody is yelling at them. That is just a wonderful idea. Congrats Crazy Preacher Dude!

(And by the way the "pissed of security guard standing by the guy by trying to look uninterested and annoyed as possible" stance should be something replicated by youth football league refs and members of Congress. Highly entertaining.)

Being a somewhat religous person myself, I figured I would at least listen to what this guy is screaming, and what I deducted from the situation was that his reasoning and statements were contradictory and generally ran around in circles. Basically he was saying "Join us or else!" ... I mean there is a way to talk about these sorts of things, but using inflamatory statements are not one of them. 

And one of my biggest pet peeves is that these guys automatically assume that (1) the people have never heard about god and that (2) these people aren't Christian even though it's the predominant religion in America.

The real cherry on the top was when a guy went up to the preacher and asked him for change. The preacher sluffed him off like a cheap pair of shoes. I found it ironic, but I guess that goes in with what he was saying "good acts don't get you into heaven" ...

But berated poor people and telling them that they're going to hell? Oh yeah, first class to up there!

Things I'd rather have than Clipper Tickets

1. A mutant form of the Swine Flu that has fused itself with an STD.
2. Joba Chamberlains Meth-addicted mom as a roommate.
3. Knuckle hair. Lots of it.
4. A malfunction on my television that only allows me to watch the Canadian Broadcasting Network.
5. Large child-bearing hips.

Or what do you think? Should I break down and become a Clippers fan?

Reasons why you're still single...

You own this t-shirt, which is available online for purchase!

It's also a sign you haven't had a female over since they release Episode I: The Phantom Menace. And that was your cousin...

Pregnant Zags

As a guy in his mid-twenties, pregnant women scare that crap out of me. However, apparently two assistant coaches for the GU Women's basketball team are expecting. That's got a be a bit distracting right? Nope, they just went 14-0 in conference en route to the regular season championship.

There must be something in the water in the Gonzaga University Athletic Department. Two of the assistant coaches for the GU Women’s Basketball team are pregnant, making for an interesting season on the sidelines. Thursday night, the GU Women won the WCC Conference. When Lisa Mispley Fortier and Jodie Kaczor Berry celebrated the win, they were each celebrating for two. Kaczor Berry is halfway through her pregnancy, with a baby boy due in July. Mispley Fortier is much farther along; her child is due April 1st, two days before the Final Four. “It’s getting a little bit tougher to stand up in practice all day,” Lisa said. “I keep dropping my pen during games and I can’t pick it up!”

On another note, none of the GU women players are pregnant, which probably makes their chances for an NCAA berth much higher.

This little guy is ready for his close up

Talk about a camera hog... yeesh!