Sunday, April 27, 2014

Looking Back

Looking back at the past five years of this blog site (Heftyinfo started on May 13, 2009) a lot has happened in this world, both politically and in the sports world.
There are many other blog sites and bloggers that have been associates of mine throughout these five years as well.
Fellow sports blogger Carlos (Sportaholic blog and producer of Sportaholic Radio show) is one who comes to mind when it comes to the "first love" of this site, which is sports. He doesn't blog too much these days as he has gone into other venues in the sports world, covering the teams in Memphis, Tennessee.
Another blogger is Bob (I Should Be Laughing) who is a true progressive and it isn't afraid to show his true colors and wears it on his sleeve as he churns out several posts daily on his blog site. He is a real trooper and has a great site.
There are several others, but four or five people come to mind as two still blog (one regularly and one not as much these days) with Cut and Dry putting out stylish posts from Betty, who has a ton of followers to her site. Bruce isn't real active these days with his site (Coltin1948) but when he does put up a post, it is worth checking out. This man has a way with words.
Three others who fell off the horizon on the blogosphere since 2009 include Rae, John and Lesley, who were very active and then just stopped blogging.
John (John Abuzz) is a big St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan who was into celebrity gossip for the most part on his site, along with other topics, but hasn't blogged regularly since three years ago. As for Lesley (My Turn To Rant and My Turn To Talk) she found employment down in Texas and as life goes, stopped blogging about the corrupt politicians of this country. She always did it with real wit as she ripped the GOP and in particular, those in the state of Texas.
Rae (The Olde Weather Vane) was a blogger friend who would comment frequently here as I would also do on her site, which featured personal stories and stunning photos of her residence and hometown in Illinois. Rae is a retired RN and perhaps her health was in decline as she does battle MS and showed great strength and fortitude posting on her site while attending to family and friends on a daily basis.
For whatever reasons, she stopped blogging and fell out of (blogging) touch with this site and several others two years ago.
When that happens you stop and wonder how these people are doing these days. John and Bob both are on social media sites and we keep in contact there too.
Blogging is a hobby for me and while the posts haven't been as frequent in 2014 as in years past (very busy these days with work schedule and other activities in life) this site will continue to monitor the political world with lively perspective and of course, sports will be covered.
It's good to check out other blogs and and explore some new sites to see how people are feeling on various subjects and topics, but at the same time there is a time and place (as John once said on his site) so one doesn't become obsessed with blogging.
So, in the meantime, keep blogging my friends and looking forward to the new posts out there when the opportunity comes.
And once again, thanks for all the support for this site over the past five years and looking forward to more in the next five and beyond.




Saturday, April 19, 2014

NBA - Playoffs Preview

Who's ready for a rematch of last year's exciting NBA Finals that went seven games?
That may be the case as the top seeded San Antonio Spurs (62-20) rule the Western Conference and the Miami Heat (54-28), the second seed in the Eastern Conference, look to get back to the Finals once again.
The Spurs' Big Three of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili against Miami's Big Three of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.
Classic!
There are some good matchups in the first round of the playoffs and it should be interesting to see what happens during the next two months of these playoffs.
The following offers a capsule style breakdown of the opening rounds in each conference and then the picks for the Finals and an eventual champion for the 2013-14 season.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlanta Hawks (38-44) vs. Indiana Pacers (56-26) - Pacers should win this series after a severe late season slump. (Pacers in five games)

Charlotte Bobcats (43-39) vs. Miami Heat (54-28) - Heat rolls! (Heat in four)

Brooklyn Nets (44-38) vs. Toronto Raptors (48-34) - The lower seeded Nets are actually a slight favorite to win this series ... it could happen. (Nets in seven)

Washington Wizards (44-38) vs. Chicago Bulls (48-34) - The amazing Bulls (without star player Derek Rose) continue to play great basketball and should advance. (Bulls in six)

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Dallas Mavericks (49-33) vs. San Antonio Spurs (62-20) - The Spurs are on a mission to claim what was theirs to win last season. (Spurs in five games)

Memphis Grizzlies (50-32) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (59-23) - This series could go either way, but look for the Thunder to move on in the playoffs. (Thunder in five)

Golden State Warriors (51-31) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (57-25) - Expect a long series with the possibility of the underdog Warriors moving on. (Warriors in six)

Portland Trailblazers (54-28) vs. Houston Rockets (54-28) - Another West playoff series that could go the entire seven games to determine a winner. Toss up in this one. (Blazers in six)

Predictions for the rest of the playoffs . . .

EAST

Semi Finals - Indiana over Chicago in seven games.  Miami over Brooklyn in five games.

Conference Final Miami over Indiana in six games.

WEST

Semi Finals - San Antonio over Portland in six games.  Oklahoma City over Golden State in six games.

Conference Final - San Antonio over Oklahoma City in seven games.


                                                                       NBA FINALS

                                                San Antonio Spurs over Miami Heat in six games.  







Tuesday, April 15, 2014

NHL - Playoffs Preview

The 2013-14 NHL regular season is in the books and now it's time for playoff action.
The Chicago Blackhawks will be looking to defend their Stanley Cup title as they face the struggling St. Louis Blues in the opening round in the Western Conference.
Meanwhile in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Bruins (2010-11 champions) will be looking to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals after losing in six games to Chicago last year.
The sport of hockey is very unpredictable, especially when the playoffs come around and this year could be more of the same. There is good balance in each conference with six out of the eight playoff teams in the West getting 100 or more points this season. In the East, four of the teams totaled 100 points or more. Boston and Anaheim are the top seeds in their respective conferences this year.
Having a hot goaltender always works wonders for a team in the post-season as well and the Bruins have the great Tuukka Rask in the nets while Chicago boasts Corey Crawford, who led the way for the Blackhawks last year. Not to be over looked is Ryan Miller with the St. Louis Blues and Gold Medal goaltender (from Canada) Carey Price with the Montreal Canadiens, who along with the Detroit Redwings, took three of four games against the Bruins this season.
Look for some surprises along the way over the next two months as the teams battle it out and settle things in early June with the Stanley Cup Finals.

Here is a capsule style breakdown of the first round playoff matchups with predictions following, including the Stanley Cup finalists and eventual champions.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche - The Avalanche should bury the Wild. (Colorado in five games)
Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues - This series could go the distance and provide some great excitement along the way with two of the best goalies in the NHL taking part in the action. (Chicago in six games)
Anaheim Ducks vs. Dallas Stars - This could be a surprise in the making if the Ducks take the Stars too lightly. Beware!  (Anaheim in six games)
San Jose Sharks vs. Los Angeles Kings - The Kings could very well crown the Sharks in this opening round series. (Los Angeles in seven games)

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Detroit Redwings vs. Boston Bruins - The Bruins have shown to be the best team in the NHL during the regular season ... now they must prove it in the post-season. (Boston in six games)
Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning - The Canadiens have been one of the hotter teams in the NHL down the stretch. (Montreal in six games)
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Pittsburgh Penguins - This could be over in a real hurry. (Penguins in five games)
Philadelphia Flyers vs. New York Rangers - Two fierce rivals go at each other in what could be the best opening round series of the playoffs. (Philadelphia in seven games)

The rest of the way . . .

WEST                                                                                  EAST
Chicago over Colorado in seven games                               Montreal over Boston in six games
Los Angeles over Anaheim in seven games                         Pittsburgh over Philadelphia in six games

WEST FINALS - Chicago over Los Angeles in five games

EAST FINALS - Pittsburgh over Montreal in six games




 



                                                   






      STANLEY CUP FINALS

                                                                           

                                      Pittsburgh Penguins over Chicago Blackhawks in seven games








A Message To The Oligarchic Society

Hey Corporate America, today is April 15th, otherwise known as Tax Day ... so here's a message from Uncle Sam!


Sunday, April 13, 2014

Republicans Have Blood On Their Hands

 This is a follow up to a recent post regarding Florida governor Rick Scott's refusal to accept federal funds from the Affordable Healthcare Act (aka Obamacare) and the death of a Florida woman named Charlene Dill as a result of the petty politics displayed by Scott and other GOP leaders in states around the United States of America.
It is worth a watch as Free Speech TV and radio talk show Thom Hartmann describes the situation that took place on this matter.




Sunday Stew of Topics

For the first time in quite some time, here's a heaping of some "Sunday Stew" on a far range of topics  . . . . .


The Illinois race for governor is certainly heating up as embattled incumbent Pat Quinn (Democrat) and Republican challenger Bruce Rauner, a vulture capitalist who has never held any kind of public office and who made his fortune off the backs of others just like  Mitt Romney, went at each other in the first of many debates until the election in early November ... stay tuned.

The 2014  Major League Baseball season opened up recently and from all indications, it looks like it will be yet another unpredictable season. (The Chicago Cubs are off to a rocky start once again while the White Sox seem to be improved on offense) The hottest team in the early going is the Milwaukee Brewers, who won their eighth straight game last night, and are off to a league best 9-2 start.

How about those Republicans in the U.S. Congress? Not only does Paul Ryan's budget propose to decimate programs that literally millions of Americans benefit from, but that Republican twerp from Wisconsin also wants to give the top one percent income earners yet another tax cut. The good news is that even though it breezed through the GOP controlled House, it is DOA in the Senate, where (THANK GOD) the Democratic party still has the majority control.

Speaking of which, what is with the so called "mainstream" corporate media mind fucking the American people about this November's mid-term elections? The way these corporate puppets are talking, the Republicans are already in control of the U.S. Senate.  God forbid that should happen!

The U.S. Supreme Court needs revamping, or at least the rules regarding said court. Since when are they the "kings and queens" of this land of ours? They seem to take up cases (Citizens United in 2010 and more recently this joke called McCutcheon) that allow the uber rich to take over our political process... Hell, why not just install feudal lords and allow them to call the rest of us "serfs" and just get it over with already.

If the Dems had any semblance of a spine,  and that includes President Barack Obama, they would tell their Republican counterparts to go straight to hell regarding the policies this country is enacting because the American people (for the SECOND TIME) overwhelmingly voted Obama as POTUS, in spite of the SCOTUS decisions allowing the floodgates of money to pervert the elections.

Another observation here is that the entertainment world (TV, movies, sports, etc.) seems to be on board with the mentality of the corporate masterhood. Just look at the shows that are on these days... Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Hell on Wheels, Walking Dead, etc. plus the disgusting trend for major media outlets such as ESPN giving regular coverage to crap like ultimate fighting and the like. Not to mention the fact that the sports stadiums change their names regularly as a different corporation puts it's name and logo on the front gate marquee.

Regarding sports, it should be interesting to see how this year's NBA and NHL playoffs go along. The obvious choice for the Stanley Cup Finals is the Boston Bruins and the St. Louis Blues, although the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks will have something to say about that. In the NBA, look for a possible repeat of last year's Finals between the Miami Heat and the ageless San Antonio Spurs, the team with the best record this season.

In closing, how high will gas prices go this summer around the country (already at $4.09_9 here in Chicagoland area) as the Wall Street speculators continue to drive the price of oil up and up on futures? Don't be surprised if you see the prices shooting as high as FIVE DOLLARS A GALLON this summer.

In the meantime, get out and enjoy yourselves as the weather gets better around the nation and we head toward the good old summertime.

















Tuesday, April 8, 2014

40 Years Ago Today

It was 40 years ago today, on April 8, 1974 that Hank Aaron made baseball history by hitting his 715th career home run to pass Babe Ruth as the All-Time Home Run King in Major League Baseball.

                                                                     

UCONN WINS NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

The Connecticut Huskies are the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Champions after beating the Kentucky Wildcats, 60-54 on Monday night in Dallas, Texas.
The title was the second in the last four years for the Huskies and the fourth in the school's history.

Sunday, April 6, 2014

NCAA Basketball - It's Down to Two Teams

It will be Connecticut and Kentucky in the NCAA Basketball Championship Game on Monday night in Dallas, Texas after the UConn Huskies buried the top ranked Florida Gators, 63-53 while the young Wildcats, led by five freshmen, topped the Wisconsin Badgers, 74-73 on a late three-point jumper by Aaron Harrison.
These two teams were not considered by many to be able to get to the Final Four when the tournament started just over two weeks ago. Connecticut is 31-8 while Kentucky is 29-10 heading into the
Championship Game.
But here they are, two traditional basketball powerhouses going at it in the championship game. Kentucky won it all two years ago while the Huskies did the same just the year before, beating back upstart Butler University in the 2011 title game.
In fact, since the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament expanded to 64-plus teams back in 1985, these two schools each have won three championship games (Kentucky in 1996, 1998 and 2012 and UConn in 1999, 2004 and 2011), second only to Duke, which has four NCAA basketball titles (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010) in that same time period.
It should be a good game as both teams came in apparently under rated by the selection committee as the Huskies were the seventh seed from the East region and Kentucky was seeded eighth in the Midwest region.
Go figure.
So, for what it is worth (Heftyinfo had just Florida left as picked to go to the Final Four this year) here is the prediction for the title game.

CONNECTICUT 68, KENTUCKY 64

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

TRAITORS

Once again, five right wingers on the United States Supreme Court betray the REAL PEOPLE of the United States of America with their insane decision on McCutcheon, thus allowing corporations and individuals (Sheldon Edelson, Koch brothers, etc.) to spend unlimited amounts of money to get their puppets elected into the U.S. Congress.
But, don't give up hope folks because those same rich bastards (along with Karl Rove's PACs) spent MILLIONS and MILLIONS in the 2012 election and LOST the presidential election, along with nine US House seats and two Senate seats.
Shame on you traitors of the United States .. Scalia, Thomas, Roberts, Alito and Kennedy.
You five are a disgrace to the United States Supreme Court!