Category Archives: Lucky 7s

Seven Reasons Mark Cuban Needs to Buy the Dodgers

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Mark Cuban guest starred in the episode.

Image via Wikipedia

For the second straight year the Los Angeles Dodgers failed to make the post-season. While it may not bring immediate results, I think the best thing that could happen for the franchise of my youth would be if Mark Cuban were to buy the Blue Crew.

When Cuban burst onto the the professional sports scene I found him obnoxious and boorish. I was convinced that he’d never take his team all the way.

In the decade that’s followed Cuban won me over and his Mavericks are the defending NBA Champions. Now I’m a fan.

In this edition of Lucky Sevens I’d like to present seven reasons why the Dodgers need Mark Cuban to buy them.

Brand Name

How many NBA owners not named Mark Cuban can you name? That’s what I thought. Cuban as a brand is just as well known as his team.

Star Power

There’s no denying Cuban’s in love with the limelight. Truth is, he handles it pretty well. Stints on Dancing with the Stars and Shark Tank have solidified Cuban as not only a sports figure, but as an entertainer as well.

Showtown will embrace Cuban as one of their own.

Free Chalupas at Dodger Stadium

Early in his tenure as Mav’s owner, Cuban routinely gave out Taco Bell chalupas to all ticket-holders who attended a game where they scored 100 or more.

Forget Dodger Dogs, LA’s Angelino community will go crazy over free non-authentic Mexican cuisine.

Deal Maker

Mark Cuban understands the business of professional sports. He’s proven that he can land key talent including future Hall-of-Famer Jason Kidd.

Just think of what he could do for LA in a year when both Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder are free agents!

Can Keep Talent

In order to build championship calibre teams, the Dodgers need to keep existing Dodgers’ stars Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, and Clayton Kershaw.

After his 2006 NBA Finals collapse, many sports pundits thought Dirk Nowitzki needed to leave Dallas in order to have success again. Cuban managed to keep Nowitzki and both have been vindicated during the most recent NBA Finals.

Can Work with a Difficult Commissioner

After dealing with the Angel of Stern for the last eleven years working with Bud Selig should be like a walk in the park.

Can Win

It’s been over 20 years since LA last won the World Series. I’m not saying it’ll happen overnight, but Mark Cuban can make it happen for the Dodgers.

You can’t argue with hardware. He got close in 2006, but in 2011 Cuban and his Dallas Mavericks won the NBA Finals.

Los Angeles Dodgers Logo

The Dodgers are arguably the most important professional sports team in America. This is the team of Jackie Robinson and Fernandomania. With Mark Cuban as owner, they can be great again.

Do you think Mark Cuban would be a good ball club owner? Who would do better? Sound off in the comments below.

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Turbo Charge Your Lunch Break in Seven Easy Steps

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"Men and women employees on the "swi...

Image via Wikipedia

Smack dab in the middle of each day we have the chance to take a break from work, eat, and recharge. How sad is it that so few of us take full advantage of this opportunity!

It’s been quite some time since the last (consequently the first and heretofore only the third) post in my Lucky Sevens series. So, today, I’m sharing seven tips on how to make the most of your lunch break.

Not Work

Let me dispel a myth—you’re not required to work through lunch. Sadly, quite a few of us suffer from the delusion that we need to power on through the day without so much as a potty break let alone stopping to eat.

Do yourself a favor, don’t take any calls, don’t answer your email, save your filing for later, etc. It will all be there when you get back.

Eat

This seems fairly obvious, but I’m always surprised by how many people I know who go the entire workday without a bite to eat. It’s just not healthy to skip meals. You’ll be less cranky if nothing else and your co-workers will thank you.

Brown Bag It

Healthy Lunch
Image courtesy of Wikimedia

I’ve got two great reasons for why you should bring your lunch whenever you can.

1) You control the portions and the content. This means you’ll have a better idea of how many calories you’re wolfing down and how much fat you’ve got to burn at the gym later. When you eat out it’s a lot more difficult to know exactly what you’re putting into your body.

2) You save money. The cost of a ham & cheese sandwich plus a baggie of chips and a drink from home is about three to five bucks. It’s easy to spend well over $10 on a restaurant lunch.

Eat Outside

Weather permitting, I love to eat outside. This past week in Houston we had some unseasonably lovely weather and I was able to take advantage of it. I find it much more enjoyable to eat under the sun than under the flicker of fluorescent lighting any day.

When you eat outside you gain the added benefit of not being interrupted by co-workers. If I had a nickel for every time someone came up to me in the break-room and said “I’m sorry to bug you on your lunch break, but…” I’d have way more nickels than I currently do.

Go for a Walk

Don’t have time to exercise? Yeah, I tell that lie, too.

It probably doesn’t take you your entire lunch break to eat your food (especially if you bring it from home). Why not get a little exercise? Your heart will thank you.

Read a Book

One of the most common excuses I hear from people who don’t read is that, although they want to, they don’t have any time.

Read a paragraph in between bites and then spend the rest of your break turning pages. That way you won’t need to pretend you’ve read the title at your next book club meeting.

Go for a Date

With three kiddos it can be a challenge for us to schedule a regular date night. So, the wife and I sometimes get together for lunch.

Our lunch dates take us away from our daily tasks and help us stay connected. Show your loved ones you care and that you’d rather be with them than at work.

Cubicle workers of the world unite! It’s high time we reclaimed our lunch hour. Most of the tips I’ve shared can be combined with one or more of the others to further boost the effectiveness of your break.

How do you make the most of your lunch break? Sound off in the comments below.

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Seven Other Men with a Golden Voice

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In case you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t heard of Ted Williams—not the legendary Red Sox slugger—the formerly homeless man with an amazing radio voice who rocketed to fame last month, you really need to check out the video below.

I know we’re only in February, but Ted’s journey from the streets back to the sound booth is already in contention for the feel good story 2011.

So, in honor of his status as the ”Man with the Golden Voice“ I propose to share my very own list of seven other men who possess a golden voice.

  1. Frank Sinatra

    My life in Agfacolor
    Photo by marcelo noah

    Old Blue Eyes had pipes that would have made Michael Bublé jealous. Just listen to 30 seconds of The Way You Look Tonight or Fly Me to the Moon and you’ll agree.

  2. Jim Dale
    HP_OOTP
    Photo courtesy of my flickr 

    Dale enjoyed a long stage and film career before he came into the work he was born to do. For the last 12 years, he has been the faithful narrator of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series. These books are a wonderful read, but I submit that the experience is even sweeter when listening as Jim Dale voices the roles of Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore, and friends (and enemies). Currently, you can download Dale reading Potter for your iPod on iTunes.

  3. Casey Kasem
    Casey Kasem
    Photo courtesy of Alan Light 

    Zoinks! Casey Kasem lent his talents to portray the voracious, Shaggy—Scooby Doo’s sidekick. But, where Kasem’s talents shone through was as the host of American Top 40 which he hosted for about a quarter of a century. “Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.”

  4. James Earl Jones
    James Earl Jones
    Photo courtesy of Glasgow Film Festival 

    Without James Earl Jones’ deep bass voice, Darth Vader is just some tallm leather-clad creep with in a helmet wearing an electronic chestplate. With the voice, however, he’s the Dark Lord of the Sith—merciless, ruthless, and absolutely devoted to the Dark Side. Whether he’s explaining the Circle of Life or walking off into the corn fields of Iowa with dead major leaguers, James’ voice lends gravitas to each of the characters he plays.

  5. Billy Mays
    Billy Mays Dies 1958-2009
    Photo courtesy of Nevada Tumbleweed 

    Billy Mays was the consummate As Seen on TV product pitchman. He was as known as much for his Al Borland style beard as he was for his permanent, CAPS LOCK ON ALL THE TIME voice. The man could sell sub-zero freezers in Antarctica.

  6. Don LaFontaine (AKA the Movie Trailer Guy)You might not know the name, but once you hear the voice you’ll instantly recognize him from hundreds of movie trailers, commercials, and voiceovers. It’s easy to see why LaFontaine was nicknamed “Thunder Throat” and even “The Voice of God” as, more often than not, the trailers he recorded were better than the actual movies they were promoting thanks to Don’s trademarked “In a world where …” delivery.
  7. Mel Blanc
    Mel Blanc
    Photo courtesy of Alan Light 

    For decades children and adults alike all over the world have been entertained by the likes of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester & Tweety Bird, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, Marvin the Martian, (and many, many more) all of whom were voiced by Mel Blanc—The Man with 1000 Voices.

In your opinion, who has a golden voice? Who did I miss? Sound off in the comments below.

Hey, Wait a Minute (I Wrote a Post)

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Hey_Wait_A_Minute.png

A few weeks ago the fine folks at Mac.Appstorm issued a call for writers and I responded.

After reviewing some of my previous posts here and elsewhere they said they’d be glad to welcome me into the fold.

My first post went up today! Following along the lines of my Lucky 7′s theme, I’ve listed 7 Delightfully Nerdy Apps for Math and Science Geeks.

Head on over to Mac.Appstorm and let me know what you think.

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Seven Reasons I Won’t Be Watching The Expendables

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If box office results are to believed, I’m the only person in the world who hasn’t seen The Expendables yet.

And I have no plans to do so, either***. Why not? Read on below.

  1. No Laurence Tureaud. The first thing I notice when I look over the Expendables cast is the distinct lack of mowhawks and gold chains. Bringing in Tureaud (AKA Mr. T) gives you an instant boost in both categories. If I was casting a movie full of 80′s action movie stars, how could I pass on Mr. T? Not only was he B. A. Baracus, a member of the completely expendable A-Team, but he went toe-to-toe with old Sly in Rocky III. Plus, he had his own cartoon and “I pity the foo’ who don’t eat [his] breakfast cereal”.

    Mr. T as B.A. Baracus
    Image courtesy of Wikipedia
  2. No Kurt Russell. Sure, he started out as a teenage computer who played with chimpanzees at good old Medfield College. But, eventually he was able to escape from New York and LA. As a bonus, he’s able to tell if one of his teammates is actually a shape-shifting alien, in disguise. I give him extra points if he wears his eye patch.

    Escape from New York Movie Poster in Italian
    Image courtesy of bavatuesdays on flickr
  3. No Hulk Hogan.

    WrestleMania III Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant
    Image courtesy of Wikipedia
    I’m willing to overlook his previous questionable choice of roles (Muppets from Space—yikes!, Mr. Nanny—whoops!, etc.) because of just how incredible the Hulkster is. I mean, if you’re gonna cast a wrestler in a movie there’s only one real choice (not Dwayne Johnson). I’m talking about the dude who body slammed all 540+ lbs. of Andre the Giant.


    Plus, the Hulkster’s fu manchu style mustache is way more awesome than Stone Cold and his played–out goatee.

  4. No Mel Gibson. Some actors play crazy. Mel is crazy.
    Mel Gibson Mugshot
    Image courtesy of The Smoking Gun
    What Mr. Gibson may lack in sanity he makes up with acting chops. How many other action heroes have the skills to cry on queue?
  5. No Wesley Snipes. Right about now, Wes could really use some money and I’m not even sure he’s out of the clink yet. If The Expendables had come out earlier this summer it would have had to contend with blood-sucking teeny boppers in its quest for box office dominance. No one would have been better equipped to deal with this peril than the OG Vampire Slayer.

    twilight-ending-blade.jpeg
    Image courtesy of The Internet (I have no idea where this thing came from)
  6. No Pauly Shore. Is there an actor in all of Hollywood more expendable than “The Weasel”, himself? I thought not.
    Pauly Shore: In the Army Now
    Image courtesy of rewriter42 photobucket
    His purpose in the movie would be to try to prove that he could do anything all the big, tough guys can do. But, instead he’d accidentally lock himself in a bio-dome with Stephen Baldwin or Brendan Fraser which would blow up before the first scene was over.
  7. No Chuck Norris.
    He’s a living Kung Fu legend and whether he’s freeing POW’s or endorsing Republican Presidential candidates, evil-doers all the world over tremble at the mere thought of being on the receiving end of one of his epic roundhouse kicks to the throat.

    Action Jeans from Chuck Norris
    Image courtesy of locationscout on flickr
    Chuck is more than just an action movie legend. The man is a meme! His glaring absence from this movie is clearly an egregious omission and reason enough alone to boycott The Expendables.Google won't search for Chuck Norris
    Image courtesy of me

While I love the idea of pairing all these aging (or are they just aged?) action stars together, I can’t help thinking of who else I would have cast in addition to, or in place of who actually appears in the film.

Who would you have cast in the Expendables? Sound off in the comments below.

*** Disclaimer: I’ve made a personal principle to avoid R-Rated movies.

Lucky Sevens

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Lucky SevensLucky Sevens is a new series of list posts here at slightly insightful.

Everyone knows that “list” posts are always terrific blog fodder, but Top 10 lists are so cliché.

After experimenting with various lengths, I’ve determined that seven is the perfect size for list posts.

How did I come up to this conclusion? Here are seven reasons why seven is an all around amazing number and the best number for list posts.

  1. Seven the best number ever: Not only is it a prime number, but the ancient Greeks called it the perfect number, as it made up of the perfect figures 3 and 4 (triangle and square). More on what makes seven such an awesome number here.
  2. Seven sticks in your head. I remember reading that US phone numbers were kept to seven digits because that was the optimal number within the short-term memory capacity of most people
  3. Seven is the luckiest number: When rolling a standard pair of dice, seven has a one in six chance of being rolled, the highest probability of any number.

    4. Standard dice
    Image courtesy of ThunderChild5

  4. Seven is essential to the Ultimate Question: The fictional super-computer, Deep Thought, was built for one reason&—to calculate the Ultimate Answer to “life, the universe, and everything.”.Its answer was the number 42. What number goes into 42 exactly 6 times? Seven!
  5. Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: Perhaps the world’s earliest list post, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, were a travelogue of the greatest landmarks of the Greeks, Egyptians, Persians, and Babylonians. Sadly, of the seven, only the Great Pyramid of Giza is still standing
  6. Seven books in the Harry Potter series: If JK Rowling had not written Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, her seventh in the series, then we’d never have gotten closure on that whole Harry versus old “He who must not be named” thing.
  7. The Magnificent Seven: Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, and James Coburn headline a cast of mean hombres in this 1960 cowboy-western. Shootouts, knife-fights, and stands against impossible odds, this movie’s got it all.

    8. The Magnificent Seven
    Image courtesy of Wikipedia

There you go, proof positive why seven rocks so much. I look forward to sharing more lists of sevens in the weeks to come.

More Posts in Lucky 7s Series