Google again...

Got some good free time yesterday and so I ventured into organizing my google homepage a bit. There was a new "Themes" section that I found new even though it has been there for a month or more now :-)

Here comes the best part. I chose a theme and after clicking save, I was asked for my zipcode and boy, the theme would change itself according to the weather based on zipcodes!

Here is a sample... One late in the afternoon and one at night.

This is indeed holy crap!

Cry Babies

It's time cry babies Mike D'Antoni and his Phoenix Suns stop whining and start playing basketball. Whatever happened in Game 4 happens always come playoffs. And while what Horry did was bad, I thought Nash flopped in a bit too. And Amare and Diaw were supposed to be on the bench having known how stupid the league rules are. And D'Antoni said "we have the best cameras in Phoenix". The league used the very same cameras to review the play and suspend the players. What a shame!

And they say the Spurs are dirty. The spurs are the only team that play the game the way it should be played. Well, they play technically perfect, grind-out defense solid basketball. That's San Antonio basketball. And that's why they have 3 championship rings and are possibly on their way to a fourth.

And you call it boring? You call Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili playing as boring?!? Then you do not know baskeball. Period.

So Phoenix, stop whining. Its playoffs. Save yourself from elimination.

Go Spurs go!

Wild Wild West

1:15 AM EDT May 04, Oakland, CA : Confetti streaming their down way from the Rafters at the Oracle Arena. Golden State Warriors have just thrashed 2007's statistically best team in NBA - Dallas Mavericks by 25 points to storm into the Western Conference semi-finals.

But why the confetti? It was Golden State's first playoff appearance in 13 years and they became the first #8 seed to knock off the #1 seed in a 7 game series. They played tough basketball, very physical, tough 'D' and great offense. Dallas had 67 wins in the regular season while Golden State made it to the playoffs on the final night of the regular season. As expected everybody wrote the #8 off, but nobody seemed to remember that Golden State were the only team that swept the season series against Dallas 3-0. I have always hated Dallas and that scoreline was one reason for me to believe Golden State could pull off an upset and they did that!

It was one of the best ever play off series I've ever seen. Infact I will hold this a step above the SA-Dallas semis last year. The warriors played like real warriors. They came back everytime their back was against the wall and responded like warriors. Baron Davis played game six with practically one leg after pulling a hamstring and still managed a double-double. Such was the determination of the Warriors and Stephen Jackson led the team with Davis injured with 7 on 8 shooting from downtown. And above all, Nowitzki was held to 8 points for one of the worst games in his career.

The Warriors had nothing to lose. They played with passion, they played for the city of Oakland. And kudos to the city. Close to 90% of the people had turned up with the yellow "We believe" t-shirt in the stadium and they stood all thru the second half. Boy! thats a real crowd! Easily one of the best and biggest at about 20,700. They did really believe and so did the 15 warriors. They have pulled off the best and biggest upset in NBA history.

And finally, call this as attitude. Nowitzki in a pre-game before game 4 said, "If we lose this, its pretty much over". Steve Nash, with Phoenix trailing 1-2 said this before game 4 last year "If we could win this game, we can turn the series around". Now, Dallas lost game 4, somehow managed to win game 5 courtesy plenty of Golden State's errors and shades of Nowitzki's brilliance but lost the series 2-4. Phoenix also lost game 4 to trail 1-3, but came back to win the series 4-3.

As sick as it gets

One could not have asked for a more sick finale of a sports major

• Reducing the contest to 38 over a side. Come on, why do we have a reserve day?
• The dumbest of formulae - Duckworth-Lewis method deciding the outcome of the final
• Umpires offer light to the batsmen who accept it and the Aussies start celebrating only for the men in black to inform the Aussies that they can celebrate only when the three remaining overs are completed the next morning.
• Upon protest from both the captains, the three remaining overs are played in pitch darkness

End of a really boring, mis-managed cricket Worldcup. Period.

Uncle Sam

Its been just over 10 months since I have set foot in the States but till last weekend I really never got a feel that "I am in another country", leave alone the thought "I am in the States". The spectacular road network is an aberration of course. No one can beat these guys in that. Washington D.C gave me a slight feel of being in a foreign country with its royal splendour when I had been there early in March but again it was more like seeing Delhi. So I was still wondering as to when I would get the feel.

Luckily I did not have to wait any longer. The city of New York gave me an instant answer. Parking in NYC is a big headache and so we had our parking slot booked in 43rd street in Manhattan the previous day itself but my friend took the route for 43rd street in Brooklyn! yeah, a different island altogether. And we did not realize this till we called up the parking company after trying in vain to locate the space in Brooklyn. And just as we were roaming in Brooklyn looking for 43rd street, we saw this Ad,

"Divorce at $399"

Spouse's signature not required

Of course I am in the States. Who am I kidding?!?

Oh ho ho Joey...

Joey Crawford has been suspended indefinitely for the Duncan episode. A sports analyst has comeup with Duncan as his MVP pick ahead of Nowitzki and Nash for tossing Crawford out of the play-offs :-)

Hey... he he... he he... I am very happy... Start meesic!

What are you upto Mr. Joey?

Sunday April 15, 2007: The place, Dallas. An NBA game between I-35 rivals Dallas and San Antonio towards the fag end of the season.

1:16 left in the third quarter and there comes arguably the "worst" piece of refreeing ever, all sports put together. Tim Duncan tossed off from the game for "laughing". You read id right, "LAUGHING". Referee Joey Crawford was apparently provoked by Duncan - technically the most perfect player and amongst the nicest individuals ever to have played the game - that he gave him two 'T's while "sitting on the bench". Yes, when Duncan was on the bench!

It was just ridiculous.

Duncan never speaks a word unless its absolutely needed and he never said any on Sunday. Joey did what he did to the utter disbelief of players and fans in a nationally televised game. He has always had his temper taking control of situations in games in the past and one can always expect something to happen when he is around. But imagine what will happen if he does something similar in the playoffs or in the championship game - it will turnaround the contest!

Hey Joey, we don't watch games to see you flaunt your so called authority w/o thinking. David Stern can atleast do something for the players now.

மொழி

I chanced myself to watch மொழி and I have just one word to describe it - Refreshing. Certainly so, I've watched it three times within two days... :-)

System Abend 0C7

I know this was going to happen somewhere down the stretch when this happened, but certainly I did not expect it to happen the way it happened.

Oh my God!

Check this one out!

கோவம் வந்தா என்ன கத்தக்கூடாது சொல்லிட்டேன்!

போங்கு...

I had been to a mall last weekend and just could not digest the fact below.

A good plain jeans/carpenter/boot cut - $15~20
முட்டி, தொடை and other areas-la நாய் கடிச்சு விட்டா மாதிரி இருக்கிற Jeans - $70.

I asked my friend... "என்ன டா இது சொறிஞ்சு உட்ட Jeans ellam 70 nu சொல்ரான்?". He said "workmanship skills cost".

நல்ல போங்கு டா டேய்... ஒரு blade இருந்தா நான் கூட தான் இத செய்வேன்!

தத்துவம்

Yet another "தத்துவம்" from the stables of வெட்டி people - Sports this time

விக்கெட் விழுந்தா விக்கெட் கீப்பர் சிரிக்கலாம், ஆனா
கோல் விழுந்தா கோல் கீப்பர் சிரிக்க முடியுமா?

ரூம் போட்டு யோசிப்பாங்க போல

சங்கு

"Sehwag, Please don't make this Sachin's last game in WC's" - This was a placard in Port of Spain enroute to India's humiliating exit from cricket WC 2007. Do you see the anguish in those words? KG has observered another placard in the same game

A couple of quick observations at this instant

• Fans are going to go berserk back home. This time, no construction sites... வீடு பூந்து அடிப்பாங்க. இன்னிக்கு rod தான் டி!
• India may be the first team to catch a flight back home as Pak may be detained in Jamaica.

How is this?!?

Boo Boo Daylight Savings!

-> Bugged by the spring tradition of setting the clocks forward?
-> Waking up early because you are still not accustomed to the time change? I belong here... infact I don't even need an alarm now-a-days :-(

Here is something you can take solace from.

Time for crap...

Come World Cups or big events in popular sport, "vetti" people come up with crap lined up from nowhere and predict who would win the World cup. They came up with one last year after Italy won the football WC and have now extended it to the cricket WC currently underway in the Carribbean. Here is the theory.

ஒக்காந்து யோசிப்பாய்ங்களோ? Of course, I want India to win the WC. அதில் எந்த மாற்றமும் இல்லை :-)

But still, I found a flaw in that. Pope did not die in 1981 - there was an assassination attempt and he survived. எங்ககிட்டயேவா? :-)