Grab Bag Fridays: There's The Finish Line ...

(1 Cent): S.M.S. (Save My Soul)

I'm sick yet again ... don't know what it is about me ... of all the things I could be a magnet for (money, success, ho's ... well, money and success) I get 'sickness.' Perfect.

Let's consider how I'm bowing out (for a season) of Two And A Half Cents:

-- My body is suffering (super sore throat, runny nose, headache, no energy)

-- My fantasy basketball team had 4 players with injuries that destroyed my 6 months of happiness with a culmination of getting boned by only 12 points in the playoffs

-- My fantasy baseball team is starting the week out in 2nd to last place

-- My Lakers forgot how to play basketball (all except Kobe) and are in serious danger of not even being in the playoffs anymore

-- My last two dates have gone absolutely no where (i.e., no need for second date)

-- My employment switch is a BIG question mark (hopefully just a stepping stone to better places)

-- My friend J.D. has been AWOL because of work for the past 2 1/2 months (i.e., he's been located to live in Boise, Idaho) and watching the Lakers lose alone is no fun

What a month, huh? Yeah, I know. I should feel lucky because I have all of my limbs intact, I don't have cancer, I have a job, blah, blah, blah. Well, poo on that. Life's been better, that's all I'm saying.

If anyone wants to cheer me up by divulging how crappy their outlook on life is right now, feel free to click on the Comments link below or write to HCP2007@gmail.com. Cheer up a brotha.

(2 Cent): One Fo' The Heck Of It

So, I've had two reader's responses ... here they go:

Q: "Sorry about your loss. It really chaps my cheeks." -- Nony

HCP: Yes, it chaps mine too, indeed. I've already exhausted the 'why's' and the 'how's' in a previous blog ... but c'mon, doesn't that seem a little staged? A little rigged? A little unfair? Doesn't it seem odd that every year this happens? Should I just start doing the opposite from now on, like, instead of picking player 'A' I go and pick player 'Z' and just see where that gets me? I mean, I didn't even get to pick my players this year and it still happens the same way. I'm like Rainman, but kinda opposite. I don't know. Eff the world!

Q: "It sounds like the more a team has to pay for a "superstar" on contract the quicker that player gets a minor injury that puts him out of the game for a full season. When I pay for a ticket to a game I feel great that 70% of the proceeds go to injured, pansy@$$ed, spoiled, getting paid for nothin', sandbaggers and a good 5% go to all the other players that actually, well, you know, PLAY!!!...I wonder what the actual numbers are?" -- Crash N. Burnett

HCP: Well ... kinda. This stuff happens more on crappy teams (NBA we're talking here) that have only 1 good player ... and the only way to get better is to have a worse record so they can get a high draft pick in the upcoming draft, so they'll be better next year. Bill Simmons has written a lot about this the past month (see: tanking). It blows for the fans, but more so, it blows for me -- the person that has them on their fantasy team. That's it. I have a new rule: only have superstars on contending teams (i.e., making the playoffs).

(1/2 Cent): I'm Spent

Okay. My brain stopped working. I can't come up with anything else. Talk about going out on top, eh?

This Monday will be the last installment for a while ... look for an analysis of the Lakers final games, my so-called baseball fantasy team, a movie review for Blades of Glory and the rest of my top Hip-Hop producers list (minus a huge song list and in-depth description) ... and whatever else comes up. Have a good weekend. My "At-A-Glance" calendar says this Sunday is Holocaust Remembrance Day ... so ... remember it or something.


HCP