The language is strong so if you’re at the office I’d throw on some headphones or wait till you get home. BTW… I believe I was there for the $7 story and it was even funnier seeing *** walk out of there. Then again he’s done much worse than that.

So how did you think Scott did for his first time?

Part 1

Part 2

At around 5:30 PM central time today tornado warnings went out around the Twin Cities metro area specifically in the Coon Rapids and Hugo area located just North of the Mineapolis/St. Paul metro area.

Currently local news reports as of 7:04 PM are reporting entire neighborhoods being destroyed, houses being completely blown off their foundations, at least 20 people missing and so far one confirmed death.

Xcel energy is also reporting at least 15,500 people without power.

The last large reported tornado in the Hugo, MN area was in 1965 when an F-4 tornado ripped through the city killing 6 and injuring more than 150 people.

More video and pictures and updates to come throughout the night.

Video

• http://www.kare11.com/video/player.aspx?aid=72024&bw=
• http://www.kare11.com/video/player.aspx?aid=72025&bw=
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jthprc_q4w

Pictures

• http://wcco.com/slideshows/hugo.tornado.damage.20.732675.html
• http://wcco.com/slideshows/severe.weather.thunderstorm.20.732561.html?rid=0
• http://joshpratt.wordpress.com/2008/05/25/hugo-tornado-part-1-the-storm-the-hail/
• http://joshpratt.wordpress.com/2008/05/25/hugo-tornado-part-2-the-damage/

While this year’s keynote didn’t “WOW” everyone like last years iPhone debut, Apple did introduce a number of new products and services like the new MacBook Air, new iPhone and Apple TV software upgrades and of course the ever anticipated digital movie rentals including HD rentals through the iTunes Music Store.

I’ll touch more on these products later in the day in another post as it’s time to get back to the expo, but one thing I will say is investors sure didn’t seem to have the same enthusiasm the tech industry did for this years keynote.

This was widely apparent today as the stock plummeted 5.45%. Now I really think this had more to do with Apple falling just short of the projected 5 million iPhones sold as they reported today sales of 4 million, but investors really need to understand that number didn’t include holiday numbers and they also have to take into consideration that in less than a year Apple jumped to #2 in sales of “smart phones” easily beating Nokia, Palm and Motorola combined.

In less than 6 months Apple has garnered almost 20% market share only behind long time industry leader RIM who makes the Blackberry. I don’t know about you, but those numbers seem pretty good to me.

Well, it’s time to get back to the expo. I’ll have more detailed posts regarding each new product or service introduced later tonight once I get to take a hands on look at them.

I just got back late last night from attending my first World Series of Poker. I only attended the first few days so far, but it was definitely worth the trip.

Although I only attended the first few days and didn’t play in any events so far I have to say that if you’re a poker player the WSOP is a must see for anyone who follows the game.

My trip to Las Vegas was a last minute trip that mainly focused on helping my friend Dan find a house as he plans to make the move out there sometime in July. The fact that the WSOP was starting just around the same time was simply an added bonus.

For many years now I’ve stated that “next year I’m definitely going to the WSOP”, but year after year it just hasn’t worked out. Either I didn’t save up enough money or I was busy working on other projects and just couldn’t make it happen. This year was no exception until I received a call from my friend Dan asking if I’d join him in Vegas for a week to look at houses. I then jumped on to WorldSeriesofPoker.com to check the schedule and noticed we’d be there for the first 5 days of this incredible poker marathon which goes from June 1st through the middle of July and hosts over 55 events.

While this was my first WSOP it wasn’t my first time attending a big poker tournament as I played for years in Tunica, MS where I have attended the World Poker Open which is a World Poker Tour event. I’ve even sat and played cash games with some top pros and held my own. However, nothing prepares you for the WSOP.

Our first day there we spotted Daniel Negreanu driving in front of us as we pulled up to the Rio and as we walked in we got a chance to chat a bit with him while he scarfed down some type of “veggie” sandwich and hurried off to his event.

Once we got inside the Rio it was a who’s who of the poker world. Over the next few days we spotted virtually every major poker player in the world and what’s really cool about the WSOP is how accessible the players are for pictures, questions or just a quick chat.

However, one player stood out from the rest. 2004 WSOP Main Event Champion Greg Raymer. Although I didn’t personally talk to him, he was by far the most accessible, gracious and nicest player we came across. It was never too much for him to stop and chat with fans, take a picture or two or even just chat about how his tournament was going. While Greg may not be the flashiest player or the most written about he is a class act and I hope he doesn’t change.

Besides Greg Raymer we ran into a number of other top pros. Too many to really list them all, but here are a few off the top of my head… Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, Barry Greenstein, Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Gus Hansen, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Annie Duke, Howard Lederer, Layne Flack, David Chiu, Men “The Master” Nguyen, Chip Reese, Mike Sexton, Humberto Brenes, Gavin Smith, John Juanda, Erik Seidel, David Williams, Allen Cunningham, Phil Ivey (who by far had the biggest crowds around him) and Shannon Elizabeth.

Another aspect of the World Series is that when players aren’t playing in tournaments most of them are playing is side games for big time cash. The WSOP at the Rio has tables as low as $4-8 limit holdem all the way up to $100-200 no limit and higher.

While these stakes sure sound like a lot. They dwarf in comparison to the the stakes played in the “Big Game” which is played in Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio poker room.

The first night we were in town we had a chance to meet up with a friend named Jason who’s a fellow poker pro and play some cash games at the Bellagio. I was seated at a 2-5 no limit game right in front of Bobby’s Room and only feet away from the likes of Johnny Chan, Jennifer Harman, Eli Elezra, Phil Hellmuth and a few other young guys I wasn’t familiar with. From what I understand they were playing a mixed game with $4000-8000 blinds. I can’t imagine what the average buy in is, but I do know that Hellmuth was walking around throwing a tantrum like he usually does. At least we know the world is in order. The day Hellmuth is gracious and doesn’t act like a douche bag is the day we know the end is near.

I plan on being back in Vegas sometime next week and will then be playing in some of the smaller buy in events along with playing in some other tournaments going on throughout Vegas. There are literally hundreds of tournaments going on right now and I plan on taking advantage of that not only for me personally, but also for our new business venture which I’ll be announcing at the World Series of Poker right before the Main Event in July. It’s something completely new to the industry and something that has been much needed in the industry for quite a while now.

On a personal note… Although I mentioned I didn’t play in any WSOP events the first week I did play a few cash games and also played in a tournament one night at Caesars Palace and finished 4th out of 102 players. It wasn’t WSOP 4th place cash, but it sure helped pay for an expensive week in Vegas.

Look for more updates and pics next week and I’ll also try to post a few video interviews with some top pros.

Here are some pics I took at the 2007 WSOP.

This one is of Dan and Humberto Brenes. (See Dan holding Humberto’s little all-in shark) He tried to take it, but Humberto said Noooooooooo!

These are of me and Dan dreaming a little bit….

The fight took place between fans in the stands of MSG after a hard foul took place during the game.

Gun shots were heard as fans exited the stadium, although no serious injuries were reported. The melee then spilled quickly into the streets and nearby subways.

NYC police quickly dispatched officers, some on horseback and some riot police were also called in.

21 people in all were arrested and according to police will be charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and one was actually charged with a riot charge.

WCBS-TV from New York caught parts of the brawl with it’s cameras. Police have said they will review the video which does show someone being pulled over a hand rail by police and then beaten with batons, but also added that they currently have no comment.

So what causes incidents like this? Is it lack of security? The fans themselves or what?

I truly believe this would have happened no matter how much security there is in place. It really comes down to the fans themselves and their upbringing. If there’s violence in their neighborhoods there will be violence wherever they go.

You don’t see brawls like this at most athletic events and typically they tend to be between schools in poorer income neighborhoods, not between wealthier public or private schools.

Now some of you may try to say I’m being racist or whatever, but that’s simply not the case. I don’t have an ounce of that in my body. I’m simply pointing out the fact that most brawls at high school games happen between schools from poorer areas. It’s just a fact. Look at the recent brawl in Milwaukee where school officials had to ban all fans from games except parents and there are numerous other examples too. I really think it comes from their upbringing.

I also completely understand why this is the case. I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor and hung out with many people from both groups throughout my life and I can definitely say that people are obviously much more angry and potentially aggressive when their unhappy with their current situation. Now, obviously there are plenty of rich people that are angry and agressive too, but when there are whole groups that are together the potential for aggressive behavior is heightened.

It’s a tough situation too because you can’t protect both sides by simply adding security. It goes beyond that as it’s more about what can be done in these communities to remove the idea that this behaviour is ok in the first place.

Not sure what exactly could be done, but I’d love to hear some ideas on how this could be stopped.

Note: I’m also publishing the video as a test for my buddy Mark Cuban who has been all over GooTube’s ass lately about copyrighted video on YouTube and Google Video. Plenty of news has recently been made about Viacom’s (CBS) inability to reach an agreement with YouTube and Google about it’s video content being shown on them. Although you will find some content from Viacom’s Companies hosted on GooTube, most has been taken down in Viacom’s fight against GooTube.

Google Video and YouTube have publicly stated they are protected under DMCA Safe Harbors and that they’re not obligated to censor content based on copyright infringement since they don’t actually review the videos and that it’s simply up to uploaders to abide by their terms of service, yet we all know that the majority of both Googe Video and YouTube are filled with TV shows, music videos and even full length featured films.

I for one am for protecting copyrighted materials, but will test this to see if GooTube actually reviews the upload and will report back to Mark what if anything happens to the video.

I also have no problem taking down the video if I’m contacted by anyone from Viacom or GooTube regarding it’s posting.

Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Here’s the video of the brawl…

Los Angeles Dodgers minor league pitcher Matt White could become baseball’s first billionaire player, but it probably won’t have anything to do with his fastball.

Matt White, a minor league pitcher who has only appeared in seven major league games and has a record of 0-2 while allowing 18 earned runs in 9 2-3 innings paid $50,000 three years ago to buy 50 acres of land from an elderly aunt who needed the money to pay for a nursing home.

While clearing out a couple acres to build a home, he discovered stone ledges in the ground, prompting him to have the property surveyed.

A geologist estimated there were 24 million tons of the stone on his land. The stone is being sold for upward of $100 per ton, meaning there’s well over $2 billion worth of material used for sidewalks, patios and the like.

The news has prompted some of White’s teammates to refer to him as “The Billionaire,” but the 29-year-old left-hander isn’t counting his money just yet.

“There are a lot of questions,” he said. “It takes time, it takes money, it takes machines. There are professionals who handle that stuff.”

White’s father has been involved in selling the stone, but it’s presently a small-time operation.

“I guess you could say the property is for sale,” White said with a chuckle. “We’ll have to see how things turn out. I don’t even know where to start. I’m in the process now of getting in touch with business-savvy guys, finding out how much to ask.”

White said he doesn’t feel like he’s wealthy, which he isn’t quite yet.

“Not at all. I don’t live like a rich man,” he said. “I’m a minor league guy who’s played winter ball to make ends meet.”

White may be on the verge of becoming a millionaire or even billionaire, but that hasn’t stopped him from still striving to achieve his dream of pitching full-time in the major leagues.

White, who is 29 says, “They say lefties bloom later than righties. I keep telling myself that,” he said. “I’m here to make the big-league team. I feel confident about that, absolutely. I’ve had some pretty good years in Triple-A.

“I plan to play baseball until I can’t play anymore. My goal is to play in the big leagues, regardless of what happens with the rock quarry.”

White will be competing against 29 other pitchers in Dodgers Spring Training for roughly 12 spots.

Although it may difficult for him to make the Dodgers, White can rest easily knowing he’ll be taken care of financially for the rest of his life regardless if he makes the big leagues or not.

So, the question for all you sports fans out there is this… if you had to choose between playing your favorite sport at the highest professional level or say winning the powerball… which one would you choose?

I personally would have to go with playing the sport. I would probably already be overpaid and have millions if that was the case and would rather have earned it in someway, but then again, having billions wouldn’t be a bad thing either. Just ask my buddy Mark Cuban.

Note: Parts of this story (Matt White Quotes) were taken from the AP

I was pretty fired up last night to watch the 2007 NBA slam dunk contest, but that excitement soon went away when I saw the four participants and none of them are really that exciting to watch.

Here were the 4 participants and why I think they weren’t the best choices…

Nate Robinson – Defending champion. He’s short obviously which makes for some interesting dunks simply cause it’s so amazing how high a small guy can jump, but he really wasn’t trying anything that hadn’t already been done a million times before. I think it’s probably tough on a guy this size simply because he’s limited in what he can really do and he probably used his best dunks last year.

Tyrus Thomas – He really didn’t do anything in this competition and I really don’t even have much to say on him except I hope this was his last year in the competiton.

Dwight Howard – Simply a physical specimen! This guys is strong, athletic, quick and can definitely jump as we saw by how high he stuck the sticker of himself on the backboard, but the problem with having a big guy this size is that although the dunks are fierce and incredible… they just don’t look that great cause of his enormous size.

Gerald Green – His first dunk was sick and I actually thought we were in for something great, but that was really it for him too. His “Dee Brown” dunk was kind of cool since he jumped over Nate Robinson, but again it has been done before and just wasn’t that innovative.

Here are the video highlights of the 2007 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, plus some video of Shaq and Lebron dancing…

So what did you think? I just didn’t think it was all that entertaining. Actually Shaq and Lebron’s dancing was more exciting.

Here is what I think the problem with the NBA slam dunk contest is…

1. The best dunkers of all time were around the 6’5″ – 6’8″ height which makes for typcially the most althletic players with the most flexibility, jumping ability and all around creativity in the air. Examples would be Kobe, MJ, Vince Carter etc… I think the problem you run into with small guys is the amount of different dunks they can do. They’re somewhat limited in what they can actually pull off in the air and so usually one year of this is enough. Big guys have just the opposite problem. They can get up real high, but they tend to look awkward and are also somewhat limited in what they can do mid air. That’s why I think the best size is around MJ and Kobe’s size.

2. I would have rather seen the judges in the contest. This year’s judges included Michael Jordan, Dr. J, Vince Carter, Dominique Wilkins and Kobe Bryant. Why is it that no one wants to be in this contest anymore? Why aren’t Kobe and Vince in it? I know they’ve both already won it before, but so what. The contest is losing it’s excitement and unless they start getting the actualy NBA stars back in it, the TV viewership is going to go way down.

3. Well this one really has nothing to do with the slam dunk contest, but more with the whole NBA All-Star weekend. Why not a 1 on 1 competition with some of the greatest players. Could you imagine Kevin Garnett vs. Kobe or Allen Iverson vs. Dwyane Wade? How about having 8 of the top players in a small single elimination tournament with each game going to 11 by ones and twos. Could you imagine the potential matchups? How about round two or so we get Shaq vs. Kobe. OMG that would be huge! Also the different size matchups would be fun to watch. AI vs. KG? I think it would sure make it more fun to watch and would be a whole lot better than the crap they are doing now. The skills challenge and shooting stars challenge? It couldn’t have been more boring.

Here are some previous slam dunk contests. They were sure a lot more exciting than this one. I’ll have to say my favorites were a number of Jordan’s and Vince Carter’s.

1988 Slam Dunk Contest – Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins

2000 Slam Dunk Contest – Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and Steve Francis

Scottie Pippen announced today that he wants to make a run at another NBA title and says he still feels he can play and help a contender win another championship.

Pippen who is now 41 says he’s in good shape, his knee is fine and he’d even be willing to sign a 10-day contract to prove what he can do.

“I’m not going to be a nonstop high-flyer like I was in my prime,” Pippen said. “But I can still run. I can still dunk. But most of all, I know the game.”

“I’m thinking of trying to come back for the playoffs,” Pippen said. “Something like the last two months of the season, somewhere I can come back and play limited minutes to start, play point forward for someone and build toward the playoffs. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for the last three months.”

Pippen said he’d like to eventually become an NBA coach and would be willing to apprentice as an assistant as well.

”But I’d like to play first,” he said. “I feel I still have a year and a half of basketball left in me if I’m put in the right situation. I’d even be willing to sign a 10-day contract. At least that would be a start. I just want a chance to show that I can still help a team.”

Pippen is currently in Las Vegas for the NBA All Star Weekend where he will play in the Shooting Stars Contest with Bulls guard Ben Gordon and Candice Dupree of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky.

Now Scottie hasn’t played since the 2003-2004 NBA season, but even at the age of 41 he can probably still help a real contender. Chances are if he does get picked up it will be by a Western Conference team like the Spurs, Mavs or even the Lakers which already have solid, deep rosters, but could use his experience in a limited role.

I think Scottie should give it a try. Why not? He’s still in good shape and obviously still loves the game and it would be fun to watch. Why so many people give athletes a tough time for wanting to come out of retirement is beyond me. Most of us would give anything to play one game in a pro sport and these guys (like MJ and Scottie) have been doing this their whole lives. Now I don’t think MJ is going to give it another go, but hell… I’d love to see it if he did.

Do you think Scottie Pippen could help an NBA team make a run at a championship? I’d love to hear the responses to this.

Apparently some pet supply stores now offer a “pet spa”. They have a device that will wash and dry your pet.

This is what the owners of the cat said, “After fighting with cats in the past we decided to try it. The pet store told us that cats love it. As you can see he didn’t like it. We stopped it early. He was much, much cleaner but he did talk to us for a hour.”

This was an incredible weekend for both Tiger Woods and Roger Federer. Both athletes not only won their respective tournaments, but also set some phenominal records at the same time. Lets take a look at how these two phenoms match up.

Tiger Woods was 3 strokes back when Sunday’s final round started, but like we’ve seen time and time again it just didn’t matter. His experience, confidence and mental game was just too good for the other less experienced players to overcome.

Tiger not only won Sunday, but also had set some sick stats and records. Here are just a few…

- 7 straight PGA Tour wins – (all time record is 11 by Byron Nelson)

- 55 PGA Tour wins (Age 31) – (all time record is 82 by Sam Snead)

- 3 straight Buick Invitational Wins and 5 overall (1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007)

- 5th time he’s started his season with a win

- Has not finished worse than 2nd in a stroke play event since missing the cut at the 2006 US Open last July

- 12 Major Championships (age 31) – (all time record is 18 by Jack Nicklaus)

- 427 Weeks at #1 in the world

Roger Federer also had an amazing weekend. He won the Australian Open in the most dominating fashion I’ve ever seen. Not only did he humiliate (by his play) almost every opponent including a total destruction of top US pro Andy Roddick, but the guy didn’t lose one set in the whole tournament. He is by far the most dominant tennis player I’ve ever seen and can only imagine how many records he will break before his career is done.

Here are some other sick stats and records that Roger Federer now holds…

- 10th Career Grand Slam Title (Age 25)

- Won 6 of the last 7 Grand Slam Titles

- Won 21 consecutive sets to win the 2007 Australian Open

- Won 46 Singles Tournaments (all time record is 105 by Jimmy Conners)

- Won 36 Straight Matches

- 156 Weeks at #1 in the world

However you look at it, both these guys are just tearing up their respective sports. I personally have to give the edge to Tiger since he’s going up against 144 of the world’s top golfers each week, but Roger is again the best tennis player I’ve ever seen. Especially after seeing what he did to Andy Roddick the other day.

So who do you think is the most dominant and why?