2012 has almost come to an end and it has been another fun year of doing comedy shows. In 2012, I was able to achieve my goal of recording my first Live Comedy Album, Slow Child, which you can find on iTunes, Amazon, as well as other digital distributors. You might even come across it on Pandora Internet Radio.
In 2006, I started producing and hosting a comedy show in Morgan Hill at the Morgan Hill Playhouse the last Thursday or every month. In 2009, a show in Gilroy was added the night before at the then Gaslighter and now 9 Lives Club. 2012 was another great year of running these shows and saw some of the following comedians come thru to perform (and took time to take their picture taken with me) -
No shows are done in December as we take it off for the Holidays. The shows will be starting up again in January 2013 though. 2013 will mark my last year of producing these shows too. It has been a work and a lot of fun but I'll be looking to move on to bigger and better things. I hope you can make it out to Gilroy or Morgan Hill in 2013 to catch one of the shows! As always, info can be found at www.gilroycomedy.com or www.morganhillcomedy.com
My good friend who write's a blog called " Rantings" nominated me for a Liebster Blog Award. I have to say this is the first time I have ever heard of this award. I'm not sure how I qualify other than writing a blog, but I'll give it a shot. Here are the rules....
1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves
2. Answer the 11 questions the person giving you the award has asked you.
3. Create 11 questions for the people you will be giving the award too.
4. Choose 11 people to award and send them a link to your post.
5. Go to their page and tell them.
6. No tag backs.
ABOUT ME
- I've seen a baseball game at 7 different Major League Baseball Parks. (Oakland Coliseum, AT&T Park, Angel Stadium, Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City, Wrigley Field in Chicago, Old Milwaukee County Stadium, old Tiger Stadium)
- I like to collect/wear baseball hats - I have 16 of the 30 MLB teams. There are about 5 I won't buy though.
- I made the All-Star team in Little League as a pitcher in 1993 - I pitched a 1,2,3 inning, walked twice, and stole home.
- In 1994, I had to get stomach surgery for a rare condition for someone my age - had my gall bladder and appendix removed. Didn't know my appendix was being removed til after I woke up! Haha.
- My favorite actor has been Jim Carrey ever since I saw him in The Mask
- I have one older sister who you probably wouldn't be able to tell is my sister by looking at us.
- I like the smell of brand new tennis balls
- I'm an avid baseball autograph collector - some of my best ones include Nolan Ryan, Rickey Henderson, and others....
- The last girlfriend I had was in 2009. Apply here.
- I own a Blu Ray/VHS combo player - which seems to be rare now as it was only one of its kind. Look how much it goes for now.
- The first concert I went to was featuring the bands America and the Beach Boys at the Shoreline Amphitheater. My dad took me.
ANSWERS Here are my answers to Mummbles' questions....
What is your favorite comic book film? I think Avengers has taken this spot - before that it was Dark Knight.
Star Wars Trilogy or Lord of the Rings Trilogy? I have never been able to get into Star Wars so Lord Of the Rings wins for me.
What Film are you most looking forward to in the upcoming years?
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ANCHORMAN 2 and also Dumb and Dumber 2 if they ever do go ahead with making the movie, seems like talks have been on and off. 4. What was the first movie that made you love movies?I have no idea to be honest - probably a Disney film though. 5. What sports movie do you like to watch again and again? The Sandlot 6. If you could just watch one Spielberg movie for the rest of your life, which movie would you choose?
Jurassic Park 7. Hitchcock or Tarantino?
Slight edge to Tarantino right now but that's because I haven't seen much of Hitchcock's movies... 8. Post and image that reminds you of film -
9. Freddy or Jason....?
Well, my dad's name is Fred so we'll go Freddy. 10. What is your favorite documentary?
This is a tough one as I usually enjoy anything Michael Moore makes but sometimes they're hard to re-watch so I'm gonna go with Dying to Do Letterman which I saw at Cinequest in San Jose last year
11. Have you ever met or have a story about a celebrity?
I've gotten to shake hands with some popular baseball players - to me, they count as celebrities - this year, I got to say hi to All-Star Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers and take a photo with him. That's me on the right with my eyes closed, haha.
Ok, so here are my questions -
1. In the next 3 years, what is a goal of yours that you see yourself accomplishing? 2. Is math really necessary (Trig, Calculus, etc.) - what do your think personally? 3. If you could meet anyone currently living - or could have met someone while they were still alive, who would it be? 4. Who do you root for between Stanford and Cal? 5. What is your favorite quote? 6. Share an Image of Clip that best defines "family" to you. 7. Do you like to dance? 8. Are people who don't like to dance hard for you to get along with at parties and club settings? 9. What is one of your favorite songs? (or post a clip) 10. Are you a sports fan or could you care less? 11. Is more technology a good or bad thing... or both?
Hello readers, hope you are all doing well. I've been pretty quiet on this blog lately so I thought now would be a good time to check in - at 10:10pm PST on July 12th. Yes, now is a great time. Crap, it is 10:11pm now...oh well, I shall still proceed....
Lately, I haven't been doing an extreme amount of comedy shows and I know there are some people that have been asking me when my next show is going to be so they can decline my facebook invite when I tell them about the show. Ok, not ALL of you do that. Some of you really do want to come see live comedy and I thank you for that.
So what have I been up to you ask? Well, as you all know, (unless you are new here... if that is case, hi Newbie!) I am a big baseball fan and lately I have been going to a lot more baseball games than I have been doing comedy shows. My uncle has season tickets for the Oakland A's this year so I'm going to more A's games this year and have also been to a lot of minor league games as well as I build my autograph collection.
Also, last month my roommates, Sean and Katie, got married. Sean asked me to be one of the best men for the wedding which took place in Nevada City. I forgot my paper which I had typed with what I wanted to say at the wedding but I was able to improvise and I think it still went okay. I was honored to be a part of the wedding and the whole wedding weekend was a lot of fun. I couldn't be happier for them both.
Now, let me take a moment to look at some news around the world -
Hey, wanna go out on a coffee date?
So they are making a Starbucks in a South Carolina funeral home? Well, isn't that lovely? What a perfect place to take that date that just makes you want to kill yourself. Is there going to be a policy for this Starbucks location? Something like "Will not serve customers who do not have a loved one buried here." Is this location going to be listed on the Starbucks website?
I wonder who will be the first to catch themselves saying, "Five dollars for a Venti!?! Kill me now!"
CRY BABY, BABY, BABY...
Justin Bieber got pulled over for speeding as he tried to escape the paparazzi. I'm not surprised. I always thought Bieber was a bit of a princess. (yeah, I just did a Princess Di joke, so what). I love how he says the cops weren't being nice about the whole thing and how he gets an attitude when the 9-1-1 operator isn't familiar with the car he is driving. I think I know why the cops were so "mean" to you, Bieber.... because they aren't 12 year old girls.
DIRECTV DROPPING CHANNELS
So Viacom and DIRECTV had a bit of a disagreement and now DIRECTV is dropping 26 channels? Of course, customers are going to be pissed. I find it hysterical that you see Daniel Tosh before you hit play on the video above. Daniel Tosh is currently in the news about a "rape" joke that he says was taken out of context. Now Daniel Tosh's ratings get screwed by DIRECTV. I find it fascinating that Dora the Explorer is at the end of this clip asking for help. Don't Mexicans have free cable?
Ok, those are just some current headlines... hopefully I can write up some more blogs like this in the future. Let me know if you would like that or not. Also, I DO have some comedy shows coming up so be sure to check out the "Shows" section of my website. I will be headlining on August 30th and recording my first comedy album at the Morgan Hill Playhouse, so you will not want to miss that. Unless you're a jerk.
It has been a while since I have done a blog entry here but of course I can't go not writing forever especially with baseball season just around the corner. I am looking forward to the 2012 season as it has definitely been a busy offseason for many teams. Commissioner Bud Selig also moved forward with his plan to add a second Wild Card team in 2012. The first place Wild Card leader will face the second place Wild Card leader in each league and will have a 1 game do-or-die playoff game. The team that wins then proceeds as the Wild Card winner. While I am not too crazy about the extra wild card team, it does add an extra game to the season and I can't complain about more baseball. Here are my predictions for the 2012 Major League Baseball Season
(* - denotes Wild-Card team):
AL WEST 1. Texas Rangers (92-70)
2. Los Angeles Angels* (90-72) 3. Seattle Mariners (77-85)
4. Oakland A's (75-87)
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim spent a lot of money during the offseason to bring in First Baseman, Albert Pujols (on left) and Starting Pitcher,CJ Wilson. Pujols will likely continue hitting the same way he did when he was with St. Louis, but I don't think CJ Wilson will have as great a year as people expect. The Rangers are the defending AL West champs and are still the team to beat and still have a lineup just as good if not better than the Angels. The Rangers added on Japanese pitching star Yu Darvish to help ease the pain of losing CJ Wilson. While the Rangers and Angels will be battling it out for first place, Oakland and Seattle will battle it out for last place. Even though I'm an A's fan, I'm giving Seattle the edge for third place. Both Seattle and Oakland have second basemen who could make the All-Star team this year in Dustin Ackley and Jemile Weeks respectively.
AL CENTRAL 1. Detroit Tigers (93-69)
2. Minnesota Twins (84-78)
3. Kansas City Royals (82-80)
4. Cleveland Indians (76-86)
5. Chicago White Sox (72-90)
The Detroit Tigers are the team to beat in the AL Central this year as their rotation with Justin Verlander leading the way looks to be in even better shape with the additional offense they acquired in the offseason in the form of Prince Fielder. With Fielder hitting behind Miguel Cabrera, runs should be scored plenty. The only question mark for Detroit is their fielding as Miguel Cabrera moves to third base, where he hasn't played since 2008. The Minnesota Twins season will rely strongly on the bats of the M&M boys again, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Will Morneau finally be able to recover from his concussion suffered in 2010 and regain his form? Eric Hosmer and the Kansas City Royals will find more reasons to smile in 2012 but lack enough quality pitching to make the playoffs. The trade for Starting Pitcher, Ubaldo Jimenez. didn't work out as planned for the Cleveland Indians in 2011 and they gave up a lot to acquire him. The Indians will be lucky if star Grady Sizemore can recover from injuries and play in more than 100 games. The Chicago White Sox appeared to be waving the white towel during the offseason. They enter 2012 with a manager who has never managed at any level in former White Sox 3rd baseman, Robin Ventura. It'll be interesting to see if Adam Dunn can rebound from his horrific 2011 campaign.
AL EAST
1. New York Yankees (96-66)
2. Tampa Bay Rays* (92-70)
3. Toronto Blue Jays (85-77)
4. Boston Red Sox (83-79)
5. Baltimore Orioles (73-89) I hate seeing the New York Yankees win all the time but expect to see them winning the division yet again in 2012. The Yankees have definitely added depth to their starting pitching staff with the addition of Hiroki Kuroda the trade to acquire Michael Pineda. The Tampa Bay Rays welcomed back power hitting first baseman, Carlos Pena, after he spent last season with the Chicago Cubs. Starting Pitcher, Matt Moore, looked calm and unbeatable while finishing the end of 2011 season with the Rays and many predict he will be Rookie of Year in 2012. Jose Bautista's name will still be near the top of the list of home run leaders but even with an extra Wild-Card spot, the Toronto Blue Jays don't quite make the playoffs. Boston went through a lot of changes over the offseason. They no longer have their GM, Theo Epstein, who left for the Chicago Cubs. Also gone is their manager, Terry Francona, who was replaced by Bobby Valentine. Andrew Bailey is the Red Sox new closer who will likely become a bigger name now that he is out of Oakland and on the East Coast. Baltimore has a new GM as well in Dan Duquette but still have plenty room for improvement. Their starting pitching is very young and needs starting pitcher Brian Matusz to rebound from a horrendous 2011 to have any chance at competing.
NL WEST 1. Arizona Diamondbacks (89-73)
2. San Francisco Giants (85-77)
3. Colorado Rockies (81-81)
4. San Diego Padres (74-87)
5. Los Angeles Dodgers (72-89) The San Francisco Giants half a strong pitching rotation without a doubt but needed to add offense to their lineup to help their stud pitchers. The Giants added Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan in trades. They also have Buster Posey returning after being injured most of last season. Will these additions be enough to overtake power hitting Justin Upton and the Arizona Diamondbacks and burst their bubble? Colorado is relying on Rafael Betancourt to be their new closer which means their games may require more than a day to finish. Betancourt takes more time in between pitches than any pitcher in baseball. Todd Helton is still manning first base for the Rockies but how much does he have left in the tank? San Diego will squeak into fourth place and their new closer, Huston Street, should exceed in the pitcher friendly ballpark. The Los Angeles Dodgers' success will depend highly on the support that James Loney and Andre Ethier can provide to Matt Kemp. Coming off a CY Young award in 2011, Clayton Kershawshould have another good season but the rotation that follows him is questionable. They'll need Chad Billingsley and Ted Lilly to have good years too.
NL CENTRAL 1. St. Louis Cardinals (91-71)
2. Cincinnatti Reds* (89-73)
3. Milwaukee Brewers (84-78)
4. Pittsburgh Pirates (80-82)
5. Chicago Cubs (76-86)
6. Houston Astros (62-100)
The St. Louis Cardinals may have lost their power hitting first baseman but they still have a roster full of talent. The Cardinals will need Lance Berkman to pick up where he left off last season as he now becomes their first baseman. Adam Wainwright also returns to the St. Louis rotation which should be a huge dividend for the Cardinals to repeat as Division champs. The Reds acquired starting pitcher, Mat Latos, from the San Diego Padres in a trade. Latos could wind up struggling though as he goes from pitcher-friendly Petco Park to hitter friendly Great American Ballpark in Cincinnatti. Aramis Ramirez was a great pickup for the Milwaukee Brewers to add at third base but he is not nearly the same threat as Prince Fielder. The Pittsburgh Pirates will likely be floating around the .500 mark most of the season as they look to finish over .500 for first time since 1992. The Pirates made a great move by extending center fielder Andrew McCutchen. New GM Theo Epstein still has a long way to go to make the Cubs winners the same way he made the Boston Red Sox winners. It will be interesting to see if Alfonso Soriano ends up staying in the windy city for the entire season. It'll be a surprise if the Houston Astros don't finish in last place. The Astros biggest threat remains at first base in Carlos Lee.
NL EAST 1. Philadelphia Phillies (96-66)
2. Washington Nationals* (89-73) 3. Miami Marlins (88-74)
4. Atlanta Braves (84-78)
5. New York Mets (74-88) It would be no surprise to see the Phillies repeat as NL East Champs as they should be able to overcome not having the injured Ryan Howard in their lineup for the first month or two. I see a close battle for second place this year. The Marlins will fall to the pressure much like Atlanta did last year and the Nationals will take second place behind the pitching strengths of Stephen Stasburg and offseason trade acquisition Gio Gonzalez. Phenom Bryce Harper will also likely get his turn in the Majors this year for the Nationals. The Marlins need Josh Johnson to be healthy or the Marlins will be left fishing for other answers. Giancarlo Stanton may not want to be called "Mike" anymore but that shouldn't affect his hitting. The Braves will be without pitcher Tim Hudson until May 1st and third baseman Chipper Jones is not the intimidating factor that he used to be. The Mets outlook isn't bleak but if Johan Santana makes it through the entire season healthy then he will likely be comeback player of the year.
AWARD WINNERS -
American League -
MVP - Robinson Cano, New York Yankees
CY YOUNG - David Price, Tampa Bay Rays
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - Yoenis Cespedes, Oakland Athletics
COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
MANAGER OF THE YEAR - Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays
National League -
MVP - Justin Upton, Arizona Diamondbacks
CY YOUNG - Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - Drew Pomeranz, Colorado Rockies
COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Johan Santana, New York Mets
MANAGER OF THE YEAR - Mike Matheny, St. Louis Cardinals
WORLD SERIES PREDICTION:
Reds vs. Tigers - Reds win in 6 games.
