Dome Pondering

I still can't believe what I just saw and experienced tonight, but I figured it might behoove me to punch the keys following the moment. Maybe I'll be able to put it into words, maybe somewhat explain it, or at the very worst, have some true feelings archived to look back on when this moment resonates.  Tonight's World Series Game 7 was epic. It was amazing. It was the most compelling game of this very World Series. Yet, as we all awaited the moment when Giants manager, Bruce Bochy, would pull the trigger on bringing in Madison Bumgarner like some evil genius who has the "red button", I don't think anyone anticipated the performance he put together tonight. MadBum took the ball, took to the hill, and eventually delivered five innings of shutout baseball. His final stat line looked like this:  5.0IP, SV, 2H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4K, 68 Pitches...on TWO DAYS REST. Oh yeah, following a complete game shutout in his last start. Forget that fact that he now

What is it about?  An air Marshall receives text messages which compromises the situation on a Trans-Atlantic flight and also frames him as an on-board terrorist. He must find the suspect and save the flight from doom.  Who is in it?  Liam Neeson - Bill Marks Julianne Moore - Jen Summers

Manhattan Bridge via D train Just another day, another commute, home in New York City.

3 Up 1. Madison Bumgarner - Wow. Domination is all that can be said. "MadBum" has been lights out against opposing teams since the calendar turned to October. His shutout World Series win in Game 5 was just another notch to emphasize that point.  2. Charles Barkely - Kudos to Chuck for voicing his opinion, which is very much true, on some people in the black community regarding success and their treatment of others. With the whole Russell Wilson "not black enough" discussion going on, it's voices like Barkley who honestly keep things in perspective by being very, very, real.  3. Black-ish - I don't watch much TV, but there is something so brilliant and yet, still comedic, how Black-ish tackles racial overtones, stereotypes, and even longtime conundrums, that makes the show a breath of fresh air. Great writing, and of course, great work by the cast to execute it. I will be watching more.  3 Down 1. Ebola - Ahhhh, the continuing Ebola sag

Let's just get this completely out of the way in the first sentence of this post - I'm a huge fan of Mike Trout. The kid is amazing at playing the game of baseball, and it seems every night he is bound to make a play that just leaves you shaking your head in amazement. In my eyes, he is, as of the writing of these words, the best player in baseball. No debate.  With Buster Posey, another one of the game's top talent, already in the running for another World Series championship to add to his resume, there are a many ( here , here , here , and here ...among others) who are making the claim for Posey to fill the void as "the face of baseball" now that Derek Jeter has left the game (and for some, a hole in our hearts).  Of course, admittedly having the huge baseball crush that is Mike Trout, I highly disagree with the Buster Posey parallels. Winning World Series does help and is a fair case, but the face of baseball? I'll need further convincing. Howe

451. If you could plan the perfect evening out, what would it involve? It really doesn't take much for me. I'm a rather simple guy. The perfect evening would be watching a good game (Yankees, Knicks, or Red Bulls) with my wife, a solid dinner, and somehow being able to enjoy it all on a beach. Maybe doing all of it on a beach...in the Caribbean...yup, that's it. That's perfect.  452. If you could program the perfect evening of television shows, which ones would you select, and in what order? I'm guessing television shows which would exclude sports? And for the sake of being me, I won't choose any pro wrestling as well.  The Wonder Years. Everybody Loves Raymond. Friday Night Lights. The Cosby Show. And Suits.  That's a lot of television for me. That would easily be a week for me. Yes, I know, I don't watch much television.

Pondering with Plumtree is a column on the popular blog, TNAsylum, that is written by yours truly. The blog is focused towards being a fan site for TNA Wrestling fans where they can get news, rumors, opinions, and any and everything else, TNA Wrestling. Known as "The Haven for TNA Wrestling Fans", I'm hoping to bring some of my thoughts to an already impressive roster of columnist for as long as the site will have me. You can read the latest column here , or in the text below.

3 Up 1. Utah Jazz - I came upon this story earlier this week and for some reason it really stuck with me. Such a cool gesture by the Utah Jazz in giving JP Gibson, who is suffering from leukemia, a full day experience by signing him as a free agent and a very cool on-the-court experience. Well done by the Jazz.  2. MLB Playoffs - So far, the MLB Postseason has been absolutely tremendous. From parity to  exciting moments, the playoffs has been absolutely tremendous.  3. Team 3D/The Hardys/The Wolves - A big plus for the pro wrestling industry this week as these three teams put on quite the show on this past Wednesday's edition of IMPACT Wrestling. By far on of the best matches of the year.  3 Down 1. Ebola Virus - As time goes, dealing with the epidemic is becoming a bit more difficult as the disease that has ravaged West Africa has made it's way to other countries via travelers, and has now even stricken those who aided the sick. 2. Terrorist Merger -

Sometimes you just have to wonder ponder what exactly goes through the minds of some high-ranking sports executives and coaches in professional sports organizations. It's quite easy for all of us on the outside to simply look in and do what we usually do - complain, criticize, ridicule, scout, and agonize - all from the comfort of our couch. Sometimes it's valid, but often we're just fans ranting.  Yet, lately, when it comes to the New York Jets, much of it is true. The decisions and circus-like stories, news, and on-goings that come out of Gang green's camp is utter ridiculous. Even for this fan, faith in this organization is at all-time low.  Let's forget about the near twenty million dollars in open cap space GM John Izdik has not used. Let's not even mention the wasted draft picks over the few years and the small percentage of them that are still on the roster, or don green and white on Sundays. Disregard our lack of skill players, especially a

As one of their signature columns, "This Week in IMPACT Wrestling" is one of the signature columns reviewing that week's IMPACT Wrestling broadcast for TNAsylum.com. Yours truly was asked to cover the TV Review of the show for the week of October 8th, 2014. Another great show that featured a very memorable Full Metal Mayhem match. You can read the final piece here , or in the text below.

3 Up 1. Madison Bumgarner - The San Francisco Giants ace was dominant in leading the Giants over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Wild Card game. Bumgarner needed only 109 pitches for a 10 strikeout, complete shutout of the Pirates. That's a true ace.  2. Orioles/Royals Fans - Taking their ALCS achievement off the table, both of these fanbases have been through so much over the past years decades, yet, both are loyal and enthusiastic about their team's current runs. Kudos to both fanbases for their loyalty and passion.  3. Jesse Alkire - I am a geek when it comes to things like sports uniforms and such. Jesse Alkire, just your average ambitious designer recently redid all 32 NFL uniforms. His work is amazing, and to be honest, many of them are better than the real ones.  3 Down 1. Defected French Agent - The idea that a high ranking French Agent recently defected to al Queda is troubling. It just goes to show how powerful their recruitment tr

I can't remember the last time I've been this disinterested in pro wrestling, especially the product of WWE. The company that has made "entertainment" the focal point and philosophy of it's wrestling company has been anything but over the past few months. I have gone from being interested in a few talents or story lines, to holding out hope for others, to now just being done altogether. No hope. No interest.  By no means am I looking to pile on like some wrestling fans do with the negativity, the arm chair booking, and the constant hindsight "told you so" critique. I'm just being honest, simple, and well...a fan. The WWE is just not entertaining. Maybe it was shortly after WCW and ECW died, and WWE began its mega-monopoly on the wrestling industry. The product then just had a coy, yet arrogant feeling of being in cruise control. Almost to the point of not even trying and living off of their Monday Night War's victory.

Arrogance. That is all I could muster in thought after reading about Michael Phelps DUI charge. Yes, I know Phelps isn't the first and, unfortunately, won't be the last person to catch such a charge, but that really shouldn't diminish the justification of his punishment, nor the seriousness of the situation.  Drunk driving is dangerous and stupid. I apologize if this sounds like an infomercial or some public service announcement, but DUI charges have become mere footnotes in our news feeds for the cause of exploiting and capitalizing on the stardom of the party involved. Case in point - Michael Phelps.  All too often we see drunk drivers slamming into innocent victims and killing them, leaving the guilty party to survive and be filled with grief for a lifetime. One the other side, we get the heart breaking displeasure of reading about the victim's lives, their families, and once again falling to the reality that life is unjust.