Tuesday's Tidbits

Sports
-It appears that John Calipari is close to finalizing a deal with the University of Kentucky to become their new head basketball coach. The Wildcats fired Billy Giliispie last week after missing the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1991. The deal for the current Memphis head coach could be finalized as early as today.

-Tyler Hansbrough, and Blake Griffin were named to the AP's All American Team. Griffin received 71 first team votes to lead the country. Hansbrough was the first UNC player to be named to the All-American team in back to back years since some guy named Jordan did it in 83 and 84. Man I hate Hansbrough. Have fun sitting on the bench in the Association.

-We named Robert Powell as our Moron of the Week last Friday. Today Texans' running back, Ryan Moats, accepted Powell's apology for delaying Moats and his family while his mother-in-law was dying of breast cancer. The Moats family has shown nothing but class in this situation, they released a statement today accepting the apology as well as saying thanks for all of the sympathy that has been pouring in from around the nation.

Entertainment
-Did you know that Jack Bauer has a twin sister? How about goddess Scarlett Johansson having a twin brother? Ashton Kutcher? Yep, he does too. I had no idea that so many celebs were twins until I read this story. Too bad Scarlett doesn't have a twin sister. Mmmmmm, two Scarlett's!

-Apparently Twitter is taking over Hollywood. With all the recent stories of athletes "tweeting" from the locker room at halftime, it seems only fitting that actors, producers, and directors would start doing the same from their sets. I don't know why, but I've never even look at Twitter. Maybe I will just type shorter posts every morning. I know I could fit all of the links that get sent in to the site in a 140 character message.

Business
-The company that owns the Chicago Sun-Times has filed for bankruptcy. Over 120 newspapers in the country have shut down since January of 2008. Not a good sign for aspiring writers out there.

-Get ready for some extra money in your next pay check. President Obama's stimulus package will start to benefit you by the time your next paycheck rolls in. You can expect an additional $15-$30 on each pay check thanks to the tax credits that you will be receiving for being employed. It may not sound like a lot, but that's a free tank of gas each month!

Weekend Update

Sports
-The Final Four is set. UNC punched their ticket by defeating OU, they will face Villanova who won a game for the ages against Pittsburgh on Saturday. The other National Semifinal will feature Michigan State, after their bracket busting (at least for me) victory over Louisville, and UConn. The Huskies defeated Mizzou to advance to the Final Four. C'Mon UConn!! They are my only hope left for any profit from this year's tournament.

-Tiger, Tiger Woods y'all! He's baaaaaaaack! Tiger returned to his winning ways with a one shot victory at Bay Hill this weekend. Woods rolled in a 12 footer for birdie on the 18th hole to capture his first victory of the 2009 season. I can't wait for the Masters to start in 2 weeks.

-Jimmie Johnson turned left better than anyone on Sunday. Unfortuantely Paul Menard took 25th, and did not win me any money. Oh well!

Entertainment
-Got $150 million to spare? if so you can buy Candy Spelling's manor in Los Angeles. It's only got 56,000 square feet, and is compared to a mid-sized hotel. Of course you will need the army of gardeners and security personnel. But don't worry you can unwind in one of the multiple pools, or screening room. Athletic? Well then hit the tennis court. Maybe my bracket should have done better.

-Rapper T.I. was sentenced to 1 year and 1 day in jail on weapons charges. T.I. purchased some machine guns and some silencers. Apparently he grabbed those along with some bread and milk on the way home. Peace out T.I., peace out!

-Monster's vs Aliens captured the weekend box office title by raking in $58.2 million. Click the link to check the rest of the box office numbers for the weekend.

Business
-General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner has resigned at the request of the Obama administration. GM, and Chrysler were both given failing grades by Obama after they received $17.4 billion in tax payer bailout money. Both companies will have 30 and 60 days respectively to show to the President that they can turn it around before they receive any more bailout money.

-This is going to be a big week on Wall Street. After a few weeks of gains, giving investors hope that the economy is starting to turn around a new batch of reports will come out reporting how the unemployment rates and other related numbers are doing. If the reports show that there were fewer jobs lost in the last month it could be a sign to investors that the economy is turning around, and stocks may shoot up. It will be worth keeping an eye on.

Moron of the Week

It was a close call this week for Moron of the Week. It was between me (for not posting this until so late in the day), and our eventual winner, Robert Powell.

Powell was the police officer in Dallas, Texas who stopped and delayed Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats while he, his wife, and other relatives were rushing get to the hospital to be with his mother-in-law who was on her death bed.

Moats reportedly rolled through a red light and was pulled over in the parking lot of the hospital. When told what was going on Powell responded that he could "really screw him over".

What a good guy. Welcome to the Moron of the Week club!

TGIF...I Guess

-This has me too depressed to link much of anything today. Much like Duke's offense I think I am just going to take the day off. Ugh.

-Remember, if you are at work tonight and can't catch the NCAA Tournament games on TV, you can get them all online for free at CBSSportsline.com.

I will be back later on today with the much anticipated Moron of the Week. Since I forgot to post last week's before my flight to Phoenix, I have retroactively awarded that to myself. Hooray!

Oh! He Threw Your Dance Move In The Stands!

Make sure you check out around the 1:18 mark. Listen to Gary Payton, still live TV my friend, still live TV.

Thursday's This 'N That

Apologies for yesterday's lack of a post. The wireless connection that I was using to make the post decided to kick me off after about 10 minutes, so I wasn't able to make a real post. Normally I would just post a link to the ultimate time killer at work, the NCAA Tournament today, but because of the lack of a post yesterday I will go with a full post. Remember, I need your links!! Send them to 8hourstokill@gmail.com.

Sports
-The NCAA Tournament returns today! Remember you can watch every game all day long online for free at CBSSports.com.

-Yahoo! Sports is reporting that UConn's men's basketball team violated NCAA rules in their recruitment of Nate Miles. Among the allegations are that UConn provided Miles with an agent. While not acknowledging the allegations coach Jim Calhoun did not deny them. Let's just hope that this doesn't stop them from doing big things in the tournament (a.k.a. I might have picked them in a pool to win the tournament that could be worth some straight cash homey).

-NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, is going to propose an 18-game schedule to owner's in May. Citing the lack of needing 4 pre-season games Goodell would like to expand the current 16-game schedule. I'm sure NFL fans all over the country are salivating at this thought.

Entertainment
-Entertainment Weekly has provided us with their list of 24 TV shows that were cancelled too soon. Somehow, one of my all time favorite shows, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip did not make the list. Any shows that you think should have made it? Disagree with EW's picks? Leave a comment below.

-A man was arrested for attempting to break on to the Dancing with the Stars set. Apparently the man was hoping to meet Olympic champion Shawn Johnson. He was carrying a weapon with him as he tried to meet her. I'm not a security expert (at least not any more), but carrying a loaded weapon onto the set of one of the most celebrity filled TV shows on Earth, is probably not the best way to gain access. Just a hunch though.

-Dolly Parton is addressing the long time rumors about being a lesbian. Parton has been rumored to be lovers with her long time best friend Judy Ogle. However Parton claims that she and Ogle are in love, but not like that. She has been married to her husband, Carl Dean, for 43 years.

Business
-The number of laid off American's has risen to a new record high. There have been 652,000 first time applicants for unemployment insurance, up from 367,000 just one year ago. Ouch. Hopefully some of the news that has been rolling in about the economy starting to pick up will help out all those in need.

-While electronics stores like Circuit City were going out of business in the 4th quarter of 2008, Best Buy posted a better than expected 10% increase in sales. Best Buy is expected to open 65 new stores in 2009.

The Links
-Andrew S. sent in this video featuring Chris Webber, and Gary Payton from NBATV. If you haven't seen any of their shows, or any of their apperences on TNT, you are missing out on pure comedy gold. I will post another video featuring these guys later on today. It deserves it's own post!

Technical Difficulties

Due to a crappy wireless connection, I am not able to post any links for today. I apologize for the fact that now some actual work will be getting done all around the country. I am like the recession ender.

Tuesday's Tidbits

Sports
-The 2nd edition of the World Baseball Classic came to end in dramatic fashion last night. Ichrio Suzuki had a 2-run single in the 10th to lead Japan to it's 2nd consecutive WBC championship. Boston Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka was named MVP for the 2nd consecutive year as well. It seemed to me like this year's WBC was more in the spotlight than the 2006 games. Maybe because Team USA reached the semifinals it got more press in the country. It will be interesting to see who decides to play in the 2012 games for the American team.

-Red Sox pitcher, Curt Schilling, became the first athlete to announce his retirement on his blog. Schilling was a part of 3 World Championship teams (2 in Boston, and 1 in Arizona), and played in another (Philadelphia 1993). He has been one of the most outspoken players of his generation through his blog and his weekly radio appearances on WEEI in Boston. Now comes the debate, is he a hall of famer?

Entertainment
-Late Show host David Letterman married his long time girlfriend Regina Lasko last week in Montana. The two begin dating in 1986! They have one son together who is named Harry. 23 years of dating finally led to a marriage. Mmmm.... and my wife was getting antsy after just 5 years of dating. See honey, we were pretty much on the fast track!

-Jack Bauer will be back for an 8th season. Thank God! Kiefer Sutherland announced yesterday that he will be returning for an 8th season of one of the best shows in TV history, 24. Sutherland did mention that it will be up to the writers to figure out how long the show will stay on TV, but I mean c'mon, who could actually kill Jack Bauer? Thank goodness for TiVO!

Business
-Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke wanted to sue AIG to prevent it's top executives from receiving bonuses. Bernanke and Treasury Secretary, Tim Geithner are making an appearance on Capital Hill this morning to discuss the AIG bonuses among other things like the toxic assets that I linked to in yesterday's post. When will the AIG bonus news just go away?

-Lots of new rumors about the latest hardware changes for the iPhone. I have read some blogs where people are real excited about all the new changes for the iPhone, but my question is, why didn't they just have some of this stuff on the original hardware? I realize that you can download the new software changes free of charge which excites people, but why weren't they upset when it wasn't on the phone to begin with? Ahhhh.... BlackBerry!

Weekend Update

Sports
What a weekend in sports. Everything from the NCAA Basketball Tournament kicking off to the WBC winding down this has been one of the best sports weekends of the year.

-How's your bracket doing? The Sweet 16 is set. Arizona is the lowest seed still remaining in the tournament, after upsetting Utah in Round 1 and defeating Cleveland St. in the 2nd round. I will say that I have 14 of the 16 teams remaining as well as all of my Elite 8 still in tact. Knock on wood, it could be a good weekend coming up.

-Team USA fell to Japan in the semi-finals of the 2009 World Baseball Classic Sunday night in L.A. The Japanese team will now take on Korea in the finals as they try and repeat as champions of the WBC. Korea is coming off a gold medal performance in Beijing at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Should be a great game.

-Kyle Busch turned left better than anyone on Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway. Kasey Kahne finished in 5th which was 4 spots below where I needed him to finish to win our Nascar pool. Oh well.

Entertainment
-Sad news from across the pond. British reality TV star Jane Goody has passed away following a very public battle with cervical cancer. Goody was famous for starting on the British version of Big Brother. She is survived by her new husband Jack Tweed, and her two sons Bobbie (age 5), and Freddie (age 4).

-Knowing has captured the weekend battle at the box office. The Nicolas Cage movie brought in $24.8 million over the weekend. I Love You Man starring Paul Rudd came in 2nd, and was followed by Duplicity which starred Julia Roberts. I haven't seen any of them, but feel free to comment below if you have.

-Today Show host Matt Lauer was absent from the set this morning after flipping over the handle bars while riding his bike in New York over the weekend. Apparently a deer jumped out in front of Lauer forcing him to slam on his brakes and he flipped over the handle bars. What a guy won't do for a day off!

Business
-The Treasury Department has unveiled a long awaited plan to remove troubled assets from the books of many banks. The plan calls for our tax dollars, along with money from private investors to buy up the toxic assets that come from many bad mortgages and other loans.

-Struggling with your finances? Well fear not my friend, the world's cheapest car is not far away. The "Nano" (no Steve Jobs did not create the vehicle) will sell for around $2,000 when it debuts this summer. I'm sure you will get your money's worth.

The Links
-Mike C. sent in this video which pretty much summarizes how I feel about my usual lunch. My how I love Chick-Fil-A.

Do you have link you'd like to share? If so, PLEASE feel free to e-mail it to 8hourstokill@gmail.com. I post articles that I find throughout my morning travels online, but I know many of you have much more entertaining links out there and I'd love to be able to share them with all the readers.

TGISTNCAAT

That would stand for: Thank Goodness It's Still The NCAA Tournament!

-There is only one news story worth linking from yesterday, it can be found by clicking right here.

-Otherwise enjoy day 2 of the NCAA Tournament. Click here to watch all the games, all day long for free courtesy of CBS.

What Did You Expect?

No articles, no links, nothing today. It is the ultimate 8 Hours to Kill day. It's day 1 of the NCAA Tournament! Click here to watch the games online all day long from CBS and CBSSportsline.com!

The Russian Judge Gave Him an 8.7

Don't worry, he was just fine.

Wednesday's Works

Happy Hump Day... Away we go...

Sports
-Team USA used a dramatic 3-run comeback in the bottom of the 9th inning to defeat Puerto Rico and advance to the WBC semifinals last night in Miami. David Wright blooped a base hit into right field and set off a huge celebration on the field. It's games like this that will help get the WBC on the map.

-Just a fantastic story here about a disabled veteran meeting Team USA after the game in Miami.

-I love this story. President Obama has filled out an NCAA Tournament bracket for ESPN. There were times when I thought how cool is it that President Bush had an ownership stake in the Texas Rangers, and now how cool is it that our Commander In Chief is filling out a bracket just like the rest of us? It definitely makes it easier to relate to someone in such a powerful position when they do things just like we all are doing.

-New Jersey Devils goalie, Martin Brodeur is now the NHL's all time wins leader. Brodeur broke the record that was previously held by Patrick Roy. By the way the NHL also canceled their season a few years back. Morons!

Entertainment
-Belinda Carlisle is the casualty of this season's Dancing With The Stars. Steve Wozniak was the other "star" in the final pairing, but he was spared another week. PHEW!

-Watch out Hills fans, Audrina is leaving! Audrina Patridge has told MTV that she will not be back on the "reality show" after the upcoming 5th season. She has instead signed a deal with Mark Burnett productions that will find other ways for her to exploit her "celebrity".

Business
-It's probably not a good thing when your Chief Executive calls your bonuses "distasteful". But that's exactly what Edward Liddy said of the bonuses that his company paid out to its executives. However he does feel that the company has to uphold those bonuses due to contracts it has in place. This will make for a very interesting debate on the hill.

-David Friehling, accountant for Bernie Madoff, has turned himself in to authorities on charges that he falsified numbers, and lied in the scandal that has Madoff facing charges of up to 150 years in jail. Ouch.

The Links
-Whether he realizes it or not, Matt G. has given us this link for a hilarious rap video featuring T-Pain on YouTube. Quick warning, this video contains some strong language and may be NSFW.

What a Twit...

Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva has been scolded for posting a "tweet" during halftime of the Bucks game against the Celtics on Sunday. Villanueva made the post on his Twitter page saying that "coach wants more toughness, I need to step up". Step up he did as Charlie had a great second half.

Tuesday's Tidbits

Sports
-Houston Rockets forward, Carl Landry was shot in the leg just after 4 o'clock this morning in downtown Houston. Police say that the shots were fired at what may have been an attempted robbery, or a drive by shoot, or a combination of the two. I don't get it. Why on earth would you be out in downtown Houston after 4 in the morning? Oh by the way the Rockets team charter arrived from New Orleans at just after midnight. Landry is expected to miss up to 2 weeks.

-Speaking of morons in the NBA, check out this story about Nets forward, Sean Williams. Apparently Williams got upset with a clerk in a cell phone store in a Denver mall, and figured the best way to show his anger would be to pick up a monitor and throw it across the store. I mean, why wouldn't you do that? Stiff competition this week for Moron of the Week. Check back on Friday for full results.

-Big thanks to Julian Tavarez for giving us the quote of the year thus far. Only Julian could compare signing with the Nationals and dating Jennifer Lopez. Kudos Julian, kudos!

Entertainment
-Tony Award winning actress Natasha Richardson has suffered serious head injuries in a skiing accident in Montreal. Richardson's husband, Liam Neeson, has left the set of his current movie in Toronto to be by her side.

-The train wreck that is Amy Winehouse has pleaded not guilty to assault charges. Allegedly Winehouse hit a fan at a charity ball in September. I'm sure her P.R. team loved that.

Slow day in entertainment news.

Business
-Senate Democrats have vowed to take away bonuses that were given to AIG executives. $165 million of the bailout money that was given to AIG were handed out in bonuses to top executives at the company. Senate Democrats have threatened to tax those bonuses at up to 91%. Ouch.

-iPhone Software 3.0 is on the way. Some no-brainer upgrades should finally make their way onto the Apple cell phone. Copy and pasting, MMS (picture messaging), and tethering are just a few of the options that are rumored to be a part of the upgrade.

John Krasinski on The Tonight Show

I figured I had to post this just to keep my wife, and my mother happy. So here you go...

Monday Morning

Like I mentioned in my weekend post I am going to try and change things up a little bit. I will be breaking down some headlines in different categories each day which will be followed by the links that you send me. Feel free to leave a comment below and tell me what you think.

Sports

-Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth hit and killed a man with his car over the weekend in Miami Beach. According to reports toxicology reports are being ran as we speak, and the results should be expected within the next week or so. Apparently Stallworth was headed to the beach when he hit 59 year old Mario Reyes. Really a sad story.

-March is officially upon us! Sure the calender has shown that it is March for the past 2+ weeks, but it really becomes official when the NCAA's Men's Basketball Brackets have been released. I can promise you right now that next March, if we are still up and running that we will have an 8 Hours To Kill bracket showdown. There is no better way to kill time at work then to fill out your brackets. Take it from me.

-Ho hum, just another ACC Championship for my Blue Devils. Make it 17.

Entertainment
-3 people were arrested in New York City on Saturday after a brawl broke out during an audition for America's Next Top Model. Apparently the girls at the audition found out that if they did well they would actually have to appear on the show.

-Radio personality Don Imus has announced that he is suffering from prostate cancer. Imus made the announcement on his radio show this morning. Imus is perhaps most well known for a racist comment he made about the Rutgers woman's basketball team in 2007.

-Comedian Jay Leno, has added a second free show to his comedy act in Detroit in early April. Leno's shows will be free for anyone who is currently unemployed.

Business
-Ever wonder what the homes of billionaires look like? Well this article from Yahoo! finance will have your answer. Nothing like having a gold plated door.

-Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernake says that the recession could end in 2009. According to Bernake if the government succeeds in bolstering the banking system, Americans could see an end to what is being called the worst recession since the Great Depression.

-President Obama has extended a life line to small businesses. Obama says that the White House is going to make it easier for Small Business owners to get the loans that they need to help their businesses succeed.

The Links
-Only one link sent in for today. Mike C. sent in this article talking about former WWE wrestler Andrew Martin, aka Test, being found dead in his home in Tampa. Another sad story about a WWE wrestler passing away far to early in their lives. Thoughts are out to the Martin family.

Remember you can send your links to 8hourstokill@gmail.com. Also feel free to comment below on the new format.

What We Do

I know some people have been trickling into the blog over the weekend probably wondering what what it is all about. So, I figured for the weekend post I would again try and explain what the blog is all about. Basically what I am trying to do is gather some of the best links online and post them in one spot because let's face it, we all have 8 hours to kill every day.

I have for the past little while been posting primarily sports links. I think for the upcoming week I am going to change it up a little and have a sports section, an entertainment section, and a news section, plus of course any links that you all send in.

If you come across an article, a blog, a YouTube video or anything else you find interesting please send it to 8hourstokill@gmail.com. Trust me other people will find it interesting and it will help them get through their work/school day.

Thanks again for stopping by, check back each day as new posts are made multiple times a day all work week long!

-BC

Moron Of The Week

In a new feature on the blog, I present to you the Moron of the Week: Marko Jaric. SI.com is reporting that Jaric is being investigated for sexual assault. First of all he gets the award for the accusation. Secondly he gets the award because he was cheating on Adriana Lima (pictured above).

Big congrats to Jaric for being the first unanimous choice for Moron of the Week.

TGIF

-6 overtimes. That's what it took for Syracuse to knock off UConn in the Big East quarterfinals last night/this morning at Madison Square Garden in New York City. I have posted the highlights from ESPN.com because I can't describe this game any better than they did.

-Mark McGwire did a rare interview with the New York Times for today's edition. In the interview McGwire talks about his role as a hitting tutor for 4 current MLB players. McGwire agreed to the interview only when told he would not be asked about the steroid controversy.

-Ho, hum, just another triple double for LeBron James. The Cavs won for the first time in the LeBron era at Phoenix last night. James scored 34 points, dished 13 assists, and grabbed 10 rebounds. This may be the only guy in the league that could average a triple-double for an entire season. This was his 3rd consecutive triple-double.

-Michael Phelps did an interview with NBC that will air on Dateline this Sunday night. In the interview Phelps talks about the night where he was photographed smoking out of a bong. Phelps apologized for the photo, but never acknowledged that he was smoking marijuanna out of the device.

THE LINKS
We have our first submission! Chris B. sent in this link for a fantastic video from NFL.com. Big shout out to Chris B. and remember to send your links to 8hourstokill@gmail.com

Thursday's This 'N That

-The Atlanta Hawks continued their streak busting ways last night by putting an end to the Utah Jazz 12 game winning streak. Joe Johnson had a huge first half scoring 21 points, and the Jazz seemed to run out of gas at the end. Utah did not score a field goal in the final 5:02 of the ball game.

-We all should move to Delaware. According to a report in the latest ESPN The Magazine, Jack Markell, the state's Governor is expected to propose a bill that would legalize sports betting in Delaware. Interestingly enough the Governor thinks that legalizing sports gambling could help cut into the states $700 million deficit.

-Red Sox closer, Jonathan Papelbon, didn't hold anything back when talking to Esquire about former Sox slugger, Manny Ramirez. Papelbon remarked that Manny "was on a different train", apparently that train was on course for Los Angeles.

-Someone finally broke down exactly what gets done in an 8 hour work day. See folks, their should be plenty of time for you to send me some links!

-Ahhhhhh yes! More Gus Johnson. Man I can't wait for the NCAA Tournament to start.

-Maybe my favorite headline of the day: Nerd Wants $1,000,000 for lost XBox.

-Who throws a shoe? Honestly!

Oh Roger...

According to a report on SportsImproper.com Roger Clemens was injected with steroids not only in his high rise apartment in Manhattan, but also in the jacuzzi in the Yankees clubhouse. Yikes, I hope that Yankees Clubhouse Manager, Rob Cucuzza put some extra chemicals in the hot tub when Clemens was done.

Wednesday's Works

-If you don't think the players are taking the World Baseball Classic seriously, then you missed the fantastic game between the Dominican Republic, and the Netherlands. The Netherlands defeated the Dominican team in the first meeting of the WBC for both teams. Now the winner between the teams will advance to Miami for the 2nd round. No way the Dutch team can pull off an upset of such a star studded Dominican team right? WRONG! Thanks to a throwing error on a pick off play by Carlos Marmol, and an error with 2 out in the 11th by Willy Aybar, Netherlands is going to Miami. What a great game.

-It appears that the San Diego Chargers, and running back LaDanian Tomlinson have agreed to terms on a new deal that will keep the fantasy football legend in SoCal for the next 3 years. Tomlinson agreed to the restructured deal to help allow the Chargers to have more cap room, and thus have the ability to improve the club for the future.

-Oh, the Clippers. You would think a 19 point lead at home in the 4th quarter would be enough for these jokers to win a game. Not so much. LeBron James recorded a triple-double and the Cavs came back to win 87-83. It was only the 3rd game of the season that the Clippers have sold out, and it was the first that wasn't against the Lakers. Eeks. Sorry Mr. Sterling.

-I told you in Tuesday's post that the Lakers had resolved to violence in their loss at Portland on Monday night. Well a suspension has come down from New York. Lamar Odom, not Trevor Ariza has been suspended for 1 game. Odom was suspended by the league for leaving the bench area. While he did not escalate the situation he leave the vicinity of the bench earning himself a one game suspension without pay. Rudy Fernandez, the recipiant of the flagrant foul has been released from a local hospital.

-Sports Illustrated gives us a nice illustrated (what else?) view of Shaquille O'Neal and his greatest quotes throughout his career.

-It appears that America is still happy with the election of Barack Obama. That's probably a good thing. It probably wouldn't be a good sign of things to come, if 50 days into his Presidency he wasn't liked by the public that voted for him. Just a quick FYI, at the same time of George W. Bush's Presidency his approval rating was 3% lower than Obama's is now. Where's Keith Olbermann when I need him?

-Jay Leno is giving back to the people of Detroit. Good for the Chin.


The Links
Once again, this is where I post your links. Send them to me, I bet if you thought it was worth reading lots of other people will too! Send you links to 8hourstokill@gmail.com.

A Real Guarantee

The Oklahoma Sooners star center, Courtney Paris, is so confident that her team will win the national championship that if they don't she is going to re pay her scholarship. According to reports her scholarship is worth about $64,000.

I love the fact that an athlete is really willing to back up their guarantee, but someone might want to let Paris know that UConn is a perfect 32-0, which includes a 28 point trouncing of Oklahoma earlier this season.

By the way, while you are talking to her, let her know that she committed an offensive foul in the picture above. Thanks.

Tuesday Tidbits

-Dwayne Wade got silly in the final seconds of double overtime last night. His 3-point shot at the buzzer led El Heat past the Bulls in South Beach last night. El Heat were wearing Spanish themed jerseys last night. No bueno.

-Apparently, Roger Clemens used steroids. In other breaking news the sky is blue.

-As if Michael Vick hadn't fallen far enough, it now seems that his suburban Atlanta mansion can't sell at auction. Vick declared bankruptcy last year. The fate of the house will now be left up to a bankruptcy judge.

-If you can't beat 'em... well then you beat 'em. Apparently this was the motivational quote offered up by Lakers head coach, Phil Jackson last night in Portland. The Blazers led nearly from the start to the finish in this one, as they handed the Lakers their 3rd straight road loss.

-Surgery for Yankees slugger, Alex Rodriguez on Monday was a success. The doctor that preformed the surgery said it went exactly as planned, and A-Rod should be able to return to the Yankees lineup sometime in May.

-Bad news out of the Bull and Finch Pub in Boston.

-Speaking of great TV shows, who caught 24 last night? I don't want to post any spoilers here for fear of those who may not have watched it yet, but I really enjoyed last night's episode.


The Links
This would be the part of the daily entries where I post the links that you all send to me. Trust me if you find something worth watching or reading on the internet there are tons of other people who will feel the same way. Even if they don't they will watch it because we all have 8 Hours To Kill.

Send your links to 8hourstokill@gmail.com.

So You're Here...

So most of the people that are reading this post right now followed my link from Facebook. Thank you. As I explained in the message what my goal is with the blog is to help people get through their 8 hours at work. We all spend time browsing the web looking for funny videos, or interesting articles, or the latest sports news, ok so maybe that last one is more for people like me, but I'd like for there to be a blog where people can share these things with each other, and hopefully 8 Hours To Kill will become that blog.

Beginning as soon as you start sending me some links I will change some of the format of the blog. I still will post the daily updates with the latest sports/entertainment news, but I will follow it with The Links section. (By the way, a catchy title for that section is still available.) This is where I will post the links that you send to me, with full credit given of course.

If you have links please send them to 8hourstokill@gmail.com

Also if you have any comments or suggestions please feel free to leave them below, or send me an e-mail.

Thanks everyone, I look forward to hearing from you all!

-BC

Round Mound of Freedom

Charles Barkley has been released from his 36-hour jail term at Tent City in Arizona. Barkley was of course sentenced to jail after a drunken driving arrest. According to reports, Chuck was able to stay in his own tent away from the other prisoners for his safety, and he had his meals brought to him. As you can see from the picture above, Charles did not have to wear the black and white stripes, as he was able to relax in his sweatsuit. No word yet on the pink underwear.

Be Careful With Your Facebook Status

According to this report, a Philadelphia Eagles employee was fired for a comment he posted in his status on Facebook. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Maybe the best part of the story his that he talks about how "he got done dirty" on this.

Weekend Update... This Time w/ Tina Fey!

-Yankees slugger, Alex Rodriguez has proven once again that brother knows best. A-Rod has elected to undergo surgery on his ailing hip. Although the surgery will not be taking care of the torn labrum in his hip, it will repair the cyst and it will keep the third baseman out of the Yankees lineup for 6-9 weeks. Once again, say hello to Cody Ransom.

-The USA Baseball team has run their record to 2-0 in the World Baseball Classic. The Americans defeated Canada on Saturday, and took care of Venezuela on Sunday. Team USA will now play on Wednesday to determine the winner of Pool C. For full coverage of the WBC be sure to check out the official site.

-North Carolina cheated, and squeaked by Duke. NEXT!

-The Utah Jazz captured their 11th in a row on Sunday in Toronto. The Jazz won this ball game without Carlos Boozer, who sat out with a sprained ankle. For Utah their 11 game winning streak is the franchises longest since 1999.

-It appears that David Beckham will stay with AC Milan through June. After which he will return to the LA Galaxy of the MLS. Becks has been bending it in Italy since January, but will return stateside to try and help the Galaxy win the MLS Cup. Question: did it sound like I knew anything about soccer in the past 10 seconds? Because I sure as hell don't!

-Kurt Busch turned left better than everyone else in Hampton, Georgia this weekend. Whoo hoo.

-Two days after being released by the Dallas Cowboys, Terrell Owens has signed a 1-year deal with the Buffalo Bills. The deal will pay Owens $6.5 million, with $4 million guaranteed. Apparently the good folks in upstate New York wanted to remind their fans that even though they screwed them out of a couple of home games this year by taking those games to Toronto, they do still care about them. Give me a break.

Caution: Icy Roads Ahead

TGIF

-Lots of different stories coming out on Alex Rodgriguez. Reports are that he has a torn labrum in his hip as well as the previously reported cyst. If A-Rod decides to have surgery he could be out anywhere from 10 to 16 weeks. Good news for Yankees fans, Cody Ransom hit .302 last season. Oh wait... What's that? He only had 43 AB's. My bad.

-Is there a better sports show on TV than Inside the NBA? The answer to that question is no. Need further proof? Check out this clip from last night's episode.

-Only two games last night in the Association. Carmelo Anthony had 38 points in his return from a one game suspension to lead Denver past the Trail Blazers in a match up of Northwest Divison rivals. Chris Paul had a big night leading his Hornets past the Mavs in the Big Easy.

-Tom Verducci with Sports Illustrated has given us 10 Reasons Why The WBC Matters. Great article, and I can't wait to watch Team USA play this spring.

-And now some sad news. It appears that Lauren Conrad will be leaving The Hills. I know, I know, it may take some time for all of us to get over that....... Excuse me? Oh, you're already over it. Again, that's my bad.

Set Your TiVo!

According to this story it appears that the four main characters from one of the greatest TV shows of all time will re-unite for a story arc on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm.

I am setting my TiVo now.

Thursday's This 'N That

-Help Wanted? Terrell Owens has been released by the Dallas Cowboys. This is a pretty gutsy move by Jerry Jones. Regardless of the fact that T.O. is one of the biggest distractions in the NFL, the Cowboys will be opening a brand new $1.1 billion stadium this season. I'm sure the sale of those #81 jerseys help pay that bond. Dallas also released safety Roy Williams today, although it appears that Williams asked for this.

-For a guy who has numerous different publicists, agents, managers, advisers, and so forth, the news on Alex Rodriguez today comes from his brother, Joe. Rodriguez is expected to miss 10 weeks following a surgery on his hip to have a cyst removed. I'm sure the conspiracies will come out about how A-Rod planned this, so his steroid story will die down before he returns. I can promise you that no professional athlete wants to have a surgery for a made up injury. We heard the same stuff locally in Utah in regards to Carlos Boozer. It just doesn't happen.

-Can I borrow $8.5 million? There is this house that interests me.

-Shaquille O'Neal had some not very nice things to say about his former coach Ron Jeremy Stan Van Gundy. It's always entertaining when the big guy gets going. One thing we will miss when Shaq is gone are his quotes.

-Now totally healthy the Utah Jazz are starting to look like a force to be reckoned with in the West. Utah captured it's 9th straight win last night against the Rockets. The Jazz now sit just 2.5 games out of the 2 spot in the Western Conference standings. Wild West indeed!

-Hey, maybe these guys will lend me the money to buy Manny's crib. My favorite part of the article is the guy who had to go ask for the $5 just to make sure no one else got pissed that he was going to include him in the winnings.

You Give Guns... A Bad Name

Wednesday Morning's Are Like...

-It appears that Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers have agreed to a two-year deal, worth $45m. I'm still a little shocked that the Dodgers were willing to pay that price for Manny when it appeared that there were no other suitors for his services. But then again when you have the best agent in the business on your side things tend to work in your favor.

-Speaking of Boras clients. It appears that the Yankees may ask Alex Rodriguez to skip the World Baseball Classic. A-Rod has been experiencing some stiffness in his hip which has developed a cyst according to an MRI. Now I don't claim to be a doctor, but can't a cyst develop after receiving injections? Hahahaha. Oh boy.

-The Coast Guard has suspended the search for 3 people missing on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, free-agent Corey Smith, and former South Florida player William Bleakley have been missing since Saturday. Just a sad, sad story.

-According to Giants GM, Jerry Reese his team would welcome back troubled WR Plaxico Burress, assuming Burress' legal problems were all cleared up. Is there ever going to be a point where a team in any sport is going to tell a player to just stay away? We don't want to be associated with known felons, who shoot themselves in the leg. I understand that Plax might be able to contribute to your club, but at what cost? I think we will see some of this when Michael Vick is released from prison this summer.

-It was a happy senior night at Cameron Indoor last night. Big game coming up this weekend against North Carolina where the ACC Regular Season title will be on the line.

-The NBA writers over at Sports Illustrated have handicapped the NBA's awards season with a month and half to play. Call me a homer, but if the Jazz finish in the top 4 of the Western Conference and Jerry Sloan doesn't win Coach of the Year it will be a travesty.

-Maybe LeBron should have followed Dwight Howard's advice before the game. It would have made Anderson Varejao happier.

No iPhones At The Gates Residence

In a not so shocking development it turns out that Bill Gates will not allow iPhones or iPods in his home. Wonder if he likes BlackBerry's?

Tuesday's Trip Around The World... Of Sports That Is

-What a ball game last night in Miami. The Cavs rallied down 11 in the 4th quarter to win by 7 in South Beach. LeBron James and Dwayne Wade put on a show. James finished with 42 points, Wade finished with 41. There is nothing like it in sports when a player decides he is not going to let his team lose, and just absolutely takes over the game. D-Wade did that Saturday night against the Knicks and King James did that last night against the Heat.

-TJ Houshmandzadeh has agreed to a 5-year deal with the Seahawks. The deal is for $40m and calls for TJ to receive $15m guaranteed. No word yet on whether or not the Seahawks will play this commercial over and over on the JumboTron at Qwest Field.

-Seriously? Just go away Barry.

-Greg Oden continues to prove me right. You know it's never a good sign when your coach sees you running up and down the floor and says "it doesn't look good."

-Carmelo Anthony shows why he will never lead a team to a championship. Anthony has been suspended by the Nuggets for what the team is calling an "in-game transgression". You stay classy Carmelo.

How Does Dwight Howard Prepare For A Game?

I don't think it's any big secret that I am a big fan of Dwight Howard. He is a specimen on the court, and can dominate a game like almost no one else in the association. But one questions remains: how does Dwight prepare for a game?

Weekend Update... Only Without Tina Fey

-The Suns overcame 49 points from Kobe Bryant and defeated the Lakers by 7 on Sunday. Shaquille O'Neal dropped 33 points in the game. It was the first time in nearly 5 years for Shaq to have back to back games of 30+ points. Not a good weekend for the Lakers who shot 29.8% from the floor in a loss Friday at Denver.

-The NBA has prohibited Dwayne Wade from wearing his new "band-Wade". Wade had been wearing a band-aid underneath his left since cutting it a few weeks ago.

-The Pistons had a great weekend on the road. They snapped an 8 game losing streak Friday at Orlando, and then handed the Celtics their first home loss to an Eastern Conference opponent this season. With Allen Iverson out with a bad back it has been a good weekend for Detroit Basketball.

-The New England Patriots traded franchise player, Matt Cassel to the Kansas City Chiefs. In return the Pats picked up KC's 2nd round draft pick. A lot of people are wondering if the Pats got enough in exchange for Cassel. Dan Wetzel at Yahoo! tells us that Belicheck is still sane. Peter King is wondering if did a favor for an old friend.

-Kyle Busch turned left better than anyone this weekend at his home track in Las Vegas.

-Two hours of the best show on TV tonight. Is it a coincidence that it also falls on my 24th birthday? I think not.