My thoughts on the LT 14 selection

So I'm a huge DMB fan and just recently DMBand.com released the selection for Live Trax 14. They chose the 3rd straight 2008 Summer Tour show, choosing 6/28/08 from Bristow, VA. What was so special about this show is that it was LeRoi Moore's last show. Moore died on August 19 in LA from complications of his ATV crash on June 30.

I am all for this release despite the okay set and okay performance. This was the official end of an era for this band as Jeff Coffin his Roi's temporary replacement at sax. The album art for this show is awesome with Roi on the cover. They are also releasing a beautiful shirt as well with the famous Flower Sax shown on the poster of Roi's birthday this past September at Berkeley. The biggest key to this release is that all proceeds will go to the LeRoi Moore Fund, a great tribute indeed.

I love this release. I was so shocked when he died and I even shed a tear. He was one of the reasons why I got into DMB. I have always been a fan of the saxophone even thought I don't play the instrument. His music was amazing and it's still hard and always will be hard to see DMB perform without Roi on stage. I'm not knocking Coffin, he is amazing and brings so much energy to the table but his style is different than Roi's. On April 14, I will be seeing DMB for the first time without Roi and I know I will enjoy the show but I guarantee I will miss him during #41, Watchtower, Typical Situation, and every other song he tears apart.

Here is the set list.

Super Bowl XLIII

Yes I'm very upset that for the 4th time in 5 trips to the NFC Championship game, the Eagles failed to win one more to at least get a Super Bowl bid. Joining the Rams, Buccaneers, and Panthers, the Cardinals became the next team to get in Philly's way. Now there is one team standing in Arizona's way, Pittsburgh. Yes the Pittsburgh Steelers from day one in my mind have been the best team in football. My preseason Super Bowl pick was Minnesota vs Pittsburgh. When the season ended, it was Carolina vs Pittsburgh. I was so sure last week it would be an all PA Super Bowl but that was obviously foiled. I am still confident that the Steelers will win the Super Bowl, and win it soundly. Unlike the Cardinals opponents in Atlanta, Carolina, and Philly, Pittsburgh's defense does not have bad days.

Arizona does have a very good quarterback. In my opinion, Kurt Warner is Hall of Fame bound. He has 3 great receivers ot throw to in Anquan Boldin, Steve Breaston, and the best WR in the game, Larry Fitzgerald. If Arizona wants ot have a prayer, the offensive line will have to hold up and allow Warner to get the ball in the hands of his weapons. Pittsburgh's pass defense is very nasty. Dick LeBeau is the best defensive coordinator in the game and he will throw so many blitz packages at Warner that it will look like the 3rd quarter of the NFC Championship game. You still have to look out for Troy Polamalu. He is fucking dangerous!

Pittsburgh's offense is very good as well. They may not be as talented on paper as Philly's and sure is not as dangerous as Arizona's, but Ben Rothlisberger knows how to lead a team. He still has Hines Ward, Heath Miller, and Willie Parker but no Jerome Bettis. He does, though, have Santonio Holmes, the Steelers deep threat. Ben also has Nate Washington. It will all come down to the running game. Willie Parker is healthy and he can run again. Rothlisberger's performance will depend on the run game.

It's gonna be a long day for Arizona. Pittsburgh will become the first team to win 6 Super Bowls as they roll over Arizona 31-17.

....And Many More (revisited)

I posted this the day after the Phillies won the World Series, the team that was the foundation to what I want to do for the rest of my life: be a sports writer. This is from We Hate to Lose, linked on the side of the page and so forth. Here is my account of that amazing day....

Sitting on the edge of my couch I watch as Brad Lidge had a man on second with 2 outs. Up to the plate steps Eric Hinske. First pitch slider was fouled off. The second pitch was also a slider and was swung at. With the slider workinf twice, Lidge decided to go with it one more time. Hinske couldn't touch it and at that moment, a lot happened.

Lidge fell to his knees, Carlos Ruiz rushed him, Ryan Howard completely flattened him, and 50,000 people in attendance at CBP got on their feet and cheered. thousands of others rejoiced around the country as their Phillies did what teams before them couldn't do and that was win the World Series.

I sat there, staring at the TV. My roomate, who doesn't like baseball that much was watching with me and rambling on and on. I turned to him and told him to shut up as a soaked in the glory of finally watching a team and city I followed for 15 years finally win.

But like the Philadelphia fan I am, I am not satisfied. I am hungrier than ever for more success. This team found the right formula to win and this team can only get better. I want more victories. I want more rings. I want Pat Gillick to stay in Philadelphia and get us the players needed to be a dynasty. That's right people. I said that word that we label New York and Boston with. Their time is up. It's our turn and we will not let go.

But it's not just the Phillies. The Flyers found something last year and need one more good blue-liner to go over the top. The Sixers found it too and they are gonna make us proud soon too. The Eagles have an idea but still need some more pieces. Could '08 truly be the same is '80? Will we see three more teams go the distance? It's possible but work needs to be done. The Eagles found that winning formula last week, the Flyers are on a 3 game tear, and the Sixers found a big puzzle piece this off season in Elton Brand.

I want to thank Gillick, Charlie Manuel for being the kind of manager that this team needed to succeed, Ed Wade for the core of players who made this possible, and to Ed Montgomery in some way for being the signer of the checks of everyone who was involved.

So I sit here, satisfied but hungry, waiting for the next guarentee Jimmy Rollins has to offer. In the mean time, I'll have to wait and watch what the Eagles, Flyers, and Sixers have to offer as the follow up act to the Phillies.

This is our team, our city, our dream. Philly is the next Title Town

...is it still there?

Is it over? Is the best feeling in the world losing it's sting? Its passion? I just don't know. For the last 5 1/2 months, I have felt like my life is complete, that the missing piece to the puzzle I call my life has finally been fit into place. I have completely fallen inlove with someone so amazing, so wonderful, that I have forgotten what it's like to feel incomplete. Now the fear of feeling that emptiness is returning and I don't want to lose the one person that I love.

We are seperated by miles and kept together by pure faith and love. She has my heart on a string and I have her wrapped around my finger, as we like to say. Ever since we were born, our hearts had an empty room, longing for that space to be filled with the perfect person. After that amazing night when we first met, we began to occupy eachother's heart. Our mind would wonder from what we were doing to think of eachother.

Now with the strength of our love, our hearts grew stronger and infact fused to make one heart. We know that if one of us were to ever leave the other or be seperated from the other, we would surely die. Our hearts are one and can not live with out the other. Losing you, my love, would end me completely.

I talk to you now. For the first time in my life, I have felt that my heart can only long for one person. The urge to be with any girl, the ability to look at a girl and want to flirt with her, and the ability to close my eyes and picture any girl has left me forever. When I close my eyes, I see you and only you. When I think of my present and dream of the future, only you come into view. Not a day goes by when I don't think about you or just want to settle down with you.

I know I'm 20 and I know we are far apart and I know the distance is killing us. But that energy that is flowing through us, that love, is not over! That is the answer to the question! It is not dying and it is not fading away! The fear of feeling empty will never rear its ugly head for there is only one feeling I will ever feel and you will ever feel: Love. I love you with my whole heart and I will never let go. You are my future and my everything. I love you, Giovanna. Forever and ever and a day.

Classes

Well I'm off to class for the day. I have News Reporting 2 at 10:50 and Online Journalism to follow and then Public Speaking at 3:15. After that, my weekend begins. My schedule this semester is a lot more relaxed then last with it looking like this:

-Monday - Sports Journalism 2 - 3:15-4:30 and Bio: Human Focus - 6:30-9
-Tuesday - News Reporting 2 - 10:50-12:05; Online Journalism - 12:15-1:30; and Public Speaking - 3:15-4:30
-Wednesday - Bio: Human Focus - 6:30-9
-Thursday - News Reporting 2 - 10:50-12:05; Online Journalism - 12:15-1:30; and Public Speaking - 3:15-4:30

My first post

Well I officially decided to make my own blog. Along with Justin Evans, I help him run his Philly sports blog, We Hate to Lose. I don't want to be restricted to official news, formats, etc and just write about anything sports, music, or personal life related. I'll start with a quick introduction.

I'm John Russo and I'm from Atlantic City, NJ. I go to Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ and I major in journalism. I want to be a sports writer. I'm big into music as well as sports. I'm a fan of all Philly teams and root for Duke in college basketball and PSU in football. I have a very eclectic taste in music (a word I've stolen from my girl friend, Giovanna). Among my musical tastes, I like Dave Matthews, Billy Joel, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Beatles, and many other great classic, alternative, and punk bands along with some blues and jazz. I have been playing piano for 14 years and the guitar for a year.

In my future posts you learn more about me, my hobbies, interests, and some feelings. Take it easy and be sure to read up on We Hate to Lose!