Friday, May 23, 2008

The Kids Take On A Sosa Super Selection







They are at it again. . .

ENJOY!

TomC

CELTIC CLINCH THREE IN A ROW!




Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Tannadice, Dundee

CELTIC…1
(Vennegoor of Hesselink 71)

DUNDEE UNITED…0

CELTIC (4-4-2) Boruc; Hinkel, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor (Wilson 76); Nakamura (Brown 62), Hartley, Robson, McGeady; McDonald, Vennegoor of Hesselink (Samaras 81)
Subs not used: M.Brown, Wilson, Samaras, O’Dea, Donati, Sheridan

DUNDEE UNITED (4-4-2) Zaluska; Dillon, Kenneth, Dods, Grainger; Flood, Kerr (Robertson 80), Gomis, Swanson (Daly 80); Hunt, De Vries (Robb 80)
Subs not used: Camara, Wilkie, O’Brien, Smith

Celtic FC made history tonight by clinching a third successive SPL title after a dramatic final day of the season.

Gordon Strachan’s champions beat Dundee United 1-0 at Tannadice with a Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink goal to finish top on 89 points. Second-placed Rangers finished on 86 points after losing 2-0 to Aberdeen at Pittodrie.

There were incredible scenes inside Tannadice at the end of the match, as Celtic players, management and supporters began the celebrations.

During the 90 minutes, the Hoops fans had constantly paid tribute to Tommy Burns on an emotional occasion for Celtic Football Club.

After winning the title in his first two seasons, Gordon Strachan becomes the first Celtic manager since the late Jock Stein to lead the club to three consecutive championships.

In early April, Celtic trailed Rangers by seven points but stormed back into contention with seven successive wins to clinch one of the sweetest title triumphs in the club’s history.

Over half of Tannadice was awash with green and white as thousands of Celtic fans converged on the City of Discovery with hope in their hearts. They weren’t to be disappointed.

(Article.)


The Dandy Dons of Aberdeen put aside all questions aside by defeating Rangers at Pittodrie, 2-0. Here's to a great comeback (down 7 points as late as April), and here's to THREE IN A ROW!

HAIL HAIL!!

TomC

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Eliza Dushku 2

Eliza Patricia Dushku (born December 30, 1980) is an American television and film actress, who has appeared in several Hollywood movies such as True Lies, The New Guy, Bring It On, and Wrong Turn. She is also well known for her acting on television, such as her recurring appearances on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel as Faith, as well as the main character in the series Tru Calling.

Dushku came to the attention of casting agents when she was 10. She was chosen at the end of a five month search throughout the United States for the lead role of Alice, opposite Juliette Lewis in the film That Night. In 1993, Dushku landed a role as Pearl alongside Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio in This Boy's Life, a role that she said opened a lot of doors. The following year, she played the teenage daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis in True Lies. She also had parts as Paul Reiser's daughter in Bye Bye, Love, as Cindy Johnson with Halle Berry and Jim Belushi in Race the Sun, as well as roles in a television movie and a short film.

Dushku took some time off from acting to finish her junior and senior years of high school. She was accepted to the George Washington University in Washington, DC and Suffolk University in Boston, where her mother serves as professor of government and previously served as dean of the campus in Dakar, Senegal.

After completing high school, Dushku returned to acting with the role of Faith Lehane on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a Slayer much more troubled than the main character Buffy Summers. Though initially planned as a five episode role, the character became so popular that she stayed on for the entirety of the third season and returned for a two-part appearance in season four, after which the remainder of her original story arc was played out as part of the first season of the Buffy spinoff series Angel. Repentant and rededicated, Faith returned as a heroine in a number of further episodes of Angel and in the last five episodes of Buffy. Dushku was inundated with piles of fan mail from legions of prisoners. She said that:

I've been getting fan mail from maximum security penitentiaries and death row. What are the authorities thinking of in playing a show with young teenage girls to Death Row inmates? They write everything — disgusting things that you don't even want to know about. And they send me pictures — 'Oh, here's a picture of me before I was incarcerated!' — and there's some guy sat on the sofa with a bottle of beer and a moustache, and a big gut. It's so creepy. Way more creepy than Buffy.

In 2000, Dushku starred in Soul Survivors, reuniting her with Race The Sun co-star Casey Affleck. She followed that up with the cheerleader comedy Bring It On with Kirsten Dunst, which was a surprising success at the box office that spawned straight-to-DVD sequels. In 2001, she appeared in The New Guy opposite DJ Qualls and City by the Sea opposite Robert De Niro and James Franco. The latter film garnered attention from a wider adult audience and several good reviews.

The same year, Kevin Smith invited Dushku to be a part of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, where she co-starred with Shannon Elizabeth, Ali Larter, and Ben Affleck.

In 2003, Dushku appeared in Wrong Turn, a horror film in which she had the starring role, and The Kiss, an independent comedy-drama. Starting that same year, she also starred in a new Fox TV series, Tru Calling, where she played the main character, medical student Tru Davies. After having a grant pulled out from under her, Tru is forced to take a job at a local morgue where she discovers her power to "re-live" the previous day over again and uses it to bring murderers to justice. Dushku turned down a role for which she would have been in a spin-off of Buffy The Vampire Slayer (that would have been about Faith).

She has had many roles as a "bad girl" in movies and relishes the opportunities. In an interview with Maxim in May 2001, Dushku says of her roles, "It’s easy to play a bad girl: You just do everything you’ve been told not to do, and you don’t have to deal with the consequences, because it’s only acting."

Dushku starred in an off-Broadway production entitled Dog Sees God from December 2005, playing "Van's sister", a character paralleled with Lucy from the original Peanuts comic strip on which the play production is based. She quit in February 2006 along with several other members of the cast among rumours of alleged abuse from the producer, which were later dismissed.

She played the lead character on Nurses, a hospital comedy/drama for Fox. This was the second Fox pilot in which she has been cast, but will not be broadcast. Dushku voiced the role of Yumi Sawamura in the English language version of the PlayStation 2 video game Yakuza, published and developed by SEGA, and released in September 2006. She appeared in the Simple Plan music video, "I'm Just a Kid", as the band's love interest, as well as Nickelback's video for "Rockstar".

Jon Lester Pitches A No Hitter!


I know I haven't talked much about baseball yet this season, but that does not mean I have not been paying attention. I will probably post more about it after soccer season ends. But how bout this tid bit to tide us over. The first no hitter since Red Sox Right Hander Clay Buchholz's last September was thrown earlier tonight. By Red Sox Left Hander Jon Lester! In his first career complete game, he silenced the Kansas City Royals in style. On top of that, the game's Catcher. Red Sox captain Jason Varitek, became the first major league catcher to catch four no hitters (Hideo Nomo, Derek Lowe, Buchholz, and Lester). It was the teams 18th , which is second only to the Dodgers.


TomC

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Rangers Draw With Motherwell, Title Chances in Celtic's Hands


Chris Porter did Celtic a huge favor by putting a massive dent in Rangers' Clydesdale Bank Premier League title hopes at Fir Park.

Christian Dailly was the unexpected scorer of Rangers' goal but striker Porter snatched a point for Motherwell with a second-half equalizer.

Rangers still have games to come against St Mirren and Aberdeen but Celtic's superior goal difference tilts the championship race in their favour ahead of their final game against Dundee United. Rangers, three points behind Celtic, now have just one game in hand.

The players ran out to Bobby Darin's 'Mack the Knife' - the late Tommy Burns' favourite song - at the request of Motherwell manager Mark McGhee.

A minute of applause was then observed in memory of the Celtic legend who lost his battle with cancer on Thursday.

Motherwell, of course, had already experienced the tragic loss of skipper Phil O'Donnell this season.

'We did it, Phil' was the headline on the cover of the match program, making reference to their success in clinching third place in the SPL and a UEFA Cup slot last week.

(Article.)

Who would have thought 6 weeks ago that Celtic would even have a chance to win the Scottish Premier League title. Now with this result, if Celtic beat Dundee United on Thursday, goal difference would make them prohibitive favorites to win the title!

Get it Done BHOYS!


TomC

Revs Win Second In A Row!

New England Revolution vs. San Jose Earthquakes
May 17, 2008 – Foxborough, Mass. (Gillette Stadium)


Scoring Summary

NE – Kheli Dube (Shalrie Joseph, Steve Ralston) 6
NE – Own Goal (James Riley) 23

New England Revolution: Matt Reis (GK), Jay Heaps, Michael Parkhurst, Chris Albright, Mauricio Castro (Khano Smith 77), Shalrie Joseph, Jeff Larentowicz, Wells Thompson (Sainey Nyassi 62), Steve Ralston, Kheli Dube, Kenny Mansally (Adam Cristman 87)
Substitutes Not Used: Doug Warren (GK), Argenis Fernandez, Gary Flood, Amaechi Igwe

San Jose Earthquakes: Joe Cannon (GK), Eric Denton, Jason Hernandez, Ryan Cochrane, James Riley (Shea Salinas 57), Ivan Guerrero (John Cunliffe 82), Ramiro Corrales, Joe Vide, Ronnie O’Brien (Ryan Johnson 46), Ned Grabavoy, Kei Kamara
Substitutes Not Used: Preston Burpo (GK), Nick Garcia, Matt Hatzke, Jamil Roberts

Forward Kheli Dube scored his first career MLS goal and the visitors added an own goal as the New England Revolution downed the San Jose Earthquakes, 2-0, Saturday night at Gillette Stadium.

With the win, New England (5-3-1, 16 pts.) earned back-to-back wins for the first time in 2008 following last Sunday’s 2-1 win at Chivas USA. The victory also improved the Revs’ record against the Western Conference to 4-1-0 this season. San Jose (1-5-1, 4 pts.) remained winless against the East.

New England had two chances to score in the opening four minutes, but Shalrie Joseph and Mauricio Castro both sent long-range shots on the ground straight at San Jose goalkeeper Joe Cannon.

The hosts did turn their pressure into the first goal of the game in the sixth minute, as Dube scored his first to stake the Revs to a 1-0 lead. Steve Ralston’s in-swinging free kick from the right wing skimmed off the foot of Joseph at the near post and across the face of goal to the far post, where Dube pounded the loose ball past Cannon from close range.

New England continued to control the play and extended its lead to 2-0 in the 23rd minute, as Earthquakes defender James Riley – making his first-ever appearance against the Revolution after spending the first three years of his career in Foxborough – scored an own goal. Jeff Larentowicz sent a high, looping ball down the middle of the field towards the San Jose goal, and Riley – who was under heavy pressure from Dube – headed the ball over the onrushing Cannon and into the open net.

The Revolution – which out-shot the Earthquakes, 6-0, in the first half – had chances to build an even greater lead in the opening 45 minutes, but ultimately took a 2-0 advantage into the halftime break.

(Article.)

Finally some momentum in the early season, back to back wins! Hopefully it will continue!

TomC

Friday, May 16, 2008

Nub 466 Cameroon Torpedo

Wrapper: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Size: 4" X 66

Appearance: The appearance is probably the most obvious thing about this cigar. they are pretty funky looking! In this case, I smoked a very short, very fat, box pressed torpedo of a cigar. That said, other than the bizarre shape, it was a pretty good looking cigar. Relatively firm and evenly packed, this cigar had no noticeable soft spots and generally seemed pretty well constructed. Also the wrapper on the cigar looked delicious, with a beautiful rosy hue. There were no noticeable blemishes or veins, and the wrapper practically oozed essential oils, such a beautiful sheen.

Pre-Light: The clip was easy and the pre light draw seemed okay, but with a cigar as strangely shaped as this one, I could not be sure. The pre light flavors were pretty straight forward. There was a smidge of earthiness and a ton of that great tanginess that I associate with Cameroon Wrapped cigars.

Burn/Draw: Amazingly, the burn on this cigar was pretty good. Considering the strange size and shape, I had my reservations about this one. But when it was all said and done, it was pretty good. The burn line wasn't perfect but it never got really bad, and generally self corrected. The draw was just about right too, allowing just the right amount of smoke. One problem I did have dude to the odd size: Because of the large girth of the cigar and diminutive length, after the first inch or so, the cigar got warm to the point that it was almost uncomfortable to hold. the only other major complaint I had was that I could have done without the box press as it made it a bit hard to draw off the cigar. It wasn't the end of the world though. The ash was very light grey and very firm , which seems to be the hallmark of the brand.

Flavors: Hmmm. . . this wasn't a bad cigar, but it wasn't an exceptional cigar either. It was pretty straight forward flavor wise, it had a lot of Cameroon Wrapper tanginess, and a little bit of earthiness, and a bit of black pepper at the end. That's about it. It was consistent, and the flavor was rather pleasant, but it did not wow me. That said I did like it, and they are fairly reasonably priced, so I could find space for them in my humidor. That said probably not the shape that I smoked for this review, as the gimmick that draws one to these cigars (the odd shape) just proved too ungainly an experience to be worth the time. Overall while not recommended completely, I really do think the Nub Cameroon is worth a try.

I leave you with what is becoming a tradition among Nub Enthusiasts, MY NUB STAND!

TomC

Thursday, May 15, 2008

"The Kids" Take On Hoyo De Monterrey Dark Sumatra!







More good times from "The Kids"!

TomC

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Alicia Silverstone

Alicia Silverstone (born October 4, 1976) is an American actress and former fashion model. She first came to widespread attention in music videos for Aerosmith and is best recalled for her roles in Hollywood films such as Clueless (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997).

Silverstone won a leading part in the 1993 film The Crush, playing a teenaged girl who sets out to ruin an older man after her affections are spurned; she won two awards at the 1994 MTV Movie Awards for the role for Best Breakthrough Performance and Best Villain. Silverstone became legally emancipated at the age of 15 in order to work the hours required for the shooting schedule of the film. After seeing her in The Crush, Marty Callner decided she'd be perfect for a role in a music video he was directing for the band Aerosmith, called "Cryin'", and then the following two videos "Amazing" and "Crazy". These were hugely successful both for the band and Silverstone, making her a household name (and also gaining her the nickname, "the Aerosmith chick"). They also got her noticed by film maker Amy Heckerling, who after seeing them decided to cast her in Clueless.

Clueless became a sleeper hit and critical darling during the summer of 1995. Silverstone's performance was well received, and she was branded the spokeswoman for an emerging young generation. As a result, she signed a deal with Columbia-TriStar worth $10 million. As part of the package, she got a three-year first-look deal for her own production company, First Kiss Productions. Silverstone also won "Best Female Performance" and "Most Desirable Female" by the MTV Movie Awards in 1996 for her performance in the film.

Silverstone's next role was as Batgirl in Batman & Robin, which was neither a critical nor a financial success. Silverstone won a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress. She suffered further bad press for allegedly striking a pedestrian with her vehicle in a crosswalk. She also starred in 1997's dark comedy Excess Baggage, which was the first movie to be released by her production company. In the film, Silverstone played a rich brat who fakes her own kidnapping in order to get her father's attention. While not as reviled as Batman & Robin, the film was not as critically or commercially embraced as Clueless.

Silverstone appeared in Kenneth Branagh's film adaptation of the Shakespeare play Love's Labour's Lost in 2000, in which she was required to sing and dance. In 2001, Silverstone provided the voice of Sharon Spitz, the lead character in the Canadian animated television Braceface. After removing herself from the public eye for a few years, she resurfaced in the 2003 NBC television show Miss Match, which was then cancelled after 18 episodes. Silverstone later acknowledged that she hates the trappings of fame. According to Silverstone, "Fame is not anything I wish on anyone. You start acting because you love it. Then success arrives, and suddenly you're on show".

After the cancellation of Miss Match in 2003, she did a pilot with FOX called Queen B, in which she would have played a former high school prom queen named Beatrice (Bea), who has found out that the real world is nothing like high school. In 2005, she co-starred with Queen Latifah in Beauty Shop, a spin-off of the BarberShop films. She played one of the stylists in the beauty shop. For the pilot season of 2006-2007, she surfaced on a pilot being developed by ABC called Pink Collar, in which she would have worked in a law firm. Silverstone's most recent movie, Stormbreaker, was released in the UK on July 21, 2006, and in North America on October 13, 2006. She appeared alongside Ewan McGregor and Sophie Okonedo. In November 2006, she starred in the made-for-TV movie Candles on Bay Street for Hallmark Hall of Fame, based on the book by Cathie Pelletier.

TomC

This Was Hysterical

Did anybody else see this between inning interview during the Red Sox 9-8 loss to Minnesota Sunday Night on ESPN? Am I the only one who thinks its just great? Those who missed it, see for yourself!



TomC

Update your favorites, Kiddies!

Due to a stroke of fortunate luck, "The Smoking Lounge" now has a domain name of its very own! This BLOG can now be found at:

http://www.CigarSmokingLounge.com/

Same site, same format, same fun! Easier to remember name (I must say I am surprised this domain name was not registered already)!

Happy Reading!

TomC

Monday, May 12, 2008

Revs Stomp Stumbling Chivas USA!

New England Revolution at Chivas USA
May 11, 2008
Carson, California
(The Home Depot Center)


Scoring Summary

NE – Kenny Mansally (Jeff Larentowicz, Chris Albright) 18
NE – Taylor Twellman (Steve Ralston) 59
CHV – Justin Braun (Maykel Galindo, Atiba Harris) 93+

New England Revolution: Matt Reis (GK), Jay Heaps, Michael Parkhurst, Chris Albright, Khano Smith, Shalrie Joseph, Jeff Larentowicz, Wells Thompson, Mauricio Castro (Kheli Dube 55), Steve Ralston © (Gary Flood 79), Kenny Mansally (Taylor Twellman 46)
Substitutes Not Used: Doug Warren (GK), Amaechi Igwe, Adam Cristman, Chase Hilgenbrinck

Chivas USA: Brad Guzan (GK), Bobby Burling, Jim Curtin, Shavar Thomas, Eric Ebert (Justin Braun 59), Francisco Mendoza, Jesse Marsch (Daniel Paladini 68), Paolo Nagamura, Sacha Kljestan, Ante Razov (Atiba Harris 71), Maykel Galindo
Substitutes Not Used: Dan Kennedy (GK), Keith Savage, Anthony Hamilton, Gerson Mayen

Second-half substitute Taylor Twellman – who was making his 2008 debut after returning from injury – scored the game-winning goal in the 59th minute to lead the New England Revolution to a 2-1 victory over Chivas USA at The Home Depot Center on Sunday afternoon.

The win was the Revolution’s (4-3-1, 13 pts.) first-ever on the road at Chivas USA (1-4-2, 5 pts.), as the club had previously been 0-2-1 on three trips to face the Goats on the west coast.

New England began the match in an unconventional 3-6-1 formation, using Steve Ralston and Mauricio Castro as attacking midfielders behind the lone forward, Kenny Mansally

(Article.)

The Revs continue their up and down season. Hopefully they can soon gain some positive momentum.

TomC

Celtic Push Title Race On For The Time Being. . .

Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League
Sunday, May 11, 2008

Celtic Park, Glasgow

CELTIC…2
(McManus 37, McDonald 87)

HIBERNIAN…0

CELTIC (4-4-2) Boruc; Wilson, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor; Nakamura, Hartley, Robson, McGeady; McDonald (Sheridan 90), Vennegoor of Hesselink (Samaras 78)
Subs not used: M.Brown, S.Brown, Donati, Caddis, Balde

HIBERNIAN (4-3-3) McNeil; Canning, Jones, Hogg, Murray; Morais (Nish 88), Rankin, Beuzelin; Campbell (Donaldson 70), Shiels, Fletcher
Subs not used: Ma-Kalambay, Kerr, O’Brien, Gathuessi, Chisholm

The SPL title race looks set to go right to the wire after Celtic beat Hibernian 2-0 to once again move four points clear at the top of the table.

Headers in either half from captain Stephen McManus and top scorer Scott McDonald sealed the win for Celtic in a fiercely-competitive match. Hibs finished with nine men after late dismissals for Martin Canning and Ian Murray.

With only one game remaining, against Dundee United on May 22, Gordon Strachan’s side have cranked up the pressure on title rivals Rangers. The Ibrox club have three games left, against Motherwell, St Mirren and Aberdeen – all away from home.

Celtic made two changes to the side that beat Motherwell 2-1 last weekend. McManus returned in place of Bobo Balde, while Mark Wilson came in for the injured Andreas Hinkel.

Paradise was bathed in sunshine for Celtic’s last home game of the season as a capacity crowd filled the stadium.

(Article.)

Well here's to hoping the Bhoys can still capitalize on their slim chance of winning the title. 'Mon The Hoops!

TomC

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Ramón Allones Edición Regional Esclusivo Asia Pacific Estupendo

Brand: Ramón Allones
Year Of Foundation: 1845
Tobacco Country: Cuba
Tobacco Procedence: Vuelta Abajo
Factory: Partagas
Vitola:
Julieta 2, A Churchill
Size: 7" x 47 (178 x 18.65 mm)

Info:
2006 Asia-Pacific regional release, available in both cabs of 50 cigars per cabinet, and also in a 25 count box. These cigars have a second band that says "Exclusivo Asian Pacifico" on it, and share the same vitola as the legendary Dunhill Estupendo (essentially, a Churchill-sized cigar).

Appearance: This was one beautiful looking cigar. Glistening with essential oils, this cigar was firmly, but evenly packed, with no soft spots to speak of. The wrapper was a luscious cinnamon reddish hue and was as smooth as can be, with not visible veins or imperfections. The height of fine Habano construction.

Pre-Light: The clip on this cigar was a snap. The Prelight draw was acceptable, and had notes of that fabulous Habano earthiness, as well as some delicious sweet notes of caramel and cinnamon.
Burn/Draw: I have to say up front, that from all aesthetic standpoints, this may have been the best Cuban cigar I have ever smoked. The burn on this cigar was impeccable, and was never an issue, as it burned straight down the whole length of the cigar. Even when I was close to nubbing this stick, there was no problem with a wandering burn line, like I have with so many other cigars. The draw was just as good, burning long and cool and slow and producing what can only be described as rich and creamy smoke, again, until the very nub. It never burned hot. The ash on this cigar was firm and held well past the inch and a half mark.

Flavors: This is a great example of how a cigar that is not powerhouse strength can be very flavor full. There was a plethora of flavor in the creamy smoke produced by this medium bodied cigar. The cigar started milder and sweet with cinnamon and brown sugar notes. About a third of the way in some earthy richness crept in, while still remaining rather sweet, so the cigar tasted like home made caramel and an undertone of that great Cuban earthiness we all know and love. Over the last third of the cigar, the creaminess came back in full force, and so the flavor became almost reminiscent of a strong coffee with cream. Overall this was a complex, evolving experience, that I bet the has the potential to become a classic! Recommended, if you can get one.

TomC