The new Yahoo - m.www.yahoo.com - sucks.

I can't stand the huge-ass vertical subnavs that take up the whole page on rollover. Maybe if it was a click function. Regardless, it they always pop up when I don't want them to and don't go away quick enough. I'm not opposed to change, but I am opposed to this.

Is it just me or does Avatar look lame?

With a combined budget of nearly 500 million dollars (300 mil to make, 150 mil to market, 50 mil for petty cash), Avatar looks like an overblown video game. I get trying new things and all, but I hate it when special effects push aside realism - one of the main reasons the second two Matrix movies sucked. It brings up the age-old question, "Just because we can, does that really mean we should?"

I don't want to judge a book by its cover, but I'm not opposed to judging a movie by its trailer. And my judgment on Avatar is that someone is going to lose a lot of money followed by a lot of someones losing their jobs.

I hope I'm wrong, but I'm usually not. Check out the trailer and you decide. Avatar Trailer.

Pass the Popcorn: The Taking of Pelham 123

The Taking of Pelham 123 TOOK an hour and a half from me that I can't get back. The acting was good but the movie was just lame. Skip it if you can. And if you can't, try the original instead. At least it had some suspense at the end.

Pass the Popcorn: UP

Pixar's UP was fun but a lot sadder than I had expected. I recommend it.

Nice Try Captain

Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum has had some fairly clever campaigns of late. They've also had a few fall flat like the dudes in the bar impersonating doctors and male book cover models. No, no, Captain. Try again.

They did recently step outside the box with a campaign that would have donated money to an NFL charity for every time an NFL player struck the Captain Morgan pose during a game. I used "donated" in the past tense because it was cut ceremoniously short today. Despite being an ingenious guerrilla marketing campaign, it was also a violation of NFL rules. Read more about the specifics here.

NFL players may have a little Captain in them, but they better not show it during NFL games.

No Excuses

My current immersion in And1's social media campaign has caused me to completely neglect my own social media. My Facebook and Twitter profiles lay dormant and my blog is collecting dust. I know it sounds like an excuse and it is. I'm so deep in all of these other profiles that I can't see my own. Such is life. I will, however, try harder. Like Avis.

Go Yankees!

Blazer Woes

Despite the new additions to the team, the Blazers are looking a bit rough this season. Luckily, it's early, so they have plenty of time to pull out of it, but they really need to find a rhythm between the first and second string. It's close. You can see it in flashes of greatness, but they just haven't settled in yet.

On a positive note, Brandon Roy is playing with a lot more confidence this year, and Greg Oden hasn't got hurt yet, which is nice. It's a long season, so there's no reason to sound the alarms just yet. But we should have the button ready just in case.

When I'm an Old (Man), I Shall Wear Purple

I'll be the first to say that Brett Favre has been way too melodramatic over the last couple of years. I get it. He's at a major cross roads in his life. That's tough for anyone. It doesn't make his actions right, but it doesn't make them condemnatory either. I'll also be the first to say that he's playing out of his mind this year. He's not only putting up great numbers, but he looks like he's cherishing every minute of it too. He's a great competitor. I root for him every week now. And when I'm an old man, I hope I can wear purple too.

Go Yankees!

ESPN's First Take talked about the Yankees being a tough team to like this morning because of the scandals, bloated salaries, and egos. Of course, Skip is a Red Sox fan. Personally, I don't think it's because of the off-field antics as much as it is the revolving door of stars.

I started liking the Yankees after they got bounced out of the ALCS by the Red Sox and grew to like them even more after my two years living in Manhattan. Since I'm not a lifelong Yankee fan, I can see the bitter side of the coin. However, I can also say that if the they keep winning with this unit for several more years, their allegiance will grow. And this is why.

Teams sign athletes to huge contracts all of the time. Unfortunately with the Yankees, they've signed several big names over the past couple of years who only played for a year or two and left. The result is that the team doesn't feel much like a team. Instead, it just looks like owners trying to buy championships.

But if this current crop of superstars play out their contracts together, they'll create a new persona for the Yankees. They won't be CC from the Pirates, AJ Burnett from the Jays, etc, etc, etc. They'll be the Yankees - a team of good athletes that make a lot of money but still enjoy the game.

You can already see it happening with every genuine smile Mark Teixeira has when A-Rod hits an RBI. They're starting to have fun as players instead of simply winning like superstars. People want to watch teams win, not athletes whine. So the more they win as a team, the more people will accept them. Ultimately, the Yankees are good guys. They don't get into fights, throw equipment, and yell at the refs all of the time. And soon, baseball fans will start to see this.

A Sports Night For the Ages

Saturday night (Halloween) will be good for more than just ghosts and goblins. The kids will get the candy, but sports fans will get the treat. Listen to this lineup: Oregon Ducks vs USC, Blazers vs the Rockets, and game three of the World Series, Yankees vs Phillies. The only thing that would make it better is if all of these gems didn't overlap in some capacity. I only have two TVs for crying out loud. Having this many game options is a high-class problem to have. But I'll manage.

Words from a two-year-old

At breakfast this morning, my daughter looked up from her bowl of Fruit Loops and proceeded to say, "Dad, you're a guy."

"Yes I am," I replied.

"You're a good guy."

"Well, thank you Sophia."

"You're my favorite guy."

And the she grabbed her spoon and continued eating her cereal.

And1 Tai Chi Heritage Video

I wrote and produced this at work for the And1 Tai Chi launch. We were able to get a great video made on a limited budget and time.

And1 Tai Chi Heritage Video from And1 Basketball on Vimeo.