Calling Out Fans is Committing Career Suicide

Smarkasses Episode 18- 12/14/2013, Christmas Edition

MLB Off-Season Moves as of 12/21/2013

It's been a long cold winter but there has been a lot of major moves going on in the world of baseball. This is my first update and I wanted to wait awhile so all of you out there can get an idea of just how much movement is going on. Remember the only deals you will find on here are one that have been made official. Here we go with all the wheeling and dealing

Arizona Diamondbacks

Atlanta Braves

Baltimore Orioles

Boston Red Sox

Signed C A.J. Pierzynski to a one-year contract.

Chicago Cubs

Chicago White Sox

Cincinnati Reds

Agreed to terms with C Brayan Pena on a two-year contract.

Cleveland Indians

Traded OF Drew Stubbs to Colorado for LHP Josh Outman.

Colorado Rockies

Signed INF Justin Morneau to a two-year contract.

Detroit Tigers

Agreed to terms with RHP Joba Chamberlain on a one-year contract.

Agreed to terms with OF Rajai Davis on a two-year contract.

Agreed to terms with RHP Joe Nathan on a two-year contract.

Acquired LHP Robbie Ray, LHP Ian Krol and INF Steve Lombardozzi from Washington for RHP Doug Fister.

Acquired 2B Ian Kinsler from the Texas Rangers for 1B Prince Fielder and cash considerations.

Named Brad Ausmus manager and agreed to terms with him on a three-year contract.

Houston Astros

Kansas City Royals

Agreed to terms with INF Omar Infante on a four-year contract.

Agreed to terms with LHP Jason Vargas on a four-year contract.,

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Los Angeles Dodgers

Signed RHP Dan Haren to a one-year contract.

Miami Marlins

Agreed to terms with INF Rafael Furcal on a one-year contract.

Acquired OF Dexter Fowler and a player to be named from Colorado for OF Brandon Barnes and RHP Jordan Lyles.

Milwaukee Brewers

Minnesota Twins

Agreed to terms with RHP Ricky Nolasco on a four-year contract.

New York Mets

Agreed to terms with RHP Bartolo Colon on a two-year contract.

Signed OF Curtis Granderson to a four-year contract.

New York Yankees

Agreed to terms with OF Carlos Beltran on a three-year contract

Agreed to terms with RHP Hiroki Kuroda on a one-year contract.

Agreed to terms with OF Jacoby Ellsbury on a seven-year contract.

Agreed to terms with C Brian McCann on a five-year contract.

Oakland Athletics

Signed LHP Scott Kazmir to a two-year contract.

Agreed to terms with INF Nick Punto on a one-year contract.

Philadelphia Phillies

Agreed to terms with OF Marlon Byrd on a two-year contract.

Pittsburgh Pirates

San Diego Padres

Agreed to terms with RHP Josh Johnson on a one-year contract.

San Francisco Giants

Seattle Mariners

Agreed to terms with OF-1B Corey Hart on a one-year contract. 

Agreed to terms with 2B Robinson Cano on a 10-year contract.

Named Lloyd McClendon manager.

St. Louis Cardinals

Agreed to terms with SS Jhonny Peralta on a four-year contract.

Traded 3B David Freese and RHP Fernando Salas to the L.A. Angels for OFs Peter Bourjos and Randal Grichuk.

Tampa Bay Rays

Texas Rangers

Agreed to terms with C Geovany Soto on a one-year contract.

Toronto Blue Jays

Signed RHP Roy Halladay to a one-day contract and announced his retirement.

Washington Nationals

Agreed to terms with OF Nate McLouth on a two-year contract.

Named Matt Williams manager.

As you can see there is a lot more wheeling and dealing to be done and some good free agents out there left. Be sure to check back soon for more Major League Baseball Off-Season moves.

Re-ranking the WWE after the WWE Title Unification

As we all know the World Heavyweight Title and WWE Title were unified as the WWE World Heavyweight Title at TLC. This will bring a lot of changes to the meaning of that title as well as the United States Title, and Intercontinental Championship. With that being said 2014 is approaching fast and here are my rankings for who should be competing for each title into next year. 

WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Randy Orton
1 Daniel Bryan
2 CM Punk
3 John Cena
4 Sheamus
5 Dolph Ziggler

WWE Intercontental Champion: Big E Langston
1 Alberto Del Rio
2 Christian
3 The Miz
4 Roman Reigns
5 Wade Barrett
Other notable stars who could compete: Tyson Kidd, Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, Big Show, and Damien Sandow

WWE United States Champion: Dean Ambrose
1 Damien Sandow
2 Brodus Clay
3 Sin Cara
4 Fandango
5 Seth Rollins
Other notable stars who could compete: Ryback, Mark Henry, Curtis Axel, Xavier Woods, and Justin Gabriel

WWE Tag Team Champions: Cody Rhodes and Goldust
1 The Uso's
2 The Real Americans
3 Prime time Players
4 Los Matadores
5 The Wyatt Family

WWE Divas Champion: AJ Lee
1 Natalya
2 Kaitlyn
3 Tamina Snuka
4 Naomi
5 Summer Rae

Of course I might have to do one of these ranking sessions again the night after Wrestlemania 30 because a lot is going to happen between now and then.Right now these are my personal rankings and the pecking order that WWE should be in. However who knows what genius ideas WWE will come up from one week to the next. Let me know who you think should be competing for each title.

Review, Recap, and Results of 2013 WWE TLC

Tonight history was made as the WWE Title and World Heavyweight Title were unified for the first time since August of 2002 when Brock Lesnar refused to defend his WWE Championship against Triple H. It would be Triple H to carry the banner of the World Heavyweight Title it's first couple of years. Tonight was a celebration into the past and a glimpse into the future. Here are the results of WWE TLC

Fandango (with Summer Rae) defeated Dolph Ziggler- Preshow

CM Punk defeated The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns)
AJ Lee (c) (with Tamina Snuka) defeated Natalya- WWE Divas Title Match
Big E Langston (c) defeated Damien Sandow
Cody Rhodes and Goldust (c) defeated Ryback and Curtis Axel, Big Show and Rey Mysterio and The Real Americans (Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro)- WWE Tag Team Title Match
R-Truth (with Xavier Woods) defeated Brodus Clay (with The Funkadactyls (Cameron and Naomi) and Tensai)
Kofi Kingston defeated The Miz
The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan) defeated Daniel Bryan
Randy Orton (c – WWE) defeated John Cena (c – World)- TLC Match to Unify both WWE and World Heavyweight Titles

Usually I talk about what I don't like first but there is not much to talk about. The only things I didn't like were that Dolph Ziggler was on pre-show and that AJ Lee did not lose the Divas Title. If the reports are true and she acted unprofessionally at Tribute to the Troops then she should have lost. I also was disappointed that they didn't throw in Mark Henry, or Sin Cara in somewhere with the winning streaks they have been on. The other thing I hate is all night and leading up to this is that the commentators were referring to whoever won this match as the first ever unified champion. I am pretty sure in December 2001 Chris Jericho unified both titles and became the first WWE Undisputed Champion. Lets give Y2J a little bit of credit. 

I really enjoyed the opening match between CM Punk and The Shield. I love the psychology and the story of Roman Reigns behind it. I see The Shield splitting up soon and Roman Reigns being the breakout star of the group. I enjoyed the Fatal Four Way Tag Match. I really felt like the teams of Show/Mysterio and Ryback/Axel shouldn't have been there but I was mistaken. Both teams put on a good showing. However, I truly believe the best tag team in WWE right now is a toss up between The Real Americans and The Uso's. I also think Big E Langston is going to have a solid 2014. He's a combination of Ron Simmons, Bobby Lashley and Mark Henry rolled into one. He definitely has a bright future ahead of him

Speaking of future, I am having a hard time figuring out what they need to do with Daniel Bryan. There is no doubt in my mind that he should be the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He lost to the Wyatts but even in the main event and at the beginning of the show he was getting chants. I personally think he needs to shave his beard, get a haircut and go back to his American Dragon persona. I think the beard, and goat have run their course. He needs to go back to he once was in Ring of Honor. That is what brought him to the dance in the first place.

Lastly, I would like to say that I am happy with the outcome of TLC Match. I am so happy that so called internet wrestling community was put in their place. No swerves, no Triple H, and no bullshit. Randy Orton won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship cleanly and fairly, I also liked the fact that Vince McMahon has returned to WWE TV. I think it will be a nice shake up for the next few months headed into Wrestlemania 30

I would rate the show a 7 out of 10 tonight for good quality matches and some decent storytelling. Not a lot of shock value but I think they are keeping the surprises and swerves for TV. In 6 weeks time it will be the Royal Rumble, where the Road to Wrestlemania begins. It's going to be a good long buildup and look forward to whats ahead in 2014

For more of Hollywood Joe's opinions on WWE and all things pro wrestling be sure to check out his podcast, Smarkasses which can be found on SoundCloud. They can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.

Smarkasses Episode 16- 12/10/2013

Smarkasses Episode 15- 12/3/2013

Review, Results and Recap of 2013 WWE Survivor Series

Tonight was the 27th annual Survivor Series and I have to say I really have mixed emotions about this show. There was some great spots in this match but the Main Event really ruined the show. As always I will start with the results, what I disliked and what I liked. There is a lot of questions I have after this pay-per-view.

-WWE Champion Randy Orton def. Big Show

-World Heavyweight Champion John Cena def. Alberto Del Rio

-CM Punk & Daniel Bryan def. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan

-The Shield & The Real Americans def. WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Goldust, The Usos & Rey Mysterio (Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match)

-Natalya, The Bellas, The Funkadactyls, JoJo & Eva Marie def. Divas Champion AJ Lee, Tamina Snuka, Kaitlyn, Rosa Mendes, Summer Rae, Aksana & Alicia Fox

-The Miz def. Kofi Kingston (Survivor Series Kickoff Match)

-Intercontinental Champion Big E Langston def. Curtis Axel

-Mark Henry def. Ryback

I want to start of by saying that Orton vs. Big Show was one of the worse WWE Title matches in recent memory. The ending, the predictability and just the whole flow of the match sucked. The fans really spoke tonight. They want to see guys like Daniel Bryan and CM Punk in the Main Event scene, not the two guys have been there for the last 10 years. I am of the opinion that that Orton and Cena is old news, an angle and a series of matches no one wants to see anymore. I also did not like that Mark Henry was Ryback's open challenge opponent. It should have been Lesnar or a bigger surprise. I am glad Henry returned but I did not want to relive Wrestlemania 29 again. I am also extremely disappointed that Sandow, Ziggler,3MB, Barrett and a few others were not on. They could have done another traditional 5 on 5 match which for me is what Survivor Series has always been about. 

I really enjoyed the 5 on 5 tag team match and was so happy to see Roman Reigns in the spotlight. His time is coming and he was showcased tonight. I also loved how Cesaro did the swing to both of the Uso's. The sad thing is this was the opening match and it was considered the best match of the night. I thought Kingston/Miz, Langston/Axel and Cena/Del Rio all had solid matches but were not epic by any means. My favorite match was the Wyatts vs. Punk and Bryan. The fans were behind this match, and I love the pyschology of two smaller guys vs. two bigger guys. It reminded of the Rockers vs. Twin Towers at Wrestlemania 5 but this match was ten times better. As I said before the fans are letting their voices be heard. They want Punk, Bryan, The Shield and The Wyatts to be pushed and all of them to be in the main event scene. 

The biggest thing was a possible tease of WWE Champion vs. World Champion and a possible unification. match. If they unify the titles they need to bring back the TV Title, European title and the Cruiserweight Title. I believe their should only be one World Champion but they need more secondary titles to support the company and the stars. Finally, I will end on this note and this is if there is a title unification match it needs to be between CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. WWE management needs to understand that those are the two guys people want with the titles. If they go the route of Cena and Orton, it's going to be a horrible end result. 

The year is coming to end and the next show is WWE TLC. I am sure more answers will come to who will be in the main event scene, and who will be the face of WWE in 2014 and into Wrestlemania 30.

For more of Hollywood Joe's opinions on WWE, Ring of Honor, TNA Impact Wrestling and all other pro wrestling news and rumors check out the We Love Lucha podcast with Hollywood Joe and Jordan Francisco

TWITTER- WeLoveLucha

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/welovelucha

The History of WWE 50 Years of Sports Entertainment DVD Review

We Love Lucha Episode 14- 11/19/2013: Survivor Series Edition

We Love Lucha Episode 13- 11/12/2013

2013 NFL Week 11 Predictions

I guess if you are a Tampa Buccaneers or Jacksonville Jaguars this past week was very to good to you. All 32 teams in the NFL now have a victory and now you don't have to suffer through what Lions fans did a few years ago. With that that being said here are my predictions for week 11.

(Byes: Dallas, St. Louis)

Thursday, Nov. 14

Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans, 8:25pm

The Colts will vengeance on their mind after an embarrassing loss in week 10

Sunday, Nov. 17

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills, 1pm

Baltimore Ravens at Chicago Bears, 1pm

Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals, 1pm

Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans, 1pm

Arizona Cardinals at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1pm

San Diego Chargers at Miami Dolphins, 1pm

Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles, 1pm

Nick Foles is on fire, RG3 is not 

Detroit Lions at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1pm

The Lions are for real

Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1pm

Two NFC South teams who have rock bottom

Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos, 4:05pm

This will be the toughest test for the Cheifs 

San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints, 4:25pm

49ers are not meeting expectations this year.

Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks, 4:25pm

Green Bay Packers at New York Giants, 8:30pm

Monday, Nov. 18

New England Patriots at Carolina Panthers, 8:40pm

Here is the playoff picture headed into week 11

NFC

1 Seattle Seahawks

2 New Orleans Saints

3 Detroit Lions

4 Dallas Cowboys

5 Carolina Panthers

6 San Francisco 49ers

AFC

1 Kansas City Chiefs

2 New England Patriots

3 Indianapolis Colts

4 Cincinnati Bengals

5 Denver Broncos

6 New York Jets

Here are the odds from vegasinsider.com

National Football League
Time		Caesars- Hilton	MGM- Mirage	Stations
Nov. 14	Indianapolis
5:25 p.m.	at Tennessee
Favorite		IND		IND
Point spread		-3		-3
Total		42½o/u		42½o/u
Total money line		-110		-110
Nov. 17	Atlanta
10 a.m.	at Tampa Bay
Favorite		ATL	ATL	ATL
Point spread		-1½	-1½	-1½
Total		43o/u	43½o/u	43½o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Nov. 17	N.Y. Jets
10 a.m.	at Buffalo
Favorite		BUF	BUF	BUF
Point spread		-1	-1½	-1½
Total		41o/u	41o/u	41o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Nov. 17	Detroit
10 a.m.	at Pittsburgh
Favorite		DET	DET	DET
Point spread		-2½	-2½	-2
Total		47½o/u	48o/u	47o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Nov. 17	Washington
10 a.m.	at Philadelphia
Favorite		PHI	PHI	PHI
Point spread		-3½	-3½	-3½
Total		53o/u	52½o/u	53o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Nov. 17	San Diego
1:05 p.m.	at Miami
Favorite		SDG	SDG	SDG
Point spread		-1½	-1½	-1½
Total		45½o/u	45½o/u	45½o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Nov. 17	Baltimore
10 a.m.	at Chicago
Favorite		CHI	CHI	CHI
Point spread		-3	-3	-3
Total		46½o/u	46½o/u	46½o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Nov. 17	Cleveland
10 a.m.	at Cincinnati
Favorite		CIN	CIN	CIN
Point spread		-6	-6	-6
Total		42o/u	42o/u	42o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Nov. 17	Oakland
10 a.m.	at Houston
Favorite		HOU	HOU	HOU
Point spread		-7	-7	-7
Total		42½o/u		41½o/u
Total money line		-110		-110
Nov. 17	Arizona
10 a.m.	at Jacksonville
Favorite		ARI	ARI	ARI
Point spread		-7	-6½	-7
Total		41½o/u	41½o/u	41o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Nov. 17	Kansas City
5:30 p.m.	at Denver
Favorite		DEN	DEN	DEN
Point spread		-8	-8½	-8½
Total		49½o/u	50o/u	49½o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Nov. 17	Minnesota
1:25 p.m.	at Seattle
Favorite		SEA		SEA
Point spread		-13		-12½
Total		45½o/u		46o/u
Total money line		-110		-110
Nov. 17	San Francisco
1:25 p.m.	at New Orleans
Favorite		NOR		NOR
Point spread		-3		-3
Total		47½o/u		48o/u
Total money line		-110		-110
Nov. 17	Green Bay
1:25 p.m.	at N.Y. Giants
Favorite		NYG		NYG
Point spread		-5½		-4½
Total		42o/u		42o/u
Total money line		-110		-110
Nov. 18	New England
5:40 p.m.	at Carolina
Favorite		CAR		CAR
Point spread		-2½		-2½
Total		45½o/u		46o/u
Total money line		-110		-110