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This is the day when the players in the spotlight…um…are in the spotlight. Each of the groups today — QBs, WRs, and RBs — are packed with unproven talent. And what I mean by that is aside from the top 3-5 prospects, there are a handful of players that have NFL potential and have alot to prove. And best of all, there are a crop of RBs thought to run some lightning 40-yard dash times!

In the case of the quarterbacks, there are three clear favorites…and one hiding in their shadows. Here are my top 5 quarterbacks:

1. Matt Ryan, Boston College. Decided to wait to throw the ball on BC’s Pro Day on March 18th. I like Matt because is the most NFL-ready QB in terms of his developed skill set. If it weren’t for that, he’d be #3 or #4 on my list. He threw 19 INTs, but boasts a 60% completion percentage. That, and I liked him in Van Wilder. He ran a 4.98 40-yd dash.
2. Joe Flacco, University of Delaware. The most upside of the “elite” group. He’s taking some criticism for his lack of footwork because he was primarily a shotgun QB, not to mention a Div I-AA player. Who cares? Watch his highlight video. He’s good. He ran a 4.78 in the 40, which definitely helped his stock.
3. Brian Brohm, Louisville. He has a ton of experience. He’s a 4-year starter. And he’s efficient with better than 63% completion percentage in each of his four seasons, not to mention he threw no more than 5 INTs each season but 2007. He threw 12 picks; but Louisville also went 6-6 and lost their offensive guide, Bobby Petrino. As far as the Combine, he ran a 4.83 in the 40-yard dash, leaped 30″ vertical (#3), and he threw the ball well in drills today.
4. Chad Henne, Michigan. Henne’s strong point is his accuracy, which he exhibited late in the day today as well as in the Senior Bowl throwing the North’s only two touchdowns. Like those of Brian Brohm, Henne’s fundamentals look natural. Henne ran a best of 4.90 in the 40-yard dash.
5. Dennis Dixon, Oregon. Lost draft stock momentum after his injury late in the season, but he’s still a valueable prospect. He threw for 368 yards and a career-high 4 touchdowns in the Ducks’ win over Michigan. I still believe he is the second coming of Vince Young, but with much more patience in the pocket…something VY is still working on. He did not work out at the Combine, but Oregon’s Pro Day is April 3rd.

This year will feature a handful of quality QBs from which to choose. It will be hard to ignore guys like John David Booty of USC, Erik Ainge of Tennesse, Matt Flynn of LSU, and Anthony Morelli of Penn State. Kevin O’Connell of San Diego State is certainly worth mention in the list of value prospects. He’s mobile and accurate.

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This is the day when the players in the spotlight…um…are in the spotlight. Each of the groups today — QBs, WRs, and RBs — are packed with unproven talent. And what I mean by that is aside from the top 3-5 prospects, there are a handful of players that have NFL potential and have alot to prove. And best of all, there are a crop of RBs thought to run some lightning 40-yard dash times!

In the case of the quarterbacks, there are three clear favorites…and one hiding in their shadows. Here are my top 5 quarterbacks:

1. Matt Ryan, Boston College. Decided to wait to throw the ball on BC’s Pro Day on March 18th. I like Matt because is the most NFL-ready QB in terms of his developed skill set. If it weren’t for that, he’d be #3 or #4 on my list. He threw 19 INTs, but boasts a 60% completion percentage. That, and I liked him in Van Wilder. He ran a 4.98 40-yd dash.
2. Joe Flacco, University of Delaware. The most upside of the “elite” group. He’s taking some criticism for his lack of footwork because he was primarily a shotgun QB, not to mention a Div I-AA player. Who cares? Watch his highlight video. He’s good. He ran a 4.78 in the 40, which definitely helped his stock.
3. Brian Brohm, Louisville. He has a ton of experience. He’s a 4-year starter. And he’s efficient with better than 63% completion percentage in each of his four seasons, not to mention he threw no more than 5 INTs each season but 2007. He threw 12 picks; but Louisville also went 6-6 and lost their offensive guide, Bobby Petrino. As far as the Combine, he ran a 4.83 in the 40-yard dash, leaped 30″ vertical (#3), and he threw the ball well in drills today.
4. Chad Henne, Michigan. Henne’s strong point is his accuracy, which he exhibited late in the day today as well as in the Senior Bowl throwing the North’s only two touchdowns. Like those of Brian Brohm, Henne’s fundamentals look natural. Henne ran a best of 4.90 in the 40-yard dash.
5. Dennis Dixon, Oregon. Lost draft stock momentum after his injury late in the season, but he’s still a valueable prospect. He threw for 368 yards and a career-high 4 touchdowns in the Ducks’ win over Michigan. I still believe he is the second coming of Vince Young, but with much more patience in the pocket…something VY is still working on. He did not work out at the Combine, but Oregon’s Pro Day is April 3rd.

This year will feature a handful of quality QBs from which to choose. It will be hard to ignore guys like John David Booty of USC, Erik Ainge of Tennesse, Matt Flynn of LSU, and Anthony Morelli of Penn State. Kevin O’Connell of San Diego State is certainly worth mention in the list of value prospects. He’s mobile and accurate.

(more…)

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It’s not “free money”, Lesko!

It’s tax time! According to data from IRS.gov, the average return for a single person in tax year 2005 was $4,983 (estimate based on all income levels for taxable returns). Obviously everyone’s situation is different; however, whether or not I suck at math, I’m going to assume a majority of you will get some sort of tax return. And don’t forget those Economic Stimulus payments we are supposed to be getting in May. In most cases, these rebates will range from $300 to $600 for individuals.

So, what do you plan on doing with this money? Many believe it’s your patriotic duty to put that money right back into the economy. However, I’ve got 7 ideas to consider that are sure to add stimulus to your life.
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It’s not “free money”, Lesko!

It’s tax time! According to data from IRS.gov, the average return for a single person in tax year 2005 was $4,983 (estimate based on all income levels for taxable returns). Obviously everyone’s situation is different; however, whether or not I suck at math, I’m going to assume a majority of you will get some sort of tax return. And don’t forget those Economic Stimulus payments we are supposed to be getting in May. In most cases, these rebates will range from $300 to $600 for individuals.

So, what do you plan on doing with this money? Many believe it’s your patriotic duty to put that money right back into the economy. However, I’ve got 7 ideas to consider that are sure to add stimulus to your life.
(more…)

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A little over a month ago, I decided to sell my beloved Nissan Maxima and explore my inner hippie. I loved that Maxima. Attractive, reliable…though not so easy on the pocketbook. It requires premium gasoline and the gas tank has about a 21-gallon capacity. And I drive a ton, so I was fueling up often. So, I bought a Toyota Camry Hybrid. Makes sense…well, a little despite the increased car payment. Just doing my part to be a good stewart. Anyway, before I move further away from the point of the story and offer a full-blown review of my new car…it seems there are more benefits to owning a hybrid than just MPGs.

It appears that some stores across the U.S. are rewarding hybrid drivers with choice parking spaces. According to this article in the Houston Chronicle…better known as “the Chron”…stores such as Ikea, Office Depot, and Home Depot are offering the beloved spaces for their enviro-friendly patrons.

Courtesy of Curbed Los Angeles

Keep your space. Better yet, how about converting it to a “pregnant parking” or “elderly without a HC tag parking”? The idea is noble. Thanks, but no thanks. Besides…I need the exercise.

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A little over a month ago, I decided to sell my beloved Nissan Maxima and explore my inner hippie. I loved that Maxima. Attractive, reliable…though not so easy on the pocketbook. It requires premium gasoline and the gas tank has about a 21-gallon capacity. And I drive a ton, so I was fueling up often. So, I bought a Toyota Camry Hybrid. Makes sense…well, a little despite the increased car payment. Just doing my part to be a good stewart. Anyway, before I move further away from the point of the story and offer a full-blown review of my new car…it seems there are more benefits to owning a hybrid than just MPGs.

It appears that some stores across the U.S. are rewarding hybrid drivers with choice parking spaces. According to this article in the Houston Chronicle…better known as “the Chron”…stores such as Ikea, Office Depot, and Home Depot are offering the beloved spaces for their enviro-friendly patrons.

Courtesy of Curbed Los Angeles

Keep your space. Better yet, how about converting it to a “pregnant parking” or “elderly without a HC tag parking”? The idea is noble. Thanks, but no thanks. Besides…I need the exercise.

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Ok, that was a little harsh. Last night, my one of my best friends got married. Chris and Carolina had a beautiful wedding. It was held at the beautiful St. Mary’s Church in downtown San Antonio.

“You know how to get to the Krazy Kat Ballroom?”

Chris and I had been great friends throughout high school; however, our life’s journeys had taken different roads. But we’ve always managed to keep in touch, although probably not as often as we wanted. In a sincere and heartfelt letter, Chris asked me to be one of his groomsmen. I accepted without hesitation.

The rehearsal dinner was a blast. I got to see guys from high school that I hadn’t seen in ages. I was happy to make a great first impression on some of my friends’ wives and fiancees as well. (Sorry, Amy).

The wedding itself went flawlessly. No one fainted or threw up or anything YouTube-worthy. It was perfect by all wedding standards…it was exactly how Chris and Carolina wanted it to be. Carolina was beautiful; her procession was beautifully harmonized by an orchestra. Chris…well, you already saw his shoes. And the priest, Father Houlihan, was an Irish guy that kept us entertained throughout the entire process. During the homily, Fr. Houlihan reiterated the importance of family and friends in our lives…and went on to declare that without family and friends, he’d probably be a raging exotic. So…um…that’s cool. Point made.

Never let em see you sweat. It’s over. Let’s drink.

My friend, Bryan, was the best man. If there’s one thing about Bryan, it’s that he always comes through…when you really, really, really need him to. I mean really. This was obviously one of those times. And although he wrote his toast down on a bev nap about an hour before the speech, he delivered one of the best toasts I’ve heard in any wedding. He started off with an update on the Spurs game (which we lost), he made us laugh, he made us cry, and then I got a stomach ache. But that was probably the result of eating too much candy from the candy bar. Kudos, Bryan!

Contrary to the traditional toast with champagne, we toasted in shot glasses with tequila. It was definitely different…and memorable since I walked away with a shot glass.

At the end of the evening, Chris and Carolina left us via horse and carriage to mariachis…and a bunch of drunken gritos and cheers.

Best of luck to Chris and Carolina! As the bride’s maid said, no other two people deserve each other more. Thank you for including me in your family. And I look forward to sharing in your life’s experiences. I love you guys!

Are you kidding me? Apparently I’m a little behind the curve on this news. Last night, my DIRECTV DVR list included a message regarding the recording of Pay Per View movies to my DVR. The message reads as follows:

Effective April 15, 2008, DVR recordings of PPV movies will be available for 24 hours of unlimited viewing after purchase. Major movie studios have required that satellite and cable providers alike may no longer allow their customers to view these recordings for longer than 24 hours. During the 24 hour viewing period, you will continue to enjoy all of your DVR features such as pause and rewind.

Um. Why on earth would anyone purchase a movie and record it to their DVR when in the same timeframe, they could hit up Blockbuster Online or Netflix for a movie…and then keep that movie for days without late fees? Luckily the movies I have stored on my DVR already won’t be deleted.

I can see it now. No more fast forwarding through commercials.

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Are you kidding me? Apparently I’m a little behind the curve on this news. Last night, my DIRECTV DVR list included a message regarding the recording of Pay Per View movies to my DVR. The message reads as follows:

Effective April 15, 2008, DVR recordings of PPV movies will be available for 24 hours of unlimited viewing after purchase. Major movie studios have required that satellite and cable providers alike may no longer allow their customers to view these recordings for longer than 24 hours. During the 24 hour viewing period, you will continue to enjoy all of your DVR features such as pause and rewind.

Um. Why on earth would anyone purchase a movie and record it to their DVR when in the same timeframe, they could hit up Blockbuster Online or Netflix for a movie…and then keep that movie for days without late fees? Luckily the movies I have stored on my DVR already won’t be deleted.

I can see it now. No more fast forwarding through commercials.

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Bear Stearns president and CEO, Alan Schwartz, was recently noted as saying that the “liquidity position [of the securities firm] has not changed at all” on a recent CNBC appearance. The reaction to the rumors about the firm’s liquidity and ability to fund its business came only a day after the resignation of Bear Stearns Director, Henry S. Bienen.

The stock has been down by over 40% today, and it’s taking everyone down with it. During the conference call, one Bear Stearns executive discussed the reaction of its clients to the rumors.

A lot of people acted to protect themselves from the possibility of the rumors being true. The concerns on the part of counterparties, on the part of customers and lenders got to the point where a lot of people wanted to get cash out.

The Bear Stearns Companies, Inc. Conference Call

More than half the value of Bear Stearns, about $8.9 billion, was wiped out over the last 3 months…about $6 billion in the blink of an eye today. The market obviously reacting to the New York Fed bailout.

JPMorgan is providing secured funding to Bear Stearns for 28 days, and those loans will in essence be insured by the Federal Reserve. Schwartz said this move will help “restore confidence in us in the marketplace, strengthen our liquidity and allow us to continue normal operations.” Many market experts believe Bear Stearns will be purchased within the next few days either by JPMorgan or some other bank…or by a foreign entity, which is least likely.

Jimmy Eats Wad
James Cayne, Bear Stearns Chairman, blew his wad of cash (on paper) after today’s tumble. Check this out.

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Bear Stearns president and CEO, Alan Schwartz, was recently noted as saying that the “liquidity position [of the securities firm] has not changed at all” on a recent CNBC appearance. The reaction to the rumors about the firm’s liquidity and ability to fund its business came only a day after the resignation of Bear Stearns Director, Henry S. Bienen.

The stock has been down by over 40% today, and it’s taking everyone down with it. During the conference call, one Bear Stearns executive discussed the reaction of its clients to the rumors.

A lot of people acted to protect themselves from the possibility of the rumors being true. The concerns on the part of counterparties, on the part of customers and lenders got to the point where a lot of people wanted to get cash out.

The Bear Stearns Companies, Inc. Conference Call

More than half the value of Bear Stearns, about $8.9 billion, was wiped out over the last 3 months…about $6 billion in the blink of an eye today. The market obviously reacting to the New York Fed bailout.

JPMorgan is providing secured funding to Bear Stearns for 28 days, and those loans will in essence be insured by the Federal Reserve. Schwartz said this move will help “restore confidence in us in the marketplace, strengthen our liquidity and allow us to continue normal operations.” Many market experts believe Bear Stearns will be purchased within the next few days either by JPMorgan or some other bank…or by a foreign entity, which is least likely.

Jimmy Eats Wad
James Cayne, Bear Stearns Chairman, blew his wad of cash (on paper) after today’s tumble. Check this out.

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May brought new money making opportunities for Derrich.com. After a few flat months of blogging revenue, I decided to take advantage of more resources available to bloggers. In April 2007, I earned $74.90 primarily from Google AdSense.

Last month, I suspected that adding Kontera had taken attention way from my Google AdSense ads. When I looked into it further, it was due to fewer impressions. Repositioning my ads also resulted in reduced use of AdSense ads. For May, AdSense took a back seat to paid reviews…and Kontera was eliminated altogether about a third of the way through. I’ll explain later…first the numbers.

PayPerPost Is Awesome
I’ve already posted some of my thoughts about PayPerPost (PPP). A week ago, PPP launched PPP Direct to compete with ReviewMe. I welcomed it with open arms primarily because I hadn’t gotten any opportunities with ReviewMe. Review opportunities with PPP have ups and downs, but I’ve come to expect that at this point. Obviously. It was my biggest money maker this month. Part of the PPP TOS requires that all other ads networks are turned off so to speak. And although I attempted to turn off my Kontera links with the <span> tag, it still popped up on my paid reviews when using FireFox. So, rather than take the time to figure out why this might be the case, I turned them off altogether. Not sure whether or not it’ll stay that way. Many of you have remarked at the change saying that you like it. I like what you like.

MyBlogLog & AdSense Continue to Disagree
Seriously. Are we ever going to get to the bottom of this charade? Since I posted about the discrepancy between MyBlogLog and AdSense in March, I’ve become used to the reporting differences. Luckily, they haven’t been that far off. Late last week, I added a 728×90 Leaderboard beneath my banner at about 9:45pm. According to my MBL stats, it had 18 clicks after about 3 hours. The next day, AdSense reported 1 click. One.

Unfortunately, the trend continues in the few days the leaderboard has been up. Read Loren Baker’s assessment of the click tracking discrepancy at SearchEngineJournal.com.

Just a short while ago, Brett Favre held a press conference in which he delivered an emotional, tear-filled statement about why he’s leaving the game of football.

I’ve given everything I could possibly give…to the game of football. And I don’t think I’ve got anything left to give. And that’s it.

I think his performance day in and day out speak for themselves. For me, the most memorable game was the game against Oakland in 2003 the day after his father passed away. He lit up the Raiders…passing for 399 yards and 4 TDs in honor of his late father. Anyway, he’ll surely be missed. But we’ll no doubt see him in Canton soon.

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Just a short while ago, Brett Favre held a press conference in which he delivered an emotional, tear-filled statement about why he’s leaving the game of football.

I’ve given everything I could possibly give…to the game of football. And I don’t think I’ve got anything left to give. And that’s it.

I think his performance day in and day out speak for themselves. For me, the most memorable game was the game against Oakland in 2003 the day after his father passed away. He lit up the Raiders…passing for 399 yards and 4 TDs in honor of his late father. Anyway, he’ll surely be missed. But we’ll no doubt see him in Canton soon.

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Todays Wall Street Journal is reporting [paid sub required] that beleaguered retailer Circuit City (NYSE: CC) is firing almost 3500 employees with the intent of replacing them with less skilled workers. As the WSJ explains:

"Circuit City Stores Inc. announced a new wave of cost-cutting efforts as it battles larger, more efficient retailers amid intense competition for sales of flat-screen TVs and other electronics. The Richmond, Va., retailer said it will replace 3,400 mostly store-level employees with lower-paid workers..."

This is a phenomenally stupid move for the company, I must say. Think about it...

Congrats to San Antonio Spurs guard, Manu Ginobili, for being named the NBA’s best sixth man for 2007-08 season.

Ginobili received 615 out of a possible 620 points, including 123 of a possible 124 first-place votes, from a panel of 124 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Leandro Barbosa of the Phoenix Suns finished second with 283 points and Jason Terry of the Dallas Mavericks finished third with 44 points.

In order to be eligible for this award, players had to have come off the bench in more games than they started. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

Courtesy, AP

What I want to know is who’s the clown that didn’t vote for Manu. Seriously? I mean…I don’t want to take anything away from Leandro Barbosa. The guy is definitely lights out. But Manu clearly had the strongest argument. His efforts are clearly missed on the court when he’s injured. And he led all Spurs scorers with a career-high 19.5 points per game.

So, I went searching through pages and pages on the Internet to see if I could find the culprit. All I could find is this page published on April 15, 2008 on ESPN.com of NBA award picks. ESPNmag writer, Chris Palmer, chose Leandro Barbosa. I thought graduating from Howard University implied intelligence. C’mon, CP. (Ok, I admit…I’m biased. But I think my contention is valid…right?) I definitely figured CP would pick Manu for his Xtreme Sports-like play on the court (Chris also covers extreme sports for ESPN).

Anyway congrats again, Manu!

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Congrats to San Antonio Spurs guard, Manu Ginobili, for being named the NBA’s best sixth man for 2007-08 season.

Ginobili received 615 out of a possible 620 points, including 123 of a possible 124 first-place votes, from a panel of 124 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Leandro Barbosa of the Phoenix Suns finished second with 283 points and Jason Terry of the Dallas Mavericks finished third with 44 points.

In order to be eligible for this award, players had to have come off the bench in more games than they started. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

Courtesy, AP

What I want to know is who’s the clown that didn’t vote for Manu. Seriously? I mean…I don’t want to take anything away from Leandro Barbosa. The guy is definitely lights out. But Manu clearly had the strongest argument. His efforts are clearly missed on the court when he’s injured. And he led all Spurs scorers with a career-high 19.5 points per game.

So, I went searching through pages and pages on the Internet to see if I could find the culprit. All I could find is this page published on April 15, 2008 on ESPN.com of NBA award picks. ESPNmag writer, Chris Palmer, chose Leandro Barbosa. I thought graduating from Howard University implied intelligence. C’mon, CP. (Ok, I admit…I’m biased. But I think my contention is valid…right?) I definitely figured CP would pick Manu for his Xtreme Sports-like play on the court (Chris also covers extreme sports for ESPN).

Anyway congrats again, Manu!

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I have to be honest…I may be a car guy, but if it weren’t for the show “American Hot Rod”, I wouldn’t have really appreciated Boyd Coddington’s rides. I knew the name. I knew it mainly for his wheels. But once I saw the show, I really began to realize that his designs were brassy and intrepid (not to be confused with the fugly car), and influenced other builders and manufacturers alike. The Hawaiian shirt, perfectly Flowbee‘d beard, and his testy attitude were always a kick to watch.

Coddington also surrounded himself with talent. Alumni from his shop include Jesse James and Chip Foose, who went on to open their own shops and star in reality TV shows.

Coddington twice won the Daimler-Chrysler Design Excellence Award and he was inducted into the Grand National Roadster Show Hall of Fame, the National Rod & Custom Museum Hall of Fame and the Route 66 Wall of Fame.

Courtesy — Jeff Wilson, Associated Press

Here are a few of the cars he created and influenced over the years:

1965 Mustang GT Fastback

1936 Delahaye

Porsche Cayenne Turbo

1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air (aka, “Chezoom”)

1946 Cadillac Cadzilla for Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top

See more of Boyd Coddington’s cars at BoydCoddington.com

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I have to be honest…I may be a car guy, but if it weren’t for the show “American Hot Rod”, I wouldn’t have really appreciated Boyd Coddington’s rides. I knew the name. I knew it mainly for his wheels. But once I saw the show, I really began to realize that his designs were brassy and intrepid (not to be confused with the fugly car), and influenced other builders and manufacturers alike. The Hawaiian shirt, perfectly Flowbee‘d beard, and his testy attitude were always a kick to watch.

Coddington also surrounded himself with talent. Alumni from his shop include Jesse James and Chip Foose, who went on to open their own shops and star in reality TV shows.

Coddington twice won the Daimler-Chrysler Design Excellence Award and he was inducted into the Grand National Roadster Show Hall of Fame, the National Rod & Custom Museum Hall of Fame and the Route 66 Wall of Fame.

Courtesy — Jeff Wilson, Associated Press

Here are a few of the cars he created and influenced over the years:

1965 Mustang GT Fastback

1936 Delahaye

Porsche Cayenne Turbo

1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air (aka, “Chezoom”)

1946 Cadillac Cadzilla for Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top

See more of Boyd Coddington’s cars at BoydCoddington.com

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