Well, I've been writing on Bleacher Report off and on for a few years now, but recently I decided to step it up a notch. So, I applied for and earned the title Featured Columnist and now I'm writing articles on assignment for the first time ever.
There's a ton to learn about how to put together the best articles, whether to use standard format or slideshow, and how to maximize SEO, or search engine optimization.
I haven't even figured out how to add my twitter feed to my Bleacher Report page, but I'm gonna! Right now, I'm in the process of linking Jim's Jabs to my B/R profile.
Wish me luck and keep checking back! Oh, and you can read my sports articles for B/R at http://bleacherreport.com/users/52423-jimmy-grappone
Till next time!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
HP's Loss, Samsung's Gain - My Decision to Purchase a Galaxy Tab 10.1 for Full Retail
I went to sleep last night and woke up this morning fully intent on diving head first into the HP Touchpad fire sale that had geeks camping out in front of Best Buy for the recently discontinued WebOS tablet going for a fifth of its initial launch price just 7 weeks earlier.
Much to my dismay, my friend I planned to meet in front of Best Buy along with his 2 y.o. daughter, called me as I was lacing up my running shoes and announced that our "early morning" efforts were futile thanks to the 100+ geeks who camped overnight outside the big blue box store with a Saturday morning shipment of 60 Touchpads.
I was initially upset I wouldn't get a tablet today at a bargain price, apps or no apps, which was the main reason for the disappointment of early adapters. Well, that and the fact that HP jumpkicked WebOS to the curb.
I feel bad for the HP marketers that had to tell Manny Pacquiao the product he promoted was about to get KTFO!!
However, I was so enamored by the idea of owning a tablet that I started looking at the iPad when I finally visited my local Best Buy campsite 20 mins AFTER the store opened and for the first time considered paying $500 for a tablet.
I went home to ruminate over the decision - after a trip to Lowe's to look at faux wood flooring for my girlfriend's recently flooded kitchen floor - and returned to another Best Buy around 1pm, fully expecting to purchase a 16GB WiFi iPad2.
Admittedly, I read a few iPad2 reviews on my Android phone between BB visits and arrived ready to purchase an Apple tablet, though once in the store, I googled and read another review on my phone - iPad2 v Gingerbread tabs - and made a snap decision to purchase the 16GB Samsung Galaxy Tab complete w/case, screen protectors and docking keyboard.
My decision to go w/Android over Apple ultimately hinged on the review which favored the customization of Android products and the comparable specs on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.
That, along with 18-month interest free financing and a new policy that waives restocking fees. I guess there is an advantage to a down economy when it comes to purchasing high end ticket items!
I entered the tablet market two days earlier when a friend came home with a Touchpad and the speed and ferocity with which I decided I needed a tablet in my life was phenomenal, particularly considering I've sold a limited array of Tablets for T-Mobile for nearly a year now.
Long story short, the readiness of information and first-adapter reviews certainly influenced my purchasing decision and I'd be willing to bet that HP's firesale not only cleared most shelves of the Touchpad, but also influenced increased - if not record - tablet sales this weekend and likely benefitted Android tablets across the various manufacturers more than iPad sales.
Much to my dismay, my friend I planned to meet in front of Best Buy along with his 2 y.o. daughter, called me as I was lacing up my running shoes and announced that our "early morning" efforts were futile thanks to the 100+ geeks who camped overnight outside the big blue box store with a Saturday morning shipment of 60 Touchpads.
I was initially upset I wouldn't get a tablet today at a bargain price, apps or no apps, which was the main reason for the disappointment of early adapters. Well, that and the fact that HP jumpkicked WebOS to the curb.
I feel bad for the HP marketers that had to tell Manny Pacquiao the product he promoted was about to get KTFO!!
However, I was so enamored by the idea of owning a tablet that I started looking at the iPad when I finally visited my local Best Buy campsite 20 mins AFTER the store opened and for the first time considered paying $500 for a tablet.
I went home to ruminate over the decision - after a trip to Lowe's to look at faux wood flooring for my girlfriend's recently flooded kitchen floor - and returned to another Best Buy around 1pm, fully expecting to purchase a 16GB WiFi iPad2.
Admittedly, I read a few iPad2 reviews on my Android phone between BB visits and arrived ready to purchase an Apple tablet, though once in the store, I googled and read another review on my phone - iPad2 v Gingerbread tabs - and made a snap decision to purchase the 16GB Samsung Galaxy Tab complete w/case, screen protectors and docking keyboard.
My decision to go w/Android over Apple ultimately hinged on the review which favored the customization of Android products and the comparable specs on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.
That, along with 18-month interest free financing and a new policy that waives restocking fees. I guess there is an advantage to a down economy when it comes to purchasing high end ticket items!
I entered the tablet market two days earlier when a friend came home with a Touchpad and the speed and ferocity with which I decided I needed a tablet in my life was phenomenal, particularly considering I've sold a limited array of Tablets for T-Mobile for nearly a year now.
Long story short, the readiness of information and first-adapter reviews certainly influenced my purchasing decision and I'd be willing to bet that HP's firesale not only cleared most shelves of the Touchpad, but also influenced increased - if not record - tablet sales this weekend and likely benefitted Android tablets across the various manufacturers more than iPad sales.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
PGA Championship Wraps Up a Great Majors Season
Great finish to a great Majors season. Looking back, Charl Schwartzel held off a group of nearly a dozen late contenders to win the Masters, Rory McIlroy lit up the golf world and almost got us to forget about Tiger with his record setting US Open performance, Darren Clarke won an emotional British Open as the sentimental favorite and a couple of relative unknowns in Keegan Bradley and Jason Dufner provided the most exciting and nerve-wracking finale of the year based on what was at stake.
I would say I can't wait till they tee it up at The Masters, but then I'd be forgetting that we have an NFL and college football season, the MLB Playoffs and World Series, the Daytona 500 and March Madness between now and then. Man, I love sports!
Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/08/14/2529398/pga-win-included-comeback-collapse.html#ixzz1V4SEXs8s
I would say I can't wait till they tee it up at The Masters, but then I'd be forgetting that we have an NFL and college football season, the MLB Playoffs and World Series, the Daytona 500 and March Madness between now and then. Man, I love sports!
Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/08/14/2529398/pga-win-included-comeback-collapse.html#ixzz1V4SEXs8s
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
In Anticipation of Marshalling at the Wells Fargo Golf Championship at Quail Hollow C.C. (Charlotte, NC)
In just seven short days I will be among hundreds of marshalls and thousands of other volunteers working behind the scenes of the PGA's Wells Fargo - formerly Wachovia and Quail Hollow - Golf Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club in Charlotte, NC.
My official tournament shirts and wind breaker arrived via FedEx sometime last week and I am set to pick up my official tournament credentials and hat at South Meck High School this weekend. After that I will head on over to the golf course for a walk-through and team meeting with my hole captain and fellow marshalls on the tenth hole.
Many people have asked me if I will be paid to work the tournament and my standard reply is, "No, I'm paying to work it!"
After gauging their universally quizzical facial expressions, I explain that I purchased a couple of $100 polo golf shirts, a short sleeved golf jacket, a hat, a 7-day tournament pass, two tickets to bestow upon a lucky friend or two, food vouchers and all the snacks I care to eat for the price of one of those shirts.
For this relatively small cost, I get the opportunity to watch - and possibly interact with - the world's greatest golfers in one of the PGA's highest profile non-Major events while helping ensure the event is pulled off as seamlessly as possible and with minimal distraction to the players.
My good friend, Kevin, and I first attended the tournament shortly after I first moved to Charlotte in 2006 and he immediately decided to sign up to work the tournament as a marshall, which he has done since 2008.
I finally signed up for the volunteer list in 2009 and after waiting two years, I learned in February that I'd been selected to join the team of marshalls on Hole 10.
The 10th hole is the longest Par 5 on the course, approaching and sometimes surpassing 600 yards in length from tee-to-green.
As for my role, I don't know much besides the fact that I'll hold up "Quiet Please!" signs, direct traffic and help locate the occassional wayward shot.
I will work the Thursday and Friday rounds and I am expected to be at the 10th hole ready to go around 6:30 AM. Parking is horrendous and expensive at the course, so I will take advantage of the free shuttle service running from nearby Carowinds Amusement Park just ten minutes from my house.
The first two days of the tournament have a larger field than the weekend rounds because no cuts are made until the conclusion of Friday's round, so there will likely be upwards of 140 players crowding the course during my shifts.
Tiger Woods will not be among the entrants, though, despite his assertion that this is among his favorite tournaments, due to a knee injury he aggravated at The Masters earlier this month.
While I always enjoy the opportunity to see Tiger play up close and in person, his absence will likely make my job easier since I will not have to deal with living, breathing, roaring mass of humanity that is a Tiger Woods golf gallery.
Due to the size of the field in the first two days, half of the players will tee off on the first hole and half will tee of on number ten.
This means I have to be ready to work bright and early, but it also means my marshalling duties will be complete earlier than most of my compatriots around the course since the finishing holes will be the 9th and 18th.
Thus, I will be free to either enjoy an hour or so of golf as a casual observer or head home early to catch the highlights on SportCenter.
I am excited about my upcoming experience as a first-time marshall in a PGA event and I look forward to sharing more about my experiences over the course of the next week and a half, both as a volunteer and as an observer and fan.
My official tournament shirts and wind breaker arrived via FedEx sometime last week and I am set to pick up my official tournament credentials and hat at South Meck High School this weekend. After that I will head on over to the golf course for a walk-through and team meeting with my hole captain and fellow marshalls on the tenth hole.
Many people have asked me if I will be paid to work the tournament and my standard reply is, "No, I'm paying to work it!"
After gauging their universally quizzical facial expressions, I explain that I purchased a couple of $100 polo golf shirts, a short sleeved golf jacket, a hat, a 7-day tournament pass, two tickets to bestow upon a lucky friend or two, food vouchers and all the snacks I care to eat for the price of one of those shirts.
For this relatively small cost, I get the opportunity to watch - and possibly interact with - the world's greatest golfers in one of the PGA's highest profile non-Major events while helping ensure the event is pulled off as seamlessly as possible and with minimal distraction to the players.
My good friend, Kevin, and I first attended the tournament shortly after I first moved to Charlotte in 2006 and he immediately decided to sign up to work the tournament as a marshall, which he has done since 2008.
I finally signed up for the volunteer list in 2009 and after waiting two years, I learned in February that I'd been selected to join the team of marshalls on Hole 10.
The 10th hole is the longest Par 5 on the course, approaching and sometimes surpassing 600 yards in length from tee-to-green.
As for my role, I don't know much besides the fact that I'll hold up "Quiet Please!" signs, direct traffic and help locate the occassional wayward shot.
I will work the Thursday and Friday rounds and I am expected to be at the 10th hole ready to go around 6:30 AM. Parking is horrendous and expensive at the course, so I will take advantage of the free shuttle service running from nearby Carowinds Amusement Park just ten minutes from my house.
The first two days of the tournament have a larger field than the weekend rounds because no cuts are made until the conclusion of Friday's round, so there will likely be upwards of 140 players crowding the course during my shifts.
Tiger Woods will not be among the entrants, though, despite his assertion that this is among his favorite tournaments, due to a knee injury he aggravated at The Masters earlier this month.
While I always enjoy the opportunity to see Tiger play up close and in person, his absence will likely make my job easier since I will not have to deal with living, breathing, roaring mass of humanity that is a Tiger Woods golf gallery.
Due to the size of the field in the first two days, half of the players will tee off on the first hole and half will tee of on number ten.
This means I have to be ready to work bright and early, but it also means my marshalling duties will be complete earlier than most of my compatriots around the course since the finishing holes will be the 9th and 18th.
Thus, I will be free to either enjoy an hour or so of golf as a casual observer or head home early to catch the highlights on SportCenter.
I am excited about my upcoming experience as a first-time marshall in a PGA event and I look forward to sharing more about my experiences over the course of the next week and a half, both as a volunteer and as an observer and fan.
On the Role of Our Federal Government in Response to a Friend's Facebook Post and the Ensuing Response
Education, infrastructure (tech and transportation), healthcare, sustainable energy, safe food and water, R&D. This is where we need to be spending domestically and not pouring so much into the military industrial complex. I'm all for defense, but we need to not be so liberal with our military spending, it has gotten out of control.
There are over 300 million people living here, in this country, and we need to refocus on the "homies" and the "homeland" moreso than simply Homeland Defense. I support our military and the people risking their lives to defend our nation - what they do is both admirable and noble - but it's just like with personal growth...you have to work on yourself before you can truly help others, and we are overextended throughout the world. (And NO, I have not forgotten 9/11 whatsoever).
We also need government to regulate corporations - ESPECIALLY finance and the healthcare industries - to the extent that they don't take advantage of their fellow citizens. The changes that have been made in credit card policy and lending, i.e., mortgages, in the past 2 years have been a boon to countless people who are or would be underwater financially b/c of predatory lending. Hell, I had a 30% interest rate b/c I was late on a credit card payment when I was 25 years old. Thankfully I finally wised up and got an installment loan with my credit union and I'm now paying it off at a much lower rate instead of pissing away interest payments for the next 20 years.
We live in a global economy and a tiny world. Anyone read Michael Friedman at all? "The World is Flat." Check it out. Gas prices are out of control, but demand is also way higher than it ever has been and, unfortunately, oil prices are set based on futures, meaning predictions about how supply and demand will look in the future, not how they presently exist. We desperately need to commit to R&D for clean, sustainable energy.
Sure we have the means and, I believe, a moral imperative, to help our friends and fellow global citizens around the world, especially those who are victims of natural disasters and oppresive regimes, but we need to take care of our own first and foremost.
Finally, back to the original point of my friend's post...Obama is an American. He's not the best negotiator when it comes to drawing a line in the sand and saying "this is how it is" the way Bush was. He came into Washington and tried to play nice with bullies. That's what we're taught to do in school and at home, but unfortunately that's not always the best strategy. Or at least not the most effective.
Our president is, however, patriotic, he does love America and he is trying to make this country be the best global citizen it can be and he wants to take care of his people at home, which in my mind, is the most important role our government should play.
There are over 300 million people living here, in this country, and we need to refocus on the "homies" and the "homeland" moreso than simply Homeland Defense. I support our military and the people risking their lives to defend our nation - what they do is both admirable and noble - but it's just like with personal growth...you have to work on yourself before you can truly help others, and we are overextended throughout the world. (And NO, I have not forgotten 9/11 whatsoever).
We also need government to regulate corporations - ESPECIALLY finance and the healthcare industries - to the extent that they don't take advantage of their fellow citizens. The changes that have been made in credit card policy and lending, i.e., mortgages, in the past 2 years have been a boon to countless people who are or would be underwater financially b/c of predatory lending. Hell, I had a 30% interest rate b/c I was late on a credit card payment when I was 25 years old. Thankfully I finally wised up and got an installment loan with my credit union and I'm now paying it off at a much lower rate instead of pissing away interest payments for the next 20 years.
We live in a global economy and a tiny world. Anyone read Michael Friedman at all? "The World is Flat." Check it out. Gas prices are out of control, but demand is also way higher than it ever has been and, unfortunately, oil prices are set based on futures, meaning predictions about how supply and demand will look in the future, not how they presently exist. We desperately need to commit to R&D for clean, sustainable energy.
Sure we have the means and, I believe, a moral imperative, to help our friends and fellow global citizens around the world, especially those who are victims of natural disasters and oppresive regimes, but we need to take care of our own first and foremost.
Finally, back to the original point of my friend's post...Obama is an American. He's not the best negotiator when it comes to drawing a line in the sand and saying "this is how it is" the way Bush was. He came into Washington and tried to play nice with bullies. That's what we're taught to do in school and at home, but unfortunately that's not always the best strategy. Or at least not the most effective.
Our president is, however, patriotic, he does love America and he is trying to make this country be the best global citizen it can be and he wants to take care of his people at home, which in my mind, is the most important role our government should play.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Masters 2011: What a Final Round!
For any golfer and golf fan, this was something to see and one of the best Masters finishes ever, probably the most exciting I've seen. There was a stretch for what may have been 30 mins to an hour when the tv coverage went from one great/hugely important shot to another to another and another. I only feel for Rory, though, who I was pulling for to win. It was reminiscent of his 2nd round at the B.O. last year, shooting in the 80s the day after setting a course record at St Andrew's in the opening round, only the final day of a major, particularly the Masters, was such a bigger stage. Rory's body language, the untucked shirt...it was tough to see. Many of his holes on the back 9 reminded me of how I and most golfers I play with regularly react after a bad shot on a hole, only to follow up w/another bad shot and then another. But he was stilll all smiles at the end and he will be a champ. He is a good 5-6 years ahead of most of his peers. As for Scott, Jason Day, Van Pelt, Choi, Cabrera and Woods, they provided plenty of excitement and wonderful golf.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
UNC Tar Heels Gut out Epic Win over Miami Hurricanes in ACC Tournament Thriller
This game was over, or so everyone watching thought.
Down by 19 points with less than 10 minutes to go, UNC seemed headed for a surefire defeat as the Miami Hurricanes looked poised for a second consecutive unlikely ACC Tournament win, following their stunning, last minute, 10-point comeback versus UVA just 24 hours earlier.
However, this time the tables would turn as Miami was forced to succumb to an epic comeback set for a spot in the annals of ACC Tournament lore.
The Tar Heels had a recent surge in the second half of the conference season coinciding with the abrupt departure of former starting point guard Larry Drew, which culminated in a regular season finale victory over archrival Duke and earned the Tar Heels the top overall seed in the ACC tourney.
However, UNC started this game flat and sloppy.
The Tar Heels turned the ball over 16 times in the first half. At one point in the game, head coach Roy Williams sat his entire starting lineup and scolded them on the bench while the "Blue Steel" team, a group primarily comprised of walk-ons and seldom used players, held on for their dear lives in a game that was quickly spiraling out of control for the Tar Heels.
The affable Roy Williams scolded his team during an early first half collapse versus the Hurricanes but was able to help his team find its way to a 61-59 comeback win in the second round of the ACC Tournament
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Miami led 31-22 at the break in what must have been UNC's lowest first half total of the season.
The game did not get any closer in the early parts of the second half and Miami's lead grew to 53-34 with just under ten minutes to go before North Carolina's improbable comeback run began.
Freshman star Harrison Barnes played solidly throughout the game, scoring a team-high 18 points on 7-13 shooting to go along with five rebounds. But suddenly, his running mates Kendall Marshall, John Henson and Tyler Zeller began to play as effectively as they often have during UNC's 14-2 ACC regular season.
Three-pointers started to fall, loose balls and rebounds found their way into Carolina's hands and UNC finally found a way to stop a Hurricanes offense that had heretofore scored three-point baskets and bunny lay-ins at seemingly every opportune moment.
Credit Williams' tough love approach and the resiliency of this young Tar Heels team for fighting hard to get back into this game in which the outcome appeared to be a foregone conclusion.
With just under a minute to go, Carolina cut the lead to one before a Miami free throw on the ensuing possession put the Hurricanes up by two.
A Zeller jump hook in the lane on UNC's next trip down the floor tied the contest at 59 points per side.
North Carolina then forced a Miami turnover on its next possession and with 18 seconds left in regulation, UNC had the ball in its hands.
Miami had fouls to give and was able to force UNC to inbound the ball with five seconds to go.
The Tar Heels' other freshman sensation, starting point guard Kendall Marshall, received the inbound pass, maneuvered around the Miami defense as Zeller pinned his defender on his back, received a perfect entry pass from Marshall in the low-post and laid the ball in for the game winner as the buzzer sounded to take the final lead at 61-59.
In the storied histories of the UNC men's basketball program and the ACC men's basketball tournament, this game will go down as one of the best Carolina comebacks and will be long remembered among the great early round games in ACC tourney history.
And tomorrow, the Tar Heels get to suit up once again.
Down by 19 points with less than 10 minutes to go, UNC seemed headed for a surefire defeat as the Miami Hurricanes looked poised for a second consecutive unlikely ACC Tournament win, following their stunning, last minute, 10-point comeback versus UVA just 24 hours earlier.
However, this time the tables would turn as Miami was forced to succumb to an epic comeback set for a spot in the annals of ACC Tournament lore.
The Tar Heels had a recent surge in the second half of the conference season coinciding with the abrupt departure of former starting point guard Larry Drew, which culminated in a regular season finale victory over archrival Duke and earned the Tar Heels the top overall seed in the ACC tourney.
However, UNC started this game flat and sloppy.
The Tar Heels turned the ball over 16 times in the first half. At one point in the game, head coach Roy Williams sat his entire starting lineup and scolded them on the bench while the "Blue Steel" team, a group primarily comprised of walk-ons and seldom used players, held on for their dear lives in a game that was quickly spiraling out of control for the Tar Heels.
The affable Roy Williams scolded his team during an early first half collapse versus the Hurricanes but was able to help his team find its way to a 61-59 comeback win in the second round of the ACC Tournament
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Miami led 31-22 at the break in what must have been UNC's lowest first half total of the season.
The game did not get any closer in the early parts of the second half and Miami's lead grew to 53-34 with just under ten minutes to go before North Carolina's improbable comeback run began.
Freshman star Harrison Barnes played solidly throughout the game, scoring a team-high 18 points on 7-13 shooting to go along with five rebounds. But suddenly, his running mates Kendall Marshall, John Henson and Tyler Zeller began to play as effectively as they often have during UNC's 14-2 ACC regular season.
Three-pointers started to fall, loose balls and rebounds found their way into Carolina's hands and UNC finally found a way to stop a Hurricanes offense that had heretofore scored three-point baskets and bunny lay-ins at seemingly every opportune moment.
Credit Williams' tough love approach and the resiliency of this young Tar Heels team for fighting hard to get back into this game in which the outcome appeared to be a foregone conclusion.
With just under a minute to go, Carolina cut the lead to one before a Miami free throw on the ensuing possession put the Hurricanes up by two.
A Zeller jump hook in the lane on UNC's next trip down the floor tied the contest at 59 points per side.
North Carolina then forced a Miami turnover on its next possession and with 18 seconds left in regulation, UNC had the ball in its hands.
Miami had fouls to give and was able to force UNC to inbound the ball with five seconds to go.
The Tar Heels' other freshman sensation, starting point guard Kendall Marshall, received the inbound pass, maneuvered around the Miami defense as Zeller pinned his defender on his back, received a perfect entry pass from Marshall in the low-post and laid the ball in for the game winner as the buzzer sounded to take the final lead at 61-59.
In the storied histories of the UNC men's basketball program and the ACC men's basketball tournament, this game will go down as one of the best Carolina comebacks and will be long remembered among the great early round games in ACC tourney history.
And tomorrow, the Tar Heels get to suit up once again.
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