Presenting the Musick Channel Family of Blogs

You may have noticed the change in banners at the top of the pages and maybe even our new Twitter feed.

Tim Musick has joined me as a partner in blogging and we've put together five blogs for your enjoyment.  This conglomeration of blogs is going under the umbrella banner of The Musick Channel.

In addition to Tim's Sports World becoming part of The Musick Channel, we've also got four more channels for you to check out...

The World on Wheels - The premiere travel site geared to those who use a wheelchair and their companions.

The Cheapskate Urban Gardener - I take square foot gardening and penny pinching to the extreme to create an urban oasis in the shadow of Los Angeles and show you tips on how to turn your yard into a green paradise too.

Tinseltown, USA! - An entertainment blog featuring the best of Hollywood in movies, TV, and more.

Musick's Music - How can we have a name like that and not be into music? Come here for our observations on the world of music, videos, and criticism.

You can find links to all of our blogs at our main web page, www.musickchannel.com, or follow our Twitter feed (www.twitter.con/musickchannel) where you'll get notices of all of our channel's posts. Please add to your favorites so you never miss news from our sites.

As always, our content is always free (but it is copyrighted, so ask before you use it).  You'll never be charged a penny to read our reports, see our pictures, or watch our videos.  We do appreciate it if you notice our Amazon links and do your shopping through them as we make a small commission on each purchase at no extra cost to you.

Thank you for you support, as we head towards our 5th anniversary of blogging, we hope to have a whole new world of information and entertainment for you.

Darryl Musick
Publisher, Writer, Editor, and Co-Owner of The Musick Channel

Tim Musick
Writer, Editor, Social Media Manager, and Co-Owner of The Musick Channel

No End In Sight For Outdoor NHL Games

It's no secret that outdoor hockey games have become all the rage in recent years for the NHL.  Whenever I see one on TV, I usually have to stop whatever it is I'm doing to watch it.

Its been six years since the first Winter Classic was played in Buffalo and the novelty hasn't worn off yet!  In 2014 outdoor games even expanded to New York, Chicago and Los Angeles in the Stadium Series.  

Photo Courtesy of: Wikimedia

Mr. Konerko under CC BY-SA 3.0 License

The last Stadium Series game played at Soldier Field was very fun because it was played in adverse weather conditions, which is the way it should be when a sporting event is held outside in the elements during Winter. Even this year's Winter Classic in Ann Arbor was played under very snowy weather conditions.  The adverse weather conditions don't seem to bother the fans judging by the huge sellout at each of the venues.  
  
Let's not forget the third edition of the NHL Heritage Classic in Vancouver that took place on Sunday.  The only problem I had with this year's Heritage Classic was that it was played inside a dome with the roof closed because it was snowing.  If I was in charge, I would have left the roof open no matter what!  This is hockey for crying out loud where players pound each other into the boards and sometimes manage to lose teeth along the way!  Other than that, I would keep the Heritage Classic the way it is with only teams from Canada playing in the game because that's the way it should be.  Its called the Heritage classic to commemorate and celebrate the sport's heritage and what better way to do that than to play the game in the country where the sport was invented.

Looking ahead to next year, it will be interesting to see where the outdoor games go from here because as far as I'm concerned, the more the merrier and sky's the limit.  Will there be less outdoor games in order to accommodate an All Star game next year?  Let's hope that's not the case.   In the meantime, here's to seeing the Washington Capitals have their crack at the Winter Classic in 2015 and the future growth of the Stadium Series.  

Tim Musick

Copyright 2014

All Rights Reserved

Who's the Next Federer/Nadal?

Photo Courtesy of: Wikimedia 

Squeaky Knees from Cornwall, UK under CC BY 2.0 License

It wasn't so long ago that a Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal finals match up was appointment viewing at any of the major Grand Slam tournaments year in and year out.  It was something you could always count on happening, like the sun coming up everyday.  Both players brought out the best in each other and each match up made for great television.  They were this generation's Borg/McEnroe.

Now those days in tennis are few and far between.  Both players are older and have dealt with various injuries and ailments.  Father time has definitely caught up with both to some extent.  The question now is who is shaping up to be the next great tennis rivalry?

Photo Courtesy of: Wikimedia 

Christopher Johnson from Tokyo, Japan under CC BY-SA 2.0 License

If I were a betting man, my money would be on Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. because both players are still in their prime and are the top players in their sport today.

I will be looking forward to seeing if we get this match up at Roland Garros in late May and early June.  Or maybe Federer and Nadal could prove they still have something in the tank, but I'm not counting on it.

Tim Musick
Copyright 2014
All Rights Reserved

Los Angeles Lakers Slipping Into Irrelevancy

Jerry Buss must be turning over in his grave over the state of his once beloved franchise.

Photo Courtesy of: Wikimedia 

flipchip/LasVegasVegas.com under CC BY-SA 3.0 License

The above headline is nothing shocking if you're a sports fan living the L.A. area.  The fact is over the past couple of years, the Lakers have just flat out stunk on all levels as a whole.  Don't be fooled into thinking their recent 2-game mini win streak has cured all that ails them.  That said 2-game win spurt came to an end last night at Staples Center in a 132 to 125 defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans. 

This year, the team has been beset by injury after injury to just about every player who at the beginning of the season were considered crucial to the team in order to have any sustained success.  They have a coach in Mike D'Antoni and an Executive VP of Player Personnel in Jim Buss, the son of the late owner Jerry Buss, who players, fans and even former Laker great Magic Johnson have little faith and trust in.

Now the franchise has entered the territory of what I would call a dumpster fire.  They are quickly getting passed up in popularity by the exciting and energetic squad of the co-tenants of Staples center, the Clippers. The sad part is I see no end in sight to this train wreck of a mess.  They need to clean house and start rebuilding the franchise back to the glory days that fans should come to expect from such a storied franchise.    

Tim Musick
Copyright 2014
All Rights Reserved

NBA To Join Party of Major Sports Looking to Evolve Into 21st Century?

Could a wider court be coming to an NBA arena near you?

I'm sure you've heard by the now that the NBA has considered the ideas of widening the court and adding the 4-point shot.  While both ideas are interesting, I have a completely different view on each one.

First, I'm not sure what good widening the regulation court would do.  The current dimensions of a regulation NBA court are 94 feet long by 50 feet wide.  In order to increase the dimensions, the league would probably have to decrease the capacity of seats in each arena to accommodate the possible change.  Of course less seats means less money, which just makes bad business sense overall.

On the other hand, I'm all for a potential 4-point shot.  The only question is where would it go?  My initial thought would be to make a half court shot worth 4 points.  Players already attempt enough
half court shots anyway.  Heck why not stop there?  Why not make a full court shot worth 5 points?

Tim Musick
Copyright 2014
All Rights Reserved

NFL N-Word Penalty Is Beyond Ridiculous

Starting next season, the NFL is going to penalize players and teams 15 yards for the use of the N-word.

My question is when did the NFL become a nanny state?  I think the owners and Commissioner Roger Goodell are totally blowing it on this one.  Just let the players play the game and don't bow down to how the general public perceives the league.  This stupid penalty would also make the job of the officials on the field more difficult because you know there's going to be a time when they will probably penalize the wrong player.

Bottom line Mr. Goodell and the owners who employ you: STICK TO MORE PRESSING FOOTBALL ISSUES!

Tim Musick
Copyright 2014
All Rights Reserved.  

David Wright Wins 2014 Face of MLB Contest

Photo Courtesy of:

Wikimedia and Ted Kerwin on Flickr under CC BY 2.0 License

The announcement was made on the season finale of MLB Network's Hot Stove on Friday.

I'm not much of a fan of these kinds of contests.  I would have gone with Mike Trout of course.  It's a good thing someone like David Wright won because I would have lost all sanity if the A's Eric Sogard had come out on top.

Tim Musick
Copyright 2014
All Rights Reserved