Houston Dynamo season underway

For all the Major League Soccer fans out the, the start of the 2013 MLS season is just around the corner. If you are a Houston Dynamo fan, then wait no more, as the Dynamo take on D.C. United at BBVA Compass stadium in Houston TX. For those who remember, the Dynamo soccer team was in the MLS Finals last season against the L.A. Galaxy, but lost 3-1 in that game. This season, the Dynamo look to make it back to the MLS Finals by working harder this season. Forward Brian Ching, midfielder Brad Davis, defender Bobby Boswell and goalkeeper Tally Hall look to lead the way for the Houston Dynamo on their season opener, March 3rd.

Fuel to get fit:Reviewing the Nike Fuel band

By Chad Sanchez

The Nike+ Fuel band has become a popular trend these days. It has been around for a little under a year, but has seen an increase use from athletes to everyday people just on the run. Very sleek and subtle, the Fuel band has been a sought after toy for anyone trying to track their daily activity, and earn what is called “Fuel points” for a daily goal.

Now at first, the Fuel band wasn’t the easiest thing to use. It had some glitches here and there, and many critics thought it was a very inconsistent device. People laughed at the device in its early stages because its wearer could earn their daily goal by just getting up and walking around, or even typing on a computer all day. The Fuel band works with an algorithm that tracks the wearers arm’s body movement, so people would just wave their arms around and cheat to get points. But the good folks at Nike have worked hard these past few months to ensure that it is indeed a challenge to earn Nike Fuel.

With a few recent updates and some improvements, the Nike+ Fuel band has become a popular device and has indeed made its mark in the sporting world since its release back in February. The Fuel band has its own following and community which allows its user to setup a profile online and track their goals while competing with others in their gender, and age group around the world.The first color it came out in was a jet black color. Activated by a simple button on the side, colored lights would ignite from red, orange, yellow, to green to symbolize that the wearer has reached their goal.

With several advertising campaigns to push the creative Nike product, it has now been released in a “White Ice” and “Black Ice” color because of wide demand, so users don’t have to select just one color to display. Priced at $150, it is definitely a great device for those looking to improve their daily activities whether they are a hardcore athlete, or just trying to get out and be more active.

Top 10 Sports moments of 2012

By Chad Sanchez

1. Team USA Men’s team wins the gold at the 2012 Olympics Led by Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and Lebron James, team USA was able to win the gold at the London Olympics. They took on countries like Argentina, Nigeria, Great Britain, and Spain in the gold medal game. Now there was a lot of heat during these Olympics because of all talk that this team could beat the “Dream team” according to James and Bryant, but either way, it was good to see the USA bring the gold home.

2. Juan Marquez knocks out Manny Pacquiao in the 6th Whether you saw the fight or not, the historical 6th round knock-out by Marquez to Pacquiaco left a lot of people cracking jokes and talking about the future of both athletes. This had to have been one of the greatest upsets in boxing history.

3. Michael Phelps becomes the most decorated Olympic athlete…EVER The fastest man in the water and now the all-time Olympic medals leader with 22, 18 of those being gold. What does he do now?

4. New York, New York, what a hell of a town! The New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots at Super Bowl XVLI. This left everyone wondering, can Tom Brady ever beat Eli Manning? Probably not…..

5. Replacement referees don’t make the cut Remember back in September when “The catch that may or may not have happened” happened? So does everyone else who disliked the replacement referees, and so do the Green Bay Packers. Hopefully it didn’t ruin their playoff chances.

6. Jeremy Lin and James Harden We all know how quickly Jeremy Lin jumped to fame, and we also know how good of a ball player James Harden is. Put them both together and what do you got? Beardsanity? Fear the Lin? Who knows, but it was a shock when they both decided to make the break to the city of Houston.

7. Faster than a lightning Bolt Usain Bolt may be the fastest man alive, PERIOD. If you watched the London Olympics or even the Beijing Olympics, you know how fast he is, and in London, he did it again.

8. Lebron James claims his throne Lebron James led his Miami Heat to the NBA championship, claiming his first title in nine years. He also was NBA Finals MVP, it’s about damn time. Congrats to the King.

9. Team USA Women’s soccer team wins 4th straight gold medal The Women’s USA team won its 4th gold medal at the games in London led by Abby Wahbach and Hope Solo, this team is probably better than the Men’s USA team.

10. Lance Armstrong loses it all We never saw it coming, but he sure didn’t put up a fight. He lost his endorsements, his championships and his company, one of the most shocking events this year.

Finals Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Miami Heat

         Just hours away from tip-off, we have a preview of the Western Conference champion Thunder vs. the Eastern Conference champion Heat. The Thunder have the home court advantage but do they have what it takes to take on the big 3 from the Miami Heat? Can Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh carry their team to the promise land against the enthusiastic and battle-tested Thunder? We will find out in this series.

         This is a match-up most people wanted to see as the playoffs trickled down to four teams. Fans rather would have wanted to see two young/experienced teams, than rather watch the apparently boring San Antonio Spurs (who I think would have put on a great performance also) and the beat-up Boston Celtics ( I would have loved to watch the PG battle(s) with this team), but nonetheless, we have a great competition between 3-time NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant and 3-time MVP of the NBA regular season Lebron James.

         The series can go in favor of either team. The Heat can have a huge explosion from James, Wade and Bosh, while the bench steps-up and provides support, and the Thunder can have their dynamic trio of Durant, Westbrook and Harden cause havoc with their bench providing help also. So who will be the difference maker in this series? It is going to come down to the coaching of Spoelstra and Brooks, if they can handle their respective teams during the crunch-time situations then that team is going to have the upper-hand in this series.

         Oklahoma Cith Thunder are going to need Kevin Durant to be the leader/difference maker he was during the Spurs series, especially if it comes down to Westbrook jacking up ridiculous shots that put the Thunder in a hole. He has to be able to say "This is my team, and I am going to take us to the top." The defensive team of Perkins and Ibaka are going to cause a lot of problems for the Heat, but have to avoid foul trouble because Wade and James can make clutch free-throws.

         Miami Heat are going to have trouble if they cannot penetrate the Thunder defense, if they can cause foul trouble and get to the line throughout the series, it can make a big difference, causing the Thunder to play with caution. James has to put the shadows of last NBA Finals behind him and produce big in the fourth quarter if he wants his name to stay atop the NBA greats.

         This game is going to go to six, with the Thunder raising the Larry O'Brien trophy, putting Durant and Co.at the top of the NBA mountain, establishing a dynasty. The Heat will be sent home contemplating why and how they can build a championship caliber team.

Eastern Conference Finals: Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat

          On the Eastern Conference side of the NBA, we have the Boston Celtics facing-off against the Miami Heat.Their series begins this Memorial day. For the past couple of seasons, we have seen a rivalry emerge between the two teams, especially since Miami Heat superstars Lebron James and Dwyane Wade were both eliminated by the Celtics two seasons ago with their respective teams (James with the Cavaliers, Wade with Heat) and with the dynamic duo eliminating the Celtics last post-season. We will go over the keys for both teams to win the series and in the end discuss who will go on ahead to the NBA Finals to face either the OKC Thunder or San Antonio Spurs.

          For the Celtics, this season has been a rough patch for them. Two of their three big acquisitions (Paul Pierce and Ray Allen) have been battling injuries throughout the playoffs, but have managed with the help of Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett and their bench filled with veteran/experienced players. But, for the Celtics to be successful the lineup of PG Rondo, SG Allen, SF Pierce, PF Bass and C KG are going to have to give it their all if they hope to succeed. The task of taking down the three-headed monster in Miami is no easy one as the Celtics can recall last post-season.

         Rondo has to be a fearless leader on the court. He needs to definitely step-up and show that he is the captain of the ship and be a superstar in his own way. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen need to do what they have done their whole careers and that is get to the lane with easy penetrations, and shoot lights out from the floor while setting up base at the free throw line. Brandon Bass needs to play as he has all post-season, he needs to remain aggressive and not be afraid of the Heat's big men Haslem and Anthony.

         The key to the Celtics winning the series is in the hands of their big man, Kevin Garnett. He has great intensity and leadership out on the court. Lets not forget the game he had during the Atlanta Hawks series where the GM talked trash about KG, calling him a dirty player. He needs to bring the positive energy into this series if the Celtics have a chance of staying alive, with no hyped-up KG, then it is goodbye to the Celtics, and the front office could look at possibly disassembling the Boston 3 party.

          On the Miami Heat side, there is not really much to say that fans expect from their team. Lebron and Wade, without Chris Bosh who is possibly still out due to an abdominal strain, need to carry the team as they have done throughout the post-season. Lebron needs to give it all he has all four quarters, and Flash (Wade) needs to be fearless and clutch during the series. If these two can keep up the pace they had during the Indiana Pacers series, then the Celtics are going to have a hard time defending. Along with their supporting cast in Chalmers, Haslem, Anthony and their bench players of Battier, Miller, Cole and Jones, who can take the load off if they play great, can help send the Heat back to the finals.

          This series can go as long as the Celtics want it to, they control the series. The Heat are the shoe-in team to win and head to the finals. If they Celtics can play their style of basketball, control the tempo, reduce turnovers and stop fast-breaks then along with the play of KG can win in six games. Taking the series will be the Heat in five games, even though the underdogs and most of the basketball world would choose for the Celtics to win.

Western Conference Finals Preview: OKC Thunder vs. SA Spurs

The Western Conference Finals will see the young and athletic Thunder face-off against the veteran and experienced Spurs in what will lead to a game seven in an all out battle to the NBA Finals. Both teams have great pieces that can carry them to the promise land, but will they be able to? This series may not be exciting to watch for those who like the run and gun style of play, but it will get very physical, demand patience, and somewhat of a chess-like style of play were both teams are going to have to read what the opposition is giving them to attack.

Now the duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook will be dynamic and important in helping the Thunder succeeding, but so will the duo of Tony Parker and Tim Duncan who have proven through four NBA championships that they are not going down without a fight. The keys to who wins the series will be from both teams 6th men, James Harden and Manu Ginobili. Depending on the play of these two will determine who hoists the trophy in the end and on their way to meet the winner of the Boston/Miami series at the NBA Finals.

Lets take a look at the Thunder/Spurs lineup and why Harden/Ginobili are so important. At the point guard positions we have Westbrook and Parker. Both great scorers, both great distributors, smart with the ball and both very fast, this seems like an even match-up. At shooting guards you have Sefolosha and Green, who are both young, with Sefolosha with the advantage because he can play defense and has a decent shot, but do not take Green lightly as he can put the ball on the floor and create space for himself.

At small forward we have Durant against Leonard, now although Durant is a great scorer with a high basketball IQ, Leonard is going to make him work for everything and with his size and frame plus his ability to move around on the floor, will cause some problems for Durant. The power forwards consist of Serge (IballaBaka) Ibaka and Boris Diaw who help bring that defensive intensity but can also put the ball in the hole if needed. Lastly at the center position we have Kendrick Perkins against Tim Duncan. With this match-up, although Perkins is bigger and stronger, he has to stay with Duncan and his fancy footwork. Duncan will create his own opportunities and can break down Perkins, but Perkins will make him work for everything and at the same time has to stay out of foul trouble.

So these match ups are pretty even when it comes down to it. Thunder have the speed and quickness to cut through the Spurs, but the Spurs have the ability to slow down the game to a turtle like speed and break you down mentally. After all the running and the mental breakdowns who are you going to have come in the game and provide your team with that necessary boost? Your 6th man, which is why they are so crucial to this series, let us take a look at James Harden.

Strong, athletic, can jump out the gym leaping ability, shoot, pass, but young; these are the qualities of Harden and what he can bring to the table to help lead his team to victory. Harden has proven throughout these playoffs that he is the 3rd piece to the Thunder puzzle, (funneling through Durant and Westbrook)and that they cannot win without him. When the Spurs start breaking the Thunder down mentally, Harden can come in and turn the tempo back up and bring his team out of the funk they would be in with the Spurs. He adds another 3-point threat around the arc, and when he is out there with Durant and Westbrook, he is another man who can take it to the hole or pass off to get the beautiful dime. His style of play is important for the Thunder to win the series.

On the other side let us examine Manu Ginobili. Smart with the ball, durable, shoot, pass, create space and open lanes, veteran, experience, but he is a little slower and he is 34 years of age; these are the qualities of Ginobili and how he can lead the Spurs to their 5th title and dynasty status team. Duncan is going to have a handful with Perkins, Ibaka and Collison all playing defense on him. Parker is going to war with Westbrook and has other PG's to go against in Fisher and Cook. So who can help take the weight off their shoulders? Manu Ginobili. He has proven since coming off the bench that this is his God given role. He is a 6th man with the ability to conduct the game. He can hit big shots, make big defensive stops (even catch a bat) and change the outcome of the game. He is an important part in Popovich's chess game and how they are going to win against this Thunder team.

Expect this game to go to a grueling seven game series. It is going to be a long, struggling series for both teams. they each have their unique pieces that can help them win and lose a game from past experiences. They both have a "team" mentality with great coaches in Popovich and Brooks. In the end, after the clock reaches triple zeros, you will see the young, athletic Thunder hoisting the WCF trophy and taking their first trip to the NBA Finals.

Getting faded at Fader Fort

During SXSW, one of the most anticipated venues was the Fader Fort near Downtown Austin, TX. Fader Fort was very successful last year during SXSW, so many out-of-towners and Austinites were reserving their spots months in advance, just patiently waiting for the confirmation email to go. Once it came down for SXSW week, many people showed up to the event to enjoy free alcohol, good music, and plenty of other forms of entertainment.

The week long event was sponsored by Converse, and had other companies like Beats by Dre and Nokia as other minor sponsors, but everyone enjoyed all the cool freebies that Fader Fort had to offer. Thousands of people were in attendance to check out the venue.

Converse were passing out free shirts, and designing custom made shirts as well. Beats by Dre were introducing their new headphones the Beats Mixr. Nokia was there as a relaxation station and also provided outlets for you to charge your electronics.

Overall, this was a great event and a worthwhile experience. The food was delicious, the alcohol was great and the freebies were unique all at zero cost, except the food. Definitely a venue to check out next year for their third annual event.