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Lakers Win 2009 NBA Championship, Barfalicious!

Good thing I don't bet. I predicted the Orlando Magic would beat the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1. At least I got the number of games correct. I used to be a huge Lakers fan. Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Rambis teams. That team will forever be remembered as "Showtime". They were fun to watch and were the Boston Celtic's bane of existence. Needless to say, I hated Larry Bird, Kevin Mchale, Robert Parrish, et al. But those classic NBA finals between the Lakers and Celtics are indelibly etched in my memory. 

Now I find myself rooting against the Lakers with as much gusto as I did for the Celtics. I was beside myself during the " 3- Peat " Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O"neal pulled off earlier this decade . I just could not cheer for Kobe or Shaq, but I enjoyed their  weird off court relationship that played out in the media. Back in those days I was and still am a huge fan of the San Antonio Spurs and NY Knicks. 

I hate to admit Kobe has finally solidified himself as one of the greatest players ever to play the game. He still doesn't come close to what Michael Jordan did or was. Kobe doesn't have MJ's charisma or game, but he  is the closest player to reach his level. It will be interesting to see if the rumors are true about the Cleveland Cavaliers considering a trade for Shaq to pair with Lebron. Even with Shaq in the twilight of his career, I would enjoy seeing Shaq face Kobe in next year's NBA finals, but it would be even better if Shaq signed with the Spurs. Shaq could call himself " The Big Sombrero. "

Here are my top five NBA players I have ever seen :

1. Michael Jordan

2. Magic Johnson

3. Larry Bird

4. Tim Duncan

5. Shaquille O'neal

Corporate Logos on NFL Jerseys

An interesting advertising/marketing idea has reared its ugly head within the NFL. The Washington Redskins are mulling to allow  corporate logos on the teams' practice jerseys. If Daniel Snyder goes through with this idea he is nothing more than a media whore. Do we think he is bankrupt? Morally bankrupt yes,  but no where near needing to file for Chapter 11. He owns a well known NFL franchise and has spent oodles of money on free agents ever since he bought the Redskins. He has a Napoleon complex being a man of diminutive stature. He wants to be Jerry Jones or Al Davis- he wants to be a mover and shaker type of owner. 

Baseball, Football, Basketball, and Hockey, the major professional sports in the U.S. currently do not have corporate logos on their uniforms. The uniforms look clean and professional. When the NFL Europe League allowed logos on the uniforms it looked incredibly silly. Whenever I watch an European or South American Soccer match I can never tell who the teams are. Manchester United has AIG as its corporate sponsor, and their logo is largely displayed on the front of the team's jersey shown here with arguably the world's best player, Christian Ronaldo. 

Come on now, would you be able to guess what team Ronaldo plays for if you were not familiar with Manchester's crest and team colors? As a casual soccer fan, I would think Ronaldo plays for AIG and Manchester United was a corporate sponsor along with Nike. It might be inevitable for U.S. sports teams to follow this advertising plan, but I hope the advertising would appear inconspicuously perhaps on the shoulders or around the outter mid thigh area.  

If Jerry Jones decides to follow suit and seek an advertising partner, I hope he would consider the colors of a corporate sponsor. Dr. Pepper has partnered with the Cowboys before, but their colors would be distracting on the blue and white colors on the jerseys. If I were Jones I would select a well known and popular corporate sponsor such as Sam Adams beer. Its a win win situation. Sam Adams has won a myriad of awards as the best tasting beers. A 5 time Super Bowl champion team partnering  with a championship caliber beer company  sounds like a match made in heaven to me.

Dallas Cowboys Dream Team

I was just thinking about how wonderful it would have been to have all of these all time great Dallas Cowboys on 1 team. I doubt any other franchise has had as much talent the Dallas Cowboys have had in the NFL. I predict this team would win 4 consecutive Super Bowls if it could ever have been assembled. I have also included my Dream Team coaching staff.

Head Coach :   Tom Landry 

Landry amassed the 3rd most victories of all time. His total stats are 270 wins 178 losses and 6 ties, he also took the Cowboys to 5 Super Bowls winning 2. Landry coached the Cowboys to 20 consecutive winning seasons a feat that will most likely never be repeated (1966-1985). He was a presence on the sidelines and earned immediate respect from players all around the country. He was hard on his players and he would never have taken shit from a player like Terrell Owens or Chad Ochocinco. He created the flex Defense, had parts in developing the "Hail mary" pass the shotgun and many other aspects that are used by every team in the league.

Assistant head coach     Jimmy Johnson (1989-1993)

Jimmy Johnson won 2 back to back  Super Bowls while coaching the Cowboys for only 5 seasons. If Jimmy and Jerry Jones could have got along better, the Cowboys might have won an unprecedented 3 consecutive Super Bowls and possibly even more. He was a great motivator and judge of talent. He was known to give preferential treatment to his star players though. 

Defensive Coordinator -   Ernie Staten 

Stautner was Defensive coordinator from 1973- to 1988. He coached players such as Randy White and Ed " Too Tall" Jones. 

Offensive Coordinator  Norv Turner 

Norv Turner was the architect of the simple but well executed system that Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, and Emmitt Smith et all relished. It was the perfect system for an ultimate offense. It was simplistic and rather vanilla at times, but Turner knew when and which plays to call during his tenure.

Special Teams -   Joe Avezzano (standing next to fan fave Bill Bates)

Joe Avezzano created a intense desire for players to want to be on special teams. Bill Bates was one of the best special teams players ever and threw his body around the field recklessly. He was the embodiment of what special teams is all about. Avezzano's special teams units were always rate among the top teams in the NFL.

I limited myself to only the current allowable 53 players in today's game plus the 5 practice squad players. The number in parentheses (1) indicates who is #1 on depth chart. This was a hard choice since I only can remember watching my first Dallas Cowboys football game  when I was 5 years old, so I am not too familiar with some of the players who played for the Cowboys in the early years. I created my Dream Team  from a pool of mostly modern era players and some who I have read about or seen highlights of on NFL Films. I also describe each player with at least 1 adjective or adverb to define what their most tangible aspects were since we all know their all great.

Quarter Backs (1) Roger Staubach  (2) Troy Aikman  (3) Don Meredith  

Staubach- resilient; Aikman - accuracy; Meredith- style/flair

Running Backs (1) Tony Dorsett (2) Emmitt Smith (3) Herschel Walker

Dorsett- speed; Smith- heart; Walker- power

Fullbacks (1) Daryl Johnston (2) Robert Newhouse

Johnston- roughneck; Newhouse- bowling ball

Wide Receivers (1) Michael Irvin (2) Drew Pearson (3) Bullet Bob Hayes (4) Tony Hill (5) Terrell Owens

A group of 5 receivers that any defense would shit themselves if they would ever have to line up against.

Irvin- passion; Pearson- clutch; Hayes-pure speed; Hill- hands; T.O-  limelight 

Tight Ends : (1) Jason Witten (2) Jay Novacek (3) Billy Joe Dupree

Witten- best of his era; Novacek- deceptively fast

Tackles (1) Rayfield Wright (2) Pat Donovan (3) Erik Williams

Wright - dominant; Donovan -consistent; Williams- mauler

Guards (1) Larry Allen (2) Blaine Nye (3) Nate Newton

Allen- incredible strength; Nye- solid; Newton- hillarious

Centers (1) Mark Stepnoski (2) John Fitzgerald (3) Andre Gurode 

Stepnoski- smart; Fitzgerald- solid; Gurode- roader

Defensive Ends (1) Charles Haley (2) Harvey Martin (3) Ed Jones (4) Tony Tolbert

Haley- relentless; Martin- punisher;Jones-intimidating; Tolbert -solid

Defensive tackles (1) Bob Lily (2) Randy White (3) Jay Ratliff (4) Leon Lett

Lily- dominant; White- manster/versatile; Ratliff powerful; Lett- man-child

 Outside Linebackers (1) DeMarcus Ware (2) Ken Norton Jr (3) Eugene Lockhart (4) Thomas Henderson

Ware- unblockable; Norton- fighter; Lockhart-hitting machine; Henderson- crazy

Inside Linebackers (1) Lee Roy Jordan (2) Chuck Howley (3) Jack Del Rio (4) D.D. Lewis

Jordan- leader; Howley- quick; Del Rio- blue collar; Lewis - stingy

Cornerbacks (1) Mel Renfro (2) Deion Sanders (3) Everson Walls (4) Kevin Smith (5) Terrence Newman

All are best described as "shut down" corners

Safeties (1) Cliff Harris (2) Darren Woodson (3) Charlie Waters (4) Roy Williams

Harris- smart; Woodson- non stop; Waters- fluid; Williams -big hitter

Kicker- Rafael Septien

Punter Mike Saxon

Special Teams Ace- Bill Bates

Practice Squad : QB Danny White; RB Marion Barber; WR Alvin Harper; OL Leonard Davis; LB Dexter Coakley

              

Marty B TV

The other Dallas Cowboys' tight end Martellus Bennett, aka "Marty B" has his own channel on Youtube called  MartyBTV. The latest episode shows Marty B preparing a bowl-er pot of cereal. Its pretty funny. I applaud his choice of Captain Crunch cereal which also happened to be one of my favorite cereals growing up. Marty pours a huge serving into a small pot and then adds about 1/4 cup of sugar on top and tops it off with 2% milk. 

Martellus received some harsh criticism for filming a crude rap video while wearing his Cowboys helmet. He later apologized for the video and seems to have matured a bit. He still is a young man who has great talent and skill to be unleashed in the NFL. It is great to have a funny character on the Dallas Cowboys again. He reminds me of a tech savvy version of Nate Newton. I hope he doesn't change. There needs to be more athletes with Martellus' type of personality. Perhaps there are, but none have become a youtube regular like Bennett. 

At 6'7" tall and weighing 265 pounds , Martellus Bennett showed some great signs of his talent and play making ability last year. He was a steal in last year's draft, and if he continues to improve during training camp, the Cowboys will have the best tight end tandem in the league. He is a good pass catcher and route runner and a good blocker too. Jason Witten is regarded as the best tight end in the NFL. Opposing defenses will be unwise if they do not consider Bennett as a receiving threat. He will score a lot of touchdowns like this one if they do. 

Greg Ellis No Longer A Dallas Cowboy

So long Greg Ellis. The Dallas Cowboys announced they released DE/OLB Greg Ellis. Both parties wished each other well and good luck in the future. I hope Ellis truly feels blessed to have played for the Cowboys. I honestly say he was a top 10 Defensive end for about his first 6-7 years in the league. His play began to deteriorate the past few years. The switch to outside linebacker probably extended his career. Recently there has been rumor the New England Patriots are interested in signing him to bolster their weak and aging pass rush. 

Mike Zimmer, Cincinnati Bengal's defensive coordinator,  might also want to sign Ellis since Zimmer was Ellis defensive coordinator in Dallas in early part of his career. Former Cowboy's safety Roy Williams signed with the Bengals last month. Lastly, former Cowboy Tank Johnson is a Bengal now as well. Ellis has 1 or 2 more seasons left in him as he is already 34 years old. He can be an effective if not steady pass rusher if used sparingly. 

Anthony Spencer's time has come and coaches feel this is boom or bust for the 3rd year player who rotated time with Ellis last year at the outside linebacker spot opposite DeMarcus Ware. Coach Wade Phillips has been praising Spencer's play recently and also during the last season. Rookies Brandon Williams and Victor Butler now have a good chance of making the team with Ellis' departure. If the Cowboys kept Ellis for one more season then only one of the rookies would have made it. Let's hope this youth movement pans out for the best.

2009 NBA Finals Prediction- Magic over Lakers 4 -1

                                                                 

 The NBA Finals are once again upon us. Both conference finals were quite entertaining. Who'd have thought the Orlando Magic were capable of beating the league's MVP in Lebron James and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had the best record in the NBA? They also swept both Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks.  Heck, who even picked them to beat the Kevin Garnett-less Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semi finals? Ahem, I did actually. As expected, the L.A. Lakers stumbled and bumbled their way in the finals. They did not dominate their opponents in the same manner Cleveland did in the first and conference semi- finals of the playoffs. Kobe Bryant and his Lakers teammates had a devil of a time ousting the Houston Rockets, a much smaller team after Dikembe Mutombo's broken leg and  Yao Ming's injury. 

The NBA probably is happy at least Kobe lead the Lakers to the Western Conference championship so television ratings will be comparable to last years. I admit I would have really enjoyed seeing Kobe and Lebron go at each other for seven games. Yes, if the NBA "gods" had their way a Cleveland vs Los Angeles Finals would have gone seven games. On the other hand, I am thankful we might not have to watch those idiotic Kobe and Lebron puppet commercials much. The Orlando Magic most likely are approaching the Finals as the cliched "us against the world" mentality to spur them on. That mantra has been played to death for the past 3 years or so by various underdog teams. The Orlando Magic do have something to prove and that their victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers was not a fluke. Orlando has emerge as a contender during this year's playoffs for years to come with Dwight Howard leading the way.

Orlando won both meetings earlier this season although the final score was 106-103 and 109-103. I am looking forward to an exciting series with the Magic prevailing 4 games to 1. Here is my breakdown of the individual match ups.

          Andrew Bynum vs. Dwight Howard 

Center Match up :

Andrew Bynum is still very raw and very green but has a good upside. He lacks the drive and intensity Howard has. Bynum still not very adept at guarding big men and has a penchant for committing dumb fouls. Howard in one word- beast. He can guard big men while owning the boards  and is  good offensively too. He is capable of scoring 25 points and grabbing 20 rebounds. He just might be named 2009 Finals MVP. The one thing that Howard needs to worry about keeping  his temper in check he has already accrued 5 technical fouls and if he gets seven, he gets suspended for one game. To his credit he has improved his foul shooting lately.

Edge : Orlando

  Derek Fisher vs Rafer Alston 

Point Guard Match up:

Laker's guard Derek Fisher has all the finals experience a head coach would want in a point guard. Troubling though Fisher's strongest asset is also his weakest. Simply put Derek Fisher is old, perhaps this should be his last season in the NBA. He doesn't have the quickness to stay with Rafer Alston, much less Jameer Nelson (rumor has it Orlando testing him to see if he is fit enough to play). If Jameer Nelson plays, either Kobe or Trevor Ariza will have to guard Nelson. Rafer runs the Magic's offense well, and while he might not be a real general on the floor, he shoots the 3 ball very well. 

Edge : Orlando

 Kobe  Bryant vs. Courtney Lee 

Shooting guard match up :

The disparity in the size of the pictures says it all. Courtney Lee will continue to get better this is his rookie year. Kobe - been there done that. 

Edge : Los Angeles

 Pau Gasol vs Hedo Turkoglu  

Power Forward match up :

Neither players are true power forwards. Both like to shoot jump shots with Turkoglu being the more efficient 3 point shooter. Gasol has the edge in the post up game. Neither is very athletic or defensive minded as well. Both are decent rebounders and help defenders. This could be a stalemate.

Edge : Tie

 Trevor Ariza vs Rashard Lewis  

Small Forward match up :

This is a similar match up as Fisher vs. Alston. Ariza is just in his 4th season while Lewis has been in the league for 10 years. Both are athletic slashing scorers but Lewis has the edge being a veteran and being  a better 3 point shooter. Lewis can post up ariza all day long.

Edge : Orlando

 Phil Jackson vs. Stan Van Gundy 

Head coach match up :

We all know what Phil Jackson is about. When the Lakers lose for the 2nd consecutive NBA Finals will Phil ask Michael Jordan to come out of retirement and lead the Lakers next year? Ha ha. I think he might retire again. I believe Stan Van Gundy has the hunger to coach his team to victory. Say what you will about his physical appearance but the man can coach. Ultimately, his brother Jeff Van Gundy is the better coach between the two. 

Edge : Orlando

Lakers bench vs. Magic Bench

Orlando's Mikael Pietrus outscored Cleveland's bench on occasion by himself. He is an excellent sixth man. He shoots the 3 well, can slash to the hoop, and is a very good defender. He does it on both ends of the court. Lakers' Lamar Odom can do some damage as the Laker's sixth man but does not play consistently enough. He's a big man who prefers to play outside and doesn't post up much. Orlando's bench clearly proved they can hold a lead as they repeatedly outscored their opponent's bench in the playoffs.

Edge : Orlando 

LPGA Hotties : 5 Reasons to watch

 With the NBA Finals almost upon us, sports fans normally dred the next few months before NFL training camps begin in. Sure die hard hockey fans will be entertained by the quest for the Stanley Cup, but how exciting can that be when NBC bumps the NHL's championship series  for a reality game show called " Get me out of here I'm a celebrity!" In the next 6 weeks sports nuts will have next to nothing to get really excited about.

The French Open and Wimbledon are at best middle of the road entertainment for sports enthusiasts. On the women's side, I personally only care to watch a woman's match only if Anna Ivanovic is playing. On the men's side I am hoping for another 5 set all time great Rafal Nadal and Roger Federer final. I only watch baseball if I feel like taking a nap. I don't "play the ponies" so I have no real interest in the Kentucky Derby either. But I recently watched a sporting event I have never paid much interest to... it was the LPGA ! 

There are quite a few of attractive female golfers playing on the LPGA tour. I know most of us consider female golfers to appear tomboyish, but this new generation is very intriguing and feminine. Perhaps they will pave the way for more men to watch someone else besides Tiger Woods. Here are 5 reasons to watch the next LPGA tourney just to see these female golfers play:

Natalie Gulbis

Kim Hall

Anna Rawson

Jeehae Lee

Blair O' neal

Who let the Con "Vick" Out?

So, former Atlanta Falcons Superstar quarterback and soon to be ex-convict, Michael Vick, now is semi free. He will be under house arrest until July 20, 2009. He has to wear an electronic monitoring device and will work for a construction company earning $10.00 an hour.After he has served out his sentence, Michael Vick will still be under supervision / probation for the next 3 years. If he makes any missteps he will be reunited with "Bubba and Jaime" back at Leavenworth. Many people have said Vick should be forced to wear the device as a dog collar capable of delivering a good dose of electricity. In addition, he should be shocked mildly but every hour on the hour just to remind himself of the disgusting despicable and vile things he and his cohorts did to those innocent dogs. Now that would be good entertainment. Other sane people have suggested Michael Vick should be placed in a sports stadium with rabid dogs and let the fun ensue. I am sure if some clever entrepreneur promoted this as a Pay-per-view event the venue would be sold out in seconds. No other event could  ever match the potential revenue amassed for this. I would pay $1000.00 to watch it. Since we all know this will never happen here is a picture of what could be:

After serving out the remaining 2 months under house arrest, and barring NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell levying a suspension, Michael Vick would be eligible to play some portion of the 2009 NFL season. Sports Illustrated columnist  Peter King thinks the New Orleans Saints, Oakland RaidEr's, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, and San Francisco 49'Er's are teams that might welcome Vick into their family. I believe he has " paid his debt to society " and deserves a second chance. I just pray and hope Jerry Jones doesn't decide to get in the mix and sign him. If he does,  I will no longer call my self a Dallas Cowboys fan. My allegiance will switch to the Houston Texans or New York Jets. 

Fans who defend Michael Vick for being treated un fairly and believe the color of his skin determined the length of his prison sentence, please get a life, grow some balls and a brain while your at it. They argue that Michael Vick "only"  killed dogs- his dogs and should have been permitted to do anything to his "property". They also say the punishment was too harsh and did not fit the crime, and people care more about an animal's life  more than a person's life. They cite Leonard Little as an example. Leonard Little committed vehicular involuntary manslaughter and only spent 3 months in jail, 4 years probation, and 1000 hours of community service. Dontae Stallworth also may get sent to prison for DUI and killing a man crossing the street in Miami. Both Stallworth and Little tested over the legal alcohol limit in Missouri and Florida. MY ARGUMENT IS THEY WERE BOTH DRUNK AND THEIR ACTIONS WERE INVOLUNTARY. THEY DID NOT WAKE UP ONE MORNING AND TELL THEMSELVES, "DAMN I'M GONNA GET DRUNK AND RUN OVER SOMEONE WITH MY CAR ! Michael Vick and cohorts pre-meditated what they would do to under performing dogs. They did this repeatedly. Little and Stallworth did not. 

Michael Vick needs to show real remorse for killing, electrocuting, body slamming,drowning  and shooting dogs. Thanks to dog lovers like these people , some of the Bad Newz kennel dogs were rescued and are no longer in hiding like the picture above shows. They can now live a long and happy life providing  unconditional love for their new families. If Vick does not reach out to the Humane Society and Peta, he is destined to subject his family and himself to a miserable existence. To his credit,  Vick has mentioned he wants to make amends for his past actions. But in the event he fails to do so, maybe someone will tie him to the "rape stand" and let his old chums Bubba and Jaime pay him a visit.

2009 NBA Playoffs Bring the Pain

"I love this game ! " used to be the NBA's slogan. Up until these current playoffs I recently only liked watching NBA games, but thanks to players' playoff intensity and physicality, I love watching the games now. I was a big fan of the physically intimidating Patrick Ewing -led New York Knicks back in the early to mid 1990's. Patrick Ewing, Xavier McDaniel, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason were a scary quartet who punished opposing players who attempted driving to the basket against them. Back in the day, those fouls were known just as "a hard foul." In these uber sensitive times, the same fouls are now categorized as a flagrant 1 or flagrant 2 foul. 

Those Knicks were built to compete against the Detroit Pistons, the "Original Bad Boys" who had won 2 NBA Titles. Bill Laimbeer, John Salley, Dennis Rodman, Joe Dumars, and even at times the cherubic Isaiah Thomas were not afraid to gouge some one's eye out or jab another player in the ribs. Best thing about them too was they knew they were thugs and were proud of it too. They didn't shy away from the moniker either. Blue collar players in a blue collar town. I must admit I hated the Pistons though. I couldn't stand their thuggish nature. But I also admit I am a hypocrite. I loved seeing the Knicks copy the Pistons style of play. It seemed ok being a New York Knicks fan. 

I miss those days and that style of play. Thank goodness though for the physical play this year. There's been some near fisticuffs amongst teams this year. I enjoyed watching Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics toss Chicago Bulls' Kirk Heinrich into the scorer's table in their first round series. I also somewhat enjoyed seeing L.A. Laker's guard Derek Fisher elbow Houston's Luiz Scola in the chest right before Scola was about to screen Fisher. I relished the confrontation between Ron Artest and Kobe Bryant after Bryant threw an elbow into Artest's throat after grabbing a rebound. I was hoping Artest would K.O. Kobe, a la Manny Pacquiao vs Ricky Hatton. I bet I am not in the minority hoping there will be  some fights or at least some punches will be thrown in the near future. I also look forward to bench clearing brawl as well. So bring the pain and hope we see another scene like this...

Star Trek 2009 Movie Review

Time travel is possible - well, it is for me anyway being whisked away to another time and place. As corny as this may sound, I was transported back to the Summer of 1979 when I was 8 years old watching Star Trek : The Motion Picture. As soon as the opening scene began of this Star Trek reboot I remember how I felt sitting in a crowded theater in Texas  bursting with excitement and amazement the first time the U.S.S. Enterprise appeared on screen. I pissed my pants back then and almost let history repeat itself 30 years later. 

I was a fan of the tv series but not a complete " Trekkie", but my brother and I had toy phasers and he built a toy model  replica of the U.S.S. Enterprise that he never let me touch in his presence.  I stealthily managed to get my thrills playing with it when he wasn't around making sure I put it back on the display stand exactly how I found it. (He was never the wiser about it either!) While his phaser was set on "stun", I always kept mine on "kill" or rather "blast big brother to smithereens"! No doubt it is easy to guess who would always win. But I digress...

Even though there were some plot holes in the movie, J.J. Abrams and his team did a marvelous job rebooting the Star Trek franchise. Kudos to all those brilliant people involved. From the get-go the movie races off to a blistering start and never slows down after the first scene. Its easy to get pulled in - the movie in essence (**spoiler alert**) is a magnificent black hole that is un-relenting and keeps your ass glued to your seat at least up until the closing credits. The special effects are amazing albeit reminiscent of Star Wars but contrary to what some movie critics have said, this is not an effects driven film. The story and the acting are what makes this a great movie. The special effects serve only as "the cherry on top" if you will.

The entire Star Trek cast is pitch perfect resulting in great chemistry amongst the actors. From Chris Pine to Anton Yelchin, these actors  channel some of the original actors/characters. Chris Pine ( James Tiberius Kirk), Karl Urban (Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy), and Simon Pegg ( Scotty) are  the most convincing as the young versions of the original cast. Every actor was given their catchphrases but they did not appear silly. Seeing Leonard Nimoy reprise his role as an older Spock (**spoiler alert**) save Kirk from the huge and hungry red snow creature was a real treat. The audience yelped with glee when Nimoy's face first appears on screen.

One thing is certain- JJ Abrams and crew know how to make fun, action packed, highly enjoyable movies and television shows (Alias, Lost, and Fringe). Let us hope they continue to entertain us cinephiles for years to come. I, for one, can not wait for the next Star Trek installment. "Warp speed ahead, Mr. Sulu".

Rating : 3.5 out of 4 stars