Top 5 Last Minute Holiday Electronic Gift Ideas

December 22, 2011 by 2 Comments

Compiled by: @dereklouttit @dieselpokers @antsalerno89

Happy Holidays From ZazenLife!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

It’s that time of the year again, and I know most of you are still wondering what the hell to buy people.

If you’re looking to spend some money or if you’re just trying to find a quick easy gift, we will cover it in this post.

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Here are some really cool electronic gift ideas you might want to consider when you’re out last minute holiday shopping:

1.iPad 2:

$499. The iPad 2 is basically the new and improved original iPad. It has two cameras for FaceTime and HD video recording. The dual-core A5 chip. 10-hour battery life. Over 200 new software features in iOS 5. And iCloud. All in a remarkably thin, light design. There’s so much to iPad, it’s amazing there’s so little of it. It’s just 0.34 inch thin and weighs as little as 1.33 pounds, so it feels completely comfortable in your hands. You can access the internet and play games.


2. iPod touch 32 GB:

$264.99 The iPod touch takes fun to the next level. It now comes in two colors: black and white. It includes iOS 5, which gives you over 200 exciting new features. And with iCloud, whatever’s on your iPod touch is automatically on your other devices, too.

3. Kinect For Xbox 360:

$114. Kinect for Xbox 360 is changing the game. Well, it’s changing how you play games. And how you watch TV. And movies. And listen to music. Because with Kinect, there are no controllers. Or remotes. There’s just you. And if you ask us, that’s all you need. Controller-free gaming means full body play. Kinect responds to how you move. So if you have to kick, then kick. If you have to jump, then jump. You already know how to play. All you have to do now is to get off the couch.

4. Amazon Kindle:

$79.00. The Amazon Kindle is an e-book reader developed by Amazon.com which enables users to shop for, download, browse, and read e-books, newspapers, magazines, blogs, and other digital media via wireless connectivity.The hardware devices, now in their fourth generation, began as a single device and now comprise a range of devices: most using an E Ink electronic paper display capable of rendering 16 shades of gray to simulate reading on paper while minimizing power consumption. A single charge lasts up to one month with wireless off based upon a half-hour of daily reading time. Keep wireless always on and it lasts for up to 3 weeks. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store, web browsing, and downloading content.

5. Canon PowerShot S95:

Canon PowerShot S95

$334.95. Though we’d like it to perform better, dSLR shooters looking for a sidekick camera will find the Canon PowerShot S95′s top-flight photos and a full manual feature set worth the tradeoff of its compact size.

Happy Holidays From The Zazenlife Team!


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2011 MLB Big Name Free Agents Predictions

December 5, 2011 by 4 Comments

The 2011 Winter Meetings was thought to have three of the MLB’s best players names getting thrown around for the three-day event.  Jose Reyes, Prince Fielder, and the machine Albert Pujols are all expected to get big money.

Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder

The Miami Marlins whom are never spenders have taken one of those brand names off the list of the many free agents.  Jose Reyes agreed to a deal said to be worth a possible $124 million over 7 years.

For the first 6 years Reyes will make a guaranteed $102 million and then the club can buy out the contract for $4 million or continue to pay Reyes the extra $22 million.  Reyes is now 28 and will be just toward the end of his prime at the end of his contract (35 years old).

He is known to have injury problems, especially with his hamstrings. Reyes is a player who hits for average and likes to put the ball in play to use his speed.  So if his hamstrings act the way they have in the past, I don’t see the Marlins not buying out the 7th year.

But now that Jose Reyes is on the team, whats the plan for the all-star shortstop Hanley Ramirez?

He could possibly move to third base due to the fact of their 2007 first round pick (12th overall), Matt Dominguez, has not had a promising season since play single A ball hitting .296/18 homers/ 70 RBI’s in 2007.

He has just been on a decline in the pre-season prospect rankings.  They could move Hanley to center field and put Emilio Bonifacio to third base.  My bet is that Hanley ends up pulling an Alex Rodriguez and moves from short-stop to third base.

There has been a lot of talk about which of the two all-star first basemen to sign to a long term big buck contract.

Prince Fielder is 27 and Albert Pujols is 31 years old.  There is no debate as to which player is better, Albert Pujols has been one of the most if not the most consistent player in baseball for the past decade.

The debate is about the fact that Pujols is four years older than Fielder. You can easily say that Albert Pujols will last in the league longer due to the fact that he is in extraordinary shape where Fielder is not.  Prince measures in at 5’11” and weighs in at 275.

Although Prince is athletic, his body will not be able to perform for the amount of years Pujols’s will.  On top of that, Pujols is still not out of his prime.

Pujols is also the better defender by far with 2 gold gloves.  If you give him a 7 or an 8 year deal you will have the best player in baseball for at least 3 of those years and a great player for the remaining years, if he remains healthy.

If you give Prince that contract, you might end up paying him to DH (if he signs with an American League team) towards the end of his contract. In my opinion, if I were an owner, I would not be upset bout signing one or the other, but you got to give the big bucks to Pujols.

Fielder has many possible and interested suitors for his services of hitting the long ball. The Blue Jays, Brewers, Cubs, Mariners, Marlins, Nationals, and Rangers all have interest in the big first baseman.

As much as I would like to see the Brewers re-sign Prince, I don’t think they will be able to pony up the doe for him.  My two teams I believe are the best fits are the Rangers and Mariners.  The Mariners haven’t had a big long ball hitter since Ken Griffey Jr. and are in the process of rebuilding and mainly around King Felix Hernandez.

He would be a great fit in the middle of that lineup and a great way to get the team in the playoff race.

If the Rangers sign Prince, they can almost guarantee themselves to not losing back to back to back  World Series.  They will be adding an all-star power hitter to one of the best and most dangerous offenses in the game.

I would put them as the favorite to win the 2012 World Series.

The Mariners and the Rangers would also be great fits due to the fact that he would be in the American League giving the team the option of putting him at DH to give him a break.  I believe the Rangers will make a push towards the end and end up with the name Prince Fielder in the clean up spot protecting Josh Hamilton on their line-up card.

Albert Pujols has deserved a long-term contract along with a lot of money.  I believe he will eventually end up re-signing with the St. Louis Cardinals after the meetings are over.  They have to match anything that anyone offers him.

The Miami Marlins have shown that they are not afraid to spend money finally.  These are my two biggest possibilities, but there are many other suitors that will spend the millions on the 3 time MVP.

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Teams Pay-Tons of Attention to Manning

December 5, 2011 by 4 Comments

Now that Colts quarterback Peyton Manning was cleared to start throwing the football and advance into more intensive rehab, the organization has to start considering what they will do with him in 2012.

That statement almost sounds disrespectful considering what he has done for the organization, but at the end of the day the NFL is merely a business and owners only care about the cash flow into the stadium. As much as the city of Indianapolis loves Their four time MVP, he can easily be gone next year.

Look at what happened to the hill billy boy down in Green Bay. He was GOD in Green Bay for 16 years before missing his first game ever due to body decay. The team easily dumped him when Aaron Rodgers was ready and it seemed to work out pretty nicely for the organization.

The ‘owner mentality’ is to  Forget about what Favre did for 16 years, hes gotta go, and this can easily be the case in Indianapolis in 2012.

But why?

How can Bill Polian even consider doing anything but keep Peyton.

After this terrible season everyone realized how he is literally the entire Colts team. The guy has a career record of 148-75, passer rating of 94.9, he is a 4 time MVP (should win MVP this year as well) , Super Bowl and Pro Bowl MVP, and holds 45 NFL records.

So now that we are on the same page as to how owners really feel about their players and how Peyton Manning is a top 3 QB of all time, lets look at the scenarios for his future :

1. After being released, Peyton retires.

If the Colts do release Peyton Manning, there is a good chance he will retire.

In an interview in 2006, Peyton Manning made it clear that the Indianapolis Colts are the only team that he will ever play for. He seems like a very loyal guy and and if his injury stays this serious, retirement can be the right choice. No one would want to see him ruin his legacy like Mr. Favre. He would in fact make a great coach, coordinator, analyst or comedian right?

2. After being released, Peyton signs with another team.

Peyton Manning is a very expensive employee for the Indianapolis Colts organization.

He is owed a 28 million dollar bonus after this season and if he stays with the team his salary is one of the largest in the NFL. Before the season started, he took a pay cut so that the colts can keep other players and make the team better. Yes, another reason why he is one of the best and most loyal, but once again, owners do not care about individuals.

Say the colts sign Andrew Luck with their first overall pick, Peyton Manning’s pay can be used to build a team around Luck, unless he takes a deeper pay cut which is not likely.

Peyton can see this as disrepect and make alot more money somewhere else. I know for sure the dolphins would make a nice offer at Peyton if he was to be released.

Surprisingly, they have a talented team and Peyton would win them a lot of games. I am sure he would love to see Brady twice a year as well.

3. Peyton is traded

Out of all the scenarios, I believe along with most professional NFL analysts that this one will never happen. Peyton Manning is owed $28 million dollars after the season as noted before and he cannot be traded until he is paid his money.

So if they are going to pay him that bonus, why would it make any sense to trade him. Their best bet would be to get whatever they can out of him if they give him the $28 million. Manning can also delay his bonus and see if another team is willing to pay him that money. Obviously this will come down to whether Peyton Manning is about the money or winning and I want to believe he is in it to win it.

4. Indy and Peyton restructure his contract

Peyton Manning has already taken less money to better the team, and they might ask him to take even less. If in fact he is all about the team and winning, this can be very possible.

If he takes more of a pay cut and restructures his entire contract, the organization can pay more players and sign more players. Not to mention Andrew Luck will be watching Peyton Manning from the sideline for a couple of years.

5. My favorite scenario for the colts : Pay and keep him on the team!

Knowing how tough of a guy Peyton is, next year he most likely will come back very strong. He is one of the most mature players in the league and he is mentally tough enough to surpass this serious injury and all of the media hype on how he is done.

The colts have to take the chance and pay him, but if he does come back strong it is money well spent. Signing Peyton and drafting Luck would be a Favre/Rodgers situation and it created a Superbowl caliber quarterback.

There are many rumors and opinions about where Peyton Manning will play football next season and this is going to stir up a very interesting off season. If I had to put money on it, I would say Peyton Manning will wind up with a horse shoe on his helmet for the rest of his career.

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Quote of the Day

December 5, 2011 by 1 Comment

“To the fans and everybody in Gator Nation, I’m sorry. I’m extremely sorry. We were hoping for an undefeated season. That was my goal, something Florida has never done here. I promise you one thing, a lot of good will come out of this. You will never see any player in the entire country play as hard as I will play the rest of the season. You will never see someone push the rest of the team as hard as I will push everybody the rest of the season. You will never see a team play harder than we will the rest of the season. God bless.”

Following a heartbreaking upset loss to Ole Miss, Tim Tebow made what has become known as his “Pledge” at a post game news conference.  After making this pledge, Tebow and the Gators would not lose another game and went on to win the BCS National championship with a 24-14 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners and their high-powered offense.  Tim Tebow epitomizes the fact that we can say absolutely anything we want, but we will always be measured by what we do after the words have left our mouth.

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