The Bakery : CBSSports.com Blogs

MM's Album Has Been Released!

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 19:52:23 EDT

You can listen to the full album online and/or download at:

http://riversoflight.bandcamp.com/

The album is entitled "Stargazing," and my artist name is "Rivers of Light."

You can reply here with any questions or comments - I'm always open to constructive criticism (and hey, compliments are nice too!)

MM's Upcoming Album

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 12:05:02 EDT

Greetings to all my friends here on CBSSports,

I'm proud to announce that within the next few weeks I will be releasing an album of original electronic music I wrote. It will be available online for download. When I release the album, I will write another blog entry with the link and directions for downloading.

*Sample from the album here*: http://riversoflight.bandcamp.com/

Thanks for reading and supporting my musical endeavors! If you have any questions or comments, reply here or shoot me a PM on the Infinity thread. Have a great week!

Second single is out!

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 11:55:18 EDT

For those of you who enjoyed "Pamplemousse," we have completed another single! Click the link below to enjoy Lifeline's "Summit!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgSXx-Gi9So

As before, if you have any questions or comments, please share below! Thanks for your support!

My music!

Mon, 31 May 2010 17:53:21 EDT

For all of you who may remember, I am an avid musician and composer. My friend and I have started a new band, currently called Lifeline. Our first song, Pamplemousse, is available to listen to! Visit the link below to listen, and please comment with your thoughts!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_8gzOcCIQQ

Enjoy!

The Final Four: Rambling

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 9:48:13 EDT

OK, so I finally found a topic that I feel strongly enough about to rise out of my blog dormancy, at least for now: The Final Four.

Michigan State. Butler. West Virginia. Duke.

Get over it.

This year's Final Four is a lot of things, but one thing it ISN'T is a fluke. Two 5 seeds, a 2, and a 1. So????? Rankings are based on decisions that a committee made. Maybe the committee made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. All four of these teams were ranked in the top 25 to begin the season. Is it really so surprising that they end up on top of the heap? I don't need to read a hundred online news columns to know that few people picked that Final Four.

There Is a Time to Stop Chasing Your Dreams

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:00:22 EST

Last night, the biggest game of the year took place. Biggest for my local high schools that is. The infamous cross-town rivalry. Picture Michigan versus Ohio State, only without the national following and publicity. Always the last game of both team's regular seasons. Always played at the same field, which both teams call home.

Flashback to last year. My team (hereafter referred to as "Good guys") were playoff-bound. The bad guys were not. However, we were outplayed in the first half of the game. I think we were maybe two or three touchdowns down at halftime. In the second half, we played much better. Eventually, the last two minutes of the game rolled around, and we were one touchdown down with the ball on our own 20, and no timeouts. The good guys marched down the field, hitting precise passes and getting out of bounds as per the "two minute drill." We looked like an NFL team. With 2 seconds left, the ball was spiked on the opposing team's 5 yard line. We line up in a spread formation, and I (along with most everyone else) was ready for another pass. Instead, it was a QB sneak. He was tackled at the 1.

Pickem with MM?

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:08:59 EDT

Does anyone want to play NFL pickem with MM? I could create one or if you could be so kind as to invite me...

Anyone up for some Fantasy Football?

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 11:32:09 EDT

The "Let's Count to Infinity" crew have started a free fantasy football league here on CBS. We need to fill two more spots before our automated draft on June 26. If you are interested in being in an FFB league with me and my counting buddies, reply here and I will PM you info. No email required.

Hope that everyone who reads this has a great summer!

Later, M.M.

My thoughts on last night's national title game

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 8:40:15 EST

First off, congrats to the Tar Heels and their fans on their championship. You guys are really annoying to us Big Ten fans, but what can we do?

The Magic just wasn't there for the Spartans last night.

Ever have that horrible feeling before a game that this isn't gonna be the night for your team? Well, when the sportscasters stated their prediction before the game that State would pull off the upset, I had that feeling. I think they jinxed it...

Next, I will say something that hasn't been stated on any of the columns I've read here on CBS about the game, such as this, this, and this (which talk about Tar Heel dominance and how they always knew that UNC was too good for MSU despite their previous articles that State had a good chance of pulling off the upset), State could have won.

Are you serious CBS

Sat, 02 May 2009 13:50:28 EDT

Did you really delete the "Let's Count to Infinity" thread? I hope that my computer is just having a bad day and the error I get - "The board which you are trying to post to has been removed" - is an error itself. If not, wow. Just wow. If you want me and the other people you call off topic to leave this site, just ban us! Don't pull crap like this.

If this is an error, I'm sorry for ranting.

Wanna be in my March Madness bracket pool?

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 23:05:57 EDT

I created a bracket pool, MuffinMan's March Madness Mayhem. If you are interested in being in the pool, feel free to drop me a PM with your email so that I can send you an invite! Scoring system is standard and you can have up to two brackets in the pool, unless I decide to change it.

Hope to see you there!

-M.M.

PS: CBS is apparently going to can my av. Wow.

Pavel Datsyuk nets JAW - DROPPING shootout goal!

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:47:38 EST

Pavel Datsyuk's INSANE shootout goal helped lift my Red Wings over the Wild last Saturday night. This goal will undoubtedly be remembered by Wings fans for a while (at least THIS Wings fan), somewhat like the Filppula goal in last year's Stanley Cup Finals. The moves he made on Josh Harding were nothing less then AMAZING! Don't take my word for it, watch for yourself!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9vFwGRGpUs

Be sure to watch the videos in "high quality" (button in the lower right corner of video box) so that they are less fuzzy...

^ Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk (13) of Russia celebrates with teammates Kris Draper, right, Mikael Samuelsson (37) of Sweden, Valtteri Filppula (51) of Finland and Dan Cleary (11) after scoring on Minnesota Wild goalie Josh Harding during a shootout in an NHL hockey game in St. Paul, Minn., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009. The Red Wings beat the Wild 3-2 in a shootout. (AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt)

Lions Make History. BUT...

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 2:15:13 EST

With their loss to my Packers today, the Lions became the first team to go 0-16 in NFL history.

As a graphic showed near the end of the game, a lot has happened in the world since the Lions' last regular season victory over the Chiefs on December 23, 2007. Over a year has passed on the Earth, other NFL teams have won a combined total of 262 games, Michael Phelps won eight gold medals in the Olympics, and Brett Favre retired, unretired, became a Jet, and could easily retire again before the Lions' next win. After such a poor season, it is obvious that change is needed within the organization - and lots of it. However, the Lions franchise is in possession of a few "building blocks" - people who, in my opinion, could help the team turn things around in 2009.

Christmas Thoughts from the Bakery

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:31:29 EST

In case I forget to mention this at the end, I wish everyone who was brave enough to open and read this blog entry a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I am not writing about the Lions this evening (although there's certainly plenty to say on the topic of yesterday's atrocious loss to the Saints). I am not writing about the Packers or Red Wings or any sports team. I am not writing about homecoming dances or virtuoso keyboardists.

Instead, I am writing about a book. Specifically, Mitch Album's Tuesdays With Morrie. I was assigned it to read over the two-week-long break, and (because I am an overachiever) I have already finished it. When I was told that we would be reading a two-hundred-page book over break, I was depressed, sad, maybe even a little angry. But now I understand that this is, far and away, the best Christmas present that I have ever received from a teacher. And that's only partly due to the fact that I could count all the Christmas presents I got from teachers on one hand.

Lions vs. Titans - Thanksgiving Day

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 11:34:42 EST

Earlier this week, I had this crazy thought...kind of like a premonition of something! Since it has to do with sports, I decided to share it.

Everyone is saying: "This is the year the Lions go 0-16." I disagree. Here is my prediction:

The Lions will lose the next two weeks (@Carolina and vs. Tampa Bay)

The Tennessee Titans will win the next two weeks (@Jacksonville and vs. NY Jets)

Red Wings Hockey is even better in person!

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 11:37:51 EST

Yesterday, I went to my first NHL game, the Red Wings versus the New Jersey Devils. It was AMAZING - nothing like watching on TV at all. Those of you who have went to a hockey game (particularly a Wings game) before know what I mean. The roaring crowd, the reality of the hits, the buzzer when the Wings score...

^A picture (which I did NOT take) of Henrik Zetterburg evading two Devils...

It was everything I had hoped for and then some! The Wings won, Hossa was on fire, Ozzie was a wall, and I even got to see Darren McCarty get in a fight!

Till next time, GO WINGS!

Thank You

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:51:10 EST

Last Wednesday, October 15, marked my "six month anniversary" on the Community. I still remember being an amateur/rookie that nobody knew. Now I'm a superstar, with my own avatar and blog end everything. However, I never would have got here without the help of you guys, my "CBS Friends". So I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who accepted me, 5'ed my posts, invited me to your Fantasy Leagues (you know who you are), and added me to your faves. I would also like to make a few specific thank yous.

First and foremost, thanks to MSUalltheway09 for introducing me to Fantasy Sports here on CBS, and later, the Community. It should be noted that I would not be here without him.

Thanks to YankeeLuvnGator. Yank was among the first posters to acknowledge me on his band vote off that he ran back around May. I even dug up a link: http://www.sportsline.com/mcc/blogs/entry/7949334/8286392

Food For Thought ;)

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:18:37 EDT

Two items:

1) Yesterday CBS News came to our school and taped our band playing marching band music. We were apparently featured on their special "Michigan This Morning." However, family members who watched CBS yesterday said they never saw us, even though the newspeople recorded us five different times between 6:45 and 8:45 AM...Hmmmmm, I say....

2) This morning, I played soccer and the coach brought two pumpkins to the game. He said (more or less), "After the game we will vote on whichever two players did the best. These two players will receive these pumpkins. I scored our two goals, so the team voted that I should win a pumpkin, proving that there is some novelty and goodness left in the world. ;)

Hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

What Is Homecoming?

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:27:03 EDT

This week is homecoming week at the high school I go to. Now before you think I'm really stupid, I know what it represents. I know it's a huge school spirit week with football games and dances and activities and such. But what is homecoming really? I used to think it was the week of the varsity football team's first home game. But this week will be our fourth home game - trust me, now that I'm in the marching band, we play at all the home games, so I would know. So I was apparently wrong. Does anyone know what homecoming actually is? Is it just a random week?

The Ten Days Of Marching Band Camp Paid Off

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 20:01:51 EDT

Those of you who know me probably remember that I had to go to ten days of marching band camp back in August. You probably also remember that I wasn't overly fond of it.

Well, it was worth it.

I guess I had better explain. Yesterday (Saturday 9/13) marked our first home game (Actually it was our second but the first one we didn't do our show). I only went to a couple of games last year so I always thought that the high school football fans really didn't care too much about the marching band. How wrong I was. When we marched out on the field at halftime with our team up 14-7, I finally realized what the 85 hours of marching band camp were for. The crowd went ballistic when we were introduced, after every song and solo, and at the end of the show, even though we all made a mistake or two here and there. I now realize just how lucky I am to be part of something special. I also discovered the true meaning of school spirit!

Fantasy Sports - Fun, but bad for team loyalty

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 22:57:54 EDT

Recently, I was watching my favorite baseball team, the Tigers, on TV. They were behind I believe 11-4 to the Yankees at the time, in the bottom of the fourth inning. Then, Miguel Cabrera came up to bat. To any die - hard Tigers fan, this would be great news! One of our best hitters up with runners on base and (I think again) only one out. A great opportunity to get back into the game, a Tigers fan would think. However, I found myself rooting against Cabrera. Why? Simply because he is on one of my rival Fantasy Baseball teams! I was amazed that I had let Fantasy sports get in the way of the fact that I wanted the Tigers to win. But, upon further thinking, I realized that this had happened before. Whenever I saw someone on my team, I wanted them to do good, even if they were against the Tigers. The opposite is also true: when I saw someone on one of my rival teams, I wanted them to do bad, even if they were Tigers! Although I did not exist at this time, I would bet that, "back in the day," there was "your team" then there was "all the bad guys." You always rooted for everyone on your team, and no one on the other team. Period. So my point is, although Fantasy sports are fun and a great idea, are they getting in the way of sports loyalty? Should your Fantasy Team be more important than your favorite real life team? I am sure I am not the only one who has ever thought this. What does everyone else think?

Looking Back On My First Year of Fantasy Baseball

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:11:08 EDT

Well, my first year of Fantasy Baseball is at an end. Although there is one week left in the regular season, the team I am facing this week has an illegal lineup because the owner left the league after the first few weeks of the season. Also, I am out of the playoffs, so this will be it for me. Here are the facts:

Wins: 10 (including this week)

Losses: 13

Last Ten: 3-7 (wow I fell apart down the stretch! Was 7-6 at one point! The three wins include two against the illegal lineup team!)

Best Keyboardists In Music - The Winner

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 19:27:12 EDT

As always, welcome to the Bakery! The title of "Greatest Keyboardist Ever - As Chosen By The Members Of The CBS Sportsline Community" has been decided! A big thank you to everyone who participated! To see the finals blog, click here:

http://www.sportsline.com/mcc/blogs/entry/8737312/9591613

Without further ado, the title of "Greatest Keyboardist Ever - As Chosen By The Members Of The CBS Sportsline Community" goes to:

Keith Emerson

Best Keyboardists In Music - The Finals

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 9:31:21 EDT

Welcome to The Bakery! For those of you who participated in previous rounds, welcome back! To anyone here for the first time, we are deciding the title of "Greatest Keyboardist Ever - As Chosen By The Members Of The CBS Sportsline Community." A big thank you to everyone who participated in previous rounds! To see the semifinal blog, click here:

http://www.sportsline.com/mcc/blogs/entry/8737312/9454193

Here are the semifinal results. Once again, winners are in bold, seeding is in parenthesis, and votes received are in brackets:

(1) Rick Wakeman [11] vs. (20) Billy Joel [8] - Well, the Piano Man was finally eliminated by the virtuoso. I can't say I'm surprised as Wakeman is an outstanding keyboardist. Quite a memorable run by Joel though!

Best Keyboardists In Music - The Semifinals

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:13:05 EDT

Welcome to The Bakery! For those of you who participated in previous rounds, welcome back! To those of you here for the first time, we are deciding the title of "Greatest Keyboardist Ever - As Chosen By The Members Of The CBS Sportsline Community." A big thank you to everyone who participated in previous rounds! To see the quarterfinal blog, click here:

http://www.sportsline.com/mcc/blogs/entry/8737312/9337917

Here are the Round 3 (quarterfinal) results. Billy Joel pulled off his third upset in a row! (1) Rick Wakeman [15] vs. (9) Jerry Lee Lewis [3] (5) Elton John [6] vs. (20) Billy Joel [12] (6) Herbie Hancock [7] vs. (3) Keith Emerson [11] (10) Steve Winwood [7] vs. (2) Stevie Wonder [11]

Here are the semi - final matchups: (1) Rick Wakeman vs. (20) Billy Joel (3) Keith Emerson vs. (2) Stevie Wonder

Best Keyboardists In Music - The Quarterfinals

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:17:20 EDT

http://www.sportsline.com/mcc/blogs/entry/8737312/9220336

In Round 2, there were two upsets according to the seedings, but there were also several clear victors and even one "shutout." Here are the results. Winners are in bold, seeding is in parenthesis, and votes received are enclosed in brackets: (1) Rick Wakeman [14] vs. (16) Richard Wright [0] (8) Al Kooper [2] vs. (9) Jerry Lee Lewis [12] (5) Elton John [9] vs. (12) Tony Banks [5] (4) Ray Manzarek [6] vs. (20) Billy Joel [8] (6) Herbie Hancock [10] vs. (11) Billy Preston [4] (3) Keith Emerson [11] vs. (14) Chick Corea [3] (10) Steve Winwood [12] vs. (26) George Gershwin [2] (2) Stevie Wonder [9] vs. (15) Ray Charles [5]

Best Keyboardists In Music - Round 2 Voting Open

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:18:02 EDT

Welcome to The Bakery! For those of you who participated in previous rounds, welcome back! To those of you here for the first time, we are deciding the title of "Greatest Keyboardist Ever - As Chosen By The Members Of The CBS Sportsline Community." A big thank you to everyone who participated in the previous rounds! To see the Round 1 blog, click here: http://www.sportsline.com/mcc/blogs/entry/8737312/9120581

In Round 1, there were many clear winners, but there were also several close races and even two upsets! (according to the seedings). Here are the results. Seedings are in parenthesis, votes are enclosed in brackets, and winners are in bold. Plus signs indicate that someone did not vote on a particular matchup.

(1) Rick Wakeman [18] vs. (32) Tori Amos [1] +

Best Keyboardists In Music - Round 1 REVISED

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:58:41 EDT

Welcome to The Bakery! For those of you who posted in the preliminary round, welcome back! To those of you here for the first time, we are deciding the title of "Greatest Keyboardist Ever - As Chosen By The Members Of The CBS Sportsline Community." A big thank you to everyone who participated in the first round!

In the preliminary round, 85 different keyboardists were mentioned. Every keyboardist mentioned in someone's top ten received one vote. Other "Honorable Mentions" received 1/2 a vote. To see the preliminary round blog, click here: http://www.sportsline.com/mcc/blogs/entry/8737312/8965841.

Knoxvillepat, Rhino3434, and iamayanksfan have very kindly pointed out mistakes that I made. These mistakes change almost all of the matchups, so I am starting Round 1 over. Sorry for the inconvenience. Changes are in bold. Without further ado, here are the results of Round 1:

Best Keyboardists In Music - Preliminary

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:40:26 EDT

First of all, welcome to The Bakery!

Given the success of Bong's "Greatest Frontman" blog (http://the-bong-show.blogs.sportsline.com/mcc/blogs/entry/7488048/8718818) and DaFan's "Greatest Guitarist" blog (http://da-fan-in-japan.blogs.sportsline.com/mcc/blogs/entry/8450026/8947994) I decided to create a "Greatest Keyboardist" blog. As I am a keyboardist and piano player myself this is a special area of interest for me.

Here in the preliminary round, any keyboardists that you think were an important part of music history or that are simply great musicians may be mentioned. Please post up to ten keysmen or keyswomen that you think deserve the title of "Greatest Keyboardist Ever - As Chosen By The Members Of The CBS Sportsline Community." These may a rock music player, ex. Rick Wakeman, or they could be a jazz keyboardist or electronica (ex. Edgar Froese of Tangerine Dream). To throw in a twist, they could even be classical keyboardists such as Mozart of Beethoven - whoever you like! If you post more than ten, the additional posts will be counted as "honorable mentions" unless there are not enough votes. At the end of this round, I will tally up the votes and seed the top sixteen keyboardists accordingly (or 32 if enough votes are received). Although I am casting a vote in this round, after this I will only vote if there is a tie.

Song/Band Names

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:02:46 EST

In my spare time, I like to write music for the band that I am in. However, I can never think of any good song titles (my last song was named "Who Cares?"). Can anyone think of any original song titles? (funny, serious, etc.)

Also, our band doesn't really have a name. Can anyone think of a catchy band name?

It will be interesting to see what kinds of ideas everyone has. All are welcome to voice their thoughts.

-The Muffin Man