Author: georgefattell

A few Thoughts and Predictions for 2015-2016 NBA Season

Posted on by georgefattell

Now, here is a post I really intended to put up before the NBA regular season actually began. However, I can’t say that what I have seen so far in this season has influenced me to change my picks for Conference Champions or League Champion, Coach of the Year or MVP. Rookie of the Year is a different matter and I will explain.

EASTERN CONFERENCE: Cleveland Cavaliers. There are several very good teams in the East, but the Cleveland Cav’s remain the Power team in Conference. Atlanta, Chicago, Washington and Toronto should also be very good. However, I just can’t see any of these teams eliminating Cleveland in the playoffs. When Cleveland is at full strength they just have too much offensive firepower for any other team in the Conference.

WESTERN CONFERENCE: Golden State Warriors. What I initially wrote was this….”This was a very difficult pick to make because I really don’t think there too much separating the top 5 or 6 teams in the West. The Warriors will be very tough for years to come because their core team is fairly young. I also think HC Steve Kerr’s coaching staff is very sharp and innovative.” Ok, after the blazing start the Warriors have gotten off to I clearly have to amend my early assessment. Ah, there actually is a quite a bit separating Golden State from almost all the other teams in the West. However, I still think San Antonio may give them a serious challenge by the time we reach the play-offs and I still can’t totally write off OKC or the LA Clippers, despite their underwhelming start.

NBA CHAMPION: I think the Cav’s would have won the Championship last year if they had LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving all playing in the Finals, but losing both Love and Irving was just too much to overcome. Even after the Cleveland lost Love early in playoffs I thought they still thought their offense was potent enough to win a 7 game series against Golden State. Given the fact that the Cav’s pushed the Warriors to 6 games without Kyrie Irving in all but one of those games

Cavaliers win the Finals in 6 games.

MVP: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors. Look, this is a real toss up. There are so many outstanding talents in the league. I was a Curry skeptic last year. Early last season I did not season he could lead the Warriors to a Championship, but he did and there is no denying his greatness.

Coach of the Year: David Blatt, Cleveland Cavaliers. Well, I’m picking Cleveland to win it all, so I have to go with Blatt to win COY.

Rookie of the Year: Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks. I been have tremendously impressed by what have seen of the Knick rookie. He was supposed to be a project with great potential that might not be realized until several years from now. Forget that, Kristaps is an become a key contributor for Knicks right now. KP is a real basketball prodigy. 7′ 3″ and he can shoot from 3 pt range and put the ball on the floor!?! The 2015 draft featured some truly outstanding Big Men, most notably #1 pick Karl-Anthony Towns and #3 pick Jahlil Oakor I initially thought they would have to be considered ROY favorites, but now I think Porzingis is going to be a real contender for the award.

UFC 193 Melbourne: Ronda Rousey vs Holly Holm

Posted on by georgefattell

I haven’t posted a UFC prediction on this blog in quite a while. That doesn’t reflect a lack of interest in the sport on my part. I still enjoy MMA quite a bit, but for variety I haven’t had as much time to follow the sport the last couple of years. I became a big fan of MMA, and the UFC in particular, about 10 years ago. I was bullish on the growth of sport 10 years ago and I can’t say that I’m very surprised by the success the UFC has enjoyed in recent years, but I am surprised that Ronda Rousey has argueably become the biggest star in all of MMA. I first took note of Ronda several years ago, when she was fighting for StrikeForce, in the days before the UFC even had a Women’s division. I thought her combination of skill, good looks and a colorful personality would enable her to become a star, but I’m sure she has far exceeded the expectations of most, if not all, in the UFC, including Dana White.

Women’s Bantamweight Championship

Champion Ronda Rousey (-1435) 12-0
vs
Challenger Holly Holm (+1135) 9-0

Ronda Rousey is a huge favorite in this fight and the conventional wisdom is that Rousey will again and do so quickly, using her Olympic level Judo skills to bring the fight to the ground, where she will have a great advantage against Holm, who’s forte is boxing. I think there is a great probability that the fight will go exactly that way, but Holm is former boxing champ and is the most skilled boxer that Rousey has ever faced, and she will have a slight height and reach advantage over Rousey. So, if Holm can some how keep the fight standing she may have chance to deliver punches that will KO Rousey before the champ can take her down and take advantage of her superior ground skills.

Does Holm has the take down defense needed to keep this fight standing? We will no doubt find out early in this fight. One of things that makes this fight interesting is the fact that Holm is trained by the Jackson/Winkeljohn Team in Albuquerque and they are among the best, if not the best, trainers in MMA. Has the legendary Greg Jackson devised plan that can defeat the great Ronda Rousey and does Holm have the athletic ability to execute the plan?

Both fighters are smart and play to their strengths. Rousey has no interest in prolonging fights. She usually goes right for the kill and brings it to an end as soon as possible, usually by submitting her opponent by armbar, her signature move. Rousey won her last fight by KO in the first round, delivering a flurry of quick blows that overwhelmed her opponent and dropped her to the canvas in first round. In that fight Rousey wanted to demonstrate that she could win in a fashion other then armbar and she did in impressive fashion. However, I don’t think Rousey will try that approach versus Holm. Again, she doesn’t want to turn this into a boxing match.

Holm also tries to fight in an efficient manner. Earlier this year, after one her UFC fights, I read that Holm said that she was glad that she did not win “Fight of the Night” and the prize money that goes with that award because that would mean she took too much damage. I thought that was an interesting remark and revealed a level of maturity usually not seen in most fighters with a relatively small number of fights under their belt. This fight will only be Holm’s 3rd UFC fight, but she has won 33 out 38 boxing matches, so she is probably the most experienced opponent that Rousey has faced.

If Holm somehow pulls off the upset she will become an overnight Star in the world of MMA. I think she has a better chance of winning than the odds would suggest and she certainly represents the better betting value. However, I’m just not sure that Holm has the athletic ability and agility required to fend off Rousey’s relentless attack.

Prediction: Rousey wins by Submission (Armbar), 2nd Round.

POST FIGHT THOUGHTS:


Well, I can honestly say that am I not shocked that Ronda Rousey was dethroned. Given Ronda’s record it was very hard to pick against her and I did not, but I thought there was a distinct chance that Holm and her team would figure out a way to upset Rousey and that is indeed what happened. Holm’s superior boxing skills did serve her very well and she clearly knows how to throw an effective kick. Greg Jackson & Co. came up with a perfect game plan and Holly executed.

As I mentioned above, I thought Holm offered the better value as a bet. Gosh, if only I was in Vegas for this fight!?! That would have been a nice return on investment!!

Blog On…..

Posted on by georgefattell

Wow, Fall is rolling by quickly. I really enjoy this season, but goes by so quickly here in the Northeast. I can’t believe it has been over 6 weeks since my last blog post. I have had posting gaps like this before on the blog and I usually regret when it happens because there lots of things I want to discuss and share here on the GMF Journal. That has been the case again. I’m going to try to pick up the pace…..again.

My 2015 NFL Predictions

Posted on by georgefattell

Ok, here we are again, Football is back and not a moment too soon as far as I’m concerned. I went back and took a look at 2014 NFL Predictions post and I was struck by how little I want to change. All my picks for both AFC and NFC division winners remain the same. However, I did end up selecting a different team to win the NFC championship this season.

Here are my picks for each Division:

AFC East: New England. I picked the Patriots to win it all last season and Belichick, Brady, Gronk, and Co. rewarded my faith in them. Gotta go with New England again in the AFC East. Sure, they lost a few good players on D, but I have confidence in NE’s coaching staff to keep the D defense competitive. The offense is still very tough to stop, so the D just has to be good, not great.

AFC North: Cincinnati. No reason to change anything I wrote last year: “This division is really a toss up to me. I could see Cincy, Pittsburgh or Baltimore winning this division. I don’t think Cleveland has any shot of winning the division, although the Browns will be a lot of fun to watch once Johnny Manziel becomes the starting QB. I’m going to have to give the Bengals a slight edge.”

AFC South: Indianapolis. Andrew Luck, need I say more? Of course, there is more to the Colts than star QB Andrew Luck, but he is the key to that team emerging as bona fide threat to win the Conference. Houston will be competitive simply because of JJ Watt and their outstanding defense, but the Colts are a better all around team imo.

AFC West: Denver. Peyton Manning ain’t what he once was, but he is still better than most starting QB’s in the league. The Broncos defense may be better than their offense and that combination should be enough to secure this division. KC and San Diego should also be good and I expect them to seriously challenge Denver, but I still have to give the edge to Denver.

NFC East: Philadelphia. Last year I wrote… “I think the Eagles will rule the NFC East for at least the next 2 to 3 years and will probably make it to a Superbowl within that time frame.” I would stand by that. I think Kelly wins a SB within the next 2 to 3 years…or he will end up getting fired/quitting and going back to the college game, probably on the West Coast.

NFC North: Green Bay. “I picked the Packers last year and I’m picking them again this year.” Yeah, again, no reason to change what I wrote last year. The loss of star WR Jordy Nelson certainly hurts, but the Packers are too talented on both sides of the ball for that to prevent them from winning the division. Detroit might challenge again, but the Packers are the best team in the division.

NFC South: New Orleans. Quite a bit of parity in division, but no great teams. I can’t say that I will be shocked if Atlanta and Carolina wins this division either. I bet 9-7 will be good enough to win this division.

NFC West: Seatlle. Last year I wrote….”The new league Champions look every bit as good as last season, if not even a little better. The 49ers should once again provide stiff competition, but there has clearly been a changing of the guard in the NFC West.” The Seahawks remain the best team in AFC West, but the 49ers have clearly gone into decline and may have to spend the next few years rebuilding. Arizona steps forward as the primary threat to Seattle within the division. If Arizona starting QB Carson Palmer stays healthy the Cardinals have a real chance of taking the division crown.

AFC Conference Champion: New England. Again, I don’t see any reason to change what I wrote last year, which was the following….”It will probably again come down to Denver vs New England in AFC Conference championship game. However, one of these seasons we are going to see a changing of the guard in the AFC. Both Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are still top tier QB’s, but they are also in the end stage of their respective careers, which will both ultimately end in the NFL Hall of Fame. At some point, another contending team or teams will knock the Broncos or the Patriots or both off”. Yeah, gotts stick with that. At this point I think it will be at least another year before we see a changing of the guard in the AFC.

NFC Conference Champion: Philadelphia. The Eagles over the Seahawks and the Packers? Yes, although I will freely admit that this was an extremely difficult choice for me because I think there are at least 4 or 5 teams that will have a legit shot at winning the NFC. I’m just betting on Chip Kelly here. I admire Kelly for not playing it safe after a pretty successful season and making some big trades, replacing his starting QB and RB, among others. Just getting to to playoffs clearly was not satisfactory for Kelly. It is Super Bowl or bust for Philly.

Superbowl Champion: New England. I know the odds don’t favor the Patriots repeating as Champs, but I can’t make a stronger case for any other team. I think a SB that featured the Patriots vs the Eagles would be fascinating and I would have to give a slight edge to defending Champions.

Flower Power: Visiting Gardens in Montclair, NJ

Posted on by georgefattell

Back in May I had an opportunity to make a day trip to Montclair, NJ to visit two sites which feature beautiful collections of flowers and other plants. I was originally going to post a few pictures from my trip back in May and I started composing this blog post back then, but I never made final choices among all the pictures I took and I just let the post sit in Draft status for the past few months. Anyway, just decided to select a few pictures a liked and finish this post up. I really did enjoy this trip. I lived in Montclair at different points in the 1980’s and 1990’s, but it had been long time since I visited the Gardens at Mountainside Park.

First stop was at the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens at Mountainside Park. The Irises are in bloom from May 15th to June 5th, so late May is an ideal time to visit. I would highly recommend a visit to Mountainside Park at that time of the year if you want view the Irises

The Presby Memorial Iris Gardens
The Presby Memorial Iris Gardens

If you would like to learn more information about the Presby Gardens please click the link below:

http://presbyirisgardens.org/wordpress/

I took quite a few pictures at Mountainside. Here a few of my favorites…..

Pres Gardens Irises

IMG_0471

PG Bed 10 HOF

Next stop was the Van Vleck House and Gardens, which is located about two miles down the road from Mountainside Park. Just travel south on Upper Mountain Avenue, until you hit Van Vleck Street. Then you just make a left and the entrance to the Van Vleck estate’s parking lot on the right

http://vanvleck.org.

VV House FR view

VVHG Tennis Court garden

VV Portico

VV House Flowers

HDR Pictures of the Bethlehem Steel Plant

Posted on by georgefattell

I’ve been taking a lot pictures in recent weeks at Bethlehem Works, the former Bethlehem Steel plant in Bethlehem, PA. The historic plant was closed in 1995, after producing steel for roughly 140 years. Bethlehem Steel was once the number 2 producer of steel in the United States. The 160 acre site is currently in the midst of a remarkable transformation to multi-use site that includes new buildings and original structures from the plant which will be used for cultural, recreational, educational, entertainment and retail development.

It is quite awe inspiring to walk around the grounds of the former Industrial Giant. The mighty Bethlehem Steel produced steel that was used to construct some of the most iconic structures, buildings and bridges in the country, including the following:

The Golden Gate Bridge
The George Washington Bridge
The Hoover Dam
The Lincoln Tunnel
The Chrysler Building
Rockefeller Center
Waldorf Astoria

During both World War I and II Bethlehem Steel played a critical role in the war effort, producing munitions, parts for aircraft and the steel that was necessary to build over 1,000 warships for the U.S. Navy.

I have selected a few my favorite pictures and applied the Snapseed HDR filter to them.

Beth Steel HDR Furnaces

The Bethlehem Steel Blast Furnaces at Twilight
The Bethlehem Steel Blast Furnaces at Twilight

Beth Steel Bench HDR HMT

This summer a 2,000 ft pedestrian walkway modeled on The Highline in New York City was opened. The Walkway is called the Hoover Mason Trestle and it was built on top of an elevated railway that was used transport iron ore to the blast furnaces.

Beth Steel HDR Brick Bldgs

Beth Steel HDR Brick

View East from the Hill to Hill Bridge
View East from the Hill to Hill Bridge

The Original Bessemer Steel Building c 1872
The Original Bessemer Steel Building c 1872
Arts Quest Plaza at Steel Stacks
Arts Quest Plaza at Steel Stacks
View of the Blast Furnaces from the East End of the HMT
View of the Blast Furnaces from the East End of the HMT

Here’s everything we know about Tesla Model X

Posted on by georgefattell

I can’t wait to see the Tesla Model X in person. An SUV that will do zero to 60 in 3.5 seconds!?! Wow!….Ultimately, Tesla’s future will rest on the sales of highly anticipated $35,000.00 Model 3, but the Model X is a very important vehicle too. The Model S and Model X have to carry the company until the Gigafactory is up and running and the company can produce Model 3 in 6 digit volume.

GMF Journal – The blog must go on…..

Posted on by georgefattell

Wow, I can’t believe it has been over two months since my last post on this blog. My last was on March 10, 2015. I can’t explain that because there are plenty of subjects I’d like to blog about. OK, today is July 1st. Time to kick start the GMF Journal again. Not saying that I’m going to start immediately putting up big, long, elaborate posts, but I do want to start recording some more of my thoughts and opinions on this blog, again. I love some other forms of social media, Twitter in particular. I am pretty active on Twitter, but 140 characters tweets have obvious limitations. The blog gives me space I need when I need it. To be continued…….