Wow, there is so much to talk about on this Monday morning.  Where do I begin?  Well, as usual, I'll try to keep my blog posts professionally centered before going off on my sports tangent and personal life, which seems to make our clients laugh.  I'm glad I can be of service to many of you that need a nice chuckle to round out your day. :)

Recently, Load.com (LOAD) decided to make a move that it has been contemplating for quite some time.  In an effort to better serve our subscribers and educate them on the importance of website optimization and search engine placement, LOAD is making LoadStats Professional available to all CompanyWebsite subscribers.  This means that each website owner will now have the ability to identify where all traffic is coming from and where it is going on their site.  There are hundreds of reports available to each subscriber to help them better manage their site and maximize their website traffic.  We hope to have this service implemented across all CompanyWebsite sites by the end of 2007.  We're extremely excited about this offering and look forward to delivering more value to our members.

Sweet, that's really great for LOAD, but there's so much going on in sports...
So true.  So let's get started with the Red Sox.  Earlier this year I made a number of predictions that were nearly all wrong. The Red Sox started off HOT, proceeded to sleep walk through the 2nd half of the season, then turned "it" on during the playoffs when they needed to.  The manner in which the Red Sox disposed of teams and crushed their hopes was eerily reminiscent of the Yankees in the '90s.  I don't know if the Red Sox will win it all next year, but with such a great nucleas of young talent I have to believe they're going to make a run.  I really like Jacoby Ellsbury.  That kids is flat-out awesome.

A-Rod Opts Out and leaves Yankees in the lurch...
If now is a great time to be a sports fan in New England, it is equally brutal to be a sports fan in New York.  Yankees stink and are OLD.  Jets are brutal.  Knicks are a joke.  Mets are aging and choking.  And the fact that your hopes may be pinned to an NFC team that has no chance of winning the Super Bowl really is further proof that some things need to change.  Luckily for YOU, A-Rod may no longer be a Yankee and that may mean the curse will be lifted and you'll start winning again.  No matter where A-Rod goes, he's like the black plague.  Sure he'll break records, but he also breaks hearts.

My poor Trojans...
I don't know what to say.  I had high expectations for USC.  I thought they'd even be good enough to overcome John David Booty at QB.  Alas, it isn't meant to be.  A costly fumble by USC vs. Oregon late in the 3rd quarter might have cost them their season.  The sad part is that they should have won the game against Oregon and definitely had their chances for the upset on the road.  But at least there is a bright spot for next season.  USC has tons of young talent coming back and they should get plenty of playing time now that their bowl hopes are tied to a NON-BCS bowl.  Can you say BYU vs. USC in the Las Vegas Bowl?  Man...how the mighty have fallen.

Patriots vs. Colts
What else can you say?  Two undefeated teams playing the best football in the NFL meeting up to probably decide who has home field advantage in the playoffs.  Tom Brady is unbelievable this season.  Peyton Manning looks better than ever (if that's even possible).  And both teams look extremely polished.  The Patriots are 4.5 point favorites and I honestly see them covering that spread with no problem.  I love the Colts, but there's something to be said for a killer mentality and the Pats have that big time.  My greatest fear is that this game is so overhyped and it will turn out to be a disappointing game and one team (Patriots) will win in a blowout.  If you were ever going to gamble, lay money on the Pats.  This Halloween, the scariest monster is Tom Brady's offense.  Hide the women and kids!

Happy Halloween
Here in Vegas, Halloween (October 31st) is also the State holiday.  So most kids grow up thinking Halloween is a holiday and candy is cause for celebration. NICE!  Anyway, I had the pleasure of attending a Halloween party this past week and I had a blast.  There's something absolutely liberating about dressing up and knowing most people won't recognize you.  However, I highly recommend foregoing fake facial hair if you plan on eating food at your Halloween party.  It's really rough eating junk-food with a fake beard and mustache.

That's my story for this week.  I'd really love to elaborate on my sports topics, but I've got way too much work to get done.  Have a great week...