RIP Special Delivery Jones
“Special Delivery” Jones, one of the steadiest performers ever to appear in a WWE ring, passed away on Oct. 26 in his native Antigua, West Indies; he was 63.
Jones, whose real name is Conrad Efraim, was trained in the early 1970s by WWE Hall of Famer Johnny Rodz, and entered WWE in late 1976. His WWE tenure continued through 1986. Through that time, Jones was a competitor who always gave optimum effort in all of his matches. Many of his opponents knew that if they wanted to gain a victory over Jones, they absolutely had to dig deep to earn it.
One of the more infamous distinctions that S.D. will be remembered for was his match against King Kong Bundy at the inaugural WrestleMania in 1985. The match lasted a mere nine seconds, and although on the losing end, this match made Jones a part of WWE history for the fastest pinfall ever scored at that time.
S.D.’s last WWE appearance was in 2006, when he inducted his long-time friend and confidant Tony Atlas into WWE’s Hall of Fame.
Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Conrad Efraim, a.k.a., “Special Delivery” Jones.
This post was taken from wwe.com
EA SPORTS NBA LIVE 09 SEASON SIMULATION PREDICTS LAKERS WILL WIN THE FINALS
A videogame simulation of the entire 2008–09 season using NBA LIVE 09 predicts that the Los Angeles Lakers will reach The Finals for the second year in a row, this time emerging victorious over the Miami Heat in six games. The 2008 NBA Champion Boston Celtics remain a force, finishing third in the Eastern Conference with 44 wins before getting upset in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Miami Heat. Despite struggling throughout the 2007-08 season, the Heat advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since their NBA Championship win in 2006.
NBA LIVE 09 simulation Award Winners:
· Yao Ming completes an injury-free season and captures the MVP Award after posting 25.8 ppg and 11.1 rpg.
· Kobe Bryant leads the league in scoring with 27.9 ppg.
· Ming, Lakers’ Bryant and Pau Gasol, Paul Pierce and Allen Iverson complete the All-NBA First Team.
· OJ Mayo will take home Rookie of the Year honors.
· Randy Foye is awarded Most Improved Player Award.
· Lakers head coach Phil Jackson will take home Coach of the Year honors.
A simulation is conducted by artificial intelligence or logic of the videogame that uses real-life data from each player. Results are extrapolated by the videogame when two teams match up based on player ratings, line combinations, and include variances such as injuries and hot streaks to give a realistic outcome of a game or series. Pre-season simulations make the assumption that teams will stay healthy and play a season without any big trades, which would alter the end result. NBA LIVE 09 can now be used as a predictive throughout the season to simulate results of big match ups and the rest of the season with authentic data driving the artificial intelligence.
Powered by Synergy Sports Technology – the premier analytics provider of NBA data for more than 20 NBA teams – Dynamic DNA emulates an NBA player with absolute precision. Synergy Sports Technology indexes each possession of every NBA game in real time. This data will drive the logic of the game and update every single day of the season to reflect what you see on the court in your virtual experience. NBA LIVE 09 can now be used as a legitimate predictive tool and will be made fresh daily, with the start of the 2008-09 NBA season on October 28.
Final Regular Season Standings:
Western Conference W L Win %
1 Los Angeles 65 17 0.793
2 Houston 59 23 0.720
3 Dallas 54 28 0.659
4 New Orleans 53 29 0.646
5 Denver 50 32 0.610
6 San Antonio 50 32 0.610
7 LA Clippers 47 35 0.573
8 Phoenix 46 35 0.573
9 Utah 45 37 0.549
10 Portland 33 49 0.402
11 Golden State 31 51 0.378
12 Memphis 30 52 0.366
13 Sacramento 29 53 0.354
14 Minnesota 28 54 0.341
15 Oklahoma City 23 59 0.280
Eastern Conference W L Win %
1 Miami 55 27 0.671
2 Detroit 48 34 0.585
3 Boston 44 38 0.537
4 Chicago 41 41 0.500
5 Cleveland 41 41 0.500
6 Orlando 40 42 0.488
7 Toronto 40 42 0.488
8 Charlotte 39 43 0.476
9 Milwaukee 37 45 0.451
10 New Jersey 37 45 0.451
11 Philadelphia 37 45 0.451
12 Atlanta 36 46 0.439
13 New York 32 50 0.390
14 Washington 30 52 0.355
15 Indiana 29 53 0.354
NIKE LAUNCHES FIRST SIGNATURE PRODUCT LINE FOR CHRIS BOSH
The 3-time NBA All-Star and Olympic Champion presents the CB4 Apparel Line and
CB4 Nike Hyperdunk available exclusively in Canada
The Hyperdunk combines two of Nike’s latest and greatest innovations: Flywire technology and Lunarlite foam. Flywire redefines footwear construction, shaving off weight and adding strength, allowing athletes to be lighter on their feet and faster on the court. Lunarlite foam features a unique cell structure making it lightweight and ultra responsive as a cushioning system. The Nike Hyperdunk is worn but athletes such as Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom and Amare Stoudemire. The CB4 product will available at Champs, Nike Toronto and Centre Sports in the Air Canada Centre.
Pixels for Pistols: Cameras for Guns Amnesty Program – Toronto, Canada
Beginning October 22, 2008, for a 4 week period, take advantage of an amnesty period that allows you to safely arrange for turning in a hand gun in exchange for a Nikon COOLPIX digital camera from Henry’s.The Pixels for Pistols amnesty program has been developed by the Toronto Police Service in participation with Henry’s Cameras as part of the commitment to put an end to gun and gang violence by safely recovering and disposing of firearms. Working towards this goal requires community members to do their part by surrendering firearms and assisting to keep the City of Toronto a safe place to live.In 2009, Henry’s Cameras will be celebrating their 100 year anniversary and this gun amnesty program provides the opportunity to give back to the citizens of Toronto who have supported Henry’s over the last century. The gun amnesty will be available to residents of Toronto only and will take place between Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008 and Sunday, November 23rd, 2008. Members of the public who surrender firearms under the amnesty will not be subject to criminal firearm possession charges.*As an incentive, citizens of Toronto who surrender operational firearms to the Toronto Police Services will receive a Henry’s gift card for a Nikon digital camera in addition to photography lessons at the Henry’s photography school. The gift card can then be redeemed at one of four Henry’s Camera locations in the Toronto area. The Pixels for Pistols program has great potential for preventing gun crimes. Every firearm removed from the street is potentially a crime gun. Fewer firearms on the streets of Toronto will enhance community safety and assist in preventing gun related incidents.
Gold level – Nikon Coolpix S52 PLUS 2 School of Imaging Gift Cards
Value of approximately $360 in retail value.
Incentive for exchange of an Operational Handgun, Machine Gun or
Assault Rifle (restricted)
Silver Level – Nikon Coolpix P60 PLUS 1 School of Imaging Gift Card
Value of approximately $250 in retail value.
Incentive for exchange of an Operational Rifle or Shotgun
*Although this amnesty provides limited immunity to certain possession offences it does not include any other offences that may be connected to a particular firearm or individual. Firearms suspected as crime guns will be investigated thoroughly including Centre of Forensic Sciences ballistics testing, serial number restoration if obliterated and a trace of the origin of the firearm will be conducted.
This is COOKIE COUTURE
These five Ontario natives came from diverse artistic backgrounds. J-Beauty, Fran-Kay, Elisa, Stacey, and Kitana are originally dancers and actresses at the point of taking their musical partnership to the next level. The quintet display talent in their vocal performance, dance ability, songwriting, and acting skills. With some new friendships this is a true example of girl power at its finest.Cookie Couture is not just a name but a characteristic that can categorize any individual on this planet. Five different girls represent five different personalities. Cookies come in all flavors, shapes and sizes. Couture derives from the word ‘Quality’.Whether being a rambunctious individual, to being a prissy high-class kind of gal. Their different sounds and looks gel together like no other. They keep it cool, positive, authentic, and hard. Never changing for anyone…How did the group form? We all knew each other through dance mainly, but when we discovered that some of us can sing and rap by accident, whether it be at karaoke nights or just fooling around hanging out, we thought it’d be fun to be in a group together. So we formed Cookie Couture. What is the sound? Our sound is more like a hip hop POP sound. It’s a new trend, a new sound in the game. It’s still real and hard, yet commercial and mainstream due to how we present it. What sets Cookie Couture apart from other female groups? We are different from everyone else out there because there are no “mutes” in our group. No member is there just for their looks or what they have in their bank account. We are not manufactured or told how to act or behave in any way. We are who we are and proud of it. We write our own music and choreograph our own shows. We are all about the music and empowering girls and boys everywhere that you don’t have to change who they are to do what you want to do. Plus, we are 100% CANADIAN! And proud of it!! (laughs) Tell us about the upcoming reality show? We had the pleasure of working with MuchMusic on a reality series called DISBAND. They basically put us through challenges to see if we can handle the pressure of the industry. It was really tough and it helped us get stronger. It premieres on October 23rd. How do members separate their other projects, such as Rukus for Kitana/Ponytailz? Separating projects can actually be tough, but we make it happen. We all have lives outside of the group. When we say “lives” we mean work, school and other responsibilities. So we basically find a way to make time and be able to live that personal life outside the group. When it’s time to get together and work… we make it happen. What is your take on making a living in Canada as an entertainer? We believe making a living in Canada as an entertainer can be tough. We believe if you can somehow make it in Canada you can make it anywhere. Canada is a great prep for us because it’s a tough crowd and so far we’ve been getting great reactions. So that makes us really proud, because if you can survive here you can survive anywhere. (laughs)For more information on Cookie Couture check out our my space at www.myspace.com/cookiecouturemusicPhotographer: Matt Barnes (pink) and Dave Wiley (black & colors