Boston Celtics win the NBA Finals

Lead by Paul Pierce, the 2008 NBA Finals MVP, the Boston Celtics dominated the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 of the Finals.

Ending the game with the score 131-92, the Celtics earned their 17th NBA Title. What a storied team. Seventeen out of 62 NBA Titles belong to the Celtics. Rock Chalk this one up as the most recent Title since 1986.

The Boston Celtics came in with 24 wins last season, last in the Eastern Conference. This season they turned it around and earned 66 hard-fought wins to lead the NBA. The addition of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett sent a spark through the team that allowed them to come together and crush the opposition.

Note: NBA Finals MVP - Paul Pierce attended the great University of Kansas as did Scot Pollard. Two great Jayhawks earning their share of the 2008 NBA Finals Championship the same year their alma mater earned the NCAA National Championship.

It's definitely been a great year to be a member of the proud Jayhawk Nation! Go Hawks!

Social Media Trends

According to Hitwise, MySpace continues to dominate the social media realm when it comes to visits.

This is a message to business to begin utilizing MySpace as an avenue to reach the targeted demographic, if it makes sense. There are a variety of businesses, schools, and people on MySpace, and this is a great outlet to increase exposure and brand awareness on the internet.

I, myself have a MySpace account, but haven't been as active in the community as I am on Facebook. Craigslist is another social outlet that I haven't really taken advantage of. I have heard of Craigslist being a great way to buy and sell items to local people online.

So let this Hitwise report be a call to arms for business who are not currently active in the social media realm. The longer you wait to create a profile, the more time you waste not exposing your brand as much as you could.

What social sites are you actively participating in right now?

Decision made, more Jayhawks going to the NBA

Sunday came, and went. The last day to withdraw from the 2008 NBA Draft. Both Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur have made the decision to stay and hope to be a lottery pick.

The LJWorld posted an article with this information on Monday to much of the Jayhawk Nation's dismay. Although this is a great opportunity for both young men, what about the rest of the Jayhawks?

With only 4 scholarship athletes left from the National Championship team, the 2008-2009 season is going to be interesting. With new recruits, junior college transfers and the return of Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich, hopefully the 'Hawks will take a stab at the Big XII title.

All in all though, Arthur and Chalmers will be missed, but they are where they deserve to be and I wish them all the success in the world.

After winning the NCAA National Title, hopefully they will each fall in Wayne Simien and *Paul Pierce's footsteps to earn the NBA Title ring as well!



*Note - At the time of publication, the Boston Celtics lead the LA Lakers 77-48 with 5:58 left in the third quarter of Game 6.

Running for Fun???

A few weeks ago, I ran my first 5k. Me, running a 3.1 mile race. I had never done one before and thought that it would be a way to help PlattForm out with Kansas City Corporate Challenge.

So the KCCC 5k was early on a saturday morning and the course was a hilly one at Shawnee Mission Park. I wasn't really sure what to expect, I just knew that cross country runners in high school run a 5k for every race. I was not a cross country runner, but the helpful XC Manager for a few years during high school.

With little practice and preparation, I went for it. I ran what seemed to me to be forever. I even had to walk or fear passing out. I finished the race with a time of 36:09. I had hoped to be around 35 minutes, and so this was not far off of my goal. I did finish the race and that was important also. I actually placed in the top few of my age group for our Division, so I was able to earn a few points for PlattForm.

Since that day, I have been running more and more often, and have actually signed up for a half marathon in October. Both my wife and I are training for the Kansas City Marathon's 13.1 mile race.

We still have some time before the competition, and we will use that time to train. We've got a training schedule that should adequately prepare us for the race, and will also help us get into shape.

Wish us luck, we'll need it!

18th and Vine - the Blue Room

We went to the Blue Room on Friday night at the Historic 18th and Vine Jazz District of Kansas City. There were eight of us that went, and it was each of our's virgin experience in that neck of the woods.

As soon as we arrived, the jazz was playing. There was a live band - BMW - that was there, comprised of 5 guys that got down with the Jazz within them.

The Blue Room is in part of the American Jazz Museum, and the lounge itself is reminiscent of a museum. Along the walls, memorabilia was showcased. The back wall of the bar held a timeline of events that had transpired. I was only able to take a quick look at it, but it was definitely something that I will return to look at more indepth. There were a few tables in the main lower area that had memorabilia within the actual table top. There were items with the table and then it was overlaid with glass to make it usable.

Drink specials during Indigo Hour at the Blue Room included $3 rum and cokes and the like and $3.50 mixed drinks. No cover charge either. Normally it is $10 to get in on a normal night, but happy hour on Friday (5-730) is free.

Our first experience to the 18th and Vine area was great, and I can't wait to go back. Have you ever been to the Jazz district?

Jayhawks visit the White House

The National Championship Team visited the White House last week. Video of Bush's speech below:

Vinino!

We recently went to the new Italian restaurant in the Power and Light District, Vinino. It was a quaint place that seemed like it would be great for a casual dinner, or a place to meet friends and grab a drink. Watch out for cougars though!

Although they didn't have a great selection at the bar, it was stocked fairly well. A friend requested a Blue Moon once the waitress informed us that they had anything we could want, and he was denied. Boulevard was a mainstay though. Can't go wrong with that when you are in KC.

Our meals were excellent: Fruitte Del Marre for me and Shrimp Tortellini for the lady. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals and were impressed by the price. $10 for the tortellini and $20 for the broth based Lobster, Shrimp, Squid and more. Delicious.

Vinino has made a happy camper out of me and I can definitely say with confidence that I will return, and return often!

Have you experienced Vinino yet?