Steve Vai is a living guitar legend. Voted #10 on Guitar World‘s 2012 “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” poll, the axe man was a leader among the talented crop of metal and heavy rock electric guitar masters that came to prominence during the 1980’s. At the age of thirteen, after having purchased his first guitar and begun taking his first lessons with fellow New York native Joe Satriani, Vai became obsessed with the discipline of practice. Vai’s practice routine, consisting of a rigid and structured regiment of ten-to-fifteen hour-a-day practice schedules, became the basis of his work ethic for the rest of his career.Vai got started on his music industry as an 18-year-old transcriptionist for Frank Zappa, and went on to join Zappa’s band for several years before embarking on a decorated solo career. He has also toured with seminal 80’s rock acts like Whitesnake and David Lee Roth, and participated in live projects like Zappa Plays Zappa and “Experience Hendrix,” and has recorded with the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Meatloaf, and many more. A thoroughly individual player, Vai’s playing is marked by his technical proficiency and diverse playing techniques, including two-handed tapping, sweep picking, whammy bar acrobatics, and beyondBeyond his own personal playing, Vai is known for his technical innovations in the world of the electric guitar. The Ibanez JEM model that he co-designed (with its trademark body handle) is one of the most iconic instruments in contemporary music. He also designed the first comercially-produced 7-string guitar, the Ibanez Universe, which became virtually ever-present in heavy rock and metal sub-genres throughout the ensuing decade.In honor of his 57th birthday today, take a few minutes to bask in the glory of these classic Steve Vai shred-fests below, like this video of Vai tapping and riffing away on a triple-necked guitar at The Fillmore in Denver on 10/20/03……or this clip of Vai’s shred duel with actor Ralph Macchio from the 1986 film “Crossroads…”Or this clip of Vai and former Ozzy Osborne guitarist Zakk Wylde tag-teaming Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child…”…Or this glamorous live performance of his Alien Love Secrets (’95) instrumental, “Tender Surrender.”Happy birthday, Steve! read more
The NFL issued a warning to Jaguars executive vice president Tom Coughlin in response to the comments he made last week, questioning some of his players’ attendance at voluntary workouts. According to ESPN, which cited unidentified sources, Coughlin isn’t facing any discipline for his comments but the league warned him that he could be fined or lose OTA practice days if his comments continue. The NFL’s warning letter came in response to the NFL Players Association asking the league to reach out to the Jaguars and remind the franchise that it can’t pressure players to attend voluntary workouts. Ramsey also wrote on Twitter: ‘”Fully aware’ & ‘voluntary’ meaning I don’t HAVE to be there BUT they know the EXACT REASONS I am not. My teammates know it’s ALL love & know I’ll be ready when it’s time!” It also garnered a response from NFLPA president Eric Winston, who said in a statement: “Our CBA definition of voluntary is the same as the actual definition of voluntary and prohibits anyone from threatening players to participate in voluntary workouts.”This is precisely the reason players negotiated strict work rules and bright lines when it comes to offseason activities. We know, from experience, that not all coaches and executives will adhere to them and we always pursue any violations to protect our rules.” Jalen Ramsey’s agent claps back at Tom Coughlin’s voluntary workout comments Coughlin’s comments prompted a response from both Ramsey and his agent, David Mulugheta. Ramsey didn’t participate in voluntary workouts last year as he stayed in Tennessee to train at his father’s training facility, which is what he’s doing again this year, ESPN notes.”To be clear, Jalen Ramsey is exactly where Jalen should be during his offseason,” Mulugheta wrote on Twitter. “He’s spending time with his young daughter & family while training in his hometown of Nashville. In addition the Jags are fully aware of why he is not taking part in the voluntary offseason program.” The reported warning comes after Coughlin said (per ESPN): “We’re very close to 100 percent attendance, and quite frankly, our players should be here building the concept of team, working hard side by side, constructing our bond of togetherness, formulating our collective priorities and goals.”Coughlin seemingly called out cornerback Jalen Ramsey and linebacker Telvin Smith, without identifying them by name, as multiple reports indicated they were the only two players missing from voluntary workouts. Related News read more
WILD CARD WEEKEND LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuelNFL DFS Wild Card Weekend: Yahoo GPP Lineup PicksQB Josh Allen, Bills @ Texans ($30). The Texans were one of the most vulnerable pass defenses all season long, and don’t expect the bright lights of the postseason to suddenly fix that. Allen is a favorite DFS play every week due to the bonus of his rushing ability, but he should gain most of his action in Houston via the air.RB Derrick Henry, Titans @ Patriots ($33). If the Titans are to pull an upset off in New England, it will be on the back of their very large RB. The Patriots defense has been mortal in recent weeks, and Henry shouldn’t be slowed too much even by an approach geared to stop him.RB Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks @ Eagles ($15). Lynch was with Seattle less than a week before getting double-digit carries on Sunday Night Football. With Russell Wilson in a bit of a funk, Lynch should again see a solid touch total and any goal-line opportunities the Seahawks get.FANDUEL PLAYOFF LINEUPS: Saturday | Sunday | Single gamesWR Michael Thomas, Saints vs. Vikings ($39). There’s really no explanation needed for playing Thomas. The only reason it would be worth fading him is if you wanted more of a sure thing at the TE spot, but in a GPP, we might as well take the studs-and-scrubs approach here.WR John Brown, Bills @ Texans ($21). Allen’s top receiver should be licking his chops at a chance to burn the Texans deep, and odds are pretty good it will actually happen, too.WR Greg Ward, Jr., Eagles vs. Seahawks ($13). Ward is much too cheap for Philadelphia’s top WR in a home playoff game. He’s not a huge yards-per-catch guy, but he should approach or surpass 10 targets in a game the Eagles could find themselves playing from behind. TE Dawson Knox, Bills @ Texans ($10). If we’re going to take a stab on a minimum-priced TE, it might as well be Knox with our QB. He’s an athletic rookie who could find chunk yardage on a catch or two Saturday.FLEX Stefon Diggs, Vikings @ Saints ($25). You could use almost any remaining player in this spot, so feel free to pivot off of Diggs. Diggs makes this lineup as a memory of what he did the last time he played a postseason game against New Orleans.D/ST Tennessee Titans @ Patriots ($12). There’s no defense that’s an obvious play here (no, not even New England). Tennessee has been a solid unit all year, and Tom Brady doesn’t pose a threat as a big-play passer anymore. The NFL Playoffs get started with Wild Card Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, and if you like small-slate daily fantasy football, the postseason is for you. The NFL DFS pickings mostly call for tournament plays due to a small set of players to choose from, but that also means plenty of stacking potential, such as what we’ve done with Bills in our Yahoo GPP lineup picks for the first round.Josh Allen, John Brown, and Dawson Knox are the major stack that will make or break this lineup. We also have the classic RB-D/ST stack of Derrick Henry and Tennessee’s defense, a combo which likely won’t have high ownership because they’re facing New England. Add in Marshawn Lynch and an ability to still play Michael Thomas, and this should be a fun lineup to follow all weekend. read more