AB.com's Happy New Year Open Mic.

I hope everyone had a great holiday. My New Year's Resolution is to get this blog back on track next week when vacation is over. I might even bring back some of the old "features" that made this blog what it (once) was. So bear with me.

You'll see more ads... errrr... posts.. here soon. Sit tight.

Question: What are your New Year's Resolutions for 2015?!?

Which MLB Team Had The Best Offseason?!?

Is it already time for baseball? Nah, it's always time for baseball. Especially if you're a San Francisco Giants fan. Last season the franchise won its 3rd championship in 5 years, topping the Kansas City Royals in a thrilling 9 game series that came down to the final at-bat. This, of course, totally sucked if you're a Royals fan, considering they came outta nowhere having not made the postseason since Ronal Reagan was in office. As if living in Kansas City wan't enough pain to endure already. They do have great BBQ there though. Shout out to Gates!

As a softcore Nats fan that's just happy to see the Redskins season come to a merciful end, I won't pretend I've paid much attention to what's happened during baseball's winter meetings. Not with my Wizards having their best season in 4 decades, my kids bankrupting me for Christmas, the end of the year, and whatnot. But before you know it, Spring Training will be here, so let's take a look at the biggest moves that have transpired so far, ranked by my personal order.

Francisco Liriano re-upped with the Pittsburgh Pirates for three years and $39 million.

The Dodgers traded for Howie Kendrick.

The New York Yankees resigned third baseman Chase Headley to a four-year, $52 million pact.

The San Diego Padres acquire (Matt Kemp and Justin Upton.

Giants re-sign Jake Peavy to 2-year, $24 million deal.

Rays sign Asdrubal Cabrera to a 1 year deal.

Smart money says the Padres (assuming they still get a healthy Matt Kemp) have improved the most, while the Giants have likely done enough to ensure themselves a fair shot at another title next Fall. There are still many more moves to be made before camps open, but some franchises clearly have a definitive parlay strategy, and others don't. We'll see what happens before Grapefruit & Cactus Leagues get underway.

AB.com Long Overdue Open Mic.

Yeah, I fell off. I already know this. I've been super busy with work and blah blah blah excuses.

You'll see more ads... errrr... posts.. here soon. Sit tight.

Question: What's on your mind today? Drop some links, start a convo.

Brother & Sister Rob Auto Parts Store While Wearing Uniforms Of Competing Store.

There are dumb criminals, and then there are dumb criminal families.

After more than two years, a Montgomery County woman was sentenced Thursday for a violent rash of armed robberies. She and two family members are facing serious time behind bars.

The Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office says the crime spree was a family affair. A woman, her brother and cousin were sentenced for robbing three businesses and attacking the clerks and an 83-year-old customer.

Surveillance video from one of the robberies shows the 83-year-old man violently being shoved to the ground. Then the suspect pushes a store clerk to the ground and puts a gun to his back.

As the armed robbery proceeds, the suspect wearing a gas mask also points a gun at another employee and proceeds to bind his hands. In video from another connected robbery, two different suspects brazenly walk into a store with no masks.

According to the state's attorney's office, that trio of bandits is actually a family of thieves. The last of the three was finally convicted more than two years after the crimes. The string of violent armed robberies happened in 2011 and 2012 at three Advance Auto Parts locations. In all, they made off with thousands of dollars in cash.

Steven Williams was arrested because of surveillance video and evidence he left behind at the scene. “One of the guys that left the shirt at the scene had a dry cleaning tag that identified that particular uniform to him,” said Korionoff.

And he confessed that his cousin, Terriet Williams, and sister, Wanda Battle, were his accomplices. But the case remained open because Battle got away and remained on the run until U.S. marshals caught up with her.

The suspects were sentenced to ten, twelve and 15 years behind bars. It also turns out one of the suspects, Steven Williams, was a former employee of Advance Auto Parts.

My wife and I watched this one the local news last night, and had to rewind and re-watch it about 30 times. Seriously, just hit play already.



Let's count all the N-Word Nonsense in this 1:56 clip.

1) Robbing a store with your sibling. #DaFam
2) Robbing a store without a ski mask or anything to conceal your face.
3) Can't convince a 83 year old man to Get Down or Lay Down.
4) Can't even afford a real gas mask.
5) Using a Halloween gas mask to conceal your face.
6) Not realizing your face is already on the security cameras.
7) See Number Two.
8) Seriously, See Number Two again. Jesus Freakin' Christ, breh.
9) How much you wanna bet Wanda got that mask off the AutoZone shelf?
10) See Number Two again. #SMH
11) Wait, is he riding that guy's back as he makes him open the safe?
12) Wait, they had a cousin in on this scheme?
13) This is the 3rd time these morons did this?
14) They robbed the same damn franchise 3 times?
15) Worst family mugshot off all time. Of. All. Time.
16) This N-Word actually worked an AutoZone 10 miles away from the one he robbed?
17) Hmmmmm... I wonder why he got fired? I'm gonna guess... he stole something.
18) The reporter actually said "Major Fail"! Never change, Jackie Bensen.
19) These dumbasses showed up for a robbery wearing matching uniforms... of a competitor?
20) You leave a drycleaning ticket on the floor when you rob a store? Werd?
21) The drycleaning ticket actually has your name on it?
22) The 3 people who worked at the store during the robbery quit? No sh*t Sherlock.
23) The detective and prosecutor look like they're trying their best not to laugh.
24) This is why I love DC.
25) This is also why I hate DC.

Look, I'm not trying to make light of this. I worked at a grocery store and witnessed an armed robbery firsthand. It was probably the most terrifying 3 minutes of my entire life, and there's certainly nothing funny about a person waving a gun at you. Believe me, I know. That sh*t is not funny in any way.

But seriously, these dummies really thought they could pull this off? Lock them up, discard the key. The world's a better place with them in captivity.

Question: Are these the dumbest criminals you've ever seen?

Eric Garner's Killer Will Not Be Charged.

I'd call this deja vu, but it's probably more accurate to just call it "being black in America".

A Staten Island grand jury has voted not to bring criminal charges in the death of Eric Garner, a black man who died after being placed in a chokehold by a white police officer.

The decision was reached on Wednesday after months of testimony including from the officer who used the chokehold, Daniel Pantaleo. Mr. Garner died after the violent confrontation. The grand jury reached its decision less than two weeks after a grand jury in Ferguson, Mo., declined to bring charges against a white officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown.

For days, the New York Police Department has been readying for a new round of protests, which began in the city after the Ferguson decision and were expected to continue and possibly grow if the grand jury declined to bring charges against the officer.

Jonathan C. Moore, a lawyer for the Garner family, said they hoped that federal prosecutors would continue to examine the case, and he urged people upset by the decision to voice their dismay, but to do so peacefully.

The grand jury, impanelled by District Attorney Daniel M. Donovan Jr. in September, has weighed evidence – including a video recorded by bystanders of Mr. Garner’s violent arrest – and heard testimony from the officers involved.

Grand juries determine whether enough evidence exists for a case to go forward to a criminal trial, either before a jury or a judge. By law, they operate in secret and hear only evidence presented by prosecutors, who also instruct the grand jurors on the law. Defense lawyers are barred from speaking. For a decision, 12 jurors who have heard all the evidence must agree.

An indictment was considered only against Officer Pantaleo, who testified last, on Nov. 21, his lawyer, Stuart London, said. The other officers received immunity, he said.

How many more brothers need to be killed by cops before something, anything, happens?