Well, it's good to be back from my self-imposed exile. During that time I had the chance to accumulate some thoughts that I felt I would share with all of you. There's no real rhyme or reason here. Just a collection of various things that popped into my head. If there is anything that you would care to add, feel free to add it in the comments section.
1. When we look back at 2007 a few years from now, the invention we'll remember most won't be the iPhone, it'll be the Kraft Grate-It Fresh.
2. The two best shows on TV that you're probably not watching are 'Dirty Sexy Money' and 'The Unit.'
3. Can't we all agree on standards for answering machines? Some machines have that little beep at the end, some have a really long beep, some don't have anything. Is it asking to much to have all machines work the same way?
4. Going along with Point #3, let's all agree on the proper way to repeat a phone number to someone else. It should work like this: three digits, then a pause, three more digits, then another pause, then 2 digits, the final pause, and then the final two digits.
5. To keep the communication theme going, do we really need to tell people 'www.' before we give them a web address anymore? Isn't it pretty much assumed at this point? We've managed to wean ourselves off of the 'http://' part, I say we keep the party going.
6. There's comedy, there's high comedy, and then there is Playboy's Miss January 2007, Jayde Nicole, who has the word "Respect" tattooed just above her ladybits. Sorry, but these things are mutually exclusive.
7. Look, my cable provider gives me 200 channels. Is it asking too much for someone to find a little space to put on MacGyver somewhere?
Till next week
~Kevin
Monday, December 10, 2007
Monday, December 03, 2007
2008 Soul Bowl Official Rules....
As the leaves change and the weather turns colder, it can only mean one thing. That's right! It's Soul Bowl Selection Time once again. This year's version has had much more action. Currently, 7 out of the 12 people who are in the Pool have had at least one person on their list pass away.
Official Rules: By the power vested in me by the United States of America, I hereby declare these the Official rules of the 2008 Monday 5 P.M. Death Pool, aka the Soul Bowl.
1. The Death Pool (hereto referred to simply as "the Bowl" or "the Pool") attempts to predict which celebrities will pass away in the upcoming year. The Soul Bowl starts at 12:01 am on January 01, 2008 and will end at the stroke of midnight on December 31st, 2008.
2. The only people eligible to be selected are Celebrities. While impossible to specifically declare what makes a celebrity, a good rule of thumb is that their obit would appear in national newspapers. Also, a person can not become a celebrity only because of their death. We'll refer to this as the Daniel Smith, (aka Anna Nicole's son) rule. The management retains the right to reject any person who doesn't fit the "celebrity" criteria.
3. The scoring works as such: Each person is allowed to select a total of 10 celebrities. You will rank your selections from 1 to 10. In this case, your #1 selection will be the person who you think is most likely to die in the upcoming year. The #1 slot is worth 10 points, the #2 slot is worth 9 points, and so on. If the person in that position does pass away, you then multiply the position points by the difference of 100 minus their age. So, as an example, if you had Evel Knievel at #7 this year that would have been worth 124 points. (4*(100-69)). This format still rewards people who take chances on younger people instead of playing it safe with all elderly selections. Also, if you select a person who is over age 100, then they will be scored simply as 1 times the position points. So, there is some strategy involved as well. It's not enough to just pick someone for your list. You want to put them as high up as possible. So, if two people have the same person on their lists, but they are in different positions, it will generate more points for the person who has them higher up.
4. The person with the highest total number of points for the entire year wins.
5. There are no restrictions on who you can select, relative to others' picks. You can select someone regardless of whether or not someone else has them on their list.
6. People who are ineligible as selections: People on death row. Currently missing children. If I missed anyone else that is obvious, let me know. In other words, play like a normal person (or as normal as a person who participates in the Pool can be).
7. You are allowed to draft your people between December 1st and December 31st.
8. In order to keep things fair, all the selections need to be e-mailed to ourdeathpool@yahoo.com This way, we have a way for people to get their selections in, but I won't release the names until after January 1st. So, people who don't put any thought into this won't be able to pick and choose from other people's selections. Also, feel free to make up a creative team name and send it in with your selections. This year we simply went with people's initials as the team name. However, as the Soul Bowl continues to grow, this will eventually become confusing. So, a distinctive team name might be more appropriate going forward.
9. This is for entertainment purposes only. The only prize is the pride and sense of accomplishment of winning.
10. Have fun.
Remember, the more the merrier! So, encourage friends, neighbors, co-workers, your local clergymen, etc to participate.
1. The Death Pool (hereto referred to simply as "the Bowl" or "the Pool") attempts to predict which celebrities will pass away in the upcoming year. The Soul Bowl starts at 12:01 am on January 01, 2008 and will end at the stroke of midnight on December 31st, 2008.
2. The only people eligible to be selected are Celebrities. While impossible to specifically declare what makes a celebrity, a good rule of thumb is that their obit would appear in national newspapers. Also, a person can not become a celebrity only because of their death. We'll refer to this as the Daniel Smith, (aka Anna Nicole's son) rule. The management retains the right to reject any person who doesn't fit the "celebrity" criteria.
3. The scoring works as such: Each person is allowed to select a total of 10 celebrities. You will rank your selections from 1 to 10. In this case, your #1 selection will be the person who you think is most likely to die in the upcoming year. The #1 slot is worth 10 points, the #2 slot is worth 9 points, and so on. If the person in that position does pass away, you then multiply the position points by the difference of 100 minus their age. So, as an example, if you had Evel Knievel at #7 this year that would have been worth 124 points. (4*(100-69)). This format still rewards people who take chances on younger people instead of playing it safe with all elderly selections. Also, if you select a person who is over age 100, then they will be scored simply as 1 times the position points. So, there is some strategy involved as well. It's not enough to just pick someone for your list. You want to put them as high up as possible. So, if two people have the same person on their lists, but they are in different positions, it will generate more points for the person who has them higher up.
4. The person with the highest total number of points for the entire year wins.
5. There are no restrictions on who you can select, relative to others' picks. You can select someone regardless of whether or not someone else has them on their list.
6. People who are ineligible as selections: People on death row. Currently missing children. If I missed anyone else that is obvious, let me know. In other words, play like a normal person (or as normal as a person who participates in the Pool can be).
7. You are allowed to draft your people between December 1st and December 31st.
8. In order to keep things fair, all the selections need to be e-mailed to ourdeathpool@yahoo.com This way, we have a way for people to get their selections in, but I won't release the names until after January 1st. So, people who don't put any thought into this won't be able to pick and choose from other people's selections. Also, feel free to make up a creative team name and send it in with your selections. This year we simply went with people's initials as the team name. However, as the Soul Bowl continues to grow, this will eventually become confusing. So, a distinctive team name might be more appropriate going forward.
9. This is for entertainment purposes only. The only prize is the pride and sense of accomplishment of winning.
10. Have fun.
Remember, the more the merrier! So, encourage friends, neighbors, co-workers, your local clergymen, etc to participate.
Soul Bowl Update (12/03/2007)........
Well, it's that time of year again. As we come into the homestretch of the 2007 Soul Bowl, I felt that it was time to give you a little update. Here is how the standings currently look:
1. RS: 435 pts. (Art Buchwald, Benny Parsons, Don Herbert, Madeleine L'Engle)
2. MJ: 403 pts. (Tammy Faye, Lady Bird Johnson, and Brooke Astor)
3. KH: 350 pts. (Tammy Faye)
4. CWG: 240 pts. (Boris Yeltsin)
5. TW: 232 pts. (Luciano Pavarotti)
6. Kevin: 140 pts. (Tammy Faye)
7. The Chad: 24 pts. (Lady Bird Johnson)
That's very similar to the last time that I posted. The one change is that Madeleine L'Engle died back in September, but I have been grossly negligent in keeping this list updated. Also, I would highly encourage everyone to check their picks and make sure that no one slipped through the cracks.
Finally, if you look above, you will see the official rules posted for the 2008 Soul Bowl.
And yes......it's good to be back.
1. RS: 435 pts. (Art Buchwald, Benny Parsons, Don Herbert, Madeleine L'Engle)
2. MJ: 403 pts. (Tammy Faye, Lady Bird Johnson, and Brooke Astor)
3. KH: 350 pts. (Tammy Faye)
4. CWG: 240 pts. (Boris Yeltsin)
5. TW: 232 pts. (Luciano Pavarotti)
6. Kevin: 140 pts. (Tammy Faye)
7. The Chad: 24 pts. (Lady Bird Johnson)
That's very similar to the last time that I posted. The one change is that Madeleine L'Engle died back in September, but I have been grossly negligent in keeping this list updated. Also, I would highly encourage everyone to check their picks and make sure that no one slipped through the cracks.
Finally, if you look above, you will see the official rules posted for the 2008 Soul Bowl.
And yes......it's good to be back.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
New Topic
Ok, I have absolutely nothing to say tonight. I am sleepy. Yeah, that's right. I am 29 years old and I said that I am sleepy. Deal with it.
And, DWB had some things that he needs to get off his chest, and he requested a new posting to do that. Since, I am a man of my word.....here it is.
~Kevin
And, DWB had some things that he needs to get off his chest, and he requested a new posting to do that. Since, I am a man of my word.....here it is.
~Kevin
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Techno-crapper...............
Every once and a while I like to really talked about the things in life that really matter. Global warming? Nope. Our dependence on foreign oil? Not even close. I am talking about the integration of technology into the very inner orifices of our lives. That's right, into the inner sanctum of manhood.....the men's room.
I actually had been thinking about writing on this topic for a while, but it was this e-mail (re-printed with JonBoy's permission) that prompted all this:
It's the morning of the 3rd day in the new building and I can already tell I'm going to have a hard time getting use to how things operate around here. Today, I'd like to point out the cost of having a high tech. bathroom stall. For the 2nd time this week, I've had the privilege of using our cutting edge loos- in case you haven't used them yet, they flush by themselves. I for one feel this is a great asset just in case someone forgets to flush or if they have issues about touching the handle to flush - none of which applies to myself. However, there are some cases when the technology doesn't work as it should & it creates more harm than good.
For example, as I've been attempting to sit on the throne - it flushes. Talk about being efficient, flushing before there's anything to remove! As if wasting water wasn't enough, the person gets to experience the equivalent of riding the Wild Rapids at Cedar Point without a suit on. Is this what it feels like to use a bidet? Maybe it's just me but I think there are others out there with the same problem. If that wasn't bad enough, how about the unexpected, intermittent flushing that takes place while wiping? Finally, when you get up - the toilet doesn't flush thus leaving paper in the bowl. This I wonder...
Immediately, I am glad that I have a forum to discuss these matters of national importance. I couldn't agree with Jonboy more. As you all know, I am a huge proponent of the paper ass-gaskets that cover the toilet seats. Actually, I was until Jon pointed out that they just absorb the pee on the seat. Great! My whole belief system has been crushed. And while we are on the topic, why can't we get these things to properly fit on the seat. I love the term "one size fits all" only because they never seem to fit anything. That's why I typically supplement the ass gasket with additional TP as needed to make up for any deficencies and gaps in coverage.
Also, I totally agree that the pre-mature squirting of the self-flushing toilets can be a problem as well. It goes off too quickly and then the TP that you've already laid down gets soaked by the toilet water that shoots up and then you have to start all over again. Quite frankly, its frustrating. Especially when you're working on a taco-induced brown growler and time is of the essence. And then on the opposite end of the spectrum you have the ones that refuse to flush at all. Luckily, I have noticed that most models have a button located on the top that allows for On Demand flushing when necessary.
Another thing that really bothers me is this mis-directed focus on not touching things. It seems that once you get in there the whole purpose is trying to complete as many tasks as possible without using your hands. It's like a soccer match, for god's sake. However, you go through all that trouble and you wash your hands (hopefully) and then they make you pull on the disgusting door handle to get back out! It doesn't make a damn bit of sense. I think that every men's room should be set up so that you merely have to push on the door to get back out. All they need is to make it a handle on the outside and a pusher plate on the inside. It's not rocket science. I'm not just suggesting this, I'm demanding it.
Whew! I feel better now. Glad I could get this off my chest. Till next week.
~Kevin
I actually had been thinking about writing on this topic for a while, but it was this e-mail (re-printed with JonBoy's permission) that prompted all this:
It's the morning of the 3rd day in the new building and I can already tell I'm going to have a hard time getting use to how things operate around here. Today, I'd like to point out the cost of having a high tech. bathroom stall. For the 2nd time this week, I've had the privilege of using our cutting edge loos- in case you haven't used them yet, they flush by themselves. I for one feel this is a great asset just in case someone forgets to flush or if they have issues about touching the handle to flush - none of which applies to myself. However, there are some cases when the technology doesn't work as it should & it creates more harm than good.
For example, as I've been attempting to sit on the throne - it flushes. Talk about being efficient, flushing before there's anything to remove! As if wasting water wasn't enough, the person gets to experience the equivalent of riding the Wild Rapids at Cedar Point without a suit on. Is this what it feels like to use a bidet? Maybe it's just me but I think there are others out there with the same problem. If that wasn't bad enough, how about the unexpected, intermittent flushing that takes place while wiping? Finally, when you get up - the toilet doesn't flush thus leaving paper in the bowl. This I wonder...
Immediately, I am glad that I have a forum to discuss these matters of national importance. I couldn't agree with Jonboy more. As you all know, I am a huge proponent of the paper ass-gaskets that cover the toilet seats. Actually, I was until Jon pointed out that they just absorb the pee on the seat. Great! My whole belief system has been crushed. And while we are on the topic, why can't we get these things to properly fit on the seat. I love the term "one size fits all" only because they never seem to fit anything. That's why I typically supplement the ass gasket with additional TP as needed to make up for any deficencies and gaps in coverage.
Also, I totally agree that the pre-mature squirting of the self-flushing toilets can be a problem as well. It goes off too quickly and then the TP that you've already laid down gets soaked by the toilet water that shoots up and then you have to start all over again. Quite frankly, its frustrating. Especially when you're working on a taco-induced brown growler and time is of the essence. And then on the opposite end of the spectrum you have the ones that refuse to flush at all. Luckily, I have noticed that most models have a button located on the top that allows for On Demand flushing when necessary.
Another thing that really bothers me is this mis-directed focus on not touching things. It seems that once you get in there the whole purpose is trying to complete as many tasks as possible without using your hands. It's like a soccer match, for god's sake. However, you go through all that trouble and you wash your hands (hopefully) and then they make you pull on the disgusting door handle to get back out! It doesn't make a damn bit of sense. I think that every men's room should be set up so that you merely have to push on the door to get back out. All they need is to make it a handle on the outside and a pusher plate on the inside. It's not rocket science. I'm not just suggesting this, I'm demanding it.
Whew! I feel better now. Glad I could get this off my chest. Till next week.
~Kevin
Monday, September 24, 2007
Monday Night Combo......
Well, I have a very important topics to talk to everyone about, so I decided to give it to you tonight. I was also going to discuss a topic that was brought to my attention by JonBoy, but I have a feeling I am going to be mad after I write about PSU, so I am going to hold that till next week, but just trust me when I tell you that its a subject that touches each and every one of us.
OK, let's get it out into the open. Nothing in live frustrates me more than Penn State football. Nothing. I am beginning to realize what it felt like to be a Red Sox fan from 1918 thru 2003. We're always just missing that certain something. And quite frankly, I am getting pretty damn tired of it. And, I'll even be really fair about this. I don't know anything about the finer, technical aspects of football. I never even played midget football. I can barely throw a spiral. But you know what? Even I could have told you what our game plan was going to be. It was the same as last week, last year, and even last 1974. We don't change a gosh darn thing. Running "Butterfingers" Scott right up the middle for a 2 yard loss? Wow! Never saw that coming.
I guess it was asking a bit much to open up the offense a little against Michigan. I mean, the two teams that beat them this season played a spread offense. Oh, and one of them was a friggin' 1-AA team for God's sake! Have we sunk to the point where 1-AA Teams are able to adapt more than us?
There weren't too many aspects of the game that I was excited about. First, can we all agree that Ant-nee Morelli was the worst thing that could have happened to the program and a perfect metaphor for why we will languish in mediocrity under the Chad gets his way and JoePa meets the Great Almighty? The only reason we went after him in the first place was because a local kid by the name of Chad Henne decided that he was going to play the percentages and go to the program that has put its last 6 quarterbacks in the NFL. You know what? He ABSOLUTELY did the right thing. Had he gone to Penn State, he'd be a two year starter will no shot at the pros. You know, kinda like Morelli.
Second, pray to whatever god you choose that Austin Scott doesn't step foot on a football field again unless he's lining it. Again, another recruiting disaster. The pride of Allentown that no one else wanted after he was hurt. Shouldn't we have been a little worried that every other program in the country decided to back off? I mean, not even a little? Do these kinds of things ever work out for us?
Third, let your players make plays. Again, I'm not a expert on these things, but its always been my assumption that you might want to try and get the ball to your best players. You know, sort of the opposite of giving Deon Butler one look, and Derrick Williams not sniffing the ball until the second half.
I feel like I am constantly going over the same crap all the time with this team. I talked to DWB on the phone after the game on Saturday, and he made a great point. What other coach in the country gets a free pass for losing to your big rival 9 straight times? John Cooper, from Ohio State, couldn't beat Michigan either and he was out on his ass after four seasons. Maybe that's the problem. Do we even have a big rival at this point? I am so used to losing to Michigan that its almost a foregone conclusion that something bad will happen to us during that game.
I am tired of saying that we need a total overhaul, but we do. Fredo Paterno needs to go. And he can take pretty much the rest of the coaching staff with him. The university needs to put its foot down, and spend a few bucks on a quality coach who was born after the invention of electricity. Can you imagine these players on a team coached by an Urban Meyer or a Pete Carroll?
That's right....me neither......
Till next week.
~Kevin
OK, let's get it out into the open. Nothing in live frustrates me more than Penn State football. Nothing. I am beginning to realize what it felt like to be a Red Sox fan from 1918 thru 2003. We're always just missing that certain something. And quite frankly, I am getting pretty damn tired of it. And, I'll even be really fair about this. I don't know anything about the finer, technical aspects of football. I never even played midget football. I can barely throw a spiral. But you know what? Even I could have told you what our game plan was going to be. It was the same as last week, last year, and even last 1974. We don't change a gosh darn thing. Running "Butterfingers" Scott right up the middle for a 2 yard loss? Wow! Never saw that coming.
I guess it was asking a bit much to open up the offense a little against Michigan. I mean, the two teams that beat them this season played a spread offense. Oh, and one of them was a friggin' 1-AA team for God's sake! Have we sunk to the point where 1-AA Teams are able to adapt more than us?
There weren't too many aspects of the game that I was excited about. First, can we all agree that Ant-nee Morelli was the worst thing that could have happened to the program and a perfect metaphor for why we will languish in mediocrity under the Chad gets his way and JoePa meets the Great Almighty? The only reason we went after him in the first place was because a local kid by the name of Chad Henne decided that he was going to play the percentages and go to the program that has put its last 6 quarterbacks in the NFL. You know what? He ABSOLUTELY did the right thing. Had he gone to Penn State, he'd be a two year starter will no shot at the pros. You know, kinda like Morelli.
Second, pray to whatever god you choose that Austin Scott doesn't step foot on a football field again unless he's lining it. Again, another recruiting disaster. The pride of Allentown that no one else wanted after he was hurt. Shouldn't we have been a little worried that every other program in the country decided to back off? I mean, not even a little? Do these kinds of things ever work out for us?
Third, let your players make plays. Again, I'm not a expert on these things, but its always been my assumption that you might want to try and get the ball to your best players. You know, sort of the opposite of giving Deon Butler one look, and Derrick Williams not sniffing the ball until the second half.
I feel like I am constantly going over the same crap all the time with this team. I talked to DWB on the phone after the game on Saturday, and he made a great point. What other coach in the country gets a free pass for losing to your big rival 9 straight times? John Cooper, from Ohio State, couldn't beat Michigan either and he was out on his ass after four seasons. Maybe that's the problem. Do we even have a big rival at this point? I am so used to losing to Michigan that its almost a foregone conclusion that something bad will happen to us during that game.
I am tired of saying that we need a total overhaul, but we do. Fredo Paterno needs to go. And he can take pretty much the rest of the coaching staff with him. The university needs to put its foot down, and spend a few bucks on a quality coach who was born after the invention of electricity. Can you imagine these players on a team coached by an Urban Meyer or a Pete Carroll?
That's right....me neither......
Till next week.
~Kevin
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Rants.............
You know who irritates me? The dumb. I know that we have been over this before, but somethings gotta be done. They are all around us. Everywhere. And I do mean everywhere.
For instance, one of them is writing this very sentence. OK, maybe that's a bad example, but you get the point.
You're probably asking, what brought this about? I caught this little news article the other day. For those of you who are too lazy to click, it's about a 70 year old guy who gets out of prison after a year. He's out of the gray-bar hotel for exactly 24 hrs and he gets caught stealing a luxury vehicle.
Here's the point that makes me mad. He's either a complete dumbass or he learned nothing in the clink. I mean, if you're going to make your living as a criminal at least try to be good at it. I don't ask much, so could you at least humor me on this?
Well, while we are on the topic of dumb criminals, take at look at this as well. Long story short, she drove to the courthouse in a stolen car! I'll repeat that because it's worth mentioning. SHE DROVE A STOLEN CAR TO THE COURTHOUSE. Ugh......
These people are lamer than a Kid Rock/Tommy Lee fight.
Finally, this is the item of the week that made me the most mad. As you all know, I am a huge fan of Chinese food, especially that wily General Tso and his wonderful chicken. And for years we have all heard the stories about them cooking cats, and how the Chinese restaurants are always next to pet stores. However, this latest incident might put me on de facto Chinese restaurant boycott for a while. Again, for those of you who lack opposable thumbs and are unable to click, the story is about a Chinese restaurant in New York City. One of the workers was too lazy to crush the garlic with a press, but he decided that doing it by stepping on it with his filthy, disgusting boot instead. Idiots!!! And, to top it off, one of the place's former customers was out back and happened to catch the incident and photograph it. The photo was then forwarded along to the Board of Health.
So, the next time you get a craving for Sesame Chicken....think of me! Bon Appetite.
~Kevin
For instance, one of them is writing this very sentence. OK, maybe that's a bad example, but you get the point.
You're probably asking, what brought this about? I caught this little news article the other day. For those of you who are too lazy to click, it's about a 70 year old guy who gets out of prison after a year. He's out of the gray-bar hotel for exactly 24 hrs and he gets caught stealing a luxury vehicle.
Here's the point that makes me mad. He's either a complete dumbass or he learned nothing in the clink. I mean, if you're going to make your living as a criminal at least try to be good at it. I don't ask much, so could you at least humor me on this?
Well, while we are on the topic of dumb criminals, take at look at this as well. Long story short, she drove to the courthouse in a stolen car! I'll repeat that because it's worth mentioning. SHE DROVE A STOLEN CAR TO THE COURTHOUSE. Ugh......
These people are lamer than a Kid Rock/Tommy Lee fight.
Finally, this is the item of the week that made me the most mad. As you all know, I am a huge fan of Chinese food, especially that wily General Tso and his wonderful chicken. And for years we have all heard the stories about them cooking cats, and how the Chinese restaurants are always next to pet stores. However, this latest incident might put me on de facto Chinese restaurant boycott for a while. Again, for those of you who lack opposable thumbs and are unable to click, the story is about a Chinese restaurant in New York City. One of the workers was too lazy to crush the garlic with a press, but he decided that doing it by stepping on it with his filthy, disgusting boot instead. Idiots!!! And, to top it off, one of the place's former customers was out back and happened to catch the incident and photograph it. The photo was then forwarded along to the Board of Health.
So, the next time you get a craving for Sesame Chicken....think of me! Bon Appetite.
~Kevin
Saturday, September 08, 2007
The Day Has Arrived.......
It seems like a year ago that we last got together to watch our beloved Nittany Lions battle the evil Irish from Notre Dame. OK, actually it has been 364 days, but you get the point. All signs point to another epic battle. One that hopefully propels us towards that elusive National Championship for JoePa and crew.
Today feels like a day that was made for victory. I don't want to jinx it too much because last year I had a Saturday in which a lot of things went right before kick-off. Needless to say, that didn't turn out too well. (For a recap of last year's festivities, click here.) Well, today started off in much the same way. It's Playboy Saturday here in PA. And the new issue shows us girls of the SEC, as well as former Miss Universe Alicia Machado. I highly recommend picking up the issue if you have the means. (Aka, you won't come home to find that your wife/gf placed all your stuff in the driveway.)
Well, its about 3:05 here on the East Coast, and kick off is at 6:02. I will be updating throughout the game, so make sure to check back early and often for my in-depth analysis of the game.
Also, please note, I will consider this whole day to be a success if DWB is able to check in with a beer total, much like last year. Anything on top of that will be gravy.
See you all in a bit.
5:07 pm: Well, I wasn't going to start until a little bit later but I felt compelled to write based upon the bloodbath currently taking place in Ann Arbor, MI right now. Oregon just scored again to bring the score to 32-7 with about 3 minutes left in the first half. My only question is whether or not PSU can learn the spread offense before we play Michigan? Oregon has been killing Michigan with crisp passes, a solid running game, and even some trick plays. I've seen exactly two more Statue of Liberties today than I did on my last trip to NYC.
5:11 pm: Also, I should mention that tonight's blog will be brought to you by the fine folks at the Miller Brewing Company. Currently, I am on #2. I started with the standard of Miller Lite and I will be switching to the new Miller Chill. By the way, I highly recommend picking some of this up. It's a Mexican-style beer. It tastes like a beer where the lime wedge has already been added. Good times! See you all in a bit.
6:02 pm: It's kick-off time! Wow, the stadium looks amazing in HD because of the whole stadium white-out. I already hate Jimmy Clausen by the way. And, on the first play from scrimmage we got ND to jump off-sides.
6:15 pm: Here are my thoughts after the first ND drive. We maybe want to make sure that there is coverage in the flats to take away the screen pass. Clausen looks like an All-American if the only skill necessary was the ability to throw the ball 5 yards.
6:17 pm: I hate my life! Morelli gets picked off and ND runs it back for a touchdown. I am beginning to think I am somehow jinxing the team by doing this. Ah, screw it. Having a QB with an IQ of 19 doesn't help either.
6:32 pm: Well, we've switch to ND's game plan with Morelli throwing just screens. This is an offensive juggernaut. Does anybody remember how fun it was when we would just throw caution to the wind and open up the playbook? The reverses, all the motion stuff where we would change the formation at least once before the snap? Is this asking too much?
6:35 pm: Did you just see that fight? Jerome Hayes just got mugged from two Notre Dame players. That might have been the most coward player I have ever seen. Two ND players on top of him. Total crap.
6:37 pm: Derrick Williams scores on a 76 yard punt return!!! Well, we can all take down the 'Missing' posters that we've had up for him since last season. Although, tell me that you didn't think that he was going to get caught from behind and fumble. Game is all tied at 7. Also, big kudos to ESPN for using Spider to introduce all the Penn State players.
6:51 pm: Morelli just over-threw Mickey Shuler by 18 inches. I blame Shuler for not being the love child of Shaq and Lisa Leslie.
6:55 pm: Just FYI, I am on number 4, and I have officially made the switch to Miller Chill.
7:07 pm: Morelli hits Jordan Norwood on a TD strike! That was the culmination of a long drive that the offense was finally able to put together. PSU leads 14-7.
7:21 pm: OK, scratch the reverses and trick plays. We just tried a triple reverse / WR pass play. It didn't go well.
7:22 pm: Jerome Hayes makes up for the mugging that he got previously by laying the smack down on Jimmy Clausen. That's the second big hit that he's taken this game. Let's just hope we can keep this kind of pressure up in the second half.
7:25 pm: This is probably a good time to point out the speech that Paterno gave last night at the pep rally. They showed a clip of it before the game started. Paterno is in Rec Hall, and he states that there are "Two ways to take care of business..." and he then proceeds to take his sport coat off. The crowd goes crazy, but that's where the story ended. Totally incoherent. The reason I bring this up is that we just wasted about 8 seconds before calling a timeout. Mike McQueary is on the sidelines staring at JoePa in disbelief. I'm not saying that the two things are related, but I'm just putting it out there.
7:29 pm: Morelli just pulled one of the dumbest plays I've ever seen. There's about 25 seconds left in the half and Ant-nee decides to run the ball, which is great other than the fact that he fumbles and puts ND is possible field goal position. When you are there, you need to either run out of bounds or throw the ball away. He did neither. That's the kind of leadership that you're looking for from your senior quarterback.
7:33 pm: OK, which band is smaller? The one on Charlie Weis' stomach or this?
8:04 pm: We're back from half-time and PSU comes out blazing as AJ Wallace returns the opening kick-off 65 yards. We can take down his 'Missing' poster that was hanging up next to Derrick Williams'. However, we're only able to turn that into a FG. PSU leads 17-7.
8:06 pm: A long run by Austin Scott is negated by a holding penalty.
8:21 pm: Austin Scott caps a scoring drive. PSU leads 24-10.
8:30 pm: Is there a more irritating penalty in college football than the roughing the kicker call after a punt?
8:31 pm: Also, I don't want to rock the boat here, but I am pretty sure that Notre Dame has a wide receiver by the name of Golden Taint. I am not making this up. Maybe it's the beers talking, but I believe that to be true.
8:57 pm: Austin Scott completes a long scoring drive and the Lions now hold a decisive 31-10 lead. ESPN has shown some great stats showcasing how bad the Notre Dame offense has been. I believe that they currently have more penalty yards than yards of total offense. I've never spent him in the trenches, but I don't believe that this is a good sign.
8:58 pm: A little update regarding the Golden Taint. A quick search from ESPN.com reveals that the player in question is actually Golden Tate. Even though it's not exactly the same, his parents didn't have the forethought to know that this kind of mix up was bound to happen?
9:25 pm: Well, that wraps it up. The Penn State Nittany Lions defeat the Notre Dame Tuckered-out Leprachans 31-10. And as an added bonus, Michigan got its ass handed to it again today. Good times all around!
~Kevin
Today feels like a day that was made for victory. I don't want to jinx it too much because last year I had a Saturday in which a lot of things went right before kick-off. Needless to say, that didn't turn out too well. (For a recap of last year's festivities, click here.) Well, today started off in much the same way. It's Playboy Saturday here in PA. And the new issue shows us girls of the SEC, as well as former Miss Universe Alicia Machado. I highly recommend picking up the issue if you have the means. (Aka, you won't come home to find that your wife/gf placed all your stuff in the driveway.)
Well, its about 3:05 here on the East Coast, and kick off is at 6:02. I will be updating throughout the game, so make sure to check back early and often for my in-depth analysis of the game.
Also, please note, I will consider this whole day to be a success if DWB is able to check in with a beer total, much like last year. Anything on top of that will be gravy.
See you all in a bit.
5:07 pm: Well, I wasn't going to start until a little bit later but I felt compelled to write based upon the bloodbath currently taking place in Ann Arbor, MI right now. Oregon just scored again to bring the score to 32-7 with about 3 minutes left in the first half. My only question is whether or not PSU can learn the spread offense before we play Michigan? Oregon has been killing Michigan with crisp passes, a solid running game, and even some trick plays. I've seen exactly two more Statue of Liberties today than I did on my last trip to NYC.
5:11 pm: Also, I should mention that tonight's blog will be brought to you by the fine folks at the Miller Brewing Company. Currently, I am on #2. I started with the standard of Miller Lite and I will be switching to the new Miller Chill. By the way, I highly recommend picking some of this up. It's a Mexican-style beer. It tastes like a beer where the lime wedge has already been added. Good times! See you all in a bit.
6:02 pm: It's kick-off time! Wow, the stadium looks amazing in HD because of the whole stadium white-out. I already hate Jimmy Clausen by the way. And, on the first play from scrimmage we got ND to jump off-sides.
6:15 pm: Here are my thoughts after the first ND drive. We maybe want to make sure that there is coverage in the flats to take away the screen pass. Clausen looks like an All-American if the only skill necessary was the ability to throw the ball 5 yards.
6:17 pm: I hate my life! Morelli gets picked off and ND runs it back for a touchdown. I am beginning to think I am somehow jinxing the team by doing this. Ah, screw it. Having a QB with an IQ of 19 doesn't help either.
6:32 pm: Well, we've switch to ND's game plan with Morelli throwing just screens. This is an offensive juggernaut. Does anybody remember how fun it was when we would just throw caution to the wind and open up the playbook? The reverses, all the motion stuff where we would change the formation at least once before the snap? Is this asking too much?
6:35 pm: Did you just see that fight? Jerome Hayes just got mugged from two Notre Dame players. That might have been the most coward player I have ever seen. Two ND players on top of him. Total crap.
6:37 pm: Derrick Williams scores on a 76 yard punt return!!! Well, we can all take down the 'Missing' posters that we've had up for him since last season. Although, tell me that you didn't think that he was going to get caught from behind and fumble. Game is all tied at 7. Also, big kudos to ESPN for using Spider to introduce all the Penn State players.
6:51 pm: Morelli just over-threw Mickey Shuler by 18 inches. I blame Shuler for not being the love child of Shaq and Lisa Leslie.
6:55 pm: Just FYI, I am on number 4, and I have officially made the switch to Miller Chill.
7:07 pm: Morelli hits Jordan Norwood on a TD strike! That was the culmination of a long drive that the offense was finally able to put together. PSU leads 14-7.
7:21 pm: OK, scratch the reverses and trick plays. We just tried a triple reverse / WR pass play. It didn't go well.
7:22 pm: Jerome Hayes makes up for the mugging that he got previously by laying the smack down on Jimmy Clausen. That's the second big hit that he's taken this game. Let's just hope we can keep this kind of pressure up in the second half.
7:25 pm: This is probably a good time to point out the speech that Paterno gave last night at the pep rally. They showed a clip of it before the game started. Paterno is in Rec Hall, and he states that there are "Two ways to take care of business..." and he then proceeds to take his sport coat off. The crowd goes crazy, but that's where the story ended. Totally incoherent. The reason I bring this up is that we just wasted about 8 seconds before calling a timeout. Mike McQueary is on the sidelines staring at JoePa in disbelief. I'm not saying that the two things are related, but I'm just putting it out there.
7:29 pm: Morelli just pulled one of the dumbest plays I've ever seen. There's about 25 seconds left in the half and Ant-nee decides to run the ball, which is great other than the fact that he fumbles and puts ND is possible field goal position. When you are there, you need to either run out of bounds or throw the ball away. He did neither. That's the kind of leadership that you're looking for from your senior quarterback.
7:33 pm: OK, which band is smaller? The one on Charlie Weis' stomach or this?
8:04 pm: We're back from half-time and PSU comes out blazing as AJ Wallace returns the opening kick-off 65 yards. We can take down his 'Missing' poster that was hanging up next to Derrick Williams'. However, we're only able to turn that into a FG. PSU leads 17-7.
8:06 pm: A long run by Austin Scott is negated by a holding penalty.
8:21 pm: Austin Scott caps a scoring drive. PSU leads 24-10.
8:30 pm: Is there a more irritating penalty in college football than the roughing the kicker call after a punt?
8:31 pm: Also, I don't want to rock the boat here, but I am pretty sure that Notre Dame has a wide receiver by the name of Golden Taint. I am not making this up. Maybe it's the beers talking, but I believe that to be true.
8:57 pm: Austin Scott completes a long scoring drive and the Lions now hold a decisive 31-10 lead. ESPN has shown some great stats showcasing how bad the Notre Dame offense has been. I believe that they currently have more penalty yards than yards of total offense. I've never spent him in the trenches, but I don't believe that this is a good sign.
8:58 pm: A little update regarding the Golden Taint. A quick search from ESPN.com reveals that the player in question is actually Golden Tate. Even though it's not exactly the same, his parents didn't have the forethought to know that this kind of mix up was bound to happen?
9:25 pm: Well, that wraps it up. The Penn State Nittany Lions defeat the Notre Dame Tuckered-out Leprachans 31-10. And as an added bonus, Michigan got its ass handed to it again today. Good times all around!
~Kevin
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Soul Bowl Update (09/06/07)......
News broke this morning from Italy that famed tenor Luciano Pavarotti has died at age 71. Only one participant in the Soul Bowl had him. That player, TW, was awarded 232 points. The up-to-the-minute standings look something like this:
1. MJ: 403 pts. (Tammy Faye, Lady Bird Johnson, and Brooke Astor)
2. RS: 363 pts. (Art Buchwald, Benny Parsons, Don Herbert)
3. KH: 350 pts. (Tammy Faye)
4. CWG: 240 pts. (Boris Yeltsin)
5. TW: 232 pts. (Luciano Pavarotti)
6. Kevin: 140 pts. (Tammy Faye)
7. The Chad: 24 pts. (Lady Bird Johnson)
1. MJ: 403 pts. (Tammy Faye, Lady Bird Johnson, and Brooke Astor)
2. RS: 363 pts. (Art Buchwald, Benny Parsons, Don Herbert)
3. KH: 350 pts. (Tammy Faye)
4. CWG: 240 pts. (Boris Yeltsin)
5. TW: 232 pts. (Luciano Pavarotti)
6. Kevin: 140 pts. (Tammy Faye)
7. The Chad: 24 pts. (Lady Bird Johnson)
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
That Puts a Whole New Paint Job on Things.......
Look, I'm not the kind of person to admit when I'm wrong. I've been known to argue points forever just to avoid the painful reality that is a mistake on my part.
Well, after this weekend, I think I might have made a major miscalculation about our Nittany Lions. Its actually kind of amazing how 1 afternoon will totally change your perspective on things. However, that's exactly what Saturday did to me. So, without further ado let's break down PSU vs. FIU.
First off, I had to watch this game at a local bar because of this ri-god-damn-diculous dispute between Comcast and the Big Ten Network. Long story short, each of these entities is a money-hungry whore who would do anything for a buck. Although this situation did have a silver lining (more on this in a second). I can't believe that I had to put this much effort into watching Penn State versus a 4th tier opponent.
Ok, onto the game. I am actually very optimistic about our offense. I thought that Morelli looked pretty good passing the ball. He needs to realize that all of our receivers aren't 7'1" though. There were a couple of passes that the receivers had to go up and grab. That works out well when you have the athletes that we do. Morelli also needs to works on hitting the receivers in stride. I am going to chalk this up to the early season rust, and that with a little bit of practice this problem will be eliminated. For instance, the long pass to Deon Butler in the first half would have been a touchdown if he didn't have to go back to the ball. A little bit more ummph on the ball, and Butler walks into the end zone standing up.
Next, our running game has me a little worried. Scott and Kinlaw both had flashes of brilliance in the game. However, we had a very slow start. Again, it's hard to make too many assumptions after 1 game against a team that didn't even exist a decade ago. I felt that Evan Royster looked as good as any of the backs that we had out there on Saturday. He looked the quickest to me. Not the fastest, but the quickest. There is a difference. Again, this was later in the game and he very well might have been playing against FIU's 2nd or 3rd string defense. Overall, I am a little anxious over these guys, but hopefully the offensive line will improve over the course of the season and our rushing game becomes a viable part of the offense.
Moving over to defense. We have some absolute beasts over here. I know that Dan Connor gets all of the hype, but Sean Lee is the real deal. I can't think of another linebacker that I have seen who has this kind of nose for the football. I haven't seen this much stripping since the VIP room at Delilah's Den. Also, I am calling the fact that Navorro Bowman is the next in the line of great PSU linebackers. He absolutely crushed one of the FIU players, blocked a punt, and recovered a fumble.
Ok, back to my Big Ten Network story. Since I had to go to a bar that was showing the game, they also happened to show the Michigan game since there was one Michigan fan in the house. The beautiful thing about this scenario is that as the afternoon progressed the PSU fan-base slowly rotated from watching the PSU game to the Michigan game. I thought it was going to be one of those games where you just absolutely knew that Michigan was going to pull it out in the end. But my boys from Appalachian State managed to pull off the biggest upset in the history of college football. The Michigan fan ended up throwing his cell phone against the table and breaking the back of it off. He was actually in his car and speeding away from the bar exactly 5 seconds after their game was over. He did not want to stick around and have to hear a bar full of PSU fans talk about how embarrassing it is to lose to a 1-AA team. But I think that as PSU fans we are missing the biggest benefit of this loss. Every time they talk about some sort of Cinderella story in sports they are going to talk about this game and show that kick being blocked at the end. It's going to be the gift that keeps on giving. I expect that we'll get at least a decade of replays out of this. So, if the Michigan faithful feel like this is going to blow over in a week or two, they are sorely mistaken. And, if that wasn't bad enough they have to play Oregon this week. Their quarterback displays many of the same qualities that Armanti Edwards from App. St did. And they play the same style of spread offense. So, Michigan could easily be looking at an 0-2 start to the season. It's this reason that I think that the Wolverines are definitely beatable at home. Now, our toughest game becomes Wisconsin at home. I really like our odds in that one.
So, that brings up Notre Dame this week. Is there any way that we don't absolutely destroy them this time around? I say this for a couple of reasons. First, the game is at home and I believe that they have declared the first ever "All Stadium Whiteout" for Beaver Stadium this week. I have a feeling that this is going to look amazing on TV and the crowd will be so loud that it'll be hard for the Notre Dame quarterback to run the offense. That brings me to my second point. Charlie Weis announced this afternoon (Tuesday) that true freshman Jimmy Clausen will be the starter this week. I really like a Tom Bradley led defense versus a true freshman quarterback starting his first ever game.
You know what? This game is so big that I might have to keep a running diary. It worked out pretty well last year, and this time around I have an actually laptop that will make the process infinitely easier as well. So, for the 5 or 6 of you out there who read this, feel free to check in during the game for my expert analysis.
Well, enough for this week. Talk to you all (or some) on Saturday during the game. Over and out.
~Kevin
Well, after this weekend, I think I might have made a major miscalculation about our Nittany Lions. Its actually kind of amazing how 1 afternoon will totally change your perspective on things. However, that's exactly what Saturday did to me. So, without further ado let's break down PSU vs. FIU.
First off, I had to watch this game at a local bar because of this ri-god-damn-diculous dispute between Comcast and the Big Ten Network. Long story short, each of these entities is a money-hungry whore who would do anything for a buck. Although this situation did have a silver lining (more on this in a second). I can't believe that I had to put this much effort into watching Penn State versus a 4th tier opponent.
Ok, onto the game. I am actually very optimistic about our offense. I thought that Morelli looked pretty good passing the ball. He needs to realize that all of our receivers aren't 7'1" though. There were a couple of passes that the receivers had to go up and grab. That works out well when you have the athletes that we do. Morelli also needs to works on hitting the receivers in stride. I am going to chalk this up to the early season rust, and that with a little bit of practice this problem will be eliminated. For instance, the long pass to Deon Butler in the first half would have been a touchdown if he didn't have to go back to the ball. A little bit more ummph on the ball, and Butler walks into the end zone standing up.
Next, our running game has me a little worried. Scott and Kinlaw both had flashes of brilliance in the game. However, we had a very slow start. Again, it's hard to make too many assumptions after 1 game against a team that didn't even exist a decade ago. I felt that Evan Royster looked as good as any of the backs that we had out there on Saturday. He looked the quickest to me. Not the fastest, but the quickest. There is a difference. Again, this was later in the game and he very well might have been playing against FIU's 2nd or 3rd string defense. Overall, I am a little anxious over these guys, but hopefully the offensive line will improve over the course of the season and our rushing game becomes a viable part of the offense.
Moving over to defense. We have some absolute beasts over here. I know that Dan Connor gets all of the hype, but Sean Lee is the real deal. I can't think of another linebacker that I have seen who has this kind of nose for the football. I haven't seen this much stripping since the VIP room at Delilah's Den. Also, I am calling the fact that Navorro Bowman is the next in the line of great PSU linebackers. He absolutely crushed one of the FIU players, blocked a punt, and recovered a fumble.
Ok, back to my Big Ten Network story. Since I had to go to a bar that was showing the game, they also happened to show the Michigan game since there was one Michigan fan in the house. The beautiful thing about this scenario is that as the afternoon progressed the PSU fan-base slowly rotated from watching the PSU game to the Michigan game. I thought it was going to be one of those games where you just absolutely knew that Michigan was going to pull it out in the end. But my boys from Appalachian State managed to pull off the biggest upset in the history of college football. The Michigan fan ended up throwing his cell phone against the table and breaking the back of it off. He was actually in his car and speeding away from the bar exactly 5 seconds after their game was over. He did not want to stick around and have to hear a bar full of PSU fans talk about how embarrassing it is to lose to a 1-AA team. But I think that as PSU fans we are missing the biggest benefit of this loss. Every time they talk about some sort of Cinderella story in sports they are going to talk about this game and show that kick being blocked at the end. It's going to be the gift that keeps on giving. I expect that we'll get at least a decade of replays out of this. So, if the Michigan faithful feel like this is going to blow over in a week or two, they are sorely mistaken. And, if that wasn't bad enough they have to play Oregon this week. Their quarterback displays many of the same qualities that Armanti Edwards from App. St did. And they play the same style of spread offense. So, Michigan could easily be looking at an 0-2 start to the season. It's this reason that I think that the Wolverines are definitely beatable at home. Now, our toughest game becomes Wisconsin at home. I really like our odds in that one.
So, that brings up Notre Dame this week. Is there any way that we don't absolutely destroy them this time around? I say this for a couple of reasons. First, the game is at home and I believe that they have declared the first ever "All Stadium Whiteout" for Beaver Stadium this week. I have a feeling that this is going to look amazing on TV and the crowd will be so loud that it'll be hard for the Notre Dame quarterback to run the offense. That brings me to my second point. Charlie Weis announced this afternoon (Tuesday) that true freshman Jimmy Clausen will be the starter this week. I really like a Tom Bradley led defense versus a true freshman quarterback starting his first ever game.
You know what? This game is so big that I might have to keep a running diary. It worked out pretty well last year, and this time around I have an actually laptop that will make the process infinitely easier as well. So, for the 5 or 6 of you out there who read this, feel free to check in during the game for my expert analysis.
Well, enough for this week. Talk to you all (or some) on Saturday during the game. Over and out.
~Kevin
Thursday, August 23, 2007
PSU Football.....Is this the Year?
Well, it's that time again. The time of year that we all look forward to. You know what I'm talkin' about.....are you ready for some footballllllll?
I meant that as more of a rhetorical question, but my vote is yes, I AM ready for some football. And not just any football. We're talking PSU Nittany Lion football.
Now, the question that remains is this.....Is this the year I finally get to see my team hold a championship trophy? Unfortunately I think that the answer is no. However, I don't think that we will be too far away. The only way to do this is to break is down logically, so here we go.....
Quarterback: Well, I know that I'm not going out on a limb or anything, but it really starts and ends with the quarterback position. I'm not completely sold on which Anthony Morelli is going to show up this season. The Anthony Morelli who couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, or the the AM who looked crisp in the Outback Bowl. I was shocked to learn that last season he broke the school's single season records for pass attempts and completions. Never would have guessed that. I think the best that we can hope for is that he pulls a "Chris Leak" and becomes the highly touted recruit who finally lives up to the hype and leads his team to a great record in his final season. Worst case scenario is that we are clamoring for Daryl Clark or Pat Devlin by the 4th game. That's why it's so hard to read this season. We simply don't know which one is going to show up.
Running Back: The highly touted recruit needs to finally live up to the hype and shine in his senior season. Wait, didn't we just go through this? Well, we did but this time I am referring to Austin Scott. I can remember how excited we all were 4 years ago when we "stole" this touchdown machine from high school because other schools were scared off by his knee injury. Again, Scott has shown flashes of brilliance before. We need look no further than his performance in the Orange Bowl vs. Florida State from 2 seasons ago. His stats from that game, 26 carries, 110 yds, and 2 TDs. If we get this kind of production from him on a consistent basis, I think that the offense will take on whole different personality.
Receivers: This is actually one area where I'm not worried. Kind of. For the first time in a while, I think that we have sufficient depth at the position. We have a core group of guys who can stretch a defense, actually catch the ball, and make plays in the open field. The one wildcard here is Derrick Williams. Again, which one is going to show up? The dynamic playmaker from 2 seasons ago, or the sophomore slump from 2006? Quite frankly, I don't think that he can regress much more so I am quite hopeful here. Deon Butler, Chris Bell (assuming he's getting his fair share of chicken cosmos) and Jordan Norwood give us one of the best receiving corps in the nation. Also, I was prepared to say that Andrew Quarless was ready to have a breakout season as the tight end. Well, that was before he got cited for underage drinking recently. I still think that he'll play and do well though.
Offensive Line: A lot of inexperience here. Gerald Cadogan moves over to LT to protect Morelli's blind side. Blue/White Illustrated has the other starters listed as Dennis Landolt, A.Q. Shipley, Lou Eliades, and John Shaw. I know this is redundant, but all they need to do is give Morelli time to make plays and open holes for Scott.
Defense: I know less about the defense so I am going to group them all together. Von keeps telling me how dominant the front 4 guys to be. Personally, I am pulling for Josh Gaines to have a breakout year. This is because he is the guy that I control when I am playing PSU on NCAA Football 2007. I'm pretty sure that he would have been an All-American, but my subpar performance skills have definitely hurt any chances he had of being drafted and making it onto my Madden roster. Ok, I'm babbling.
I think that the LBs might be the best trio in the country. I believe that Connor needs 98 tackles to break Poz's record for most in a career. I don't think that he'll have any trouble getting it. However, if he comes short by a few tackles, we can all look at the 3 games that he missed 2 seasons ago because of that prank phone call BS.
The secondary should also be solid again. The one question mark is Anthony Scrotum and whether or not his legal problems will affect his ability to be in the starting line-up and not worrying about being sold to the a biker gang for two cartons of cigarettes. Anyway, even if he can't go I have full confidence in his back up, Jason Ganter. Ok, scratch that......we're screwed.
Record: Well, I've said it before and I'll say it again....if we beat Michigan the season is a complete success. That being said, I don't see it happening this year. If the game was at home, I'd feel much better about it. The bright side of this argument is that I think that this will be our only loss for the season. Now, I think that we'll have some close calls but I see the record being 11-1, and a trip to the Sugar Bowl vs. LSU.
So, no BCS championship, but there's always next year.....
~Kevin
I meant that as more of a rhetorical question, but my vote is yes, I AM ready for some football. And not just any football. We're talking PSU Nittany Lion football.
Now, the question that remains is this.....Is this the year I finally get to see my team hold a championship trophy? Unfortunately I think that the answer is no. However, I don't think that we will be too far away. The only way to do this is to break is down logically, so here we go.....
Quarterback: Well, I know that I'm not going out on a limb or anything, but it really starts and ends with the quarterback position. I'm not completely sold on which Anthony Morelli is going to show up this season. The Anthony Morelli who couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, or the the AM who looked crisp in the Outback Bowl. I was shocked to learn that last season he broke the school's single season records for pass attempts and completions. Never would have guessed that. I think the best that we can hope for is that he pulls a "Chris Leak" and becomes the highly touted recruit who finally lives up to the hype and leads his team to a great record in his final season. Worst case scenario is that we are clamoring for Daryl Clark or Pat Devlin by the 4th game. That's why it's so hard to read this season. We simply don't know which one is going to show up.
Running Back: The highly touted recruit needs to finally live up to the hype and shine in his senior season. Wait, didn't we just go through this? Well, we did but this time I am referring to Austin Scott. I can remember how excited we all were 4 years ago when we "stole" this touchdown machine from high school because other schools were scared off by his knee injury. Again, Scott has shown flashes of brilliance before. We need look no further than his performance in the Orange Bowl vs. Florida State from 2 seasons ago. His stats from that game, 26 carries, 110 yds, and 2 TDs. If we get this kind of production from him on a consistent basis, I think that the offense will take on whole different personality.
Receivers: This is actually one area where I'm not worried. Kind of. For the first time in a while, I think that we have sufficient depth at the position. We have a core group of guys who can stretch a defense, actually catch the ball, and make plays in the open field. The one wildcard here is Derrick Williams. Again, which one is going to show up? The dynamic playmaker from 2 seasons ago, or the sophomore slump from 2006? Quite frankly, I don't think that he can regress much more so I am quite hopeful here. Deon Butler, Chris Bell (assuming he's getting his fair share of chicken cosmos) and Jordan Norwood give us one of the best receiving corps in the nation. Also, I was prepared to say that Andrew Quarless was ready to have a breakout season as the tight end. Well, that was before he got cited for underage drinking recently. I still think that he'll play and do well though.
Offensive Line: A lot of inexperience here. Gerald Cadogan moves over to LT to protect Morelli's blind side. Blue/White Illustrated has the other starters listed as Dennis Landolt, A.Q. Shipley, Lou Eliades, and John Shaw. I know this is redundant, but all they need to do is give Morelli time to make plays and open holes for Scott.
Defense: I know less about the defense so I am going to group them all together. Von keeps telling me how dominant the front 4 guys to be. Personally, I am pulling for Josh Gaines to have a breakout year. This is because he is the guy that I control when I am playing PSU on NCAA Football 2007. I'm pretty sure that he would have been an All-American, but my subpar performance skills have definitely hurt any chances he had of being drafted and making it onto my Madden roster. Ok, I'm babbling.
I think that the LBs might be the best trio in the country. I believe that Connor needs 98 tackles to break Poz's record for most in a career. I don't think that he'll have any trouble getting it. However, if he comes short by a few tackles, we can all look at the 3 games that he missed 2 seasons ago because of that prank phone call BS.
The secondary should also be solid again. The one question mark is Anthony Scrotum and whether or not his legal problems will affect his ability to be in the starting line-up and not worrying about being sold to the a biker gang for two cartons of cigarettes. Anyway, even if he can't go I have full confidence in his back up, Jason Ganter. Ok, scratch that......we're screwed.
Record: Well, I've said it before and I'll say it again....if we beat Michigan the season is a complete success. That being said, I don't see it happening this year. If the game was at home, I'd feel much better about it. The bright side of this argument is that I think that this will be our only loss for the season. Now, I think that we'll have some close calls but I see the record being 11-1, and a trip to the Sugar Bowl vs. LSU.
So, no BCS championship, but there's always next year.....
~Kevin
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Ann Arbor is Still a Whore..........
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I wasn't sure what to write about this week, and then I saw the comment that was left on the previous posting regarding Michigan wanting to kick Penn State out of the Big Ten. Well, I am certainly not one to let this kind of thing slide by. So, here are my thoughts.
First, Ann Arbor is still a whore. (Actually, I just found out in the last 20 minutes that there wasn't a lady named Ann Arbor. Regardless, we've been staying it for the last decade and I see no reason to stop now.)
Next, what a dumb ass poll that was. First of all, Michigan has beaten us the last 7 or 8 times we've played. Why would you want to kick out an opponent that you've had so much success against in the recent past? Exactly. Also, I have to question the validity of any poll where one of the responses isn't even possible. I had no idea that we have been playing Toronto all these years. Michigan public schools....yeah!
I've said this before, but I consider any season where we beat Michigan to be a total success. I don't care if we are 1-10. As long as that one win is versus the 'maize and gold' that's fine by me.
And, I'm still a little pissed off at the fact that Chad Henne picked Michigan over PSU. However, if you think about the reasons why he did it, it has played out exactly how he thought it would. He's been a 4-year started at a Big Ten school. He's now projected to be a high pick in the upcoming NFL draft. Anthony "I'm schmmmart" Morelli has been a disappointment since the day he set foot on campus.
One other note about adding teams to the Big Ten. I think that this is actually going to happen. I have read a couple of good articles about how and why this will play out. And, as always....it boils down to dollars. The Big Ten will be launching its own cable network in the near future. Adding a 12th team will allow the Big Ten to split into two divisions and have a Championship game that would be a ratings bonanza to a fledgling network. Also, by adding another team in a new state, it would make the network more marketable. So, I think that they would love to add a Notre Dame, but they already have a presence in Indiana. Teams that I have seen mentioned include Missouri, Syracuse, Rutgers, and.......Nebraska. As crazy as that sounds, I think Nebraska would be a good fit. They have been struggling as a program lately. So, it wouldn't be like they are adding another powerhouse that would be hard to beat every season. Also, the former Big 12 commissioner, a man named Kevin Weiberg, just left the conference to join the Big Ten Network. Just something to think about. Also, here's a link to the article.
Till next week....
~Kevin
Soul Bowl Update (08/15/07).........
Ladies and Gentlemen:
A quick housekeeping note before we get to the really important business.
New York philanthropist Brooke Astor died unexpectedly on Monday at the age of 105. Luckily, they were able to save the baby.
Because she was over the age of 100, the scoring on her was simply 1 point times the slot factor. And since MJ was the only person to have her, she counted as 5 points. So, the new standings looking like this:
1. MJ: 403 pts. (Tammy Faye, Lady Bird Johnson, and Brooke Astor)
2. RS: 363 pts. (Art Buchwald, Benny Parsons, Don Herbert)
3. KH: 350 pts. (Tammy Faye)
4. CWG: 240 pts. (Boris Yeltsin)
5. Kevin: 140 pts. (Tammy Faye)
6. The Chad: 24 pts. (Lady Bird Johnson)
It's been an interesting year so far. I just hope that everyone is starting to think ahead to 2008. I know I already have some potential additions to the pool.
Oh, and make sure to read the article on why Michigan sucks.
~Kevin
A quick housekeeping note before we get to the really important business.
New York philanthropist Brooke Astor died unexpectedly on Monday at the age of 105. Luckily, they were able to save the baby.
Because she was over the age of 100, the scoring on her was simply 1 point times the slot factor. And since MJ was the only person to have her, she counted as 5 points. So, the new standings looking like this:
1. MJ: 403 pts. (Tammy Faye, Lady Bird Johnson, and Brooke Astor)
2. RS: 363 pts. (Art Buchwald, Benny Parsons, Don Herbert)
3. KH: 350 pts. (Tammy Faye)
4. CWG: 240 pts. (Boris Yeltsin)
5. Kevin: 140 pts. (Tammy Faye)
6. The Chad: 24 pts. (Lady Bird Johnson)
It's been an interesting year so far. I just hope that everyone is starting to think ahead to 2008. I know I already have some potential additions to the pool.
Oh, and make sure to read the article on why Michigan sucks.
~Kevin
Monday, August 06, 2007
Breaking out the Thumbs! Dunmore addition.......
I was looking for just the right topic to bring me out of self-imposed semi-retirement. OK, it was more like two weeks, but you get the picture. Anyway, DWB provided me with the perfect answer.
It has been nearly a decade since the now elite PSU Dunmore House was formed. At that time we were just a rag-tag bunch of misfits from various parts of the United States. We drank too much, looked at pictures of boobies on the Internet, and and hoped for better days ahead. Fast forward ten years and you find an astute group of young professionals. Well, young professionals who drink too much, looks at pictures of boobies on the Internet, and hope for better days ahead.
In honor of this momentous occasion, I had to break out the thumbs once again to take a trip down memory lane to freshman year. At least 5 people out will understand what all these things mean. If not, we'll explain it you later. Feel free to add your own.
Thumbs up: To the Dunmore House crew. To me, the Chad, Von, DWB, CWG, and Jonboy. We stuck together and remain a tight group till this day. However, we definitely need to work on getting together more frequently than once every two or three years.
Thumbs down: The oppressive dorm rooms. I can't believe that two people are able to fully function in such a small space. You have to try an get a whole apartment's worth of stuff in there so you get some sense of normalcy. It's actually pretty amazing what you can accomplish with a little bit of ingenuity. However, its more or less a glorified prison cell. In fact, Michael Vick would be well served to be taking some notes here.
Thumbs up: Clorox. It cleans and disinfects. Let's just leave it at that.
Thumbs down: The shadiest of all the kids on our floor, our neighbors Dave and Alex. I still say that something wasn't quite right about them. Their holier than thou attitude got to me. I'd believe anything about them. You could tell me that they were an al Qaeda sleeper cell and I'd probably believe you.
Thumbs up: Grillers and dollar nachos. Listen, when you are a freshman and don't have a ton of money, the little things mean a lot. Grillers had the loaded nachos for a $1 that we would get on a Friday or Saturday night. Those were the days.....
Thumbs down: Day old turkey. By law, all I am allowed to say is that there was a phenomenal gentlemen's club that was open to anyone over the age of 18. I don't want to say that it was a dump, but have you ever seen a strip club that was completely empty on a Saturday night except for a few socially awkward exchange students? I didn't think so. In fact, the place did such great business that it was shut down and replaced by a laundromat.
Thumbs up: "Me piss on the door....." Look, having to clean up the aftermath was not pleasant but it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. I'm pretty sure that the recipient of that golden shower is currently a drunken caddy hustling at the local public course.
Thumbs down: Yuengling, Johnny Walker Black label, Goldschlager, and other various alcohols. We probably lost more days of productivity to these substances than we care to mention.
Thumbs down: Buy-ee. OK, I know that's not how you spell the name, but its close enough. To the best of my knowledge he still owes Jonboy $70 and McCrone a pair of dress shoes.
Ok, its getting a little late, and I could go on doing these things for the next 8 to 10 hours. Like I said before, feel free to add your own and I might add some more as we go along.
~K
It has been nearly a decade since the now elite PSU Dunmore House was formed. At that time we were just a rag-tag bunch of misfits from various parts of the United States. We drank too much, looked at pictures of boobies on the Internet, and and hoped for better days ahead. Fast forward ten years and you find an astute group of young professionals. Well, young professionals who drink too much, looks at pictures of boobies on the Internet, and hope for better days ahead.
In honor of this momentous occasion, I had to break out the thumbs once again to take a trip down memory lane to freshman year. At least 5 people out will understand what all these things mean. If not, we'll explain it you later. Feel free to add your own.
Thumbs up: To the Dunmore House crew. To me, the Chad, Von, DWB, CWG, and Jonboy. We stuck together and remain a tight group till this day. However, we definitely need to work on getting together more frequently than once every two or three years.
Thumbs down: The oppressive dorm rooms. I can't believe that two people are able to fully function in such a small space. You have to try an get a whole apartment's worth of stuff in there so you get some sense of normalcy. It's actually pretty amazing what you can accomplish with a little bit of ingenuity. However, its more or less a glorified prison cell. In fact, Michael Vick would be well served to be taking some notes here.
Thumbs up: Clorox. It cleans and disinfects. Let's just leave it at that.
Thumbs down: The shadiest of all the kids on our floor, our neighbors Dave and Alex. I still say that something wasn't quite right about them. Their holier than thou attitude got to me. I'd believe anything about them. You could tell me that they were an al Qaeda sleeper cell and I'd probably believe you.
Thumbs up: Grillers and dollar nachos. Listen, when you are a freshman and don't have a ton of money, the little things mean a lot. Grillers had the loaded nachos for a $1 that we would get on a Friday or Saturday night. Those were the days.....
Thumbs down: Day old turkey. By law, all I am allowed to say is that there was a phenomenal gentlemen's club that was open to anyone over the age of 18. I don't want to say that it was a dump, but have you ever seen a strip club that was completely empty on a Saturday night except for a few socially awkward exchange students? I didn't think so. In fact, the place did such great business that it was shut down and replaced by a laundromat.
Thumbs up: "Me piss on the door....." Look, having to clean up the aftermath was not pleasant but it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. I'm pretty sure that the recipient of that golden shower is currently a drunken caddy hustling at the local public course.
Thumbs down: Yuengling, Johnny Walker Black label, Goldschlager, and other various alcohols. We probably lost more days of productivity to these substances than we care to mention.
Thumbs down: Buy-ee. OK, I know that's not how you spell the name, but its close enough. To the best of my knowledge he still owes Jonboy $70 and McCrone a pair of dress shoes.
Ok, its getting a little late, and I could go on doing these things for the next 8 to 10 hours. Like I said before, feel free to add your own and I might add some more as we go along.
~K
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Soul Bowl Update......
Just wanted to let you know how the passing of Tammy Faye Bakker affects the Soul Bowl. Three participants had her including our new leader, MJ as well as KH. The third person was none other than yours truly. So, the new leader board looks something like this.....
1. MJ: 398 pts. (Tammy Faye and Lady Bird Johnson)
2. RS: 363 pts. (Art Buchwald, Benny Parsons, Don Herbert)
3. KH: 350 pts. (Tammy Faye)
4. CWG: 240 pts. (Boris Yeltsin)
5. Kevin: 140 pts. (Tammy Faye)
6. The Chad: 24 pts. (Lady Bird Johnson)
Also, I should point out that I will be on vacation this upcoming week, so there will be no regular posting. However, I will resume the following week because I know you all start going through withdrawal without me.
~Kevin
1. MJ: 398 pts. (Tammy Faye and Lady Bird Johnson)
2. RS: 363 pts. (Art Buchwald, Benny Parsons, Don Herbert)
3. KH: 350 pts. (Tammy Faye)
4. CWG: 240 pts. (Boris Yeltsin)
5. Kevin: 140 pts. (Tammy Faye)
6. The Chad: 24 pts. (Lady Bird Johnson)
Also, I should point out that I will be on vacation this upcoming week, so there will be no regular posting. However, I will resume the following week because I know you all start going through withdrawal without me.
~Kevin
Monday, July 16, 2007
A Flawed Idea.............
You know, I'm not one to judge. Really...I'm not. But I saw this dumb ass story the other day, and I felt the need to chime in.
First, let me give you a little background for those of you who have been traveling abroad or don't subscribe to basic cable. The current Miss New Jersey, Amy Polumbo, came out last week and had a news conference that said she was the target of blackmailers. She revealed that these individuals were threatening to release shocking photos of her unless their demands were met. Now, I don't know about you, but when I hear a story like this my ear immediately perk up. If these photos are good enough that they think she would be willing to pay money to keep them secret, they must be damn good.
Well, she ends up taking the proactive approach and reveals the photos on the Today show. I don't know if I have ever been this unique combination of disappointed and angry at the same time. The photos were basically her drinking and one with her holding her legs open. The horror! Stop the presses! See for yourself here. Did these idiot blackmailers really think that these were so bad that she was going to pony some cash?
I'm not sure what the rule of thumb is here, but let's try this out. If the person is willing to show the photos on national tv and America collectively goes...."whatever" its probably a sign that your case isn't that strong.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
~Kevin
First, let me give you a little background for those of you who have been traveling abroad or don't subscribe to basic cable. The current Miss New Jersey, Amy Polumbo, came out last week and had a news conference that said she was the target of blackmailers. She revealed that these individuals were threatening to release shocking photos of her unless their demands were met. Now, I don't know about you, but when I hear a story like this my ear immediately perk up. If these photos are good enough that they think she would be willing to pay money to keep them secret, they must be damn good.
Well, she ends up taking the proactive approach and reveals the photos on the Today show. I don't know if I have ever been this unique combination of disappointed and angry at the same time. The photos were basically her drinking and one with her holding her legs open. The horror! Stop the presses! See for yourself here. Did these idiot blackmailers really think that these were so bad that she was going to pony some cash?
I'm not sure what the rule of thumb is here, but let's try this out. If the person is willing to show the photos on national tv and America collectively goes...."whatever" its probably a sign that your case isn't that strong.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
~Kevin
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Summer Movie Reviews.........
You know what? It's been a weird summer for movies. I can't remember the last time that I was this pumped up for this many movies in a single summer. But my enthusiasm has faded faster than the paint on a 1985 Chevy Citation.
Everything was shaping up so well too. We had the next Pirates of the Caribbean, Ocean's 13, and Spiderman 3. I was planning on seeing all three of those on the very first weekend. Well, Spiderman was the only one I ended up seeing. I think that movie might have broken my whole spirit for the summertime movie experience. So, here is a quick rundown of the movies I have seen, including one DVD pick.
First, the Spiderman 3 debacle. I am not sure what the proper protocol is for talking about movies that you're not sure everyone has seen. However, if you haven't figured out that I will be describing movie details then you deserve to have some plot details spoiled. Anyway, all I will say is that this was a chick flick wrapped in an action movie overcoat. There was more crying than Steel Magnolias. It wasn't horrible or anything, but I was just disappointed on how it played out. I will say that the special effects were pretty incredible. The Sandman being able to blow away and then reform was very cool. Other than that, I would say that if you haven't seen it yet wait for the DVD. And make sure to bring a box of tissues. Not for you, but for the cast.
Next, I saw the new Die Hard movie, Live Free or Die Hard. I'll be honest. I didn't have the highest of hopes for this film. Rarely do sequels live up to the hype. The third sequels have an even worse track record. I will say that I left the theater pleasantly surprise. I think that much of my apprehension stemmed from the supporting cast of Justin Long, aka Mac Guy. I saw this guy killing the entire movie. However, the opposite was true. The plot is a slightly unrealistic, and some of the scenes are probably un-doable. For instance, I don't think that a F-35 would miss a semi driving on the highway with a missile not once, but twice. Other than that I didn't have too many complaints. I highly suggest that you catch it in the theater for no other reason than its always cool to see stuff get blown up on a big screen. If you're not a theater person, than catching the DVD is a must.
Finally, I have one DVD pick as well. This is a movie that when it originally came out I was thinking that I had to see it in the theaters. Well, I blinked and it was in my local Hollywood Video before I knew it. And what movie was this? Breach. For those of you unfamiliar with this movie, it is the story of former FBI Agent Robert Hanssen. He worked in the FBI's counterintelligence division and eventually sold secrets to the Soviet Union. This act of espionage is widely considered to be the greatest security breach in the history of American intelligence. The movie deals with the relationship between Hanssen and another agent assigned to gather evidence of his guilt. I would say that this is a perfect DVD movie. Definitely worth seeing if you're a fan of the genre.
Also, if you have any movies that you think that I should check out this summer please let me know in the comments section.
That's it for this week. Talk to you in a few days.
~Kevin
Everything was shaping up so well too. We had the next Pirates of the Caribbean, Ocean's 13, and Spiderman 3. I was planning on seeing all three of those on the very first weekend. Well, Spiderman was the only one I ended up seeing. I think that movie might have broken my whole spirit for the summertime movie experience. So, here is a quick rundown of the movies I have seen, including one DVD pick.
First, the Spiderman 3 debacle. I am not sure what the proper protocol is for talking about movies that you're not sure everyone has seen. However, if you haven't figured out that I will be describing movie details then you deserve to have some plot details spoiled. Anyway, all I will say is that this was a chick flick wrapped in an action movie overcoat. There was more crying than Steel Magnolias. It wasn't horrible or anything, but I was just disappointed on how it played out. I will say that the special effects were pretty incredible. The Sandman being able to blow away and then reform was very cool. Other than that, I would say that if you haven't seen it yet wait for the DVD. And make sure to bring a box of tissues. Not for you, but for the cast.
Next, I saw the new Die Hard movie, Live Free or Die Hard. I'll be honest. I didn't have the highest of hopes for this film. Rarely do sequels live up to the hype. The third sequels have an even worse track record. I will say that I left the theater pleasantly surprise. I think that much of my apprehension stemmed from the supporting cast of Justin Long, aka Mac Guy. I saw this guy killing the entire movie. However, the opposite was true. The plot is a slightly unrealistic, and some of the scenes are probably un-doable. For instance, I don't think that a F-35 would miss a semi driving on the highway with a missile not once, but twice. Other than that I didn't have too many complaints. I highly suggest that you catch it in the theater for no other reason than its always cool to see stuff get blown up on a big screen. If you're not a theater person, than catching the DVD is a must.
Finally, I have one DVD pick as well. This is a movie that when it originally came out I was thinking that I had to see it in the theaters. Well, I blinked and it was in my local Hollywood Video before I knew it. And what movie was this? Breach. For those of you unfamiliar with this movie, it is the story of former FBI Agent Robert Hanssen. He worked in the FBI's counterintelligence division and eventually sold secrets to the Soviet Union. This act of espionage is widely considered to be the greatest security breach in the history of American intelligence. The movie deals with the relationship between Hanssen and another agent assigned to gather evidence of his guilt. I would say that this is a perfect DVD movie. Definitely worth seeing if you're a fan of the genre.
Also, if you have any movies that you think that I should check out this summer please let me know in the comments section.
That's it for this week. Talk to you in a few days.
~Kevin
Soul Bowl Update......
Well, we had some additional points added to the Soul Bowl this afternoon. Lady Bird Johnson, former First Lady, died at the age of 94.
Now, if you're anything like me you were immediately wondering how this impacted the current Soul Bowl standings. Actually, it would be great if I would get off my ass and finish the damn website already. Not to get too far off topic, but I do own the domain name SoulBowlOnline.com. Right now, its just a hideous website that I have been screwing around with. I have been messing around with a few programs to help me build a better site. If anyone has any suggestions on what the site should have on it, feel free to pass those along. Honestly, at this point I would be happy with just a place that would show all the current contestants and their points. We'll get there someday. You just gotta trust me on this.
Anyway, onto the updated standing. Since she was older than Jesus' mom, she didn't have a real impact on the standings. As of 7/11, here's how the standings look.
1. RS - 363 points. Picks that paid: Art Buchwald, Benny Parsons, Don Herbert
2. CWG - 240 points. Picks that paid: Boris Yeltsin
3. MJ - 48 points. Pick that paid: Lady Bird Johnson
4. The Chad - 24 points. Picks that paid: Lady Bird Johnson
And don't forget to read my new summer movie reviews above.
~Kevin
Now, if you're anything like me you were immediately wondering how this impacted the current Soul Bowl standings. Actually, it would be great if I would get off my ass and finish the damn website already. Not to get too far off topic, but I do own the domain name SoulBowlOnline.com. Right now, its just a hideous website that I have been screwing around with. I have been messing around with a few programs to help me build a better site. If anyone has any suggestions on what the site should have on it, feel free to pass those along. Honestly, at this point I would be happy with just a place that would show all the current contestants and their points. We'll get there someday. You just gotta trust me on this.
Anyway, onto the updated standing. Since she was older than Jesus' mom, she didn't have a real impact on the standings. As of 7/11, here's how the standings look.
1. RS - 363 points. Picks that paid: Art Buchwald, Benny Parsons, Don Herbert
2. CWG - 240 points. Picks that paid: Boris Yeltsin
3. MJ - 48 points. Pick that paid: Lady Bird Johnson
4. The Chad - 24 points. Picks that paid: Lady Bird Johnson
And don't forget to read my new summer movie reviews above.
~Kevin
Friday, July 06, 2007
Two end of the week items......
I saw these two items and I thought that I would pass them along.
First, I caught this little news item this evening. Watch out world! The Ron Paul Express is a runaway train that can't be stopped. And remember where you read about it first.
Second, I think I am going to nominate this girl for honorary "Monday 5 pm" status. What do you think. I was actually wondering to myself where would one find a kid that could get a drunken DUI at age 11. The answer....Alabama. Of course.
Till Monday.
~Kevin
First, I caught this little news item this evening. Watch out world! The Ron Paul Express is a runaway train that can't be stopped. And remember where you read about it first.
Second, I think I am going to nominate this girl for honorary "Monday 5 pm" status. What do you think. I was actually wondering to myself where would one find a kid that could get a drunken DUI at age 11. The answer....Alabama. Of course.
Till Monday.
~Kevin
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest......
I bet you thought that I was going to take this week off because of the holiday. Oh no! I was just holding back because I felt compelled to write about something that is truly All-American. I searched and searched for just the right topic that captures what it means to be American. And then it hit me! Nothing says America quite like a bunch of people slamming hot dogs into their mouths as quickly as possible. So, I decided to watch the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. And, keep a running diary as it happened.
In honor of our nation's birthday, I am taking this quite seriously. I am drinking an American beer, I had bacon for breakfast, and I touched a boobie (not my own) in the last 12 hours. And I know what you're thinking. This sucks. Who wants to read a running diary of a hot dog eating contest? Well, here's the listing of all the great topics that you've covered in your blogs in the last 6 months.
1. (empty)
2. (empty)
3. (empty)
So, when you're all growed up and you get a blog of your very own, you can write about whatever the hell you want. For today? It's hot dogs baby! Here's what went down......
12:01 - The announcers are going over the main theme of the afternoon, which is that 6-time reigning champion Kobayashi is suffering from some sort of jaw ailment. Personally, I think that it's all hype. He's scared because current Philly Wing Bowl champion, Joey Chestnut, recently broke the world record for most hot dogs consumed in 12 minutes. I think that it's all a scam to lull us into a sense of complacency. I mean, if Jenna Jameson doesn't suffer from jaw arthritis then no one does, OK?
12:02 - I am actually looking for a WWE-type ending here. Kobayashi lags back until the very end and as he is about to lose, he smashes Joey Chestnut in the head with a folding chair. That's how serious this is. I can't think of the last time there were two more evenly matched competitors in any sporting contest. Oh, and if you didn't think that this is a big deal, they just announced that the crowd is about 30,000 people.
12:03 - Fun fact I just learned: They are competing for the "mustard yellow" championship belt. See, the wrestling overtones are already creeping in.
12:06 - The rules. Quite simply, it's the most dogs that you can eat in 12 minutes. There is also a "reversal of fortune" clause that results in an automatic DQ. Meaning that if you "lose your lunch" before the contest is over, you're out. Finally, the prize? A year's supply of hot dogs! Of course.
12:07 - We just learned that Kobayashi received an acupuncture treatment this morning. This thing is shaping up like Walt Frazier coming through the tunnel on the bad leg during the '72 NBA playoffs.
12:26 - I bet you were wondering how you were going to fill the void after this year's hot dog eating contest is over. Well, have no fear. ESPN fill be airing the National Rock, Paper, Scissors Championship on Saturday. RPS Fever! Catch it!
12:38 - They have spent the last 8 minutes introducing all of the contestants. There were so many jokes there that I couldn't even try to keep up. If they replay this thing later on, I highly suggest that you catch it. I mean there's comedy, and then there's COMEDY.
12:41 - Gentlemen, start your enzymes! Joey "Jaws" Chestnut starts off strong. I don't see any sign of weakness in Kobayashi. After 2 minutes, Chestnut has done 20 dogs and Kobayashi is at 19. I will say that again because I think it's worth repeating. In 2 minutes. the two of them ate a combined 39 hot dogs.
12:45 - After 4 minutes, Chestnut is now 4 full dogs ahead of Kobayashi. On a side note, the announcers just referred to competitor Pat Bertoletti's mustache as "Magnum P.I. - pre-puberty."
12:49 - OK, we're at the half-way point. Kobayashi has pulled within 2 dogs. Just to show you how good these guys are, they are both 10 dogs ahead of the current third place competitor.
12:51: Chestnut is now at 53 dogs and Kobayashi is one behind at 52. Oh, and Chestnut just broke the Nathan's record. He's 4 dogs away from the world record.
12:55: One minute! Good god! The crowd is going crazy. This thing has lived up to all the hype. Chestnut just broke the world record! The announcer just said that if Joey Chestnut wins it would be the greatest moment in the history of American sports. Ok, that might be taking it a bit far.
12:56. Wow! We're almost at photo finish territory. The judges are actually looking at the video tape to see who got all the hot dogs in. I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried. Oh, and now they're saying that Kobayashi might have violated the "reversal of fortune" policy at the very end. It would say that it's looking very good for Chestnut right now.
12:58: The judges post the official results. Kobayashi has 63 hot dogs. Joey Chestnut has 66! He did it! And a new world record in the process! I am so jacked right now that I can't stop using exclamation points!
Well, the mustard belt is back in America. I would say that it was the perfect beginning to the day. Now, I am going to go eat some dogs of my own. Have a happy and safe Fourth of July.
~Kevin
In honor of our nation's birthday, I am taking this quite seriously. I am drinking an American beer, I had bacon for breakfast, and I touched a boobie (not my own) in the last 12 hours. And I know what you're thinking. This sucks. Who wants to read a running diary of a hot dog eating contest? Well, here's the listing of all the great topics that you've covered in your blogs in the last 6 months.
1. (empty)
2. (empty)
3. (empty)
So, when you're all growed up and you get a blog of your very own, you can write about whatever the hell you want. For today? It's hot dogs baby! Here's what went down......
12:01 - The announcers are going over the main theme of the afternoon, which is that 6-time reigning champion Kobayashi is suffering from some sort of jaw ailment. Personally, I think that it's all hype. He's scared because current Philly Wing Bowl champion, Joey Chestnut, recently broke the world record for most hot dogs consumed in 12 minutes. I think that it's all a scam to lull us into a sense of complacency. I mean, if Jenna Jameson doesn't suffer from jaw arthritis then no one does, OK?
12:02 - I am actually looking for a WWE-type ending here. Kobayashi lags back until the very end and as he is about to lose, he smashes Joey Chestnut in the head with a folding chair. That's how serious this is. I can't think of the last time there were two more evenly matched competitors in any sporting contest. Oh, and if you didn't think that this is a big deal, they just announced that the crowd is about 30,000 people.
12:03 - Fun fact I just learned: They are competing for the "mustard yellow" championship belt. See, the wrestling overtones are already creeping in.
12:06 - The rules. Quite simply, it's the most dogs that you can eat in 12 minutes. There is also a "reversal of fortune" clause that results in an automatic DQ. Meaning that if you "lose your lunch" before the contest is over, you're out. Finally, the prize? A year's supply of hot dogs! Of course.
12:07 - We just learned that Kobayashi received an acupuncture treatment this morning. This thing is shaping up like Walt Frazier coming through the tunnel on the bad leg during the '72 NBA playoffs.
12:26 - I bet you were wondering how you were going to fill the void after this year's hot dog eating contest is over. Well, have no fear. ESPN fill be airing the National Rock, Paper, Scissors Championship on Saturday. RPS Fever! Catch it!
12:38 - They have spent the last 8 minutes introducing all of the contestants. There were so many jokes there that I couldn't even try to keep up. If they replay this thing later on, I highly suggest that you catch it. I mean there's comedy, and then there's COMEDY.
12:41 - Gentlemen, start your enzymes! Joey "Jaws" Chestnut starts off strong. I don't see any sign of weakness in Kobayashi. After 2 minutes, Chestnut has done 20 dogs and Kobayashi is at 19. I will say that again because I think it's worth repeating. In 2 minutes. the two of them ate a combined 39 hot dogs.
12:45 - After 4 minutes, Chestnut is now 4 full dogs ahead of Kobayashi. On a side note, the announcers just referred to competitor Pat Bertoletti's mustache as "Magnum P.I. - pre-puberty."
12:49 - OK, we're at the half-way point. Kobayashi has pulled within 2 dogs. Just to show you how good these guys are, they are both 10 dogs ahead of the current third place competitor.
12:51: Chestnut is now at 53 dogs and Kobayashi is one behind at 52. Oh, and Chestnut just broke the Nathan's record. He's 4 dogs away from the world record.
12:55: One minute! Good god! The crowd is going crazy. This thing has lived up to all the hype. Chestnut just broke the world record! The announcer just said that if Joey Chestnut wins it would be the greatest moment in the history of American sports. Ok, that might be taking it a bit far.
12:56. Wow! We're almost at photo finish territory. The judges are actually looking at the video tape to see who got all the hot dogs in. I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried. Oh, and now they're saying that Kobayashi might have violated the "reversal of fortune" policy at the very end. It would say that it's looking very good for Chestnut right now.
12:58: The judges post the official results. Kobayashi has 63 hot dogs. Joey Chestnut has 66! He did it! And a new world record in the process! I am so jacked right now that I can't stop using exclamation points!
Well, the mustard belt is back in America. I would say that it was the perfect beginning to the day. Now, I am going to go eat some dogs of my own. Have a happy and safe Fourth of July.
~Kevin
Friday, June 29, 2007
A Quick Friday Link.......
I thought that you guys would get a kick out of this little news item. Looks like "the Iladelph" is just getting worse.
~Kevin
~Kevin
Monday, June 25, 2007
A Whole Lot to Get To......
Well, who thought that a week's vacation could do so much for the creative process. Now granted, I didn't actually go anywhere, but just one week off and I feel rejuvenated. I'm writing with the mental capacity of a 26 year old. Ok, onto the important stuff.....
First, I'd be shirking my duties as a blogger and deputy Dunmore overlord if I didn't at least comment on this whole Paris Hilton situation. I am pleased that she has spent the past 20 days or so in the "gray bar hotel." Up to that point she was virtually untouchable. Let's see, a homemade porn tape, racial slurs, drug use......nothing put her down for the count. I really enjoy it when those people who feel that the laws of the 'regular folk' don't apply to them. I must say that I am a little disappointed that she wasn't placed in the general population so that she could get a true appreciation for what the true penal experience is like. Now, she's turned her life over to the Lord. One can only hope that he leads her to the place when so many other young women have gone to give themselves a second chance.....Playboy. Oh yeah, you didn't think I was starting to philosophize on you, right? In fact, as a lay my head down to sleep tonight I think I might ask for this very thing.
Next, I am not sure if I mentioned this before or not, but its another story that irritates me. Here's the link so that you can review the details if you'd like. In case you don't have the time, I will give you a quick breakdown. A man in D.C. brought his pants to a dry cleaner to be altered. The cleaner then proceeded to lose the pants. The man then sues the dry cleaners for restitution. Now, how much do you think that a nice pair of pants would go for? $100? $200? Actually, these pants were the bottoms to a suit, so I will say it was a top-of-the-line suit and say that they were worth $1,000. How much does the man sue the dry cleaners for? $54 million! He came to this amount due to the fact that the cleaners had a 'satisfaction guaranteed' sign in the shop. He compounded the daily violations plus other crazy fees like cab fare to get him to another dry cleaner. Oh, and here's the kicker.....he's a judge! That's right a judge! If we ever needed a better example of how ridiculous and litigious a society we live in. Today, the judge in the case ruled that the plaintiffs were due their legal fees. I love to see the local bar association grow a pair, and move to have this jackass disbarred. If nothing else, he's proven that he is an illogical litigator and does not served in the public interest.
Thirdly, I am all for 'Take your children to work day' but this is pushing it. Some days, I just want to stay in bed and pretend like I am not part of this same society.
Ok, that's enough for this week. I had another thought that I was going to post, but it might be a little over the edge even by Monday 5 p.m. standards. Maybe another time.
Till next week.
~Kevin
First, I'd be shirking my duties as a blogger and deputy Dunmore overlord if I didn't at least comment on this whole Paris Hilton situation. I am pleased that she has spent the past 20 days or so in the "gray bar hotel." Up to that point she was virtually untouchable. Let's see, a homemade porn tape, racial slurs, drug use......nothing put her down for the count. I really enjoy it when those people who feel that the laws of the 'regular folk' don't apply to them. I must say that I am a little disappointed that she wasn't placed in the general population so that she could get a true appreciation for what the true penal experience is like. Now, she's turned her life over to the Lord. One can only hope that he leads her to the place when so many other young women have gone to give themselves a second chance.....Playboy. Oh yeah, you didn't think I was starting to philosophize on you, right? In fact, as a lay my head down to sleep tonight I think I might ask for this very thing.
Next, I am not sure if I mentioned this before or not, but its another story that irritates me. Here's the link so that you can review the details if you'd like. In case you don't have the time, I will give you a quick breakdown. A man in D.C. brought his pants to a dry cleaner to be altered. The cleaner then proceeded to lose the pants. The man then sues the dry cleaners for restitution. Now, how much do you think that a nice pair of pants would go for? $100? $200? Actually, these pants were the bottoms to a suit, so I will say it was a top-of-the-line suit and say that they were worth $1,000. How much does the man sue the dry cleaners for? $54 million! He came to this amount due to the fact that the cleaners had a 'satisfaction guaranteed' sign in the shop. He compounded the daily violations plus other crazy fees like cab fare to get him to another dry cleaner. Oh, and here's the kicker.....he's a judge! That's right a judge! If we ever needed a better example of how ridiculous and litigious a society we live in. Today, the judge in the case ruled that the plaintiffs were due their legal fees. I love to see the local bar association grow a pair, and move to have this jackass disbarred. If nothing else, he's proven that he is an illogical litigator and does not served in the public interest.
Thirdly, I am all for 'Take your children to work day' but this is pushing it. Some days, I just want to stay in bed and pretend like I am not part of this same society.
Ok, that's enough for this week. I had another thought that I was going to post, but it might be a little over the edge even by Monday 5 p.m. standards. Maybe another time.
Till next week.
~Kevin
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
I jumped into the 21st Century.....
Gentlemen:
I wanted to mention this in one of the other posts, but it didn't quite fit in with the 'oh, by the way, Mr. Wizard died theme.'
Well, I finally took the plunge and got a digital camera over the weekend. For those of you already familiar with this technology (aka, 99% of people over the age of 8), I have a few questions.
First, what program do you use to manage all the photos? I have been screwing around with Windows Photo gallery that comes on Vista. It looks good so far, but I don't have that many photos to organize.
Next, what are these 'tags' things for? I have downloaded a few pictures so far to my laptop and it prompts me to enter tags. I assume that these are a way to organize the pictures in the future. So, that in the future, I can find all the photos that show certain people, etc.
Finally, when you download the pictures, do they all come at the same time. So, if I send everything from my memory card to my laptop, take more pictures, and download again, will it download the first set again? Just wondering.
Also, if you have any other digital photo tips or anything else I should know, let me know.
~Kevin
I wanted to mention this in one of the other posts, but it didn't quite fit in with the 'oh, by the way, Mr. Wizard died theme.'
Well, I finally took the plunge and got a digital camera over the weekend. For those of you already familiar with this technology (aka, 99% of people over the age of 8), I have a few questions.
First, what program do you use to manage all the photos? I have been screwing around with Windows Photo gallery that comes on Vista. It looks good so far, but I don't have that many photos to organize.
Next, what are these 'tags' things for? I have downloaded a few pictures so far to my laptop and it prompts me to enter tags. I assume that these are a way to organize the pictures in the future. So, that in the future, I can find all the photos that show certain people, etc.
Finally, when you download the pictures, do they all come at the same time. So, if I send everything from my memory card to my laptop, take more pictures, and download again, will it download the first set again? Just wondering.
Also, if you have any other digital photo tips or anything else I should know, let me know.
~Kevin
Another one bites the dust........
This is actually one that touched me on a personal level. In case you didn't see this in the news, Don Herbert (aka Mr. Wizard) died at age 89.
This was one of the picks that I considered taboo because I just couldn't bring myself to put on my Soul Bowl list. I grew up watching this guy on Nickelodeon every morning before school. He was the best. In fact, I think it would be safe to say that an entire generation became interested in science and computers because of him.
However, I will admit that I always thought that the premise of the show was kinda creepy. An old gentleman has neighborhood kids over to "teach them science." Ummm.......sure.
As for how this affects the Soul Bowl, RS once again had this selection on her list. This was another 33 points for her. This brings her grand total to 363. CWG remains in 2nd place with 240.
Till next week.
~Kevin
This was one of the picks that I considered taboo because I just couldn't bring myself to put on my Soul Bowl list. I grew up watching this guy on Nickelodeon every morning before school. He was the best. In fact, I think it would be safe to say that an entire generation became interested in science and computers because of him.
However, I will admit that I always thought that the premise of the show was kinda creepy. An old gentleman has neighborhood kids over to "teach them science." Ummm.......sure.
As for how this affects the Soul Bowl, RS once again had this selection on her list. This was another 33 points for her. This brings her grand total to 363. CWG remains in 2nd place with 240.
Till next week.
~Kevin
Monday, June 11, 2007
Disappointing.....
I know that I am probably setting myself up for an endless number of jokes by calling this post 'Disappointing', but that's exactly how I feel about my entertainment weekend.
This weekend had 2 major things going for it. First, it was that time of the month. That's right ladies, some guys are fortunate to have 'that time of the month' as well. Of course, I am referring to "Playboy Saturday." For those of you who don't have a subscription, the new issue of Playboy always comes around the 2nd Saturday of the month. It's a glorious day. In fact, when that new issue arrives I block out a good 4 to 5 hour period to absorb it all. I know that it's a popular cliche, but I really do read the articles. In fact, I am willing to go out on a limb and say that the magazine would be very successful without the nudie pics.
Ah, screw it......the nudie pics are the first, second, and third reason to subscribe. But you get my point. Anyway, this month I was all excited because the celebrity spread was Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard. What's not to like? Well, other than the fact that she really didn't show much. All except for one of the photos could have shown up in Maxim. In other words, disappointing. I thought it couldn't get much worse. At least I had the Sopranos season finale on Sunday night to look forward to. They wouldn't let me down.
Now, the next section will talk directly about the Soprano's series finale. So, if you're one of the few people who didn't see it and wanted to, you'll probably want to skip this section.
Ok, no one was more upset than I was over the way that it ended. I was waiting for the big shootout at the end. At the very least I was hoping that Fredo, er....AJ would catch a misdirected bullet. But in the end, it was just the whole Soprano family sitting in a diner together. The one thing that made it great for a second was that they were blasting the 'Journey' song 'Don't Stop Believing.' And then.......nothing. We thought that my cable went out. If nothing else, I think that Andy Kaufman would have been proud. An entire nation just sitting there with their jaws open thinking that their local cable providers let them down at the worst moment possible.
However, in the 24 hours since then I have gotten a little closure with this. There are 2 possible endings that make sense for me. The first is that when Bobby Bacala and Tony are in the boat fishing and Bobby says that you probably never hear it coming. That shady guy who goes into the bathroom comes out blazin' and Tony never even hears the shot.
The second possibility is that it just shows how screwed Tony really is. He is just trying to enjoy a simple dinner with his family. However, for the rest of his life he has to look at everyone as a potential threat. Something that we would take for granted, he needs to be hypersensitive about. The Sopranos play out their days always 1 step ahead of the law, and always trying to live life the best way they know how.
So, that's how it wraps up. We don't know. Maybe we'll never know.
Or at least until the movie comes out in 2010. Cheers!
~Kevin
This weekend had 2 major things going for it. First, it was that time of the month. That's right ladies, some guys are fortunate to have 'that time of the month' as well. Of course, I am referring to "Playboy Saturday." For those of you who don't have a subscription, the new issue of Playboy always comes around the 2nd Saturday of the month. It's a glorious day. In fact, when that new issue arrives I block out a good 4 to 5 hour period to absorb it all. I know that it's a popular cliche, but I really do read the articles. In fact, I am willing to go out on a limb and say that the magazine would be very successful without the nudie pics.
Ah, screw it......the nudie pics are the first, second, and third reason to subscribe. But you get my point. Anyway, this month I was all excited because the celebrity spread was Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard. What's not to like? Well, other than the fact that she really didn't show much. All except for one of the photos could have shown up in Maxim. In other words, disappointing. I thought it couldn't get much worse. At least I had the Sopranos season finale on Sunday night to look forward to. They wouldn't let me down.
Now, the next section will talk directly about the Soprano's series finale. So, if you're one of the few people who didn't see it and wanted to, you'll probably want to skip this section.
Ok, no one was more upset than I was over the way that it ended. I was waiting for the big shootout at the end. At the very least I was hoping that Fredo, er....AJ would catch a misdirected bullet. But in the end, it was just the whole Soprano family sitting in a diner together. The one thing that made it great for a second was that they were blasting the 'Journey' song 'Don't Stop Believing.' And then.......nothing. We thought that my cable went out. If nothing else, I think that Andy Kaufman would have been proud. An entire nation just sitting there with their jaws open thinking that their local cable providers let them down at the worst moment possible.
However, in the 24 hours since then I have gotten a little closure with this. There are 2 possible endings that make sense for me. The first is that when Bobby Bacala and Tony are in the boat fishing and Bobby says that you probably never hear it coming. That shady guy who goes into the bathroom comes out blazin' and Tony never even hears the shot.
The second possibility is that it just shows how screwed Tony really is. He is just trying to enjoy a simple dinner with his family. However, for the rest of his life he has to look at everyone as a potential threat. Something that we would take for granted, he needs to be hypersensitive about. The Sopranos play out their days always 1 step ahead of the law, and always trying to live life the best way they know how.
So, that's how it wraps up. We don't know. Maybe we'll never know.
Or at least until the movie comes out in 2010. Cheers!
~Kevin
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
June 5th, 2007 Republican Presidential Debate
Ok, some reason I think that all of you would love nothing more than a nice summary of the latest Republican president debate. You're welcome. For some reason I have really gotten into these debates. I think it might have something to do with the fact that I am half-a-moron and you could throw me on stage cold and I'd be able to hang with these guys. I used to think that being able to string together a coherent sentence was relatively simple, but I these guys prove that point wrong. This isn't going to be a running diary, per se, but I will just summarize some of the funny and/or prudent points that come up. I am going to be posting this periodically just so I don't lose it. So, if you're reading this in real-time make sure to check back early and often.
Finally, here's what this blog would look like if I had skill and intelligence.
~Kevin
- Ok, I don't like this Romney guy. In his first 10 seconds on air he actually used the terms "non sequitur" and "null set" in the same sentence. That first one was so hard I had to look it up. Not a great first step if you're trying to shed your image as a elitist Aristocrat-type.
- I am pretty sure that Tommy Thompson suffers from the same voice immodulation syndrome as that the Will Farrell character Jacob Silj had on SNL.
- 15 minutes in and the first question to my boy Ron Paul! He even got a little applause afterwards.
- Has any person made a leap as big as from mayor to President? Someone do the research on this. I know that in the olden times there must of been a guy who went from sheep farmer to President or something.
- You know what's good? Dried banana chips. I know that this has nothing to do with the debate, but I thought you should know this.
- How do they come up with the podium arrangements here? My guess is that they put the people with the top polling numbers in the middle. I think that it should be like a horse race, and that its a blind draw before each one.
- Ron Paul just had another good point, this time on immigration. I don't want to be a shill for this guy all the time, but you gotta admit that he makes sense. (And another round of applause afterwards.)
- I don't know this for certain, but I think that Tommy Thompson might be cutting his own hair.
- Oh god, Tommy Thompson said that he would utilize G.W. Bush and have him going around to kids teaching them about honesty and integrity. I am not making this up.
- They are trying so hard to distance themselves from the current President that they keep invoking the image of Ronald Reagan. Good golly! Let's move on, shall we?
- Here's a great link to a memo from Andy Grove, founder of Intel, talking about his ideas for the health care system in America.
- The 9 scariest words in the English language are "I'm from the government and I'm here to help."
Finally, here's what this blog would look like if I had skill and intelligence.
~Kevin
Monday, June 04, 2007
This week....
No posting today (Monday). I am going to give some thoughts after the Republican debate tomorrow.
Don't forget to watch Ron Paul as he visits the Daily Show tonight!
~Kevin
Don't forget to watch Ron Paul as he visits the Daily Show tonight!
~Kevin
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Monster Pig.....
For those of you who are checking in for the first time this week, make sure to check out the wonderful exchange DWB and I had regarding managers in my other posting this week.
Anyway, I came across this news story over the weekend, and it's since taken on a life of its own. Basically, an 11 year old kid shot a 1,000 lb wild pig in GA. Let me just say that this thing is absolutely YOOGE. I mean massive. Check it out for yourself here.
The thing that I actually wanted to point out the most are the comments at the top of the page. I am actually surprised that the let the negative comments stay on the page. These things are absolutely brutal. Again, this kid is only 11 years old. The anti-hunters and PETA-types are opening telling him that they hope his "fat ass is killed in a hunting accident." They don't realize it, but the are living the Monday 5 p.m. dream.
Enjoy!
~Kevin
Anyway, I came across this news story over the weekend, and it's since taken on a life of its own. Basically, an 11 year old kid shot a 1,000 lb wild pig in GA. Let me just say that this thing is absolutely YOOGE. I mean massive. Check it out for yourself here.
The thing that I actually wanted to point out the most are the comments at the top of the page. I am actually surprised that the let the negative comments stay on the page. These things are absolutely brutal. Again, this kid is only 11 years old. The anti-hunters and PETA-types are opening telling him that they hope his "fat ass is killed in a hunting accident." They don't realize it, but the are living the Monday 5 p.m. dream.
Enjoy!
~Kevin
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Who Wants a Kidney......
Well, I hope that everyone had a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend.
Just a few random thoughts to leave you with for the week. First, we discussed the viability of the handicapped stalls at my family picnic. A new wrinkle was brought up that I hadn't thought about before. Someone suggested that it's fine to use them as long as its not during normal business hours. So, just to recap: we are no better off after this debate than before we started. That sounds about right for this blog. I don't want people to think that we can go around solving people's problems.
Next, I was all set to give you guys another awesome recipe. For the picnic that I went to on Sunday, I made "Championship Potatoes." I saw this on Guy's Big Bite from the Food Network. They are potatoes that are cooked in a shrimp boil, and covered with cheddar cheese and bacon. What could be bad with that? Well, nothing really. They just didn't turn out quite as amazing as I would have hoped. This one will be going in one of my cookbooks. I actually have a few ideas for cookbooks. One of them is called "The Anthony Morelli All-Star Cookbook." It's filled with things that sounded great going in and had all the hype, but they just never reached their full potential.
Finally, I wasn't really sure where TV could go anymore. I mean, we're willing to basically put anything on there. And it still kills me that all the networks are total sheep and are willing rip off an idea and try to make it their own. For instance, there were NO game shows on primetime TV. Then "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" takes off and now there are a ton of them on. Well, here's a show that I am pretty confident won't be replicated anytime soon. But then again, I never thought that they would try to make a whole show out of those damn Cavemen guys from the Geico commercial.
That's all for now. Short week, short posting. Talk to you in a few days.
~Kevin
Just a few random thoughts to leave you with for the week. First, we discussed the viability of the handicapped stalls at my family picnic. A new wrinkle was brought up that I hadn't thought about before. Someone suggested that it's fine to use them as long as its not during normal business hours. So, just to recap: we are no better off after this debate than before we started. That sounds about right for this blog. I don't want people to think that we can go around solving people's problems.
Next, I was all set to give you guys another awesome recipe. For the picnic that I went to on Sunday, I made "Championship Potatoes." I saw this on Guy's Big Bite from the Food Network. They are potatoes that are cooked in a shrimp boil, and covered with cheddar cheese and bacon. What could be bad with that? Well, nothing really. They just didn't turn out quite as amazing as I would have hoped. This one will be going in one of my cookbooks. I actually have a few ideas for cookbooks. One of them is called "The Anthony Morelli All-Star Cookbook." It's filled with things that sounded great going in and had all the hype, but they just never reached their full potential.
Finally, I wasn't really sure where TV could go anymore. I mean, we're willing to basically put anything on there. And it still kills me that all the networks are total sheep and are willing rip off an idea and try to make it their own. For instance, there were NO game shows on primetime TV. Then "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" takes off and now there are a ton of them on. Well, here's a show that I am pretty confident won't be replicated anytime soon. But then again, I never thought that they would try to make a whole show out of those damn Cavemen guys from the Geico commercial.
That's all for now. Short week, short posting. Talk to you in a few days.
~Kevin
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Luxury Accommodations, Part 2
You know what? I had so many additional thoughts that I thought I needed a whole additional post for this. This is unprecedented. We're going to look back at bathroom ethics as the watershed moment in the history of this blog.
I just felt that posting a bunch of comments wouldn't do this topic justice. So, here goes it......
First, a little update. I noticed when I went to the restroom today that our stalls have a sign on them that states they are for handicapped use only. So, I guess there goes my dream of luxury accommodations.
Next, DWB brings up a great point regarding bathroom etiquette. I would never have the balls to let a few rip and then comment to my co-workers about the General Tao's chicken I had the night before. These are the same people that I have to face in meetings later on. Again, I wouldn't want to be labeled as "that guy." You're trying to get your important initiative recognized, and the guy who was in the bathroom with you as you were battling the Hershey squirts is using all his energy not to burst out laughing. As a matter of fact, I am a huge proponent of never dropping a deuce on the floor where you normally work. In fact, if your company owns multiple buildings, I recommend doing your dirty work in a completely separate building if at all possible.
Third, is anyone else as disappointed as me that CWG has not chimed in on this? He's our expert witness in this area. He better be in a foreign country and unable to connect to the Internet at all.
Fourthly, I would like to expand bathroom etiquette a little bit further. For ladies out there (and guys without a clue), let me tell you how its supposed to work in the restroom. You walk in and do your thing. Thats it. No conversing. No chit-chat about your last round of golf. No banter about the latest sales projections. Nothing. I hate it when I am in there and someone wants to start chatting me up. Stop it! The furthest I should have to go is the obligatory "guy nod" if you see someone you recognize. Thats it. End of story.
I just felt that posting a bunch of comments wouldn't do this topic justice. So, here goes it......
First, a little update. I noticed when I went to the restroom today that our stalls have a sign on them that states they are for handicapped use only. So, I guess there goes my dream of luxury accommodations.
Next, DWB brings up a great point regarding bathroom etiquette. I would never have the balls to let a few rip and then comment to my co-workers about the General Tao's chicken I had the night before. These are the same people that I have to face in meetings later on. Again, I wouldn't want to be labeled as "that guy." You're trying to get your important initiative recognized, and the guy who was in the bathroom with you as you were battling the Hershey squirts is using all his energy not to burst out laughing. As a matter of fact, I am a huge proponent of never dropping a deuce on the floor where you normally work. In fact, if your company owns multiple buildings, I recommend doing your dirty work in a completely separate building if at all possible.
Third, is anyone else as disappointed as me that CWG has not chimed in on this? He's our expert witness in this area. He better be in a foreign country and unable to connect to the Internet at all.
Fourthly, I would like to expand bathroom etiquette a little bit further. For ladies out there (and guys without a clue), let me tell you how its supposed to work in the restroom. You walk in and do your thing. Thats it. No conversing. No chit-chat about your last round of golf. No banter about the latest sales projections. Nothing. I hate it when I am in there and someone wants to start chatting me up. Stop it! The furthest I should have to go is the obligatory "guy nod" if you see someone you recognize. Thats it. End of story.
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