Check out this crazy story that took place right up the road from my office. I think his reaction is a bit excessive, but still brings up a very discerning trend that I see with mothers. They don't understand the meaning of loyalty. Too many times with myself or with my friends, I hear about the mother siding with an ex girlfriend when the son and the girl breakup. This happened to me when Amy and I broke up. The first thing out of my mom's mouth when I told her was "What did you do wrong?" What the hell is that all about. Then I had to hear for weeks on end about how great Amy was and that I should go back to her. That's great. That's exactly what I want to hear from my mom.
Then the same thing happened to Ben (twice) but his mom took it to another level. She actually stayed in contact with his ex's and would call Ben to tell him about what they were up to. What is in a mother's DNA to do this? Where is the loyalty to the son? You never see this happen with the Dad, only the mom.
And in the story above, this mom invites the guys ex wife to a Christmas party? And this is after a nasty divorce? Great idea. Way to send the guy over the edge.
Dec 30, 2008
Dec 29, 2008
Sports News
Baseball
1. I haven't commented at all about all the moves so far this offseason. I'm happy about getting Holiday on the A's, but it seems a little meaningless without Furcal. Now we are stuck with Crosby who is terrible offensively and defensively. This will kill our offense, which already has too many question marks with Chavez and Ellis coming back from injuries. I'm sure Beane will do something else before the start of the season, but what a huge letdown not to get Furcal. The bullpen will be our strength and our starters have a huge upside, but not everyone will pan out. I'm predicting 85 wins this year in a weak AL West.
2. The only thing that is giving me hope in the A's is that Texeria is no longer on the Angels. What a huge break. Now I just have to wait for Manny to sign somewhere else.
3. Brad Penny to the Sox is a steal. 1 year $5 million contract with a $3 million incentive? Um, where were the A's in this? When Penny is healthy he is dominate.
4. I know its just ESPN being ESPN, but can we give the "Yanks ruining baseball" a break? Ugh. Haven't they been saying this for the past 20 years? Yanks reduce their payroll, and all they can say is that they spend too much money. Come on. Its makes it all the better when TB kicks all of their asses come next year.
NFL:
1. So all the road teams are favored in the Wild Card Weekend? Wow. This has me scared.
2. So if you took the under in Eric's "When will Romeo be fired", its time to cash in. Its sad to see that some of the other coaches are still employed. How can I make any Herm Edwards to the Browns jokes when he isn't fired yet?
3. Congrats to Eric for winning the pickem pool. Very impressive. I am a believer in your ability to only pick NFL games. Hockey, College Basketball and Football, and Soccer not so much.
NFL Wagering
1. Ohhh, so many things to like in the upcoming weekend in gambling. Taking Indy (-1.5) and the Under (51) is like taking candy from a baby. Norv in the playoffs and LT injured is making me giddy. If you watched last nights game, Denver couldn't stop Sproiles (every other team in the league has) and they also threw two interceptions in the red zone. Manning won't do that. SD isn't that good.
2. Wait a second. I get to make more money off of Tarvis Jackson? What a nice late Christmas present. Take Philly -3.
3. Miami vs Baltimore- As bad as I want to take the Ravens giving 3, a rookie QB on the road in the playoffs usually means bad things. Wait, has that ever happened before? I think I'm going to just take the over (37).
4. Atlanta vs Arizona- See above. I'll take the home team getting 2.5 against a rookie QB everyday of the week.
College Football Wagering:
1. OK, someone please talk me out of wagering on the Terps tomorrow.
2. Then loan me some money to unload on USC and Texas. The Big Ten is terrible.
3. Did you know that San Diego has two bowls games in the same stadium two weeks apart? I know it happens with the Orange Bowl, but I thought that was interesting.
1. I haven't commented at all about all the moves so far this offseason. I'm happy about getting Holiday on the A's, but it seems a little meaningless without Furcal. Now we are stuck with Crosby who is terrible offensively and defensively. This will kill our offense, which already has too many question marks with Chavez and Ellis coming back from injuries. I'm sure Beane will do something else before the start of the season, but what a huge letdown not to get Furcal. The bullpen will be our strength and our starters have a huge upside, but not everyone will pan out. I'm predicting 85 wins this year in a weak AL West.
2. The only thing that is giving me hope in the A's is that Texeria is no longer on the Angels. What a huge break. Now I just have to wait for Manny to sign somewhere else.
3. Brad Penny to the Sox is a steal. 1 year $5 million contract with a $3 million incentive? Um, where were the A's in this? When Penny is healthy he is dominate.
4. I know its just ESPN being ESPN, but can we give the "Yanks ruining baseball" a break? Ugh. Haven't they been saying this for the past 20 years? Yanks reduce their payroll, and all they can say is that they spend too much money. Come on. Its makes it all the better when TB kicks all of their asses come next year.
NFL:
1. So all the road teams are favored in the Wild Card Weekend? Wow. This has me scared.
2. So if you took the under in Eric's "When will Romeo be fired", its time to cash in. Its sad to see that some of the other coaches are still employed. How can I make any Herm Edwards to the Browns jokes when he isn't fired yet?
3. Congrats to Eric for winning the pickem pool. Very impressive. I am a believer in your ability to only pick NFL games. Hockey, College Basketball and Football, and Soccer not so much.
NFL Wagering
1. Ohhh, so many things to like in the upcoming weekend in gambling. Taking Indy (-1.5) and the Under (51) is like taking candy from a baby. Norv in the playoffs and LT injured is making me giddy. If you watched last nights game, Denver couldn't stop Sproiles (every other team in the league has) and they also threw two interceptions in the red zone. Manning won't do that. SD isn't that good.
2. Wait a second. I get to make more money off of Tarvis Jackson? What a nice late Christmas present. Take Philly -3.
3. Miami vs Baltimore- As bad as I want to take the Ravens giving 3, a rookie QB on the road in the playoffs usually means bad things. Wait, has that ever happened before? I think I'm going to just take the over (37).
4. Atlanta vs Arizona- See above. I'll take the home team getting 2.5 against a rookie QB everyday of the week.
College Football Wagering:
1. OK, someone please talk me out of wagering on the Terps tomorrow.
2. Then loan me some money to unload on USC and Texas. The Big Ten is terrible.
3. Did you know that San Diego has two bowls games in the same stadium two weeks apart? I know it happens with the Orange Bowl, but I thought that was interesting.
Dec 27, 2008
NFL Week 17: Gene Steratore
Here we are, the end of the season. I have put the Crennel firing watch at 16 1/2 hours after the end of the Steelers game...in 16 1/2 hours after the end of the game, the official word will come down and be reported on ESPN. Are you taking the over or under?
Week 17 saves the best ref for last ... Gene Steratore. Quality official, was the lead ref for one of the great Browns games last year (Browns-Seahawks), and I am convinced that he will get a good playoff assignment this year and a Super Bowl somewhere down the line.
Back to the Browns...4-12 this year, and back to the drawing board with a new coach and probably a new GM.....maybe, just maybe, we can turn it around in 2009 like the Falcons did this year. I think the talent is here on the team to be 8-8 this year....with a decent coach (Cowher? Marty?), I think 9-7 (or better?) is definitely possible next year. And the schedule gets a bit easier, playing the NFC North and the AFC West.
TB 24, Oak 13. I'm done trying to figure out either of these teams.
Pit 24, Cle 6. I can't figure this line out. We haven't scored an offensive touchdown in 5 games - and we are only 11 point underdogs? I know Pit will be playing their 2nd string...but cmon.
Car 23, NO 20. I think last week took a lot out of Carolina, and the Saints may win here.
Min 20, NYG 17. Like last year, the Giants will play hard to the end.
Ind 20, Ten 17. Neither team has anything to play for. And we Browns fans know that Jim Sorgi is no good....so why am I picking this game for the Colts, again?
Hou 27, Chi 17 After last week's close shave, I think the Bears are a fraud.
GB 23, Det 16. The Lions will make this close.
Cin 24, KC 21. This will officially send the Browns to last in the AFC North.
NE 31, Buf 17. The Pats will go all out in this one.
Atl 24, StL 10. Falcons stll may get a division title.
SF 24, Was 16. Yes, the collapse of the Skins continues.
Az 28, Sea 17. I just gotta believe that the Seahawks shot their last wad last week, and Arizona needs to prove something - anything! - at home.
Phi 24, Dal 23. I have no idea...so I'm picking how I will be rooting.
NYJ 20, Mia 17, OT. Would it be any other way - coming down to OT?
Bal 26, Jax 10. Yes, the Ravens clinch a playoff spot. Wow.
SD 27, Den 24. I don't think the Broncos will lie down and give this spot to the Chargers. And it is Norv Turner as the Chargers coach, after all.
Best bets: 15 this week: Last week: 7-7-1; overall: 135-100-7.
Pit -11 (I usually never bet on the Browns game, but c'mon....)
Car/NO Under 51
NYG +7
Ind +3
Hou -3
Det +11
KC/Cin over 39
KC/Cin over 39
NE -5.5
NE/Buf over 40
StL/Atl under 44
SF -3
AZ -7
NYJ/Mia under 43
Bal -11
Den +8
Dec 26, 2008
So much anger
I hate fucking Pottery Barn. How are simple wooden chairs for a kitchen table $250 a pop? Oh, I have an option of a $99 chair, but it will only fit one of my ass cheeks on it. The chairs are actually twice as much as the table that we want to buy. How are they in business? Oh, that's right, they have an amazing marketing campaign that brain washes all women into thinking that their furniture is the only crap that matters. Trying to talk Carol out of shopping at Pottery Barn is like trying to convince Lee and Wiz to stay at the Monte Carlo. Impossible.
And what the hell is the deal with rugs? I love my hardwood floors, but for some reason we need to put a $2000 rug over top of it. Then why did we get the upgraded hardwoods? Why not just carpeting? ARGH!!! OK, I'm done with my Seinfeld type rant. Sorry.
And what the hell is the deal with rugs? I love my hardwood floors, but for some reason we need to put a $2000 rug over top of it. Then why did we get the upgraded hardwoods? Why not just carpeting? ARGH!!! OK, I'm done with my Seinfeld type rant. Sorry.
Dec 23, 2008
Rant
Can I just tell you that I really don't like Christmas anymore? Maybe its because I'm cross country and it requires pretty solid planning to ensure everything gets back East or to the Midwest in time without it costing $1,000. Or maybe its my office where every supervisor and manager has their hand out expecting a gift from me. I tried to make this easier this year when I took them all out to a nice dinner and then the women went to go see Wicked and the men went to the Laugh Factory for a show. But even with this I had one supervisor sort of ask me where my present was for them today. Umm, the $3,000 in dinner and tickets wasn't enough for you? Unbelievable.
So I guess I'm a little bit jaded. Over the years I have become to like sending out Christmas Cards and I've gotten better and better in sending these out timely. I usually go with a traditional card and keep it simple, but this year Carol wanted to make her own cards and so that is what was sent out. So this entire process of sending out cards really isn't a downer for me.
But what is are the cards that I receive from my friends. I have two pet peeves on Christmas Cards. I absolutely hate the "Pictures of My Kids Christmas Cards" and I hate the year in review summary I get from others. Here's what upsets me:
1. These cards were obviously massed produced either by Target or on their home computer. It probably took the couple 5 minutes to send out 100 of these cards. Where is the time and effort in signing each one and possibly writing something nice and sweat.
2. I don't want to see a forced close up picture of your kids from Sears in their holiday best. Rarely do the kids seem happy in the pictures. Now I have to have these pictures stare at me while I watch TV for a month.
3. What ever happened to the old Far Side Christmas cards with a picture of Santa yelling up the chimney "Where are the presents? Do I have to come up there and knock some heads together" with a little kid watching from behind the couch with the caption "Billy realizes that Santa is a jerk." I love these things and now they are in danger of permanently disappearing because everyone is printing out picture cards.
4. If you must send out pictures of the kids, then include the parents as well, since they are the ones I'm friends with. I hate the guessing game of whose kids they are.
5. Puts added pressure on me to have kids. Its bad enough that Carol's best friend is pregnant, but now I have 10 Christmas cards with kids on it staring at Carol every evening. Makes for a great time at home right now. Thanks a lot guys.
6. Year in Review Summary- Really only one thing to say about this. Why? Do you really not talk to anyone frequent enough that you feel like you need to give us a summary of everything going on in life. For Christ sake, you are just not that important and most of us don't care.
So I know that this will result in me getting either zero Christmas Cards next year or 1,000 photos of everyone's kids for Easter, Thanksgiving, or 4th of July.
So I guess I'm a little bit jaded. Over the years I have become to like sending out Christmas Cards and I've gotten better and better in sending these out timely. I usually go with a traditional card and keep it simple, but this year Carol wanted to make her own cards and so that is what was sent out. So this entire process of sending out cards really isn't a downer for me.
But what is are the cards that I receive from my friends. I have two pet peeves on Christmas Cards. I absolutely hate the "Pictures of My Kids Christmas Cards" and I hate the year in review summary I get from others. Here's what upsets me:
1. These cards were obviously massed produced either by Target or on their home computer. It probably took the couple 5 minutes to send out 100 of these cards. Where is the time and effort in signing each one and possibly writing something nice and sweat.
2. I don't want to see a forced close up picture of your kids from Sears in their holiday best. Rarely do the kids seem happy in the pictures. Now I have to have these pictures stare at me while I watch TV for a month.
3. What ever happened to the old Far Side Christmas cards with a picture of Santa yelling up the chimney "Where are the presents? Do I have to come up there and knock some heads together" with a little kid watching from behind the couch with the caption "Billy realizes that Santa is a jerk." I love these things and now they are in danger of permanently disappearing because everyone is printing out picture cards.
4. If you must send out pictures of the kids, then include the parents as well, since they are the ones I'm friends with. I hate the guessing game of whose kids they are.
5. Puts added pressure on me to have kids. Its bad enough that Carol's best friend is pregnant, but now I have 10 Christmas cards with kids on it staring at Carol every evening. Makes for a great time at home right now. Thanks a lot guys.
6. Year in Review Summary- Really only one thing to say about this. Why? Do you really not talk to anyone frequent enough that you feel like you need to give us a summary of everything going on in life. For Christ sake, you are just not that important and most of us don't care.
So I know that this will result in me getting either zero Christmas Cards next year or 1,000 photos of everyone's kids for Easter, Thanksgiving, or 4th of July.
Sunday
Moved into the new house. Had some issues with the movers, which resulted in me overpaying and having to move everything other than a few big furniture items. Guess I deserved this by going with Movers for Less Inc. Ugh. So on Sunday I walked down to the local Wing joint to watch the afternoon games. Few thoughts while watching the crap afternoon games.
1. Walked into the bar and there were seven guys sitting next to each other wearing the following jerseys; Sean Taylor (Skins), Rodney Harrison (SD), Jake Plummer (Den), Elway (Den), Jerome Bettis (Pit), David Carr (Houston), and Natron Means (SD). Not one current jersey between the seven of them. Classic.
2. $3.00 for 6 excellent wings, along with $5.00 for 22 ounce Blue Moons, plus Direct TV equals Derek's new favorite place to watch games. This also equals Derek losing the weight loss challenge to Eric. I need to send more Arby's coupons to Eric to make it an even playing field.
3. I will continue to comment on the Coors Light commercials. The Brian Billick commercials are a thing of beauty. I absolutely love it. I'm so excited for the super bowl to see if they have news ones all set.
4. I have realized that I sound like a homeless person while I watch football (or any sporting events) by myself at a bar. I'm shouting things out randomly at TVs. Laughing at my phone. Writing random things in my notebook while mumbling to myself. I had a table of two guys sitting next to me a the bar on Sunday look over to me as I was shaking my head and doing one of those I can't believe this is happening to me laughs saying "Unfucking believable", while writing something in my book. I think they were getting scared.
5. Random Vegas Note #1: I'm excited for our trip in March for many reasons, but one of the top ones will be pulling an all nighter with Jay drinking and gambling. This became an annual thing with us a few years back, and it usually ended up with us sitting the Wheel of Fortune machine hammered, making calls back home at 5:00am in the morning.
6. Random Vegas Thought #2: What a a bunch of degenerates going this year!! Eric and I were just talking about it. Not a weak member in the group. This could be very very dangerous. We do lose a valuable members in Micah and Kermit, but gain Jay and Laura. With Eric, Wiz, Lee, Jay, Laura, Don, Mike, and myself as the main core along with Dick and his two older buddies coming along to kick off the weekend on Wednesday and Thursday, this should be exciting. Too bad my bankroll will probably be the smallest its been in about 4 years.
1. Walked into the bar and there were seven guys sitting next to each other wearing the following jerseys; Sean Taylor (Skins), Rodney Harrison (SD), Jake Plummer (Den), Elway (Den), Jerome Bettis (Pit), David Carr (Houston), and Natron Means (SD). Not one current jersey between the seven of them. Classic.
2. $3.00 for 6 excellent wings, along with $5.00 for 22 ounce Blue Moons, plus Direct TV equals Derek's new favorite place to watch games. This also equals Derek losing the weight loss challenge to Eric. I need to send more Arby's coupons to Eric to make it an even playing field.
3. I will continue to comment on the Coors Light commercials. The Brian Billick commercials are a thing of beauty. I absolutely love it. I'm so excited for the super bowl to see if they have news ones all set.
4. I have realized that I sound like a homeless person while I watch football (or any sporting events) by myself at a bar. I'm shouting things out randomly at TVs. Laughing at my phone. Writing random things in my notebook while mumbling to myself. I had a table of two guys sitting next to me a the bar on Sunday look over to me as I was shaking my head and doing one of those I can't believe this is happening to me laughs saying "Unfucking believable", while writing something in my book. I think they were getting scared.
5. Random Vegas Note #1: I'm excited for our trip in March for many reasons, but one of the top ones will be pulling an all nighter with Jay drinking and gambling. This became an annual thing with us a few years back, and it usually ended up with us sitting the Wheel of Fortune machine hammered, making calls back home at 5:00am in the morning.
6. Random Vegas Thought #2: What a a bunch of degenerates going this year!! Eric and I were just talking about it. Not a weak member in the group. This could be very very dangerous. We do lose a valuable members in Micah and Kermit, but gain Jay and Laura. With Eric, Wiz, Lee, Jay, Laura, Don, Mike, and myself as the main core along with Dick and his two older buddies coming along to kick off the weekend on Wednesday and Thursday, this should be exciting. Too bad my bankroll will probably be the smallest its been in about 4 years.
Dec 21, 2008
I wish I was joking...
...but I'm not.
During the telecast today, Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon were questioning the Browns' defensive strategy.
"This is not rocket science. You know the Bengals are going to run hard and limit their passes. Do we watch more game tape than the Browns' coaching staff?"
And he wasn't being sarcastic.
Question:
The Browns now have not scored an offensive TD in 20 quarters. And we go to Pittsburgh next week.
Any guesses on the line? I'm thinking 19 1/2.
By the way: leading passer in the game: Ken Dorsey, 68 yards.
During the telecast today, Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon were questioning the Browns' defensive strategy.
"This is not rocket science. You know the Bengals are going to run hard and limit their passes. Do we watch more game tape than the Browns' coaching staff?"
And he wasn't being sarcastic.
Question:
The Browns now have not scored an offensive TD in 20 quarters. And we go to Pittsburgh next week.
Any guesses on the line? I'm thinking 19 1/2.
By the way: leading passer in the game: Ken Dorsey, 68 yards.
Dec 20, 2008
NFL Week 16: Tony Corrente
Week 16 of this interminable NFL season is upon us. We finish up the last two weeks with two of the better refs in the league. Tony Corrente will be doing a Super Bowl soon - in fact, he was the alternate for Super Bowl 40 in Detroit. Just think - if he did the game instead of McAulay, would Mike Holmgren still be coaching, or be retired with 2 Super Bowl rings? Would Cowher still be with the Steelers? Would Bettis still be playing too? The mind boggles...
Anyway, the picks for this week (and you know I am honest with you, so I will provide my picks for the first 2 games this week):
Ind 27, Jax 9
Bal 23, Dal 20. Yes, I did predict this....I picked them to win straight up in my pick em pool.
TB 23, SD 13. Geesh, has San Diego mailed in this season, no?
Pit 23, Ten 21. I have no idea what will happen here. Will Pit be worn out after 5 tough games in a row? Are the Titans really this good?
(By the way, can I maim the ShamWOW guy so he doesn't appear on TV again? )
SF 20, StL 19. Just a hunch. Probably a bad one.
NE 33, Az 13. The Pats are desperate and need wins. They will jump on the Cardinals early and often.
Mia 20, KC 13. This AFC East will go down to next week.
NO 27, Det 17. Not this week. NO is just too good with Brees.
NYJ 24, Sea 16. Everyone wants to pick the Seahawks. I don't know.....the Seahawks had to hold on for dear life against the Rams....
Hou 27, Oak 9. This just smells like a trap for Houston. Can you have trap games for non-playoff teams?
Den 22, Buf 16. I can't believe that the Bills are that bad....are they?
Phi 24, Was 13. The Eagles will make the playoffs, I predict.
Atl 24, Min 20. Upset of the week.
NYG 20, Car 19. I have no clue about these teams anymore.
Chi 28, GB 13. The Bears want revenge from the 37-3 drubbing they received 5 weeks ago.
Cle 14, Cin 13. The exact score of the Cle-Cin game in 1991. 4 field goals and a safety for the Browns gave them the win. The kicker for the Browns that day? The rookie Matt Stover.
Best bets: 15 this week. Last week: 6-7-2 (overall: 128-93-6).
Ind -6 (W)
Bal +5.5 (W)
TB -3.5
SD/TB under 42.5
Pit/Ten over 34
Stl +5
NE -8
Mia -3.5
NYJ -3.5
Hou -7
Hou/Oak under 43.5
Buf/Den under 45
Phi -5
Atl +3
Chi -4
Anyway, the picks for this week (and you know I am honest with you, so I will provide my picks for the first 2 games this week):
Ind 27, Jax 9
Bal 23, Dal 20. Yes, I did predict this....I picked them to win straight up in my pick em pool.
TB 23, SD 13. Geesh, has San Diego mailed in this season, no?
Pit 23, Ten 21. I have no idea what will happen here. Will Pit be worn out after 5 tough games in a row? Are the Titans really this good?
(By the way, can I maim the ShamWOW guy so he doesn't appear on TV again? )
SF 20, StL 19. Just a hunch. Probably a bad one.
NE 33, Az 13. The Pats are desperate and need wins. They will jump on the Cardinals early and often.
Mia 20, KC 13. This AFC East will go down to next week.
NO 27, Det 17. Not this week. NO is just too good with Brees.
NYJ 24, Sea 16. Everyone wants to pick the Seahawks. I don't know.....the Seahawks had to hold on for dear life against the Rams....
Hou 27, Oak 9. This just smells like a trap for Houston. Can you have trap games for non-playoff teams?
Den 22, Buf 16. I can't believe that the Bills are that bad....are they?
Phi 24, Was 13. The Eagles will make the playoffs, I predict.
Atl 24, Min 20. Upset of the week.
NYG 20, Car 19. I have no clue about these teams anymore.
Chi 28, GB 13. The Bears want revenge from the 37-3 drubbing they received 5 weeks ago.
Cle 14, Cin 13. The exact score of the Cle-Cin game in 1991. 4 field goals and a safety for the Browns gave them the win. The kicker for the Browns that day? The rookie Matt Stover.
Best bets: 15 this week. Last week: 6-7-2 (overall: 128-93-6).
Ind -6 (W)
Bal +5.5 (W)
TB -3.5
SD/TB under 42.5
Pit/Ten over 34
Stl +5
NE -8
Mia -3.5
NYJ -3.5
Hou -7
Hou/Oak under 43.5
Buf/Den under 45
Phi -5
Atl +3
Chi -4
Dec 17, 2008
Quotes from a 7 year old
Ah, to be an innocent 7 year old....these are actual quotes from Freddie over the past few weeks:
1) As Freddie and I were going to the Browns game before Thanksgiving, he saw that #10, Brady Quinn, was going to be the starter.
"Anderson's not starting?"
No, I said. Brady is in now.
"Hmmmm....is it an NFL rule that teams have to change quarterbacks every month?"
(I haven't asked him yet what he thinks about Dorsey).
2) Church pageant: we asked Freddie and Warren if they wanted to be in the Church Christmas pageant. After much hemming and hawing, Freddie agreed. "I'll do it this year", he said, "and then I'll take next year off. Then I'll do it again when I'm in 4th grade."
It's hard being a star, apparently.
3) Christmas time! Freddie and Janice went out shopping for a present, apparently for me. At the dinner table that night:
Freddie: "Hey Dad, we went out and got you a Christmas present. But it's a secret!"
Me: "Really? You can't tell me? You can't give me a hint?"
Freddie: "No! Mom said we're not allowed to tell you what your present is - and if we do, she'll take it back to GameStop."
Janice then buried her head in her hands.
So - is it Madden 09 or Tiger Woods PGA?
1) As Freddie and I were going to the Browns game before Thanksgiving, he saw that #10, Brady Quinn, was going to be the starter.
"Anderson's not starting?"
No, I said. Brady is in now.
"Hmmmm....is it an NFL rule that teams have to change quarterbacks every month?"
(I haven't asked him yet what he thinks about Dorsey).
2) Church pageant: we asked Freddie and Warren if they wanted to be in the Church Christmas pageant. After much hemming and hawing, Freddie agreed. "I'll do it this year", he said, "and then I'll take next year off. Then I'll do it again when I'm in 4th grade."
It's hard being a star, apparently.
3) Christmas time! Freddie and Janice went out shopping for a present, apparently for me. At the dinner table that night:
Freddie: "Hey Dad, we went out and got you a Christmas present. But it's a secret!"
Me: "Really? You can't tell me? You can't give me a hint?"
Freddie: "No! Mom said we're not allowed to tell you what your present is - and if we do, she'll take it back to GameStop."
Janice then buried her head in her hands.
So - is it Madden 09 or Tiger Woods PGA?
Calling Wiz...
And just what impact will this freak snow storm have on the casinos?
No flights are coming in or leaving Vegas today - and probably tomorrow. Here's a shocker: McCarran airport does not have snow removal equipment. Really?
Dec 15, 2008
Post Office
Why do fat old dumb people continue to fuck everything up for the rest of us! I'm at the post office today to buy some stamps for my Christmas cards. The line at the counter is about 20 people deep, but there is a self check out machine on the side that doesn't have that many people in line. So I jump into that line, but then realize that there is a 300 pound 60 year old female trying to buy postage for about 10 packages, but has no clue how to work the machine. Why do people do this? If you don't know how to use it, don't even attempt it unless there is no one in the store. Slowly behind me a line of about 8 people form, so now the entire Post Office is packed and people are getting mad. We all try to offer our help to her, but guess what, SHE DOESN'T SPEAK ENGLISH!!! OK, maybe that is not entirely true, but she speaks very broken English and we realize that it is a lost cause to even start to explain to her how this thing works. One man in front of me sort of pushed her into the other line with a collective sigh of relief from everyone else. This could of resulted in an all out riot if she was allowed to stay there any longer.
Material
I've been sort of quiet on the blog recently, mainly because I really didn't have much to talk about. I've been knee deep in work, buying a house, and dealing with the collapse of my fantasy football teams. Below are my recent ramblings to start off the week.
1. Gov Blago- I'm surprised I haven't seen any chatter on the blog about this idiot. The one thing I love though is his hair. And the fact that he has a hair brush that must be with him at all times and he calls "The Football". Nice.
2. And what is Obama doing with this Blago stuff. It's obvious to most of us that it is only natural and necessary for his staff to contact Blago about the Senate seat, so why are they being so hush hush about it? And this is after the FBI stated that Obama did nothing wrong. What is going on here? It's making them look like they did something wrong.
3. And the final word about Blago. Wouldn't he be a great addition to our Vegas trip? He would definitely be in charge of our room reservations. "Boys, what we have here is gold. 8 people wanting to spend money in Vegas. If they don't comp our rooms, Fuck them. Mirage, what are you going to give us? Nothing, Fuck you. We will stay in our cars then."
4. Bush and shoes- Um, wow. Two things from this shoe throwing incident. First, great job by Bush in dodging the shoes. Amazing reaction time. He should be a boxing trainer after he returns to Texas. And secondly, great form by the shoe thrower. The first throw is expected to be on target, but the second one, not only was he on target, but he did it while having some hands in his face. All in all, very impressive by everyone.
5. Things you don't want to hear your government say. "We have run out of tear gas". What the hell is going on in Greece.
6. Great story last week in the Wall Street Journal. Chucke Cheese has seen a sharp increase in violence at their MidWest locations. I guess the business idea of serving alcohol to adults was not a great idea. A cop in Milwaukee stated that he has been called to Chucke Cheese 4 times as more than the biker bar down the street.
7. So on Saturday I traveled up to Pasadena to some small English bar to watch Hull City vs. Liverpool. Yup. Woke up at 5:00am and drove 90 minutes to watch a soccer game. The reason was justified as I promised one of my supervisors, a South African who is a huge Liverpool fan, that I would watch a game with him. And since my favorite gambling team, Hull City was playing his team, I decided to bit the bullet and head on up there. And I was very impressed. The bar was a tiny hole in the wall, but very cool. 60 people crammed into the bar to watch the game. 58 of them were Liverpool fans. I was the only guy in the bar that didn't have a British accent. In the end it was a good time. Hull City took a 2-0 lead, but blew it, and ended up 2-2 tie. Still won money though, so I was happy.
8. Let's go Browns tonight!!! I'm up by 25 points in my one fantasy league and the other guy has McNabb going tonight. I have finished the regular season in second place and overall points leader in both of my leagues and I could win a total of ZERO dollars for the year. ugh.
1. Gov Blago- I'm surprised I haven't seen any chatter on the blog about this idiot. The one thing I love though is his hair. And the fact that he has a hair brush that must be with him at all times and he calls "The Football". Nice.
2. And what is Obama doing with this Blago stuff. It's obvious to most of us that it is only natural and necessary for his staff to contact Blago about the Senate seat, so why are they being so hush hush about it? And this is after the FBI stated that Obama did nothing wrong. What is going on here? It's making them look like they did something wrong.
3. And the final word about Blago. Wouldn't he be a great addition to our Vegas trip? He would definitely be in charge of our room reservations. "Boys, what we have here is gold. 8 people wanting to spend money in Vegas. If they don't comp our rooms, Fuck them. Mirage, what are you going to give us? Nothing, Fuck you. We will stay in our cars then."
4. Bush and shoes- Um, wow. Two things from this shoe throwing incident. First, great job by Bush in dodging the shoes. Amazing reaction time. He should be a boxing trainer after he returns to Texas. And secondly, great form by the shoe thrower. The first throw is expected to be on target, but the second one, not only was he on target, but he did it while having some hands in his face. All in all, very impressive by everyone.
5. Things you don't want to hear your government say. "We have run out of tear gas". What the hell is going on in Greece.
6. Great story last week in the Wall Street Journal. Chucke Cheese has seen a sharp increase in violence at their MidWest locations. I guess the business idea of serving alcohol to adults was not a great idea. A cop in Milwaukee stated that he has been called to Chucke Cheese 4 times as more than the biker bar down the street.
7. So on Saturday I traveled up to Pasadena to some small English bar to watch Hull City vs. Liverpool. Yup. Woke up at 5:00am and drove 90 minutes to watch a soccer game. The reason was justified as I promised one of my supervisors, a South African who is a huge Liverpool fan, that I would watch a game with him. And since my favorite gambling team, Hull City was playing his team, I decided to bit the bullet and head on up there. And I was very impressed. The bar was a tiny hole in the wall, but very cool. 60 people crammed into the bar to watch the game. 58 of them were Liverpool fans. I was the only guy in the bar that didn't have a British accent. In the end it was a good time. Hull City took a 2-0 lead, but blew it, and ended up 2-2 tie. Still won money though, so I was happy.
8. Let's go Browns tonight!!! I'm up by 25 points in my one fantasy league and the other guy has McNabb going tonight. I have finished the regular season in second place and overall points leader in both of my leagues and I could win a total of ZERO dollars for the year. ugh.
Dec 14, 2008
The Frog is Famous
I meant to post this earlier, but things got crazy at work. As some of you may know, one of our own appeared in ESPN Magazine. Kermit lives in and owns the "Heisman House" in Cleveland, the birthplace of John Heisman, and was interviewed by ESPN Magazine. Here is the article.
Frankly, I'm very disappointed. Topics that I was expecting, but were not mentioned, in an interview with Kermit for a national publication:
- a discussion of vodka brands
- strippers
- cheeseburgers (note: why didn't you pose in front of 45 McDonald's cheeseburgers for a picture of a "trophy" that you owe me)
- the word "Mer"
- your thought process when trying to make a 8-foot, straight in, uphill par putt against Steve or I.
But a good read anyway!
NFL Week 15: John Parry
Here we are in the final weeks of the NFL season. For some teams and fans, it is a prelude to the excitement and drama of January playoff football; for others, these are the critical weeks that represent a do-or-die scenario for the teams and cities.
And then you have those teams who are completely out of the race, and have nothing to look forward to. A lame duck coach, a QB that can't throw the ball more than 10 yards, and a defense that has holes all over the place. THese are the anonymous teams and the fans just want the pain to end.
So here's John Parry - a fairly anonymous official who grew up in Akron. That may explain why I never see him on Browns games - although the photo above is from the Cleveland-Oakland game last year. I'm not sure Parry is a playoff caliber official - it may say something that the photo we could find was from that game between 2 of the NFL's doormat franchises right now.
By the way, my wish list for a new Browns coach in 2009:
1. Bill Cowher
2. Marty Schottenheimer
3. Steve Spagnuolo
Sea 20, StL 16. This wins the award for "Stinker game of the week". Next week's award: Cin at Cle, and finally, KC at Cin.
NYJ 27, Buf 17. Not sure what to think about the Jets any more. Have teams figured them out?
Mia 23, SF 19. May not be as easy as everyone thinks.
SD 28, KC 27. I'm not ready to predict an upset here, but it would not surprise me.
GB 20, Jax 17. What happened to the Packers this year?
Ind 31, Det 10. Three more to go for the Lions
Ten 27, Hou 20. I think Houston will make too many mistakes that will prevent a win.
Cin 17, Was 16. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me four times.....ugh. I just have no faith in the Redskins. None.
TB 23, Atl 20. The Bucs are desperate, and Gruden will find a way.
Az 20, Min 17. What motivation do the Cards have here to play well?
NE 28, Oak 10. I think the Pats received a wake up call last week.
Car 27, Den 16. I think the Panthers are on a roll right now.
Pit 19, Bal 16, OT. Pit's defense against a rookie QB? I'll take the points.
NYG 31, Dal 23. Dallas has just been too inconsistent for me, period.
Phi 31, Cle 3. I'll be in Puerto Rico for this one.......far away from this upcoming debacle. The Browns will have 3 Monday night games in 2008 - and in all three games, they had a different starting QB.
Best bets: 15 of them; last week: 11-4. Overall: 121-86-4
Chi -3 (push)
Sea/Stl Under 42
KC +6
SD/KC over 45
GB/Jax under 46.5
Ind -17
Ten -3
Cin +6.5
TB +3
Min/Az under 46.5
NE -6.5
Car -7.5
Pit +2.5
NYG +3
NYG/Dal over 45.5
Dec 8, 2008
Depressed
Yup, another "close but no cigar" finish in another gambling pool. Thank you very fucking much DeAngelo Williams. 200 yards and two touchdowns sank my top ranked team in the playoffs. I ended up losing by 2 points. Thanks for keeping the streak a live you fucking piece of shit.
Went out to Palm Springs this weekend with Carol and her friends. Great time actually, and it was topped off with an evening at an Indian Casino. Nice run at BJ and Pai Gow. At Pai Gow, sat next to a nice old Jewish lady playing $50 a hand and another $25 on the bonus. She gave me grief for not playing it. Made for a nice hour of playing. Taught Carol's friends and they are now hooked. Then the evening went downhill. Played some more BJ with an idiot with a handle bar mustache who split tens. This led to a friendly little conversation between him and I and me pulling my money and watching him lose hand after hand and me openly laughing with the dealer at him. Let's just say he wasn't too happy. Then I got hooked into a quick game of Indian Casino craps. The one that is played on a regular size craps table,but they use cards instead of dice. In 4 minutes I lost $50. No matter how hard I try to stay away from this shit game, it always pulls me in.
And what puts me into full drinking mode is checking the Sirius/XM stock price.
Went out to Palm Springs this weekend with Carol and her friends. Great time actually, and it was topped off with an evening at an Indian Casino. Nice run at BJ and Pai Gow. At Pai Gow, sat next to a nice old Jewish lady playing $50 a hand and another $25 on the bonus. She gave me grief for not playing it. Made for a nice hour of playing. Taught Carol's friends and they are now hooked. Then the evening went downhill. Played some more BJ with an idiot with a handle bar mustache who split tens. This led to a friendly little conversation between him and I and me pulling my money and watching him lose hand after hand and me openly laughing with the dealer at him. Let's just say he wasn't too happy. Then I got hooked into a quick game of Indian Casino craps. The one that is played on a regular size craps table,but they use cards instead of dice. In 4 minutes I lost $50. No matter how hard I try to stay away from this shit game, it always pulls me in.
And what puts me into full drinking mode is checking the Sirius/XM stock price.
Dec 7, 2008
NFL Week 14: Bill Corollo
We're getting to the homestretch here of the NFL regular season...and with the Browns' absolute collapse this year, it's leaving me deflated. Here's Bill Carollo. I got nothing else about him - he seems like a decent official, I have never had problems with him during a Browns game.
That's like what it's going to be at 1:00 today. Here's the Browns...starring Ken Dorsey. Wow. Playing at a feared defensive line at Tennessee, who has the best record in the AFC.
And to make matters worse, who is the announcing crew for this game? With Tennessee, the best team in the AFC, you'd think we get some sort of decent crew, like Gus or Dick or Greg.
But no - we get the #8 team - Don Criqui. God, is he terrible. So I get to listen to that as we fail to gain 100 yards of offense in a 51-3 loss today to the Titans. This is feeling like Spergon Wynn and the 2000 Browns all over again.
(and that was bad football.....)
NYG 27, Phi 20. It's hard for me to see how much of a hurt this Plaxico thing really is for the Giants. They've got so many other weapons....
NO 27, Atl 20. I think NO is better than their record.
Ind 23, Cin 10. Two weeks until the Fitzpatrick/Dorsey struggle at "sold-out" Browns' stadium!
GB 27, Hou 13. The bleeding will stop for the Packers here.
Min 27, Det 17. Is it really going to happen? The Lions go 0-16?
Chi 27, Jax 13. Jacksonville is like the stock market 6 months ago. All the signs were there for a collapse, but no one truly grasped how bad the situation was.
Sea 20, NE 17. Cassel vs Holmgren? Why do I still fall for the Seahawks?
NYJ 31, SF 20. I can't see the Jets losing another one....can they?
Den 23, KC 17. A letdown game for the Broncos
Buf 24, Mia 23. I have no idea who will show up for these two teams.
Pit 24, Dal 13. Wow, Pittsburgh is better than I thought. And I think Dallas is too weak emotionally to face teh Steelers.
Az 31, StL 13. Who has Warner on their fantasy team?
Bal 19, Was 9. OK, OK, I give up. I'll pick the Ravens this week (and of course, I will lose...)
Car 20, TB 17. There is not enough publicity for this game. This may be the best matchup we've seen in 6 weeks. And no one cares.
Best bets: 15 for today. Last week: 8-6. Overall: 110-82-4.
Phi/NYG over 42
NO -3
Cin/Ind under 41.5
GB -6
Hou/GB under 47.5
Chi -6.5
Sea +6.5
NYJ -3.5
NYJ/SF over 44.5
KC +9.5
KC/Den under 48.5
Pit -3
Az -14
Bal -5.5
Was/Bal under 35.5
That's like what it's going to be at 1:00 today. Here's the Browns...starring Ken Dorsey. Wow. Playing at a feared defensive line at Tennessee, who has the best record in the AFC.
And to make matters worse, who is the announcing crew for this game? With Tennessee, the best team in the AFC, you'd think we get some sort of decent crew, like Gus or Dick or Greg.
But no - we get the #8 team - Don Criqui. God, is he terrible. So I get to listen to that as we fail to gain 100 yards of offense in a 51-3 loss today to the Titans. This is feeling like Spergon Wynn and the 2000 Browns all over again.
(and that was bad football.....)
NYG 27, Phi 20. It's hard for me to see how much of a hurt this Plaxico thing really is for the Giants. They've got so many other weapons....
NO 27, Atl 20. I think NO is better than their record.
Ind 23, Cin 10. Two weeks until the Fitzpatrick/Dorsey struggle at "sold-out" Browns' stadium!
GB 27, Hou 13. The bleeding will stop for the Packers here.
Min 27, Det 17. Is it really going to happen? The Lions go 0-16?
Chi 27, Jax 13. Jacksonville is like the stock market 6 months ago. All the signs were there for a collapse, but no one truly grasped how bad the situation was.
Sea 20, NE 17. Cassel vs Holmgren? Why do I still fall for the Seahawks?
NYJ 31, SF 20. I can't see the Jets losing another one....can they?
Den 23, KC 17. A letdown game for the Broncos
Buf 24, Mia 23. I have no idea who will show up for these two teams.
Pit 24, Dal 13. Wow, Pittsburgh is better than I thought. And I think Dallas is too weak emotionally to face teh Steelers.
Az 31, StL 13. Who has Warner on their fantasy team?
Bal 19, Was 9. OK, OK, I give up. I'll pick the Ravens this week (and of course, I will lose...)
Car 20, TB 17. There is not enough publicity for this game. This may be the best matchup we've seen in 6 weeks. And no one cares.
Best bets: 15 for today. Last week: 8-6. Overall: 110-82-4.
Phi/NYG over 42
NO -3
Cin/Ind under 41.5
GB -6
Hou/GB under 47.5
Chi -6.5
Sea +6.5
NYJ -3.5
NYJ/SF over 44.5
KC +9.5
KC/Den under 48.5
Pit -3
Az -14
Bal -5.5
Was/Bal under 35.5
Dec 6, 2008
Oh that Christmas spirit
Yeah, nothing fills you up with the Christmas spirit more than using a chain saw inside your own house when trying to set up a Christmas tree....
.... a tree that was cut in your own yard.....
.... and then you mis-measured where to cut the tree, so when you thought you got the top 9' of it, you actually got the top 14'......
.... and while cutting it, the tree almost falls directly on you and your father in law....
Oh yeah, December is starting off well.....
.... a tree that was cut in your own yard.....
.... and then you mis-measured where to cut the tree, so when you thought you got the top 9' of it, you actually got the top 14'......
.... and while cutting it, the tree almost falls directly on you and your father in law....
Oh yeah, December is starting off well.....
Dec 5, 2008
Greatest Email Complaint Ever!!!
So this is what I have to deal with on almost a weekly basis. Crazy customers and crazy claimants. This is an email that I received today. The man is emailing our defense attorney, and copied in myself and a couple of other managers.
Subject: Mr. Attorney, O.J. Simpson is sentenced, Do you still think that it is a good idea for your to threaten me??
As you can see O.J. Simpson AT THE END is sentenced!!!!
With the way you are going your time is going to come. I was wondering what are the sentencing guidelines for violation of Racketeer Corrupt Organizations Act? P.C. 550(b)(2) and (b)(3) and P.C. 182? Topping that threatening a potential litigant to not pursuit his legal rights in court while you have him on the speaker phone and your "staff" are listening???
By the way any thing happens to me, due to the statements you have made, the first person the detectives are going to question is you. Well it is a good idea to think before you act on your revengeful thoughts.
AS I HAVE PROMISED MY LAWSUIT WILL BE FILED AND I WILL NOTICE YOUR DEPOSITION AND OTHER PEOPLE'S WHO WERE INVOLVED.
FURTHERMORE, I HAVE ATTACHED A COPY OF THE CIVIL COMPLAINT TO THIS e-mail FOR YOUR REVIEW WHICH GIVES YOU PROOF THAT I AM WORKING ON THE LAWSUIT AND YOUR THREATS DID NOT WORK!!!!!!
End
I go onto
Subject: Mr. Attorney, O.J. Simpson is sentenced, Do you still think that it is a good idea for your to threaten me??
As you can see O.J. Simpson AT THE END is sentenced!!!!
With the way you are going your time is going to come. I was wondering what are the sentencing guidelines for violation of Racketeer Corrupt Organizations Act? P.C. 550(b)(2) and (b)(3) and P.C. 182? Topping that threatening a potential litigant to not pursuit his legal rights in court while you have him on the speaker phone and your "staff" are listening???
By the way any thing happens to me, due to the statements you have made, the first person the detectives are going to question is you. Well it is a good idea to think before you act on your revengeful thoughts.
AS I HAVE PROMISED MY LAWSUIT WILL BE FILED AND I WILL NOTICE YOUR DEPOSITION AND OTHER PEOPLE'S WHO WERE INVOLVED.
FURTHERMORE, I HAVE ATTACHED A COPY OF THE CIVIL COMPLAINT TO THIS e-mail FOR YOUR REVIEW WHICH GIVES YOU PROOF THAT I AM WORKING ON THE LAWSUIT AND YOUR THREATS DID NOT WORK!!!!!!
End
I go onto
Dec 3, 2008
Tune for the Craps table
Hello from Greensboro! Coming home from the plant today, I turned on an oldies country station on AM - and this gem is now burned into my brain:
How many biscuits can you eat, this mornin',
How many biscuits can you eat, this evenin',
How many biscuits can you eat,
Forty-nine and a ham of meat,
This mornin', this evening, right now.
Apparently, this is an old bluegrass tune from the 50s. Oh yes, this is perfect to sing at the craps table in March.
How many biscuits can you eat, this mornin',
How many biscuits can you eat, this evenin',
How many biscuits can you eat,
Forty-nine and a ham of meat,
This mornin', this evening, right now.
Apparently, this is an old bluegrass tune from the 50s. Oh yes, this is perfect to sing at the craps table in March.
Dec 2, 2008
The Republican Recovery, part 1 (of 53?)
I've been thinking about the key ideas that the Republican party needs to embrace to set themselves up for a recovery in 2010. It's clear that the party has a crisis of faith right now - what,exactly, does it stand for?
On a side note, the Washington Post has been putting together a series of stories on online betting - the story yesterday was about whether or not offshore wagering is even legal.
Barney Frank was quoted in the piece, trying to compare online gambling to horse racing:
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), the sponsor of a bill to legalize online gambling, said that even today, "you can't get a straight answer if horse racing is illegal. It's total hypocrisy and mishmash." He calls the ban on Internet betting "an outrageous interference in Americans' personal freedoms."
I completely agree with Rep. Frank.
Step 1 in a Republican recovery: draft an issue statement that covers wagering and Ameicans' choices - and that is completely consistent across all forms. You want to take a stand against on-line wagering? Well, ok - but then the party needs to make sure we outline state keno, OTB, and other forms.
My advice to the party: be consistent and remove any whiff of hypocrisy. I'm in favor of legalizing all of it, but I can understand if others don't want to support it at all. If they go halfway - horse racing is ok, on line is not - then it shwos the party is out of touch with today's voters - especially the younger (people in their 20s and 30s) vote. If they support some gambling but not others, they give the impression that teh party believes people still go to Horse races in their Sunday best (complete with fedoras) and poker rooms are still run by the mobs.
Please, get into the 21st century.
On a side note, the Washington Post has been putting together a series of stories on online betting - the story yesterday was about whether or not offshore wagering is even legal.
Barney Frank was quoted in the piece, trying to compare online gambling to horse racing:
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), the sponsor of a bill to legalize online gambling, said that even today, "you can't get a straight answer if horse racing is illegal. It's total hypocrisy and mishmash." He calls the ban on Internet betting "an outrageous interference in Americans' personal freedoms."
I completely agree with Rep. Frank.
Step 1 in a Republican recovery: draft an issue statement that covers wagering and Ameicans' choices - and that is completely consistent across all forms. You want to take a stand against on-line wagering? Well, ok - but then the party needs to make sure we outline state keno, OTB, and other forms.
My advice to the party: be consistent and remove any whiff of hypocrisy. I'm in favor of legalizing all of it, but I can understand if others don't want to support it at all. If they go halfway - horse racing is ok, on line is not - then it shwos the party is out of touch with today's voters - especially the younger (people in their 20s and 30s) vote. If they support some gambling but not others, they give the impression that teh party believes people still go to Horse races in their Sunday best (complete with fedoras) and poker rooms are still run by the mobs.
Please, get into the 21st century.
Dec 1, 2008
Interesting Free Agent article
This is an article that talks about Schilling's negotiations with Boston back in november of 2003. An interesting first hand look of some behind the scenes stuff that goes on in big free-agent/trade discussion.
Quick Thoughts
As the market crumbles, here are a couple quick thoughts for Monday afternoon:
- Am I the only one excited for Brody Jenner's new MTV show Bromance? Now where is Spencers spin off?
- Have you ever seen video of yourself hammered? Wow, Carol had some video of us in Destin, FL back in September and it was scary. I looked like a member of the Megan's Law program and Carol was barking out orders to everyone. Not flattering. Something that I would never want people at work to see.
- Watched "The Hammer" over the weekend. Not great, but not too bad. Perfect afternoon movie when you got nothing else to do. Adam Corolla wasn't too bad in it.
- US Car Companies- Who are these executives? God its sad. How are they just now putting together viability plans? At this stage? Um, where was this about 2 years ago. OK, fine what about 3 months ago? But now, don't you think that is a little too late?
Nov 29, 2008
NFL Week 13: Walt Anderson
This is for all you Ravens fans out there...I can never manage to get your games right, usually because emotion gets in the way. There is no logical reason you should be 7-4....but you are. You are doing it with smoke and mirrors, and I never learn.
Today's ref is Walt Anderson, a nice enough guy it seems who has lucky enough to apparently be the head ref for Super Bowl XXXV. I wouldn't know - I was watching 4 hours of South African PGA golf during that so-called Super Bowl.
And yes, I am going against the Ravens again this week on principle.
NYG 27, Was 17. I just don't trust the Skins at all. RRD, or others - you feel good about this team? Are they going to make the playoffs?
TB 24, NO 20. New Orleans can't play on the road (and Kansas City doesn't count).
Mia 23, StL 10. Go against the Rams until further notice.
Car 20, GB 13. Talk about a smoke and mirrors team - how about Green Bay?
Ind 47, Cle 3. How in the hell are the Browns only an underdog by 4 1/2 points???? I don't bet Browns games...but something is wrong here. The Colts should be favored by 8 or 9.
Bal 20, Cin 16. Don't ask me how the Bengals will score - I don't know. They haven't given up on the season just yet (unlike a certain other team that also is on I-71).
Buf 31, SF 21. If the Bills can't win this one, they won't be able to blame Phil Dawson for missing the playoffs.
SD 30, Atl 27, OT. Just when you think the Chargers are done....
Oak 20, KC 16. Can the Raiders get to 2nd in the AFC West?
Pit 26, NE 20. You know, Pit still needs these games......
NYJ 28, Den 24. A letdown game for the Jets.
Min 24, Chi 13. I can't believe Gus Frerotte is going to win this division. Wow.
Hou 27, Jax 17. The Jaguars have packed it in. The Texans get another gift 2 weeks in a row.
Best bets: 14 picks this week. Last week: 9-5-1; overall: 102-76-4.
NYG -3.5
Mia -7.5
Mia/Stl Under 44
Car +3
Car/GB under 42
Cin +7
Buf -6.5
SF/Buf over 42.5
Atl/SD over 48.5
Pit +1
Pit/NE over 39.5
Den +8
Min -3
Hou -3
Nov 25, 2008
Speechless after Sunday
Went up to the Browns game on Sunday with Freddie. Wow. I'm speechless on the debacle that occurred.
To summarize, Brady threw 2 interceptions in 3 quarters - one on the 10 yard line on a slant to Edwards; it's not clear if Edwards went full out and cut off the DB in time, causing the interception. After that, Romeo pulled Quinn and replaced him with Derek. Afterwards, he said he wanted to create a "spark" with the QB change.
It didn't work. Derek was 5-14 for 53 yards with an INT of his own.
Brady was clearly not happy with the benching. He mumbled something about "I didn't know I was on such a short leash". And why should he? Look at the leash Romeo gave Anderson this season.
The coach has one big role description - don't divide the locker room and be inconcsisntent. That's unfortunately what he is doing here. Look, the decision to bench Brady to provide a "spark" to win a game you had to have - that decision , in isolation, can be defended.
But - this season ended weeks ago with losses against Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Washington. If Romeo wanted to provide a spark:
- why not put Brady in when we scored 0 points vs. Pittsburgh in a key week 2 game?
- why not put Brady in after Anderson threw 2 second half interceptions in the 1st Baltimore game?
- why not put Brady in after 3 horrible quarters of football in the Washington game?
- and why not, when you are 3-4, put Brady in when your offense had 5 consecutive 3 and outs against Baltimore in the 2nd half?
And that's not to mention Braylon Edwards. Why aren't we benching him? Or our linebackers? Or our DBs?
The double standard here - leaving us to suffer with Derek for 8 weeks, yet pulling Brady after 2 3/4 games - is astounding. It is uncalled for - and now it can harm the long term development of Quinn.
Once he made the deicision to go to Brady, you had to leave him in and get him experience. You can't pull him at the first sign of a bad performance - you have to take the growing pains.
He needed to be fired yesterday; he wasn't. I expect the odds are 100-1 against him returning for a fifth season with the Browns in 2009.
To summarize, Brady threw 2 interceptions in 3 quarters - one on the 10 yard line on a slant to Edwards; it's not clear if Edwards went full out and cut off the DB in time, causing the interception. After that, Romeo pulled Quinn and replaced him with Derek. Afterwards, he said he wanted to create a "spark" with the QB change.
It didn't work. Derek was 5-14 for 53 yards with an INT of his own.
Brady was clearly not happy with the benching. He mumbled something about "I didn't know I was on such a short leash". And why should he? Look at the leash Romeo gave Anderson this season.
The coach has one big role description - don't divide the locker room and be inconcsisntent. That's unfortunately what he is doing here. Look, the decision to bench Brady to provide a "spark" to win a game you had to have - that decision , in isolation, can be defended.
But - this season ended weeks ago with losses against Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Washington. If Romeo wanted to provide a spark:
- why not put Brady in when we scored 0 points vs. Pittsburgh in a key week 2 game?
- why not put Brady in after Anderson threw 2 second half interceptions in the 1st Baltimore game?
- why not put Brady in after 3 horrible quarters of football in the Washington game?
- and why not, when you are 3-4, put Brady in when your offense had 5 consecutive 3 and outs against Baltimore in the 2nd half?
And that's not to mention Braylon Edwards. Why aren't we benching him? Or our linebackers? Or our DBs?
The double standard here - leaving us to suffer with Derek for 8 weeks, yet pulling Brady after 2 3/4 games - is astounding. It is uncalled for - and now it can harm the long term development of Quinn.
Once he made the deicision to go to Brady, you had to leave him in and get him experience. You can't pull him at the first sign of a bad performance - you have to take the growing pains.
He needed to be fired yesterday; he wasn't. I expect the odds are 100-1 against him returning for a fifth season with the Browns in 2009.
Nov 22, 2008
NFL Week 12: Scott Green
Cleveland! Houston! The matchup screams intensity, history, and so much hate between the two teams.
OK, no it doesn't. It is probably the blandest opponent we play in terms of a "rivalry". I don't even know if I hate the Texans or not.
So, with this vanilaa matchup on tap, why not a vanilaa referree? Scott Green became a head ref in 2004 - and I don't think he has made an impact on anyone's memory - good or bad. Just the way refs are supposed to be.
I will be up there for the game on Sunday with Freddie - I've already picked out his 7 layers that he will be wearing at the game. I hope he doesn't freeze.
NYJ 24, Ten 23. OK, I believe. This is the week they lose.
Chi 24, StL 13. The Rams are bad. Real bad.
Mia 17, NE 16. I just don't think Cassel can deliver a comeback again within the division.
Buf 27, KC 20. The Chiefs have no D. None. And how about Dick Jauron's coaching at teh end of the Monday Night game? "A 47 yarder into swirling wind? No, we don't need any more yards, thanks."
Min 24, Jax 16. I think people underestimate how poor this Jaguars team is. What do they do well?
TB 19, Det 10. Do I have to comment?
Dal 24, SF 23. I think SF is going to show something for Mr. Singletary over the next few weeks. Dallas struggled to win over an overrated Redskin team.
Phi 24, Bal 17. Nobody circles the wagons like...ok, I admit, this is a pick based on my hatred of the Ravens.
Den 30, Oak 10. How will Oakland score? Is Tuisasosopo the QB now?
Sea 23, Was 21. See above. Washington is overrated.
NYG 27, Arz 20. I think the Cardinals - and Warner - have problems under pressure.
Atl 23, Car 20, OT. A classic.
Ind 28, SD 20. The final nail in the coffin for the 2008 Chargers - and for Turner?
NO 31, GB 21. Why do people like GB in this game? Rodgers on the road?
Best bets: 15 of them. 6-9 last week; overall: 93-71-3.
NYJ +5.5
NYJ/Ten over 40.5
Chi -8
Chi/StL under 44
Mia/NE Under 42
Buf -3
Min +2.5
TB/Det under 42
SF +9.5
Phi +1.5
Den -9
Sea +3
NYG -3
Ind +2.5
NO +2.5
4 favorites, 7 underdogs, 1 over, 3 unders. I like the distribution there.
The best invention ever?
Don and Michele came over on Friday for dinner....good dinner, great wine (as usual). That evening, I think we saw a demonstration of the gratest invention ever. But before we get to that, a gambling note....after dinner, we broke out the cards and chips and we introduced Don to the Ultimate Hold 'em Poker table game. I'm not so sure if Don likes the game - he lost approximately 19 hands in a row - but his wife was on fire.
What kind of streak was she on? Well, I dealt the cards, and she passed on betting before the flop. The flop came:
3d Kh 6d
Michele put 2x her bet in. The last two cards were:
5d 7d
4 Diamonds on the board. Don swore and flipped over his cards as he folded. I flipped over...the Ace of Diamonds. Sorry for your luck! Michele just smiled and calmly turned over the 4 of diamonds for the straight flush. That would have been a $250 winner on a $5 table.
In no more than 40 hands, I dealt a straight flush and 2 separate quads.
Anyway, Don then pulled out his iPhone and showed us Shazam. This is the iPhone app that can listen to 10 seconds of music and then return the title and the artist, as well as a method to purchase that tune for your iPhone.
OK, we thought, how well does this really work? We had the satellite radio playing on our DirecTV, so we held it up to the speaker - it was a Colbie Caillat song - and it listened for 10 seconds, then "processed", then presto! It came back with the song.
I was unimpressed. How hard can it be to recognize tunes the current top 20? Let me test it with my "eclectic" music taste. (you mean "grandmotherly" taste? -ed.) Oh quiet.
So I turned it to the Broadway station. It was playing "The Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha. We clicked on Shazam - it listened for 10 seconds....and presto! It came back with:
Man of La Mancha
Original Cast Recording, 1956
Whoa. We may have something here.
It was dead on for 5-6 songs in a row that were not common knowledge songs. Rap, Country, Easy Listening (or, as most say, "music for the dead") - it retrieved them all.
We even turned it to a station playing bad 80s Hair Music. It was playing some unrecognizable Great White song. It reached the instrumental part - and we activated Shazam at that point. Shazam listened for 10 seconds of the instrumental part of the song - no lyrics - and it came back with the right artist and title.
How? How can it do this? How? My mind is still baffled.
Nov 21, 2008
Twilight
So Carol and I went out to dinner last night to a place next to the local movie theater. I got off work early so we were there around 5:00pm. While walking past the movie theater, there were at least 50 girls camping out for tickets to something at the theater. Come to find out it was for that new vampire movie Twilight. Hmmm interesting. Then I go home and watch South Park which is spoofing Twilight, and then watch some weird clip on MTV where there are about 1,000 girls going bonkers over seeing a sneak preview of just the trailer of Twilight. Then this morning, the Wall Street Journal has a big preview of the movie.
What the hell is this all about? People going this crazy over vampires? Really?
What the hell is this all about? People going this crazy over vampires? Really?
Nov 19, 2008
Nov 18, 2008
Gambling losses
This will start a series of "Which is worse" questions. Today is the which is worse:
1. Watching on TV a last second loss that cost you a big wager. Here you get to see replay after replay of
2. Following scores for 3 hours straight on the internet and you are winning by a small margin and then the last update on CBS Sportsline shows that your team didn't cover.
3. Checking a score once or twice during the game and thinking that you won, but then later going back and finding out that somehow, someway the other team covered.
I know that we all have great stories that fit into each of these categories. I will post my painful stories in the comment section.
1. Watching on TV a last second loss that cost you a big wager. Here you get to see replay after replay of
2. Following scores for 3 hours straight on the internet and you are winning by a small margin and then the last update on CBS Sportsline shows that your team didn't cover.
3. Checking a score once or twice during the game and thinking that you won, but then later going back and finding out that somehow, someway the other team covered.
I know that we all have great stories that fit into each of these categories. I will post my painful stories in the comment section.
Nov 17, 2008
Nov 16, 2008
NFL Week 11: Pete Morelli
It was one year ago when a conscientious official decided to make sure a call on a FG attempt was right, as that call could impact a team's season. Everyone remembers Phil Dawson's ricochet FG at the end of last year's Ravens-Browns game, a 51-yd FG that would tie the game. The ball hit the upright, fell down and then hit the stachion and bounced back onto the field of play.
The idiots underneath the goalposts said it was no good, but Mr. Morelli got a bunch of people together to discuss; he may or may not have also called someone with a video upstairs (which, last year, would have been illegal). After 5 minutes, he said the FG was good, which caused mass chaos on the field. TV Reporters were interviewing players on the field when the announcement came that the game would resume. Here's a highlight clip from WBAL (see the :43 mark).
So here's to you, Pete Morelli. Can you save our season this year with a clutch call on Monday night?
Min 20, TB 17. Peterson is looking better and better.
NYG 30, Bal 21. I'm begrudingly impresses by Flacco and the controlled passing game of the Ravens.
Mia 27, Oak 10. Who is worse? 2000 Browns or 2008 Raiders? The Browns wouldn't be within 17 points for a line for these types of games. So why are the Raiders only getting 10?
NO 31, KC 20. New Orleans is desperate. Desperate teams find ways to win.
Ind 27, Hou 19. I think Indy is ready to explode.
GB 23, Chi 13. GB has had a tough last 2 games. They'll be ready for the mediocre Bears.
Phi 27, Cin 21. Why do I do this to myself? Why do I think the Bengals will show up after the bye?
Car 27, Det 13. Do I have to comment?
Atl 26, Den 16. Look, if Denver plays a half decent defense, they will lose. They are so one-dimensional. I wish the Browns had a mastermin defnseive coach that could scheme against a simple one-dimensional team like this.....oh, wait....
Sea 24, Az 20. Yes, Hasselbeck makes that much of a difference.
SF 20, StL 13. What's the over/under on the number of seconds it will take for Mike Martz to be fired after season's end?
Pit 27, SD 16. I don't see the Steelers losing this one - at home - in a game they need to win.
Ten 24, Jax 17. Jax has lost to us and the Bengals. Tennessee should dominate them.
Was 20, Dal 19. Romo will help, but Washington is the better team.
Was 20, Dal 19. Romo will help, but Washington is the better team.
Best bets: 14 of them today (0-1 on Thursday). Last week: 9-6. Overall: 87-62-3.
(NYJ/NE under 40.5. Nice one, Eric).
Min +4
Bal/NYG over 40.5
Mia -10
NO -5.5
GB -3.5
Chi/GB under 43.5
Cin +9
Phi/Cin over 41
Atl -6.5
Den/Atl under 51
Sea +3
StL/SF under 43.5
Pit -5
Ten -2.5
6 favorites, 3 underdogs, 2 overs, 3 unders.
Nov 11, 2008
Sad News today
Herb Score, the long time play-by-play announcer for the Indians in the 70s, 80s and 90s, has died.
We all have our favorite baseball radio announcers growing up. I was lucky enough to be in Baltimore for middle school and high school and loved to listen to the polished broadcasts of Joe Angel and Jon Miller. When I went to Cleveland for college, however, I got Herb doing the Tribe games. I think it is safe to say that Miller and Score have completely opposite announcing styles.
I grew to love Herb and his low-key, minimalist style. It was a running joke between Janice and I when we were down here in Cincinnati and I would search the radio for the Tribe broadcast from Cleveland. We would stop on what I thought was 1100 AM and hear silence for 3-5 seconds. Was this the broadcast or jst dead air?
"Low, ball 3" bellowed a voice out of the darkness to interrupt the quiet.
Steve and I did a pretty good impersonation of the Tribe annoucing team in the 90s - me as the happy go lucky Tom Hamilton, and Steve as Herb. I'll haev to dig that tape out from a box.
I think the ultimate coincidence is that the last call Herb made on the radio was Game 7 of the 1997 World Series. The Lord could have sent Herb out on the ultimate high note, but no, that was not in the cards for Herb. It never was.
We all have our favorite baseball radio announcers growing up. I was lucky enough to be in Baltimore for middle school and high school and loved to listen to the polished broadcasts of Joe Angel and Jon Miller. When I went to Cleveland for college, however, I got Herb doing the Tribe games. I think it is safe to say that Miller and Score have completely opposite announcing styles.
I grew to love Herb and his low-key, minimalist style. It was a running joke between Janice and I when we were down here in Cincinnati and I would search the radio for the Tribe broadcast from Cleveland. We would stop on what I thought was 1100 AM and hear silence for 3-5 seconds. Was this the broadcast or jst dead air?
"Low, ball 3" bellowed a voice out of the darkness to interrupt the quiet.
Steve and I did a pretty good impersonation of the Tribe annoucing team in the 90s - me as the happy go lucky Tom Hamilton, and Steve as Herb. I'll haev to dig that tape out from a box.
I think the ultimate coincidence is that the last call Herb made on the radio was Game 7 of the 1997 World Series. The Lord could have sent Herb out on the ultimate high note, but no, that was not in the cards for Herb. It never was.
Nov 9, 2008
NFL Week 10: Bill Leavy
I'm still not over Thursday Night's debacle. Here's the ref for that game, Bill Leavy.....he's not responsible in any way for the collapse; this is like venting at the police officer who comes over to file the report after you've been the victim of a crime.
The quick rundown for today:
Hou 24, Bal 20
NYJ 30, StL 17
Buf 23, NE 20, OT
Min 27, GB 20
Mia 24, Sea 13
Jax 23, Det 16
Ten 20, Chi 13
Atl 31, NO 24
Car 24, Oak 3
SD 31, KC 10
Pit 27, Ind 19
NYG 27, Phi 24, OT
Az 27, SF 16
Best bets: 15 this week. Last week: 7-8. Total: 78-56-3
Hou pk
NYJ -8.5
Buf +3.5
Min -2
Mia -8
Ten -3
Atl -1
Car -12
Car/Oak 37.5
SD -15
KC/SD under 47
Pit -4.5
Pit/Ind over 39
NYG +3
NYG/Phi over 42.5
Boy, I don't like that streak of 6 favorites in a row in that list....
Nov 6, 2008
Great Day for Chickens!!
So some interesting things going on out here. We had 10 props on our ballot ranging from requiring farmers to have enough space for chickens to stretch their legs (passed) to a bullet train from LA- San Fran (passed) to a $10,000 credit when you purchase a hybrid vehicle (failed). But the big ticket item was gay marriage...prop 8.
I'm sure its national news now, but prop 8 was passed which means that it bans gay marriage. This was a huge surprise since the polling just a day before showed it being rejected by 18%. Ahhh, was it just bad polling, or was this actually the Bradley effect that was intended to hit Obama, but really it was prop 8.
Another interesting stat that was just released was the Asians and Whites were slightly in favor of voting no against the prop, but Blacks and Hispanics were in favor of passing the bill by a 70-30 margin. Hmmm, so the excitement driven by Obama and the large turnout actually hurt prop 8's passing. Terrible research by the prop 8 team.
Now on the local news you are seeing the protesters of Prop 8 are all holding up Obama signs. Um...why would they be doing this? The common comments are stating that its hatred coming from the conservative base in the state that voted this bill in. First, Obama came out against gay marriage and the majority of his backers in CA are also against it. Also, how does Obama carry the state 61%-37% but yet the bill gets passed 52%-48%? There is an easy link to make, which I don't think the local media wants to make or are too dumb to make.
I'm sure its national news now, but prop 8 was passed which means that it bans gay marriage. This was a huge surprise since the polling just a day before showed it being rejected by 18%. Ahhh, was it just bad polling, or was this actually the Bradley effect that was intended to hit Obama, but really it was prop 8.
Another interesting stat that was just released was the Asians and Whites were slightly in favor of voting no against the prop, but Blacks and Hispanics were in favor of passing the bill by a 70-30 margin. Hmmm, so the excitement driven by Obama and the large turnout actually hurt prop 8's passing. Terrible research by the prop 8 team.
Now on the local news you are seeing the protesters of Prop 8 are all holding up Obama signs. Um...why would they be doing this? The common comments are stating that its hatred coming from the conservative base in the state that voted this bill in. First, Obama came out against gay marriage and the majority of his backers in CA are also against it. Also, how does Obama carry the state 61%-37% but yet the bill gets passed 52%-48%? There is an easy link to make, which I don't think the local media wants to make or are too dumb to make.
Nov 4, 2008
President Obama
This truly is an historic night for the United States. Barack Obama has been elected as our President.
I don't want to belabor what this means for the issue of race in our country. Better writers and thinkers will expound upon this in the near future. But I'm heartened to see that idealism - in any form, liberal or conservative - can succeed even in this cynical environment.
People - probably even me, if we read the archives - said that there's no way he could beat the Clinton machine for the Democratic nomination. He successfuly read the mood and the needs of the voters, and ran a great campaign to win the nomination.
Sure, he partly benefitted from luck and the terrible environment for Republicans. But he certanly capitalized on that and seemed to be in touch with what the voters were feeling and wanting. This is at least 50% of being a successful politician - and in being a leader.
He also embodies American freedom and the notion that individuals can create their own destiny. His election validates what we tell all of our children: "you can grow up to be anything you want to be". This is a great example for all of our youth.
Some of you may remember this post from 2007 after the Red Sox beat the Indians in the ALCS. That post was, oh, 99% insincere. This post here is completely the opposite. I wish Obama well, and hope that he truly is a "uniter, not a divider".
I will continue to disagree with most of his policies and will call him (and his party) on when he is not walking the talk. But for now, I salute Obama and his supporters and hold him as an example of what makes America great.
I don't want to belabor what this means for the issue of race in our country. Better writers and thinkers will expound upon this in the near future. But I'm heartened to see that idealism - in any form, liberal or conservative - can succeed even in this cynical environment.
People - probably even me, if we read the archives - said that there's no way he could beat the Clinton machine for the Democratic nomination. He successfuly read the mood and the needs of the voters, and ran a great campaign to win the nomination.
Sure, he partly benefitted from luck and the terrible environment for Republicans. But he certanly capitalized on that and seemed to be in touch with what the voters were feeling and wanting. This is at least 50% of being a successful politician - and in being a leader.
He also embodies American freedom and the notion that individuals can create their own destiny. His election validates what we tell all of our children: "you can grow up to be anything you want to be". This is a great example for all of our youth.
Some of you may remember this post from 2007 after the Red Sox beat the Indians in the ALCS. That post was, oh, 99% insincere. This post here is completely the opposite. I wish Obama well, and hope that he truly is a "uniter, not a divider".
I will continue to disagree with most of his policies and will call him (and his party) on when he is not walking the talk. But for now, I salute Obama and his supporters and hold him as an example of what makes America great.
Election blog
Here we go! I'm here in a hotel room in Boston watching the results come in. Instead of the famous multi-colored whiteboards that I create for the election, I'm tracking the election on various bits of paper.
Stay with us here for my latest thoughts on the races - all races - tonight; not just the presidency but the Senate (will the Democrats get to 60?), House, Governor, and the all-important ballot issues such as ISSUE 6 in Ohio - the Casino issue.
Let's try to have comments on this live blog, ok? I don't want to feel like I am talking to a wall...
7:05: McCain wins KY, Obama wins VT. McCain went for 2 and got it; Obama settled for a FG. McCain leads, 8-3.
7:20: NBC News projects the Democrats keep control of the House. How? How do they do that? I'm serious. How can they call that so early?
7:35: This is the slow time of the election. The anticipation is here - polls are closing - but nothing can be called. Argh. If they call Ohio soon, it's over; the longer the delay is in calling Ohio, the better it is for McCain.
One big Senate race being counted right now is the KY Senate race - Sen Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is neck and neck right now (49-49) with 15% in. If this stays tight, then that's a good sign for Democrats nationwide. However, I remember this happening in KY 4 years ago - the late KY votes to be counted are usually the rural votes, reliably Republican. If that's the same here, then McConnell may win by 5-8%, which is a good sign for Republicans.
7:40. Stop talking, Brit Hume. "McCain leads, 13-3, right now in the electoral vote, although we suspect that will change - and soon." Oh really, Sherlock? The defense won't hold?
7:45: Room service is here!
First course: Spinach salad
Main course: 9" Supreme Pizza
Dessert: Strawberry Shortcake
A glass of Pinot Grigio
and a 500 ml bottle of Pellegrino.
That's a good informal survey question. Sparkling water: justifiable indulgment or waste of money and taste buds? You decide....
7:52: Is Snoop Dogg joking here in this clip? You decide....
8:05: The 8 o'clock polls have closed; no surprises here. Obama now leads, 77-39.
Perils of Live TV: John King on CNN was playing with the big map behind him. He was look ing at Indiana and comparing the current vote vs. the 2004 vote totals. He said: "let's take a look at a random county", and clicked somewhere in the north of the state. The county came up:
"Koshiminko County"
King: "Uh, I'm not even going to try that one....."
8:11: First big result of the night from the Senate: Elizabeth Dole (R) in North Carolina has lost. This was a seat the Democrats had to have if they wanted to get to 60 - and they did.
8:20: ABC News has called Pennsylvania for Obama, but no other station has not. I will wait.
Senate: McConnell, the Senate Minority leader, looks like he will win. That's a big one to stop the Dems from getting 60.
Right now, it's hard to see how they get there. If they win the rest of the toss ups (GA, NH, CO, OR, AK), even then they may not get there. I'll run the numbers.
8:33: Most stations have called Pennsylvania for Obama. That's great news for Obama, not good news for the Rep.
Also, New Hampshire Senate is a pickup for the Dems - John Sununu has lost.
8:39: McCain has won Georgia. That's a fairly good sign for the Republicans; the fact that it was called this early (relatively early) for McCain means that it probably won't be a cealn sweep (like 350 votes) for Obama.
8:57: Well, it's hard to see how McCain gets to 270 without Pennsylvania. This means - I think - he needs to pick up a Obama state somewhere to have any sort of a chance. To win, McCain needs to sweep the Bush states still out - OH, VA, IN, FL - and then somehow pick up MN? OR?. This is becuase NH has already been called for Obama (a Bush state), and it's pretty certain that IA will go to Obama.
If Minnesota is called early, then I think that Obama will win, and it should be called right at 11 pm.
9:07: Well, the 9:00 votes are in, and there are no surprises. Obama wins Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan; McCain wins states like Wyoming and Arkansas.
Counts are all over the place right now, Fox has Obama at 163 and NBC has it at 177; once we get to 215, that's the magic number before California. California is 55 and is certain to go to Obama.
So - if Virginia and Ohio go to Obama soon, then it's all over.
Popular vote: Obama 12, 315,854; McCain 12, 232,192. Amazingly close popular vote at this point.
9:20: Fox News has called Ohio for Obama. Wow. That about does it. I wonder how this will trickle down to Steve Chabot - the rep in the 1st district in Cincinnait - and Don's girlfriend, Jean Schmidt.
But, as of 9:20, Fox is the only station to call Ohio. CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC has not yet.
9:28: Now NBC has called Ohio for Obama.
Let's take a look at the Senate:
At this time, the Dems have 52 seats. Here are the seats that are still out there:
CO (could be a pickup)
LA (Landrieu, the only Dem incumbent even reomtely in trouble)
MN (Stuart Smalley)
IA (Harkin will win)
MT (Baucus)
OR (Gordon Smith, a Rep, is in a toss up)
AK (Indicted Rep Senator Ted Stevens)
MS, 2nd seat (Wicker/Musgrove:Can they pick this one up? A long shot)
The Dems need to win all 8 to get to 60. I guess it could happen, but I think they will lose by 2 (and lose MS and OR).
9:34: I see some in the comments section are popping the martinis. I don't blame you. I think it's time for me to break into my strawberry shortcake.
9:41: Still 50 people in line in Miami-Dade county polling booths. Who thinks that Florida will be called soon? Not me. This is 1 1/2 hours after the polls officially closed - people have been waiting in line since 8:00.
9:44: I will try not to be bitter tonight about media bias, but I want this to be duly noted.
When NJ closed at 8 pm, it was immediately called for Obama.
When GA closed at 7 pm, it was called for McCain at 8:39 , almost 100 minutes after closing.
Results so far:
NJ: Obama 55, McCain 44 (+11)
GA: McCain 59, Obama 40 (+19)
both with > 50% reporting.
Watch GA and SC and how (non) close they are. These are states that were not called immeiately for McCain. Compare that to states that were immediately called for Obama.
9:57: What is with CBS News? At the bottom of the screen, they have the raw popular vote totals for McCain and Obama. It seems to be updated every second - so the numbers move very quickly. And - peculiarly - the numbers seem to move backward every once in a while....from (for example) 13, 415,679 to 13,142, 234.
Is it a random number generator? Is it the vote display that was used in the Love Connection back in the 80's? 78%-22&-15%-45%....
(now I bet you have that sound effect in your head...doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-dooooooo)
10:10: The Ohio Casino Amendment has failed. Argosy, and other Indiana casinos, have bought this election and defeated a casino for Ohio. You dumb fuck Ohio voters.
Also, the payday lending restriction issue has passed. This caps the annual interest rate for "payday" loans to 28% annually - basically, if you borrow $100 now, you will pay no more than $101 in 2 weeks. Effectively, this will put all of the payday lenders in Ohio out of business.
So 5,000 people will be put out of work by shutting down the payday lenders, and we didn't want to creat 6,000 jobs with the casino. Maybe I should move to Indiana.
10:16: Two bad pieces of news from the House: Chris Shays, a Republican from Connecticut, has been defeated; this means there is no Republican House members from New England (VT, NH, ME, CT, RI, MA). None.
John Murtha, the "fat bastard" Democratic congressman from Western Pa who called some of his consistuents "racists" and then - while apologizing, called them "rednecks", has been re-elected.
10:35: Michael Barone, the smartest political mind on television, says that Florida "looks awfully good for Obama" right now. It's not called yet, but most of the remaing precinct are in Dade and Broward coutnies - and obviously, those are going to go to Obama.
10:42: Fox has called Virginia for.....Obama. This is a signficant development, not only for this year but as a prelude to a possible political realignment for the future. There is no question that Virginia is gaining population and will continue to grow; if teh Democrats can consolidate their gains in the Sun Belt states like VA and NC, this could set the stage for Dem dominance over the next several years.
10:55: I'm sorry if this is insensitive, but why is Luke Russert on TV? His dad was great - absolutely. This does not mean his 20-something year old son is qualified to talk about "the youth vote" on TV.
10:57: Senate update: Yes, it is still possible for the Dems to get 60, but it's looking tough. Landrieu - the only D senator in a real competitive race - is only up 2 in Louisiana, and Wicker in MS (the Reupblican) has a 10% lead with 25% left. It's not called, but....if either of those go to the R's, then 60 is unreachable.
10:58: 2 minutes until Obama is pronounced President at 11:00 Eastern.
11:00. Barack Obama has been elected as the 44th President of the United States. I'll have more about this in an upcoming blog post.
ABC announced it, and loud claps were heard in the newsroom when Charlie Gibson made the statement. That was unprofessional.
Stay with us here for my latest thoughts on the races - all races - tonight; not just the presidency but the Senate (will the Democrats get to 60?), House, Governor, and the all-important ballot issues such as ISSUE 6 in Ohio - the Casino issue.
Let's try to have comments on this live blog, ok? I don't want to feel like I am talking to a wall...
7:05: McCain wins KY, Obama wins VT. McCain went for 2 and got it; Obama settled for a FG. McCain leads, 8-3.
7:20: NBC News projects the Democrats keep control of the House. How? How do they do that? I'm serious. How can they call that so early?
7:35: This is the slow time of the election. The anticipation is here - polls are closing - but nothing can be called. Argh. If they call Ohio soon, it's over; the longer the delay is in calling Ohio, the better it is for McCain.
One big Senate race being counted right now is the KY Senate race - Sen Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is neck and neck right now (49-49) with 15% in. If this stays tight, then that's a good sign for Democrats nationwide. However, I remember this happening in KY 4 years ago - the late KY votes to be counted are usually the rural votes, reliably Republican. If that's the same here, then McConnell may win by 5-8%, which is a good sign for Republicans.
7:40. Stop talking, Brit Hume. "McCain leads, 13-3, right now in the electoral vote, although we suspect that will change - and soon." Oh really, Sherlock? The defense won't hold?
7:45: Room service is here!
First course: Spinach salad
Main course: 9" Supreme Pizza
Dessert: Strawberry Shortcake
A glass of Pinot Grigio
and a 500 ml bottle of Pellegrino.
That's a good informal survey question. Sparkling water: justifiable indulgment or waste of money and taste buds? You decide....
7:52: Is Snoop Dogg joking here in this clip? You decide....
8:05: The 8 o'clock polls have closed; no surprises here. Obama now leads, 77-39.
Perils of Live TV: John King on CNN was playing with the big map behind him. He was look ing at Indiana and comparing the current vote vs. the 2004 vote totals. He said: "let's take a look at a random county", and clicked somewhere in the north of the state. The county came up:
"Koshiminko County"
King: "Uh, I'm not even going to try that one....."
8:11: First big result of the night from the Senate: Elizabeth Dole (R) in North Carolina has lost. This was a seat the Democrats had to have if they wanted to get to 60 - and they did.
8:20: ABC News has called Pennsylvania for Obama, but no other station has not. I will wait.
Senate: McConnell, the Senate Minority leader, looks like he will win. That's a big one to stop the Dems from getting 60.
Right now, it's hard to see how they get there. If they win the rest of the toss ups (GA, NH, CO, OR, AK), even then they may not get there. I'll run the numbers.
8:33: Most stations have called Pennsylvania for Obama. That's great news for Obama, not good news for the Rep.
Also, New Hampshire Senate is a pickup for the Dems - John Sununu has lost.
8:39: McCain has won Georgia. That's a fairly good sign for the Republicans; the fact that it was called this early (relatively early) for McCain means that it probably won't be a cealn sweep (like 350 votes) for Obama.
8:57: Well, it's hard to see how McCain gets to 270 without Pennsylvania. This means - I think - he needs to pick up a Obama state somewhere to have any sort of a chance. To win, McCain needs to sweep the Bush states still out - OH, VA, IN, FL - and then somehow pick up MN? OR?. This is becuase NH has already been called for Obama (a Bush state), and it's pretty certain that IA will go to Obama.
If Minnesota is called early, then I think that Obama will win, and it should be called right at 11 pm.
9:07: Well, the 9:00 votes are in, and there are no surprises. Obama wins Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan; McCain wins states like Wyoming and Arkansas.
Counts are all over the place right now, Fox has Obama at 163 and NBC has it at 177; once we get to 215, that's the magic number before California. California is 55 and is certain to go to Obama.
So - if Virginia and Ohio go to Obama soon, then it's all over.
Popular vote: Obama 12, 315,854; McCain 12, 232,192. Amazingly close popular vote at this point.
9:20: Fox News has called Ohio for Obama. Wow. That about does it. I wonder how this will trickle down to Steve Chabot - the rep in the 1st district in Cincinnait - and Don's girlfriend, Jean Schmidt.
But, as of 9:20, Fox is the only station to call Ohio. CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC has not yet.
9:28: Now NBC has called Ohio for Obama.
Let's take a look at the Senate:
At this time, the Dems have 52 seats. Here are the seats that are still out there:
CO (could be a pickup)
LA (Landrieu, the only Dem incumbent even reomtely in trouble)
MN (Stuart Smalley)
IA (Harkin will win)
MT (Baucus)
OR (Gordon Smith, a Rep, is in a toss up)
AK (Indicted Rep Senator Ted Stevens)
MS, 2nd seat (Wicker/Musgrove:Can they pick this one up? A long shot)
The Dems need to win all 8 to get to 60. I guess it could happen, but I think they will lose by 2 (and lose MS and OR).
9:34: I see some in the comments section are popping the martinis. I don't blame you. I think it's time for me to break into my strawberry shortcake.
9:41: Still 50 people in line in Miami-Dade county polling booths. Who thinks that Florida will be called soon? Not me. This is 1 1/2 hours after the polls officially closed - people have been waiting in line since 8:00.
9:44: I will try not to be bitter tonight about media bias, but I want this to be duly noted.
When NJ closed at 8 pm, it was immediately called for Obama.
When GA closed at 7 pm, it was called for McCain at 8:39 , almost 100 minutes after closing.
Results so far:
NJ: Obama 55, McCain 44 (+11)
GA: McCain 59, Obama 40 (+19)
both with > 50% reporting.
Watch GA and SC and how (non) close they are. These are states that were not called immeiately for McCain. Compare that to states that were immediately called for Obama.
9:57: What is with CBS News? At the bottom of the screen, they have the raw popular vote totals for McCain and Obama. It seems to be updated every second - so the numbers move very quickly. And - peculiarly - the numbers seem to move backward every once in a while....from (for example) 13, 415,679 to 13,142, 234.
Is it a random number generator? Is it the vote display that was used in the Love Connection back in the 80's? 78%-22&-15%-45%....
(now I bet you have that sound effect in your head...doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-dooooooo)
10:10: The Ohio Casino Amendment has failed. Argosy, and other Indiana casinos, have bought this election and defeated a casino for Ohio. You dumb fuck Ohio voters.
Also, the payday lending restriction issue has passed. This caps the annual interest rate for "payday" loans to 28% annually - basically, if you borrow $100 now, you will pay no more than $101 in 2 weeks. Effectively, this will put all of the payday lenders in Ohio out of business.
So 5,000 people will be put out of work by shutting down the payday lenders, and we didn't want to creat 6,000 jobs with the casino. Maybe I should move to Indiana.
10:16: Two bad pieces of news from the House: Chris Shays, a Republican from Connecticut, has been defeated; this means there is no Republican House members from New England (VT, NH, ME, CT, RI, MA). None.
John Murtha, the "fat bastard" Democratic congressman from Western Pa who called some of his consistuents "racists" and then - while apologizing, called them "rednecks", has been re-elected.
10:35: Michael Barone, the smartest political mind on television, says that Florida "looks awfully good for Obama" right now. It's not called yet, but most of the remaing precinct are in Dade and Broward coutnies - and obviously, those are going to go to Obama.
10:42: Fox has called Virginia for.....Obama. This is a signficant development, not only for this year but as a prelude to a possible political realignment for the future. There is no question that Virginia is gaining population and will continue to grow; if teh Democrats can consolidate their gains in the Sun Belt states like VA and NC, this could set the stage for Dem dominance over the next several years.
10:55: I'm sorry if this is insensitive, but why is Luke Russert on TV? His dad was great - absolutely. This does not mean his 20-something year old son is qualified to talk about "the youth vote" on TV.
10:57: Senate update: Yes, it is still possible for the Dems to get 60, but it's looking tough. Landrieu - the only D senator in a real competitive race - is only up 2 in Louisiana, and Wicker in MS (the Reupblican) has a 10% lead with 25% left. It's not called, but....if either of those go to the R's, then 60 is unreachable.
10:58: 2 minutes until Obama is pronounced President at 11:00 Eastern.
11:00. Barack Obama has been elected as the 44th President of the United States. I'll have more about this in an upcoming blog post.
ABC announced it, and loud claps were heard in the newsroom when Charlie Gibson made the statement. That was unprofessional.
Mr. Obama, that's not change...
This is!
Before we get started on election blogging, I (and many, many Browns fans) am overjoyed at the change of our starting QB.
Thursday night - 8:00 - NFL Network. Quinn 147, Denver 0.
Nov 3, 2008
Election Eve Prediction/Lines
OK folks, post your predictions here!
Here are the lines for tomorrow - so post your predictions or post what you think are good wagers considering these lines.
Electoral Vote Count
Obama -93.5
McCain +93.5
Popular Vote Percentage
Obama -5.8
McCain +5.8
Money Line
Obama -800
McCain +650
Popular Vote Proposition - Total of Barr and Nader Vote Combined
Over 3.4%
Under 3.4%
Total Democratic Seats in Senate - after Tuesday Night
Over 57.5
Under 57.5
(Current Total: 51. Total will include Sanders (I-VT) and Lieberman (I-CT).
Total Democratic Seats in House - after Tuesday Night
Over 264.5
Under 264.5
(Current total: 235, with 1 vacancy).
My thoughts: Obama will win, handily but not a huge landslide. Something like 310-228. He'll win by 5%.
Here are the lines for tomorrow - so post your predictions or post what you think are good wagers considering these lines.
Electoral Vote Count
Obama -93.5
McCain +93.5
Popular Vote Percentage
Obama -5.8
McCain +5.8
Money Line
Obama -800
McCain +650
Popular Vote Proposition - Total of Barr and Nader Vote Combined
Over 3.4%
Under 3.4%
Total Democratic Seats in Senate - after Tuesday Night
Over 57.5
Under 57.5
(Current Total: 51. Total will include Sanders (I-VT) and Lieberman (I-CT).
Total Democratic Seats in House - after Tuesday Night
Over 264.5
Under 264.5
(Current total: 235, with 1 vacancy).
My thoughts: Obama will win, handily but not a huge landslide. Something like 310-228. He'll win by 5%.
Oct 31, 2008
NFL Week 9: Terry McAulay
Heading to Cleveland this weekend - no, not for the game. I'm going to a wedding, the wedding of a college friend of mine (some may remember Kevin from the 2007 Vegas trip; others may know him from college). This will be the last of the weddings that I will attend in the foreseeable future (unless Mer does something completely out of character in the future).
So, in honor of the trip to Cleveland, I'll dedicate this week to Terry McAulay, the head referree during the "Bottle-gate" game of 2001. Imagine, if you will, a city that had its team leave in 1995 and spent 3 years in the wilderness. Then the first two years of expansion resulted in teams with a combined record of 5-27.
Then - the third year - hope! The Browns are 6-6 heading into a crucial home clash vs. Jacksonville. The Browns are driving , down 5, with a minute left to play. 4th down - the catch is made by the Browns at teh Jags 10. First down. Couch gets to the line and spikes the ball. Now it is second down.
Or is it? McAulay then decides - after the spike - that the 4th down play will be reviewed. Clearly, unequivocably, against the rules, since a play has intervened.
The rest, of course, is history. The catch is overturned; bottles reign down on the field, and the game is declared "over" until Vegas calls Tagliabue; Tagliabue calls McAulay and orders him to finish the game. 45 minutes later, the teams come back on for the Jags' kneel down.
This still makes my blood boil.
Ten 20, GB 17. The Titans are due for a letdown sometime, right?
Arz 31, StL 24. I can't see the Cards losing this. If they win, they have a grip on the division.
Min 23, Hou 13. I'll believe Houston on the road when I see it.
TB 20, KC 10. I think TB's defense is just a wee bit better than the Jets.
TB 20, KC 10. I think TB's defense is just a wee bit better than the Jets.
Jax 106, Cin 13. The Jaguars will have 983 yards rushing.
Chi 24, Det 10. Seems like an easy pick, doesn't it? Hmmmmmmmm?
Buf 27, NYJ 21. I can't figure Buffalo out. Should we be impressed with the win over SD in Buffalo? Who are the real Bills? (We will find out Nov 17th!)
Den 27, Mia 20. The bye certainly helps the Broncos.
Phi 24, Sea 10. SF gave points away to the Seahawks last week - I don't think Philly will repeat that.
Oak 19, Atl 16, OT. This smells like an upset.
NYG 20, Dal 17. This is a classic letdown game -for the Giants, after the tough Steelers game.
Ind 23, NE 20. Two teams I have no handle on. You are what your record says, so the Colts turly are a 3-4 team. Would the Browns - also 3-4 - be favored by 6 at home vs. the Pats? No. Why should the Colts?
Was 20, Pit 13. OK, Redskin fans - I'm begging you - win this game.
And what a HUGE game for the Browns this week.
Best bets: 15 of them. Last week: 8-6-1. Overall: 71-48-3.
Az -3
Az/StL over 48.5
Min -4.5
Hou/Min under 46.5
Hou/Min under 46.5
TB/KC under 37
Det/Chi under 43
NYJ/Buf over 41.5
Den -3.5
Phi -6.5
Phi/Sea under 42.5
Phi/Sea under 42.5
Oak +2.5
Atl/Oak under 41
Dal +9
NE +6
Was -1.5
5 favorites, 3 underdogs, 2 overs, 5 unders. I don't like it.
Oct 30, 2008
Oct 28, 2008
Who won Game 5 of the world Series?
As of Tuesday morning, October 28...
if you placed a bet in Vegas for Tampa Bay to win Game 5 of the World Series....
YOU LOSE!
http://www.lvrj.com/sports/33433179.html
if you placed a bet in Vegas for Tampa Bay to win Game 5 of the World Series....
YOU LOSE!
http://www.lvrj.com/sports/33433179.html
Oct 27, 2008
Tax Plans for the simple man
Received this from a co-worker that I thought I would share. The story came from David R. Kamerschen, who is a professor of economics and University of Georgia.
Bar Stool Economics
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. 'Since you are all such good customers, he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20. Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?'
They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
'I only got a dollar out of the $20', declared the sixth man.
He pointed to the tenth man,' but he got $10!'
'Yeah, that's right', exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!'
'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'
'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
Bar Stool Economics
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. 'Since you are all such good customers, he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20. Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?'
They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
'I only got a dollar out of the $20', declared the sixth man.
He pointed to the tenth man,' but he got $10!'
'Yeah, that's right', exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!'
'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'
'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
The season is saved...
...because Matt Jones did not catch this pass with :01 left.
Hopefully you have seen the highlight of this play where Matt Jones touched this ball at least 6 times before it fell as an incomplete pass.
Rest assured it was pure panic in our house while the ball was being juggled....
Oct 26, 2008
NFL Week 8: Walt Coleman
I want to apologize in advance, since some people on this board would rather I refer to Walt as "His High Holiness Walt Coleman", for he was the ref that made the call in the Tuck Game that sent the Patriots to their first Super Bowl win in 2002.
Coleman overturned a seemingly obvious call of an Tom Brady fumble in the last two minutes of the Pat's palyoff game vs. the Raiders. Replay did show that Brady's arm was moving forward, and Coleman declared the play an "incomplete pass" - which, upon review, was teh correct decision. The Patriots ended up kicking the tying field goal, winning in overtime, and the rest is history.
Well, this week, I feel like Walt - I have overturned three of my picks by either not playing them at all or going the other way after thinking about it overnight. I also may credit divine intervention as I was reviewing/altering my picks during the singing of "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" in church.
Martin Luther was only half right. God is a mighty fortress, but so is a great offensive line.
Anyway, the games this week:
Dal 24, TB 17. Dallas is desperate. They will find a way to win this week.
Was 24, Det 10. I have no idea how good Washington is. I do know thatthey will not make mistakes- and the Lions need their opponent to turn the ball over in order for the Lions to have any chance.
Mia 23, Buf 20, OT: I don't think Mia is as bad as they showed last week. A letdown game for the Bills?
NE 20, StL 13: It's tough not to pick a 41-3 game here; the Rams are improved.
SD 28, NO 27, in London: The NFL will not allow another 13-10 snoozer to be the marquee game in Europe. Expect a high scoring affair.
NYJ 138, KC 3: No, not a typo. The Jets win by 135 as Favre throws for 16 touchdowns.
Phi 28, Atl 27: I don't think people are giving Atlanta enough credit, and I don't think the Eagles defense is that good.
Car 23, Arz 13: Have the Cardinals been tested on the road yet this year?
Bal 27, Oak 13: I fail to see how the Raiders score more than 17 points in this game.
Hou 26, Cin 21: Cincinnati is too good (talent-wise) to be this bad record-wise. And again, are the Texans a team that should be favored by 10 points?
Pit 19, NYG 16, OT: Should be a great game. Too bad I won't watch.
SF 27, Sea 21: San Fran's defense is terrible. The Niners will win, but the Seahawks will show some offensive life.
Ind 23, Ten 17: There is no doubt in my mind that the Colts will rise from the dead here.
Best bets: 15 this week. 10-5 this week; 63-42-2 for the year.
Dal -1.5
Was -7.5
Was/Det under 42
Mia +1
NE/Stl under 42
SD/NO over 46
Atl +9
Atl/Phi over 45
Car -4
Az/Car under 43
Bal -7.5
Cin +9
Pit/NYG under 42
Sea/SF over 41.5
Ind +4
Oct 23, 2008
To lighten things up...
It's caption contest time!
My submission:
Weekend Warrior, or WNBA Draft prospect?
Tolerance
Tolerance will become a big topic over the next 2-4 years.
Or intolerance, I should say.
A emailer to another political site put it well. The author is a conservative:
" You see, I “get” Palin. And I “get” why my liberal friends don’t “get” Palin. But my liberal friends just don’t “get” why I “get” Palin — and they never will.
“All conservatives are bilingual — we have to be. We speak both liberal and conservative. But liberals are monolingual — they don’t have to be anything else. They speak liberal, and are completely ignorant of the conservative tongue.” "
I don't think that any liberals understand - at all - what makes conservatives tick. We see that on some of the comments from the last post. In effect, Palin supporters "scare the crap out of" some people.
Why? If we are truly going to move forward in this country and work together, canwe at least try to understand each other? No one should be scaring anyone. Why do Palin supporters scare you? Even Bill Clinton "gets" Palin and why she is so popular.
Demonizing Sarah Palin gets back to the "red" and "blue" America that - I thought - Democrats wanted to get rid of. Hey, if Obama and his supporters want to have two separate Americas and run roughshod over the minority party like they think they were the victim of over the past years - fine. They have every right to. But then don't come selling you "unity" snake oil to me.
And please, let's not see more of these attacks in the future. However, it doesn't take a massive leap of faith to see how this could happen in certain areas over the next few years.
Or intolerance, I should say.
A emailer to another political site put it well. The author is a conservative:
" You see, I “get” Palin. And I “get” why my liberal friends don’t “get” Palin. But my liberal friends just don’t “get” why I “get” Palin — and they never will.
“All conservatives are bilingual — we have to be. We speak both liberal and conservative. But liberals are monolingual — they don’t have to be anything else. They speak liberal, and are completely ignorant of the conservative tongue.” "
I don't think that any liberals understand - at all - what makes conservatives tick. We see that on some of the comments from the last post. In effect, Palin supporters "scare the crap out of" some people.
Why? If we are truly going to move forward in this country and work together, canwe at least try to understand each other? No one should be scaring anyone. Why do Palin supporters scare you? Even Bill Clinton "gets" Palin and why she is so popular.
Demonizing Sarah Palin gets back to the "red" and "blue" America that - I thought - Democrats wanted to get rid of. Hey, if Obama and his supporters want to have two separate Americas and run roughshod over the minority party like they think they were the victim of over the past years - fine. They have every right to. But then don't come selling you "unity" snake oil to me.
And please, let's not see more of these attacks in the future. However, it doesn't take a massive leap of faith to see how this could happen in certain areas over the next few years.
Oct 21, 2008
Two weeks to go...
...until election day.
It looks like Obama is leading by roughly 5% nationwide, and only needs to win one of a handful of swing states (Ohio? Florida? Virginia?) to seal the deal. On the other hand, McCain needs to sweep almost all of the swing states to have a chance at winning.
At this point, barring some unforeseen circumstances or happenings, it looks like Barack Obama will be the next President. That, in itself, does not scare me too much.
Two thoughts on this: look, McCain is doing the best he can with the hand he has been dealt. I truly believe that Palin is a net plus to this ticket. Think about it this way: in January, if you would have been told where the stock market is, received the details on the financial crisis, and the price of gas, you would have thought that the Democrat would be up 15%. He is only up 5%, maybe a bit more. That says a lot for McCain, and I think Palin has energized the party and heartland women.
My second thought is that I shudder to think what the government will do over the next 2 years. Obama himself doesn't seem too bad, but give him a possible 60-seat majority in the Senate and maybe 250 seats in the house - and look out. The floor is falling out from the Republicans in Congress. Mitch McConnell- the Senate Minority leader - is in a tight race in Kentucky. Both of the Cincinnati congressmen - Steve Chabot and Don's girlfriend, Jean Schmidt - are in dead heats. Stuart Smalley may win in Minnesota (which terrifies me).
Part of me thinks this is OK for the Republicans, as they need to learn (and re-learn!) lessons. This party is not about Ted Stevens, the corrupt Senator from Alaska, but about budget hawk Tom Coburn of Oklahoma. It is not about family-values Larry Craig of Idaho but about Chuck Grassley of Iowa. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee. John Thune of South Dakota. It is not Trent Lott but Norm Coleman. Maybe it's good to clean house and get the old, power-corrupted Senators out of the way.
Then I realize that would leave us with about 35 senators.
Barack Obama has never said no to Democratic leaders before in his life. Having Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi have a rubber stamp presidency is frightening. I do believe that Obama-led government will significantly raise taxes. It may not be started from Obama, but it will pass under his watch. What will our defense look like? What government programs - all with "good intentions" - will make a mess of our lives?
And what will Obama say no to?
Obama promises a new kind of politics in Washington. The idealist in me wants to take him at his word and hope we can work together in a bipartisan fashion over the next few years.
But the realist in me reads the news of a Maryland McCain supporter's house being vandalized and painted with KKK insignia. I see Obama supporters wearing T-shirts that say "Sarah Palin is a c**t". I see Pelosi wanting to bring the "fairness" doctrine back to effectively shut down any media that may be conservative.
I hope Obama has the backbone to stand up to the dnagerous elements of his party. I see some of Perot's outsiderness in Obama. I hope it's real and not just election rhetoric to get elected.
It looks like Obama is leading by roughly 5% nationwide, and only needs to win one of a handful of swing states (Ohio? Florida? Virginia?) to seal the deal. On the other hand, McCain needs to sweep almost all of the swing states to have a chance at winning.
At this point, barring some unforeseen circumstances or happenings, it looks like Barack Obama will be the next President. That, in itself, does not scare me too much.
Two thoughts on this: look, McCain is doing the best he can with the hand he has been dealt. I truly believe that Palin is a net plus to this ticket. Think about it this way: in January, if you would have been told where the stock market is, received the details on the financial crisis, and the price of gas, you would have thought that the Democrat would be up 15%. He is only up 5%, maybe a bit more. That says a lot for McCain, and I think Palin has energized the party and heartland women.
My second thought is that I shudder to think what the government will do over the next 2 years. Obama himself doesn't seem too bad, but give him a possible 60-seat majority in the Senate and maybe 250 seats in the house - and look out. The floor is falling out from the Republicans in Congress. Mitch McConnell- the Senate Minority leader - is in a tight race in Kentucky. Both of the Cincinnati congressmen - Steve Chabot and Don's girlfriend, Jean Schmidt - are in dead heats. Stuart Smalley may win in Minnesota (which terrifies me).
Part of me thinks this is OK for the Republicans, as they need to learn (and re-learn!) lessons. This party is not about Ted Stevens, the corrupt Senator from Alaska, but about budget hawk Tom Coburn of Oklahoma. It is not about family-values Larry Craig of Idaho but about Chuck Grassley of Iowa. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee. John Thune of South Dakota. It is not Trent Lott but Norm Coleman. Maybe it's good to clean house and get the old, power-corrupted Senators out of the way.
Then I realize that would leave us with about 35 senators.
Barack Obama has never said no to Democratic leaders before in his life. Having Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi have a rubber stamp presidency is frightening. I do believe that Obama-led government will significantly raise taxes. It may not be started from Obama, but it will pass under his watch. What will our defense look like? What government programs - all with "good intentions" - will make a mess of our lives?
And what will Obama say no to?
Obama promises a new kind of politics in Washington. The idealist in me wants to take him at his word and hope we can work together in a bipartisan fashion over the next few years.
But the realist in me reads the news of a Maryland McCain supporter's house being vandalized and painted with KKK insignia. I see Obama supporters wearing T-shirts that say "Sarah Palin is a c**t". I see Pelosi wanting to bring the "fairness" doctrine back to effectively shut down any media that may be conservative.
I hope Obama has the backbone to stand up to the dnagerous elements of his party. I see some of Perot's outsiderness in Obama. I hope it's real and not just election rhetoric to get elected.
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