This sums it all up, no?
Feb 29, 2008
Happy Leap Day
First of all, congrats to Jay and Laura for the new arrival! Hope everyone is healthy and doing well. Before you gave out the initials, I would have expected the name to be "Hillary Obama" for a girl, but your choice is good too!
Happy leap day to everyone. It's the 3rd anniversary of my engagement to Janice...and yes, to all you smart asses out there, I asked her. (This is Sadie Hawkins day, you know).
We'll probably spent tonight at CiCi's pizza, or Ruby Tuesday, or some otehr similar restaurant in the suburbs with a child:adult ratio of 3:2.
Happy leap day to everyone. It's the 3rd anniversary of my engagement to Janice...and yes, to all you smart asses out there, I asked her. (This is Sadie Hawkins day, you know).
We'll probably spent tonight at CiCi's pizza, or Ruby Tuesday, or some otehr similar restaurant in the suburbs with a child:adult ratio of 3:2.
Feb 27, 2008
This COULD be it
Well, right now Laura is having contractions at almost ten minute intervals. They are pretty strong, but not completely regular so we are waiting on going to the hospital. It seems like baby #2 is going to be coming sooner rather than later.
And reason #1,002,385 why it is better to be a guy - I am blogging while she is dealing with painful contractions. ;)
I will try and post some pics if this does happen. We haven't told anyone the baby's name yet, but I will tell you the initials will be LND. Any guesses out there??
And reason #1,002,385 why it is better to be a guy - I am blogging while she is dealing with painful contractions. ;)
I will try and post some pics if this does happen. We haven't told anyone the baby's name yet, but I will tell you the initials will be LND. Any guesses out there??
18 years ago...
I was surfing on the web and found this document....wow! These records do exist! Then I remembered what happened tonight 18 years ago.
On this date in 1990, a scared 18-year old walked from his dorm to a meeting room at the Case gymnasium for the orientation meeting for the Case Golf team. I met a couple of the team members in the fall when we were required to take a physical; since that time, I talked to no one else on the team and was a bit intimidated.
I distinctly remember 4 people from that first meeting on February 27, 1990:
- The captain, a 6'4" or so senior, who made it a point to tell everyone how much he improved his golf game over the summer; he also announced that he was a three-time letterman on the football team as well. Made sense, since our golf coach was the football coach too. I left the meeting wondering if this guy was truly a two-sport BMOC or someone who just liked to talk about himself.
- The junior who I met at the physicals for a bit - our first conversation was about Ben McDonald of the Orioles - who was a quiet character. I quickly found out that he was in a band....and he was not one for small talk. A brooding personality. Not one that I thought I'd warm up to quickly.
- A sophomore who was a physics major; this guy seemed to possibly have some mental problems - but then how could he be a student at Case then? We received some golf shirts from the school that night; he insisted on trying on his pants over the pants he was already wearing - since that was the way he worm them normally to keep his pants up at waist level.
- A fellow freshman from West Virginia who was named after our 32nd president; he complained during the meeting that his radio reception in his dorm was not very good. What was the problem? Well, he couldn't tune into his local AM radio station (based in West Virginia) from his dorm room (in Cleveland) to get the farm report.
There was also this mythical figure that was named after a Muppet...I wasn't sure at the time if that was his real name or a nickname. It was unfortunate that this person wasn't going to be on the team this year, due to a co-op assignment......however, I believe all the upperclassmen on the team told at least one stories about this missing person that night.
As I left the meeting that night, I'm sure I asked myself repeatedly - is this truly what I should expect from a Division III Intercollegiate Athletics team?
On this date in 1990, a scared 18-year old walked from his dorm to a meeting room at the Case gymnasium for the orientation meeting for the Case Golf team. I met a couple of the team members in the fall when we were required to take a physical; since that time, I talked to no one else on the team and was a bit intimidated.
I distinctly remember 4 people from that first meeting on February 27, 1990:
- The captain, a 6'4" or so senior, who made it a point to tell everyone how much he improved his golf game over the summer; he also announced that he was a three-time letterman on the football team as well. Made sense, since our golf coach was the football coach too. I left the meeting wondering if this guy was truly a two-sport BMOC or someone who just liked to talk about himself.
- The junior who I met at the physicals for a bit - our first conversation was about Ben McDonald of the Orioles - who was a quiet character. I quickly found out that he was in a band....and he was not one for small talk. A brooding personality. Not one that I thought I'd warm up to quickly.
- A sophomore who was a physics major; this guy seemed to possibly have some mental problems - but then how could he be a student at Case then? We received some golf shirts from the school that night; he insisted on trying on his pants over the pants he was already wearing - since that was the way he worm them normally to keep his pants up at waist level.
- A fellow freshman from West Virginia who was named after our 32nd president; he complained during the meeting that his radio reception in his dorm was not very good. What was the problem? Well, he couldn't tune into his local AM radio station (based in West Virginia) from his dorm room (in Cleveland) to get the farm report.
There was also this mythical figure that was named after a Muppet...I wasn't sure at the time if that was his real name or a nickname. It was unfortunate that this person wasn't going to be on the team this year, due to a co-op assignment......however, I believe all the upperclassmen on the team told at least one stories about this missing person that night.
As I left the meeting that night, I'm sure I asked myself repeatedly - is this truly what I should expect from a Division III Intercollegiate Athletics team?
Feb 25, 2008
Three Weeks to go
Hello everyone.... been out of touch here on the blog due to a) travel, b) learning the names of 36 Pokemon characters, and c) a bad cold....but we are back. A much needed rebuttal to Layup's post is in the comments.
The D'Artagan/George W. Bush Game
(6) Gonzaga vs (11) Maryland
The Don Hershey Game
(4) Purdue vs (13) Cornell
Layup's 5-12 Upset
(5) Michigan St. vs (12) Davidson
The Eric Zahn Ohio Underdog Game
(6) Butler vs (11) Kent St
The Wiz Heart Attack Game
(6) Clemson vs (11) UMass
The RRD Virginia Lock Game
(4) Notre Dame vs (13) Virginia Commonwealth
The Leland/John the Pai Gow Dealer Game
(7) Pitt vs (10) UNLV
The Kermit Pollari "if all 7 of you are going one way...." game
(6) Kansas St. vs (11) Florida
The Mike Dietrich Cheesesteak Game
(7) Washington St. vs (10) St Joseph's
The Micah "game most likely to end in multiple broken bones"
(7) BYU vs (10) West Virginia
Layup's $500 on the Money Line game
(3) Wisconsin vs (14) Rider
Wiz's ACC/Mid-Atlantic Lock
(7) Arizona vs (10) Miami-FL
The Gus Johnson Game
(5) Vanderbilt vs (12) Ohio St
The 8-9 game non one cares about
(8) Oklahoma vs (9) Arkansas
The 9:00 Thursday first upset of the tournament
(5) Marquette vs (12) New Mexico
The Game no one but Eric cares about
(8) St Mary's vs (9) Texas A&M
The Eric Unload on a random over/under game
(2) Duke vs (15) Belmont
*****Women's specials *********
Weekly Contest: Guess the Huge Line!
(1) Connecticut (26-1) vs (16) Western Illinois (12-13)
Eric's Lock of the Week
(8) Georgia vs (9) Iowa
Layup's Lock of the Week
(5) Virginia vs (12) Southern California
The D'Artagan/George W. Bush Game
(6) Gonzaga vs (11) Maryland
The Don Hershey Game
(4) Purdue vs (13) Cornell
Layup's 5-12 Upset
(5) Michigan St. vs (12) Davidson
The Eric Zahn Ohio Underdog Game
(6) Butler vs (11) Kent St
The Wiz Heart Attack Game
(6) Clemson vs (11) UMass
The RRD Virginia Lock Game
(4) Notre Dame vs (13) Virginia Commonwealth
The Leland/John the Pai Gow Dealer Game
(7) Pitt vs (10) UNLV
The Kermit Pollari "if all 7 of you are going one way...." game
(6) Kansas St. vs (11) Florida
The Mike Dietrich Cheesesteak Game
(7) Washington St. vs (10) St Joseph's
The Micah "game most likely to end in multiple broken bones"
(7) BYU vs (10) West Virginia
Layup's $500 on the Money Line game
(3) Wisconsin vs (14) Rider
Wiz's ACC/Mid-Atlantic Lock
(7) Arizona vs (10) Miami-FL
The Gus Johnson Game
(5) Vanderbilt vs (12) Ohio St
The 8-9 game non one cares about
(8) Oklahoma vs (9) Arkansas
The 9:00 Thursday first upset of the tournament
(5) Marquette vs (12) New Mexico
The Game no one but Eric cares about
(8) St Mary's vs (9) Texas A&M
The Eric Unload on a random over/under game
(2) Duke vs (15) Belmont
*****Women's specials *********
Weekly Contest: Guess the Huge Line!
(1) Connecticut (26-1) vs (16) Western Illinois (12-13)
Eric's Lock of the Week
(8) Georgia vs (9) Iowa
Layup's Lock of the Week
(5) Virginia vs (12) Southern California
Wire
A quick shout out to one of my favorite characters in one of the best shows of all time, Omar Little!! A gay hitman running the streets of Baltimore was very original and classic. I knew he was going to die, but I'm not too sure if I liked the way they did this.
Feb 22, 2008
3.6 Percent
Eric continues to say that my vote doesn't count in the General Election. If I'm disgusted by both Huckabee and McCain, then I will stay home and not vote, which is exactly what the Republican party wants during the General Election, because they believe that they can win by getting the very conservative base united. I tend to believe that as well, and that leaves me with only one choice....vote Obama to send a message that the Republicans need to get back to basics. Then I read a great article in the Weekly Standard about some statistics from some Gallup and ANES polling data from 2007:
Electorate Breakdown:
Rep: 28%
Dems: 32%
Ind: 39%
Of the Republicans, they self identified themselves as:
Conservative: 55%
Moderate: 26%
Very Conservative: 13%
So the Very Conservative Republicans make up 3.6% of the mass electorate. It goes on to talk about how this might seem low, but 3.6% of the electorate population can easily support the myriad of media outlets and keep certain officials in office.
Then the article goes on to say that the independents matter the most. "Based on ANES data, the 10 elections from 1952-1988, the Democrat, on average, won about 40% of the total 2-party vote cast by independents. In the last 4 elections, however, the Democrat, on average, won 55% of the total 2-party vote cast by independents. The independents in 2004 cast one in three ballots."
In 2000, Bush won the independent vote over Gore, but lost by 1% point to Kerry in 2004. The winning difference in 2004, an election which both parties exceeded their early turnout projections, was the several million evangelical voters who favored Bush, but had not turned out in 2000. But it then also states that the evangelical Christians are moving toward the center. Only 40% of the white evangelicals between the ages 18-29 self identify as Republicans, and only 10% self identify as religious right. So how can the republicans squeeze more out of this group? Well it can't. If it doesn't have the perfect "Bush" type candidate, then they can't bank on having the same type of turnout. So they have to try to overcome this by doing three things:
1. Latino Voters- Well people tend to forget about the evangelical Latino population which is growing extremely fast. This explains why so many "Republicans" are becoming lax on immigration. Bush has made amazing in roads with this population segment and it made a huge difference in the last election. And we are seeing some of the payback over the past year with Bush and so many other Republicans fighting so hard for Amnesty. And McCain is the guy who sponsored the bill with Kennedy.
2. Iraq- In 06, the ANES polling data showed that most Republicans were disenchanted with Bush's Iraq policies and generally worried that the country was heading in the wrong direction. With what is going on now in Iraq, plus McCain being the main man for the surge, it might actually help him out and get everyone excited again. I know that this is why Eric is energized about McCain.
3. Reagan Democrats- McCain really is the only Republican who can win as Reagan did. What I found amazing is that in 1980 in a 3 man race, Reagan won 26% of the Democrat vote and 30% of the Independents. In 1984, Reagan won 26% of the Democrats and 63% of the Independents. The writer of the article states that he has 6 life long Democrat friends who voted for Reagan each time. Then they all switched to Clinton, and then 50% of the them voted for Bush in 00 and 04. In 06, all but one voted for their local Democrat. And when polled now, all of them stated that they would vote for McCain over Obama or Clinton in the 08 election because he is a war hero, strong on national defense, and he looks the part.
So what does all of this mean? Well, hopefully the great Karl Rove strategy might be put to rest if they don't have the type of candidate necessary to pull this off. Plus its going to take a lot more than the 3.6% to overcome the excitement and the expected turnout for Obama. Remember, that Karl's strategy would of gone for not if the Democrats would of gotten the same type of turnout for their own candidate, but they didn't have the right candidate. I truly believe they do now, and the Republicans need to counter this turnout.
So after reading this, am I going to change my vote? No. Political sacrifice is my choice until McCain does something amazing.
Electorate Breakdown:
Rep: 28%
Dems: 32%
Ind: 39%
Of the Republicans, they self identified themselves as:
Conservative: 55%
Moderate: 26%
Very Conservative: 13%
So the Very Conservative Republicans make up 3.6% of the mass electorate. It goes on to talk about how this might seem low, but 3.6% of the electorate population can easily support the myriad of media outlets and keep certain officials in office.
Then the article goes on to say that the independents matter the most. "Based on ANES data, the 10 elections from 1952-1988, the Democrat, on average, won about 40% of the total 2-party vote cast by independents. In the last 4 elections, however, the Democrat, on average, won 55% of the total 2-party vote cast by independents. The independents in 2004 cast one in three ballots."
In 2000, Bush won the independent vote over Gore, but lost by 1% point to Kerry in 2004. The winning difference in 2004, an election which both parties exceeded their early turnout projections, was the several million evangelical voters who favored Bush, but had not turned out in 2000. But it then also states that the evangelical Christians are moving toward the center. Only 40% of the white evangelicals between the ages 18-29 self identify as Republicans, and only 10% self identify as religious right. So how can the republicans squeeze more out of this group? Well it can't. If it doesn't have the perfect "Bush" type candidate, then they can't bank on having the same type of turnout. So they have to try to overcome this by doing three things:
1. Latino Voters- Well people tend to forget about the evangelical Latino population which is growing extremely fast. This explains why so many "Republicans" are becoming lax on immigration. Bush has made amazing in roads with this population segment and it made a huge difference in the last election. And we are seeing some of the payback over the past year with Bush and so many other Republicans fighting so hard for Amnesty. And McCain is the guy who sponsored the bill with Kennedy.
2. Iraq- In 06, the ANES polling data showed that most Republicans were disenchanted with Bush's Iraq policies and generally worried that the country was heading in the wrong direction. With what is going on now in Iraq, plus McCain being the main man for the surge, it might actually help him out and get everyone excited again. I know that this is why Eric is energized about McCain.
3. Reagan Democrats- McCain really is the only Republican who can win as Reagan did. What I found amazing is that in 1980 in a 3 man race, Reagan won 26% of the Democrat vote and 30% of the Independents. In 1984, Reagan won 26% of the Democrats and 63% of the Independents. The writer of the article states that he has 6 life long Democrat friends who voted for Reagan each time. Then they all switched to Clinton, and then 50% of the them voted for Bush in 00 and 04. In 06, all but one voted for their local Democrat. And when polled now, all of them stated that they would vote for McCain over Obama or Clinton in the 08 election because he is a war hero, strong on national defense, and he looks the part.
So what does all of this mean? Well, hopefully the great Karl Rove strategy might be put to rest if they don't have the type of candidate necessary to pull this off. Plus its going to take a lot more than the 3.6% to overcome the excitement and the expected turnout for Obama. Remember, that Karl's strategy would of gone for not if the Democrats would of gotten the same type of turnout for their own candidate, but they didn't have the right candidate. I truly believe they do now, and the Republicans need to counter this turnout.
So after reading this, am I going to change my vote? No. Political sacrifice is my choice until McCain does something amazing.
Feb 21, 2008
Does the NYT want the Republicans to win?
The following email sent from (multiple) readers to the National Revier echo my thoughts exactly:
I'm the typical conservative who has not been happy with the McCain ascendancy, but the NYTimes has accomplished what Tojo did with Pearl Harbor. They have awoken a sleeping giant. We have been reminded who the real enemy is and it is not Senator McCain. I'm ordering my bumper sticker today.
You have to be completely naive - or an idiot - to guess that this "hit" job on McCain in the NYT wouldn't invigorate the right. The NYT had to know the right would awaken and unite if one of their sworn enemies- the liberal media - goes after the candidate with an "R" by his name.
We can debate the merits of the piece another time, but it's clear to me that the NYT has saved McCain at least 2 months of work by uniting the Right behind McCain.
The question needs to be asked - was it intentional? Or are they really that politically deaf?
I'm the typical conservative who has not been happy with the McCain ascendancy, but the NYTimes has accomplished what Tojo did with Pearl Harbor. They have awoken a sleeping giant. We have been reminded who the real enemy is and it is not Senator McCain. I'm ordering my bumper sticker today.
You have to be completely naive - or an idiot - to guess that this "hit" job on McCain in the NYT wouldn't invigorate the right. The NYT had to know the right would awaken and unite if one of their sworn enemies- the liberal media - goes after the candidate with an "R" by his name.
We can debate the merits of the piece another time, but it's clear to me that the NYT has saved McCain at least 2 months of work by uniting the Right behind McCain.
The question needs to be asked - was it intentional? Or are they really that politically deaf?
Feb 20, 2008
One month to go
Amazing. Less than one month until Vegas....
For your reading pleasure as we all root for Steve Stricker to win the match play this week:
The D'Artagan/George W. Bush Game
(8) Baylor vs (9) Maryland
The Don Hershey Game
(3) Purdue vs (14) Winthrop
The Layup 5-12 Upset Game
(5) Drake vs (12) Oregon
The Eric Zahn Ohio Underdog Game
(5) Butler vs (12) Kent St
The Wiz Heart Attack Game
(6) Clemson vs (11) West Virginia
The RRD Virginia Lock Game
(4) Kansas St vs (13) Virginia Commonwealth
The Leland/John the Pai Gow Game
(7) Vanderbilt vs (10) Arizona St
The Kermit "if all 7 of you are going one way, I know which way I'm going" Game
(8) Southern California vs (9) Gonzaga
The Mike Dietrich Cheesesteak Game
(6) Michigan St vs (11) St Joseph's
The Micah "most likely to end in multiple broken bones" Game
(7) Arizona vs (10) Arkansas
The Wiz ACC-Mid Atlantic Lock
(2) North Carolina vs (15) Maryland-Baltimore County
Layup's $500 on the Money Line game
(4) Notre Dame vs (13) Cornell
The Gus Johnson Game
(7) BYU vs (10) Ohio St
The 8-9 Game No one cares about
(8) Pitt vs (9) Oklahoma
The 9:00 on Thursday First Upset of the Week
(6) Texas A&M vs (11) South Alabama
The Game no one but Eric cares about
(6) Marquette vs (11) Dayton
The Eric Zahn Unload on a Random Over/Under
(8) Rhode Island vs (9) Mississippi St
For your reading pleasure as we all root for Steve Stricker to win the match play this week:
The D'Artagan/George W. Bush Game
(8) Baylor vs (9) Maryland
The Don Hershey Game
(3) Purdue vs (14) Winthrop
The Layup 5-12 Upset Game
(5) Drake vs (12) Oregon
The Eric Zahn Ohio Underdog Game
(5) Butler vs (12) Kent St
The Wiz Heart Attack Game
(6) Clemson vs (11) West Virginia
The RRD Virginia Lock Game
(4) Kansas St vs (13) Virginia Commonwealth
The Leland/John the Pai Gow Game
(7) Vanderbilt vs (10) Arizona St
The Kermit "if all 7 of you are going one way, I know which way I'm going" Game
(8) Southern California vs (9) Gonzaga
The Mike Dietrich Cheesesteak Game
(6) Michigan St vs (11) St Joseph's
The Micah "most likely to end in multiple broken bones" Game
(7) Arizona vs (10) Arkansas
The Wiz ACC-Mid Atlantic Lock
(2) North Carolina vs (15) Maryland-Baltimore County
Layup's $500 on the Money Line game
(4) Notre Dame vs (13) Cornell
The Gus Johnson Game
(7) BYU vs (10) Ohio St
The 8-9 Game No one cares about
(8) Pitt vs (9) Oklahoma
The 9:00 on Thursday First Upset of the Week
(6) Texas A&M vs (11) South Alabama
The Game no one but Eric cares about
(6) Marquette vs (11) Dayton
The Eric Zahn Unload on a Random Over/Under
(8) Rhode Island vs (9) Mississippi St
Feb 17, 2008
These guys are incredible
So there was a line set for the NBA All-Star Game - even an over/under total! How in the hell do you set a total for an All-Star Game??
The line was set at 262.5 .
The final score? 134-128. Wow. I'm speechless.
(And yes, I had the under.)
The line was set at 262.5 .
The final score? 134-128. Wow. I'm speechless.
(And yes, I had the under.)
A true head-scratcher
From Mark Penn, head pollster for Hillary Clinton:
“Winning Democratic primaries is not a qualification or a sign of who can win the general election. If it were, every nominee would win because every nominee wins Democratic primaries.”
Um....yes, that is technically true. But the easy follow-up:
"However, losing Democratic primaries is strongly correlated with not being able to win elections."
(I can't take credit for that zinger. I found it on this website.)
Is the Clinton camp this desperate for any positive spin? Wow.
“Winning Democratic primaries is not a qualification or a sign of who can win the general election. If it were, every nominee would win because every nominee wins Democratic primaries.”
Um....yes, that is technically true. But the easy follow-up:
"However, losing Democratic primaries is strongly correlated with not being able to win elections."
(I can't take credit for that zinger. I found it on this website.)
Is the Clinton camp this desperate for any positive spin? Wow.
Feb 16, 2008
Random Notes
Layup is currently somewhere in Utah right now driving toward Vegas. He has described Utah as "very much like Kansas or Iowa, but more desolate". Sounds wonderful!
He is also trying to get a hotel room in Vegas for the night - however, this is a fight weekend and there are almost no rooms availabile for him. Even the Palace Station* is sold out this weekend. I've spent a good hour checking rooms for him on the internet - right now, it's down to the Riviera or South Point. The deal-decider is that "Vick Lawrence and Momma!" is playing at the South Point - that may do it for Layup.
I spent most of the day either:
- creating Pokemon badges for guests at Freddie's party tomorrow, or
- making Pokemon bingo cards.
I don't get it, but apparently many 6- or 7-year olds have the mental capacity to memorize 300 or so different cartoon figures and their names.
I was traveling on Valentine's day - which means I got to save money on roses! The flower shop had a dozen roses for half off on Feb 15th, the day I got back from Iowa! Hmmmm....I may make this a tradition....
Spekaing of Iowa, I took 3 hours out of my night and visited the casino there (again) - always $5 black jack, craps, Ultimate Hold 'em available and $10 Pai Gow also. The casino is about 15 miles south of Iowa City, so a quick trip from the plant/hotel.... I'm starting to become a regular. THis is my fourth trip there in about 3 months - and I am recognizing the dealers. Not one or two dealers, but like 8 or 9 of them. The casino is about 40% Iowa students, 30% retirees, 20% truckers, and I'd say 10% degenerates. Not sure what category I fall into.
I reflect on this casino and the timing....and I'm glad it wasn't there when I lived in Iowa City. That could have been a problem. The closest casino back in 04 and 05 was in Davenport, a 60 mile drive. Doable, but something you had to plan for. If the casino was 15 minutes away when I lived there, well, that would have been too easy.
This has happened a couple times in my life....
1) BW-3's starting popping up all over the place in Cleveland in the early 90's. We used to go down to the flats every Tuesday for 10 cent wing night. Just as I graduated, they opened one near campus in Coventry. If that opened a year earlier, I would have lived there...
2) Indiana apporved casinos in 1995, and Argosy/Grand Victoria opened in 1997, which was about an hour from my house. I got married in late 96......I made enough solo trips there when we just got married and Janice had to travel..... imagine if they were open when I was single and in Dayton in 94 - 95.
3) And now the Iowa City casino....
All that "good" timing that occurred in my life is outweighed by the "bad" timing of the Case golf course. Our college team had privledges on one of the nicest private courses in Cleveland - Acacia - in the last 80's; in the spring of 1989, one of our players buried his putter in the 4th green; the 4th green unfortunately was close to the clubhouse and a private party of 100 saw the action. We were not welcomed back on the course; I entered Case in the fall of 1989 and never played the course.
Thanks, Moose.
* - Palace Station, highly rated on Eric's sentimentality scale, as it was the hotel where Eric stayed on his first Vegas trip in 1994. **
** - by the way, rooms are available there for the March weekend at $59 a room!
He is also trying to get a hotel room in Vegas for the night - however, this is a fight weekend and there are almost no rooms availabile for him. Even the Palace Station* is sold out this weekend. I've spent a good hour checking rooms for him on the internet - right now, it's down to the Riviera or South Point. The deal-decider is that "Vick Lawrence and Momma!" is playing at the South Point - that may do it for Layup.
I spent most of the day either:
- creating Pokemon badges for guests at Freddie's party tomorrow, or
- making Pokemon bingo cards.
I don't get it, but apparently many 6- or 7-year olds have the mental capacity to memorize 300 or so different cartoon figures and their names.
I was traveling on Valentine's day - which means I got to save money on roses! The flower shop had a dozen roses for half off on Feb 15th, the day I got back from Iowa! Hmmmm....I may make this a tradition....
Spekaing of Iowa, I took 3 hours out of my night and visited the casino there (again) - always $5 black jack, craps, Ultimate Hold 'em available and $10 Pai Gow also. The casino is about 15 miles south of Iowa City, so a quick trip from the plant/hotel.... I'm starting to become a regular. THis is my fourth trip there in about 3 months - and I am recognizing the dealers. Not one or two dealers, but like 8 or 9 of them. The casino is about 40% Iowa students, 30% retirees, 20% truckers, and I'd say 10% degenerates. Not sure what category I fall into.
I reflect on this casino and the timing....and I'm glad it wasn't there when I lived in Iowa City. That could have been a problem. The closest casino back in 04 and 05 was in Davenport, a 60 mile drive. Doable, but something you had to plan for. If the casino was 15 minutes away when I lived there, well, that would have been too easy.
This has happened a couple times in my life....
1) BW-3's starting popping up all over the place in Cleveland in the early 90's. We used to go down to the flats every Tuesday for 10 cent wing night. Just as I graduated, they opened one near campus in Coventry. If that opened a year earlier, I would have lived there...
2) Indiana apporved casinos in 1995, and Argosy/Grand Victoria opened in 1997, which was about an hour from my house. I got married in late 96......I made enough solo trips there when we just got married and Janice had to travel..... imagine if they were open when I was single and in Dayton in 94 - 95.
3) And now the Iowa City casino....
All that "good" timing that occurred in my life is outweighed by the "bad" timing of the Case golf course. Our college team had privledges on one of the nicest private courses in Cleveland - Acacia - in the last 80's; in the spring of 1989, one of our players buried his putter in the 4th green; the 4th green unfortunately was close to the clubhouse and a private party of 100 saw the action. We were not welcomed back on the course; I entered Case in the fall of 1989 and never played the course.
Thanks, Moose.
* - Palace Station, highly rated on Eric's sentimentality scale, as it was the hotel where Eric stayed on his first Vegas trip in 1994. **
** - by the way, rooms are available there for the March weekend at $59 a room!
Feb 15, 2008
Cross country betting
Sorry for not blogging more, especially about politics. I have a post in mind about how my mother-in-law will decide the Democratic contest between Clinton and Obama....
but first, some urgent matters. As some of you know, Layup and Carol are driving cross country from the Outer Banks of NC to California this week. So this is a great opportunity for some of Eric's patented over/unders!
Here we go. Today is leg 2 - Louisville to Denver. 1106 miles, according to Mapquest.
We know that they left today at 8 am Eastern/6 am Mountain.
They are in a Penske truck that can max at 75 mph.
last update, 11 am , they are on I-64 in Illinois just past I-57.
So - lines for today:
Arrival time in Denver today:
After 11:18 pm MT/1:18 am Eastern (-110)
Before 11:18 pm MT/1:18 Eastern (-110)
Will they arrive before Midnight Mountain time?
Yes (-160)
No (+140)
Will they have a stop longer than 60 minutes?
(note: this is any stop including meals, gas, or possible mechanical breakdowns)
Yes (+200)
No (-250)
Will they have to get a hotel room before Denver and stay the night?
Yes (+500)
No (-350)
Will Layup use the words "country music " and "not bad" in the same sentence after this trip?
Yes (+120)
No (-140)
Note: The truck does not have satellite radio nor can it play any podcast.
but first, some urgent matters. As some of you know, Layup and Carol are driving cross country from the Outer Banks of NC to California this week. So this is a great opportunity for some of Eric's patented over/unders!
Here we go. Today is leg 2 - Louisville to Denver. 1106 miles, according to Mapquest.
We know that they left today at 8 am Eastern/6 am Mountain.
They are in a Penske truck that can max at 75 mph.
last update, 11 am , they are on I-64 in Illinois just past I-57.
So - lines for today:
Arrival time in Denver today:
After 11:18 pm MT/1:18 am Eastern (-110)
Before 11:18 pm MT/1:18 Eastern (-110)
Will they arrive before Midnight Mountain time?
Yes (-160)
No (+140)
Will they have a stop longer than 60 minutes?
(note: this is any stop including meals, gas, or possible mechanical breakdowns)
Yes (+200)
No (-250)
Will they have to get a hotel room before Denver and stay the night?
Yes (+500)
No (-350)
Will Layup use the words "country music " and "not bad" in the same sentence after this trip?
Yes (+120)
No (-140)
Note: The truck does not have satellite radio nor can it play any podcast.
Feb 11, 2008
5 weeks to go
Changing the order up a bit here...all games from the latest version of ESPN's Bracketology, by Joe Lunardi.
The D'Artagan/George W. Bush Game
(7) Arkansas vs (10) Maryland
The Don Hershey Game
(4) Purdue vs (13) Cornell
The Layup 5-12 Upset
(5) Wisconsin vs (12) Davidson
The Eric Zahn Ohio Underdog Game
(4) Connecticut vs (13) Kent St
The Wiz Heart Attack Game
(8) Clemson vs (9) Ohio St
The RRD Virginia Lock Game
(4) Michigan St vs (13) VCU
The Leland Owens/John the Pai Gow Dealer Game
(6) St Mary's vs (11) UNLV
The Kermit Pollari "If all 7 of you go one way, I know which team I'm taking" game
(8) Southern California vs (9) Mississippi St
The Mike Dietrich Game
(6) Texas A&M vs (11) St Joseph's
The Micah "Game that is most likely to end in broken bones" Game
(6) Butler vs (11) South Alabama
The Wiz ACC-Mid Atlantic Lock
(3) Drake vs (14) Maryland-Baltimore County
The Layup "$500 on the Money Line" Game
(4) Kansas St vs (13) Oral Roberts
The Gus Johnson Game
(5) Washington St vs (12) West Virginia
The 8-9 Game No One Cares about
(8) Florida vs (9) Oklahoma
The 9:00 on Thursday First Upset of the Tournament
(6) Gonzaga vs (11) BYU
The Game No One But Eric Cares About
(7) Marquette vs (10) Dayton
The Eric Z Unload on a Random Over/Under Game
(3) Notre Dame vs (14) Siena
The Eric Z Women's Lock of the Week
(5) Utah vs (12) Iowa St
Layup's Women's Lock of the Week
(3) California vs (14) UC-Santa Barbara
The D'Artagan/George W. Bush Game
(7) Arkansas vs (10) Maryland
The Don Hershey Game
(4) Purdue vs (13) Cornell
The Layup 5-12 Upset
(5) Wisconsin vs (12) Davidson
The Eric Zahn Ohio Underdog Game
(4) Connecticut vs (13) Kent St
The Wiz Heart Attack Game
(8) Clemson vs (9) Ohio St
The RRD Virginia Lock Game
(4) Michigan St vs (13) VCU
The Leland Owens/John the Pai Gow Dealer Game
(6) St Mary's vs (11) UNLV
The Kermit Pollari "If all 7 of you go one way, I know which team I'm taking" game
(8) Southern California vs (9) Mississippi St
The Mike Dietrich Game
(6) Texas A&M vs (11) St Joseph's
The Micah "Game that is most likely to end in broken bones" Game
(6) Butler vs (11) South Alabama
The Wiz ACC-Mid Atlantic Lock
(3) Drake vs (14) Maryland-Baltimore County
The Layup "$500 on the Money Line" Game
(4) Kansas St vs (13) Oral Roberts
The Gus Johnson Game
(5) Washington St vs (12) West Virginia
The 8-9 Game No One Cares about
(8) Florida vs (9) Oklahoma
The 9:00 on Thursday First Upset of the Tournament
(6) Gonzaga vs (11) BYU
The Game No One But Eric Cares About
(7) Marquette vs (10) Dayton
The Eric Z Unload on a Random Over/Under Game
(3) Notre Dame vs (14) Siena
The Eric Z Women's Lock of the Week
(5) Utah vs (12) Iowa St
Layup's Women's Lock of the Week
(3) California vs (14) UC-Santa Barbara
Feb 7, 2008
Question on the Dem Primary
Our favorite political writer, Michael Barone, asks a great question:
What state will ultimately be the decider in the Dem nomination battle between Hillary and Barack?
a. Pennsylvania (Apr 22)
b. Indiana/NC (May 6)
c. Kentucky/Oregon (May 20)
d. South Dakota (June 3)
The answer: It's a trick question! It's not a state!
Click here to read why Puerto Rico may play a big part in deciding between Hillary and Obama.
What state will ultimately be the decider in the Dem nomination battle between Hillary and Barack?
a. Pennsylvania (Apr 22)
b. Indiana/NC (May 6)
c. Kentucky/Oregon (May 20)
d. South Dakota (June 3)
The answer: It's a trick question! It's not a state!
Click here to read why Puerto Rico may play a big part in deciding between Hillary and Obama.
Feb 5, 2008
Hitler is pissed.
This is one of the greatest things I've seen in a long time. Hitler as a Cowboys fan. Fantastic. I'm waiting for the Patriots one of this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2triiYXSY8
Thank you Keith and Jon!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2triiYXSY8
Thank you Keith and Jon!!!
Super Tuesday
Happy Super Tuesday!!! I just want to make a quick political comment. Let's not hand the Republican nomination to McCain. Don't underestimate Southern CA hatred for McCain. Illegal Immigration is the #1 issue amoung voters down here and he has been on the hotseat for the last two years. The most popular drive time show has been hammering McCain non stop, and they are doing their "political suicide" promo on McCain. Political suicide is a term they use for voting for the other candidate just because the popular candidate won't listen to the voters on a major issue. This worked when they went against Gray Davis and got Arnold into office. And they did this last year and got several key Republican Congressman out of office. While they are promoting Democrats into office, they believe that this will change the attitude and the stance of the Republicans on very important issues.
In the primary this is very bad for McCain, but in the general (if he can get there) it will be great. In CA, only registered Republicans can vote for Republicans. Independents can only vote for Democrats. So Romney's hard stance, while we are still not sure if he is telling the truth, really cateers to Republicans in the OC and San Diego and could give him a boost to pick up a win in CA.
Just sitting here now on the couch watching some really crappy TV:
In the primary this is very bad for McCain, but in the general (if he can get there) it will be great. In CA, only registered Republicans can vote for Republicans. Independents can only vote for Democrats. So Romney's hard stance, while we are still not sure if he is telling the truth, really cateers to Republicans in the OC and San Diego and could give him a boost to pick up a win in CA.
Just sitting here now on the couch watching some really crappy TV:
- What not to wear- I'm home sick today, and I'm watching this show on TLC called "What not to wear". So a gay guy and some tramp shows up to your door, tells you that everyone thinks that you are a terrible dresser and then change you into new trampy cloths. Um, why does everyone go along with this. If they showed up at my doorstep, they would get punched in the grill.
- Water births- So there was an ad on TLC promoting a show on water births. Who the fuck wants to do that????
- Gauntlet III- This is shaping up to be a great season. I just can't wait for the Veterans to lose.
Week 3 Update
Counting down the days....
The Don Hershey Game
(8) Purdue vs. (9) Vanderbilt
Layup's 5-12 Upset
so many to choose this week; we will go with
(5) Washington St. vs (12) South Alabama
(but see other games below)
The Gus Johnson Game
(6) Notre Dame vs (11) George Mason
The Eric Zahn Ohio Underdog Game
again, so many to choose this week, as there are 4 Ohio underdogs on the board....
(5) Marquette vs (12) Ohio
The Wiz Heart Attack Game
(8) Florida vs (9) Clemson
Layup's $500 on the Money Line Game
(4) Michigan St vs (13) Davidson
The 8-9 Game no one cares about
(8) Mississippi vs (9) Syracuse
The 9:00 on Thursday 1st upset of the Tournament
(5) Indiana vs (12) West Virginia
The Wiz ACC Lock of the Week
(open; only 3 ACC teams projected in)
The RRD Virginia Lock of the Week
(4) Connecticut vs (13) VCU
The Game no one but Eric cares about
(7) Texas A&M vs (10) Rhode Island
The Leland Owens/John the Pai Gow Game of the Week
(6) Arkansas vs (11) UNLV
The Kermit Pollari "I'll win because all of you will lose on this game" Game of the Week
(4) Butler vs (13) Oral Roberts
The Eric Zahn Unload on a Random Over/Under
(3) Xavier vs (14) Cornell
(new categories)
The D'Artagan/George W. Bush Game
(7) Gonzaga vs (10) Dayton
The Eric Zahn Women's Lock of the Week
(8) Minnesota vs (9) Xavier
Layup's Women's Lock of the Week
(3) California vs (14) UC Santa Barbara
The Don Hershey Game
(8) Purdue vs. (9) Vanderbilt
Layup's 5-12 Upset
so many to choose this week; we will go with
(5) Washington St. vs (12) South Alabama
(but see other games below)
The Gus Johnson Game
(6) Notre Dame vs (11) George Mason
The Eric Zahn Ohio Underdog Game
again, so many to choose this week, as there are 4 Ohio underdogs on the board....
(5) Marquette vs (12) Ohio
The Wiz Heart Attack Game
(8) Florida vs (9) Clemson
Layup's $500 on the Money Line Game
(4) Michigan St vs (13) Davidson
The 8-9 Game no one cares about
(8) Mississippi vs (9) Syracuse
The 9:00 on Thursday 1st upset of the Tournament
(5) Indiana vs (12) West Virginia
The Wiz ACC Lock of the Week
(open; only 3 ACC teams projected in)
The RRD Virginia Lock of the Week
(4) Connecticut vs (13) VCU
The Game no one but Eric cares about
(7) Texas A&M vs (10) Rhode Island
The Leland Owens/John the Pai Gow Game of the Week
(6) Arkansas vs (11) UNLV
The Kermit Pollari "I'll win because all of you will lose on this game" Game of the Week
(4) Butler vs (13) Oral Roberts
The Eric Zahn Unload on a Random Over/Under
(3) Xavier vs (14) Cornell
(new categories)
The D'Artagan/George W. Bush Game
(7) Gonzaga vs (10) Dayton
The Eric Zahn Women's Lock of the Week
(8) Minnesota vs (9) Xavier
Layup's Women's Lock of the Week
(3) California vs (14) UC Santa Barbara
Feb 3, 2008
A long run has ended
Wow, I can't believe the Pats lost that freaking game. I mentioned to DZ earlier that I thought it would be a close low scoring game, but I didn't think THAT low scoring. I can't really think too rationally about this game right now, but I knew they were going to lose when Tyree made that amazing catch after Eli escaped. That was just a horrible omen.
I am actually thinking at a more macro level right now. How when a dynasty finally gets beat in the Finals, they usually don't make it back (or it takes a long time to get back). I am thinking about the 01 Rams, the 97 Packers, the 01 Yankees. None of those teams were able to get back to that level, their Finals loss started the beginning of the end. Oh well...
Congrats to the NY Giants. Unbelievably, they made all the plays at the end when they needed to.
I am actually thinking at a more macro level right now. How when a dynasty finally gets beat in the Finals, they usually don't make it back (or it takes a long time to get back). I am thinking about the 01 Rams, the 97 Packers, the 01 Yankees. None of those teams were able to get back to that level, their Finals loss started the beginning of the end. Oh well...
Congrats to the NY Giants. Unbelievably, they made all the plays at the end when they needed to.
Solid!
Well, P&G made its first ever Super Bowl ad tonight....
(it was the talking stain, for Tide, in case you didn't see it.)
And as for a P&Ger, I liked it. Made me laugh. Don actually works in that business, so I'd love to hear what he thinks.
Some random comments on the commercial from our favorite commenters at deadspin.com:
"OK, nice work Tide. That actually made me laugh"
"That coffee stain has already said more intelligent things than Buck"
"P&G, fire the entire ad agency over the Tide commerical. Don't wait - do it now"
"Huh. Talking stain followed by camera shot of Giselle. I'm not sure what they are trying to tell me here."
" 'coffee stain depicted'? Was there a chance we would confuse it for a chocolate stain and offend the cocoa industry? What the hell?"
" mytalkingstain.com? Oooh, Obama is pulling out all the tricks against the Clintons."
(it was the talking stain, for Tide, in case you didn't see it.)
And as for a P&Ger, I liked it. Made me laugh. Don actually works in that business, so I'd love to hear what he thinks.
Some random comments on the commercial from our favorite commenters at deadspin.com:
"OK, nice work Tide. That actually made me laugh"
"That coffee stain has already said more intelligent things than Buck"
"P&G, fire the entire ad agency over the Tide commerical. Don't wait - do it now"
"Huh. Talking stain followed by camera shot of Giselle. I'm not sure what they are trying to tell me here."
" 'coffee stain depicted'? Was there a chance we would confuse it for a chocolate stain and offend the cocoa industry? What the hell?"
" mytalkingstain.com? Oooh, Obama is pulling out all the tricks against the Clintons."
Super Tuesday Thoughts
I'm not sure if I know how to figure out and analyze the possible results from Tuesday's primaries. I guess I'll lean on Chris Matthews ("Eric's on vip.com again! We will have Pat Buchannan, Tim Russert, Pat Gaddell, H. Ross Perot and Angela Lansbury on to analyze! Let's play Hardball!") to help interpret what may happen on Tuesday.
Here are the states involved in Tuesdays's voting:
AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, GA, ID, IL, KS (Dem), MA, MN, MO, MT (Rep), NM(Dem), NY, ND, OK, TN, UT, WV (Rep).
But my early thoughts:
Democrats:
Tuesday may cloud things up even further for them instead of providing a clear winner. I think there are only two possible outcomes:
- The Obama train crashes, and Hillary is seen as the clear frontrunner and the nomination is all but assured;
- Obama wins CA, most of the south, and some key bellweather states (like MO); this means the Dem nomination is truly 50/50 and this will last well into March.
I can't see a scenario where Obama emerges as a clear leader. Hillary will win some states (NY, for one) with a lot of delegates; she already has the "super delegates" on her side.... so I can't see an Obama clean sweep. Hillary should win states like NY, CT, DE, and MA (?); Obama should win the south - so it comes down to states like CA, MO, TN, MT and others to prove Obama's national electability. If he wins 2 or 3 of those, it proves he can win nationally, and we are in a true tug of war - and this will last a while (which, of course, is good news for the Republicans).
Republicans
Well, can Romney win a big state where he doesn't have a clear hometown advantage? He has said he is "tied" with McCain, since:
McCain has won NH, SC and FL, while
Romney has won WY, NV and ME.
Um.....whatever.
I saw some polling where Romney has pulled into a dead heat in California. How? Because this is a closed primary - where only Republicans can vote. The talk radio hosts are all behind Romney and will play a big part in influencing the core voters in those states.
So, in non-southern states, can Romney win a big one, like CA? That's the question. If not, it's clearly over.
What about the South? Well, this is where the presence of Huckabee plays a part. Without Huckabee, Romney would have a shot a sweeping the south. BUt with Huckleberry hound here, the vote can be split three ways - so don't be surprised if McCain wins GA, TN, Al or something like that.
But what if the religious conservatives get smart, and get behind Romney for practical purposes? Then this race could become competitive again. Watch the southern states- if McCain wins any, that means the 3-way race benefits him. IF Romney sweeps, then look out......
(Chris Matthews has conjectured that McCain has promised Huckabee something if Huck would just stay in the race for a while...... maybe a VP position? Ugh. I like McCain, but a McCain - Huckabee ticket would be..........I don't know.....like cough medicine? We will call in the Formula 44D ticket if that happens.)
Here are the states involved in Tuesdays's voting:
AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, GA, ID, IL, KS (Dem), MA, MN, MO, MT (Rep), NM(Dem), NY, ND, OK, TN, UT, WV (Rep).
But my early thoughts:
Democrats:
Tuesday may cloud things up even further for them instead of providing a clear winner. I think there are only two possible outcomes:
- The Obama train crashes, and Hillary is seen as the clear frontrunner and the nomination is all but assured;
- Obama wins CA, most of the south, and some key bellweather states (like MO); this means the Dem nomination is truly 50/50 and this will last well into March.
I can't see a scenario where Obama emerges as a clear leader. Hillary will win some states (NY, for one) with a lot of delegates; she already has the "super delegates" on her side.... so I can't see an Obama clean sweep. Hillary should win states like NY, CT, DE, and MA (?); Obama should win the south - so it comes down to states like CA, MO, TN, MT and others to prove Obama's national electability. If he wins 2 or 3 of those, it proves he can win nationally, and we are in a true tug of war - and this will last a while (which, of course, is good news for the Republicans).
Republicans
Well, can Romney win a big state where he doesn't have a clear hometown advantage? He has said he is "tied" with McCain, since:
McCain has won NH, SC and FL, while
Romney has won WY, NV and ME.
Um.....whatever.
I saw some polling where Romney has pulled into a dead heat in California. How? Because this is a closed primary - where only Republicans can vote. The talk radio hosts are all behind Romney and will play a big part in influencing the core voters in those states.
So, in non-southern states, can Romney win a big one, like CA? That's the question. If not, it's clearly over.
What about the South? Well, this is where the presence of Huckabee plays a part. Without Huckabee, Romney would have a shot a sweeping the south. BUt with Huckleberry hound here, the vote can be split three ways - so don't be surprised if McCain wins GA, TN, Al or something like that.
But what if the religious conservatives get smart, and get behind Romney for practical purposes? Then this race could become competitive again. Watch the southern states- if McCain wins any, that means the 3-way race benefits him. IF Romney sweeps, then look out......
(Chris Matthews has conjectured that McCain has promised Huckabee something if Huck would just stay in the race for a while...... maybe a VP position? Ugh. I like McCain, but a McCain - Huckabee ticket would be..........I don't know.....like cough medicine? We will call in the Formula 44D ticket if that happens.)
Feb 1, 2008
Do we have a 10th for Vegas?
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Kevin Warren, a New York City doorman, knows what he's going to do with his tax rebate check: "I'm going to try to double it."
With the U.S. government getting ready to return $600 to individuals and $1,200 to couples as part of an economic stimulus plan, many analysts expect a jackpot payout for casinos as consumers try to turn their checks into much more.
"What else am I going to do with $600?" Warren asked.
With the threat of rising inflation, Warren believes he can get more bang for his buck by trying his luck on the horses than on food or new clothes.
"Things are so expensive now. What - [$600] will buy me one bag of stuff at the Gap?"
He spent his 2001 rebate check on bills, but this year Warren says he will try to make "more" with his money.
Casinos and gaming analysts believe there are many more consumers like Kevin Warren who are willing to use their rebates for gambling.
Sounds like our kind of guy! Full article here on cnnfn.com.
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