Fast Food

With a new baby and little support locally, I have had a great opportunity to get involved again with fast food. Now the strange thing is that I've actually lost about 10 pounds since the new baby despite eating some of this crap below. Comments and thoughts are welcome.

Top 10:

10. Taco Bell- The only way to explain this ranking is that their soft tacos must trigger some memories of the great times back in high school, sitting outside of the cockeysville taco bell with the gang laughing and plowing through tacos. Currier and I still need to have our soft taco eat off someday.

9. Arby's- This used to be in my top 5, but I guess with expansion in southern CA, it has worn out its welcome. The only time it is still a treat to me is when I stop for it in Baker on my way to and from Vegas. And the only thing keeping them in this list is their Arby's and Horsey sauce, that I could put on anything and it would taste great.

8. In-n-Out- I'm starting to think that I enjoy a McDonalds cheeseburger just the same as one of their hamburgers. And I don't have to wait 20 minutes to eat it like at In-n-Out. Their "animal style" fries are still the best out there.

7. Wendy's- I love their grilled chicken sandwich, Jr bacon cheeseburger, and the ability to get chili or a side salad with my combo. Their honey mustard is my second favorite dipping sauce next to the hot mustard at McDonalds.

6. McDonalds- Their breakfast food is head and shoulders above everyone elses with their sausage mcmuffin being my favorite sandwich. And everytime I try a new place I seem to be comparing it to McDonalds. They have that stupid monopoly game that I'm a sucker for and of course my favorite sauce in hot mustard. And how could I forget about the mcribb. mmmmm.

5. Panera- I guess one would consider this fast food. Their sandwiches are solid and one of my favorite soups, french onion is outstanding for a fast food joint.

4. Chipotle- Had one of their burritos last night and I forgot how amazing their food continues to be.

3. Panda Express- This has made a huge jump since the last time I thought about this list. I've tried some other Chinese fast food, but theirs continues to be the best and cheapest. A two order consisting of Bejing Beef and Orange chicken makes so excited at times.

2. Chick Filet- Best chicken nuggets hands down. Best chicken sandwich by far. Now that they have Diet Dr. Pepper and their Chick Filet sauce available it's a struggle for me not to eat this everyday.

1. Chronic Taco- A Southern CA chain that has by far the best fish tacos and nachos I've come across. Their chicken nachos, listed as an appetizer, will fill me up on its own.

Yes, Really

I saw this score flash across the screen the other day and had to check it out.

http://www.cbssports.com/ncaawbasketball/gamecenter/recap/NCAAW_20091228_NCCEN@DUKE

Wow. I'm stunned.

As a side note, I'm completely hooked on UTH. I may cancel my room for March as I suspect I'll be glued to a seat at this table. I know, its a long term net loss, but I'm hooked. I'll have a card with "the book" strategy ready to go for those that are interested.

NFL Week 16: Nandina

What the hell type of plant is "Nandina"? Sounds like that old song fromTony Orlando and Dawn. I've never heard of Nandina - they should just name this hole "Eisenhower" and get it over with.

The 17th, to me, is a kind of a filler hole. Not much excitement happens here. You can'tget in too much trouble - even if you did hit the Eisenhower tree, you should still make bogey. The green is sloped severly, but I don't think it is too exceptional on this course. Memories? Well, of course, "Maybe....yes sir!" was born here, O'Meara birdied this hole to quietly tie for the lead in 98, and then we have Perry's bladed chip. Any other memories?

( I assume most of you have heard why the tree is named the Eisenhower tree....if not, click here..... I mean, really, we all have our demons on each course we'd like to eliminate. The Zahn bunker on Blue Ash 7. I think Don would like to blow up the 17th green at Blue Ash and start over. (see below). Steve has been in the creek left of #3 at Granville many times.

The hole doesn't distinguish the field. If you were out of it - you're not going to get back in it with a birdie. Likeiwse, you're not going to see doubles to take people out. If you are in contention, you most likely will stay in contention after 17.

With the clouded mess inthe AFC, are there any true elimination games? May the Mia-Hou loser is out. Is Pit eliminated with a loss? Other than that, you could see a scenario where an 8-8 team gets a wild card - meaning a loss today may not eliminate anyone (like the Jets, Jaguars, etc.)

My personal 17th? Well, I like the 17th at Blue Ash, mainly because I have a 90% success rate vs. Don on that hole. Invariably, he will be 50 feet away on the wrong side of the hole and 3 jack, while I hack away from the trees on the left and make par. 1-up going to 18!

However, I have to look back on a course from 1991 - Longue Vue Club in Pittsurgh, site of the 91 UAA Championship. I was struggling down the stretch, trying to make all-conference for a second year in a row. 17 was a 400 yard par 4; I hit 3-wood, 4 iron on to the green - I was a terrible long iron player back then, so hitting the green with a4 iron was an accompishment. I then sank a 25 footer for birdie. A par on the last gave me an 8th place finish and all conference honors.

This was the tournament where my teammate, the immortal Brian Stadlemaier, taught me a new words. As I was around the 18th green after finishing my round, I was wishing bad luck for all the players coming in so I could improe my position. He calmly pointed out that I was practicining "Schatenfreud".

What the hell is that?

"The pleasure you get when seeing bad things happen to others".

Oh yes! Yes, I do experience that a lot. Like hopefully today when the Ravens and Chiefs win.

(We could have 15 blog posts about Stadlemaier. Maybe the next time I am in Vegas, I will pull racquetballs ou of my bag and practice putting with them before the round in his honor).

On to the picks:

Bal 27, Pit 20: The Steelers are not that good.

NYG 31, Car 16. I think the Giants are ready for their final push for the playoffs.

NO 30, TB 13. The Saints will be eager to right the ship.

NE 23, Jax 20. As with the Steelers, the Pats are overrated.

Cle 17, Oak 16. You just KNOW that Derek Anderson will throw for 300 yards this week and next - creating another QB controversy for 2010.

Cin 20, KC 17. Boy, oh boy, do I want the Bengals to lose here.

Atl 17, Buf 10. Brohm! Redman! The battle of Louisville!

Mia 27, Hou 20. It's time for the Texans to lose, once the games count again.

GB 28, Sea 17. I need another great day from Rodgers in my championship game in our church league.

SF 30, Det 20. What happens when bad offenses play the Lions? See the Browns this year.

Az 28, StL 13. I can't figure if the Cardinals are rising or sliding.

NYJ 22, Ind 20. Just a gut feeling here.

Phi 23, Den 17. It's about time for the Eagles to fall into their "one-dimnesional" all-passing offense, isn't it?

Was 23, Dal 20. I can't decide whether the Redskns willplay hard vs. the Cowboys, or if they are as bad as the "mail-it-in" Browns of 2008. I reserve the right to change this pick.

Min 20, Chi 17. I think this will be a close game. Cutler can't fail again on Monday night...can he?

Best bets: 13 of them. Last week: 8-6; overall: 94-104-2

Bal +2.5

NYG -8

NO -14

TB/NO under 49

Jax +10

KC +13

Buf/Atl under 40.5

Mia -1.5

Det +14

Det/SF over 41

NYJ +4

Was +7

Chi +7

This shit is crazy

Not good crazy, bad crazy. I'm so sleep deprived I'm actually blacking out. I don't even remember getting up in the middle of the night and helping carol with the baby. Apparently I did, several times actually, but I really don't remember a thing. Things have been so bad that I accidentally opened a 04 Cab I was saving for....actually I don't know what the reason was but I was saving it for something and ended up drinking it out of a plastic cup as I took Morgan for a 2 hour walk to calm her down and put her to sleep. Yes, drank a BV 04 Cab out of a plastic cup.

Some other highlights:

1. I've spent more time on Itunes buying lullaby music than on my fantasy teams. Let's just say I'm out in everyone of my fantasy leagues and I'm knee deep in some new age piano/wave music.

2. It took me one hour to drive to Baby's R Us, buy a humidifier, eat at Chick-a- Fillet, and return home, but it took me almost 90 minutes to get out the door to do these things.

3. Speaking of Baby's R Us, fuck them. Fuck everyone in that place. What a fucking rip off. I wouldn't step foot in that place if people didn't send us gift cards. So overpriced, the employees are absolute idiots, and the merchandise seems dirty. I've fallen in love with Amazon.

4. Almost got in an accident today because I was playing UTH on my i phone. I can't stop playing. No sleep and trying to read my phone to see if I was go 4 times or check caused me to swerve into the lane next to me. I stopped playing for 5 minutes and then resumed.

5. I'm going to video tape Morgan the next time she goes into one of her 3 hour scream fests that sends me over the edge so people believe me. Spent yesterday down at Carol's friends house and Morgan slept the entire time. I'm then going to save this and use it as a reason why I'm not going to pay for a $100K wedding or allow her to wear skirts.

Last Minute Gift Ideas

Are you searching for a last-minute present for that special someone? How about a gift for the author(s) on this blog who would appreciate a nice gesture from the many readers?

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I am surprised that the Richfield Coliseum is not on this list. Or has that already been blown to smithereens?

NFL Week 15: Redbud

Well, here we are at the most pivotal and historic hole at Augusta. The 16th. So many memories here: Nicklaus in 75 - and then again in 86. The start of Sneed's choke in 79. Tiger and the failed high five in 05. Perry's shot last year that should have sewed it up for him.



It seems that after this hole, the contenders are set. This is the last chance for anyone that are 2-3 back to make the run and hopefully charge up the board. I remember Nicklaus's miracle run in 98 - as a 52 year old - making the charge and getting to within 3 or 4 of O'Meara and Duval. He came to the 16th - and had a 15 footer for birdie. It was a must make if he wanted any chance to win his 7th jacket.



He missed, and ended up 4 back in a tie for 6th. If he made this putt, he would have gotten to within 2, and who knows what would have happened.



By the way - it's time to move the pin here. It's been nice to have that pin down in the back left for 20 years or so - but now it seems easy and routine. Hit the ball on the slope, and let it roll down. That's an awfully large target for the 70th hole of a major.



I really believe that the Sunday pins should change every 5 years or so. My rotation to use for 2010-2015:


10: Back right ( The Hoch position)
11: Back left (the Mize position)
12: Right (ok, we will keep that)
13: Back left (giving them an impossible pitch if they go over)
14: Right (like 86)
15: Left, in the sliver
16: Back right
17: Front?
18: Back. I'm starting to hate the front left. Again, the payers can aim for the slope, giving them a bigger target than it seems.


Anyway, this is the 15 footer for a lot of teams, like Dallas (who made the putt), Miami, Tennessee, Atlanta, San Fran, Pit. A loss here and those teams are done. Period.

As for my personal 16th hole, the best I could think of is the 16th from an old favorite course, the 16th at Apple Valley. Apple Valley hosted the Ohio Public Golfers' champ 6 times over the past 12-13 years - and the 16th is a 170 yard par 3 with water (short). The green is two -tiered, and long is usually death (although not for Kermit). It seems innocent, until you get on the wrong tier or miss the green on the wrong side.

To the picks:

NE 24, Buf 17. I'm starting to think this Pats team is fatally flawed. Could they lose in the 1st round at home?


Hou 24, StL 10. My God, Keith Null was awful last week.


Ten 27, Mia 23. The Game of the Week here. A slugfest to the end.


Arz 31, Det 10. A classic bounce back game for Warner.


NYJ 20, Atl 17. The Jets continue to rise while feasting on inferior competition.


KC 20, Cle 16. Do we really see the Browns winning 2 in a row?


Den 27, Oak 9. It's Charlie Frye! I've seen this movie before, and I know how it ends.


SD 27, Cin 16. Any guesses on how the Bengals will respond?


Phi 20, SF 13. San Fran is incompentent on offense, especially on the road.


GB 27, Pit 20. I really do feel like the Steelers are imploding from within.


Sea 24, TB 13. The Seahawks are a different team at home - a decent one.


Bal 24, Chi 9. I've seen this movie too - a hungry Ravens team vs. an opponent rolling over.


Min 28, Car 17. Why is this game on Sunday night?


Was 27, NYG 20. Another Monday night surprise by the home team.


Best bets: 14 of them. Last week: 6-8. Overall: 86-98-2.





Hou/Stl under 43.5
Ten/Mia over 43
Arz -14
Arz/Det under 47
Atl +7
Den -14
SD -7
SF/Phi under 40.5
GB +2
GB/Pit over 41
Sea -6.5
Bal -11
Chi/Bal under 39
Was +3

Wow. That's all I can say about this entire kid thing. Instead of writing this long post and having all the current parents just say "I told you so" the best way I can describe what is going on in my world right now is relate this situation to the opening scene in Saving Private Ryan. Two nights ago I woke up and walked into the living room and then everything went to slow motion. Baby crying, dirty diapers everywhere, Carol crying on the couch, and I think one of our cats was walking by me dragging the corpse of a dead mouse.

NFL Week 14: Firethorn

First of all - most of you know the news by now. Layup and Carol had their baby yesterday (early) morning.....a baby girl, 7 lb 6 oz. Name forthcoming. Everyone is doing well - or as well as can be expected! Congrats to the new parents!

Well, here we are at what I think is the greatest hole on the course. It's just an expertly designed hole - a shortish par 5 that allows most of the field to go for it in 2 - but the target area is quite small and there aren't any "nice" bailout areas. You want to lay up? Fine - now you have an 80 yard downhill pitch to a car hood.

The tournament, I think, is shaped by ths hole more than any other. Starting with Sarazen in 1935, Firethorn has decided many a tournament. Think Nicklaus (and Ballesteros!) in 86. Beck in 93. Norman's last stand in 99. Rose in 08.

(Ok - Layup and I are still pissed at that, as our sleeper pick for 08 hits two in the water on 15 in the third round to douse our chances. This - along with not picking Tiger that year - caused us to finish one spot out of the money).

This is where shots can be made up in a hurry - and given away quickly. This is the turning point of the home stretch.

And we are at that point in the NFL season. Will the contenders eagle? Or hit it in the pond? We've already seen one fraud be exposed, as the Steelers made an 8 this week and are now out - much to the joy of the gallery. Will the Dolphins make an eagle? The Niners? Will the Packers dump one in the pond? Ravens? Jets? Giants? This is a make-or-break week for many teams.

My personal 15th hole? Wow....not hard at all.....a reachable par 5 that has a memorable bridge (like the Sarazen bridge) and is sentimental? Easy....

The 15th at SugarBush, up in northeast Ohio is a 520 yard par 5 that is all downhill from about 200 in. A creek runs to the right and along the back of the green. A railroad car is used for the bridge to cross the creek and go on to the next tee.

Well, in the mid 90's , I was playing this hole with Steve and Kermit. My drive was bad, forcing me to layup - I think I had about 150 in for the third. I pushed it right - onto the car path, where it bounced....and bounced........into.........the railroad car.

Now what? This being March, there were no hhazard lines anywhere. But - as fate would have it, my ball, he open door, and the flagstick were all in line. Yes! We will play from the railroad car! The horizontal beams laying in front of the door were a challenge, but I successfully pitched out of the car from the asphault to about 10 feet - where I made par.

This is a true story, with witnesses....I think. I think I have all the details right. Maybe I got there in 2 and pitched out from the car but did not get up and down......anyway, I made a par from the railroad car bridge somehow.

Back to the games......

NO 30, Atl 20. Are the Saints slowly spiraling downhill...and headed for a first round playoff exit?

Chi 24, GB 17. The Bears can't continue to play this bad, can they? And I truly believe in the Monday Night hangover for the Packers.

Ind 31, Den 17. You figure the Broncos out. I can't.

Buf 20, KC 17. How do you market the Chiefs right now! "Come and see the Bills this Sunday! And if you can't make it , come next week when the Browns are in town!"

Min 27, Cin 24. I think the Bengals will raise their game as the competition gets better.

NE 27, Car 16. Another team I can't get a handle on - the Pats. You'd thinnk they are 9-3, but they are 7-5 and in real danger.

TB 23, NYJ 20, OT. Yes, I'm biased. So what - when we are 2-11, you look to root against other teams as well.

By the way - did anyone see this from last Thursday's Jets-Bills game? I could watch this 100 times in a row...and it still wouldn't get old....

Mia 23, Jax 21. I think the Dolphins are playing inspired football, trying to do anything they can to win.

Bal 20, Det 10. The big question is....are we sure the Ravens are much better than the Steelers? Are we really sure about that?

Hou 30, Sea 13. It's rollercoaster time! Time to get back on the Texans' bandwagon!

Ten 24, StL 14. I'll be shocked if the Rams score more than 2 touchdowns.

Was 17, Oak 13. The Raiders, I believe, are overrated.

Dal 27, SD 23. It would be too easy to take the Chargers and believe in the Cowboys' December swoon.

Phi 27, NYG 20. How many weeks in a row am I taking the Eagles? I swear, I'm not a fan - I truly am neutral here - but the matchup is good!

SF 23, Arz 17. The last stand for the 9ers and a letdown game for the Cards.

Best bets: 14 of them. 6-10 last week; overall: 80-90-2.

Chi +4

Ind -7

Cin +6.5

Cin/Min over 43

TB +4

NYJ/TB over 36.5

Mia +3

Det +14

Det/Bal under 39.5

Hou -7

Was -1

Was/Oak under 37.5

Phi -1

SF +3.5

New reader coming soon!

Update from California: Layup and Carol are in the hospital, and right now they are on hour number 9 of labor. This may be the lucky day!

Suck it

I know we are (now) 2-11.So what.
We beat the freaking Steelers tonight.

My middle son, Warren, was 6 weeks old when we last beat the Steelers.

He is in 1st grade now.

It's great to see Tomlin cry on the podium - and, more importantly, it's great to see the Steelers all but knocked out of the playoffs.

2nd year in a row that we beat the defending Super Bowl champs in a prime-time game. We have New Orleans on the schedule next year! And New England!

Make fun of me crowing about a 2-11 team all you want. I don't care. We beat those fucking inbreds.

Loose ends

Some topics I wanted to post last week but never got around to:

1. Just saw this in the Washington Post - about 60 million Americans are "unbanked" - no checking or savings account - or "underbanked". How do they define underbanked?

The FDIC defined underbanked households as those that have a checking or savings account but use non-bank money orders, check-cashing services, payday loans, rent-to-own agreements or pawnshops at least once a year.

So - am I part of this count when I use the check-cashing service at the Peoria casino once a year? Or any of us when we use this in Vegas?

2. Talking about Vegas, how about getting together with this guy in Vegas? The Journal* has a story about a whale who lost $127 million over a year. I'd love to know what he was wagering on.

3. Changing to science, this news from the UK. When doing an experiment where you compare two groups of people, you want to find the same number of samples in each population subset and then do your measurements and/or observations.
But what happens when - to your surprise - you can't find any members of a particular group?

Researchers were conducting a study comparing the views of men in their 20s who had never been exposed to pornography with regular users.

But their project stumbled at the first hurdle when they failed to find a single man who had not been seen it.

I wonder how much government funding they needed to come up with that finding!

4. Tiger: too much to talk about. Comments welcome.

* - see, I'm becoming better! See my use of "the Journal" in everyday vernacular?

NFL Week 13: Chinese Fir

The 14th at Augusta is sort of a breather between the excitement at the 13th and 15th - but, when you think about, the breather really only happens at the tee. Once you are in the fairway, absolute concentration is needed to make sure your approach stays on the correct level/tier of the green. The 14th green is the most severly sloped on the course - and many 3-putts (or more) are seen to knock players out.

For instance, take Freddie Couples. In probably one of the most painful moments to watch (without involving Norman), Couples was 1 down to Mickelson in the 2006 Masters. He hit is approach in to 30 or so feet - but in the wrong tier. He got to 5 feet for his par - and ran it by 4 feet. He then missed the comebacker for bogey. A 4-putt essentially handed the tournament to Mickelson.

People say it's "impossible" to 2 putt from various locations on that green - but I would like to try. In my prime (say, 2001-2005), I could 2 putt from anywhere. And I mean anywhere. Many of the readers has seen my escapes at: #8 at Champions; #17 at Hawk's Nest; #4 at Blue Ash; #9 and #15 at Walden; and (most importantly) #16 and #18 at Maketewah when my hands were shaking. The 2-putt on 16 - after topping my drive on a 370 yard hole and hitting a 7 wood in to 75 feet in the US Open Local Q - remains the best 2 putt I have ever had.

So extreme care must be taken on this hole to get out with a par. A delicate touch is needed to keep any momentum going from teh 13th and to continue the charge to the 15th.

The 14th is an overlooked hole - much like this week in the NFL, with the fantastic college games last night - but players just need 4 strong shots to continue on. Likewise, nothing spectacular is required from many teams this week - but teams like Denver, Cincinnati, Philly, Green Bay, and either the Giants or Dallas just need to play solid and advance for another week.

I think an apt comparsion to Augusta 14 is Yankee Trace 14. A very inocuous par 4- especially with the "New York" finish ahead ** - 14 at Yankee can get you in trouble. The drive is wide open, but you have to be on the corect tier on the green. I've won many holes from Don on this hole due to his 3 putting here.

(By the way - I am starting to loathe that back left position on the 14th. A lot of the putting excitement is taken away with that location.)

On to the games:

NE 26, Mia 23. Miami's last stand - but it won't be good enough agaist an angry Pats team.

NO 23, Was 13. A mandatory letdown fo the Saints?

Pit 27, Oak 10. Should be 24-3 at half, and the Steelers wil be on cruise control.

KC 24, Den 21, OT. Denver is not tough recently away from home.

Hou 27, Jax 17. Shut up, Layup. I think the Texans are ready for their last stand.

Ind 28, Ten 27. Yes, I do beleive the Titans will make a run at winning this - but will come up just short.

Cin 27, Det 10. I don't see how the Lions will score much vs. the Bengals. And the Bengals have not covered for 2 straight games - time for that trend to reverse.

Chi 26, StL 13. Just what Cutler needs - a 1-10 opponent.

Car 24, TB 20. Tampa has not given up - that's all I know about this game.

Phi 30, Atl 21. Please stop me - why do I believe in this Eagles team?

SD 23, Cle 3. I should go heavy, heavy, heavy on the under (42.5?????) - but then we will lose 40-3.

Sea 24, SF 13. Just when you think it is safe to believe in the 9ers......

NYG 24, Dal 20. Yes, my anti-Cowboy hatred is blinding me.

Az 31, Min 28. I just have a feeling, although neither team has much to play for here.

GB 27, Bal 20. Again, I remain unimpressed with the Ravens, and the Packers are playing better recently.

Best bets: 16 of them. Last week: 8-5; overall: 74-80-2.

NO/Was under 47

KC +6

Den/KC over 39

Hou -2

Ten +6.5

Ten/Ind over 46

Cin -13

Chi -9.5

Phi -5.5

Phi/Atl over 43.5

SD/Cle under 42.5

Sea +1

NYG +1.5

Az +3

Min/Az over 48.5

GB -3.5

** - if you can go even on holes 15-18, you can par anywhere. A nickname Craig, Don, Mike and I made up.

Got this from Ben this morning. San Diego PD's clip of some Border Patrol action a couple of years back. The ATV guys have night vision that makes it pretty easy to grab anyone running around on the border. The helicopter guy is pretty funny when the BP agents make an appearance. The problem remains that there are too many illegals to grab. And yes, Ben is happy to be in Buffalo and out of this crap.