A couple of weeks ago we were fortunate enough to see the Be Good Tanyas come to town @ the Danforth Music Hall.
It was a rainy night, perfect for some folk music.
The opener was Old Man Luedecke from Nova Scotia, just him and his Banjo. He was quite entertaining and put us in a good mood.
The Tanyas are from BC, they met in a planting trees camp. They are quite special and very talented, but you could tell they were not comfortable being on stage. Clearly the music is important to them, but they would prefer playing in a studio than in front of others.
If you've yet to hear them check out their hit - Littlest Birds. My favorite songs are Lakes of Ponchatrain (which was not performed unfortunately) and Waiting around to Die.
They also make great covers - Prince's When Doves Cry, Oh Susannah and The House of the Rising Sun are on the albums.
Their 3 voices are so different and work so well together it's like nothing else. It was a very good show.
They acknowledged it was a bit moody, but that might be because of the weather.
They inadvertently had a polka dot theme going to their own amusement. They tried to have some fun, but their intensity comes through during the music.
3 beautiful women singing beautiful songs to beautiful music ... what more do you want?
Monday, November 6, 2006
Halftime in the NFL
Well, week 9 is just about in the books, which means the NFL season has reached the half way point with everyone having played 8 games (pending tonight's loss by Seattle).
A few things that make me sad.
The Dolphins sucked it big time, but I did get to smile when they scored over 20 for the first time this year by dropping 31 on the Bears who were supposed to be the second coming of the Monsters of the Midway.
I severely underestimated the lack of intelligence of Culpepper and his ability to choke under the gun. Joey, well, the least said about him, the better. Only Mike Vick is a worse starting QB than Harrington. I'd rather have Huard or Fiedler at this point. C'mon Raiders, Culpepper & Booker for Moss & Walter.
Andrew Walter, and more precisely Brooks' injury, ruined my hopes for an 0-16 season in Oakland. Boo! Now they'll end up with 4 wins (Seattle is 3 ... maybe even more), leaving Miami as a bottom feeder.
So to recap my earlier predictions:
NFC East
I had the G-Men to win and Philly to make a Wild Card run. No changes there except that NY is better than I thought and Philly will probably not make it. The entire division is weaker than expected.
NFC South
I had the panthers in a cakewalk and I clearly underestimated the Saints and rookie Payton. The Saints are the team here with the Panthers as a weak wild card - they are too inconsistent, like the Saints used to be.
NFC North
Ouch. This division sucks and the Vikes are not very good and should fold soon enough. The Bears were the original pick and I stand by that.
NFC West
I had Seattle at 7 wins, I got scared for a while, but now I'm on track again - Seneca Wallace! I picked St. Louis to win, based on the Ewing theory with Martz. That's still my pick but Arizona as a wild card is out. And SF is better then expected.
So now it's:
1 - NY Giants (2 previously)
2 - Chicago (3 - because of a loss in NY this week)
3 - N'Awlins (NR)
4 - St. Louis (4)
5 - Carolina (1)
6 - Philly (5) or Dallas or god forbid Atlanta ... Dallas would have the best chance of winning a wild card game though.
NY over Chicago (home field) to reach the SB.
New Orleans will make it fun in Chicago, but the cold will be too much, but they do have a shot and that should be a better game than NY-Carolina.
AFC West
I called this the toughest to call and had the Raiders done (unless they used Jeff George). I got that right. I had Denver failing because of a lack of commitment to a runner. And I undervalued the Browns defense they use.
I think Denver is awesome and SD is a playoff team. KC has the injury to blame, but are still a force at home.
AFC North
I thought the recovering QBs would be the story, but both Cincy and Pittsburgh have had various degrees of suckitude.
I actually thought Baltimore was doomed. I regret that but Baltimore will win this division by default.
AFC East
I obviously had the Fish here and the Pats learning from their mistakes (Branch & Vinatieri). I was right about the kicker mistake, but somehow the Golden boy is still getting it done. The Jets and Bills suck too, so the Pats are champs again in a weak ass division.
AFC South
Oh baby, now here's a tight battle. I had the Jags winning the division with Indy feeling the loss of Edge. The Jags are looking good (save a couple of instances) but the Colts are playing the Milton Berle card and just whipping it out to make a statement (last night) when necessary.
** The Milton Berle theory refers to the following story/urban legend. As you may or may not know, uncle Miltie was blessed with a schlong that would make John Holmes proud (I'm not talking about the PGA pro here). The story goes that one day a young stud challenged Milton to a measuring contest and was promptly humiliated when he couldn't measure up to Berle. According to the legend, Milton later spoke of the incident by saying he pulled out just enough to win. The Colts are therefore just doing enough to win every week without whipping it out Dirk Diggler style.
Vince Young sucks as I predicted and Houston is plagued by the prospect that it could have had Bush. But at least they beat Miami, which beat Chicago. By the NCAA logic that makes them the best team in the league!
So the AFC goes:
1 - Indy (5)
2 - Denver (NR)
3 - New England (NR - easy schedule)
4 - Baltimore (NR)
5 - Jacksonville (1)
6 - SD (6)
I like Indy over Denver. Denver should beat NE in Mile high in January. And the Ravens should lose to Jacksonville. SD would be much higher if they didn't have Martyball.
So I originally had my SB faves (not named Miami) as Carolina, NYG, Jags, Cincy, KC & Philly.
Now I have Eli in the Manning bowl (which makes me sad because of all the hype, but this will be Tiki's Bettis like farewell). Then the contenders go: Chicago, Denver, Indy, Carolina and Jags.
If either NE or the Saints make it ... that could be the weirdest ever. The Pats are clutch, unfortunately, and the Saints have the best karma ever.
Yikes.
A few things that make me sad.
The Dolphins sucked it big time, but I did get to smile when they scored over 20 for the first time this year by dropping 31 on the Bears who were supposed to be the second coming of the Monsters of the Midway.
I severely underestimated the lack of intelligence of Culpepper and his ability to choke under the gun. Joey, well, the least said about him, the better. Only Mike Vick is a worse starting QB than Harrington. I'd rather have Huard or Fiedler at this point. C'mon Raiders, Culpepper & Booker for Moss & Walter.
Andrew Walter, and more precisely Brooks' injury, ruined my hopes for an 0-16 season in Oakland. Boo! Now they'll end up with 4 wins (Seattle is 3 ... maybe even more), leaving Miami as a bottom feeder.
So to recap my earlier predictions:
NFC East
I had the G-Men to win and Philly to make a Wild Card run. No changes there except that NY is better than I thought and Philly will probably not make it. The entire division is weaker than expected.
NFC South
I had the panthers in a cakewalk and I clearly underestimated the Saints and rookie Payton. The Saints are the team here with the Panthers as a weak wild card - they are too inconsistent, like the Saints used to be.
NFC North
Ouch. This division sucks and the Vikes are not very good and should fold soon enough. The Bears were the original pick and I stand by that.
NFC West
I had Seattle at 7 wins, I got scared for a while, but now I'm on track again - Seneca Wallace! I picked St. Louis to win, based on the Ewing theory with Martz. That's still my pick but Arizona as a wild card is out. And SF is better then expected.
So now it's:
1 - NY Giants (2 previously)
2 - Chicago (3 - because of a loss in NY this week)
3 - N'Awlins (NR)
4 - St. Louis (4)
5 - Carolina (1)
6 - Philly (5) or Dallas or god forbid Atlanta ... Dallas would have the best chance of winning a wild card game though.
NY over Chicago (home field) to reach the SB.
New Orleans will make it fun in Chicago, but the cold will be too much, but they do have a shot and that should be a better game than NY-Carolina.
AFC West
I called this the toughest to call and had the Raiders done (unless they used Jeff George). I got that right. I had Denver failing because of a lack of commitment to a runner. And I undervalued the Browns defense they use.
I think Denver is awesome and SD is a playoff team. KC has the injury to blame, but are still a force at home.
AFC North
I thought the recovering QBs would be the story, but both Cincy and Pittsburgh have had various degrees of suckitude.
I actually thought Baltimore was doomed. I regret that but Baltimore will win this division by default.
AFC East
I obviously had the Fish here and the Pats learning from their mistakes (Branch & Vinatieri). I was right about the kicker mistake, but somehow the Golden boy is still getting it done. The Jets and Bills suck too, so the Pats are champs again in a weak ass division.
AFC South
Oh baby, now here's a tight battle. I had the Jags winning the division with Indy feeling the loss of Edge. The Jags are looking good (save a couple of instances) but the Colts are playing the Milton Berle card and just whipping it out to make a statement (last night) when necessary.
** The Milton Berle theory refers to the following story/urban legend. As you may or may not know, uncle Miltie was blessed with a schlong that would make John Holmes proud (I'm not talking about the PGA pro here). The story goes that one day a young stud challenged Milton to a measuring contest and was promptly humiliated when he couldn't measure up to Berle. According to the legend, Milton later spoke of the incident by saying he pulled out just enough to win. The Colts are therefore just doing enough to win every week without whipping it out Dirk Diggler style.
Vince Young sucks as I predicted and Houston is plagued by the prospect that it could have had Bush. But at least they beat Miami, which beat Chicago. By the NCAA logic that makes them the best team in the league!
So the AFC goes:
1 - Indy (5)
2 - Denver (NR)
3 - New England (NR - easy schedule)
4 - Baltimore (NR)
5 - Jacksonville (1)
6 - SD (6)
I like Indy over Denver. Denver should beat NE in Mile high in January. And the Ravens should lose to Jacksonville. SD would be much higher if they didn't have Martyball.
So I originally had my SB faves (not named Miami) as Carolina, NYG, Jags, Cincy, KC & Philly.
Now I have Eli in the Manning bowl (which makes me sad because of all the hype, but this will be Tiki's Bettis like farewell). Then the contenders go: Chicago, Denver, Indy, Carolina and Jags.
If either NE or the Saints make it ... that could be the weirdest ever. The Pats are clutch, unfortunately, and the Saints have the best karma ever.
Yikes.
Monday, October 23, 2006
The Gambler
Okay, when did Kenny Rogers become Babe Ruth on the mound?
Coming into this post-season he was less than stellar.
5 Starts, 9 games, 21 innings, 20 runs, 0-3.
This year he's 3-0 in 3 starts. 23 innings, 0 runs.
That's right. After yesterday's masterful 2 hit 8 IP shutout he is still to allow a run.
The record for 1 postseason is 27.
If the Tigers win the next 2, he could come in with a chance to clinch the series and get the record.
But if that wasn't astonishing enough, he's 42 and so pumped up that his teammates are feeding off him.
It was great to watch.
St. Louis even made him wash his hands after the first inning because he had dirt on his throwing hand. He was near perfect after that.
Why Leyland didn't let him go for the SO is beyond me and Jones almost screwed it up, but he was able to get a grounder with the bases loaded to end the threat and the Tigers won 3-1.
Consider that this is the same Rogers that got suspended and was maligned by many after his altercation with the cameras 2 years ago.
Very impressive.
The only thing better would be for him to clinch the series in Stl after a 6 or 7 SO innings and hitting the game winning RBI.
But Verlander is likely to start that game. So Kenny would have to wait until game 6 with 5 days rest.
------------
I forgot one thing from the Cat Empire show. The second lead singer (with the reggae voice) had some unbe-fricken-lievable vocal gymnastics. I mean it was insane, off the hook, whatever the kids say these days.
Only that Nepalese dude on the Bela Fleck album who sings 3 notes at once was as impressive.
Great performance!!
Coming into this post-season he was less than stellar.
5 Starts, 9 games, 21 innings, 20 runs, 0-3.
This year he's 3-0 in 3 starts. 23 innings, 0 runs.
That's right. After yesterday's masterful 2 hit 8 IP shutout he is still to allow a run.
The record for 1 postseason is 27.
If the Tigers win the next 2, he could come in with a chance to clinch the series and get the record.
But if that wasn't astonishing enough, he's 42 and so pumped up that his teammates are feeding off him.
It was great to watch.
St. Louis even made him wash his hands after the first inning because he had dirt on his throwing hand. He was near perfect after that.
Why Leyland didn't let him go for the SO is beyond me and Jones almost screwed it up, but he was able to get a grounder with the bases loaded to end the threat and the Tigers won 3-1.
Consider that this is the same Rogers that got suspended and was maligned by many after his altercation with the cameras 2 years ago.
Very impressive.
The only thing better would be for him to clinch the series in Stl after a 6 or 7 SO innings and hitting the game winning RBI.
But Verlander is likely to start that game. So Kenny would have to wait until game 6 with 5 days rest.
------------
I forgot one thing from the Cat Empire show. The second lead singer (with the reggae voice) had some unbe-fricken-lievable vocal gymnastics. I mean it was insane, off the hook, whatever the kids say these days.
Only that Nepalese dude on the Bela Fleck album who sings 3 notes at once was as impressive.
Great performance!!
Friday, October 20, 2006
Billy Talent - Molson Canadian
Tuesday night I was treated to a free concert thanks to Molson Canadian & The Edge.
It was part of the Molson Canadian Revealed series and I won the text messaging contest tickets for knowing that Billy Talent is from Streetsville (Thank you dogpile.com).
So 2 free tix, a larger than small band and a small venue (Phoenix) sounded like a good time.
A pleasant surprise - when we arrived we discovered the drinks were free too!
So Canadian & Cold Shots on Molson! They also gave out Taxi vouchers after the show. Free booze, tickets and rides home ... I love it!
The opening act was Ill Scarlet, never has a band tried so hard to sound like another. They should be a Sublime cover band.
You might know their "hit" right now (starts with -> We're all ... living in a police state). Okay ... but I didn't get really into them.
Billy Talent took the stage after a half hour wait (10:15) and launched into a song I don't know.
In the interest of full disclosure I only knew their singles (about 6 or 7 off 2 albums) and thought they were too poppish.
The second one was Devil in a midnight mass and then a string of songs I didn't know.
2 things happened, I started liking the songs, these guys are much more talented and maybe they are the rare exception where commercial success is somewhat justified (STP comes to mind as a band that was underrated and successful).
The other thing that happened, and this made me respect them is when the shirtless Ben (lead singer) made the following announcement - directed mostly at the moshers and crowd surfers - "If someone falls, pick them up. Guys, be kind to the ladies. Because at a Billy Talent show it's not about the size of your dick, but the size of your heart. We're not fuckin' Limp Bizkit here." ... nice!
They eventually played all the singles (I think) and ended with Try Honesty & Red Flag for the encore.
A solid 75 minutes. Reminded me of Foo Fighters, just a ton of energy.
But the comparison I want to make from now on will be to Black Flag/Rollins Band & Iggy Pop (a clear influence as his Nude & Rude was playing between the acts). So they've got that going for them which is nice.
It was part of the Molson Canadian Revealed series and I won the text messaging contest tickets for knowing that Billy Talent is from Streetsville (Thank you dogpile.com).
So 2 free tix, a larger than small band and a small venue (Phoenix) sounded like a good time.
A pleasant surprise - when we arrived we discovered the drinks were free too!
So Canadian & Cold Shots on Molson! They also gave out Taxi vouchers after the show. Free booze, tickets and rides home ... I love it!
The opening act was Ill Scarlet, never has a band tried so hard to sound like another. They should be a Sublime cover band.
You might know their "hit" right now (starts with -> We're all ... living in a police state). Okay ... but I didn't get really into them.
Billy Talent took the stage after a half hour wait (10:15) and launched into a song I don't know.
In the interest of full disclosure I only knew their singles (about 6 or 7 off 2 albums) and thought they were too poppish.
The second one was Devil in a midnight mass and then a string of songs I didn't know.
2 things happened, I started liking the songs, these guys are much more talented and maybe they are the rare exception where commercial success is somewhat justified (STP comes to mind as a band that was underrated and successful).
The other thing that happened, and this made me respect them is when the shirtless Ben (lead singer) made the following announcement - directed mostly at the moshers and crowd surfers - "If someone falls, pick them up. Guys, be kind to the ladies. Because at a Billy Talent show it's not about the size of your dick, but the size of your heart. We're not fuckin' Limp Bizkit here." ... nice!
They eventually played all the singles (I think) and ended with Try Honesty & Red Flag for the encore.
A solid 75 minutes. Reminded me of Foo Fighters, just a ton of energy.
But the comparison I want to make from now on will be to Black Flag/Rollins Band & Iggy Pop (a clear influence as his Nude & Rude was playing between the acts). So they've got that going for them which is nice.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Shortbus
Everyone aboard the Shortbus!
There is a mild spoiler alert. I won't reveal the ending but some of the plot.
This is John Cameron Mitchell's first film since Hedwig & the Angry Inch. He doesn't star in this one. The star is actually Sook Yin Lee of CBC/Muchmusic fame.
If you haven't seen Hedwig, do yourself a favour and rent it now, I'll wait.
Good, now wasn't that worth it?
Sook Yin plays a sex therapist who is pre-orgasmic. That means she's never had one, not that she's about to have one.
Another of the many storylines is Jamie & James, a gay couple who are looking to maybe add another (I won't go into too much detail or I'll spoil the plot).
Justin Bond plays himself and is the mistress of Shortbus, the salon where 'regular' folks can go and be themselves and party.
By regular, of course, I mean my kind of peeps. Some of you might say freaks.
This is a funny movie, a sad movie but mostly it's about hope and the lack of it.
Think Garden State with Natalie Portman. This movie will make you feel the same way, there's just a lot more penis in it.
I mean a lot more...
Apparently if you do enough yoga, you can learn to 'satisfy' yourself.
All in all you need to see this movie. Unfortunately it's only in 2 cinemas in Canada right now.
The Cat Empire
Australia has given us a great many good things (the Socceroos, Nicole Kidman, Priscilla) and some not so good (Paul Hogan, Yahoo Serious).
The Cat Empire - they are definitely on the side of good.
They define true ska to me. A blend of punk, reggae, jazz, hip hop.
According to Barbie, the lead singer is a Greek god and I have to admit he could move.
The little synchronized skanking between the co-lead singer/hand percussionist and the DJ was fun too.
They started the show with the classic Hello and they kept it going until they were kicked off the stage (the Phoenix wanted everyone out by 9:30 so they could open the club after the show).
Their keyboardist however has all the charm and grace of a serial killer. That dude's creepy and tries too hard to not be. Good musician though, his work on the harpsichord was nice.
They bring great energy and I encourage all of you to check them out. They weapons are their instruments and they use them for good.
Good times!
The Cat Empire - they are definitely on the side of good.
They define true ska to me. A blend of punk, reggae, jazz, hip hop.
According to Barbie, the lead singer is a Greek god and I have to admit he could move.
The little synchronized skanking between the co-lead singer/hand percussionist and the DJ was fun too.
They started the show with the classic Hello and they kept it going until they were kicked off the stage (the Phoenix wanted everyone out by 9:30 so they could open the club after the show).
Their keyboardist however has all the charm and grace of a serial killer. That dude's creepy and tries too hard to not be. Good musician though, his work on the harpsichord was nice.
They bring great energy and I encourage all of you to check them out. They weapons are their instruments and they use them for good.
Good times!
Harvey Danger
With football season over and the Scissor Sisters cancelled, I figure I should talk about some of the ones I forgot.
Harvey Danger was on Oct. 3rd @ Lee's Palace.
I've liked them since their breakout debut album (Where Have all the Merrymakers Gone?) in 1997-98. You may remember the smash hits Flagpole Sitta (with the great lyrics - I'm not sick but I'm not well) and Private Helicopter (my fave from that record).
After their sophomore album (King James Version) was not as successful, despite the great Sad Sweetheart of the Rodeo, they were unceremoniously cut from the label.
They disbanded soon after, but their fan base grew still as they kept the forums alive on the band's website.
The band decided to get back together after 3 years because of the response from their fans. With no label they decided to do it themselves releasing the album Little by Little on their website and encouraging fans to download it for free and distribute it. If we liked it they encouraged to give a donation or buy a hard copy from the website that they added little extras to.
Thing is, it's a really good album. Like really good.
Kill Rock Stars eventually picked them up and now they are with Barsuk (who launched Death Cab for Cutie, Rilo Kiley and also have bands like Nada Surf, They Might be Giants and one I really like - Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter).
So when I got to Lee's Palace I was excited, and I liked the opening act - King of France. But when I got there there was like 10 people and the merch table indicated that the opening act was So Many Dynamos. I was getting a little worried, I didn't want a repeat of the Saves the Day disaster.
Eventually some people trickled in; the venue is much smaller than the last time the band was around 8 years ago. The opening act was actually pretty good. Check out the song Home is where the Box wine is and the rest of their album.
Then the main part of the evening started.
2 things I never realised about Harvey Danger - their lyrics are brilliant. I guess that's why I liked them but I never saw just how smart they were.
The band is great live and we were actually able to change their minds about the set list.
Earlier in the show they made it clear that they would not play Helicopter and by association Flagpole.
My favourite song is Happiness Writes White (off the new album) and when they came back for the encore I thought for sure we'd hear it. Someone on the floor shouted 'Happiness'. That made me happy of course. The lead singer (Sean) asked why he should sing that. The person responded 'because it's the best fuckin' song'. That got a giggle and Sean asked the crowd if anyone else though Happiness is the best Harvey Danger Song. I screamed and raised my hand, and the couple who asked did as well.
So the guitar was put away and the piano sat at and they played the song!!!
Sean then said that since that almost made him cry they'll do another softer song. Amazing!
They left to thunderous applause only to come back again!
Then they decided to play a song they haven't played since disbanding - Private Helicopter to finish the show.
Great show from one of the most underrated bands ever. I need to get my hands on a copy of the Tragic Hero track.
Harvey Danger was on Oct. 3rd @ Lee's Palace.
I've liked them since their breakout debut album (Where Have all the Merrymakers Gone?) in 1997-98. You may remember the smash hits Flagpole Sitta (with the great lyrics - I'm not sick but I'm not well) and Private Helicopter (my fave from that record).
After their sophomore album (King James Version) was not as successful, despite the great Sad Sweetheart of the Rodeo, they were unceremoniously cut from the label.
They disbanded soon after, but their fan base grew still as they kept the forums alive on the band's website.
The band decided to get back together after 3 years because of the response from their fans. With no label they decided to do it themselves releasing the album Little by Little on their website and encouraging fans to download it for free and distribute it. If we liked it they encouraged to give a donation or buy a hard copy from the website that they added little extras to.
Thing is, it's a really good album. Like really good.
Kill Rock Stars eventually picked them up and now they are with Barsuk (who launched Death Cab for Cutie, Rilo Kiley and also have bands like Nada Surf, They Might be Giants and one I really like - Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter).
So when I got to Lee's Palace I was excited, and I liked the opening act - King of France. But when I got there there was like 10 people and the merch table indicated that the opening act was So Many Dynamos. I was getting a little worried, I didn't want a repeat of the Saves the Day disaster.
Eventually some people trickled in; the venue is much smaller than the last time the band was around 8 years ago. The opening act was actually pretty good. Check out the song Home is where the Box wine is and the rest of their album.
Then the main part of the evening started.
2 things I never realised about Harvey Danger - their lyrics are brilliant. I guess that's why I liked them but I never saw just how smart they were.
The band is great live and we were actually able to change their minds about the set list.
Earlier in the show they made it clear that they would not play Helicopter and by association Flagpole.
My favourite song is Happiness Writes White (off the new album) and when they came back for the encore I thought for sure we'd hear it. Someone on the floor shouted 'Happiness'. That made me happy of course. The lead singer (Sean) asked why he should sing that. The person responded 'because it's the best fuckin' song'. That got a giggle and Sean asked the crowd if anyone else though Happiness is the best Harvey Danger Song. I screamed and raised my hand, and the couple who asked did as well.
So the guitar was put away and the piano sat at and they played the song!!!
Sean then said that since that almost made him cry they'll do another softer song. Amazing!
They left to thunderous applause only to come back again!
Then they decided to play a song they haven't played since disbanding - Private Helicopter to finish the show.
Great show from one of the most underrated bands ever. I need to get my hands on a copy of the Tragic Hero track.
Sunday, October 1, 2006
Told you so...
I don't mean to brag, but if you check my predictions I believe I mention Alexander will be out by week 3...
Hmmm... I nailed it!
Who will sign up to be on the cover next year?
I vote for the Golden boy...
Hmmm... I nailed it!
Who will sign up to be on the cover next year?
I vote for the Golden boy...
Back from the brink
After being on the ledge the past couple of weeks I just got jarred back to reality.
The CBS Analyst (I'm afraid to check who it is) said that Eric Moulds is still a serviceable receiver - nothing offensive there - and then said he used to be the best receiver in the league.
Really?
He's been in the top 10 in receptions 3 times in his career, never better than 4th. He cracked the top 10 in TDs twice, again never better than 4th. And for yardage again, 3 times in the top 10, never first.
So what there made him better than Harrison, Moss, Carter, Rice, Brown, any of the Johnsons???
Oy.
The CBS Analyst (I'm afraid to check who it is) said that Eric Moulds is still a serviceable receiver - nothing offensive there - and then said he used to be the best receiver in the league.
Really?
He's been in the top 10 in receptions 3 times in his career, never better than 4th. He cracked the top 10 in TDs twice, again never better than 4th. And for yardage again, 3 times in the top 10, never first.
So what there made him better than Harrison, Moss, Carter, Rice, Brown, any of the Johnsons???
Oy.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Disaster, thy name is Culpepper
I can’t take it anymore.
I need to stop this; I’m so depressed I can barely function.
Maybe I shouldn’t watch football anymore.
To my horror of horrors I actually thought to myself at one point during yesterday’s debacle that maybe Lame Duck Harrington should come into the game. The only QB I hate more than him is Vick, so how did it come to this?
Culpepper clearly needs a bigger star on the team, he can’t handle the pressure, usually he cracks in the 4th Quarter, but against the Bills, the heat is raised from the opening kick-off and clearly he can’t handle it.
This weekend should have been fun; we even had a kicker getting the business with no flags thrown. There were beat downs and upsets, let downs and come backs, but I can’t think of that right now, because the Pats are 2-0 despite playing poorly.
Sweet mother of mercy, somebody kill me.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Week 1
Instead of having multiple posts, I'll just keep editing this one, so refresh the page if you're following throughout the day.
The first big winner this season: CBS
Nabbing JB from Fox was great. Joe Buck is despicable and plain. Plus, how do you get rid of Jillian Barberie as the weather girl?
I love Bradshaw, Long & Jimmy but I'd rather see Sharpe's sharp tongue. And they have Casserly to explain GM stuff! Genius! TJ/Boomer is always a good thing.
So Fox is really the only loser here.
Holy crap! Collins is the starter in Tennessee ... Everyone jump ship now. Did Volek sleep with the Boss's daughter?
For the record. I have Eli in the Manning Bowl. He's better at the end of close games, and it will be closer with no James and with Jacobs/Tiki on the other side.
Anyone who knows me, knows how much I hate Vick. He can't throw the ball. I understand you pay him a lot of money, but why not just use him as a Randle El type, but as a running back. Put Schaub in at QB. Vick has not put together back to back winning seasons and can't even hit the open man in the end zone.
Holy crap. That hit on Green was ugly.
I think Green is done. Forever.
I predicted the Chiefs would make the playoffs. Scratch that. SD wins the division and Pitt is a wild card again.
Instant History, people...
I knew Seattle was going to struggle, but wow. No TDs against a putrid Lions team. And you call yourselves SB contenders?
I even heard someone pick Hasselback as league MVP. Don't these supposed pundits study history? We all know Seattle is going down, why do they pick them to win the West?
Tiny hands got a TD to the rookie Davis on the first drive - I'm impressed. He actually matches last year's total TD passes.
Well, Carolina really screwed the pooch. I hope this was just an aberration. If they can't beat the worst QB in the league, then what chance do they have?
Randy Cross, a question for you - You say the backup QB has to be at least .500. Well, about half the starters can't get that, so what does that mean? Does the backup need to be better than the starter? Then why isn't he starting? Where's Kornheiser to put him in his place? Gus, c'mon man!
I realize Ed Hocherle is buff, but someone has to step in and force him to wear a striped shirt that fits, that's too small...
Arizona is just smoking San Fran. This is a nice game to watch...
Has a Chicago-GB match (the oldest rivalry) drawn so little interest. I think I only turned to it twice in the first half.
Genius of the week: Antonio Bryant - called for taunting while down 10 points with 35 seconds to play.
How bad is Green Bay - First time they've been shutout in 234 games ... 15 years!
The Bears look much better now that they can score.
The Manning Bowl is about to start ... put the kids to bed and break out the good booze - this is gonna be exciting! (I like Collinsworth, for the record, another guy Fox lost.)
What the Hell? I was told Addai was going to be the starter... I picked him in my fantasy team...
Call me Mr. Nichols, from the school of hard knocks. Classic!
Well. Eli got robbed. First by his team and the uncalled for penalties. Indy had no answer for the running game.
Then he got robbed at the end by a really bad call of offensive pass interference.
Too bad. Frustrating for me, since I predicted everything but the outcome didn't match. NY played better and the younger Manning deserved a different fate.
Oh well. Now we've seen everyone so next week will be easier.
The first big winner this season: CBS
Nabbing JB from Fox was great. Joe Buck is despicable and plain. Plus, how do you get rid of Jillian Barberie as the weather girl?
I love Bradshaw, Long & Jimmy but I'd rather see Sharpe's sharp tongue. And they have Casserly to explain GM stuff! Genius! TJ/Boomer is always a good thing.
So Fox is really the only loser here.
Holy crap! Collins is the starter in Tennessee ... Everyone jump ship now. Did Volek sleep with the Boss's daughter?
For the record. I have Eli in the Manning Bowl. He's better at the end of close games, and it will be closer with no James and with Jacobs/Tiki on the other side.
Anyone who knows me, knows how much I hate Vick. He can't throw the ball. I understand you pay him a lot of money, but why not just use him as a Randle El type, but as a running back. Put Schaub in at QB. Vick has not put together back to back winning seasons and can't even hit the open man in the end zone.
Holy crap. That hit on Green was ugly.
I think Green is done. Forever.
I predicted the Chiefs would make the playoffs. Scratch that. SD wins the division and Pitt is a wild card again.
Instant History, people...
I knew Seattle was going to struggle, but wow. No TDs against a putrid Lions team. And you call yourselves SB contenders?
I even heard someone pick Hasselback as league MVP. Don't these supposed pundits study history? We all know Seattle is going down, why do they pick them to win the West?
Tiny hands got a TD to the rookie Davis on the first drive - I'm impressed. He actually matches last year's total TD passes.
Well, Carolina really screwed the pooch. I hope this was just an aberration. If they can't beat the worst QB in the league, then what chance do they have?
Randy Cross, a question for you - You say the backup QB has to be at least .500. Well, about half the starters can't get that, so what does that mean? Does the backup need to be better than the starter? Then why isn't he starting? Where's Kornheiser to put him in his place? Gus, c'mon man!
I realize Ed Hocherle is buff, but someone has to step in and force him to wear a striped shirt that fits, that's too small...
Arizona is just smoking San Fran. This is a nice game to watch...
Has a Chicago-GB match (the oldest rivalry) drawn so little interest. I think I only turned to it twice in the first half.
Genius of the week: Antonio Bryant - called for taunting while down 10 points with 35 seconds to play.
How bad is Green Bay - First time they've been shutout in 234 games ... 15 years!
The Bears look much better now that they can score.
The Manning Bowl is about to start ... put the kids to bed and break out the good booze - this is gonna be exciting! (I like Collinsworth, for the record, another guy Fox lost.)
What the Hell? I was told Addai was going to be the starter... I picked him in my fantasy team...
Call me Mr. Nichols, from the school of hard knocks. Classic!
Well. Eli got robbed. First by his team and the uncalled for penalties. Indy had no answer for the running game.
Then he got robbed at the end by a really bad call of offensive pass interference.
Too bad. Frustrating for me, since I predicted everything but the outcome didn't match. NY played better and the younger Manning deserved a different fate.
Oh well. Now we've seen everyone so next week will be easier.
Bold Predictions and Insanity
Clearly, anyone attempting to predict the next 21 weeks is a madman.
But like someone said - I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
So here's my picks by division.
NFC East.
I see Philly being better, and Washington. Dallas is a fashionable pick, but there's too much drama.
I like Eli's progression and I see the Giants taking it again, but with some conviction this time. Philly could be a wild card.
NFC South
At first glance it seems like a tough division, but NO is rebuilding, TBay lost some key players and Atlanta is insisting on using an inferior QB, just because he's the highest paid player in history.
So I pick Carolina in a cakewalk.
NFC Norris
Fugly division with Minny continuing its downward slide, GBay is just a sorry team and Detroit - wow! If Thomas wasn't so entertaining in running the Knicks into the ground then Matt Millen would be anointed as the sorriest excuse for a GM.
Bears, even if they don't use the right QB, will easily win the division.
NFC West
Now this is interesting.
Seattle has 2 curses going against it - the Super Bowl loser has never won 8 games the following season in the 21st Century & the Madden Cover Jinx.
So Seattle wins 7 games, in large part because of a leg injury to Alexander in the 3rd week or so.
SF has tiny hands at QB, so forget about them.
Arizona is a fashionable pick, and with a new stadium and actual fans, plus Edge and the best passing attack from last year ... I see a Wild Card spot.
That leaves STL as the division winner. Ugh ... That's nasty.
But they have solid players all around, just no one sexy. Martz is gone, so is a lot of the drama.
So:
1- Carolina
2- NY Giants
3- Chicago
4- St. Louis
5- Philly
6- Arizona
Carolina over Chicago in the NFC Championship (Unless Eli breaks through - I can honestly see him in the SB this year or the next, he's much better under pressure than Peyton).
AFC West
This is the toughest of all divisions.
3 teams have a legitimate shot.
Sorry Al Davis (but unless Jeff George starts slinging it downfield to Moss on every other pass, it just won't be any good).
KC has the best runner in the league in Johnson (plus Green is so underrated). A revitalized defense and a new head coach that won't cry all the time.
SD has a new QB, but any team with BLT has a shot. Plus Gates is the best TE (Sorry to burst your bubble Kellen).
Denver has a very good team that were very close last year. But I think they're the weakest of the 3. The running game will have to fail eventually. 2 Bells does not sound like a ring will be coming to Mile High.
AFC South
Houston is better, but poor drafting and a QB who pines to play with an offensive line will keep them down (I do look forward to the Lundy era).
The Flaming Thumbtacks are going with a mediocre offense at best - not good enough.
The Colts and Jags are true contenders. Look for both of them to be in, with the Colts having a great regular season once again, except that Addai is no Edge - Wild Card for them.
AFC North
Would be more intriguing if not for the recovering QBs.
Cincy and Pittsburgh crowd the top, but inspire little confidence in me. Cleveland is a train wreck waiting to happen and the least said about Baltimore the better (McNair to Mason will be the only thing keeping the fans from ritual mutilation).
AFC East
The crown jewel of course.
Buffalo sucks big time - no QB a HB so full of himself it's laughable and no real offensive weapons - just rejects.
Plus a failed head coach and a GM so old he remembers Prohibition - not good!
The Jets are even worse, with a bad QB, no RB even though Martin begged them to pick one and an all around bucket of yuck all over the field.
The Pats have had a great run, but they narrowly took the division last year and lost key players - heroes and MVPs without replacing them.
The player people are most excited about - the backup RB, Maroney. Good luck.
Miami won the last 6 last year, and despite losing the opening game at the home of the defending champs, they are a mortal lock for the postseason. They improved on both sides and just need their Secondary to step up to be a legitimate contender.
One word to SI - how in H-E- double hockey sticks can you have a team lose the Super Bowl at home???? There's no way that ever happens.
So:
1- Jacksonville
2- Miami (look at the schedule)
3- KC
4- Cincy
5- Indy
6- SD (or Pittsburgh - depends on Rivers)
This pick is too tough. I see the match ups and Miami looks to win - a last hurrah for Thomas/Taylor and an aging defense. But picking your favorite team to win it all is just ridiculous. So I will say nothing and only say that if Miami makes it to Miami - there's no way they lose that game.
Oh, and Indy takes a pounding.
Super Bowl favorites not called Miami:
1- Carolina
2- Giants
3- Jags
4- Bengals
5- KC & Philly
The reason Philly will do well: The Ewing Theory.
Look it up - it's the theory that shows how a team will suddenly get much better when the star player leaves.
Ewing gets hurt - the Knicks win.
A-Rod leaves - The Mariners get better.
A-Rod leaves - The Rangers get better and the Yanks start losing more in the postseason.
There's many more examples.
Enjoy the season!
But like someone said - I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
So here's my picks by division.
NFC East.
I see Philly being better, and Washington. Dallas is a fashionable pick, but there's too much drama.
I like Eli's progression and I see the Giants taking it again, but with some conviction this time. Philly could be a wild card.
NFC South
At first glance it seems like a tough division, but NO is rebuilding, TBay lost some key players and Atlanta is insisting on using an inferior QB, just because he's the highest paid player in history.
So I pick Carolina in a cakewalk.
NFC Norris
Fugly division with Minny continuing its downward slide, GBay is just a sorry team and Detroit - wow! If Thomas wasn't so entertaining in running the Knicks into the ground then Matt Millen would be anointed as the sorriest excuse for a GM.
Bears, even if they don't use the right QB, will easily win the division.
NFC West
Now this is interesting.
Seattle has 2 curses going against it - the Super Bowl loser has never won 8 games the following season in the 21st Century & the Madden Cover Jinx.
So Seattle wins 7 games, in large part because of a leg injury to Alexander in the 3rd week or so.
SF has tiny hands at QB, so forget about them.
Arizona is a fashionable pick, and with a new stadium and actual fans, plus Edge and the best passing attack from last year ... I see a Wild Card spot.
That leaves STL as the division winner. Ugh ... That's nasty.
But they have solid players all around, just no one sexy. Martz is gone, so is a lot of the drama.
So:
1- Carolina
2- NY Giants
3- Chicago
4- St. Louis
5- Philly
6- Arizona
Carolina over Chicago in the NFC Championship (Unless Eli breaks through - I can honestly see him in the SB this year or the next, he's much better under pressure than Peyton).
AFC West
This is the toughest of all divisions.
3 teams have a legitimate shot.
Sorry Al Davis (but unless Jeff George starts slinging it downfield to Moss on every other pass, it just won't be any good).
KC has the best runner in the league in Johnson (plus Green is so underrated). A revitalized defense and a new head coach that won't cry all the time.
SD has a new QB, but any team with BLT has a shot. Plus Gates is the best TE (Sorry to burst your bubble Kellen).
Denver has a very good team that were very close last year. But I think they're the weakest of the 3. The running game will have to fail eventually. 2 Bells does not sound like a ring will be coming to Mile High.
AFC South
Houston is better, but poor drafting and a QB who pines to play with an offensive line will keep them down (I do look forward to the Lundy era).
The Flaming Thumbtacks are going with a mediocre offense at best - not good enough.
The Colts and Jags are true contenders. Look for both of them to be in, with the Colts having a great regular season once again, except that Addai is no Edge - Wild Card for them.
AFC North
Would be more intriguing if not for the recovering QBs.
Cincy and Pittsburgh crowd the top, but inspire little confidence in me. Cleveland is a train wreck waiting to happen and the least said about Baltimore the better (McNair to Mason will be the only thing keeping the fans from ritual mutilation).
AFC East
The crown jewel of course.
Buffalo sucks big time - no QB a HB so full of himself it's laughable and no real offensive weapons - just rejects.
Plus a failed head coach and a GM so old he remembers Prohibition - not good!
The Jets are even worse, with a bad QB, no RB even though Martin begged them to pick one and an all around bucket of yuck all over the field.
The Pats have had a great run, but they narrowly took the division last year and lost key players - heroes and MVPs without replacing them.
The player people are most excited about - the backup RB, Maroney. Good luck.
Miami won the last 6 last year, and despite losing the opening game at the home of the defending champs, they are a mortal lock for the postseason. They improved on both sides and just need their Secondary to step up to be a legitimate contender.
One word to SI - how in H-E- double hockey sticks can you have a team lose the Super Bowl at home???? There's no way that ever happens.
So:
1- Jacksonville
2- Miami (look at the schedule)
3- KC
4- Cincy
5- Indy
6- SD (or Pittsburgh - depends on Rivers)
This pick is too tough. I see the match ups and Miami looks to win - a last hurrah for Thomas/Taylor and an aging defense. But picking your favorite team to win it all is just ridiculous. So I will say nothing and only say that if Miami makes it to Miami - there's no way they lose that game.
Oh, and Indy takes a pounding.
Super Bowl favorites not called Miami:
1- Carolina
2- Giants
3- Jags
4- Bengals
5- KC & Philly
The reason Philly will do well: The Ewing Theory.
Look it up - it's the theory that shows how a team will suddenly get much better when the star player leaves.
Ewing gets hurt - the Knicks win.
A-Rod leaves - The Mariners get better.
A-Rod leaves - The Rangers get better and the Yanks start losing more in the postseason.
There's many more examples.
Enjoy the season!
Thursday, September 7, 2006
There's no shortcuts in Football Buttercup
Kickoff time, the start of the season. The big enchiladas.
Also a first look at some commercials.
That GM commercial is annoying already, so is the Lincoln dream advert.
Peyton is always gold, and the Southwest Airlines are classics.
NBC kicked off the season with Sean Puffy Diddy Daddy Pee Combs John or whatever he calls himself now.
Wasn't he relevant like 8 years ago? And where were the special guests advertised?
Is it just me or did Costas look like he wondered where his entrance was after the Bus rolled in?
Getting to half time and why are the Fish avoiding Chambers? I love Welker (see last year's writings) but Chambers is a stud. Booker is hurt, come on Daunte!
Culpepper does look good though, what a quick release!
Madden has said a few nuggets already - Can Brown take a full load?
I have Eli in the Manning Bowl. I think he will kick Peyton's ass actually (better cast).
Oh, Pink doing the Intro music? Was Hillary Duff not available? When will these guys learn?
You don't have Country music in the NBA and you don't have pop tarts in the NFL.
McBride did nail the anthem, but what's a Rascal Flatt?
Also a first look at some commercials.
That GM commercial is annoying already, so is the Lincoln dream advert.
Peyton is always gold, and the Southwest Airlines are classics.
NBC kicked off the season with Sean Puffy Diddy Daddy Pee Combs John or whatever he calls himself now.
Wasn't he relevant like 8 years ago? And where were the special guests advertised?
Is it just me or did Costas look like he wondered where his entrance was after the Bus rolled in?
Getting to half time and why are the Fish avoiding Chambers? I love Welker (see last year's writings) but Chambers is a stud. Booker is hurt, come on Daunte!
Culpepper does look good though, what a quick release!
Madden has said a few nuggets already - Can Brown take a full load?
I have Eli in the Manning Bowl. I think he will kick Peyton's ass actually (better cast).
Oh, Pink doing the Intro music? Was Hillary Duff not available? When will these guys learn?
You don't have Country music in the NBA and you don't have pop tarts in the NFL.
McBride did nail the anthem, but what's a Rascal Flatt?
Tuesday, September 5, 2006
Dancing Days are Here Again
Oh Baby!
Football season has started and I'm suddenly happier ... I wonder if that's just a coincidence?
Of course my beloved 'Noles won the big game on Monday Night, taking the second in a row from the horrible "U" in a great defensive struggle.
Not only is that 2 wins in a row, it's 2 3-point wins, our previous Achilles heel against those thugs.
Our running game wasn't pretty, but Drew got into a rhythm in the second half and Fagg looks like a legit scoring threat on every play.
Davis looks like the next Zach Thomas ... This is going to be a great year!
Football season has started and I'm suddenly happier ... I wonder if that's just a coincidence?
Of course my beloved 'Noles won the big game on Monday Night, taking the second in a row from the horrible "U" in a great defensive struggle.
Not only is that 2 wins in a row, it's 2 3-point wins, our previous Achilles heel against those thugs.
Our running game wasn't pretty, but Drew got into a rhythm in the second half and Fagg looks like a legit scoring threat on every play.
Davis looks like the next Zach Thomas ... This is going to be a great year!
Thursday, August 31, 2006
T.O. and the Hammy
I guess I should weigh in on the T.O. mess in Big D.
America's favorite hamstring is acting up and making Jerry Jones look like a fool.
Some speculate that he won't make the cut for the Cowboys, that they'll go after Branch, but let's be serious - Jones will not allow him to leave like that and Owens will sink them.
The Cowboys should be a playoff contender, but the off field distractions are about to make the Tuna's head explode.
My buddy gave me the best analogy ever for T.O.
Owens is wasting his talent away, that's like a dude with a 14 inch member not doing porn.
In the end he's just screwing himself.
America's favorite hamstring is acting up and making Jerry Jones look like a fool.
Some speculate that he won't make the cut for the Cowboys, that they'll go after Branch, but let's be serious - Jones will not allow him to leave like that and Owens will sink them.
The Cowboys should be a playoff contender, but the off field distractions are about to make the Tuna's head explode.
My buddy gave me the best analogy ever for T.O.
Owens is wasting his talent away, that's like a dude with a 14 inch member not doing porn.
In the end he's just screwing himself.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Weird Stat of the day
Tomo Ohka.
That's weird enough some would say, but the Pitcher decided this week to hit lefthanded for the first time in his career.
So what does he do?
Goes 2 for 2 with 3 RBIs (plus another run scored on a catcher's interference).
How bad is the NL, that this can happen?
That's weird enough some would say, but the Pitcher decided this week to hit lefthanded for the first time in his career.
So what does he do?
Goes 2 for 2 with 3 RBIs (plus another run scored on a catcher's interference).
How bad is the NL, that this can happen?
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Return Home
Today was the drive from Niagara Falls to home, so not much time to have anything happen.
But of course, these days can be full too.
The day started as bad as it can with the worst shower ever!
The thing would have hot water come out the bottom but when the button thingy was pulled for the shower the water would be warm and get progressively colder. As an added bonus the water pressure would fluctuate.
So of course I would press the button and the water would burn my feet, then pull on it again.
Repeat this about 10 times and that was the fun I had.
We went for breakfast at the Happy Wanderer.
This is a German restaurant that was never open, at least 4 previous attempts have been made to eat there. But I'd heard good things.
Inside was like turn back the clock, with old pictures and postcards everywhere. The boy, who looked like Frodo Baggins, gave us a seat and I assumed he was the waiter.
A few minutes later I looked up and almost fell off my chair.
There was a girl, nay an Angel, that appeared before me. She seemed to be out of my dreams, and my brain shut down for a good 5 seconds.
She was wearing a traditional German dress that stopped above the knee and hosiery that went up to there. She wore her hair up in the style that is reminiscent of every Bavarian image I can recall.
Of course I choose to think she's Dutch and I will call her Betje (or Bettie).
It was the second time in my life that a woman has rendered me speechless temporarily (the piercing gaze of a young Polish woman several years ago was the first).
So all of a sudden, the day seemed much better.
I went to Niagara-on-the-Lake for a quick drive-by and then headed home.
A good trip, all in all.
Monday, August 14, 2006
South Bend - Day 3
What a boring day.
Not only did it rain most of the time, but there was little to see.
We did stop in South Bend to see Notre Dame again. This time I was able to get a picture of touchdown Jesus, very cool.
For those of you not as familiar with Notre Dame Football, the figure on the right can be seen from the stadium, through the goalposts - hence, Touchdown Jesus.
(Buzz is standing on my car which is on the street where the Stadium entrance is.)
There was something I forgot from yesterday. Going from Downtown Lansing to East Lansing and the MSU campus I took Kalamazoo street.
At one point there was one of those pedestrian overpasses.
Bloody ridiculous.
This street was pretty much one lane each way, think Main Street Markham North of 16th or St-Laurent Street in St-Eustache near the Flea Market ... I was the only car on the street. Who was the genius behind that?
The only other city visited today was Toledo. Home of the Mud Hens.
Small town, like a crappier smaller version of Louisville.
But that's okay.
I also drove through Cleveland, Erie (I did stop for Steve & Barry's - a store where everything is 6.98, crazy!) and Buffalo.
I'm now in a crappy motel in Niagara Falls (everything was booked for some reason).
Back home tomorrow...
Not only did it rain most of the time, but there was little to see.
We did stop in South Bend to see Notre Dame again. This time I was able to get a picture of touchdown Jesus, very cool.
For those of you not as familiar with Notre Dame Football, the figure on the right can be seen from the stadium, through the goalposts - hence, Touchdown Jesus.
(Buzz is standing on my car which is on the street where the Stadium entrance is.)
There was something I forgot from yesterday. Going from Downtown Lansing to East Lansing and the MSU campus I took Kalamazoo street.
At one point there was one of those pedestrian overpasses.
Bloody ridiculous.
This street was pretty much one lane each way, think Main Street Markham North of 16th or St-Laurent Street in St-Eustache near the Flea Market ... I was the only car on the street. Who was the genius behind that?
The only other city visited today was Toledo. Home of the Mud Hens.
Small town, like a crappier smaller version of Louisville.
But that's okay.
I also drove through Cleveland, Erie (I did stop for Steve & Barry's - a store where everything is 6.98, crazy!) and Buffalo.
I'm now in a crappy motel in Niagara Falls (everything was booked for some reason).
Back home tomorrow...
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Day 2 - Chicago
Day 2 started in Lansing and we then made our way out to Chicago, via Gary, Indiana.
Lansing is the capital of Michigan, so of course Buzz wanted to see the State Capital building:
Lansing is the capital of Michigan, so of course Buzz wanted to see the State Capital building:
But of course the main attraction in Lansing is MSU in East Lansing.
Here's a picture of the stadium:
We left Lansing and were on the long road to Chicago, knowing there'd be a stop in Gary of course.
But I saw a sign nearing Battle Creek that mentioned Kellogg and something called cereal city.
I thought it would be good for a laugh, but it was splendid in all it's awesome tackiness!
See the picture ... Inside is a cornucopia of Kellogg's past and present, all the original characters like Smaxie and Dig 'em. All the different Tony the Tigers. Oddly, there was little to see with those demented elves, Snap, Crackle and Pop (I guess after the beating from the Keebler elves they're laying low).
Back on the highway, which had too many long stretches of nothing and construction I see a sign announcing the Chocolate Garden. I started having images of houses made of chocolate and chocolate landscaping ... think Homer's dream.
This is what I found:
Not exactly the utopian paradise I anticipated.
I need to be honest. The only reason I wanted to see Gary, Indiana is because I heard it's a crap-hole. I've seen East St. Louis, I've been to Flint. This is supposed to be the other in the top 3 worst cities.
I was not disappointed. Main Street (as pictured) was deader than Flint's. The houses in the side streets were often abandoned to the vegetation, or had boarded up windows.
Not a pretty sight. You wouldn't want to go to any of the bars we saw ... scary!
What's weird is that US Steel (which sponsors the Minor league team - how did they get that?) and Mittal both have huge working operations there. Why is it so poor?
Finally we were back on the road to Chicago.
Gorgeous skyline, with America's tallest building. Why does the water look so good? I would have thought it would be unbelievably polluted. But it looked good enough to swim, and there were a few beaches along the way.
By this time I was sooooo hungry. I got to see Soldier Field and Comiskey and just wanted to eat at Gino's.
We get there (finally - there's 2 but they are no help at 411) and there's a sign that says it's closed for renovation. I don't even get a chance to ask Frank what do we do now. As I turn around a wonderful woman (an Angel? - she was cute, as I remember her anyway) tells us to go to the other one and gives us impeccable directions.
15 minutes later we're seated at the famous Gino's East.
It took forever to get our food, but we should have known, when this is the sign above the bar:
The Cheese and Sausage Deep dish arrived forty-five minutes later (we got there at 4:30) and it was delicious.
It was just so different than anything we're used to.
The cheese was on the crust, followed by the sausage patties and the sauce on top (so a reverse order). Very tasty.
We then went to Wrigley and headed back East. We're staying in Laporte for the night.
Talk to you tomorrow.
Have Fun!
Day 1 Pics
I forgot to mention that when we finally got to our room last night ... Someone was already there, and what was being done to the bathroom was not very hospitable ...
We got a different one.
Here's some pictures.
The dammed tunnel:
We got a different one.
Here's some pictures.
The dammed tunnel:
Buzz in Detroit:
These 2 pictures are part of 2 sections of the Christmas store in Frankenmuth, there are 12 in total (sections) ... The store is friggen huge.
A Bavarian inn in Frankenmuth:
Talk to you soon...
Frankenmuth - Day 1
Yesterday was the first of our mini road trip.
It started in the morning and I need to say one thing.
Holy crap Ontario is boring!
That stretch of 401 between Mississauga & Windsor has nothing. It took all my will power to not crash my car into the ditch. Sweet fancy Moses.
When we finally arrived at Windsor we noticed we had the option of taking a tunnel across to Detroit. Boy that was a bad idea.
I got into the line to pay the toll and then realized I was in the wrong one - I did not have 4.00 in coins. So I needed to move over and a kindly person was letting me in, however they shut down all the lanes.
What the ...
After about 15 minutes they finally let us in. Good times!
We saw a little of Detroit, very small core.
Saw the old home of the Lions and then went to Flint again.
It was the city's festival ... At least 50 people were downtown on Saturday afternoon!!!! Happening place!
The purpose of the trip was upcoming - Frankenmuth.
Oh Baby!
I was expecting a tacky suped up version of Flint. Boy was I wrong.
But not at first. The first thing you see is the World's largest Christmas store. Sweet baby Jesus that was frightening.
My travel buddy Frank almost passed out. It took about 30 seconds before he started freaking out. There was a distinct possibility of him dropping to the ground in an epileptic fit.
The place is beyond huge and after a few minutes I was starting to get a little anxious. The place has an unholy vibe, strange because there is religious stuff everywhere.
Sweet mother of God, I was trapped in the seventh strata of hell and couldn't find what I wanted.
We escaped but were never to be the same.
The rest of the town is completely different. My favorite so far of any city (smaller ones - nothing can compete with New Orleans). It has a distinctive Bavarian feel, many Inns, restaurants, chocolate and cheese shops.
I ate a Wiener-Schnietzel at the brewery - Delicious, really, really great. I recommend it!
Then Saginaw had nothing to offer and it took forever to find a place to stay, finally finding one in Lansing - no vacancy ... but luckily a few miles down we were in luck.
More tonight about day 2...
Have fun!
It started in the morning and I need to say one thing.
Holy crap Ontario is boring!
That stretch of 401 between Mississauga & Windsor has nothing. It took all my will power to not crash my car into the ditch. Sweet fancy Moses.
When we finally arrived at Windsor we noticed we had the option of taking a tunnel across to Detroit. Boy that was a bad idea.
I got into the line to pay the toll and then realized I was in the wrong one - I did not have 4.00 in coins. So I needed to move over and a kindly person was letting me in, however they shut down all the lanes.
What the ...
After about 15 minutes they finally let us in. Good times!
We saw a little of Detroit, very small core.
Saw the old home of the Lions and then went to Flint again.
It was the city's festival ... At least 50 people were downtown on Saturday afternoon!!!! Happening place!
The purpose of the trip was upcoming - Frankenmuth.
Oh Baby!
I was expecting a tacky suped up version of Flint. Boy was I wrong.
But not at first. The first thing you see is the World's largest Christmas store. Sweet baby Jesus that was frightening.
My travel buddy Frank almost passed out. It took about 30 seconds before he started freaking out. There was a distinct possibility of him dropping to the ground in an epileptic fit.
The place is beyond huge and after a few minutes I was starting to get a little anxious. The place has an unholy vibe, strange because there is religious stuff everywhere.
Sweet mother of God, I was trapped in the seventh strata of hell and couldn't find what I wanted.
We escaped but were never to be the same.
The rest of the town is completely different. My favorite so far of any city (smaller ones - nothing can compete with New Orleans). It has a distinctive Bavarian feel, many Inns, restaurants, chocolate and cheese shops.
I ate a Wiener-Schnietzel at the brewery - Delicious, really, really great. I recommend it!
Then Saginaw had nothing to offer and it took forever to find a place to stay, finally finding one in Lansing - no vacancy ... but luckily a few miles down we were in luck.
More tonight about day 2...
Have fun!
Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Big Papi
There was a recent discussion by the Sports Guy about who's more clutch: Big Papi or the Basketball Jesus?
This might seem like blasphemy to some, but he raised interesting points. I wanted to summarize some of it here and add my own 2 cents.
There's been a debate about last year's MVP selection for a year now. A-Rod is seen as not as clutch and only got it because he plays 3rd base and is not a DH.
A-Rod allies will point that his average and OPS with runners in scoring position and 2 outs is better than Papi over the past 2 years.
But this is flawed because Ortiz comes up big in big moments.
Dusty Baker has the most walk-off hits in Major League History (25). Now consider that to get one of those you need to be at home, and have an opportunity to be at bat.
In the past 16 months (Since the start of 2005), he's come up 13 times with the chance for a game-ending plate appearance and made an out only once (and he ended up winning that game in the 12th inning).
He has 15 walk-off hits in 3 years (less than that really) with the Red Sox. 10 behind the all-time record.
This does not take into account the 3 in the 2004 ALCS (a record) or all the times he won it on the road or in the 7th or 8th inning.
That is ridiculous. You expect him to get a hit now.
One more walk-off hit this year (he has 5) and he breaks the all-time single season record.
Since he joined the Red Sox in 2003, he has 15 walk-off hits and the rest of the team has 19 total.
Since Aug. 1, 2004, Ortiz has hit 21 home runs in 138 at-bats in Late-Inning Pressure Situations (no other player has more than 13).
That's domination. I don't care if he doesn't play first base more often ... Who's more valuable?
Even Yankee fans would agree now that A-Rod is not the MVP.
One last thing - Ortiz is so clutch that he has a signature move for when his team crowds the plate after another winning HR. He tosses the helmet rounding third and leaps onto home plate.
Another glaring mistake in my greatest actors list:
Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
He has the most memorable roles in terms of quantity - Boogie Nights, Happiness, Flawless, Talented Mr. Ripley, Capote, Punch Drunk Love (which spawned it's own video for his character), Owning Mahoney, 25th Hour, State & Main ...
My top 5 are probably Flawless, Happiness, Almost Famous, Love Liza & The Big Lebowski.
Add Twister, Magnolia, Red Dragon, Scent of a woman ... and others
What a list!
This might seem like blasphemy to some, but he raised interesting points. I wanted to summarize some of it here and add my own 2 cents.
There's been a debate about last year's MVP selection for a year now. A-Rod is seen as not as clutch and only got it because he plays 3rd base and is not a DH.
A-Rod allies will point that his average and OPS with runners in scoring position and 2 outs is better than Papi over the past 2 years.
But this is flawed because Ortiz comes up big in big moments.
Dusty Baker has the most walk-off hits in Major League History (25). Now consider that to get one of those you need to be at home, and have an opportunity to be at bat.
In the past 16 months (Since the start of 2005), he's come up 13 times with the chance for a game-ending plate appearance and made an out only once (and he ended up winning that game in the 12th inning).
He has 15 walk-off hits in 3 years (less than that really) with the Red Sox. 10 behind the all-time record.
This does not take into account the 3 in the 2004 ALCS (a record) or all the times he won it on the road or in the 7th or 8th inning.
That is ridiculous. You expect him to get a hit now.
One more walk-off hit this year (he has 5) and he breaks the all-time single season record.
Since he joined the Red Sox in 2003, he has 15 walk-off hits and the rest of the team has 19 total.
Since Aug. 1, 2004, Ortiz has hit 21 home runs in 138 at-bats in Late-Inning Pressure Situations (no other player has more than 13).
That's domination. I don't care if he doesn't play first base more often ... Who's more valuable?
Even Yankee fans would agree now that A-Rod is not the MVP.
One last thing - Ortiz is so clutch that he has a signature move for when his team crowds the plate after another winning HR. He tosses the helmet rounding third and leaps onto home plate.
Another glaring mistake in my greatest actors list:
Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
He has the most memorable roles in terms of quantity - Boogie Nights, Happiness, Flawless, Talented Mr. Ripley, Capote, Punch Drunk Love (which spawned it's own video for his character), Owning Mahoney, 25th Hour, State & Main ...
My top 5 are probably Flawless, Happiness, Almost Famous, Love Liza & The Big Lebowski.
Add Twister, Magnolia, Red Dragon, Scent of a woman ... and others
What a list!
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Little Miss Sunshine
This week I was treated to a pre-screening of the Fox Searchlight comedy Little Miss Sunshine.
It stars Alan Arkin, Greg Kinnear, Toni Colette & a bearded Steve Carell.
You HAVE to see this movie. Funniest thing in years.
I'll try not to spoil it.
The characters are part of a family, that is not as dysfunctional as what we are accustomed to, this could be ours.
- A suicidal uncle
- A teenager with a vow of silence
- A struggling motivational speaker dad
- A secret smoking mother
- A little girl hoping to win a beauty pageant
- A Heroine snorting Grandpa
The tag line says it all, as they are being pulled over the dad says: Everybody pretend to be normal.
Great stuff.
The audience even clapped after the movie.
I strongly recommend seeing this.
Enjoy!
I forgot an actor from my last post:
Vincent D'Onofrio, maybe the best.
If you only know him as the brilliant autistic cop from Law & Order Criminal Intent, then do yourself a favor and rent Full Metal Jacket.
That movie is a classic and D'Onofrio is frighteningly good.
Then check out The Salton Sea. It also stars Val Kilmer and I think is maybe even better than Memento.
It stars Alan Arkin, Greg Kinnear, Toni Colette & a bearded Steve Carell.
You HAVE to see this movie. Funniest thing in years.
I'll try not to spoil it.
The characters are part of a family, that is not as dysfunctional as what we are accustomed to, this could be ours.
- A suicidal uncle
- A teenager with a vow of silence
- A struggling motivational speaker dad
- A secret smoking mother
- A little girl hoping to win a beauty pageant
- A Heroine snorting Grandpa
The tag line says it all, as they are being pulled over the dad says: Everybody pretend to be normal.
Great stuff.
The audience even clapped after the movie.
I strongly recommend seeing this.
Enjoy!
I forgot an actor from my last post:
Vincent D'Onofrio, maybe the best.
If you only know him as the brilliant autistic cop from Law & Order Criminal Intent, then do yourself a favor and rent Full Metal Jacket.
That movie is a classic and D'Onofrio is frighteningly good.
Then check out The Salton Sea. It also stars Val Kilmer and I think is maybe even better than Memento.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Lady in the Water
I feel compelled to write something about this movie because it's being panned by the critics.
I know don't know if it's because a critic gets a harsh treatment in the movie but they're going overboard with the reviews.
This is a fairy tale (one he created for his family), so yes there are some fantastical elements. That's the point.
If you're looking for entertainment and some amazing acting, by 2 of the greatest of our generation - Paul Giamatti & Jeffrey Wright, then see this.
I knew some of the elements that were going to happen and I still loved it.
M. Knight plays a larger role in this one too, he's not that bad.
If you want to see Wright in brilliant roles I suggest Boycott, he plays Martin L. King, and the most amazing Basquiat, where he plays Jean-Michel Basquiat and David Bowie plays Andy Warhol.
For Giamatti make sure you see American Splendor, some of his best work.
For the record here's an incomplete list of the best actors in our generation, with a classic role:
Johnny Depp (Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas)
Jeffrey Wright (Basquiat)
Paul Giamatti (Man on the Moon)
Steve Buscemi (Trees Lounge)
Gary Oldman (Sid & Nancy) - He might be on the old side for this list
Ed Norton (American History X)
Benicio Del Toro (Traffic)
Robert Downey Jr. (Natural Born Killers)
Kevin Spacey (Se7en)
I know don't know if it's because a critic gets a harsh treatment in the movie but they're going overboard with the reviews.
This is a fairy tale (one he created for his family), so yes there are some fantastical elements. That's the point.
If you're looking for entertainment and some amazing acting, by 2 of the greatest of our generation - Paul Giamatti & Jeffrey Wright, then see this.
I knew some of the elements that were going to happen and I still loved it.
M. Knight plays a larger role in this one too, he's not that bad.
If you want to see Wright in brilliant roles I suggest Boycott, he plays Martin L. King, and the most amazing Basquiat, where he plays Jean-Michel Basquiat and David Bowie plays Andy Warhol.
For Giamatti make sure you see American Splendor, some of his best work.
For the record here's an incomplete list of the best actors in our generation, with a classic role:
Johnny Depp (Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas)
Jeffrey Wright (Basquiat)
Paul Giamatti (Man on the Moon)
Steve Buscemi (Trees Lounge)
Gary Oldman (Sid & Nancy) - He might be on the old side for this list
Ed Norton (American History X)
Benicio Del Toro (Traffic)
Robert Downey Jr. (Natural Born Killers)
Kevin Spacey (Se7en)
Sunday, June 4, 2006
World Cup
With the games a few days away I should say a few things.
First the excitement is tremendous with my Oranje in Group C and the Socceroos (led by Hiddink) in and 5 new African nations, this is getting pretty crazy.
Top 5 Surprise teams
These teams are the most likely to come out of nowhere in no particular order (as far as the casual fan thinks)
1 - Ivory Coast (Some are picking them to come out instead of Argentina)
2 - Australia (Hiddink led Korea 4 years ago)
3 - Paraguay (I didn't realize they were a surprise team until I saw their odds of winning the group at 9-1)
4 - Ghana (These guys are fast and Essien is a stud)
5 - Switzerland (They have an easy group and are under the radar)
Top 5 picks for the Golden Boot
These guys can fill the net and should make a run at the title
1 - Robben - Holland
2 - Pauletta - Spain
3 - Ronaldo - Portugal
4 - Owen - England (unless Rooney is back, then his name belongs on the list)
5 - Ronaldinho - Brazil
Now these are not necessarily the traditional picks - Van Nistelrooij (Holland), Ronaldo or Adriano (Brazil), Henry (France), Crespo (Argentina) or Toni (Italy) have better odds than some of these, but I like my list.
Top 5 Sleepers for the Boot
These guys are not household names (Robben and Ronaldo might qualify for this list too)
1 - Kuyt - Holland
2 - Baros - Czech
3 - Kaka - Brazil
4 - Crouch - England
5 - Karimi - Iran (Iran is ranked 23rd in the world)
Top 5 teams with question marks
These teams are solid but could have something going against them to prevent serious contention
1 - Czech Republic (Injuries to Smicer and others are keeping them from cracking my top 5)
2 - England (They have a very difficult road, but assuming Rooney is healthy they can make a run at it)
3 - Portugal (The golden generation is too old, but the young Ronaldo is quite the star)
4 - Italy (They are a counter-attack type team but I can't see them making a serious run when I can't see them coming out of the real group of death with the Czechs, Americans and Ghana there as well)
5 - France (They have an easy group so should advance, but they are very old)
Top 5 Favorites to win it all
these teams are the ones that have the best chance to play for the trophy. (Again in no order)
1 - Hup Holland (The Oranje are still the best nation to never have won it, but Van Basten has gone with youth and energy - Kuyt was the captain vs Mexico)
2 - Brazil (They are the reigning kings, have an unusual easy road and Ronaldinho is ridiculous. I hate Brazil but those Joga Bonito ads are fun)
3 - Spain (They are classic underachievers but this could be there year with Pauletta)
4 - Croatia (They breezed through qualifying and are the closest to a silent killer)
5 - Germany (They have a difficult road after the first round, but they are home and have won it at home before - painful memories)
First the excitement is tremendous with my Oranje in Group C and the Socceroos (led by Hiddink) in and 5 new African nations, this is getting pretty crazy.
Top 5 Surprise teams
These teams are the most likely to come out of nowhere in no particular order (as far as the casual fan thinks)
1 - Ivory Coast (Some are picking them to come out instead of Argentina)
2 - Australia (Hiddink led Korea 4 years ago)
3 - Paraguay (I didn't realize they were a surprise team until I saw their odds of winning the group at 9-1)
4 - Ghana (These guys are fast and Essien is a stud)
5 - Switzerland (They have an easy group and are under the radar)
Top 5 picks for the Golden Boot
These guys can fill the net and should make a run at the title
1 - Robben - Holland
2 - Pauletta - Spain
3 - Ronaldo - Portugal
4 - Owen - England (unless Rooney is back, then his name belongs on the list)
5 - Ronaldinho - Brazil
Now these are not necessarily the traditional picks - Van Nistelrooij (Holland), Ronaldo or Adriano (Brazil), Henry (France), Crespo (Argentina) or Toni (Italy) have better odds than some of these, but I like my list.
Top 5 Sleepers for the Boot
These guys are not household names (Robben and Ronaldo might qualify for this list too)
1 - Kuyt - Holland
2 - Baros - Czech
3 - Kaka - Brazil
4 - Crouch - England
5 - Karimi - Iran (Iran is ranked 23rd in the world)
Top 5 teams with question marks
These teams are solid but could have something going against them to prevent serious contention
1 - Czech Republic (Injuries to Smicer and others are keeping them from cracking my top 5)
2 - England (They have a very difficult road, but assuming Rooney is healthy they can make a run at it)
3 - Portugal (The golden generation is too old, but the young Ronaldo is quite the star)
4 - Italy (They are a counter-attack type team but I can't see them making a serious run when I can't see them coming out of the real group of death with the Czechs, Americans and Ghana there as well)
5 - France (They have an easy group so should advance, but they are very old)
Top 5 Favorites to win it all
these teams are the ones that have the best chance to play for the trophy. (Again in no order)
1 - Hup Holland (The Oranje are still the best nation to never have won it, but Van Basten has gone with youth and energy - Kuyt was the captain vs Mexico)
2 - Brazil (They are the reigning kings, have an unusual easy road and Ronaldinho is ridiculous. I hate Brazil but those Joga Bonito ads are fun)
3 - Spain (They are classic underachievers but this could be there year with Pauletta)
4 - Croatia (They breezed through qualifying and are the closest to a silent killer)
5 - Germany (They have a difficult road after the first round, but they are home and have won it at home before - painful memories)
Women in Sports
Well, I've put it off long enough.
I promised to speak about this so here it is.
First off, I want to say I believe Women can be as good as men and better in some cases in many sports that lend themselves to it.
Recently there's been many cases that have challenged the establishment, so I'll tackle those but first here's the stuff I love.
Tennis. This is clear cut, Women's Tennis is much better. Not just because Martina Hingis makes my heart pitter patter.
I'm so happy she's back, that's awesome and she's played well, winning in Rome recently.
My other faves are Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin-Hardenne and Maria Sharapova (it's her power, not her looks, just ask my buddy West - I've been a fan since early on).
Smashnova has the best name, but I couldn't pick her out in a lineup.
I also love Women's volleyball, mostly the beach stuff but that's because I've had more exposure to it. I used to watch indoor VB but it doesn't seem to be on anymore. I used to watch when Reece was playing and now May & McPeak are just dominating the circuit. It's a good game and that's how I busted my knee, by diving in the sand and hitting glass under it.
Danica Patrick has challenged the men and is doing great. The chauvinists, see Richard Petty, say she belongs in the kitchen, she's only popular for her looks and she hasn't won anything.
First off, last year she was a rookie. Rookie's don't win. She did very well for herself though and is young enough to improve.
Second, she might be pretty, but what is she supposed to do? Wear a mask? She said on PTI that she has to refuse some stuff because she doesn't want to be overexposed, good for her! She's no Anna K.
Andretti never won on the F1 circuit, does that mean he's a bad driver? Give her time.
Michelle Wie is also trying to play with boys. There a few things here.
First off, the Ladies have their own tour (not an option for Danica) and it's fun. I love watching Pressel and Creamer and seeing Sorenstam dominate is fun.
Annika has earned the right to play on the men's tour, she can use the challenge. Wie on the other hand has not. She is not Tiger, she has never won anything, not the amateur championship, not an LPGA event, even less a major. Her biggest accomplishment is making the cut in a men's Asian Tour event. Not exactly a marquee event.
She needs to prove she can beat the women before she can talk about playing in the Masters!
The WNBA. I have no objection to the league in of itself, but forcing the programming on me is getting on my nerves. Where's the International Football (Soccer), or the rugby scores. I'd prefer seeing Aussie Rules scores than WNBA. Please, no one tell me that they are more technically sound than the men, that's crap. There might be a few stars but for the most part they are just not as good as the NBA, or the NCAA. Last year they made a big fuss about a woman dunking twice and used that as proof of the women being as good. You can't have it both ways, and did you see the dunks? That's called a finger roll and a layup in the men's league, if your hand is under the ball as it goes over the rim, it's not a dunk.
Now the women's soccer league should have been given a better chance, they had stars that people loved and it was growing as much as the WNBA, which is to mean they aren't growing. But I don't think it should go away, some people enjoy it and that's cool. Just like some people like hockey and others don't.
Softball is out of the Olympics and that makes no sense. I only watch the summer Olympics for the softball, men's basketball and some cycling events (the Dutch rule!).
Softball was the most marketable event in the US also, and it would seem they are always catering to the Americans ... I'm clueless.
On to the touchy subject. Title IX.
For the uninitiated, Title IX is the NCAA rule that forces all schools to have a proportional amount of women athletes as the general student population. So if you 60% women student body, you need to have 60% women's athletic participation in NCAA governed sports.
First off the NCAA is insane, the BCS is a mess for one, but they are so rigid it makes no sense. Recently a kid was a champion in the 10000 meters in track. He was going to the Nationals to try to break his record but his coach made a mistake and clicked on 5000 meters on the online form. The next day he noticed the mistake and called the NCAA and the meet organizers who said that although the field was not set, and there were spots open, the rules say he had 12 hours to correct the mistake. This was still almost a week before the race. The kid having never qualified for the 5000 had to stay home and the people at the meet from other schools wore shirts asking where he was and chanted his name in the stands. Yet the NCAA says they can't play favorite. They do of course let basketball and football programs slide.
Anyway, the reason Title IX is a problem is for the smaller schools. They only have money for a few sports and the rule forces them to cut back on many sports because they can't offer as many sports and that hurts the kids because less scholarships mean less opportunity.
Now I'm not saying women are not interested in sports, but am I really going out on a limb by saying that on a whole dudes are more interested in sports than gals?
This means that many young males who can't pay for school are getting less and less opportunities to get an education.
The logical thing to say is that more women are getting the chance, but that's just not the case. Women's programs are not being added to meet a quota, the men's are being cut.
I'm all for equality, but this is hurting the poor, no one else. Forget about the money the big schools make, that's only 100 schools, tops.
Now I'm not advocating a repeal of the rule. It's good to have equality, women were once considered inferior and denied education and that's wrong of course. But a football program has over 100 athletes, and that is a huge chunk, meaning you need many women's sports to compensate. Unfortunately the debate on this has become political with the people against the rule being right-wing lunatics. I feel a little queasy to be even close to the same side as them, but I'm not against the rule in principle, only in it's application. Can reasonable people not decide if a school is being unfair on a case by case basis. So what if 60 percent of the athletes are dudes and only 45% of the students if the women have all the sports they want. I don't want to cut women's programs, and there is a stipulation in the law that says schools must show they are increasing women's sports continually, I just want to see more sports and more scholarships awarded for whoever wants them, men or women. So I say let's see more women in sports and more men too!
Well that's enough of this rant.
I promised to speak about this so here it is.
First off, I want to say I believe Women can be as good as men and better in some cases in many sports that lend themselves to it.
Recently there's been many cases that have challenged the establishment, so I'll tackle those but first here's the stuff I love.
Tennis. This is clear cut, Women's Tennis is much better. Not just because Martina Hingis makes my heart pitter patter.
I'm so happy she's back, that's awesome and she's played well, winning in Rome recently.
My other faves are Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin-Hardenne and Maria Sharapova (it's her power, not her looks, just ask my buddy West - I've been a fan since early on).
Smashnova has the best name, but I couldn't pick her out in a lineup.
I also love Women's volleyball, mostly the beach stuff but that's because I've had more exposure to it. I used to watch indoor VB but it doesn't seem to be on anymore. I used to watch when Reece was playing and now May & McPeak are just dominating the circuit. It's a good game and that's how I busted my knee, by diving in the sand and hitting glass under it.
Danica Patrick has challenged the men and is doing great. The chauvinists, see Richard Petty, say she belongs in the kitchen, she's only popular for her looks and she hasn't won anything.
First off, last year she was a rookie. Rookie's don't win. She did very well for herself though and is young enough to improve.
Second, she might be pretty, but what is she supposed to do? Wear a mask? She said on PTI that she has to refuse some stuff because she doesn't want to be overexposed, good for her! She's no Anna K.
Andretti never won on the F1 circuit, does that mean he's a bad driver? Give her time.
Michelle Wie is also trying to play with boys. There a few things here.
First off, the Ladies have their own tour (not an option for Danica) and it's fun. I love watching Pressel and Creamer and seeing Sorenstam dominate is fun.
Annika has earned the right to play on the men's tour, she can use the challenge. Wie on the other hand has not. She is not Tiger, she has never won anything, not the amateur championship, not an LPGA event, even less a major. Her biggest accomplishment is making the cut in a men's Asian Tour event. Not exactly a marquee event.
She needs to prove she can beat the women before she can talk about playing in the Masters!
The WNBA. I have no objection to the league in of itself, but forcing the programming on me is getting on my nerves. Where's the International Football (Soccer), or the rugby scores. I'd prefer seeing Aussie Rules scores than WNBA. Please, no one tell me that they are more technically sound than the men, that's crap. There might be a few stars but for the most part they are just not as good as the NBA, or the NCAA. Last year they made a big fuss about a woman dunking twice and used that as proof of the women being as good. You can't have it both ways, and did you see the dunks? That's called a finger roll and a layup in the men's league, if your hand is under the ball as it goes over the rim, it's not a dunk.
Now the women's soccer league should have been given a better chance, they had stars that people loved and it was growing as much as the WNBA, which is to mean they aren't growing. But I don't think it should go away, some people enjoy it and that's cool. Just like some people like hockey and others don't.
Softball is out of the Olympics and that makes no sense. I only watch the summer Olympics for the softball, men's basketball and some cycling events (the Dutch rule!).
Softball was the most marketable event in the US also, and it would seem they are always catering to the Americans ... I'm clueless.
On to the touchy subject. Title IX.
For the uninitiated, Title IX is the NCAA rule that forces all schools to have a proportional amount of women athletes as the general student population. So if you 60% women student body, you need to have 60% women's athletic participation in NCAA governed sports.
First off the NCAA is insane, the BCS is a mess for one, but they are so rigid it makes no sense. Recently a kid was a champion in the 10000 meters in track. He was going to the Nationals to try to break his record but his coach made a mistake and clicked on 5000 meters on the online form. The next day he noticed the mistake and called the NCAA and the meet organizers who said that although the field was not set, and there were spots open, the rules say he had 12 hours to correct the mistake. This was still almost a week before the race. The kid having never qualified for the 5000 had to stay home and the people at the meet from other schools wore shirts asking where he was and chanted his name in the stands. Yet the NCAA says they can't play favorite. They do of course let basketball and football programs slide.
Anyway, the reason Title IX is a problem is for the smaller schools. They only have money for a few sports and the rule forces them to cut back on many sports because they can't offer as many sports and that hurts the kids because less scholarships mean less opportunity.
Now I'm not saying women are not interested in sports, but am I really going out on a limb by saying that on a whole dudes are more interested in sports than gals?
This means that many young males who can't pay for school are getting less and less opportunities to get an education.
The logical thing to say is that more women are getting the chance, but that's just not the case. Women's programs are not being added to meet a quota, the men's are being cut.
I'm all for equality, but this is hurting the poor, no one else. Forget about the money the big schools make, that's only 100 schools, tops.
Now I'm not advocating a repeal of the rule. It's good to have equality, women were once considered inferior and denied education and that's wrong of course. But a football program has over 100 athletes, and that is a huge chunk, meaning you need many women's sports to compensate. Unfortunately the debate on this has become political with the people against the rule being right-wing lunatics. I feel a little queasy to be even close to the same side as them, but I'm not against the rule in principle, only in it's application. Can reasonable people not decide if a school is being unfair on a case by case basis. So what if 60 percent of the athletes are dudes and only 45% of the students if the women have all the sports they want. I don't want to cut women's programs, and there is a stipulation in the law that says schools must show they are increasing women's sports continually, I just want to see more sports and more scholarships awarded for whoever wants them, men or women. So I say let's see more women in sports and more men too!
Well that's enough of this rant.
Imogen Heap
Last week I had the privilege of spending the evening with 3 beautiful women.
2 of them were on a stage, but still.
Barbie accompanied me to the show at the Guvernment where we quickly learned the show needed to be done by 9PM (they had another function), and so it started a little early and we missed the first song.
On stage before Imogen, Immie to friends, was the talented and pretty Zoe Keating and her Cello.
The show was originally scheduled for the Mod Club but it sold out so fast it was moved to the Guvernment where it quickly sold out again. There was a definite buzz in the Air and the place was still intimate.
Zoe was great and her parents were there (she lived here for a while). You might know here from the band Rasputina, the kick-ass Cello group. That might sound weird to you, but check it out, especially if you're into Goth in any way.
After a long delay, unexplainable since there's nothing to set up, Immie showed up in a wonderful gown and her traditional big hair.
Wow! Quite the gal! She started with an acapella song that floored us.
She then introduced her 'band' which consists of an Apple laptop and some keyboards. Also a frisky wind up mouse ...
If you've seen Radiohead, you'll understand the concept where she plays a beat and loops back what she just played, including vocals. She a has a few more complex beats as well on her laptop. She's truly amazing, with the voice of an angel.
Zoe joined her for 3 songs as well.
Imogen might be known to some of you as the lead singer of Frou Frou. They had that great song in the movie Garden State (if you haven't seen that one yet, you need to -> top 20). She actually performed that song as well, which was a big surprise. All in all a great time and a great performance.
She even stuck around in the back lobby after to say hi, take pictures and sign autographs for everyone, despite pissing off the security people.
Holy crap she's tall.
I have to say that on my way to Barb's I was stuck, as we are won't to be, in traffic on the DVP. I was not feeling great and the evening was off to a rocky start. But then I noticed that a car in front of me in the lane to my left, which had four youngsters, flash a sign to the car in front of me. I was naturally curious so I sped up a bit. The cute girl in the back seat (about 20, I'd say) flashed a big smile and held up a sign, like a place mat, that had a big yellow smiley face on it. I couldn't help but giggle and crack a laugh which made them happy.
I've got to say thanks to her. That made a big difference - I had a great evening and that's where it started.
So all in all it was quite special. Thanks Barb!
2 of them were on a stage, but still.
Barbie accompanied me to the show at the Guvernment where we quickly learned the show needed to be done by 9PM (they had another function), and so it started a little early and we missed the first song.
On stage before Imogen, Immie to friends, was the talented and pretty Zoe Keating and her Cello.
The show was originally scheduled for the Mod Club but it sold out so fast it was moved to the Guvernment where it quickly sold out again. There was a definite buzz in the Air and the place was still intimate.
Zoe was great and her parents were there (she lived here for a while). You might know here from the band Rasputina, the kick-ass Cello group. That might sound weird to you, but check it out, especially if you're into Goth in any way.
After a long delay, unexplainable since there's nothing to set up, Immie showed up in a wonderful gown and her traditional big hair.
Wow! Quite the gal! She started with an acapella song that floored us.
She then introduced her 'band' which consists of an Apple laptop and some keyboards. Also a frisky wind up mouse ...
If you've seen Radiohead, you'll understand the concept where she plays a beat and loops back what she just played, including vocals. She a has a few more complex beats as well on her laptop. She's truly amazing, with the voice of an angel.
Zoe joined her for 3 songs as well.
Imogen might be known to some of you as the lead singer of Frou Frou. They had that great song in the movie Garden State (if you haven't seen that one yet, you need to -> top 20). She actually performed that song as well, which was a big surprise. All in all a great time and a great performance.
She even stuck around in the back lobby after to say hi, take pictures and sign autographs for everyone, despite pissing off the security people.
Holy crap she's tall.
I have to say that on my way to Barb's I was stuck, as we are won't to be, in traffic on the DVP. I was not feeling great and the evening was off to a rocky start. But then I noticed that a car in front of me in the lane to my left, which had four youngsters, flash a sign to the car in front of me. I was naturally curious so I sped up a bit. The cute girl in the back seat (about 20, I'd say) flashed a big smile and held up a sign, like a place mat, that had a big yellow smiley face on it. I couldn't help but giggle and crack a laugh which made them happy.
I've got to say thanks to her. That made a big difference - I had a great evening and that's where it started.
So all in all it was quite special. Thanks Barb!
Saturday, June 3, 2006
Pearl Jam
How can I not speak about the Pearl Jam show in early May.
The opening act was My Morning Jacket, they're good, but no Sleater-Kinney.
My tickets were great and we were like 30 feet from Mike McReady, becoming a guitar god!
I thought going to the first show of the tour would make it more special as opposed to the next night. We did get to hear some songs for the first time live (first ever performance of Inside Job), but the second night had an extra half hour.
Oh well, live and learn. And if the only complaint is that the show was "only" 140 minutes, I guess that's alright!
They do seem much happier now that they are free of the label. Great new album, by the way.
It was great to see the fans sing a long to the new stuff, even though the album had only been out one week. Awesome, we are the best fan base, the security guards had nothing to do, we stay in our spots, and are orderly ... Lot's of respect going around, a big contrast to the rest of the city.
That was my 6th time seeing them and the first repeat city (Montreal, Boston, NY & Ottawa are the others).
If you get a chance see them, Sonic Youth is opening for them later on. I'll be seeing them in 2 weeks in Bonnaroo (SY that is).
Enjoy!
The opening act was My Morning Jacket, they're good, but no Sleater-Kinney.
My tickets were great and we were like 30 feet from Mike McReady, becoming a guitar god!
I thought going to the first show of the tour would make it more special as opposed to the next night. We did get to hear some songs for the first time live (first ever performance of Inside Job), but the second night had an extra half hour.
Oh well, live and learn. And if the only complaint is that the show was "only" 140 minutes, I guess that's alright!
They do seem much happier now that they are free of the label. Great new album, by the way.
It was great to see the fans sing a long to the new stuff, even though the album had only been out one week. Awesome, we are the best fan base, the security guards had nothing to do, we stay in our spots, and are orderly ... Lot's of respect going around, a big contrast to the rest of the city.
That was my 6th time seeing them and the first repeat city (Montreal, Boston, NY & Ottawa are the others).
If you get a chance see them, Sonic Youth is opening for them later on. I'll be seeing them in 2 weeks in Bonnaroo (SY that is).
Enjoy!
One Month Later
Wow ... It's been over a month, I'm slipping.
So much has happened.
First off, I was right about Carolina, at least I predicted they would win the cup and now they're in the finals. I've always had a thing for the Oilers after seeing them in the early 80's (on TV) against the Islanders. Plus there is that incident with Gretzky when Sevigny said in the media that Lafleur was going to "put him in his back pocket". Gretzky dropped like 5 points that night on the habs.
If I had to pick another team to root for it would be between Philly & Edmonton.
Still - there's no way Carolina loses this. Weight, Recchi, Brind'Amour is a lot of veteran savvy. And they're not the top players on the team. Edmonton has Pronger though, and I never bet against him.
In the NBA, I had the final 4 down pat. And now Miami is through, as I predicted.
Dallas is up 10 in game 6 and should make me look pretty damn smart.
I know I predicted Dallas to win it all, but Miami (with my favorite players Wade & Shaq) is looking destined.
It would be nice to see Shaq win to enervate Kobe!
Wade is the reason I started paying attention to the NBA 3 years ago, so I have a soft spot for him.
Cuban is my favorite owner in all sports and Boston was the team of my youth. So I don't have a clear cut favorite team yet, it feels kinda weird.
Nash is great and is fun to watch, and I predict this for next year - Phoenix will win it next year. With Amare back, and most guys signed (just need to keep Thomas) ... that's adding an all-star with MVP potential to a final four team, pretty sweet!
At least Nash is still perfect in game 7's.
This is the first finals since the Baltimore/Milwakee '71 series that both teams are there for the first time.
So much has happened.
First off, I was right about Carolina, at least I predicted they would win the cup and now they're in the finals. I've always had a thing for the Oilers after seeing them in the early 80's (on TV) against the Islanders. Plus there is that incident with Gretzky when Sevigny said in the media that Lafleur was going to "put him in his back pocket". Gretzky dropped like 5 points that night on the habs.
If I had to pick another team to root for it would be between Philly & Edmonton.
Still - there's no way Carolina loses this. Weight, Recchi, Brind'Amour is a lot of veteran savvy. And they're not the top players on the team. Edmonton has Pronger though, and I never bet against him.
In the NBA, I had the final 4 down pat. And now Miami is through, as I predicted.
Dallas is up 10 in game 6 and should make me look pretty damn smart.
I know I predicted Dallas to win it all, but Miami (with my favorite players Wade & Shaq) is looking destined.
It would be nice to see Shaq win to enervate Kobe!
Wade is the reason I started paying attention to the NBA 3 years ago, so I have a soft spot for him.
Cuban is my favorite owner in all sports and Boston was the team of my youth. So I don't have a clear cut favorite team yet, it feels kinda weird.
Nash is great and is fun to watch, and I predict this for next year - Phoenix will win it next year. With Amare back, and most guys signed (just need to keep Thomas) ... that's adding an all-star with MVP potential to a final four team, pretty sweet!
At least Nash is still perfect in game 7's.
This is the first finals since the Baltimore/Milwakee '71 series that both teams are there for the first time.
Monday, May 1, 2006
Southern Accent
Last week I went to Southern Accent, a Louisiana style restaurant, here's my review.
We went for a good friend's birthday and had an almost private room. Turns out it was also her flatmate's b-day, but we were not told ... Awkward!
The place is near Bloor/Bathurst on Markham street (behind honest Ed's).
Check it out at http://www.southernaccent.com. We thought it was decorated for the party, but they always have a Mardi gras feel to the place.
The decor is great and the ambiance very cool. There's even some psychics if you want a reading for a fee.
The food is varied, not all pure Cajun, there was a special maple menu at the time as well.
I had a few Hurricanes to start, anyone who's been to New Orleans will know about those fruity killers.
As an appetizer I had some oysters. Some Jalapeno infused Vodka was poured over them, add some lemon and Habanero hot sauce and slide her down ... hmmm ... hmmm ... Good!
The popular menu item was the hush puppies, corn fritters, fried. They loved them.
As a main course I went for the blackened steak. A very nice New York cut, cooked to perfection with a spinach mash and some veggies.
As most know, I'm a man who likes him meat. Well, that has the be the best steak ever! A culinary masterpiece. I wasn't crazy about the mash, but that's because I don't consider vegetables proper food.
One more note, a dollar from each meal goes to help New Orleans restaurants get back open. A more than noble cause.
I highly recommend Southern Accent. Next week I'm going to Big Daddy's - they have crayfish etouffee on the menu. I'll let you know.
Last year I tried N'Awlins on King Street. The food was good, but the Jazz was better. But you better have a reservation.
We went for a good friend's birthday and had an almost private room. Turns out it was also her flatmate's b-day, but we were not told ... Awkward!
The place is near Bloor/Bathurst on Markham street (behind honest Ed's).
Check it out at http://www.southernaccent.com. We thought it was decorated for the party, but they always have a Mardi gras feel to the place.
The decor is great and the ambiance very cool. There's even some psychics if you want a reading for a fee.
The food is varied, not all pure Cajun, there was a special maple menu at the time as well.
I had a few Hurricanes to start, anyone who's been to New Orleans will know about those fruity killers.
As an appetizer I had some oysters. Some Jalapeno infused Vodka was poured over them, add some lemon and Habanero hot sauce and slide her down ... hmmm ... hmmm ... Good!
The popular menu item was the hush puppies, corn fritters, fried. They loved them.
As a main course I went for the blackened steak. A very nice New York cut, cooked to perfection with a spinach mash and some veggies.
As most know, I'm a man who likes him meat. Well, that has the be the best steak ever! A culinary masterpiece. I wasn't crazy about the mash, but that's because I don't consider vegetables proper food.
One more note, a dollar from each meal goes to help New Orleans restaurants get back open. A more than noble cause.
I highly recommend Southern Accent. Next week I'm going to Big Daddy's - they have crayfish etouffee on the menu. I'll let you know.
Last year I tried N'Awlins on King Street. The food was good, but the Jazz was better. But you better have a reservation.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Saves the Day
Here's my review of tonight's Saves the Day show at the Kool Haus in Toronto.
This was my first time at the venue which looks exactly like what you think a rave club would look like, warehouse type.
Not a bad place for a show.
The 2 opening acts, I admit, I was clueless about.
The first was Circa Survive.
The set started with just the lead singer yelling into the mic, no instruments. Actually, yelling is wrong and unflattering, he was singing in a high volume with great intensity, sounded awesome, then the performers joined him to kick it off.
He, Anthony - according to the Girl who claimed to love him, has a great voice and put on a great show.
I love my artists to express intensity, they have a message to deliver and they should be passionate about it. Anthony had that, like Ian Curtis of Joy Division, he's so intense that his body was contorted. Loved it.
At this point, I was like wow. The crowd is very young (16-23 range) but this is good. Some were singing along too, which seemed to imply maybe I'm more out of the loop then I thought. That feeling only intensified later.
Second was to be Moneen, after the longest most brutal sound check ever.
Again, I never heard of this band so I had no idea what they looked like.
The lights go out and a single guy with a guitar comes on to do some solos. He's good, but not so much to justify the crowd's glee. He then ripped off his track pants and played on.
Turns out he was the roadie, and the people I thought were roadies, were the band. How did no one recognize them? I know they're not well known, but everyone knew all their songs, even the new ones.
I was in the second row after the mosh pit. That's right, a mosh pit. And the kids today, have no clue how to do it. How is that enjoyable - essentially starting a series of fights instead of listening?
The band performed well, was full of energy (as a stage experience think Finger 11, but better executed - not a musical comparison) but they weren't pulling me in. Maybe it was the mosh pit, but I think the vibe was just bad juju. People seemed the wrong kind of angry, like an unnecessary fake rage instead of angst which would have been appropriate. There was a rather large amount of wallet punks, people who get mommy and daddy to buy designer clothes they think make them punk (think Good Charlotte).
The show started at 7PM and it was now just after 9PM.
Before we get to Saves the Day, let me explain why I was there in the first place.
I had no records of theirs at the time of ticket purchase. I knew them from one song - At Your Funeral.
But this song had achieved a near mystical proportion for me. Easily in my top 20 all time. It's always been in the top 2 of the play count on my iPod (Johnette Napolitano's Suicide Note being the other - Suicide Note & At Your Funeral, I wonder if there's a connection there).
I knew them as an Emo rock band, like Weezer.
So that was my expectation. I did purchase their 2 biggest records and listened about twice to each of them, nothing there to change my mind.
They get on stage at 9:30 and right away, I'm floored. The lead vocalist has hot pink short hair. A far cry from the short hair and thick glasses expected.
But the first 2 tracks are good, and the mosh pit is going nuts, but I'm further back, having learned my lesson (the buffer would be fully eroded by the end).
The 3rd song is the one I've been looking for and it was performed like on the album, but that's it. Nothing special, and people were moshing. I was a little hurt, because it's such a sad song with deep meaning for me, the vibe was wrong, but I still enjoyed it.
That was the highlight, they seemed almost disinterested in being there, it was a hard rock set for the most part, not what was expected.
And a short set, under 45 minutes.
So, for the first time ever I left a concert disappointed.
This could mean 2 things - stay away from any Johnette Napolitano concert or just do my homework before buying tix. If I knew it was a hard rock show, I would've skipped it.
At least I got to see someone who understands his craft - Circa Survive.
Ciao!
This was my first time at the venue which looks exactly like what you think a rave club would look like, warehouse type.
Not a bad place for a show.
The 2 opening acts, I admit, I was clueless about.
The first was Circa Survive.
The set started with just the lead singer yelling into the mic, no instruments. Actually, yelling is wrong and unflattering, he was singing in a high volume with great intensity, sounded awesome, then the performers joined him to kick it off.
He, Anthony - according to the Girl who claimed to love him, has a great voice and put on a great show.
I love my artists to express intensity, they have a message to deliver and they should be passionate about it. Anthony had that, like Ian Curtis of Joy Division, he's so intense that his body was contorted. Loved it.
At this point, I was like wow. The crowd is very young (16-23 range) but this is good. Some were singing along too, which seemed to imply maybe I'm more out of the loop then I thought. That feeling only intensified later.
Second was to be Moneen, after the longest most brutal sound check ever.
Again, I never heard of this band so I had no idea what they looked like.
The lights go out and a single guy with a guitar comes on to do some solos. He's good, but not so much to justify the crowd's glee. He then ripped off his track pants and played on.
Turns out he was the roadie, and the people I thought were roadies, were the band. How did no one recognize them? I know they're not well known, but everyone knew all their songs, even the new ones.
I was in the second row after the mosh pit. That's right, a mosh pit. And the kids today, have no clue how to do it. How is that enjoyable - essentially starting a series of fights instead of listening?
The band performed well, was full of energy (as a stage experience think Finger 11, but better executed - not a musical comparison) but they weren't pulling me in. Maybe it was the mosh pit, but I think the vibe was just bad juju. People seemed the wrong kind of angry, like an unnecessary fake rage instead of angst which would have been appropriate. There was a rather large amount of wallet punks, people who get mommy and daddy to buy designer clothes they think make them punk (think Good Charlotte).
The show started at 7PM and it was now just after 9PM.
Before we get to Saves the Day, let me explain why I was there in the first place.
I had no records of theirs at the time of ticket purchase. I knew them from one song - At Your Funeral.
But this song had achieved a near mystical proportion for me. Easily in my top 20 all time. It's always been in the top 2 of the play count on my iPod (Johnette Napolitano's Suicide Note being the other - Suicide Note & At Your Funeral, I wonder if there's a connection there).
I knew them as an Emo rock band, like Weezer.
So that was my expectation. I did purchase their 2 biggest records and listened about twice to each of them, nothing there to change my mind.
They get on stage at 9:30 and right away, I'm floored. The lead vocalist has hot pink short hair. A far cry from the short hair and thick glasses expected.
But the first 2 tracks are good, and the mosh pit is going nuts, but I'm further back, having learned my lesson (the buffer would be fully eroded by the end).
The 3rd song is the one I've been looking for and it was performed like on the album, but that's it. Nothing special, and people were moshing. I was a little hurt, because it's such a sad song with deep meaning for me, the vibe was wrong, but I still enjoyed it.
That was the highlight, they seemed almost disinterested in being there, it was a hard rock set for the most part, not what was expected.
And a short set, under 45 minutes.
So, for the first time ever I left a concert disappointed.
This could mean 2 things - stay away from any Johnette Napolitano concert or just do my homework before buying tix. If I knew it was a hard rock show, I would've skipped it.
At least I got to see someone who understands his craft - Circa Survive.
Ciao!
Saturday, April 29, 2006
NBA playoffs
I figure I should do the NBA playoffs too.
My favorite players in the league are Wade & Shaq, so you can guess where this is going.
East:
Detroit over Cleveland ... Although if Lebron advanced it would be awesome before he went to the Knicks.
Miami over Indiana, but no upsets were supposed to happen in the East in the first round.
West:
Dallas over San Antonio. Dirk, like Diggler, is too much.
Suns over Clippers. No way Kobe gets through, the basketball gods can't allow it.
Finals:
Dallas over Miami in 7. Just too much, with the 9-man rotation from Avery Johnson.
Have fun!
My favorite players in the league are Wade & Shaq, so you can guess where this is going.
East:
Detroit over Cleveland ... Although if Lebron advanced it would be awesome before he went to the Knicks.
Miami over Indiana, but no upsets were supposed to happen in the East in the first round.
West:
Dallas over San Antonio. Dirk, like Diggler, is too much.
Suns over Clippers. No way Kobe gets through, the basketball gods can't allow it.
Finals:
Dallas over Miami in 7. Just too much, with the 9-man rotation from Avery Johnson.
Have fun!
Draft Day
Well, few days are more important to me every year as this one.
For once I was able to watch the entire first day of the draft thanks to the NFL network. Here's some thoughts...
Mario Williams was a great pick at number 1. Bush is not Michael Jordan despite what that insane troll Mayock might think.
New Orleans now has a superstar to market in Bush, and I could make a joke here about how this Bush got to NO much quicker than the other, but I won't.
Vince Young was a mistake, Leinart should have gone first at QB, unless you can wait, in that case Cutler was the pick. Young will be Aaron Brooks, average and frustrating with flashes of brilliance. Leinart will be Carson Palmer. Cutler will be Favre ... I'm fearless, bring it on!
Suzy Kolber asking Leinart (drafted in the top 10, voted one of the 50 most beautiful people, a Heisman winner, 2 time College Champion, dating Supermodels and hanging out with celebrities) if he has any advice for the kids who are outcasts out there !!!!!!
My neck almost snapped when I spun around to make sure I heard that and wasn't hallucinating. Leinart, an outcast??? Sure, and while you're at it ask Donald Trump for his advice to the homeless.
The rest of the first round was very unsurprising. My beloved Fish selected Jason Allen, a defensive back who can play multiple positions. I was hoping for Jackson, a receiver, but we got Hagan a very sure handed position receiver in the 3rd, so I'm happy.
But why did the OL drop so far? Winston & Justice ... Very weird.
Denver got Cutler, Javon Walker & a solid Tight End ... Very solid draft.
The Texans was able to add Eric Winston to Williams, for a good day as well. The Bills screwed up all kinds trading up to pick guys not on most boards, very sad. (hee hee)
I'll post another message soon with my thoughts on women sports and the title IX rules (special request), so stay tuned.
On another note... Stay away from Silent Hill. Unless you love the games, in that case wait for the DVD. Brutal!
For once I was able to watch the entire first day of the draft thanks to the NFL network. Here's some thoughts...
Mario Williams was a great pick at number 1. Bush is not Michael Jordan despite what that insane troll Mayock might think.
New Orleans now has a superstar to market in Bush, and I could make a joke here about how this Bush got to NO much quicker than the other, but I won't.
Vince Young was a mistake, Leinart should have gone first at QB, unless you can wait, in that case Cutler was the pick. Young will be Aaron Brooks, average and frustrating with flashes of brilliance. Leinart will be Carson Palmer. Cutler will be Favre ... I'm fearless, bring it on!
Suzy Kolber asking Leinart (drafted in the top 10, voted one of the 50 most beautiful people, a Heisman winner, 2 time College Champion, dating Supermodels and hanging out with celebrities) if he has any advice for the kids who are outcasts out there !!!!!!
My neck almost snapped when I spun around to make sure I heard that and wasn't hallucinating. Leinart, an outcast??? Sure, and while you're at it ask Donald Trump for his advice to the homeless.
The rest of the first round was very unsurprising. My beloved Fish selected Jason Allen, a defensive back who can play multiple positions. I was hoping for Jackson, a receiver, but we got Hagan a very sure handed position receiver in the 3rd, so I'm happy.
But why did the OL drop so far? Winston & Justice ... Very weird.
Denver got Cutler, Javon Walker & a solid Tight End ... Very solid draft.
The Texans was able to add Eric Winston to Williams, for a good day as well. The Bills screwed up all kinds trading up to pick guys not on most boards, very sad. (hee hee)
I'll post another message soon with my thoughts on women sports and the title IX rules (special request), so stay tuned.
On another note... Stay away from Silent Hill. Unless you love the games, in that case wait for the DVD. Brutal!
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Weird Stat
I saw this on espn, had to put it here ...
44 years later, the Astros finally return to a .500 franchise record (3,507-3,507). The last time they were .500 was 6-6 in '62.
How's that for futility. For a franchise that had Nolan Ryan and the great run in the mid 80's that's pretty sad.
44 years later, the Astros finally return to a .500 franchise record (3,507-3,507). The last time they were .500 was 6-6 in '62.
How's that for futility. For a franchise that had Nolan Ryan and the great run in the mid 80's that's pretty sad.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Iguchi
I know it happened Saturday, but I can't stop thinking about what I saw.
Here's the deal. We're in the afternoon and I'm playing Strat with a buddy in a pub on the Danforth (street near Downtown, for the out-of-towners). The Blue Jays are playing the ChiSox on the big screen next to us.
We see Bobby Jenks come out in the 9th inning for the save (we notice this because Jenks is known as Gerald in our neck of the woods - but that's an unrelated matter). We're barely paying attention, I like the Sox, because of Guillen mostly and don't care for the Jays, and we see Glaus reach first with one out.
Bengie Molina is up to bat next and he hits a slow grounder on the first base side of the mound.
Tadahito Iguchi charges for the ball, dives head first, but there's no way he's making that play. Molina reaches first, with Glaus on 2nd and immediately Molina heads to the dugout, we laugh thinking he knew the Jays would want a faster runner right away (they were down by 2).
But we were wrong. Iguchi sacrificed his body and his face to make the most unbelievable play ever. We were speechless and simply stood up and bowed - the pub was pretty empty. Sweet Fancy Moses! What a play.
Here's the official description.
In one motion, Iguchi pushed himself up slightly with his glove hand and made an acrobatic, sidearm throw to Konerko at first.
When Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen first saw Iguchi try to throw as he was falling, he was thinking, "We got second and third with one out."
Click here to see a photo, and here for a smaller one.
I've been unable to find video. But if you go to TSN.ca this week and check out the plays of the week you will see it at around the 1 minute mark.
I'm saying it here, the only team that can beat my beloved Athletics are the Pale Hose.
Un-freakin-believable ... What a play!
Here's the deal. We're in the afternoon and I'm playing Strat with a buddy in a pub on the Danforth (street near Downtown, for the out-of-towners). The Blue Jays are playing the ChiSox on the big screen next to us.
We see Bobby Jenks come out in the 9th inning for the save (we notice this because Jenks is known as Gerald in our neck of the woods - but that's an unrelated matter). We're barely paying attention, I like the Sox, because of Guillen mostly and don't care for the Jays, and we see Glaus reach first with one out.
Bengie Molina is up to bat next and he hits a slow grounder on the first base side of the mound.
Tadahito Iguchi charges for the ball, dives head first, but there's no way he's making that play. Molina reaches first, with Glaus on 2nd and immediately Molina heads to the dugout, we laugh thinking he knew the Jays would want a faster runner right away (they were down by 2).
But we were wrong. Iguchi sacrificed his body and his face to make the most unbelievable play ever. We were speechless and simply stood up and bowed - the pub was pretty empty. Sweet Fancy Moses! What a play.
Here's the official description.
In one motion, Iguchi pushed himself up slightly with his glove hand and made an acrobatic, sidearm throw to Konerko at first.
When Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen first saw Iguchi try to throw as he was falling, he was thinking, "We got second and third with one out."
Click here to see a photo, and here for a smaller one.
I've been unable to find video. But if you go to TSN.ca this week and check out the plays of the week you will see it at around the 1 minute mark.
I'm saying it here, the only team that can beat my beloved Athletics are the Pale Hose.
Un-freakin-believable ... What a play!
Sunday, April 16, 2006
RNR HOF
After Beth we drove to Cleveland and last Saturday visited the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
I was hoping for a boatload of Janis, Jimi, Sex Pistols, Doors & Lou Reed. With a heavy dose of history, including John Lee Hooker, Chubby Checker, Little Richard and the other pioneers.
I did get some of that, but it was a lot of Elvis, Ricky Nelson and the others from the bland 50's & 60's ...
The first thing when you get there is a huge sign from Moby & Gwen (Stefani) ... Not exactly hardcore R&R. After paying the 20 bucks and being forced to check the cameras - because no pictures are allowed!! - we stepped into the exhibit hall. The first thing there is 2 short films 15 minutes each about the history of Rock. The first one was without dialogue and covered everything before Elvis. I was disappointed because I wanted acknowledgement of where Rock came from, but they only showed LeadBelly, Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters, they never explained what they meant. The second film was better, only because it had Janis and Patti Smith's Babelogue that she recites before Rock & Roll Nigger. But even that was interspersed with Madonna talking about Sex.
How does Michael Jackson (twice) and Brenda - Rocking around the Christmas tree - Lee make it in, but there's no Pearl Jam or Nirvana, and the Sex Pistols & Black Sabbath just make it in now. That's like having a Baseball Hall of Fame and not including Babe Ruth, the person or band that changed music.
There was stuff from Madonna and Britney & Christina Aguilera, all very disturbing.
The Hall has many interactive stations, which are supposed to be the reason for the fee and should be a highlight. I'll agree that the ones on the 4th floor, with all the inductees was cool. But the others were sorely lacking. The ones with the top 500 songs (how that was determined is unnerving in itself, with the 90's having very little representation and the bulk being in the 60's - not the cool part) was the worst. You can't listen to the music while you navigate through the menus and the accompanying text is cropped to fit the screen but is missing huge chucks making it frustrating more than anything else.
In all, there's some cool stuff like the Ramones lyrics' pages and the poster for the Mookie Blaylock concert (Pearl Jam's original name). But for 20 bucks I was expecting more.
The memorabilia for sale was almost all Elvis & Rolling Stones, nothing for Dylan.
Plus without the ability to capture any of the stuff on camera, I have to rely on a failing memory.
At least P-Funk was acknowledged ... Now let's get funked.
I was hoping for a boatload of Janis, Jimi, Sex Pistols, Doors & Lou Reed. With a heavy dose of history, including John Lee Hooker, Chubby Checker, Little Richard and the other pioneers.
I did get some of that, but it was a lot of Elvis, Ricky Nelson and the others from the bland 50's & 60's ...
The first thing when you get there is a huge sign from Moby & Gwen (Stefani) ... Not exactly hardcore R&R. After paying the 20 bucks and being forced to check the cameras - because no pictures are allowed!! - we stepped into the exhibit hall. The first thing there is 2 short films 15 minutes each about the history of Rock. The first one was without dialogue and covered everything before Elvis. I was disappointed because I wanted acknowledgement of where Rock came from, but they only showed LeadBelly, Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters, they never explained what they meant. The second film was better, only because it had Janis and Patti Smith's Babelogue that she recites before Rock & Roll Nigger. But even that was interspersed with Madonna talking about Sex.
How does Michael Jackson (twice) and Brenda - Rocking around the Christmas tree - Lee make it in, but there's no Pearl Jam or Nirvana, and the Sex Pistols & Black Sabbath just make it in now. That's like having a Baseball Hall of Fame and not including Babe Ruth, the person or band that changed music.
There was stuff from Madonna and Britney & Christina Aguilera, all very disturbing.
The Hall has many interactive stations, which are supposed to be the reason for the fee and should be a highlight. I'll agree that the ones on the 4th floor, with all the inductees was cool. But the others were sorely lacking. The ones with the top 500 songs (how that was determined is unnerving in itself, with the 90's having very little representation and the bulk being in the 60's - not the cool part) was the worst. You can't listen to the music while you navigate through the menus and the accompanying text is cropped to fit the screen but is missing huge chucks making it frustrating more than anything else.
In all, there's some cool stuff like the Ramones lyrics' pages and the poster for the Mookie Blaylock concert (Pearl Jam's original name). But for 20 bucks I was expecting more.
The memorabilia for sale was almost all Elvis & Rolling Stones, nothing for Dylan.
Plus without the ability to capture any of the stuff on camera, I have to rely on a failing memory.
At least P-Funk was acknowledged ... Now let's get funked.
Beth Orton
It's been awhile, but I have a few things to say.
First, I need to talk about Beth Orton and the evening of bliss she gave me last week.
She played the Carlu in Toronto, a small club on the 7th floor of a building adjacent to a mall downtown. Opening for her was Willy Mason who was accompanied by the very lovely and talented Nina Violet. She apparently has a solo record coming out. A must buy.
I've always liked Beth, she has a great voice that's sweet and endearing. She Cries Your Name & Stolen Car were her big hits, but the new album (comfort of strangers) was filled with great songs, so anticipation was high.
She killed! Her voice has the power of Janis but can be as sweet as Tori's. She didn't do her 2 hits until the 2nd encore and she changed them and made them fresh, it was truly an awesome experience. People who had never heard of her, were moved by songs like Shadow of a Doubt and Heart of Soul. And of course Comfort of Strangers was a highlight.
She's vaulted herself into my top 5 current Ladies, with Tori, PJ Harvey, Bjork & Beth Gibbons (Portishead). Go and buy her albums.
So I thank Beth & her guitar for a great night.
First, I need to talk about Beth Orton and the evening of bliss she gave me last week.
She played the Carlu in Toronto, a small club on the 7th floor of a building adjacent to a mall downtown. Opening for her was Willy Mason who was accompanied by the very lovely and talented Nina Violet. She apparently has a solo record coming out. A must buy.
I've always liked Beth, she has a great voice that's sweet and endearing. She Cries Your Name & Stolen Car were her big hits, but the new album (comfort of strangers) was filled with great songs, so anticipation was high.
She killed! Her voice has the power of Janis but can be as sweet as Tori's. She didn't do her 2 hits until the 2nd encore and she changed them and made them fresh, it was truly an awesome experience. People who had never heard of her, were moved by songs like Shadow of a Doubt and Heart of Soul. And of course Comfort of Strangers was a highlight.
She's vaulted herself into my top 5 current Ladies, with Tori, PJ Harvey, Bjork & Beth Gibbons (Portishead). Go and buy her albums.
So I thank Beth & her guitar for a great night.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Raptors vs. Heat
Went to the ACC last night to see Shaq & my fave - Dwayne Wade - battle the lowly Raptors and CB4.
But of course, Shaq & Bosh aren't in the lineup.
The Raptors led the first 3 quarters, mostly by double digits, but Wade kept coming and ended up with 37 in a 4 point win. The Raptors couldn't convert anything in the 4th, pretty pathetic.
But my beef is with the 'spectacle', the rest of the going-ons. What the hell does dogs have to do with basketball.
The half time show was these 8 dogs running up and down the court to get a tennis ball, and somehow I'm supposed to watch this trash?
What was the point? Are the dogs special because they can run? Don't all dogs this side of St-Bernards run?
And the Dance Pak ... A dozen skinny white chicks who can't even be synchronized for the easiest Britney/Christina style choreography. Where's the diversity? Isn't Toronto all about being a melting pot? You can't tell me there's not better dancers out there.
At least people seem to love the mascot and he did make fun of Vanderjagt of the Cowboys (that's right the infamous 'Drunk Canadian Kicker' as Peyton called him was in the house) a little.
I also learned that a police badge is not a valid form of ID for the purpose of purchasing a beer.
Have Fun!
But of course, Shaq & Bosh aren't in the lineup.
The Raptors led the first 3 quarters, mostly by double digits, but Wade kept coming and ended up with 37 in a 4 point win. The Raptors couldn't convert anything in the 4th, pretty pathetic.
But my beef is with the 'spectacle', the rest of the going-ons. What the hell does dogs have to do with basketball.
The half time show was these 8 dogs running up and down the court to get a tennis ball, and somehow I'm supposed to watch this trash?
What was the point? Are the dogs special because they can run? Don't all dogs this side of St-Bernards run?
And the Dance Pak ... A dozen skinny white chicks who can't even be synchronized for the easiest Britney/Christina style choreography. Where's the diversity? Isn't Toronto all about being a melting pot? You can't tell me there's not better dancers out there.
At least people seem to love the mascot and he did make fun of Vanderjagt of the Cowboys (that's right the infamous 'Drunk Canadian Kicker' as Peyton called him was in the house) a little.
I also learned that a police badge is not a valid form of ID for the purpose of purchasing a beer.
Have Fun!
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