Why the NFL is stupid

I enjoy watching football. However, I hate the NFL's stupid, terrible blackout rules. Unless I go to a bar (or get satellite, which I damn sure can't afford) I am stuck watching just ONE goddamn game at 1 (Cinci-Buf? wtf? seriously) and the Cleveland game at 4. I've enjoyed watching Cleveland this season, but really, THE game to watch is the NE-Indy game at 4. And its not even an option. It really pisses me off, especially since those are the two games I would flip between. I hope whoever made the blackout rule gets AIDS and dies. Eff them.

Leroy's Old

Leroy Jenkins has been around for a couple years, they even have commercials now....

NFL gets decided tomorrow

Here's the scenarios, from most likely to least, imo:

1) Pats win in a blowout (+21 pts or more). I think, unfortunately, this is most likely to happen. And if it does, you can turn off football for the rest of the season. At that point, the only thing that could stop the Pats is a season-ending injury to Brady.

2) Pats win in by 7 to 14 pts. This is almost as bad as option 1. If they dominate the Colts but don't run up the score, then the effect is nearly the same. Again, nothing stopping them at this point except Brady getting hurt.

3) Colts win in a squeeker. From a football fan's PoV, this is probably the best thing that could happen. It builds drama and sets up a titanic rematch in the AFC championship game, at which point you can then ignore the superbowl completely, just like last year.

4) Colts win in a blowout. Heh. Even if this were to occur, I think it tracts the same as 3. The Pats seem so otherworldly that even a blowout against them here could be channeled into 'motivation' or some other stupid analyst-speak quantity for the AFC championship game. But this seems really unlikely to me.

5) Pats jet crashed on the way to Indy, an unknown team of hardscrabble and over-the-hill replacements dons the Patriots uniforms, discovers that the original team made a deal with Satan, repudiates this deal and loses by a field goal to Indy, but at the same time earns the respect of Peyton Manning and millions of television viewers. Hardscrabble replacement QB reconciles with his amputee wife at the end. Hey, wanna see my screenplay?

Meatloaf retires?

::tear::

WOW

For those of you who don't get this (and those that do, the clip still makes me lol!) the clip referenced is below. It gets really funny around 1:20, but the whole thing is worth a watch.

Supermice

Actually, in the scientific community those mice are old news. The paper was published online months ago and at least 2 other labs have already shown (though 1 remains unpublished) similar results by tweaking different aspects of the same metabolic cycle. So I don't really understand the big deal now.
That being said, the lab that made them is in my department (Biochemistry) right down the hall from me and the data is kind of exciting. However, I know from talking to Richard Hanson (and other members of his lab) that there are all kinds of other phenotypes these mice display that were too complex to report. These mice are apparently VERY agressive, among other abnormal behavorial phenotypes, all of which are hard to pin down due to their complex natures. That being said, it is a very artificial system from which to draw important physiological conclusions. But also, it is very cool.

This is kinda neat

ESPN uses some crazy statistical analysis to predict performances, stats, scores etc. of football games. I won't pretend to understand any of what they do, but I'm going to see how close they come.

Case's Super Mice

Do you guys know anything about this? Can they alter my genes so I can get bigger and run faster?

Why Football is Tops in My Book

You may have seen this already, but if you haven't, here it is. If I were the coach of the purple team, I'd whup some ass for letting this happen, but I love it.

Coach of the year

I nominate Jeff Fisher. The Titans are 5-2 and who can name a starter on that team besides Vince Young? He's making professional "nobodies" play like mad. Sure, their wins are ugly, but they win. And without the big name talent of Cincy, San Diego, Indy or NE. I think it's pretty impressive that he keeps his team competitive no matter how awful they "should" be.

Nick Barnett:

You are a beautiful, wonderful man.

Paul Krugman

blames Rambo, Chuck Norris, and Patrick Swayze for Americans' distrust of Democrats with national security. This is serious insight from a serious (read liberal hack) economist, academic, and columnist. Oh, and Ronald Reagan only beat Jimmy Carter because he 'red-baited' and 'race-baited.'

For Bert

In honor of Bert passing the Bar...and me still finding him handsome.

Hating winners

I don't hate a team for winning, I hate them for being the bears. Or for just rubbing it in and padding stats. I cannot respect Brady & Co. anymore. It makes me sad because I liked Welker. But that was tasteless and tacky and in poor sportsmanship what they did last night against the redskins. I can't root for such jerks. They are probably one of the most talented teams ever assembled, but they are just being schoolyard bullies. Nothing more. It's bad enough to be throwing bombs up by 40 in the 4th but to put your second string guys in and still pass to score (it was 45-0 with just under 6 left in the game when they went down and scored the last td -not like washington was coming back). At any rate, I respect their talent. It is immense. The means to which they use it however, is unworthy of respect, in my opinion.

catching up with the blog

1. John, keep the cats coming. Love 'em. Quit discouraging it, Kris.

2. Thanks for the kind Congratulations, JB.

3. No thanks for your silly sports commentary, JB.

a. Browns didn't really give up much to get Quinn. Most people thought it was fortuitous that he was still around at that point in the draft. Miami fans were pissed when the Dolphins took Ginn over him. I'm not saying that Quinn is good--I thought he and ND were way overated as the Buckeyes proved in the 2006 bowl game--but it would have been very hard to pass on him at the time. Let me remind you that you were not praising Anderson in the pre-season or at any prior time when he played.

b. How can a team that sweeps the world series be overpaid? Looks like their paychecks are deserved to me. Which brings me to...

... 4. Hating winners. I understand resentment toward successful teams. However, it is a sign of weakness--of the self and of one's preferred team--to hate others for their success. It is good for sports to have a healthy dislike for ones rivals, but hating winners demonstrates thier power over you and your deficient character. Have righteous contempt for unseemly and unsportsmanlike behavior, but do not hate teams for beating you. Respect it, and get better.

5. I missed games 5 and 6 of the Indians-BoSox series. From what I can tell, that was a good thing. In the games I watched, however, I did not come to the conclusion that Wedge couldn't manage. The most I could fault him with was playing Amerian league style instead of bunting or running in a few situations which is hardly a fault in the AL. The Bottom line is Indians stars did not show up. Sizemore, Hafner, Sabathia, and Carmona did not perform. Don't blame Wedge.

Well,

I really hated the BoSox until Fred Willlard announced their lineup. So, I guess i like them right now.

Football

It used to be that the only team I rooted for to lose every game was the bears. I now add new england to that list. what jerks.

Brady's a penis

Sorry, I won't deny his skill, but he is a classless man. It's 38-0 in the 4th quarter and your throwing a bomb? And don't give me any crap about Belichik callin the play. Change it at the line or dump it off to a halfback. Everyone knows Bill's a tremendous cock. When Peyton was going for the record, he called audibles to runs and took knees when they were burying people, even when he was only 1 td away. Yea, Belichik (or whoever) is calling the plays, but Brady should have some honor and play with dignity, not to pad his stats.

HGH

Right, but as far as baseball rules go (I think) HGH is classified as a "steroid." They don't do science in baseball else they'd all know that it wasn't steroids that helped Bonds but his mighty robo-arm.

HGH vs steroids

HGH is not a steroid, it is a hormone. Steroids are a special class of hormones which include testosterone and androsterone, derivitives of which you guys likely mean when you refer to steroids. Steroids are are 4-membered rings with various side chains, while HGH, on the other hand, is a gene-based protein. (Testosterone steroid on the left, HGH protein on the right)

Byrd

Are you suggesting that the degree matters? He used HGH, which he obtained from a clinic being investigated for similar charges as Bond's supplier. You can read about it here, but he was taking HGH before his elbow surgery (I assume that's the injury you referenced). He claims it was to help him sleep. As it stands, there have been no medical exceptions to baseball's HGH policy. None. Either way, I would guess you feel the same way about Giambi or Palmiero who took HGH, so their noble baseball track records are also clean? It's a steroid either way you cut it. You can't pick and choose who gets to use it or why.

Congratulations, BMG

As many of you know, Bert Matthew George conquered the bar exam. This, in turn, deserves a hearty congratulations for the hard work he put in and the excellent lawyer he will become.



Congratulations, Bert-I am proud to be your friend.



JB

Byrd

I hope you didn't just imply that Byrd and Bonds were the same, because you know better. First of all, HGH isn't the real issue because it wasn't banned by baseball until 2004 or 2005. So I really don't care that Bonds took HGH. And don't tell me "accused" as if Bonds didn't take steroids, because he did. The evidence is overwhelming. Also don't tell me that he has passed every test, because they didn't start testing until 2004. His trainer when to JAIL for administering illegal performance substances. The trainer did not roll over on Bonds, or Barry would already be out of baseball or in jail himself. The feds are building a case, as we know. Now, as to Roger Clemens, I wouldn't doubt it. But don't act like Barry didn't take steroids, because he did, and don't act like steroids isn't cheating, because it is, and don't act like Byrd and Bonds are the same, because they aren't even close.

1. Bonds has taken way more than HGH.

2. Bonds has lied about it.

3. Bonds trainer when to jail.

4. Byrd was recovering from a devastating injury that nearly ruined his career, that is when he developed that crazy windup. Byrd was using it under prescription and stopped before baseball even banned it.

5. I don't care that Babe Ruth womanized and Ty Cobb was a jerk. That didn't affect the way the game is played. I mean, Michael Irvin got into the Football Hall of Fame, and he is the worst person ever to live.

Re: You and your damn cats

This one's in honor of you liking corn more than any human ever, Lord Cornkernalton.

Hm

I guess Jarrod had some free time.

Byrd

HGH was one of the big three Bonds is accused of taking. It's what Giambi and several other prominent and not prominent players use/have used and been accused of using. It's one of the major guys that led to all the congressional nonsense. If you maintain it gave Bonds or Giambi an advantage, then you have to call down Byrd as well. He's admitted he did take them (just found that out).

America

Answer me this-why does America tolerate the existence of hostile Syrian and Iranian regimes intent on arming themselves to the teeth and checking American support in the region at every turn? It isn't because of lack of strength, and it isn't because they care about upsetting the Arab street, (see Iraq). Iran has been funding the Hezbollah, since, oh, 1979. We do nothing. NOTHING. Iran funds and even provides soliders for the Iraq insurgency. We do NOTHING.

Count me confused. I hope we continue our "dialogue" with Iran to "persuade" them not to develop a nuke-bomb. I am sure they will "promise" not to use it on Israel.

I am not necessarily talking invasion-but no "democratic" experiment in Iraq can possibly work with these two countries on its borders. What is the point, I say, do something right or do it not at all. Iraq will not spread democracy in the Mid-East simply by exisiting.

I see no hope in the foreign policy-knuckleheads now running for President. Going to be a long year.

Derek Anderson

No way Brady Quinn should play right now. Maybe not even next year.

Reasons:

1. Derek Anderson is steady as she goes. Quinn is wound tight.

2. Derek Anderson can throw it farther and faster-period.

3. Derek Anderson is much taller.

4. Derek Anderson isn't a media, endorsement, photo-shoot whore.

5. Derek Anderson doesn't charge $75 for his autograph, unlike his No. 2.

6. But, Browns management is too stupid to realize this and will play Quinn because they gave up so much to get him even though it is impossible for Quinn to play better than Anderson has played this year. Dumb.

Paul Byrd

So he took HGH, which wasn't banned by baseball at the time, to recover from his injury, which jeopardized and completely changed his career. This is a story?! Sometimes I swear baseball is retarded. He wasn't taking Barry Bonds-type 'roids, and he isn't associated with all the BALCO stuff. Get real. Also, Byrd better be on the roster next year or I will start a rebellion.

Why the Football Gods Will Curse the Patriots

This article from espn.com http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook/071023&sportCat=nfl


It goes a little over the top, but I have to say the premise is convincing. I have come to believe that all the talking about "team" and the assertion that the Pats pay no attention to "stats, touchdowns and points" is a bunch of mularkey. This team is exactly the opposite of what it pretends to be. It is selfish, arrogant, feels entitled, condescending, haughty and worst of all-unsportsmanlike. And it starts with the trifecta of ugly sportsmanship, that is, Belichick, Vrabel, Harrison, Brady and Moss. Obviously, the Patriots don't really care about team and character and all that crap they spew if they are going to sign Randy Moss in the first place. Yes, he is having a monster year, and yes he is a great wide receiver. But, he is still a gigantic gigantic piece of trash. A complete waste of a human being, of not value except for the ability to leap and catch footballs. But, his indiscretions are well documented. Let us move on.

Vrabel is a showboating, dirty, classless, mean and arrogant football player. He doesn't get as much publicity as others on the team, but he hits people low and dirty (ask Drew Bledsoe in the '98 playoffs) and tries to hurt people, much like his lover-buddy Harrison. You don't hear as much about Vrabel because the people he is hurting or diving at are offensive lineman and nobody cares about or sees it. Harrison himself is downright dirty, I wish him nothing but ill.

Belichick is a donkey's nut-sack. Leaving the new cheating scandal aside, for much has been written on that, neverthess Belichick's arrogance is legendary. First of all, he is not a genius. Football does not make men mountains of genius. Bill Belichick does not know more than the next guy about the game of football. His football maxims are trite and ridiculous, and does he actually think we believe his "I misunderstood the rules" line of horse puckey? The league, for its part, is in full damage control mode and won't let out any more information and destroyed much of the accompanying documentation. That leads one to assume there is much more to the story. But even if there isn't, what a sham this man is.

Why are the Pats running up the score every game if they don't care about numbers? What kind of sportmanship is throwing the ball deep down the field when you are up 28 points? I hate this team, this organization. I hate the arrogant coach, I hate the numb-skulled owner, and I hate the pretending to be everything I am not quarterback.

No denying they are good, they are probably the best team in football right now. But that is not why I hate them, I hate them for who they are. They remind me of the Red Sox, that arrogant, over-paid, vain, petulant bunch of pigs that made it to the World Series because Eric Wedge is the worst in-game manager I have ever seen. He is good at managing talent and brining in the right people, but lord's sake he doesn't know how to handle an actual game. Good god.

You and your damn cats

Sometimes I really hate you.

Saw Porcupine Tree last night, my review here.

Drive-By Truckers tomorrow, Ween thursday.

Busy week.

Re: Harry Potter News?

Tribe part 2

Really Wedge??? Lofton on 3rd and a man on 1t with 1 out and you don't steal 2nd??? Wait...double play??? really???? You're terrible Wedge. Gove Boston the championship you dick.

Bungles

In my day of mad posts:

You know you're a shitty RB when you can't score against the Bungles. You blow cake Thomas Jones.

RE: good to eat

That looks like the most delicious thing I've ever dreamed of eating. Holy Mother of God I want one now.

Indians

So it's the 3rd inning of game 7 and I've decided Wedge is the worst coach ever. Granted I haven't played baseball in years and I'm a little drunk, but I can't believe how he calls his games. This is god damn awful. I could have 17 more beers and still make better decisions. Fuck Wedge. I'm rooting for the Tribe and I hate boston ( I refuse to capitalize their name), but Wedge is so bad. This team is better off without a coach and just playing. Also peralta is a god damn terrible defensive shortstop. I'll give up his 20 hrs a season for a guy that can field a high chopper and turn the god damn double play. Terrible. Fuck Wedge and fuck peralta.

PS WHAT THE FUCK CALLIN BYRD OUT FOR STEROIDS WHEN SHILLING AND CLEMENS ARE STILL PITCHING LIKE THAT. I hate major league baseball. Hate.

Harry Potter news?

OK:

Read this ONLY if you've finished Deathly Hallows AND if you want to know who is gay. It's kind of weird, but I don't really think it matters.

And BTW Nick, the Neil Young Archive series is awesome. So far, those 2 albums are my favorite in the NY catalogue and I can't wait for the box set which has been further delayed until Feb last I heard.

A.V. Club's Primer on Neil Young

I've long thought the real value of the Onion was not in it's eerily on-target spoofy news, but in the clever a.v. Club. I agree with the movie reviews there quite a lot (i.e. Brett Ratner is a big douche), disagree with the music reviews quite a lot (they seem to think Arcade Fire is the next best wonderband), but on the whole I think the a.v. Club is a fairly decent filter for media and culture.

Anyway, they've got a nice Primer up on Neil Young, which is really helpful for someone like me who's more of a passive Neil Young fan, knowing most of his 'hits,' but really clueless as to where to go next in trying to discover his music.

Do Awards Mean Anything Anymore

On the heels of AlGore's Nobel triumph, Chris Matthews is receiving an award for being Churchillian.

GOOD TO EAT

No somebody tell me why we don't have any damn Hardee's around here! 2 sausage, ham, bacon, cheese omlettes, hash browns and sausage gravy. Get thee to a Hardee's, posthaste!
From Reason.

Apparently,

that asshole in the playoffs commercials is Dane Cook. I'm pretty happy I didn't know that and he still pissed me off. That douche needs to stfu and comb his damn hair. And get kicked in the balls by me.

BoSox Pitching

I don't follow the American League to closely since I'm a Reds fan (plus the DH is the devil's creation). However, statistically the Indians had the best starting rotation in the league I believe as well as two of the best five starters according to ERA. Beckett has been great for the Sox this year with the most wins and 6th in ERA, and they have one of the best closers in Papelbon.

Now that I checked the stats, I see that Boston had the best team ERA in the AL (Indians were 3rd), so their bull pen was better than Cleveland's this year. The Indians relievers have pitched fairly well thus far, though. And don't forget, the Indians were 2nd in all of baseball last year in runs scored and 8th this year, so they can put up runs too.

Baseball question

So I don't normally follow baseball (too many games to keep track of, etc) but I watch the Indians occasionally at the bar if they're on. And I've been watching postseason (much easier to keep track of). So here is my question for you who know better. Is Boston's pitching really that bad? As far as I can tell the Indians pitching has smoked Boston, but like I said I really have no idea. I admit Boston's offense is crazy-stupid good. But pitching-wise they have failed to impress me at least.

And I love both The White Stripes and Casey Blake. But that's just hangover talk.

Wow!!!!!

Thanks for that Kris. Butt rock made my morning.

Butt rock 4 lyfe!

This is the most fantastic buttrock video I have ever seen. It is 7 minutes of pure, longhaired, tight-pantsed, awesome rock. Enjoy.

NP

Al Gore wins Nobel prize: SC rules in favor of Bush.

Nick:

I expect a rough outline sometime next week. And shame for discussing anything Arnold-related without a mighty picture!

Re: I like some of these guys

Me too! That list is dumb. You can legitimately criticize lyrics for being stupid, vapid, or ridiculously over-the-top, and every lyricist is going to be guilty of those over the course of many, many songs and albums. A better way to go about it would be to highlight the repeat offenders and list their songs.

Scott Stap definitely belongs there... almost every Creed song is laden with a fake and generic spirituality that made them a Christia-rock cross over. Dream Theater, a band that I'm really fond of as you well know, is capable of some remarkably awful (and sometimes whiney) lyrics. For every "Don't Stand so Close to Me" there's a "Synchonicity," and Peart's hit-to-miss ratio is incredibly high, says I.

Oo, random thought. There should be a Terminator Musical, with music by Rush and lyrics by Peart. In fact, there's already quite a few Rush songs you could use in it! Better yet, construct the plot of a Terminator Musical around pre-existing Rush songs. I'm a genius!

I like some of these guys

Apparently Blender is releasing a list of the worst lyricists of all time. Wonder where Elton ranks?

Guess I missed it,

but the UN denied Taiwan's membership. The China/Taiwan debate is one I've just started learning about and it is fascinating to hear different perspectives from both Chinese and Taiwanese people.

On baseball, I wish I liked it enough to say semi-intelligent things about it. But I don't, so I'll just let Eric and Bert go to town. I'll just stick to snarky comments and Casey Blakes obvious awesomeness.

MLB TBS commentators

All I know is that Tony Gwynn got really fat. Really fat.

End communication.

Baseball question

This is a really ticky-tack question, but it bugged me the whole time I was mowing lawn today. Based on what I know from watching MLB on TV, starting pitchers who have the day off sit in the dugout, while relievers sit in the bullpen. Now, pitchers who are normally starters get called to relieve in rare circumstances, such as game 7 of the Series. My question is where those guys sit during the game. If they're in the dugout, they'd have to run across the field to get to the bullpen to warm up. But they wouldn't already be in the bullpen, unless the manager anticipated them being used, right? Is there a secret tunnel connecting the bullpen with the dugout/locker room?

What we've all been waiting for....

Here ya go....I have a boner. From this.

Tribe, GRE, and more

1. I love how that scrotum pustule on TBS (not Brenley, not Gwynn...the other guy) couldn't stop drooling over the Yankees (i.e., gleefully saying the Yankees were sending the "winning run" to the plate in the eighth inning!).

2. Borowski scares the hell out of me, but what can we do? Rafael "Right" and Rafael "Left" are needed to set up, and Lewis ain't a closer. As unimpressed as I am that Borowski "...let the league in saves!" (I don't have the numbers, but I wonder where he ranked in blown saves), I guess you gotta dance with who brung ya.

3. Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner on the GRE thing, Sifo. (Nick?) The thing I remember being most annoyed by were the Old English translations ("According to the passage, which of the following best describes Breorthgrath's feelings about Thraefthrar's theft of Aethergrog's wooden mace?"). I hope you did well.

4. Um. I don't have any more, I guess.

Re: Game 2

Um...Seeing as how they have Leonidas playing 3rd, I don't see how you could be concerned. Whoever gets the ball will play like a man and die like a Spartan!

Wait....his wife's named Gorgo? What the hell...and she's played by Headly Lamar?

Did you miss game 2?

One thought, or question actually. Should Borowski get the ball in a close game in the ninth?

Go Tribe!

Congrats to the Indians for making it this far. Still, none of the games were as exciting as the thursday night rout. And Casey Blake still looks very manly with his beard. Predictions/thoughts?

Hooray!

Drinking a couple of beers a day may be good for your memory!

Sifo is...

... a font of wisdom and counsel.

Fear you not the Doomheralds' Herald of Doom, yet?

Oh, and I'm taking the GRE LIT on Saturday morning. Any tips, Eric?

Just checking....

Who is Sifo? I'm an idiot....

Bonds

John, I'm entirely opposite from you on this. If I had my way, he would be banned from baseball and his stats entirely wiped from any record books. Despite the lack of a conviction, there is a preponderance of evidence that approaches OJ levels that Bonds was involved with performance enhancing drugs. Yes, much of this is Selig's fault for being slow to act and then acting impotently when he did.

You used to argue (maybe you still believe this, I dunno) that using such drugs would not actually help a baseball player hit a ball, only allow them to hit it farther. But new studies and personal accounts from players, not to mention the rise in Bonds' overall batting average during a time when most players fall off, contradict this view. The reaction time, the speed with which a player can turn on a ball, in addition to overall power, are all improved by these drugs.

And it scores you no points to argue that Ruth was an alcoholic womanizer and Ty Cobb a dick--none of these things has a direct impact on the game as it is played. The game changes and none of the external conditions are ever the same. This isn't science. But Bonds has been allowed to persist in his pursuit of the game's most cherished record in spite of the evidence surrounding his use of substances to achieve precisely that goal. Frankly, I wish that more people would have stood up to him, ala Curt Schilling. I wish that as he approached the record pitchers would have refused to pitch to him. He is a shameful disgrace, and his presence in baseball diminishes the game each time he plays.

As much as I think A-Rod is a douche, I'm rooting for him to surpass Bonds and take the all time home run leader record.

(And for the record, I do think that it is a vicious double standard that Bonds bears the brunt of all the steroid talk and Roger Clemens gets none, despite the fact that he is also huge and experienced is huge improvement in his stats in the later years [starting with his time as a Blue Jay], when most pitchers are falling off.)

Some guy vs. The Illuminati

This might be the best, most random thing ever. Here's a hint: It is a REAL lawsuit.

I can click almost anywhere in the document and be entertained.

Adobe Reader required.

Bonds

...will not be in San Fran next year. Steroids aside, it'll be interesting to see if a team from the American League will be dumb enough to overpay him to DH. I don't doubt he'd be somewhat productive, but he won't play every day even as a DH, and I'm sure he'll demand an unwarranted amount of cash.

Bonds okay by me

This kind of garbage is getting a little old. I'm sick and tired of hearing about how steroids have tainted the game of baseball or how there needs to be asterices (? I have no idea what the plural of asterisk is) after records and what not. And don't hand me this shit about the noble history of the game. For God's sake, Ruth was an alcoholic womanizer and Ty Cobb might have just been the most gigantic penis to ever play a professional sport. Where are their asterices? How are steroids worse than being a drunk or, say, sharpening your cleats and sliding cleats up specifically to hurt opponents (which Cobb did). And I have nothing against either. Entertain me. But all this flack about steroids ruining the game is god damn ridiculous.

The game's played, by and large, by a bunch of highly paid primadonas. Hold outs, tempertanturms and general misconduct have all become a integral part of the every day life of professional sports. Hell, drugs, rape and guns are there, too. Does Kobe get an asterisk next to his name for his performance being enhanced by sexual assault? How about Pacman Jones throwing trash bags of money at strippers as part of his offseason training?

Or how about this: why is there no uproar about Ripken? He's arguably one of the most cherished names in baseball history. Why does it not infringe upon the spirit of the game that he received pain killers and steroid injections to reach his record of consecutive starts (in the process he frequently played only a couple innings just to get the technical "start"). It's easy to be an iron man under those conditions.

Or what about the fact that the early players didn't have offseason training or weights or trainers or any of the other ridiculous advantages that players today have. They had to spend their non-baseball time working at the mills. So why do we not asterisk all players of the modern era since they make enough money to dedicate their whole life to the sport. That certainly enhances their abilities and chances at the record books, steroids or no. A different ball's used now than it was in Ruth's day. Does that mean all the records get asterisked? Parks, on average, are smaller. Asterisk it.

Singling out steroid use and making those who get caught (incidentally, Bonds has never actually been caught positive for steroid use - say what you want about how big he is, but if you're gonna mark him down for all time as a steroid user, you need to have the positive results) using them in the pursuit of records is just ridiculous with all the other changes the game has undergone over the years. Does it give a competitive advantage? Probably. But it's a competitive sport. The only thing currently unfair about it is that because there's such a fuss over their use (government has no business sticking its nose in professional sports - if this is one of the hot topics on Congress's to-do list with everything else that's going on I label them a bunch of cowardly pansies to turn their attention away from their real job to make themselves look good by infringing upon an issue outside of their domain), many players are afraid to use them. If they were made available to all athletes, there would be even playing field. You don't have to use them, just like you don't have to train all winter, but it's an option if you think it will help keep you at the competitive pinnacle of your game.

So enough with the asterisk and game tainting talk. If you really want to talk about ruining baseball, your time would be more productively spent talking about Bud Selig. You don't need an asterisk to be in the record books as the worst commissioner ever.

Submitted without comment

From the indispensible ISB. Coming soon: a summary of Chris Sims' movie reviews that apparently we MUST watch.

The next Thatcher he is not.

Catching up on my George Will. He gives a sober assesment of Sarkozy and France.

P.S. Good for Alaska. I wish I had a politician to admire. The deserving are hard to find these days.

Re: Alaska

Bert:

The standing governer at the time lost the GOP primary to Sarah Palin. People up there love her. The former governer's daughter, Senator Lisa Murkowski is also (although less) popular. Stevens is an old gasbag. I don't watch the daily show, but last summer a friend in Alaska pointed out this to me; it merely shows how out of touch the ruling class is:



I think I posted it before, but it still makes me laugh.

Alaska

Is your governor (governess?) any good, Slaps?

From the Corner at NRO:

Remember that Bridge to Nowhere? [David Freddoso]
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a wildly popular conservative, announced plans to abandon the bridge on Friday.
An added bonus as the Club for Growth releases its Alaska polling results:
According to poll numbers released by the Club for Growth PAC in July, Republican primary voters in Alaska are fed up with their representatives’ wasteful spending. 66% of respondents disapproved of spending taxpayer dollars on the "Bridge to Nowhere," while 71% favored cutting federal spending even at the cost of reducing Alaska’s share of federal funds.
Furthermore, it is clear that these same Alaska Republicans are rallying to reformer Sarah Palin over the ethically-challenged porker Ted Stevens. According to never-before released poll numbers, the Club for Growth PAC found that Governor Palin has a sky-high favorability rating of 89% among Republican primary voters and an unfavorability rating of only 4%! In addition, Governor Palin would clean Senator Stevens’ pork-filled clock in a head-to-head primary challenge, winning 56%-32%.

Gary Kasparov

...is trying to get himself killed. Russia never changes.

Football and such

1) Calling a timeout is not cowardly. It's good coaching.

2) God hates the Bengals. (as do the refs apparently. How is a ball that never hits the ground incomplete? Hasselbeck caught it, ran with it, and was tackled. Then he got up and convinced the refs. that what they had witnessed was all an illusion. Then it couldn't be challenged even though no one ever signaled incomplete or blew a whistle.)

3) Bob Costas and Keith Olberman have to go. I can't stand them. I watched NFL network before the game and at halftime.

I'm no Cleveland fan

but that timeout by Oakland was cowardly. Period. And if Denver did that last week, they are cowards too.

Re: Dan Rather Sues...

Now see, what I don't get Bert, is that you are doubting the word of the Queen of the Space Unicorns. If you even understood half of what he was going through, I'll bet you'd be less eager to criticize him.

Just kidding. He's a batty old man and I just wanted everybody to read that link!

Dan Rather sues CBS

From NRO: In the suit, Rather alleges that he was forced to apologize for the Bush story as part of a conspiracy by top CBS management to ensure that no further damaging revelations about the president’s time in the Texas Air National Guard would become public. Rather also alleges that CBS hired a private investigator to re-report the original story — after Rather threatened to hire his own private eye to do the same thing — and that the investigator found the story to be accurate, only to have his findings suppressed by CBS as part of an effort to curry favor with the Bush White House. Finally, Rather alleges that CBS fired him over the story the day after Bush was reelected, despite his later claims that his departure was separate from the Bush story.

Is there really someone out there who believes CBS is a friend to the Bush Administration?

Sad, pathetic man.

RIP Robert Jordan

The pantheon of fantasy authors is diminished. His books were intriguing (at least at the start) and he had a grand vision that will probably now never reach fruition (though, it seemed unlikely it would have while he was alive).

Imho, Wheel of Time began great and then was crushed by the twin pressures of overserialization from the publisher and Jordan's own massive ego. I went to see him at a book reading, and he spent the first ten minutes lecturing the audience on how to pronounce the names of his characters, because apparently we were all getting it wrong and this really irked him.

Anyone who's read the series has to admit that the later books... maybe 6-9, were stuffed with unnecessary padding, to the point where they were a near thousand pages of fluff with one hundred pages of action at the end. This became Jordan's mode of operating in the later years, and it made reading his books such a chore that I gave up entirely. All the while he insisted that the series would have closure, that dangling plots would resolved, that all would be well and his prodigiously overstuffed world would make sense in the end.

Well, here's the end, and Jordan fans may never get their resolutions, unless his notes and outlines are as detailed as his survivors claim.

But I suppose it makes us more thankful that some writers have the vision and forethought to actually bring their series to conclusion (Rowling, Bakker, etc.). I'm not faulting Robert Jordan for dying--only for choosing to spend a good chunk of years, during which he knew he was afflicted with a debilitating disease, writing more fluff, including a set of prequels to WoT.

The only way Wheel of Time can be redeemed, in my opinion, is if a thoughtful and devoted editor takes up the entire project, books 1-12, and pairs them down into an abridged series. I imagine this would be roughly half the length of the original.

Catching up

On Bin Laden: That was horrible. I couldn't get all the way through that diatribe if you held a gun to my head. I also think it has to be a bad translation (i.e., the translator isn't that fluent in English). It can't be that the translation is just so thorough and subtle that it is catching the way Bin Laden sounds in Arabic: nobody that ineloquent could ever rise to a position of power. (...oh wait. I guess they could...maybe even right here in America....)

On cheating: For some reason, I don't hate the Patriots. I don't like them...not at all, but I don't hate them either, which is weird since most of my responses to sports are governed by who I hate least in a given situation. That said, I don't think it's excessive to take the draft pick. There's a clear new rule on the matter, and the Commish has set the tone of busting ass to make an example. It is embarrassing that super-genius got caught, so I say screw him. (Besides, it's only a 1st/2nd and 3rd pick. If you really want to screw the Pats, you should take away their 6th and 7th round picks...really stick it to 'em).

On offensive lines: Very, very important. A quarterback's skill is also very important, but everything starts in the trenches. Like Lou Holtz says, "Show me your offensive line and your defensive backs, and I'll tell you how good your football team is."

Cheating, etc.

I think the biggest problem with the Patriots is that they got caught (after all, if you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'). Yea every other team does it, but no other team gets caught. Perhaps because they don't send a guy with a camera to the other team's sideline. Really, Belichick? You're hailed to be one of the greatest and most brilliant coaches in the history of the game and that's your spy tactic? I'm very disappointed. I expected some sort of fancy trickery or magicking from you. Like something it would take two whole episodes for the Scooby Doo gang to solve. You'd lead them on a merry chase leaving false trails and fake clues to throw them off the scent and at the end they'd finally catch the suspect in a ghost house or pirate ship and take the mask off the guy with the camera and....GASP! It's old man Belichick! It was him all along! So that's how the dirty old hoodie tied in with the rest of the clues.

But no. You instead employ the worst spy ever who wears his Patriots clearance badge on the fricking Jets' sideline while he's taping. Brilliant. Scrappy Doo coulda solved that one alone, without needing even the half-assed, pot induced, munchie driven bumbling of Shaggy and Scooby. So shame I say! Shame on Belichick. Not for cheating, but for being so easily caught.

As for the OL importance, I think it's tremendously important to a QB's success. That's why Brady is so good every year even when he doesn't have good WR. However, I think Peyton is a poor example to use. He is a wizard after all. You can put Peyton in Cleveland and he'd still have some modicum of success, though not as great. And I think alot of it has to do with the offensive coordinator as well as talent (look what Texas is doing so far this season with not much talent that rates above average by NFL standards). Also, I think there are times when horrid defense makes an OL look way better. For example I'm sure nobody believes Cleveland's line is as good as it looked against the Bengals (sorry Bert, but that defense is craptastic - to cheer you up though, here's a funny joke I heard on the radio: What do you call a drug ring in Cincy? A huddle!). In the end, I think probably a good QB can compensate for an average OL whereas the alternate is not necessarily true. This is why Baltimore won't win another Super Bowl with McNair under center and why Chicago will be lucky to make it to the Championship game again. Both teams have stellar OLs but not so great QBs. Plus God hates Brian Urlacher.

My prediction:

The Pats will be THE team to beat this year. Tom Brady is phenomenal. The defense is great. Just calling it now. 14-2 (1 loss to the Jets or Buffalo)

Anyway, how much of it is QB, how much offensive line? I say 50/50? Seriously, w/out his OL Peyton is at least 70% less good. Discuss.

Cheating?

This business of videotaping opposing team's signals actually surprises me. I always assumed teams already did this. Taking away a first round draft pick? That seems grossly excessive. I fail to see how this is cheating. Realistically, it's only going to help you 3 games a year at best (ie, 2 regular season games and 1 potential playoff game). Are you really tell me no other teams try to crack their opponents secret signals? Bull.

And then assholes like this want Belichick suspended just so the Pats don't go to the Superbowl. What a bunch of petty fucks.

Swords are not for decoration!

Philadelphia man slain with 2-foot ceremonial sword.

It makes Trip Fisk's warnings all the more pertinent.

WTF bin Laden?

If you're interested, theres a transcript of bin Laden's video here. I haven't gotten through it yet, due in large part to the fact that I have to reread things to figure out what the hell he's trying to say, and even then I'm often unsuccessful. Is this even real? Is he trying to reason with me, personally? Cuz I don't care about global warming or famine in Africa or the Vietnam War; it's a pleasant temperature outside, I've got plenty to eat and it ended thirty years ago. If he really wants to appeal to me, he should work on getting me some Muslim hookers. Burkha's (sp?) are hot.*



*Sexy hot, not temperature hot.

Wolverines, college football, etc.

It seems to me that the concept of schedule strength can only be awarded retrospectively, especially in college where a team's "goodness" is based on the voting. I don't watch much college football for the precise reason that it boils down to a popularity/money making contest to award champions, but it still seems like we should wait until the season is over to assess the difficulty of schedule. Wasn't it last season where OSU faced three teams ranked #2 at the time of contest? Where did the not Gators teams end up "ranked?"

I guess I don't have anything else to say to occupy the aforementioned etc. in the title, but I'll be jiggered if I'll delete it now.

Wolverines

I am also conflicted over their crappiness. On the one hand, it delights me to see them look like losers. It's also great to see fewer and fewer people proudly wearing their urine and blue clothing. However, they are sucking so bad that it is dragging down the rest of the Big Ten's stock. And since Ohio State didn't really schedule anyone tough (other than Washington, sort-of), our strength of schedule is really depleted. I don't know. I guess I'll just not watch UM play any more.

How 'bout those wolverines?

I have mixed feelings about the losses by that team up north, schadenfreude and concern that they are hurting the Big Ten right now.

But, mostly enjoying it.

"Is there anything good about men?"

Here's a paper delivered at the American Psychological Association meeting this year.

It's kind of long and I'm only halfway through it, but it is pretty interesting and I think worth the read.

From Gene Expression, where they actually ponder some of the hard questions in genetics.

Poor People

Slaps, that was pretty funny. The flak over this subprime lending is nonsense. Some companies made loans to the wrong people, and some people got loans they couldn't afford. Let them all eat it. Taxpayers shouldn't be paying for it.

Poor people suck

I also hate poor people.

But I did laugh my ass off at some of his comments.

Kickoff

Whose wonderful idea was it to have Kelly Clarkson (looking very chubby), John Mellencamp, and Faith Hill start the football season? Because that's what football fans want?!

Nothing like John Mellencamp to put a damper on a happy day. I was sick of that damn Chevy commercial the first time I saw it. I had to mute commercials last year just to watch football without going insane.

All this hoopla is a little ridiculous. Something tells me Vince Lombardi would be a little disappointed. It's a little overblown. It's football. Yes, we love it, but it's not that important.

Let's just talk some football, and play some football.

And oh, yeah, how the hell did Rich Eisen get to be so high-profile in the sports/football world?

Alright!

Sunday Night Football kicks off......on thursday?

Oh well, I'll be too drunk by then to appreciate Madden's crazytalk anyway.

Dr. May

Brian May has gotten around to finishing off the degree he started back in the seventies--before he was distracted by some rock band called Queen.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/25/AR2007072500693.html

I'm tickled by this partly because Queen if one of my very favorite groups of all time, and I've always thought May was a woefully underrated guitarist.

Paragon of eloquence

When I watched this, I wept (but only half with laughter).

Check out how Slater can barely keep from cracking up.

Those darn Indians

Yeah, I guess it looks kind of crazy to beat up on a team for being in 1st place. But they're only still in first because the Tigers have sucked as well. I should revise my statement:

The Indians may stumble their way into the playoffs. But even if they do, they'll make an early exit, as the other three American league combatants will probably be able to put up more than one or two runs per game. Then I'll be so sad.

Go Tribe

What kind of fan bashes his team when they are in first place? C'mon Larson. They're beating up on the Tigers.

Being a Reds fan and an anti-Indian at Ashland, it's been difficult to pull for the Tribe, but I've finally come around to cheering them on in that lesser league. Since my team is 9.5 out with only a month to play (albeit playing decent baseball at the moment) I'm rooting for the Indians.

Other than that, good to have you back.

Long live Skyrmir

Awesome.

Nick:

I have returned

I haven't been in here in quite a while...sorry (or maybe it was better that way). I was too lazy to dick around with the new google/old blogger bullshit for a while, then there was some crap about cookie functionality that was uncorrectable. Now that I use Mozilla, it seems to work okay.

Anyhow, here's some quick takes on the last 3000 posts in the blog:

1. Apparently, I'm not spending enough time on YouTube (or maybe I am spending just enough).

2. While I was tickled to see the GOP lose their majority, I fully expected the Democrats to start doing stupid stuff sooner or later. My only surprise is the rapidity with which they've started the stupidity. And though I'm counting the minutes until the Emperor goes back to clearing brush full time, I am sobered by the realization that one of these gutterball candidates is going to be his replacement.

3. As for lists (regarding the last thing I posted), I should clarify. I'm not against them in principle. Though there can never be anything like a definitive list, they can serve a useful purpose for defining canons, starting conversations with people in bars, and so forth. I was just really pissed by the contents of that particular list.


...and a few new topics:

4. So what's up with the last Harry Potter book? I thought for sure there would be all kinds of discussion. I basically liked it, despite a few pacing problems and occasional frigidity by the author.

5. Are we all still playing fantasy football this year? You better be.

6. Though it certainly has moments of sheer brilliance, I've finally concluded that The Family Guy is the most inconsistent and lazily written show I watch.

7. The Indians won't make the playoffs. They suck. Goddamn Indians....

Discuss.

The new Flash Gordon on SciFi

Is terrible! Flash Gordon is a loser who lives with his mom?
And what the hell is the point of coming BACK to earth?

This show might as well be called "Some Flash Gordon characters doin' boring stuff on earth."

LAME.

This is funny

Thought it worth the minute it'll take to read this. Plus I wanted to feel a little more like I contribute to the socio-political tones of this blog.

This is the Ron Paul I want to see more of:

Kickin' ass and takin' names!

Elton on the internet

Shut it down for the sake of music, he says.

PS: what's he looking at in this picture that's bringing such delight to his face?

Another nail in the music industry's coffin

Effing ridiculous. I hope the music industry goes (further) down in flames.