Nathan New Year

Poor dog is exhausted. Happy 2011 from Nate-Dog. Woof.

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Happy New Year 2011

Happy New Year 2011!!  

Make it a great one.  Here's to another great year of posts from the blogosphere.

10:24pm NYE Post

Will Smith's daughter is playing her song on TV right now.  Money makes money.  Unreal.  She whips her hair back and forth.  There's 30-year-old people dancing to this song - the damn girl is 11-years-old. 

Dick Clark's Rocking Eve is on the television here.  We did not even consider heading into NYC for the ball drop.  No thanks.  I have never gotten to see the ball drop live, and probably never will.  I have no desire to compete for a 1-foot radius with 3,000,000 other people.

Amstel Light is flowing here in the Bronx.  Lindsay has her Pomegranate Sparkling Soda from Stew Leonard's.  Back to the idiot box.  Be back to wish everyone a happy new year.

Call me the "Coupon Chief"

You know from a previous post about my feelings about buying anything - always look for a coupon online.

Christmas night, I received a gift card to Nike.  I immediately went to my new favorite coupon site, http://www.couponchief.com and looked for a Nike Coupon - RUNPRERUN allowed me to take another 25% off clearance items.  And you know how easy it was for me to find?  I typed "NIKE" in the search bar and bam, there it was.  Cha-ching!

You can go to any number of websites to find coupon codes but you'd be hard-pressed to find one as easy to navigate through as CouponChief.com.

Best Buy is another favorite of mine - online or waiting in line.  My father gave me a $75 gift card to Best Buy for Christmas, and as you'd expect, it began burning a hole in my pocket.  Figuring I'd try to stretch a buck, I went to CouponChief.com to see how they could help.  Best Buy didn't have any specific promo codes, but they did let me know each and every promotion Best Buy had going on - and all I had to do to be re-directed was click the link.  Like taking candy from a baby.

And if saving isn't good enough for you, they pay you to help them.  Their "Pays-2-Share" tab allows users to upload coupons and every time someone uses the coupon you uploaded, you get 2% of the sales.

Sign up is free.  Even though I've made a resolution not to spend on impulse purchases (seeing how I have a baby on the way), I know that if I do, I know where to go to save some bucks.

Happy New Year!!  I hope you all have a very safe, healthy, and saving-ful (a WRT word) 2011!

U.S.A, U.S.A, U.S.A.

Listen, I am all in favor of patriotism and supporting the red, white, and blue. BUT...there is one thing that people should NOT do to show their support.

Never let your friends convince you that you've got a good voice. Don't let them tell you that. Ever! Under any circumstance.

Now granted, most individuals would choose not to sing the National Anthem at a sporting event, regardless what level. Unless, you have friends who are liars.

A girl just performed the National Anthem at our women's basketball game, and sight unseen, she might have thought she was Whitney Houston (pre-cocaine).

It was delusional at best. Pitchy the whole time. And extremely too long.

You know what? Good for her. She's got balls to sing in front of a crowd.

I'm gonna be less critical in 2011.

UCONN Going Down

They're down 11 with 8:34 to go. Looking like the streak will end at 90 barring an absolute miracle.

Tripe; Gnocchi

Tripe and cannelini beans sauteed in red sauce.



Tricolor gnocchi in creamy gorgonzola sauce with olives.



Interesting meal - definitely outside my comfort zone. Maybe the three glasses of wine swayed my decision.

Bon apetít.

Avenue Q and Tripe

We tried like hell to find a Broadway show to go to yesterday afternoon. Well, Lindsay and her mother tried. They went down to the TKTS booth with a list of shows - In The Heights, Promises Promises, Rain - sadly all went off the board before their two hour wait in line had concluded. We saw Avenue Q and it was surprisingly pretty damn funny. A bunch of grown ups toting around a bunch of puppets. Don't ask how they pulled it off, but they did.

Following the show, we slowly strolled uptown seeing how we had over an hour before our 6:00 dinner reservation. The theater was on 50th and 9th - dinner was at Bricco (56th and 9th). We took a detour to see the Rockefeller Tree - my third and least crowded time seeing it and it was still a mad house.

Got to the restaurant and heard the specials - sauteed tripe with cannelini beans. I got it. I've seen it on Food Network several times, and it was the first time I've heard tripe on a menu. It was actually pretty good. I had the tri color gnocchi in gorgonzola sauce for dinner - also awesome.

I have to shower, sorry to cut his post shotr. I feel like a loser because it's 11:43am and i haven't brushed my teeth or showered yet. Don't judge. At 3:00 I'll head over to the gym to set up for tonights women's basketball game. Just another day in the life.

I may have to splurge for a $2.99 app so I can upload pictures to the blog from my iPad. Apple, they sure know how to corner the market. Giants.

Pictures to follow in a separate post.

Another Christmas Miracle

Just had another Christmas gift exchange. You know what I got? A tool box and plenty of tools. Now lies the rub - how the hell to use some of them.

Hammer. I know what to do with you. Power drill. Check. Tape measure, Mag-Lite, ratchet set - got it. Right angle looking level thing, not so sure how you're gonna help me. If I ever need a right-angle, you're my tool.

I sensed a theme right off the bat, as soon as I opened the tool box. I'm not complaining seeing how I needed a tool box. I have tools randomly scattered about our apartment, but can never locate them when needed. The toolbox will be utilized whenever I need to do some handy work. Jesse is still the handy one but I may be running a close second (pretty easy seeing how there's only two of us). I'll get there though.

Syracuse is on the television. It finally got fixed. I asked the doorman what the deal was earlier today. He said the repairman was coming today. I guess he earned his money.

I've had about five Amstel Light and four other beers from Martha's Vineard. Last time I drank the Offshore Ale, it was lights out for this guy. Blackout potion. Doing OK now though.

Gonna sign off. I'm being a bit anti-social. Later dudes!

Bronx = Power Outage

Made it back to the Bronx last night.  Don't ask how, seeing how every Tom, Dick, and Harry were speeding on the snow-covered roads, whipping around turns.  A**holes.

We had a lot of Christmas goodies to get upstairs, not to mention Nathan.  It seemed like a lot more in the car than when we unloaded it all.  It was still a hefty bounty.

The snow caused chaos on the streets of the Boogie Down.  People were parked perpendicular into parking spots.  There was no sign of an open spot until Lindsay (we'll call her Hawk Eye for the sake of this post) spotted one in front of the building - a Monday spot no less.

We each grabbed a few things and headed up.  In order to get the rest of the booty upstairs, I had to forfeit my spot and go around the back to unload (they give us rolling carts to make it easy).  Hawk Eye met me back there, cart in hand.  We unloaded the car onto the cart, I raced to put the laundry upstairs, raced back down, and Hawk Eye then went up with the cart.  I headed back around the building to the spot I had just given up, praying (and cursing) that it was still there.  Ho Ho Ho!!!  I got it back.

Fast forward a few minutes.

Unpacked some things, turned on the idiot box, no picture.  Turn on my iPad, no service.  Turn on my computer, no service.  Our building was a blackout zone.  I called Linksys (router company) and asked if something was wrong, they asked me to call my cable provider.  There was a few other things said, I got impatient, and they hung up on me.  I called back, but as I was pressing 1 for English, I couldn't recall the guys name - probably because it was a name of Indian decent, and certainly one I couldn't remember or understand.

I saw a guy walking out of his apartment and asked him if it was my apartment or was cable out, and he vehemently shook his head back and forth.  I wasn't sure what he meant, so I asked again - do you have television service?  "No."  A man of few words.  I saved myself the headache of trying to fix my router or television or cable box - this was something out of my control.  So be it. 

You win this one Mother Nature.

Now, for the next two days (which are supposed to be off days seeing how I work at a college), there's high school and CYO basketball in the gym.  Of course I'm required to be there.  Luckily, Jesse will be filling in for me - he's always game for making a few extra bucks. 

OK, gotta go get water for these ingrate bastards.  At least the sun is out!

Century Mark

Thanks to everyone who is currently one of my 100 followers. Thanks for helping me reach the milestone.

Bring on the snow Mother Nature!

Longer post later.

Christmas Day

What do you think? Watching Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase. "Eat my road, liver lips!"

Christmas was a success. Everyone had a great day and are anticipating a blizzard here in Long Island. We're supposed to get a winter survival kit, whatever that means.

I'm writing my very first post from the iPad my darling wife got me. She's the bomb.

Later dudes and dudettes!

Merry Christmas

After several hours of A Christmas Story, Christmas finally arrived and so did many a present.

Luckily, I got an iPad, so I will be able to blog yet again, seeing how both my laptops seem to be shitting out on me.

Anyway, Ho Ho Ho and have a very Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Eve is Upon Us

Happy Christmas Eve!

Our Advent calendars are finished - cleaned out of little chocolates.  Yes, my wife and I still have Advent calendars.  They're typically a .00000008 oz piece of chocolate that corresponds to the dates on Decembers calendar.  We were fortunate with one of ours, since the chocolates under each numbered flap had a giant chunk of chocolate.  We had to alternate days to keep all involved happy (read: Lindsay).

I always thought there was a chocolate on Christmas Day, but Lindsay said, "No way, that's because Santa is coming tonight" - point taken.  Here's our calendars (blue had big chocolates; red had piss-ass chocolates):

Happy Holidays.  Ho Ho Ho!


Feliz Navidad! 

G-T-L Thursday

Gym.  Train.  Lunch.  I'm not from Jersey - actually, neither are any of those fools on Jersey Shore!

Today started with our fourth straight morning workout, something I've felt the need to initiate seeing how I am turning into a heavier, less motivated version of my former athlete self.  My legs felt like bags of sand attached to my hips - but I persevered.  Lindsay has been doing the prenatal workouts I've been researching online and is sore as well.  (As I type this, we're watching SportsNation's "101 Jeers" of 2010).  After the workouts were complete, we headed down to Broadway to take the silver bullet down to NYC.  It was very, very windy out there, my hat and gloves were clutch.  Lindsay had gloves as well, so don't go thinking chivalry is dead.

We stopped at Dunkin' Donuts - I got an iced coffee.  Cold weather can't stop me.

Subway ride was quite uneventful, besides the kid with these gross looking dreads hanging from him head.  He also had on a trench-length crinkled leather jacket - not sure how he got it so wrinkled.  I know little about fashion, but this guy made me feel like that guy on Bravo who throws out all those other people's clothes.

Got off the train and headed over to the tree in Rockefeller Center.  Snapped a few photos and got the hell out of there - way too crowded.

Continued our journey uptown via Broadway, picked up a few last minute Christmas items, and stopped for lunch at a place we saw recently on "Best Thing I Ever Ate" - Bar Boulud.  The show was discussing brunch items, and former NYT food critic Frank Bruni chose the Croque Monsieur - pictured below.  It's a warm ham, gruyère cheese and béchamel sandwich - and it was awesome!

 As we were leaving, the hostess offered to take the bag of the woman who was walking in as we were walking out.  Lindsay turned to me and asked why no one asked to take her bag.  I looked at who the woman was with, turned to Lindsay and said, "Because that's Ron Howard."  (The woman he was with was his daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard).  Richie Freakin' Cunningham.  The man who produced some great movies (A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, Cocoon, Frost/Nixon, to name a few).  We turned and left, and I nearly lost my lunch trying to wrap my head around how much money that guy is sitting on.  Oh well, that was our celebrity sighting for the day.  Didn't get a picture but sent an e-mail to US Weekly - maybe it'll get in their VIP Scene blurb column next issue (I'm guilty - I read it in the bathroom).

Walked uptown some more, passed numerous people peddling Christmas trees on the streets of Broadway.  Not sure how many more trees these guys are going to sell with Christmas only 2 days away, but good for them for keeping their spirits up.

Hopped on the 1 Train at 72nd Street and came back to the Boogie Down to see our dog Nathan.  Took him over the the dog park and tired him out again, even though he was sleeping for 6 hours while we were gone.  Dogs have some kind of life - eat, poop, pee, sleep, scratch, repeat.

Once again, thanks to all of you who whose to follow WRT.  I look forward to keeping your interest.

Ho Ho Ho!  Happy Holidays!

LIKE!!

Not sure if the ERROR thing only pops up on my template, but I think I figured out how to add this Facebook LIKE Button.

Woooooooooooo!

Ho Ho Ho!

If you honk as soon as the light turns green, DO NOT READ THIS

Just a quick line giving the Big Bird to you impatient jack-wagons who find the need to honk as soon as the light turns green.  I'm as impatient as the next guy, but give it a rest.

How Freakin' Awesome

I want to thank everyone - especially CARLA, a random stranger who commented on my previous Gift Giving post - for visiting my site.  The amount of visitors is astounding.  And now, out of nowhere, WRT has been selected as today's "Blogs of Note".  Pretty freakin' awesome.  Here's the proof:

Now, I'm not sure what being named the days "Blog of Note" means or what the qualifications are, but I can care less.  I hope more people start reading and those who already partake in WRT continue to enjoy my musings.

Lindsay is watching Glee, so I am going to check out other Blogs of Note and maybe follow a few.  I appreciate the time my readers spend checking out my blog.  I mean, chances are most people just click Next Blog» at the top of the page.

Anyway, thanks again and keep on reading.

Ho Ho Ho!!  Ho Ho Ho!!

Gift Giving Tips

I'll admit it, I'm a bit of a tech geek.  I am not, however, at the forefront of technology.  That role is reserved for my brother.  I enjoy fashion - to an extent (I won't watch those shows on TV).  When it boils down to it though, I wear sweats or shorts and a t-shirt to work.  I  keep up on my current events via Lindsay's subscription to US Weekly.  I don't, however, discuss it openly with anyone except Lindsay.  I read plenty of blogs from all corners of the world - from music to sports to photography to food to what pisses people off.  I am well-rounded.  I know enough about a lot of things but certainly not a lot about any one thing (besides baseball and gift-giving).


I learn about new gadgets from the Internet by doing hours of research before actually purchasing an item.  I comparison shop like a mo-fo.  I always want to get the best price.  I will always look for promotion codes - the Internet is full of them, and you're a fool for not checking.  I'll do my homework for something I don't necessarily want - I've done extensive research for my parents, my brother, my wife, and even stupid dog toys for Nathan.  Ninety-eight percent of the time, I'll put do the research and wind up not even buying said item.  But at least I was prepared.

The reason for all of this stammering on doing your homework is because during the holidays, it's easy to get caught up in the razzle-dazzle of the ads and commercials for products you may think those on your Christmas gift list may enjoy.

I pride myself on my gift-giving ability.  I am one of the best I know.  I'm good at it not because I spend thousands of dollars on expensive, brand-name gifts.  I'm good because I actually listen throughout the year and keep notes in my phone.  I have a terrible memory, so having an app that allows me to make a note of something before I forget is critical.  It may seem like I'm not paying attention from time to time when people are talking to me - and occasionally I'm not.

Back to the promo codes.  Before you buy anything online - ANYTHING at all, open a new tab, go to Google, and type in [store name] promo code.  I bet you something will pop up - I use retailmenot.com.  Right now, there's a promo code for 15% off one item from Barnes % Noble, 25% off photo gifts from Walgreens, and free shipping on all order from Lands' End.  There's thousands of others as well, but you can do your homework yourself.

As a self-proclaimed gift-giving guru, I'll recommend some things to you wannabe's out there.  First, download an app on your phone and whenever someone you actually give a shit about mentions something he/she likes, make a note of it.  Second, always comparison shop online for whatever it is - the Internet is pretty large and has pretty much anything you want, at all different prices.  Third, always look for a promotional code online.  This doesn't make you cheap, it makes you smart.  Who the hell's gonna know if you used a promo code to save 30%?  No one.  Finally, if you live with the would-be recipient, make sure to remove the return address from the top left corner of the package - because once they see it, they'll just try to guess what it is until it's actually time to open it.  Maybe that's just Lindsay, but I doubt it.

Ho Ho Ho!  Ho Ho Ho!

Oh, and here's a video I laughed at almost the entire time - ALLEN, ALLEN, ALLEN, AL, ALLEN!

Tim Tebow = Kent St.

He has quite the following.  It began with his days on the campus at UF.  It continued when the Broncos drafted him.  And his harem has followed the wannabe QB on Twitter (73,875 followers).  As a devout man of faith, it's easy to see why his good-guy image attracts swarms of followers.  Every team who passed on him in the draft was scorned by throngs of Tebow fans.  Shit, he probably has people over in his native Philippines tuning in last Sunday.

Everyone was singing his praises after the Broncos game in Oakland this past weekend once again, because the Golden Boy was given his shot to shine in the league.  The results were very, very average - maybe even below average - in a 39-23 shellacking at the hands of my beloved Raiders.

8/16 for 138 yards and 1 TD - the Raiders are 5th in the NFL against the pass
7 carries for 78 yards and 1 TD (an exciting 40-yard run) - the Raiders are 26th in the NFL against the run

His QB Rating was great (100.8 - however the hell that's calculated is still a mystery to me).  He had a hand in 207 of the Broncos 235 total net yards (88%).  He ran a stale offense that has plenty of weapons, as was indicated during the revival of Kyle Orton earlier this year.  Brandon Lloyd became a go-to receiver.  Jabar Gaffney is having a career year in his 9th year in the NFL.  Knowshon Moreno is having a decent season (I just wanted to try to type his name and get it right - took me 3 tries).  There's just no QB in Denver right now to lead that team.

Tim Tebow is not the answer.  He is certainly not the savior in Denver - that title was given to Orton when he was hot as a pistol at the start of the season.  Everyone was talking about him breaking records for passing yards and whatnot - he had very good numbers on a terrible football team.  Orton - although benched and/or hurt - is 5th in the NFL in passing yards (ahead of Wonderboy Tom Brady, Wacco Flacco, Eli Manning, and Matty Ice).  You know why?  Because they are busy getting pumped every week and have to throw the ball.

Tebow cannot win a game with his arm in the NFL.  Yes, they've cleaned up his throwing mechanics, but he is still a work-in-progress at best.  He is as athletic as any player in the league, don't get me wrong, but a franchise, long-term QB in the NFL - no shot.

Tim, you're a great story and God loves you, but you may be headed down the path of Brad Smith (QB at Mizzou, WR NY Jets), Julian Edelman (QB at Kent St., WR NE Patriots), and Josh Cribbs (QB Kent St., WR Cleveland Browns).  He has the fact that he went to Florida and not Kent St. going for him, but I don't think that's enough.  Heisman or no Heisman, he's not a next level QB. 

I have to take Nathan out.  He's gonna break off a 40 yard TD run.  Then maybe follow Tebow on Twitter.

Photoshopping

I recently began my subscription to Popular Photography for my Lindsay's cousins school fundraiser, and it got me thinking - is a free, timed trial any way to enhance and share my photos?  I think not.

I downloaded the 30 Day free trial of Photoshop Elements 9 and this thing is freaking unreal.  Don't get me wrong, I understand there's plenty of photo editing programs for free (Picasa, PhotoScape, gimp, etc. etc.) but the lure of Photoshop finally convinced me to cave and I'm trying it. 

It's a lot to get down in one sitting so I've been checking out the free tutorial videos to see what it is I'm supposed to be doing to edit, refine, and totally change photos I've taken.  It's still a work in progress, but I think everyone should get in on Photoshop Elements 9.  The regular soup-to-nuts Photoshop CS5 is some where around $600 - way too much for me to fork over - I can get this version of Elements for $60 and it'll suffice.  I am not out there photographing weddings and pro sporting events for magazines, so being able to do some cool shit with different features is pretty neat.  Bed time.  Be back in the morning.

Anyway, I carried this post over until Monday - I woke up early, took Nathan out, got to the gym early and lifted.  Feeling pretty good right now, I know one day doesn't make me a superhero, but it's a start.  I'm beginning to keep a log of what I did on what day - see if I can get in a little better shape.

I may or may not take a break until after the holidays.  Have a happy and safe Christmas (and whatever other holidays there may be).  I hope Santa brings you everything you wished for.

HO! HO! HO!

We stick out

Like sore thumbs, our building is predominantly Jewish.  Here's a perfect example of what I'm talking about.  I went to take Nathan for a walk the other night and took the camera so I could take a picture of the lack of Christianity in the building.

I am not complaining, I think it's pretty funny, and fact is fact - Riverdale is dominated by Jewish and Russian people.  We choose to live here, and we enjoy it.  The dog park is great, too.

Anyway, here's the lack of lights in our building.  There's three of us - 3!  Granted, this is only one side of one half of the building.  Maybe there's more on the other side.

White Gold, Headlines, Idle Laughter, and Christmas...

Last night it began to snow.  And it kept snowing.  And I woke up and there was snow covering the ground and the grass and the cars parked out back.  The temperatures haven't been up over 35° in a few days.  I've been going outside to walk Nathan and my hands get numb after about 3 minutes - granted, that's my own fault.  I just dug out my gloves, so that problem has been addressed.  I also have a few wool hats to keep my head warm, so that's a plus.

Jay Leno had "Headlines" last night - by far one of the funniest segments on late-night television (right up there with "Jay-walking").  The fact that people have jobs as editors blows my mind on some of these.  All in all, a hilarious segment.  DVR Leno on Tuesday, 11:35pm.  Do it!

I am feeling so very unmotivated today and can really care less.  My office is freezing cold besides the one vent in the ceiling that blows out 200° heat straight into a closet.  Well placed.

People come in and out and try to make small talk when in fact I don't want any talk.  These are the same people that 95% of the time just say hi in passing.  No thanks.


Basketball just started practice and judging by how the season is going so far, they should keep practicing until the next game. 

Christmas is coming and I cannot wait to have a few days off from this igloo of an office.

I hate when people make fun of something or someone pretending not to know what they're seeing, even though they know full well what the hell it is.  Then try to get other people to buy in to their solo laugh party.

People here are complaining because they aren't getting a bonus - they're part-time coaches.  Shut your mouth!

The school Christmas party is on Friday.  Yippee!

I am just reading through some blogs waiting for the clock to strike.

Baked tilapia, spinach, tomatoes tower tonight for dinner -it's been a while since I've whipped this one up.

My fingers are getting numb, time to bail.  Later on followers.

Does this bother you as much as it bothers me?

I'm posting this a little later than anticipated, but it's something I'd like to discuss.  Being that it is my blog, and this forum allows me to express my opinions.

Under Armour.  UA locates their interlocking "UA" logo dead center below the neck line on a lot of their merchandise.  This is a clever marketing ploy - if you see that logo, you immediately think Under Armour.  I have no problem seeing athletes wearing 24 different UA products at once (it's a little excessive, but whatever).  I have no problem with you lounging out at home with an UA hoodie and sweatpants on.  I have no problem wearing said hoodie out to the mall.

The thing that really makes me scratch my head is when I see a 40-something sporting the shirt - UNDERNEATH a button-down shirt, exposing the logo.  While I'm at it, it pisses me off even more when I see people strolling around - in public - wearing tight-fitting UA shirts.  Those shirts are meant for athletic purposes - not for you to walk around with your nipples ready to pierce the shirt.  To the gym, sure, feel free.  To take a leisurely stroll in the neighborhood, why not.  But not to walk around the mall.  You're embarrassing yourself and whoever happens to be with you.  So please, have some self-respect, and stop.  I don't care how good you think you look - you're wrong.

Merging.  Why is this so difficult?  I am convinced, and have been for some time now, that all traffic is directly related to merging.  All of it.

In New York, we're blessed with merges at every turn - four lanes into two, two lanes into one, road crews weening off the road with cones, blinking arrows on the back of a DOT truck driving backwards, two exit ramps merging into one exit ramp merging onto a highway.  You name it, we got it.  And what is the direct result of all this merging?  You guessed it - traffic.

In Connecticut - a state Lindsay and I used to frequent quite regularly - I-84 has it's own version of the merge - the "Slow Vehicle Lane".  This lane is designated with a dashed double white line and lasts for no longer than a quarter mile at a stretch.  Trucks work their way over and then :25 seconds later, they're coming back into civilized traffic, forcing cars cruising in the center lane to brake in order to avoid an accident.  Senior citizens are often seen using this SVL and continuing on the shoulder because they forgot what they're doing.  It's not a smart idea and it creates unnecessary braking and ultimately, traffic.

Press 1.  For English?  Are you kidding me with this one?  Any phone call made within the vast confines of the USA should automatically proceed in English.  With all the tree branches you need to climb in order to actually speak with a real person, the least they can do is eliminate the need to press 1 for English.  The constitution is written in English, not Spanish or Chinese (nothing wrong with those two languages, I'm just saying).  I wind up pressing 1 and then hitting 0 twenty times in hopes that it'll forward my call to a human being and not the robot that can't understand what I'm saying.  Sometimes it works, sometimes I just grit my teeth and keep pressing numbers.

It's shit like this that bothers me.  I know people will say, "Ryan, don't let things you can't control bother you", you know what I say, that's your prerogative.  Live and let live America.  And learn to merge for God's sake.

Minnesota Vikings Metrodome.

Here's a video from the inside of the Metrodome as the roof collapsed under the weight of the massive amounts of snow on top.  It's an inflatable dome, not a hard dome, so there's a lot more give in there.  Either way, it's a pretty unreal video:

Wednesday Night Television

I watch as much sports as I can on any given evening.  However, on Wednesday nights, ABC (Ch. 7) has a pretty good lineup from 8:00pm to 9:30pm.  (I flip back and forth during commercials, and DVR the shows on ABC in case I mistime the commercials).

At 8:00 is "The Middle" - a show about a semi-dysfunctional family trying to make right with one another in small-town Indiana.  The dad (played by Neil Flynn) is a huge Colts fan, so I guess there's some sports incorporated into the show.  Their youngest son, Brick (12-year-old Atticus Shaffer) might be one of the funniest/smartest kids on television.  Give the show a chance, I laugh like an idiot.

At 8:30 is "Better With You" - a show about two sister at different places in their respective lives.  Their father, Joel (Kurt Fuller), is hilarious as is his wife, Vicky (Debra Jo Rupp - mother on "That 70's Show").  It's got a chance, just waiting for that breakout episode.

At 9:00 is "Modern Family" - if you haven't seen or heard about this show, climb out from underneath that rock and reintroduce yourself to the world.  It's about three different families and the trials and tribulations they face in their lives.  Al Bundy, I mean Ed O'Neill (Jay), is married to loud-mouthed Sofía Vergara (Gloria) to go along with her son, Manny.  The Dunphy's (Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell) have three children with three different perspectives on things.  Then there's the gay couple (Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet) raising an adopted Asian baby named Lily.  It's a riot, and I DVR this one as well.  It is in it's second season, and hopefully Santa gets me the first season for Christmas. (Lindsay saw Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Mitchell, at The Standard while at brunch with Paul and Jenny)

Back to the shows!

Bowl'ing Season

First, a little by the numbers for this 2010-2011 Bowl Season:

35 - # of Bowls
7 - # of schools represented by only letters (LSU, USF, UCF, BYU, UTEP, SMU, TCU)
13 - # of schools with a 6-6 record 
19 - # of teams with 10+ wins
2 - # of teams that were bowl eligible that were left out, forced to watch (Temple, Western Michigan)

There are too many games, and the need for a playoff system is necessary.  I  have never been an advocate one way or another towards this playoffs thing, but after looking at this field of bowl teams, a playoff would be in the best interest of college football.

Granted, there is a lot of money to be made by the sponsors and venues and cities.  A 16-team playoff bracket would look as follows:

(rivals.com from Yahoo! Sports)

Here's a rundown of some of these bowl names, some of which I am not even sure what the hell the sponsor is.

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl - Southern Miss vs. Louisville - who the hell is Beef O'Brady?
Military Bowl - East Carolina vs. Maryland - last time I checked, neither school was a branch of the military
GoDaddy.com Bowl - Middle Tennessee St vs. Miami (OH) - I guess GoDaddy.com sells domain names and has some pretty solid commercials
BBVA Compass Bowl - Pittsburgh vs. Kentucky - I've never even heard of this bank; maybe because it's a TX and AL thang,
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl - Nevada vs. Boston College - apparently, cheese is the solution to solving the hunger crisis.  Who knew?
Sun Bowl - Miami (FL) vs. Notre Dame - so the sun is sponsoring a bowl?  That guys got some deep pockets.  It's actually a good game with two perennial powerhouses that are mediocre at best nowadays.


Going home.  Finally.

Numbers Game - #12

The only #12 to be inducted into the HOF (as a Devil Ray, no less) - Wade Boggs (SI.com)

Future HOF QB and All-Hair Team QB Tom Brady

American Idiot

Went out with P & J the other night, had a great time.  Went to Cara Mia, a nice but cramped Italian restaurant in the Theater District (46th and 9th).

Following dinner, we headed over to the St. James Theater on 44th St. to take in American Idiot on Broadway (slightly off).  Awesome show.  90 minutes straight with no intermission.  If you're a fan of Green Day - who isn't - you'll love this show.  Tickets were 40% off when we ordered them, not sure what site or how, but they were.

(playbill.com)

Headed to bed now to finish watching Iron Chef America - Battle Sparkling Wine.

Too Much Information

I was watching the UConn vs. South Florida football game last night and a graphic came up that I had to address here.  It wasn't a booming hit or a trick play or a one-handed catch - it was about a South Florida Bulls football player, and I did you all a favor by rewinding my television and taking a picture for your viewing pleasure.  I am not sure why they chose to discuss this on the air and try glorify how hard this kid works or whatever else they might have said.

This picture says it all - in fact, the first bullet point says it all:

(Courtesy of ESPN2)

There is no need to mention his 3 children under the age of 4.  My question is how the hell does this guy have time to practice, watch film, workout, and bring his grades from failing to a 3.0.

Here's a little about this kid, who actually is pretty good:
He leads the team in tackles with 68.
He has 9.5 tackles for a loss.
He has 2.5 sacks for 27 yards.
He has 1 interception for 12 yards.
He has 2 passes broken up.
(www.gousfbulls.com)

I am not trying to pick on this kid, I know a lot of college athletes have children, but why in the hell would ESPN2 choose to discuss this on the broadcast.  Good for you Jacquian, I am sure your kids are great and you're a hell of a football player, but there's just some things that the entire viewing public do not need to know.

UCONN won the football game, 19-16, with a last-minute FG and is going to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS bowl for the seventh year Division I program.  It will face #9 Oklahoma.  The Big East had a rough year for football and many are questioning why the conference gets an automatic BCS berth.  I don't.  It's a major conference and deserves to get a bid. 

No one was bitching when Cincinnati went to the Orange Bowl after the 2008 season and got stepped on by Virginia Tech, 20-7.  No one was saying the Big East sucked when they went down to the Bayou for the Sugar Bowl following the 2009 season, and got smoked by Florida, 51-24. 

Just because UCONN has 4 losses doesn't mean they don't deserve the bid.  Just because the Big East had a down year doesn't mean they don't deserve to send a team to a BCS bowl.  Virginia Tech is probably going to the Orange Bowl and lost to James Madison, who's in the Championship Subdivision and wound up with a 6-5 record.

Good for you UCONN.  Just don't go embarrass yourself out there.

Thursday Night Football

Andre Johnson is a man!  Six catches for 149 yards four days after his boxing match with CF.  No touchdowns though.  Matt Schaub played a pretty tough game too - his head looked like a rubber handball bouncing off the wall when he was sacked late in the game - he finished with 337 yards passing.  Tough SOB.

The Eagles won 34-24, partly because Michael Vick is playing like a man possessed (302 yards passing, 48 yards rushing).  Vick became just the fifth quarterback since the merger to pass for 300 yards, throw for 2 TD's and rush for 1 TD in a season TWICE.  (Tony Romo '07, Steve Young '98, Warren Moon '89, Ken Anderson '82).  He's also the first to do it after serving time in prison.  What a guy.

Going to dinner tonight and then to see American Idiot.  Looking forward to a good night ahead.

OK, one for old time's sake:

TKO (AP Photo)

Numbers Game - #11

#11 has its place in history as well as in sports.  First, we'll go back about 40+ years.

Apollo 11, the first manned spacecraft to land on the moon, back in 1969, commanded by the one and only Neil Armstrong.

Giants legendary QB and two time Super Bowl champion Phil Simms

2022 World Cup is Where?!?

Let me preface by saying that I can care less about all things soccer - amateur, college, pro, and women's.  I happened to be in Dallas for this past summer's World Cup.  That might have been the only time I've ever really taken in an entire soccer match.  And I'll admit, it wasn't as bad as I had imagined.

From what I have been told, we were in contention for hosting the 2022 World Cup.  Morgan Freeman, a great actor and activist, was sent to speak on our country's behalf.  So was Bill Clinton.  But take a gander at the mistake Morgan Freeman made right around the 7:00 mark.  (In his defense, it was pretty dark in that room).



Qatar actually got the bid, which I am not all that upset over.  They do have a 5-star airline.  But seriously, why do we need to host a sport that our country gets excited about once every four years?  The answer:  we don't and won't.

Qatar.  All 4,416 square miles of it - that's just a little smaller than the state of Connecticut (the third smallest state in the US).  From the pictures I've seen of the Qatar, it looks like a pretty neat place to be from, if you're into oil.

June and July are the months in which the World Cup are generally held - the average high temperature in Qatar during those months is 106° and 115°, respectively, with zero precipitation.  I hope they have a lot of water and ambulances on the sidelines, because people are going to be dropping like flies.  And I ain't talking about taking a dip in the Persian Gulf.  Professional athletes have rarely, if ever, been asked to perform regularly in temperatures exceeding 105°.  It's almost inhumane.

Their natural resources are petroleum, natural gas, and fish (cia.gov).
The terrain of Qatar is mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and gravel (cia.gov).

Overall, it sounds like they really knocked this one out of the park.  SIKE!

(The 2018 World Cup is being held in Moscow, Russia - no qualms here.  Pack your vodka.)

Numbers Game - #10

Now on to double digits.  It starts with the single greatest number on earth, according to my lovely wife - 10.  Here's a few #10's for the record books - some stats are included for your reading pleasure.

SU Field Hockey great Lindsay Darcy (my wife).  I couldn't dig up any stats, but I know she scored the game-winner against Ohio State.  I saw the video.  She's still competitive as a mo-fo.

This former Reds and Tigers manager led Reds to two World Series titles and the Tigers to one.  He amassed over 2,190 wins as a manager and was inducted into the HOF in 2000.  His #10 is retired by the Cincinnati Reds, Sparky Anderson.  (Photo courtesy of AP)

"The Scooter" Phil Rizzuto, born in Brooklyn, helped lead the Yankees to seven World Series titles in his 13 seasons in pinstripes.  He was then a staple on the idiot box, calling Yankees games for many years, throwing around his signature, "Holy Cow!".  (Photo courtesy of NYTimes)

News Desk

Iron Bowl:  A little late with this post, but Alabama fired the part-time PA announcer who decided to play some songs directed at Auburn quarterback Cam Newton during the Iron Bowl pregame.  Get a life - this guy is probably a douche anyway.  (ESPN)

He Gone:  Former Kentucky Wildcat DeMarcus Cousins was asked to leave practice early by coach Paul Westphal.  He didn't foul out, as you might have guessed (he averages 4.2 fouls per game).  Reasons for the dismissal were not given. (SacBee)

Tulo's Town:  The Rockies locked in their SS.  The SS, however, may have left a lot of money on the table after agreeing to a 7 year, $134 million extension through 2020 season.  That's almost $20 million a year - for a team with an $80 million payroll.  He better put some asses in the seats and some beers in those peoples' hands.  (Denver Post)

Dolphins Won the Game; Raiders Fan Won the Fight:  After Jacoby Ford ran the opening kickoff back 101 yards for a touchdown, not much went right for the Silver and Black.  I ran across this video on the internet of a mouthy Dolphins fan running his yap.  The Raiders fan who TKO'd him?  The biggest dude in the video.  FF to the 1:30 mark and wait about 4 seconds - but don't blink, or you'll miss the Dolphins fan getting laid out.

Numbers Game - #9

The Splendid Splinter and best hitter to ever play Ted Williams

Mr. 61 Roger Maris

The late, great Steve "Air" McNair

Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe

My sinful Raiders reference, Punter Shane Lechler

Numbers Game - #8

Iron Horse 2 Cal Ripken Jr.

"It's like deja vu all over again" Yogi Berra

San Francisco 49ers great Steve Young

New kid on the block Alex Ovechkin

Threepeat #8 Kobe Bryant

Bravo NFL, Bravo

I commend Roger Goodell for not suspending Andre Johnson and Cortland Finnegan, but rather fining them the league mandated $25,000.  Problem is, Johnson (who was in a scuffle last season) has a great rep in the NFL.  Finnegan has been fined three times - this season!  The reason he wasn't suspended may be because he didn't throw any punches - he was too busy getting blasted by AJ.

I am fine with what was done, but this bully act CF plays is getting old.  The Titans got pushed around Sunday for the entire 60 minutes.  They got embarrassed.  Their defense got shredded (albeit moderately).

They were outgained 346 yards to 162 yards.  158 yards passing (2 sacks for 20 yards) for Matt Schaub (two TD's - one to AJ).  188 yards on the ground (on 39 carries).

CF, quit your instigating B.S. and start playing defense.  You team's lost four straight games.  Your defense lets up 360 yards per game (250 per game through the air).  He's lucky he's on the defensive side of the ball, otherwise he'd be a dead duck going over the middle.

Numbers Game - #7

Yet another Yankee, Mickey Mantle

Broncos all-time tough QB John Elway

LSU and Utah Jazz Guard "Pistol" Pete Maravich

Duke 2010 Championship Rings

2010 NCAA Champion DUKE University rings - pretty sweet.

Numbers Game - #6

Dr. J Julius Erving

Cardinals HOF'er Stan "The Man" Musial

How can I leave off Steelers QB Bubby Brister?

Steve Johnson's Message to God

I actually do feel bad for this guy for dropping that pass in the end-zone that would have beaten the Steelers.  He had a bad, bad day - 5 drops or something like that.

Here's what he tweeted after the game:

 

You'll get more chances.

Numbers Game - #5

The Yankee Clipper Joe DiMaggio

Sweet Swinging George Brett

Eagles version of Donovan McNabb

Former Longhorn and current Pacers Guard T.J. Ford

Numbers Game - #4

The Iron Horse Lou Gehrig

Carolina Panthers Kicker John Kasay

Former Fab-5'er Chris Webber

Numbers Game - #3

"The Babe" George Herman "Babe" Ruth, Jr.

Numbers Game - #2

Yankees SS and Captain (for now) Derek Jeter

Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan

LA Lakers Guard Derek Fisher