Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Congratulations, GA!
GA Hill and his better half welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world last night while most of us were watching SportsCenter.
Congratulations from the Heavy Soul Crew.
Congratulations from the Heavy Soul Crew.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Big XII Preview, a la Heavy Soul
Like Michael Jackson deprived of Diprivan, ol' Heavy Soul is hurtin' for posts. Fear not, King of Blogs fans, MIB is here with your fix.
Big XII North
1. Nebraska Cornhuskers. With a more physically talented, albeit less experienced, quarterback at the helm in addition to the most legitimate rushing attack the school has seen since a Heisman winner named Crouch donned the Scarlet and Cream, NU looks to be the favorite in the North Division. NU looks to have an improved defense in the second year of the new scheme.
2. Kansas Jayhawks. KU returns the Division's best QB in diminutive Todd Reesing as well as their top 5 rushers and top 4 receivers. One of those receivers is Dezmon Briscoe who with a similar season to 2008 will land himself multiple post-season accolades. However, offense was never the problem under Mark Man-i'll-eat-anything-including-your-child-if-you-don't-mind-gino, it was a defense that gave up about 450 ypg. And they lose their LB crew from that mediocre defense. To boot, the Jayhawks face Oklahoma, Texas, and Tech from the South Division. A bit rough.
3. Missouri Tigers. MU loses everyone that mattered to their recent success including key members of their coaching staff. They have the conferences fewest returning starters and fewest returning letterman. And Gary Pinkel couldn't coach Creighton's football team. Their best recruit, DT Sheldon Richardson failed to qualify academically. Missouri probably shouldn't even field a team this year. They'll probably fold after the Nebraska, @Okie St., Texas stretch.
4. Colorado Buffaloes. Dan Hawkins is predicting 10 wins from a schedule that includes games at West Virginia, Texas, and Oklahoma St. They also draw Kansas and Nebraska at home. That's 5 pretty conservative choices for losses. And these days, unless you play in the NFC North and not the Big XII North, it's difficult to rack up both 10 wins and 5 losses. And they can't stop receivers from transferring.
5. Iowa State Cyclones. Call me crazy, but this Iowa State bunch might surprise a few foes. Sure, they've had 3 head coaches in 4 years. And I'll spot you the fact that Iowa State is in fact still located in Ames, Iowa and not Dallas, Texas. And yes, I realize they do not have a bye week during the regular season. They do return a veteran QB that threw for nearly 2800 yards while completing 62% of his passes. They do return both of their leading rushers and add former Florida RB Bo Williams to the mix. They do return 4 of their top 5 tacklers. They get Iowa, Baylor, Oklahoma State and Colorado at home. They WILL improve on a 2-10 record.
6. Kansas State Wildcats. So Bill Snyder has returned to Manhattan to resurrect the program he built up from nothing. They're gonna suck this year. He's 70. JoePa called him an old fart. Their defense won't be awful. Everything else will be.
South Division
1. Texas Longhorns. I think that Oklahoma is a more dangerous team, but am giving Texas the edge due to their schedule. By no means is their schedule filled with creampuffs, in fact I don't think Texas will be the beneficiary of any huge blowouts. They only lose one of their top 7 rushers and return their top 5 tacklers. Getting WR Jordan Shipley back for a seemingly 16th year of eligibility will help tremendously. Colt McCoy is the key and is my favorite to win the Heisman.
2. Oklahoma Sooners. I'm not so sure that we might not have a repeat to last year's South Division race. It could come down to a tiebreaker. They have a salty defense returning and serious star power coming back on offense. Games versus BYU and @Miami have the ability to be dicey early season tests. Probably not.
3. Oklahoma State Cowboys. A great QB, RB, WR, and LT have the Cowpokes primed to jump on any mistake the Longhorns or Sooners make. The opener against Georgia could make me look like an idiot.
4. Baylor Bears. Wha? For reals? Yep. They have the most returning starters in the Big XII. However, none of them are offensive tackles. Luckily, they have the most mobile QB in the nation. LB Joe Pawalek and S Jordan Lake are All Conference and Penn State transfer DT Phil Taylor is expected to be difficult to run around. They'll go bowling for the first time since joining the Conference.
5. Texas Tech Red Raiders. I think it's letdown time in Lubbock. Mike Leach just got a big deal and while coaches aren't exactly like free agents, it's one less thing to motivate the quirky coach. They lose their two best players on offense and just lost potential All Big XII DE McKinner Dixon to the NFL supplemental draft. They are on the bad side of the momentum battle right now. Last year, #2 TTU got their Red Asses handed to them by #5 OU. The next week they barely beat Baylor at home. After a month to get their shit together, they ran into the buzzsaw that was Ole Miss last January. They'll still go to a bowl, but I can honestly see up to 5 conference losses.
6. Texas A&M Aggies. Well, they shouldn't get worse. They do return 10 starters on offense, albeit a shitty one. They lose former fixtures in Mike Goodson, Jorvorskie Lane and Stephen McGee. Despite his name, true freshman Christine Michael is a MAN. Should win Conference Freshman of the Year.
Big XII North
1. Nebraska Cornhuskers. With a more physically talented, albeit less experienced, quarterback at the helm in addition to the most legitimate rushing attack the school has seen since a Heisman winner named Crouch donned the Scarlet and Cream, NU looks to be the favorite in the North Division. NU looks to have an improved defense in the second year of the new scheme.
2. Kansas Jayhawks. KU returns the Division's best QB in diminutive Todd Reesing as well as their top 5 rushers and top 4 receivers. One of those receivers is Dezmon Briscoe who with a similar season to 2008 will land himself multiple post-season accolades. However, offense was never the problem under Mark Man-i'll-eat-anything-including-your-child-if-you-don't-mind-gino, it was a defense that gave up about 450 ypg. And they lose their LB crew from that mediocre defense. To boot, the Jayhawks face Oklahoma, Texas, and Tech from the South Division. A bit rough.
3. Missouri Tigers. MU loses everyone that mattered to their recent success including key members of their coaching staff. They have the conferences fewest returning starters and fewest returning letterman. And Gary Pinkel couldn't coach Creighton's football team. Their best recruit, DT Sheldon Richardson failed to qualify academically. Missouri probably shouldn't even field a team this year. They'll probably fold after the Nebraska, @Okie St., Texas stretch.
4. Colorado Buffaloes. Dan Hawkins is predicting 10 wins from a schedule that includes games at West Virginia, Texas, and Oklahoma St. They also draw Kansas and Nebraska at home. That's 5 pretty conservative choices for losses. And these days, unless you play in the NFC North and not the Big XII North, it's difficult to rack up both 10 wins and 5 losses. And they can't stop receivers from transferring.
5. Iowa State Cyclones. Call me crazy, but this Iowa State bunch might surprise a few foes. Sure, they've had 3 head coaches in 4 years. And I'll spot you the fact that Iowa State is in fact still located in Ames, Iowa and not Dallas, Texas. And yes, I realize they do not have a bye week during the regular season. They do return a veteran QB that threw for nearly 2800 yards while completing 62% of his passes. They do return both of their leading rushers and add former Florida RB Bo Williams to the mix. They do return 4 of their top 5 tacklers. They get Iowa, Baylor, Oklahoma State and Colorado at home. They WILL improve on a 2-10 record.
6. Kansas State Wildcats. So Bill Snyder has returned to Manhattan to resurrect the program he built up from nothing. They're gonna suck this year. He's 70. JoePa called him an old fart. Their defense won't be awful. Everything else will be.
South Division
1. Texas Longhorns. I think that Oklahoma is a more dangerous team, but am giving Texas the edge due to their schedule. By no means is their schedule filled with creampuffs, in fact I don't think Texas will be the beneficiary of any huge blowouts. They only lose one of their top 7 rushers and return their top 5 tacklers. Getting WR Jordan Shipley back for a seemingly 16th year of eligibility will help tremendously. Colt McCoy is the key and is my favorite to win the Heisman.
2. Oklahoma Sooners. I'm not so sure that we might not have a repeat to last year's South Division race. It could come down to a tiebreaker. They have a salty defense returning and serious star power coming back on offense. Games versus BYU and @Miami have the ability to be dicey early season tests. Probably not.
3. Oklahoma State Cowboys. A great QB, RB, WR, and LT have the Cowpokes primed to jump on any mistake the Longhorns or Sooners make. The opener against Georgia could make me look like an idiot.
4. Baylor Bears. Wha? For reals? Yep. They have the most returning starters in the Big XII. However, none of them are offensive tackles. Luckily, they have the most mobile QB in the nation. LB Joe Pawalek and S Jordan Lake are All Conference and Penn State transfer DT Phil Taylor is expected to be difficult to run around. They'll go bowling for the first time since joining the Conference.
5. Texas Tech Red Raiders. I think it's letdown time in Lubbock. Mike Leach just got a big deal and while coaches aren't exactly like free agents, it's one less thing to motivate the quirky coach. They lose their two best players on offense and just lost potential All Big XII DE McKinner Dixon to the NFL supplemental draft. They are on the bad side of the momentum battle right now. Last year, #2 TTU got their Red Asses handed to them by #5 OU. The next week they barely beat Baylor at home. After a month to get their shit together, they ran into the buzzsaw that was Ole Miss last January. They'll still go to a bowl, but I can honestly see up to 5 conference losses.
6. Texas A&M Aggies. Well, they shouldn't get worse. They do return 10 starters on offense, albeit a shitty one. They lose former fixtures in Mike Goodson, Jorvorskie Lane and Stephen McGee. Despite his name, true freshman Christine Michael is a MAN. Should win Conference Freshman of the Year.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
What in the World is Going On?
Just heard that Steve McNair was found shot to death in downtown Nashville earlier today. So adding that to Carradine, McMahon, Fawcett, Jackson, and Mays; that's six celebrities that have died in the last three weeks. My heart goes out to all of the families of the recently deceased. At the same time, this is almost too much in too short of a time. The news stations probably won't stop talking about celebrity deaths for the next 6 months.
While McMahon and Fawcett both fought valiantly against cancer and eventually succumbed, the rest of the list all died untimely deaths. Carradine died from something that I'll probably make fun of in future blog posts, but I'll leave it alone for now. We don't really know what happened to Michael Jackson, but pills seem likely to have a hand in his death. Billy Mays died from coronary artery disease at the age 50. And now McNair is found dead at the age of 36. The really crazy thing is that all of them are people I genuinely liked for one reason or another. Hopefully this is the last celebrity death for a while.
While McMahon and Fawcett both fought valiantly against cancer and eventually succumbed, the rest of the list all died untimely deaths. Carradine died from something that I'll probably make fun of in future blog posts, but I'll leave it alone for now. We don't really know what happened to Michael Jackson, but pills seem likely to have a hand in his death. Billy Mays died from coronary artery disease at the age 50. And now McNair is found dead at the age of 36. The really crazy thing is that all of them are people I genuinely liked for one reason or another. Hopefully this is the last celebrity death for a while.
Labels: Billy Mays, David Carradine, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Steve McNair, The Deuce, Too Much to Handle
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Jersey Boys
I discovered this little nugget over at the AVCLUB.
To all of our Jersey readers, I would suggest starting a band so this could happen to you someday!
To all of our Jersey readers, I would suggest starting a band so this could happen to you someday!
Labels: Bruce Springsteen, climax, The Gaslight Anthem
Monday, June 29, 2009
Free Darko, You Have Company.
Holy crap, this is the coolest baseball site ever. It's called Flip Flop Fly Ball, and essentially, it is composed of totally nerdy baseball/humor graphs. Flipping awesome (get it?).
And just as a reminder, here is some of the artwork from Free Darko's unbelievable book The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac:
Labels: Flip Flop Fly Ball, Free Darko, Nerdy Sports Stuff
New Wilco tomorrow!
I can't think of a better way to celebrate our nation's independence than with the sweet, sweet, all-american rockin' tunes of Wilco.
Be sure to visit your local independent record store as soon as you can to pick this one up.
Labels: Barack Obama, Independence, patriotism, Wilco
Friday, June 19, 2009
US Open
I honestly believe that Chris Berman is ruining the US Open
Thursday, June 18, 2009
NebraskaLand Days
Taking the family to The Official Celebration of Nebraska, highlighted by the state's largest parade.
I plan on showing them the sights. Leave a suggestion of your favorite NP site to see.
I plan on showing them the sights. Leave a suggestion of your favorite NP site to see.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Reasons for optimism
It's been a good week of digesting preseason football magazines. And from what the pundits think, Nebraska will do just fine.
Dr. Phil Steele, the wizard behind the curtain, uncovered a statistic that has me thinking positively. His creation of ypp, or yards per point, is a measure of offensive and defensive efficiency. Basically, an offense wants to have a very low ypp and a defense wants to have a higher ypp. Last year Nebraska's D had a ypp of 12.26. Not great. According to the nubmers that Steele has crunched over the past 19 years, Nebraska has between a 72.6-72.9% chance of equalling or bettering their record from last year's mark of 9-4.
A second statistic that gets me excited is Nebraska's turnover margin. Last year, the Cornhuskers were a pitiful -11. According to Dr. Steele, since 1996, 80% of teams with a negative double-digit turnover ratio had the same or better record the following year. Using the power of deductive reasoning, one might infer Nebraska might improve on this mark.
Here are some other reasons to get excited about the 2009 version of the Blackshirts:
--Nebraska returns seven starters on defense, including the top four tacklers from last year's squad.
--Nebraska is 6-0 against current Sun Belt Conference teams with an average score of 47-9. Florida Atlantic, Arkansas State, and UL-Lafayette are all current Sun Belt Conference teams.
--Nebraska is 33-2 in its last 35 conference openers and is 31-1 in its last 32 conference home openers.
--Last year's 62 points given up to Oklahoma is the most that Nebraska has ever given up to the Sooners. So at least that's out of the way. And the last visit to Lawrence saw Nebraska give up 76 points. That won't happen again.
Given that there is a strong to quite strong possibility that Nebraska will equal or improve its record from last year, let's take a look at this year's slate of games.
September 5 vs. Florida Atlantic. Win. NU hasn't lost a home opener in 24 years.
September 12 vs. Arkansas St. Win.
September 19 at Virginia Tech. Loss. There are some definite factors working against NU here. Blacksburg is a very tough place to play. VaTech is widely considered to be a Top 5-10 team this year with 9 returning starters on offense. VT has beaten the last 10 visiting non-conference BCS teams by an average of 20 points per game. The only redeeming factor is that the gametime has been recently announced as a 2:30 start time. Much better than playing there at night.
September 26 vs. UL-Lafayette. Win. NU has won the final non-conference game of the regular season 20 out of the last 22 years.
October 8 at Missouri. Win. Missouri loses four of the best players its program has ever seen. Nebraska wants blood and a lot of it. Nebraska will have an extra week and a half to prepare. Pelini wants to put up 52 on Mizzou. Nebraska fans still have a bad taste in their mouth from the Blaine Gabbert and Dan Hoch defections from the 2007 recruiting class. Nebraska wants to play well on a national stage after failing to do so in a long time. A win here will have pundits heralding the return of Nebraska to prominence on a national level.
October 17 vs. Texas Tech. Win. Nebraska will be hungry for this rematch, but not for redemption as in the Missouri case. A win last year versus Texas Tech would have done wonders for the confidence of the team. Nebraska is 0-17 against Top 19 teams since November of 2001. That could have changed, especially against the best Tech team in their program's history. Tech loses a ton of offensive personnel (lose 7 starters), but as we all know, it's their system that is the true danger. In a close game, Nebraska takes the momentum and extra time to rest up from the Missouri week to gain an edge.
October 24 vs. Iowa State. Win. NU is 37-3 in its last 40 Homecoming games.
October 31 at Baylor. Win. Although the last two meetings have been close and a victory over Nebraska would be a feather in the hat of the Baylor program, Baylor is still probably a year or two away from having the overall talent to beat a team like Nebraska. Baylor will also be limping in from a probable beating against Okie State.
November 7 vs. Oklahoma. Loss. NU would love some revenge against OU, but much like the case of Baylor/NU, Nebraska is a few recruiting classes away from really competing against the likes of Oklahoma.
November 14 at Kansas. Win.
November 21 vs. Kansas St. Win. Bill Snyder, meet Bo Pelini. Oh, you two know eachother?
November 27 at Colorado. Win. Colorado is not there yet.
So, 10-2 is in fact an improvement from 9-4. I think we go on to lose the Big XII championship and the bowl game is a toss-up at this point. So 10-4 or 11-3 is definitely an improvement.
Dr. Phil Steele, the wizard behind the curtain, uncovered a statistic that has me thinking positively. His creation of ypp, or yards per point, is a measure of offensive and defensive efficiency. Basically, an offense wants to have a very low ypp and a defense wants to have a higher ypp. Last year Nebraska's D had a ypp of 12.26. Not great. According to the nubmers that Steele has crunched over the past 19 years, Nebraska has between a 72.6-72.9% chance of equalling or bettering their record from last year's mark of 9-4.
A second statistic that gets me excited is Nebraska's turnover margin. Last year, the Cornhuskers were a pitiful -11. According to Dr. Steele, since 1996, 80% of teams with a negative double-digit turnover ratio had the same or better record the following year. Using the power of deductive reasoning, one might infer Nebraska might improve on this mark.
Here are some other reasons to get excited about the 2009 version of the Blackshirts:
--Nebraska returns seven starters on defense, including the top four tacklers from last year's squad.
--Nebraska is 6-0 against current Sun Belt Conference teams with an average score of 47-9. Florida Atlantic, Arkansas State, and UL-Lafayette are all current Sun Belt Conference teams.
--Nebraska is 33-2 in its last 35 conference openers and is 31-1 in its last 32 conference home openers.
--Last year's 62 points given up to Oklahoma is the most that Nebraska has ever given up to the Sooners. So at least that's out of the way. And the last visit to Lawrence saw Nebraska give up 76 points. That won't happen again.
Given that there is a strong to quite strong possibility that Nebraska will equal or improve its record from last year, let's take a look at this year's slate of games.
September 5 vs. Florida Atlantic. Win. NU hasn't lost a home opener in 24 years.
September 12 vs. Arkansas St. Win.
September 19 at Virginia Tech. Loss. There are some definite factors working against NU here. Blacksburg is a very tough place to play. VaTech is widely considered to be a Top 5-10 team this year with 9 returning starters on offense. VT has beaten the last 10 visiting non-conference BCS teams by an average of 20 points per game. The only redeeming factor is that the gametime has been recently announced as a 2:30 start time. Much better than playing there at night.
September 26 vs. UL-Lafayette. Win. NU has won the final non-conference game of the regular season 20 out of the last 22 years.
October 8 at Missouri. Win. Missouri loses four of the best players its program has ever seen. Nebraska wants blood and a lot of it. Nebraska will have an extra week and a half to prepare. Pelini wants to put up 52 on Mizzou. Nebraska fans still have a bad taste in their mouth from the Blaine Gabbert and Dan Hoch defections from the 2007 recruiting class. Nebraska wants to play well on a national stage after failing to do so in a long time. A win here will have pundits heralding the return of Nebraska to prominence on a national level.
October 17 vs. Texas Tech. Win. Nebraska will be hungry for this rematch, but not for redemption as in the Missouri case. A win last year versus Texas Tech would have done wonders for the confidence of the team. Nebraska is 0-17 against Top 19 teams since November of 2001. That could have changed, especially against the best Tech team in their program's history. Tech loses a ton of offensive personnel (lose 7 starters), but as we all know, it's their system that is the true danger. In a close game, Nebraska takes the momentum and extra time to rest up from the Missouri week to gain an edge.
October 24 vs. Iowa State. Win. NU is 37-3 in its last 40 Homecoming games.
October 31 at Baylor. Win. Although the last two meetings have been close and a victory over Nebraska would be a feather in the hat of the Baylor program, Baylor is still probably a year or two away from having the overall talent to beat a team like Nebraska. Baylor will also be limping in from a probable beating against Okie State.
November 7 vs. Oklahoma. Loss. NU would love some revenge against OU, but much like the case of Baylor/NU, Nebraska is a few recruiting classes away from really competing against the likes of Oklahoma.
November 14 at Kansas. Win.
November 21 vs. Kansas St. Win. Bill Snyder, meet Bo Pelini. Oh, you two know eachother?
November 27 at Colorado. Win. Colorado is not there yet.
So, 10-2 is in fact an improvement from 9-4. I think we go on to lose the Big XII championship and the bowl game is a toss-up at this point. So 10-4 or 11-3 is definitely an improvement.
Labels: It's only June, Nebraska Football
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Dropping Dimes
Some tidbits for you:
-It's past Memorial Day, which means your local QT is celebrating Cheap Drink Summer by offering 49-cent fountain drinks from now until September. Great times!
-Federer beats Nadal in the French Open this year, finally. Gambling on tennis? I say yes. Discuss.
-The $20 trick really does work in Vegas. I had a room at Caesar's Palce that was so big it had a doorbell and two climate-control systems. And did I mention the view?
-Joe Mauer must have found some HGH or something but it's a hell of a ride.
-Would you get even money on Zack Greinke's ERA being over 2 at the end of the year?
-Thanks Mayfield!
-Kenny Fucking Powers' twitter site is good for one or two laughs a week.
-I've been talking the last few days about how segregated Omaha is, but I've got a new issue to complain about: Let's rid the world of Mr. Pibb. Seriously. It serves no purpose other than rewarding tight asses for not stocking Dr. Pepper. They don't make a diet, it tastes exactly the same except shittier and its marketing and packaging are godawful. It doesn't need to exist, and goddamn it, I'm going to do something about it.
-I would also listen to the 5/23 podcast of our radio show to learn the vague plans behind my splendid idea to make Nebraska's license plates viral and take them underground. I'm not getting off this soapbox either. License plates and Mr. Pibb: Fuck you.
-Also, there is a new sunflower seed brand you need to become aware of, if you are not already. Giant. It's basically what the sunflower seed world has needed since I've been alive. Family-owned for a hell of a long time and headquartered in Wahpeton, ND, they offer a delicious original flavor and a shitton of well-executed, creative flavors like Salt and Pepper, Dakota Ranch, KC BBQ, Spicy Garlic, and Dill. These seeds are fucking perfect. And they are the official seed of the Minnesota Twins. But don't take my word for it!
-It's past Memorial Day, which means your local QT is celebrating Cheap Drink Summer by offering 49-cent fountain drinks from now until September. Great times!
-Federer beats Nadal in the French Open this year, finally. Gambling on tennis? I say yes. Discuss.
-The $20 trick really does work in Vegas. I had a room at Caesar's Palce that was so big it had a doorbell and two climate-control systems. And did I mention the view?
-Joe Mauer must have found some HGH or something but it's a hell of a ride.
-Would you get even money on Zack Greinke's ERA being over 2 at the end of the year?
-Thanks Mayfield!
-Kenny Fucking Powers' twitter site is good for one or two laughs a week.
-I've been talking the last few days about how segregated Omaha is, but I've got a new issue to complain about: Let's rid the world of Mr. Pibb. Seriously. It serves no purpose other than rewarding tight asses for not stocking Dr. Pepper. They don't make a diet, it tastes exactly the same except shittier and its marketing and packaging are godawful. It doesn't need to exist, and goddamn it, I'm going to do something about it.
-I would also listen to the 5/23 podcast of our radio show to learn the vague plans behind my splendid idea to make Nebraska's license plates viral and take them underground. I'm not getting off this soapbox either. License plates and Mr. Pibb: Fuck you.
-Also, there is a new sunflower seed brand you need to become aware of, if you are not already. Giant. It's basically what the sunflower seed world has needed since I've been alive. Family-owned for a hell of a long time and headquartered in Wahpeton, ND, they offer a delicious original flavor and a shitton of well-executed, creative flavors like Salt and Pepper, Dakota Ranch, KC BBQ, Spicy Garlic, and Dill. These seeds are fucking perfect. And they are the official seed of the Minnesota Twins. But don't take my word for it!
Labels: Bucky's Gas Stations, French Open, not shitty sunflower seeds, The Weekly Grind
Weekend Boners
Just got my copies of the Athlon and Phil Steele National preview magazines. Just in time to have them memorized for the July 10th release of NCAA 10.
And I'm eating a BLT from produce I got at the local Farmer's Market WHILE my steaks marinate. Mantastic!
And I'm eating a BLT from produce I got at the local Farmer's Market WHILE my steaks marinate. Mantastic!
Baseball!
The blog seems to enjoy these, and since I still am the only person I know who reads Joe Posnanski's blog, here's some good baseball stuff to kill a half hour or so at work on Monday.
And by the way, if anyone tries is still trying to defend pitchers' wins and losses are important, you're wrong.
Also, I'm using the Bucky's Gas Stations label because I endorse what they do and I have no idea why this label exists but it made my day.
And by the way, if anyone tries is still trying to defend pitchers' wins and losses are important, you're wrong.
Also, I'm using the Bucky's Gas Stations label because I endorse what they do and I have no idea why this label exists but it made my day.
Labels: baseball, Bucky's Gas Stations, Joe Posnanski, Statistics
Friday, May 22, 2009
License to Kill--The State of Nebraska
In a completely amazing turn in what is becoming our favorite in-state saga since trial of Chief Standing Bear, today Commander Heineman acknowledged that the results of the license plate voting were rigged and threw out the plain, mostly crappy grey plate in favor of one thousand times worse bird and flower plate. Below is our analysis:
Pete:
What a riveting twist! This is absolutely the one thing that could have made the situation even more of a PR disaster. To recap the events so far, here is what has happened:
plates were put up for a vote->choices were all slightly poor but not offensive->snarky college website decides to rig election to get worst plate voted in->plate gets voted in->state denies results were rigged->state admits results were rigged->state disregards vote and commandeers for new, uglier plate
The governor could rescue a baby otter from a burning building while planting a Husker flag on Mizzou's 50 yard line while raising corn prices $20 a bushel and not be looked upon favorably after this. Rightly or (mostly) wrongly, the State of Nebraska does not like getting fucked up license plates. Recognize, or this will be an issue during reelection. I'm getting giddy shivers in anticipation of some ridiculous statewide political controversy.
GA:
Not much to add, other than my neighbors think the bird plates look "pretty faggy."
Fin.
Pete:
What a riveting twist! This is absolutely the one thing that could have made the situation even more of a PR disaster. To recap the events so far, here is what has happened:
plates were put up for a vote->choices were all slightly poor but not offensive->snarky college website decides to rig election to get worst plate voted in->plate gets voted in->state denies results were rigged->state admits results were rigged->state disregards vote and commandeers for new, uglier plate
The governor could rescue a baby otter from a burning building while planting a Husker flag on Mizzou's 50 yard line while raising corn prices $20 a bushel and not be looked upon favorably after this. Rightly or (mostly) wrongly, the State of Nebraska does not like getting fucked up license plates. Recognize, or this will be an issue during reelection. I'm getting giddy shivers in anticipation of some ridiculous statewide political controversy.
GA:
Not much to add, other than my neighbors think the bird plates look "pretty faggy."
Fin.
Labels: Craziness, License Plates, Political Issues
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Dear College Basketball:
Hope this blog post finds you well.
Just wanted to pass along a note letting you know that things are going to get a bit rough for you now that John Calapari is at Kentucky. Sure, there are plenty of great basketball players out there for all of you teams to fight over.
But as far as those Top 25-type players go, you might just want to wait for Coach Cal to decide who he wants, THEN you can start recruiting the leftovers.
But I suppose you already knew that after you saw today that PG John Wall committed to Kentucky. Wall is Rivals.com's #1 player in America for 2009, and many NBA scouts have said that if he was able to enter the draft, he would be the consensus #2 pick in the draft (behind Griffin).
What's crazy about Wall signing, however, is that Kentucky got him despite the fact that they signed PG Eric Bledsoe just two weeks ago. Bledsoe is only Rivals' #3 PG in the country, and himself a 5-Star recruit.
THEN you have to consider the teams UK was recruiting Wall against. Duke, Florida (who also recruited Bledsoe), and Miami. Duke and Florida desperately need a point guard, and Miami...well, they could use an upgrade at every spot, let alone point guard.
So throw in the #1 and #3 point guards in the land along with the #2 player in the country in DeMarcus Cousins, 5-Star center Daniel Orton, 4-Star wing Jon Hood, and 4-Star G/F JUCO Darnell Dodson and you have--on paper--a recruiting class as good as the Fab 5.
Did I mention that Calapari has been at Kentucky for 6 weeks?
Lastly, when you take into consideration Patrick Patterson withdrew his name from the draft and Jodie Meeks will likely follow suit, then you have to start thinking for next year...well, I will let Andy Katz take it away:
Like Katz says: I didn't think Coach Cal would have Kentucky competing for a National Championship in his first year. But John Wall--especially when combined with Patterson, Darius Miller, and this recruiting class--is such a game-changer that they should be a Top 5 team all season and absolutely be a Final Four-caliber team.
So, college basketball: hope you enjoyed the landscape while Kentucky was down. Have fun with the leftovers.
Warmest Regards,
GA Hill
Just wanted to pass along a note letting you know that things are going to get a bit rough for you now that John Calapari is at Kentucky. Sure, there are plenty of great basketball players out there for all of you teams to fight over.
But as far as those Top 25-type players go, you might just want to wait for Coach Cal to decide who he wants, THEN you can start recruiting the leftovers.
But I suppose you already knew that after you saw today that PG John Wall committed to Kentucky. Wall is Rivals.com's #1 player in America for 2009, and many NBA scouts have said that if he was able to enter the draft, he would be the consensus #2 pick in the draft (behind Griffin).
What's crazy about Wall signing, however, is that Kentucky got him despite the fact that they signed PG Eric Bledsoe just two weeks ago. Bledsoe is only Rivals' #3 PG in the country, and himself a 5-Star recruit.
THEN you have to consider the teams UK was recruiting Wall against. Duke, Florida (who also recruited Bledsoe), and Miami. Duke and Florida desperately need a point guard, and Miami...well, they could use an upgrade at every spot, let alone point guard.
So throw in the #1 and #3 point guards in the land along with the #2 player in the country in DeMarcus Cousins, 5-Star center Daniel Orton, 4-Star wing Jon Hood, and 4-Star G/F JUCO Darnell Dodson and you have--on paper--a recruiting class as good as the Fab 5.
Did I mention that Calapari has been at Kentucky for 6 weeks?
Lastly, when you take into consideration Patrick Patterson withdrew his name from the draft and Jodie Meeks will likely follow suit, then you have to start thinking for next year...well, I will let Andy Katz take it away:
Like Katz says: I didn't think Coach Cal would have Kentucky competing for a National Championship in his first year. But John Wall--especially when combined with Patterson, Darius Miller, and this recruiting class--is such a game-changer that they should be a Top 5 team all season and absolutely be a Final Four-caliber team.
So, college basketball: hope you enjoyed the landscape while Kentucky was down. Have fun with the leftovers.
Warmest Regards,
GA Hill
P.S.: In case you were wondering, for 6 recruits, that is a 4.66-Star average per player.
Labels: College Basketball, Duke Sucks, John Calapari, John Wall, University of Kentucky
Sunday, May 17, 2009
The Planet is still revolving
Thursday, May 14, 2009
I Know the New Mayor Sucks... But at Least You Don't Live Here
So here are four articles related to a continuous series of fights that have broken out in Iowa City.
http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200990511002
http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090512/NEWS01/90512001
http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200990514002
View Larger Map
http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200990511002
http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090512/NEWS01/90512001
http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200990514002
And here's where I live in comparison to these problems.
View Larger Map
"A" is where the original fight occurred, "B" and "C" are other locations that play a part in this story. "D" is where Mrs. Deuce and I live.
Labels: I have to live here for another year?, Iowa City, Riots, The Deuce
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Congrats, Omaha
You just elected this guy as your mayor. The same man that literally--LITERALLY!--did not produce one plan of action for one single issue.
What a f-bombing embarrassment.
I am completely and totally stunned. And disappointed. 37,000 people voted for this clown.
WHY??????
What in the hell did he say or do during this campaign to make ANYONE want to vote for him?
This is the same guy who said his idea of economic development was to build a random-ass bridge in a nowhere part of town that goes into Iowa.
He had no economic development plans. His plan for fighting crime was to "increase graduation rates." His plan to grow Omaha was to "create 1,000 new jobs."
These were his PLANS. As in, "hey, how does he plan on doing these things? Oh. You mean those empty, ridiculous sentences ARE his plans?"
Yes. Yes they were.
I try to be an open-minded person. And I try my best to at least respect the other side of opinion.
That said: how anyone could in good conscience vote for Jim Suttle--other than the fact he is a Democrat--should not be allowed to vote in a general election again.
This man had no business being allowed to run for Mayor, let alone win the damn thing.
Labels: Jim Suttle, Omaha, You should have to take a basic quiz on the issues in the election and pass to be able to vote
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