OU had big hopes and dreams, and now they're gone. We lost against a pretty poor Colorado team, mostly because we didn't look much like we showed up. This is the same CU team that lost at home to Florida State, and looked pathetic doing it. In fact, they'll probably lose to Missouri, Nebraska, Texas Tech, and possibly Kansas and they'll be lucky to make a bowl game.
And OU lost to them. Pathetic. Let's face it; the rest of the teams on OU's schedule haven't really been lighting it up, either, so even if OU won out and managed to win the Big 12, they still don't have a realistic chance of playing for the NC now. And frankly, I'm getting tired of winning the Big 12 and yet continuing to be the butt of everyone's jokes. That awful USC game...the loss at TCU in 2005...the Texas Tech "loss"...Oregon last year...that BS with Boise State (how fitting)...and now THIS?!?!?!?! Just when I thought we'd be fine and the spotlight would be off of us, with Michigan obligingly losing to Appy State and OU seemingly invincible...THIS happens. I'm ashamed. I'm pissed off. I'm hurt. I don't really want to see anyone today or talk to anyone today, because they all know me and they'll all bring it up.
Worse for me, I live in their f***ing state and so I get the benefit of hearing about today for the next year or two. Wonderful. I SO LOVE LIVING HERE...
Finally, I'm starting to get tired of adversity. REALLY tired of it. There's really nothing more to say. I'd really rather that this day had never happened.
Showing newest 22 of 23 posts from September 2007. Show older posts
Showing newest 22 of 23 posts from September 2007. Show older posts
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Friday, September 28, 2007
The Californication of Colorado Continues Unabated
Colorado Overtakes California As Nation's Biggest Beer Producer
Check another item off the list. So there's already more skiing here...now more beer. In fact, I think there may even be more Californians here than in California. I understand Coloradans are looking to overtake Cali in pot production, moonbats, and illegal immigrants, as well.
Check another item off the list. So there's already more skiing here...now more beer. In fact, I think there may even be more Californians here than in California. I understand Coloradans are looking to overtake Cali in pot production, moonbats, and illegal immigrants, as well.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!
Just as last Wednesday was my birthday, so today is the birthday of my lovely wife Heidi. We have borrowed a tradition from my Mom and Dad and named the period around all of our birthdays as a sort of holiday time. Because we're all so busy and have so much going on, Mom and Dad thought it would be a good idea to celebrate several days around the birthday, rather than just the birthday itself. Mom's birthday, on September 1st, is "Janubilee" (her name being Janet). Dad's is on January 9th, and its proximity to Christmas led them to the name "Ron-mess" (from "Ronmas" instead of Christmas). So, in following that route, we went with Connorval (instead of Carnival) for Connor, Donovation for Donovan, Owen Fool's Day for Owen (since he was born on April 1), and Katie-esta (from fiesta) for Katie.
As for Heidi and I, since our birthdays are only a week apart, we worked hard to come up with a suitable name. So we took the name "Mardi Gras", combined Chris and Heidi, and turned the whole thing into "Chreidi Gras" (pronounced "Cry-dee Graw"). A bit awkward but it works well for us.
In line with my post from last week, here are some events from this day in history (again, courtesy of Wikipedia).
1580: Sir Francis Drake completed his circumnavigation of the globe.
1937: The original radio show The Shadow, starring Orson Welles in the title role, premieres.
1957: West Side Story opens on Broadway.
1960: The famous first televised debate between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy takes place.
1961: Bob Dylan makes his public debut.
1966: The Chevrolet Camaro appears.
1969: The Beatles release the Abbey Road album.
1973: The Concorde makes its historic, record-breaking first non-stop Trans-Atlantic flight.
Noteworthy Celebrity Births and Deaths on this day:
St. Francis of Assisi, b. 1226
Johnny Appleseed, b. 1774
T.S. Eliot, b. 1888
George Gershwin, b. 1898
Bill France, Sr. (founder of NASCAR), b. 1909
Jack LaLanne, b. 1914
Marty Robbins, b. 1925
Bryan Ferry (founder/lead singer of Roxy Music), b. 1945
Olivia Newton-John, b. 1948
Linda Hamilton (from the Terminator movies), b. 1956
Jim Caviezel (Jesus in The Passion of the Christ), b. 1968
Serena Williams (American tennis pro), b. 1981
Daniel Boone, d. 1820
Levi Strauss (yes, the jeans guy), d. 1902
George Santayana ("Those who cannot remember the past..."), d. 1952
Ralph Earnhardt (American racer and father of Dale, Grandpa to Dale Jr.), d. 1973
Byron Nelson (American golfer), d. 2006
Heidi's birthday is much more interesting than mine. And she has the added bonus of not having International Talk Like A Pirate Day on her birthday.
Happy Birthday, babe...you're one of God's greatest gifts to me. I love you so much.
As for Heidi and I, since our birthdays are only a week apart, we worked hard to come up with a suitable name. So we took the name "Mardi Gras", combined Chris and Heidi, and turned the whole thing into "Chreidi Gras" (pronounced "Cry-dee Graw"). A bit awkward but it works well for us.
In line with my post from last week, here are some events from this day in history (again, courtesy of Wikipedia).
1580: Sir Francis Drake completed his circumnavigation of the globe.
1937: The original radio show The Shadow, starring Orson Welles in the title role, premieres.
1957: West Side Story opens on Broadway.
1960: The famous first televised debate between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy takes place.
1961: Bob Dylan makes his public debut.
1966: The Chevrolet Camaro appears.
1969: The Beatles release the Abbey Road album.
1973: The Concorde makes its historic, record-breaking first non-stop Trans-Atlantic flight.
Noteworthy Celebrity Births and Deaths on this day:
St. Francis of Assisi, b. 1226
Johnny Appleseed, b. 1774
T.S. Eliot, b. 1888
George Gershwin, b. 1898
Bill France, Sr. (founder of NASCAR), b. 1909
Jack LaLanne, b. 1914
Marty Robbins, b. 1925
Bryan Ferry (founder/lead singer of Roxy Music), b. 1945
Olivia Newton-John, b. 1948
Linda Hamilton (from the Terminator movies), b. 1956
Jim Caviezel (Jesus in The Passion of the Christ), b. 1968
Serena Williams (American tennis pro), b. 1981
Daniel Boone, d. 1820
Levi Strauss (yes, the jeans guy), d. 1902
George Santayana ("Those who cannot remember the past..."), d. 1952
Ralph Earnhardt (American racer and father of Dale, Grandpa to Dale Jr.), d. 1973
Byron Nelson (American golfer), d. 2006
Heidi's birthday is much more interesting than mine. And she has the added bonus of not having International Talk Like A Pirate Day on her birthday.
Happy Birthday, babe...you're one of God's greatest gifts to me. I love you so much.
California Logic
Read this article and pay close attention to the final paragraph:
3 Charged in Death of PC World Editor Shot in Plot to Steal Medical Marijuana
So here's how justice works in California, apparently. Kill a whole bunch of innocent people, and your death sentence gets commuted and never reinstated, so that regardless of the kind of monster you are, your living license is never revoked and you live off the public teat for the rest of your days. Shoot an infant in the head, and no one around wants to be straight up and help solve the crime, because it's a gang thing and so the normal rules of common decency don't really apply. (The article says that folks are helping, but it's been a couple of weeks now and no one's turned in the guy who did it. If they were THAT willing to help, he would already be in custody, awaiting trial.)
But, DUDE! If you kill me or someone I know for my pot, you're going to the chair.
3 Charged in Death of PC World Editor Shot in Plot to Steal Medical Marijuana
So here's how justice works in California, apparently. Kill a whole bunch of innocent people, and your death sentence gets commuted and never reinstated, so that regardless of the kind of monster you are, your living license is never revoked and you live off the public teat for the rest of your days. Shoot an infant in the head, and no one around wants to be straight up and help solve the crime, because it's a gang thing and so the normal rules of common decency don't really apply. (The article says that folks are helping, but it's been a couple of weeks now and no one's turned in the guy who did it. If they were THAT willing to help, he would already be in custody, awaiting trial.)
But, DUDE! If you kill me or someone I know for my pot, you're going to the chair.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
The Consequences of Free Speech, and Global Warming and New Urbanism
What happens when you exercise free speech?
Profane Language Puts Student Editor's Job On Line
One day people will understand again that whatever you believe, your words have consequences. A hundred and fifty years ago, here in Denver, your words had definite consequences. Your word was believed and taken at face value, because a man's word was his bond. So if you called a man a liar, you could expect a fight. If you threatened to kill a man, even to other people, once he heard about it he was coming after you (why should he believe you are lying or joking?). You actually had to think before spoke. Today, people call other people liars all the time. People say all sorts of rude things, because we have conditioned ourselves into believing that free speech is part of God's law, and that you can say anything you like with absolutely no consequences whatsoever, especially if what you say is controversial or somehow in the minority (we all know how the minorities, either of race, creed, or opinion, abuse their protections). Some even demand the "right" to desecrate patriotic and sacred religious symbols, all in the name of "free speech."
It appears that sometimes, though, when you least expect it, people will rise up and force consequences upon those who abuse their rights. Honestly, I think we should go back to the days when you could give someone a good punch in the nose when they offended you. I don't condone violence unless it's necessary, but at least 150 years ago, people were thoughtful and considerate before they spoke. Maybe if those consequences asserted themselves again, we could go back to that. Unfortunately, though, that means standards of morality, and the liberals would never possibly allow something as archaic as that to exist.
I think I'll exert my own free speech rights and get a bumper sticker that says:
"If you don't have anything nice to say...you must be a liberal Democrat."
Then there's this:
Study: Urban Sprawl A Factor In Global Warming
Why do elitists continue to insist that we all live in little-bitty apartments, all packed together like sardines? Why do they foist their ridiculous Communist ideals of "community" upon us all? (Remember Hillary's infamous "it takes a village" nonsense?) Several years back some elitist designers and architects came up with the idea of New Urbanism. Basically, you build artificial city-like "communities," governed by the residents of the "community" and based on the idea that everyone lives close, works in the area, gives up their cars and personal space (aside from their actual living quarters), and shares their lives together, one big, happy family. (If you can actually see through the pot smoke into the distant past, and if you read the above link, you'll recognize that what today is called "New Urbanism" looks very similar to what used to be called a "hippie commune." In fact, read that then click the link through to the "New Pedestrianism" article and see what you think.) Now they believe they've got another arrow for their quiver: "high-density housing saves the planet."
I'm going to present some ideas as to why New Urbanism/New Pedestrianism can't and won't work in real life:
1. Working and living arrangements are, for 90% of folks in the world, separate-but-equal considerations. When you mess with those, you're messing with the two most critical parts of their entire existence. I don't know of anyone who lives in north Denver, then takes a job in south Denver and moves to south Denver. You work wherever you can make the most money at the job you enjoy most, and you live wherever you can maximize your space and comfort and minimize your housing costs. That's the way the world works. You can't artificially force people to live and work in the same 5-block area, unless they are already heavily inclined or desirous to do so. Most folks aren't, and the ones that are already live in these goofy little communes.
2. You can artificially bring jobs to your New Urban commune, but you can't artificially bring good jobs to it. When I say good jobs, I mean something other than the retail or service-industry crud you would get in the commune. We have a few of these around here, and I've seen what they have to offer. Right now, that's not office parks and good jobs. Sure, you can build office parks and such and try to attach them or keep them close, but larger companies that bring more jobs and thus allowing more of your residents to work close by with more diverse kinds of work aren't going to be constrained to your little commune, or just go along with you because "it's the right thing to do". They're going to go and build and work where it makes the best business sense for them. Even if you forgo larger companies fill your office park with lots of small companies, the chances that those little (or even medium-sized) companies will fit all your residents' career needs and desires is very low, meaning lots of folks will still be working (and thus driving) elsewhere.
3. You can't force people to live that lifestyle unless they want to. Let's face it, New Urbanism is just another bit of trendy nonsense of the same sort that fueled the huge loft-apartment boom in downtown Denver back during the Internet boom. As an economic example of the exuberance (and ridiculousness) that fueled this push, Colorado Home Stop features 572 listings in the downtown Denver area, and pretty much all of them are loft apartments/condos. How many of those 572 listings are affordable (i.e., $200K or less)? 40. That's right. The median price is around $465K. There are lots of people who want to live in a big city, either because they grew up in New York and want all the fun and coolness of living in New York without actually living there, or because they're young and think that the constant activity and nightlife offered by a city is the ultimate in awesomeness. On the other hand, why does urban sprawl, so decried in the above article and in so many other "green" publications, continue to grow and thrive? Because once you grow up, move beyond nightlife and trendiness into real responsibility, and have kids, living in the city really sucks. History has shown for years that people will move away from the cities as soon as they have a realistic opportunity. Why is that? Most people don't want to live in a big city. There's the real answer, hippies...deal with it.
I could write so much more about this (and did, before deleting it all). But I think you all get the general idea. Go check out the links, and decide for yourself.
Thanks for reading along.
Profane Language Puts Student Editor's Job On Line
One day people will understand again that whatever you believe, your words have consequences. A hundred and fifty years ago, here in Denver, your words had definite consequences. Your word was believed and taken at face value, because a man's word was his bond. So if you called a man a liar, you could expect a fight. If you threatened to kill a man, even to other people, once he heard about it he was coming after you (why should he believe you are lying or joking?). You actually had to think before spoke. Today, people call other people liars all the time. People say all sorts of rude things, because we have conditioned ourselves into believing that free speech is part of God's law, and that you can say anything you like with absolutely no consequences whatsoever, especially if what you say is controversial or somehow in the minority (we all know how the minorities, either of race, creed, or opinion, abuse their protections). Some even demand the "right" to desecrate patriotic and sacred religious symbols, all in the name of "free speech."
It appears that sometimes, though, when you least expect it, people will rise up and force consequences upon those who abuse their rights. Honestly, I think we should go back to the days when you could give someone a good punch in the nose when they offended you. I don't condone violence unless it's necessary, but at least 150 years ago, people were thoughtful and considerate before they spoke. Maybe if those consequences asserted themselves again, we could go back to that. Unfortunately, though, that means standards of morality, and the liberals would never possibly allow something as archaic as that to exist.
I think I'll exert my own free speech rights and get a bumper sticker that says:
"If you don't have anything nice to say...you must be a liberal Democrat."
Then there's this:
Study: Urban Sprawl A Factor In Global Warming
Why do elitists continue to insist that we all live in little-bitty apartments, all packed together like sardines? Why do they foist their ridiculous Communist ideals of "community" upon us all? (Remember Hillary's infamous "it takes a village" nonsense?) Several years back some elitist designers and architects came up with the idea of New Urbanism. Basically, you build artificial city-like "communities," governed by the residents of the "community" and based on the idea that everyone lives close, works in the area, gives up their cars and personal space (aside from their actual living quarters), and shares their lives together, one big, happy family. (If you can actually see through the pot smoke into the distant past, and if you read the above link, you'll recognize that what today is called "New Urbanism" looks very similar to what used to be called a "hippie commune." In fact, read that then click the link through to the "New Pedestrianism" article and see what you think.) Now they believe they've got another arrow for their quiver: "high-density housing saves the planet."
I'm going to present some ideas as to why New Urbanism/New Pedestrianism can't and won't work in real life:
1. Working and living arrangements are, for 90% of folks in the world, separate-but-equal considerations. When you mess with those, you're messing with the two most critical parts of their entire existence. I don't know of anyone who lives in north Denver, then takes a job in south Denver and moves to south Denver. You work wherever you can make the most money at the job you enjoy most, and you live wherever you can maximize your space and comfort and minimize your housing costs. That's the way the world works. You can't artificially force people to live and work in the same 5-block area, unless they are already heavily inclined or desirous to do so. Most folks aren't, and the ones that are already live in these goofy little communes.
2. You can artificially bring jobs to your New Urban commune, but you can't artificially bring good jobs to it. When I say good jobs, I mean something other than the retail or service-industry crud you would get in the commune. We have a few of these around here, and I've seen what they have to offer. Right now, that's not office parks and good jobs. Sure, you can build office parks and such and try to attach them or keep them close, but larger companies that bring more jobs and thus allowing more of your residents to work close by with more diverse kinds of work aren't going to be constrained to your little commune, or just go along with you because "it's the right thing to do". They're going to go and build and work where it makes the best business sense for them. Even if you forgo larger companies fill your office park with lots of small companies, the chances that those little (or even medium-sized) companies will fit all your residents' career needs and desires is very low, meaning lots of folks will still be working (and thus driving) elsewhere.
3. You can't force people to live that lifestyle unless they want to. Let's face it, New Urbanism is just another bit of trendy nonsense of the same sort that fueled the huge loft-apartment boom in downtown Denver back during the Internet boom. As an economic example of the exuberance (and ridiculousness) that fueled this push, Colorado Home Stop features 572 listings in the downtown Denver area, and pretty much all of them are loft apartments/condos. How many of those 572 listings are affordable (i.e., $200K or less)? 40. That's right. The median price is around $465K. There are lots of people who want to live in a big city, either because they grew up in New York and want all the fun and coolness of living in New York without actually living there, or because they're young and think that the constant activity and nightlife offered by a city is the ultimate in awesomeness. On the other hand, why does urban sprawl, so decried in the above article and in so many other "green" publications, continue to grow and thrive? Because once you grow up, move beyond nightlife and trendiness into real responsibility, and have kids, living in the city really sucks. History has shown for years that people will move away from the cities as soon as they have a realistic opportunity. Why is that? Most people don't want to live in a big city. There's the real answer, hippies...deal with it.
I could write so much more about this (and did, before deleting it all). But I think you all get the general idea. Go check out the links, and decide for yourself.
Thanks for reading along.
Friday, September 21, 2007
I'd Lunge At Him, Too...
Man Lunges at Niece's Killer in Courtroom
We're seeing this more and more, and I'm guessing it stems from the frustration of a justice system that can't seem to find the right way to be "just" in these cases.
Especially when you read that the defendant was sentenced to "28 years and eight months in prison, the maximum under state guidelines, for first-degree murder." 28 years and 8 months is the maximum for a man who stabbed his wife 28 times??? Who thought that up? According to this page, Washington state permits the death penalty. Apparently you have to do something worse than stab someone 28 times to receive that sentence. Or maybe the sentencing guidelines just say you get a year in prison for every time you stab your victim. I wonder what happens if you shoot them?
We're seeing this more and more, and I'm guessing it stems from the frustration of a justice system that can't seem to find the right way to be "just" in these cases.
Especially when you read that the defendant was sentenced to "28 years and eight months in prison, the maximum under state guidelines, for first-degree murder." 28 years and 8 months is the maximum for a man who stabbed his wife 28 times??? Who thought that up? According to this page, Washington state permits the death penalty. Apparently you have to do something worse than stab someone 28 times to receive that sentence. Or maybe the sentencing guidelines just say you get a year in prison for every time you stab your victim. I wonder what happens if you shoot them?
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Irresistible Force vs. Immovable Object?
(OU FOOTBALL DISCLAIMER: This is another OU football post. In fact, there will be nothing in this post other than discussion of OU football. If you're not interested, move along...nothing to see here.)
So tomorrow night's game against Tulsa will be an interesting one. TU has had some success so far, even beating well-regarded BYU 55-47 last week. Mom (herself a TU alum) and Dad were at that game and they told me it was a wild one. This week, though, they'll have a bit more of a challenge...and that's the whole crux of this game. TU's defense has been relatively porous, ranking 93rd in scoring defense (32 pts/game) and 108th in total offense (486 yards allowed/game). That defense will a great deal of trouble against OU's offense, which is ranked 3rd in total offense (565.3) and 1st in scoring offense (61.3). Worse news for TU is their lack of effectiveness against a strong ground game. They've given up 184.5 yards per game on the ground against the likes of BYU and Louisiana-Monroe, neither of whom is known for an outstanding rushing attack. ULM runs a bit more because of a lack of solid passing, but BYU is definitely NOT a running team and they still put up 157 yards in their game against TU. Against OU's superior blocking and deep stable of talented running backs, the ground game should have a field day. I predict 300 on the ground for OU before the day is over, in fact, with several long runs like last week. OU has the clear advantage overall and should be able to put up at least 50 points for the fourth straight game.
However, TU's offense is ranked highly as well, 4th in total offense (559 yds/game), 6th in passing offense (398.5 yds/game) and 15th in scoring offense (45 pts/game). That amazing offense goes head-to-head with OU's super-stout defense, ranked 2nd in total defense (179.7), 6th in scoring defense (8.7), and 12th in passing defense (135.3). OU's D has racked up 10 sacks, while TU's O-line has only given up 3 in two games. TU's had 2 passes intercepted, while OU has taken 5 from their opponents, with two of them returned for TDs.
This could be the real irresistible-force-vs-immovable-object game, one of the toughest OU will play, in fact. No offense to Texas or any of the other opponents on the OU schedule, but TU might be the toughest test OU's defense will receive. Since TU's passing game will be the big factor in this battle, I predict that these sack and interception stats will be the difference makers. TU's O-line will do well, but they will ultimately wear down against the strong Sooner D-line, allowing OU pressure Paul Smith.
My predicted score: OU 56, TU 31.
Thanks for reading along.
So tomorrow night's game against Tulsa will be an interesting one. TU has had some success so far, even beating well-regarded BYU 55-47 last week. Mom (herself a TU alum) and Dad were at that game and they told me it was a wild one. This week, though, they'll have a bit more of a challenge...and that's the whole crux of this game. TU's defense has been relatively porous, ranking 93rd in scoring defense (32 pts/game) and 108th in total offense (486 yards allowed/game). That defense will a great deal of trouble against OU's offense, which is ranked 3rd in total offense (565.3) and 1st in scoring offense (61.3). Worse news for TU is their lack of effectiveness against a strong ground game. They've given up 184.5 yards per game on the ground against the likes of BYU and Louisiana-Monroe, neither of whom is known for an outstanding rushing attack. ULM runs a bit more because of a lack of solid passing, but BYU is definitely NOT a running team and they still put up 157 yards in their game against TU. Against OU's superior blocking and deep stable of talented running backs, the ground game should have a field day. I predict 300 on the ground for OU before the day is over, in fact, with several long runs like last week. OU has the clear advantage overall and should be able to put up at least 50 points for the fourth straight game.
However, TU's offense is ranked highly as well, 4th in total offense (559 yds/game), 6th in passing offense (398.5 yds/game) and 15th in scoring offense (45 pts/game). That amazing offense goes head-to-head with OU's super-stout defense, ranked 2nd in total defense (179.7), 6th in scoring defense (8.7), and 12th in passing defense (135.3). OU's D has racked up 10 sacks, while TU's O-line has only given up 3 in two games. TU's had 2 passes intercepted, while OU has taken 5 from their opponents, with two of them returned for TDs.
This could be the real irresistible-force-vs-immovable-object game, one of the toughest OU will play, in fact. No offense to Texas or any of the other opponents on the OU schedule, but TU might be the toughest test OU's defense will receive. Since TU's passing game will be the big factor in this battle, I predict that these sack and interception stats will be the difference makers. TU's O-line will do well, but they will ultimately wear down against the strong Sooner D-line, allowing OU pressure Paul Smith.
My predicted score: OU 56, TU 31.
Thanks for reading along.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Sooner Haiku
For those of you who've read my blog for a while, you know I'm a big fan of Brian Lundmark's Rockwood comic strip. Aside from being very talented, Brian is also a fellow Sooner (as if I needed more reasons to like him). He was also recently married and he and his wife are the founders of the Thriller Dance wedding craze currently making its way across the Internet. Perhaps you've seen it...
Well, anyway, Brian has a thing on the Rockwood site called Haiku Thursday. Every Thursday he takes haikus from his readers and posts them. Now, knowing he's a Sooner fan, and since he asks regularly for haikus and I hadn't submitted any, I put together the following and sent them in. Enjoy!
Thanks for reading along.
Well, anyway, Brian has a thing on the Rockwood site called Haiku Thursday. Every Thursday he takes haikus from his readers and posts them. Now, knowing he's a Sooner fan, and since he asks regularly for haikus and I hadn't submitted any, I put together the following and sent them in. Enjoy!
Sam Bradford is great
Up and down the field he throws
And Kelly catches
O-line blocking well
Holes wide enough to drive through
Few sacks to be had
DeMarco Murray runs
quicker, shiftier than you
Touchdown, Oklahoma!
If that's not enough
Patrick and Brown will hit it
All up in your face
Reynolds and Lofton
Patrol their territory
Wham! Lewis Baker!
English on the line
Williams on the other end
QB destruction!
Granger and Coleman
In the way of running backs
No yards are gained there
Walker or DJ
Harris or Smith intercept
Take it to the house!
All this and more for
visitors to Owen Field
Field of their nightmares
Thanks for reading along.
You Say It's Your Birthday...
Today is my birthday. I'm 34 years old today. I'm sad to say that my birthday is something of a boring day. Not much of interest happens on my birthday, although I shared it with longtime Chicago newspaper columnist Mike Royko, who was writing when I lived there in 1991-92. Let's look at some things that happened on this day in history, courtesy of Wikipedia:
The English, led by Edward the Black Prince, won the Battles of Poitiers in 1356 (part of the Hundred Years' War).
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid commit their first robbery together in 1900.
Simon and Garfunkel reunite for their famous concert in New York's Central Park in 1981. I actually remember seeing bits of this on TV...my parents watched it with their friends John and Carol Lee, at John and Carol's house in Shawnee, OK. I remember seeing when the crazy fan jumped on stage at Paul as he was singing.
Independence Day for the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis in 1983.
Cal Ripken, Jr. removed himself from the Baltimore Orioles' lineup in 1998, ending his streak as baseball's "Iron Man" at 2,632 consecutive games.
The US invades Afghanistan in 2001, beginning its military activity in the War on Terror.
Today is also International Talk Like A Pirate Day, for reasons I have yet to understand. (For this reason alone my birthday is a laughingstock.)
A few more folks with birthdays today:
Adam West (TV's original Batman)
Jeremy Irons
Jimmy Fallon (from Saturday Night Live)
Rosemary Harris (Aunt May in the recent Spider-Man movies)
"Mama" Cass Elliot
Joan Lunden
Jim Abbott (the world's only pitcher who plays without a right hand)
Trisha Yearwood
So let's move on, shall we? How about some news:
This is what happens when your city has been run by Democrats for decades. Boy, what a great idea! First, lay a bunch of people off, but don't cut entitlements. That way, the people you just laid off have to apply for those entitlements, so you're not really saving anything. Then jack up the taxes, so everyone loses! Interesting fact: Cook County, which contains most of Chicago, has 43.3% of the population of the entire state of Illinois! Consider the implications of that fact for the poor Illinois folks who don't live in Chicago.
How does this happen? A Taser? A woman in a wheelchair? Do you mean to tell me that they couldn't come up with a better way to get her under control? Come on, people...just have someone distract her from the front, then have two people run up behind her, grab her arms, and cuff them to the sides of the chair. This is as ridiculous as shooting at snakes in a populated area (I'm glad to see this was resolved, by the way...the boy's family deserved some justice here).
On to some sports news: The poor Longhorns...they just can't stay clean. Another Texas player has been arrested, their 6th since June. My Uncle Glen back home sent me an e-mail with the following list of jokes at the Longhorns' expense...enjoy!
1. What do you call a drug ring in Austin? A huddle.
2. Four UT Longhorns in a car, who's driving? The police.
3. The UT Longhorns have adopted a new "Honor System". Yes Your Honor, No Your Honor.
4. The UT Longhorns knew they had to do something for their defense, so they hired a new defensive coordinator: F. Lee Bailey.
5. How do the UT Longhorns spend their first week at fall practice?
Studying their Miranda Rights.
6. What do you say to a Longhorn in a suit? Will the defendant please rise?
7. If you see Longhorn football player on a bike, why don't you swerve to hit him? It might be your bike!
8. The Longhorns employ scouts. But to look out for cops, not to scout high school kids.
9. I heard a rumor that the Texas Department of Corrections plans to build a new prison in Austin, Texas in order to allow Longhorns to walk to school.
10. What do you call it, when a Longhorn goes on vacation? Time off for good behavior.
11. Why couldn't the Longhorn get into a huddle on the football field?
It's a parole violation to associate with known felons.
12. Obviously Coach Mack Brown is not paying his players if they have to resort to robbing people.
13. BOOK 'EM, HORNS!
Thanks for reading along.
The English, led by Edward the Black Prince, won the Battles of Poitiers in 1356 (part of the Hundred Years' War).
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid commit their first robbery together in 1900.
Simon and Garfunkel reunite for their famous concert in New York's Central Park in 1981. I actually remember seeing bits of this on TV...my parents watched it with their friends John and Carol Lee, at John and Carol's house in Shawnee, OK. I remember seeing when the crazy fan jumped on stage at Paul as he was singing.
Independence Day for the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis in 1983.
Cal Ripken, Jr. removed himself from the Baltimore Orioles' lineup in 1998, ending his streak as baseball's "Iron Man" at 2,632 consecutive games.
The US invades Afghanistan in 2001, beginning its military activity in the War on Terror.
Today is also International Talk Like A Pirate Day, for reasons I have yet to understand. (For this reason alone my birthday is a laughingstock.)
A few more folks with birthdays today:
Adam West (TV's original Batman)
Jeremy Irons
Jimmy Fallon (from Saturday Night Live)
Rosemary Harris (Aunt May in the recent Spider-Man movies)
"Mama" Cass Elliot
Joan Lunden
Jim Abbott (the world's only pitcher who plays without a right hand)
Trisha Yearwood
So let's move on, shall we? How about some news:
This is what happens when your city has been run by Democrats for decades. Boy, what a great idea! First, lay a bunch of people off, but don't cut entitlements. That way, the people you just laid off have to apply for those entitlements, so you're not really saving anything. Then jack up the taxes, so everyone loses! Interesting fact: Cook County, which contains most of Chicago, has 43.3% of the population of the entire state of Illinois! Consider the implications of that fact for the poor Illinois folks who don't live in Chicago.
How does this happen? A Taser? A woman in a wheelchair? Do you mean to tell me that they couldn't come up with a better way to get her under control? Come on, people...just have someone distract her from the front, then have two people run up behind her, grab her arms, and cuff them to the sides of the chair. This is as ridiculous as shooting at snakes in a populated area (I'm glad to see this was resolved, by the way...the boy's family deserved some justice here).
On to some sports news: The poor Longhorns...they just can't stay clean. Another Texas player has been arrested, their 6th since June. My Uncle Glen back home sent me an e-mail with the following list of jokes at the Longhorns' expense...enjoy!
1. What do you call a drug ring in Austin? A huddle.
2. Four UT Longhorns in a car, who's driving? The police.
3. The UT Longhorns have adopted a new "Honor System". Yes Your Honor, No Your Honor.
4. The UT Longhorns knew they had to do something for their defense, so they hired a new defensive coordinator: F. Lee Bailey.
5. How do the UT Longhorns spend their first week at fall practice?
Studying their Miranda Rights.
6. What do you say to a Longhorn in a suit? Will the defendant please rise?
7. If you see Longhorn football player on a bike, why don't you swerve to hit him? It might be your bike!
8. The Longhorns employ scouts. But to look out for cops, not to scout high school kids.
9. I heard a rumor that the Texas Department of Corrections plans to build a new prison in Austin, Texas in order to allow Longhorns to walk to school.
10. What do you call it, when a Longhorn goes on vacation? Time off for good behavior.
11. Why couldn't the Longhorn get into a huddle on the football field?
It's a parole violation to associate with known felons.
12. Obviously Coach Mack Brown is not paying his players if they have to resort to robbing people.
13. BOOK 'EM, HORNS!
Thanks for reading along.
Monday, September 17, 2007
A Thought On College Football Replay
I had a conversation with Dad earlier, and as usually happens this time of year, our discussion turned to college football. We discussed TU's big win over BYU on Saturday, and we talked about what it would take for OU to get to the national championship game. Dad talked about how he thinks that OU's game against Texas Tech will be their most difficult, since Tech has their pass-happy system, run by a seasoned junior quarterback. Dad also asked a question, just off-hand, about if I had seen any calls overturned by replay this season. (I think he asked because we joked briefly about OU's "defeat" in Lubbock in 2005.) As a matter of fact, I had seen some reversals, but he hadn't, and so we went talked about it briefly. He saw it this way: the guys in the booth don't want to overturn calls of their buddies, because of professional courtesy, and so the proof has to be absolutely indisputable for a call to be reversed. I agree to a certain extent, but I don't feel that's a consistent issue with college replay. I think the more critical issues arise simply from an insufficient number of camera angles, as well as a general lack of willingness on the parts of ESPN/ABC, CBS, Fox Sports, Versus, or whoever is doing the game, in either providing more angles or using the cameras they have more effectively in certain situations, even if this might affect the quality of their visual presentation of the game. In this way, the networks merely prove that despite their bluster about the purity and integrity of college football, they're in it for the money just like everyone else. This isn't an issue for NFL games, because there are so many fewer of them and everything at those games is set to provide 300 camera angles on every play.
Let's look at some examples of how they might make these changes. There are certain situations in which it might be good to provide a better angle, and in which a single camera or two cameras could be allocated for specific plays. And let's face facts; the most common challenges come in two situations: possession-oriented calls (fumbles, catches), and line-oriented calls (goal lines, sidelines, ball spots, and onside kicks). Possession-oriented calls are handled pretty well as the system is currently put together, because sometimes 10 camera angles can't show conclusive proof either way; that's the nature of the game.
Line-oriented calls are a totally different story, however. A prime example is any goal line play. Either set up a camera or two on each goal line permanently, or move at least one camera to cover the goal line on plays where goal line issues are common, say, when a play starts inside the 10. That way, the camera is there when it really needs to be, like when there's a question regarding whether the ball crosses the plane or not. I would argue for a camera looking down each goal line from about 12 feet in the air permanently, because that would simplify the view, keep the officials from obstructing the cameras' views (since football officiating mechanics dictate that officials stand on the goal line in identical situations), and the networks could probably spare the extra cameras. The cameras don't even need to be ultra-high-quality units, just something to provide the correct view for replays.
Another example is on situations for onside kicks. The mobile cameras on each sideline could easily be set to look straight down the yard-line 10 yards down-field from the kicking spot, especially if everyone knows and understands going in that this will be happening. This would all but eliminate any concerns regarding touches before the ball has gone 10 yards, and it would also be a helpful angle for possession disputes, which typically occur right around that line. Those cameras could also be moved to cover ball spots near the first-down line, to help resolve the somewhat-common challenges of those plays. This might be more of a challenge because it would keep a cameraman or two in the players' areas on the sidelines for most of the game. However, if it's possible, I say find a way to make it happen.
Finally, cameras should be set up on or near sidelines and endlines as much as possible to help resolve common out-of-bounds concerns, especially for in-bounds catch rulings. So many of these are shown from a great distance, because the cameras that commonly are used to help rule on these in challenge situations are the cameras in the standard spots along the stadium perimeter. Perhaps a good enhancement would be to use the HD capabilities that are already built in to so many of these cameras, particularly since ABC/ESPN already provides HD broadcasts for the higher-profile games, where passions run hotter and the stakes on challenged calls are perceived to be higher.
Another part of this discussion should be who makes the calls. In the NFL, the referee goes to the sidelines and works with the TV guys to view the play from as many angles as possible, then makes the call as he sees it from the replay. College uses the faceless, nameless (well, mostly nameless...hello, Gordon Reise) replay officials up in the replay booth. I prefer the NFL system because, as a former baseball and football official myself, if you're going to do it, let the power stay in the hands of the guys on the field, then hold them and only them accountable for the calls made. Most of the college crews stay together as crews, just like they do in the pros, and if the pros can do it and make it work that way, the college guys can do it the same way. The officials would probably prefer it that way, because that's what the on-field officials are supposed to do: be empowered to make the correct final call. There wouldn't be any hard feelings because most officials know they're not perfect and can never be perfect. Football moves too quickly sometimes for it to be any other way. Making college reviews more like the pros' system would help the odd dynamic that seems to have set in since replay came in during college, which goes like this:
1. The guys in the booth don't ever want to overrule calls on the field unless there is ultra-obvious, crystal-clear, conclusive, bet-your-family-farm evidence to overturn it.
2. The guys on the field feel they can be more lackadaisical on some calls, because "the replay guys will fix it if I get it wrong."
This isn't necessarily always the case, because there are many instances where the existing system works well. However, the first point is doubly true late in games, where the guys in the booth have the capability to initiate the review on their own. If they're going to do it, then they dadgum sure better review every part of the play to get it right.
In the OU-Oregon fiasco last year, the guys in the booth could have reversed the whole thing. Forget the "Oregon touched it too early" excuse, because the camera angle gave enough possible doubt that made it "it really, really looks like he touched it early but the camera angle isn't good enough to make it conclusive." OK, that's fair. What turned a subtle error into a totally egregious mistake that cost OU the game, however, was the obvious miss by all officials involved, both on the field and in the replay booth, that OU had recovered the onside kick; they ball had bounced around in the pile with no clear possession until it squirted out the OU side of the pile and was picked up by OU's Allen Patrick. Multiple replays conclusively showed this, and yet no one thought to look at that, because all the on-field officials were frantically digging in the gigantic pile of football players and poor Allen was too low-key with his recovery and didn't think to go crazy at getting the ball. If the goal of instant replay review is to get the call right first and foremost, regardless of the situation surrounding the play, it failed miserably.
Regarding the first point, I've noticed a drop-off in the quality of calls, even ones that should be obvious, and especially on calls that are reviewable, and I fully believe it's because they know replay is there. I say this not out of a sense of sour grapes or not to rag on the refs, but because I know what those guys do and I know what they think and feel, because I've done it. As an official you always want to get the call right; people who become officials usually have a pretty innate sense of integrity, fair play, and love for the sport they officiate, and that's why they do it. I'm not saying they don't work as hard at getting those reviewable calls right, but if you know that if you mess up someone else can fix it for you, aren't you going to maybe be a little less careful? And besides, what's the incentive to get it right? "Let them just challenge it," many refs probably think as they make these calls today. Again, it's probably not common and probably not conscious, but it has been noticeable to me in what I've seen the past few years.
There's a lot of money and a lot of passion and a lot of pride in college games. If they're going to use a replay system, let's do our best to have one that works. Otherwise, let's cancel the program altogether and leave it with the guys on the field for good, like we did for the previous century of incredible football action.
Let's look at some examples of how they might make these changes. There are certain situations in which it might be good to provide a better angle, and in which a single camera or two cameras could be allocated for specific plays. And let's face facts; the most common challenges come in two situations: possession-oriented calls (fumbles, catches), and line-oriented calls (goal lines, sidelines, ball spots, and onside kicks). Possession-oriented calls are handled pretty well as the system is currently put together, because sometimes 10 camera angles can't show conclusive proof either way; that's the nature of the game.
Line-oriented calls are a totally different story, however. A prime example is any goal line play. Either set up a camera or two on each goal line permanently, or move at least one camera to cover the goal line on plays where goal line issues are common, say, when a play starts inside the 10. That way, the camera is there when it really needs to be, like when there's a question regarding whether the ball crosses the plane or not. I would argue for a camera looking down each goal line from about 12 feet in the air permanently, because that would simplify the view, keep the officials from obstructing the cameras' views (since football officiating mechanics dictate that officials stand on the goal line in identical situations), and the networks could probably spare the extra cameras. The cameras don't even need to be ultra-high-quality units, just something to provide the correct view for replays.
Another example is on situations for onside kicks. The mobile cameras on each sideline could easily be set to look straight down the yard-line 10 yards down-field from the kicking spot, especially if everyone knows and understands going in that this will be happening. This would all but eliminate any concerns regarding touches before the ball has gone 10 yards, and it would also be a helpful angle for possession disputes, which typically occur right around that line. Those cameras could also be moved to cover ball spots near the first-down line, to help resolve the somewhat-common challenges of those plays. This might be more of a challenge because it would keep a cameraman or two in the players' areas on the sidelines for most of the game. However, if it's possible, I say find a way to make it happen.
Finally, cameras should be set up on or near sidelines and endlines as much as possible to help resolve common out-of-bounds concerns, especially for in-bounds catch rulings. So many of these are shown from a great distance, because the cameras that commonly are used to help rule on these in challenge situations are the cameras in the standard spots along the stadium perimeter. Perhaps a good enhancement would be to use the HD capabilities that are already built in to so many of these cameras, particularly since ABC/ESPN already provides HD broadcasts for the higher-profile games, where passions run hotter and the stakes on challenged calls are perceived to be higher.
Another part of this discussion should be who makes the calls. In the NFL, the referee goes to the sidelines and works with the TV guys to view the play from as many angles as possible, then makes the call as he sees it from the replay. College uses the faceless, nameless (well, mostly nameless...hello, Gordon Reise) replay officials up in the replay booth. I prefer the NFL system because, as a former baseball and football official myself, if you're going to do it, let the power stay in the hands of the guys on the field, then hold them and only them accountable for the calls made. Most of the college crews stay together as crews, just like they do in the pros, and if the pros can do it and make it work that way, the college guys can do it the same way. The officials would probably prefer it that way, because that's what the on-field officials are supposed to do: be empowered to make the correct final call. There wouldn't be any hard feelings because most officials know they're not perfect and can never be perfect. Football moves too quickly sometimes for it to be any other way. Making college reviews more like the pros' system would help the odd dynamic that seems to have set in since replay came in during college, which goes like this:
1. The guys in the booth don't ever want to overrule calls on the field unless there is ultra-obvious, crystal-clear, conclusive, bet-your-family-farm evidence to overturn it.
2. The guys on the field feel they can be more lackadaisical on some calls, because "the replay guys will fix it if I get it wrong."
This isn't necessarily always the case, because there are many instances where the existing system works well. However, the first point is doubly true late in games, where the guys in the booth have the capability to initiate the review on their own. If they're going to do it, then they dadgum sure better review every part of the play to get it right.
In the OU-Oregon fiasco last year, the guys in the booth could have reversed the whole thing. Forget the "Oregon touched it too early" excuse, because the camera angle gave enough possible doubt that made it "it really, really looks like he touched it early but the camera angle isn't good enough to make it conclusive." OK, that's fair. What turned a subtle error into a totally egregious mistake that cost OU the game, however, was the obvious miss by all officials involved, both on the field and in the replay booth, that OU had recovered the onside kick; they ball had bounced around in the pile with no clear possession until it squirted out the OU side of the pile and was picked up by OU's Allen Patrick. Multiple replays conclusively showed this, and yet no one thought to look at that, because all the on-field officials were frantically digging in the gigantic pile of football players and poor Allen was too low-key with his recovery and didn't think to go crazy at getting the ball. If the goal of instant replay review is to get the call right first and foremost, regardless of the situation surrounding the play, it failed miserably.
Regarding the first point, I've noticed a drop-off in the quality of calls, even ones that should be obvious, and especially on calls that are reviewable, and I fully believe it's because they know replay is there. I say this not out of a sense of sour grapes or not to rag on the refs, but because I know what those guys do and I know what they think and feel, because I've done it. As an official you always want to get the call right; people who become officials usually have a pretty innate sense of integrity, fair play, and love for the sport they officiate, and that's why they do it. I'm not saying they don't work as hard at getting those reviewable calls right, but if you know that if you mess up someone else can fix it for you, aren't you going to maybe be a little less careful? And besides, what's the incentive to get it right? "Let them just challenge it," many refs probably think as they make these calls today. Again, it's probably not common and probably not conscious, but it has been noticeable to me in what I've seen the past few years.
There's a lot of money and a lot of passion and a lot of pride in college games. If they're going to use a replay system, let's do our best to have one that works. Otherwise, let's cancel the program altogether and leave it with the guys on the field for good, like we did for the previous century of incredible football action.
The Existence of Evil
Nothing invokes my wrath like obvious evil, and I don't know of a better example of such:
Robbery Suspects Kill Infant Execution-Style, Seconds After Killing Boy's Father
If you'd care to try to find a justification, somehow argue that we should forgive these animals, perhaps argue for clemency or maybe go to God on their behalf that they not be thrown directly into the 9th Circle of Hell to be forever chewed in Satan's mouth for their betrayal of the human race and its future, please proceed. Feel free to add a comment about how we should strive to forgive. As a Christian, I must work to forgive and forget and trust to God's plan...if only humanity didn't make that so extraordinarily difficult. Of course, Jesus did say the way is narrow; I suppose that if it were easy, everyone would do it.
Lord, help me trust in your plan in this matter, and help me trust that all will turn out according to your will.
I know this is a heavy post, but I had to get this off my chest. Thanks for reading along.
Robbery Suspects Kill Infant Execution-Style, Seconds After Killing Boy's Father
If you'd care to try to find a justification, somehow argue that we should forgive these animals, perhaps argue for clemency or maybe go to God on their behalf that they not be thrown directly into the 9th Circle of Hell to be forever chewed in Satan's mouth for their betrayal of the human race and its future, please proceed. Feel free to add a comment about how we should strive to forgive. As a Christian, I must work to forgive and forget and trust to God's plan...if only humanity didn't make that so extraordinarily difficult. Of course, Jesus did say the way is narrow; I suppose that if it were easy, everyone would do it.
Lord, help me trust in your plan in this matter, and help me trust that all will turn out according to your will.
I know this is a heavy post, but I had to get this off my chest. Thanks for reading along.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
A Bitchin' Follow-Up
Oh my gosh! Two I forgot and that MUST be shown. I'm not going to give an intro for either one...I'll let you click through so they speak for themselves.
Try this classic, which I have absolutely no memory of, though Heidi remembered it. Then drop on over and check out this all-time favorite.
Try this classic, which I have absolutely no memory of, though Heidi remembered it. Then drop on over and check out this all-time favorite.
Video Clips...Totally Bitchin', Dude!
If you have 30 minutes to spare, check out the following video on Youtube. (It's too long to embed.)
30 Minutes of 80s Cartoon Intros and Themes
All right, all you children of the 80s, see how many you remember. I think there were two I didn't recognize. My faves were all there, though strangely, the Smurfs were curiously absent. Then, there is this wonderful old PSA I must've seen about a thousand times on various Saturday mornings throughout my childhood. Of course, if you prefer a commercial-based trip down Amnesia Lane, try here or here. (How many of YOU remembered that Pierce Brosnan did a Diet Coke commercial? I sure didn't.)
For all you CSI: Miami fans, courtesy of Heidi, comes this outstanding compilation:
CSI:Miami David Caruso One-Liners
Now, CSI: Miami is my favorite of the three series, but seeing David Caruso deliver all of these in quick succession is hilarious. Oh, and count how many times he puts his sunglasses on just before he delivers the line. (For those of you who prefer it this way, check out the Sunglasses Edition.)
Thanks for reading (or viewing) along.
30 Minutes of 80s Cartoon Intros and Themes
All right, all you children of the 80s, see how many you remember. I think there were two I didn't recognize. My faves were all there, though strangely, the Smurfs were curiously absent. Then, there is this wonderful old PSA I must've seen about a thousand times on various Saturday mornings throughout my childhood. Of course, if you prefer a commercial-based trip down Amnesia Lane, try here or here. (How many of YOU remembered that Pierce Brosnan did a Diet Coke commercial? I sure didn't.)
For all you CSI: Miami fans, courtesy of Heidi, comes this outstanding compilation:
CSI:Miami David Caruso One-Liners
Now, CSI: Miami is my favorite of the three series, but seeing David Caruso deliver all of these in quick succession is hilarious. Oh, and count how many times he puts his sunglasses on just before he delivers the line. (For those of you who prefer it this way, check out the Sunglasses Edition.)
Thanks for reading (or viewing) along.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
What We've Learned In Three Weeks
I really, really don't like skim milk, or as I prefer to call it, milk-water. It doesn't even taste remotely like real milk to me; it tastes very much like water that someone poured some milk into. I made a horrible mistake the other night at the grocery store and bought two gallons of this crap. And so, as I sit here eating my cereal with milk-water and hating every bite, I am in the proper mood for the rest of this post. So let me say first:
FOOTBALL DISCLAIMER: The remainder of this post discusses college football, with a large amount of analysis regarding OU football. If you're not interested in reading, check back later for something different.
We're three full weeks into the college football season, and what have we learned? Well, since I'm an OU fanatic, let's discuss what we've learned about OU to this point, after the three blowout wins against North Texas, Miami, and today, Utah State.
1. OU is a solid contender for the national title. At this point, with this offense and this defense, I would put them up against ANY team in the country. Period. Now, will they win the national title? Honestly, I doubt it, and I'll get into the reasons why in a little bit.
2. Sam Bradford is definitely for real. He has been almost flawless in the first three games, going 59-of-74 for 823 yards and 11 touchdowns, with only 1 interception (which came today as he was hit while throwing, which sent the pass slightly high and off the hands of Juaquin Iglesias, into the Utah State defender's diving grasp). I don't fault him for that one; it could happen to anyone. He's been very accurate, he's made good decisions, he's a great leader, and he's protected the ball. He's playing the way Josh Heupel and Jason White played in their careers, and he's doing it as a redshirt freshman. Folks, assuming no injury befalls Mr. Bradford (fingers triple-crossed -- we don't need him to imitate Jason White in another way), we have our quarterback of the future, hands down.
3. Speaking of quarterbacks of the future, we also found out today why Keith Nichol is NOT the starting quarterback. Nichol was given control of the offense for the rest of the game today after Bradford was pulled, and he completely blew it. He was absolutely dismal today, going 1-for-6 for 10 yards, making his career total 2-of-7 for 15 yards and no TDs. His passes were way off, he had no timing, his decision-making was mediocre and tentative, and his leadership was non-existent. His one decent play, and incidentally, his last of the day, was a scramble for 8 yards that was probably not the best play for that particular moment, given that OU needed about 13 yards for the first down. I find it amazing that we were told he was still a part of the quarterback competition all the way up to two weeks' before the opening game. Either Nichol has been showing better than he showed in the game today, or Stoops was being pretty sneaky all along. Halzle showed well at the end of last week's game to justify his spot, but after today, Nichol can't redshirt and will most likely sit in the #3 spot for the rest of the season.
4. The offensive line is completely DOMINATING. They're like the Baskin Robbins of domination; they have 31 flavors of it. Bradford has been sacked only twice in three games, and he always seems to have forever to figure out where to throw. (Sometimes I wonder if he takes a quick cat-nap before he makes his play.) And the holes these guys are opening up for OU's running backs? Nothing short of astounding. OU is averaging 5.6 yards per rush attempt, which goes up to 6 yards per rush if you take out the 56 yards lost on that bad punt snap last week. That's some serious blocking; when combined with the hyper-talented running backs, that becomes deadly.
5. Speaking of the running backs, what more can we say about DeMarco Murray? Everyone's already talking him up pretty good, for good reason, but that incredible 92-yard-TD run today, after he'd had a similar long run earlier in the game called back on a penalty, made me think of Adrian Peterson all over again. In fact, Allen Patrick ran today like he hadn't run in years, and I'm wondering if he's wanting to nip some of that DeMarco Murray talk in the bud before it gets out of hand...
6. OU's linebacking corps has not suffered one bit from last year's graduation losses. Curtis Lofton, Lewis Baker, and especially Ryan Reynolds have shown that they can step up and really carry on the tradition of amazing linebackers that have been a highlight of Bob Stoops' tenure at OU. He loses them, and he seems to just keep finding more to fill in the holes. Reynolds played today like a man possessed and he has been ultra-solid at the Will spot. Meanwhile, Lofton has become the anchor of the defense at the Mike spot, leading the team in tackles with 28 (16 solo, 12 assisted). In fact, that's not even close; Reynolds is second with 18 total, meaning Lofton has collected 10 more tackles than the second-place Reynolds in three games. Reynolds also adds 2 sacks for 16 yards. He has really stepped up the way Brent Venables was hoping he would.
7. The concerns at defensive end have been more than answered, with Auston English and John Williams sewing up the two starting spots. Williams has 4 tackles-for-loss for 20 yards, second on the team, and English has 3.5 TFL for 23 yards, third on the team. The only guy who has more is Nic Harris, the free safety who is used extensively in blitz packages, with 4.5 TFL for 25 yards.
8. OU's tight ends might be the best group in the country at that position. They regularly account for excellent catches; Jermaine Gresham and Joe Jon Finley are third and fourth on OU's season receiving list. Together they have accounted for 16 catches for 182 yards and 3 TDs. And that's not all; they're so versatile that OU is routinely using 2- and even 3-tight-end sets, because you have no idea what they'll do once the ball is snapped.
9. Malcolm Kelly and Juaquin Iglesias make up one of the best wide-receiver tandems in the country. Not only are they each averaging just over 100 receiving yards per game, but they almost never drop balls. In fact, I was joking with another fan today that Kelly is like a vacuum cleaner; he just sucks in every ball within 2 yards of him. Iglesias isn't far behind. Both are really fast and super-dangerous after the catch. I think that Malcolm Kelly will break Mark Clayton's single-season TD catch record, which is fitting because I think Malcolm Kelly is a better receiver than Clayton. That's nothing against Mark, who was one of the best, but Malcolm might be the best wide receiver OU has ever had, bar none.
So that's the story for OU. What have we learned about the rest of the country?
Well, first, OU probably won't win the national championship. It's not because they're not great, and it's not because they're not deserving. As I said, I'd put them up against any team in the country tomorrow. However, OU's problem is in schedule strength; OU's past and future opponents aren't exactly burning up the world, and outside of OU and Kansas, the Big 12 is not showing well at all. Let's do a quick rundown.
We've also learned that there are four legitimate players for the national title: OU, LSU, USC, and Florida. Everyone else is playing for 5th. Right now, if I had to rank the top teams based on their first three weeks' production, LSU and OU are tied at #1, USC and Florida are tied right behind them. We'll see how the season shakes out, and much like our friends at the Crimson and Cream Machine posited last week, OU will probably need all those teams to lose at least one if they're going to reach the Big Game.
We've learned that the Big Ten is heavily overrated this year. Considering the preseason predictions of greatness for Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, and Wisconsin, the Buckeyes' struggles and Michigan's total collapse, Penn State's sluggish start against lowly #119 Buffalo and Wisconsin's struggles against UNLV last week, all show that those top names are missing something critical to success. And then there's Northwestern...keep that name in your head for later in the post. The shocker has been Michigan State, who has calmly rolled to a 3-0 record.
And the Big Ten's names aren't the only ones struggling. Let's tick off the list of the Top 25. Texas has struggled mightily all year, with no convincing wins. Louisville, mentioned as a contender for a BCS game, lost today to Kentucky. UCLA, talked up all summer as the best competitor against USC for the Pac-10 title, lost HUGE today to Utah (yes, UTAH). Arkansas lost today to Alabama. Georgia was supposed to take on the world and has nearly fallen out of the rankings. Ditto Tennessee. Boise State has squandered all their "good will" after their BS win against OU in January, and they've quickly fallen out of the rankings. Notre Dame is just flat-out terrible. Florida's best team might be...SOUTH FLORIDA; Florida State and Miami are shadows of their former selves.
Sad as it is to say, Mike Stoops will probably be fired after this year at Arizona. This is his fourth year there, and he still manages to lose to the likes of New Mexico, as he did today. U of A lost to BYU in week 1, the same BYU that got beat by Tulsa today. Their only win was against I-AA Northern Arizona. Personally, I hope he gets fired, then comes back to OU as co-defensive coordinator. He should stick with what he does best, namely, run and tune a great defense like a well-oiled machine. Before this year, OU's defense really missed his intensity after he announced his departure just before the 2003 Big 12 Championship, and it has showed.
The SEC is the top conference in the country. Outside of Auburn (who has lost two straight at home to South Florida and Mississippi State) and Ole Miss (who can't seem to win much anywhere), they're pretty solid top-to-bottom. Today's highlights include LSU's blowout of a decent Middle Tennessee team, Kentucky's upset of #8 Louisville, and Alabama's upset of #16 Arkansas.
Finally, congratulations to Duke, who managed to end their 22-game losing streak today against...Northwestern (remember, I told you to keep that name in your head!). As if the Big Ten needed another black eye...
I had fun pretending to be a college football analyst for a little while. Thanks for reading along.
FOOTBALL DISCLAIMER: The remainder of this post discusses college football, with a large amount of analysis regarding OU football. If you're not interested in reading, check back later for something different.
We're three full weeks into the college football season, and what have we learned? Well, since I'm an OU fanatic, let's discuss what we've learned about OU to this point, after the three blowout wins against North Texas, Miami, and today, Utah State.
1. OU is a solid contender for the national title. At this point, with this offense and this defense, I would put them up against ANY team in the country. Period. Now, will they win the national title? Honestly, I doubt it, and I'll get into the reasons why in a little bit.
2. Sam Bradford is definitely for real. He has been almost flawless in the first three games, going 59-of-74 for 823 yards and 11 touchdowns, with only 1 interception (which came today as he was hit while throwing, which sent the pass slightly high and off the hands of Juaquin Iglesias, into the Utah State defender's diving grasp). I don't fault him for that one; it could happen to anyone. He's been very accurate, he's made good decisions, he's a great leader, and he's protected the ball. He's playing the way Josh Heupel and Jason White played in their careers, and he's doing it as a redshirt freshman. Folks, assuming no injury befalls Mr. Bradford (fingers triple-crossed -- we don't need him to imitate Jason White in another way), we have our quarterback of the future, hands down.
3. Speaking of quarterbacks of the future, we also found out today why Keith Nichol is NOT the starting quarterback. Nichol was given control of the offense for the rest of the game today after Bradford was pulled, and he completely blew it. He was absolutely dismal today, going 1-for-6 for 10 yards, making his career total 2-of-7 for 15 yards and no TDs. His passes were way off, he had no timing, his decision-making was mediocre and tentative, and his leadership was non-existent. His one decent play, and incidentally, his last of the day, was a scramble for 8 yards that was probably not the best play for that particular moment, given that OU needed about 13 yards for the first down. I find it amazing that we were told he was still a part of the quarterback competition all the way up to two weeks' before the opening game. Either Nichol has been showing better than he showed in the game today, or Stoops was being pretty sneaky all along. Halzle showed well at the end of last week's game to justify his spot, but after today, Nichol can't redshirt and will most likely sit in the #3 spot for the rest of the season.
4. The offensive line is completely DOMINATING. They're like the Baskin Robbins of domination; they have 31 flavors of it. Bradford has been sacked only twice in three games, and he always seems to have forever to figure out where to throw. (Sometimes I wonder if he takes a quick cat-nap before he makes his play.) And the holes these guys are opening up for OU's running backs? Nothing short of astounding. OU is averaging 5.6 yards per rush attempt, which goes up to 6 yards per rush if you take out the 56 yards lost on that bad punt snap last week. That's some serious blocking; when combined with the hyper-talented running backs, that becomes deadly.
5. Speaking of the running backs, what more can we say about DeMarco Murray? Everyone's already talking him up pretty good, for good reason, but that incredible 92-yard-TD run today, after he'd had a similar long run earlier in the game called back on a penalty, made me think of Adrian Peterson all over again. In fact, Allen Patrick ran today like he hadn't run in years, and I'm wondering if he's wanting to nip some of that DeMarco Murray talk in the bud before it gets out of hand...
6. OU's linebacking corps has not suffered one bit from last year's graduation losses. Curtis Lofton, Lewis Baker, and especially Ryan Reynolds have shown that they can step up and really carry on the tradition of amazing linebackers that have been a highlight of Bob Stoops' tenure at OU. He loses them, and he seems to just keep finding more to fill in the holes. Reynolds played today like a man possessed and he has been ultra-solid at the Will spot. Meanwhile, Lofton has become the anchor of the defense at the Mike spot, leading the team in tackles with 28 (16 solo, 12 assisted). In fact, that's not even close; Reynolds is second with 18 total, meaning Lofton has collected 10 more tackles than the second-place Reynolds in three games. Reynolds also adds 2 sacks for 16 yards. He has really stepped up the way Brent Venables was hoping he would.
7. The concerns at defensive end have been more than answered, with Auston English and John Williams sewing up the two starting spots. Williams has 4 tackles-for-loss for 20 yards, second on the team, and English has 3.5 TFL for 23 yards, third on the team. The only guy who has more is Nic Harris, the free safety who is used extensively in blitz packages, with 4.5 TFL for 25 yards.
8. OU's tight ends might be the best group in the country at that position. They regularly account for excellent catches; Jermaine Gresham and Joe Jon Finley are third and fourth on OU's season receiving list. Together they have accounted for 16 catches for 182 yards and 3 TDs. And that's not all; they're so versatile that OU is routinely using 2- and even 3-tight-end sets, because you have no idea what they'll do once the ball is snapped.
9. Malcolm Kelly and Juaquin Iglesias make up one of the best wide-receiver tandems in the country. Not only are they each averaging just over 100 receiving yards per game, but they almost never drop balls. In fact, I was joking with another fan today that Kelly is like a vacuum cleaner; he just sucks in every ball within 2 yards of him. Iglesias isn't far behind. Both are really fast and super-dangerous after the catch. I think that Malcolm Kelly will break Mark Clayton's single-season TD catch record, which is fitting because I think Malcolm Kelly is a better receiver than Clayton. That's nothing against Mark, who was one of the best, but Malcolm might be the best wide receiver OU has ever had, bar none.
So that's the story for OU. What have we learned about the rest of the country?
Well, first, OU probably won't win the national championship. It's not because they're not great, and it's not because they're not deserving. As I said, I'd put them up against any team in the country tomorrow. However, OU's problem is in schedule strength; OU's past and future opponents aren't exactly burning up the world, and outside of OU and Kansas, the Big 12 is not showing well at all. Let's do a quick rundown.
- North Texas -- Well, it's North Texas and they have a brand-new coach in his first year at the college level. This time last year, Dodge was coaching high school in Dallas. OU destroyed UNT 79-10 (and it could have been worse). In week 2, UNT did much better against SMU but still lost 45-31.
- Miami -- They're OU's big hope, and unfortunately I have to cheer for them as much as possible. They did well against Marshall, winning 31-3, then got stomped by OU, then beat Florida International today by the meager score of 23-9. They're definitely not your father's Miami.
- Utah State -- They're now 0-3 and they play in the WAC. Nothing more needs to be said.
- Tulsa -- OU is hoping TU holds up well, and so far they have; they just haven't looked real good doing it. They beat Louisiana-Monroe 35-17...not so good. Tonight they pulled out a wild one against BYU 55-47...a real defensive battle there. It looks like OU will be pulling down another 50+ points next Friday night.
- Colorado -- Ah, CU. They pulled out the overtime win against CSU, which means nothing because it's a rivalry game and CSU lead most of the game. Then CU got stomped last week by Arizona State, 33-14. As I write this, with four-and-a-half minutes left in the game, they're down 16-0 to Florida State AT HOME.
- Texas -- And then there's Texas. All I can ask is, who IS this team, really? They have struggled in every game so far this year, and seem to have reached their 3-0 record merely on talent alone. Nearly losing to Arkansas State, going scoreless in the first half against TCU, and needing a fluke fumble to pull out a win over Central Florida? Mack Brown is probably going to see his 2-game winning streak against OU end come October 6th.
- Missouri -- The Tigers have done well and are one of the four top teams in the Big 12, but they need more consistent play. Still, they've beaten Illinois, Mississippi, and Western Michigan, and that's the good news. The bad news is that they've given up 83 points and 447 yards per game to that mediocre competition. That's great news when OU plays them with their 565 yards-per-game average, but it's bad news for OU because it's obvious that Missouri has no defense and will have difficulty winning more games.
- Iowa State -- The Cyclones are 1-2 after losing horribly to Kent State and I-AA Northern Iowa, but pulling out a victory against Iowa. That victory against Iowa might be their only win this year. They have a chance against Toledo next week but they then start Big 12 play.
- Texas A&M -- They beat I-AA Montana State, eked out an overtime win over a mediocre Fresno State team last week, then won handily over Louisiana-Monroe...all at home. They should do well, but they'll still likely lose to Nebraska, OU, and Texas Tech, all of whom they play away from the friendly confines of Kyle Field and the 12th Man.
- Baylor -- ummmm...uh...hmm. Well, I will say Baylor's a little better this year, but they're still Baylor and they're still 1-2 to this point.
- Texas Tech -- This will be a dangerous game for OU because it's an away game and Tech has done fairly well to this point. They're 3-0, but it's against SMU, UTEP, and Rice. Plus, OU heads back to Lubbock for the first time since Tech's questionable "win" in 2005, and they'll be looking for some payback.
- Oklahoma State -- OSU has been a real enigma this year, winning easily at Florida Atlantic but losing just as easily to Troy and an overrated Georgia team. Their quarterback play has been a nightmare, their receivers can't hold on to anything, and their defense has been mediocre. Considering that everyone was trumpeting OSU as the Big Sleeper in the Big 12 this year, they've crashed and burned horribly.
- Big 12 North Champion -- Well, this will probably be Nebraska, but it could just as easily be Missouri, Kansas(!), or Kansas State. In any case, Nebraska probably would give OU the best bang for its buck, but even that wouldn't be much more than a cap-gun.
We've also learned that there are four legitimate players for the national title: OU, LSU, USC, and Florida. Everyone else is playing for 5th. Right now, if I had to rank the top teams based on their first three weeks' production, LSU and OU are tied at #1, USC and Florida are tied right behind them. We'll see how the season shakes out, and much like our friends at the Crimson and Cream Machine posited last week, OU will probably need all those teams to lose at least one if they're going to reach the Big Game.
We've learned that the Big Ten is heavily overrated this year. Considering the preseason predictions of greatness for Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, and Wisconsin, the Buckeyes' struggles and Michigan's total collapse, Penn State's sluggish start against lowly #119 Buffalo and Wisconsin's struggles against UNLV last week, all show that those top names are missing something critical to success. And then there's Northwestern...keep that name in your head for later in the post. The shocker has been Michigan State, who has calmly rolled to a 3-0 record.
And the Big Ten's names aren't the only ones struggling. Let's tick off the list of the Top 25. Texas has struggled mightily all year, with no convincing wins. Louisville, mentioned as a contender for a BCS game, lost today to Kentucky. UCLA, talked up all summer as the best competitor against USC for the Pac-10 title, lost HUGE today to Utah (yes, UTAH). Arkansas lost today to Alabama. Georgia was supposed to take on the world and has nearly fallen out of the rankings. Ditto Tennessee. Boise State has squandered all their "good will" after their BS win against OU in January, and they've quickly fallen out of the rankings. Notre Dame is just flat-out terrible. Florida's best team might be...SOUTH FLORIDA; Florida State and Miami are shadows of their former selves.
Sad as it is to say, Mike Stoops will probably be fired after this year at Arizona. This is his fourth year there, and he still manages to lose to the likes of New Mexico, as he did today. U of A lost to BYU in week 1, the same BYU that got beat by Tulsa today. Their only win was against I-AA Northern Arizona. Personally, I hope he gets fired, then comes back to OU as co-defensive coordinator. He should stick with what he does best, namely, run and tune a great defense like a well-oiled machine. Before this year, OU's defense really missed his intensity after he announced his departure just before the 2003 Big 12 Championship, and it has showed.
The SEC is the top conference in the country. Outside of Auburn (who has lost two straight at home to South Florida and Mississippi State) and Ole Miss (who can't seem to win much anywhere), they're pretty solid top-to-bottom. Today's highlights include LSU's blowout of a decent Middle Tennessee team, Kentucky's upset of #8 Louisville, and Alabama's upset of #16 Arkansas.
Finally, congratulations to Duke, who managed to end their 22-game losing streak today against...Northwestern (remember, I told you to keep that name in your head!). As if the Big Ten needed another black eye...
I had fun pretending to be a college football analyst for a little while. Thanks for reading along.
Friday, September 14, 2007
This Says It All For Me
(SEMI-DISCLAIMER: this post is related to Sooner football. HOWEVER, it's really much more about me than about the football program, so I actually urge you to read this one and not skip it.)
I can remember going to the OU-Nebraska game back in 2000...yes, I was really, truly, actually there in the stadium and got to see it live...one of my most cherished Sooner memories. It was my first game at Owen Field in several years, and we were lucky that my Mom worked at the same law firm as one of the OU regents, who gave her two tickets in the south end zone. I didn't care; we were there and that's what counted. What a glorious game...
Anyway, every year, the OU Athletic Department does a new intro video for the games, and they show it up on the big diamond-vision screen at the south end (and now the north end as well...they added a new screen there this year). These videos are wonderful at invoking the long, storied tradition of Sooner football...the Selmons, JC Watts, Joe Washington, Jamelle Holieway, Josh Heupel, Jason White, Steve Owens, Billy Sims, and of course, Bennie, Bud, Barry, and Bob...so many names every Sooner is born knowing, from the game that truly made Oklahoma what it is today. These names whisper in our heads and ooze through our veins. So as I watched that video, and as my identity as a Sooner flooded back into me after so long being dormant from my time here in Colorado, and as childhood memories of OU-Nebraska games I'd gone to with my Dad rushed back to my brain, tears began to fall from my eyes. I shivered with a great chill, even though it was a warm day, realizing what I was connecting to and what I was a part of.
I've been thinking a lot over the last few months about what makes me a Sooner, and why I feel that so strongly. Sooner football is a part of my identity as a Sooner and the ties of family and friends that strengthen and are strengthened by that identity. That identity is why I married Heidi on a box full of authentic Oklahoma red clay. It is why this blog is The Daily Okie, and not the Daily Coloradan or the Daily Denverite; I have ties here, but those deeper ties are stronger and will never be broken.
Some who read this might think I'm slightly insane, or that I'm silly for feeling that so strongly. Lots of people in Colorado undoubtedly would think that way, mostly because so many are transplants themselves and willingly left their old homes behind; they willingly severed those ties and chose to stay here. I respect that, but that's not my bag, baby.
All that being said, the new 2007 Sooner intro video is on Youtube and it is AWESOME. I'm putting it here below, so that you all may enjoy it, and perhaps for just a brief moment, you'll understand a little bit about why I'm a Sooner, and why I always will be. I'm a Sooner born, and a Sooner bred, and when I die I'll be Sooner dead, and that really says it all. Enjoy the video.
Thanks for reading along.
I can remember going to the OU-Nebraska game back in 2000...yes, I was really, truly, actually there in the stadium and got to see it live...one of my most cherished Sooner memories. It was my first game at Owen Field in several years, and we were lucky that my Mom worked at the same law firm as one of the OU regents, who gave her two tickets in the south end zone. I didn't care; we were there and that's what counted. What a glorious game...
Anyway, every year, the OU Athletic Department does a new intro video for the games, and they show it up on the big diamond-vision screen at the south end (and now the north end as well...they added a new screen there this year). These videos are wonderful at invoking the long, storied tradition of Sooner football...the Selmons, JC Watts, Joe Washington, Jamelle Holieway, Josh Heupel, Jason White, Steve Owens, Billy Sims, and of course, Bennie, Bud, Barry, and Bob...so many names every Sooner is born knowing, from the game that truly made Oklahoma what it is today. These names whisper in our heads and ooze through our veins. So as I watched that video, and as my identity as a Sooner flooded back into me after so long being dormant from my time here in Colorado, and as childhood memories of OU-Nebraska games I'd gone to with my Dad rushed back to my brain, tears began to fall from my eyes. I shivered with a great chill, even though it was a warm day, realizing what I was connecting to and what I was a part of.
I've been thinking a lot over the last few months about what makes me a Sooner, and why I feel that so strongly. Sooner football is a part of my identity as a Sooner and the ties of family and friends that strengthen and are strengthened by that identity. That identity is why I married Heidi on a box full of authentic Oklahoma red clay. It is why this blog is The Daily Okie, and not the Daily Coloradan or the Daily Denverite; I have ties here, but those deeper ties are stronger and will never be broken.
Some who read this might think I'm slightly insane, or that I'm silly for feeling that so strongly. Lots of people in Colorado undoubtedly would think that way, mostly because so many are transplants themselves and willingly left their old homes behind; they willingly severed those ties and chose to stay here. I respect that, but that's not my bag, baby.
All that being said, the new 2007 Sooner intro video is on Youtube and it is AWESOME. I'm putting it here below, so that you all may enjoy it, and perhaps for just a brief moment, you'll understand a little bit about why I'm a Sooner, and why I always will be. I'm a Sooner born, and a Sooner bred, and when I die I'll be Sooner dead, and that really says it all. Enjoy the video.
Thanks for reading along.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Heidi...Gotta Love 'Er
So Heidi had two real gems today. One of her own making, one not. First the one that was not.
She calls me this afternoon and asks me about a van that says "Google" on it and has something that looks like a camera on the end of a long pole. She says that one was out in front of our house. Now, working in computers as I do, I knew immediately what it was: it was a Google Maps Street View van. So I'll be checking Google Maps frequently, because she says it caught her and Donovan out in front of our house, standing next to our minivan, with the garage door open. Should be quite a sight when it's finally put up.
Then later I mention that Toyota has the new 2008 FJ Cruisers out, and there are two new colors: "Brick Red" and "Sand Beige". I describe the former as a nice crimson, and the latter as a "dark cream." Knowing my love for OU, she immediately said, "Oh, so we're getting one of each, then?"
How well she knows me. Her suggestion immediately brought to mind not only buying one of each, but then swapping body panels so they are both crimson and cream.
Thanks for reading along.
She calls me this afternoon and asks me about a van that says "Google" on it and has something that looks like a camera on the end of a long pole. She says that one was out in front of our house. Now, working in computers as I do, I knew immediately what it was: it was a Google Maps Street View van. So I'll be checking Google Maps frequently, because she says it caught her and Donovan out in front of our house, standing next to our minivan, with the garage door open. Should be quite a sight when it's finally put up.
Then later I mention that Toyota has the new 2008 FJ Cruisers out, and there are two new colors: "Brick Red" and "Sand Beige". I describe the former as a nice crimson, and the latter as a "dark cream." Knowing my love for OU, she immediately said, "Oh, so we're getting one of each, then?"
How well she knows me. Her suggestion immediately brought to mind not only buying one of each, but then swapping body panels so they are both crimson and cream.
Thanks for reading along.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Speak It With An Accent, Scientific Breakthrough, and More
First, let's take a moment to remember the losses of six years ago. I still have a journal in which I wrote my thoughts from that day; I've written nothing else in that book and I might not ever again. We should also especially honor the sacrifice of those aboard United 93. After hearing of the other planes in their brief contacts with family and friends, the passengers and crew learned what was really at stake and fought back against the evil we all were confronted with on that day. Their spirit, their attitude, and their ultimate sacrifice must be remembered and honored always, and we should all take the lessons learned from their efforts to heart, because we're still fighting the war they started on that day.
Think about how accents change your perception and factor in to your attitude on many things. You hear an accent and immediately certain traits pop into your head. Radio stations take advantage of this by using DJs who speak with certain accents or with certain tones and inflections; think about how a "smooth jazz" DJ sounds differently than a DJ on a hard rock station, or a hip-hop DJ sounds different than a new-wave DJ. Let's take a quick look at a few accents and the characteristics they evoke, at least for me:
Salt-water that burns? Check out the story here. Salt-water is the most abundant resource on the planet. If this is true, and not a hoax (see Cold Fusion), this could be an incredible turning point in human history. Obviously with RF generators (think "microwave oven"), safety is an issue that must be worked out. Just imagine, though, using this technology in place of coal for turning steam-powered generators...in place of natural gas for heating homes and businesses...in ironworks and steelworks to melt the metal. And dare we dream?? In place of gasoline in, powering everything from cars to heavy earthmovers to factory machinery? Consider even the social implications, with adequate energy for everyone, inexpensively. Need some more fuel? Just walk on down to the shore with a couple of buckets.
And think of all the time and money we've wasted on desalinization plants!
Tron II??? I am SOOOOOOOO there!
Has MTV lost its appeal? What an asinine question to ask today, over 15 years since MTV moved away from being "MUSIC Television" to being "Politically Correct Television". Starting with the ridiculous "Rock The Vote" nonsense in 1992, and continuing with "The Real World," then moving into becoming just "Reality Television" with such incredible content as Punk'd, Jackass, and The Hills, MTV has done nothing to prove it's worth viewers' time. Even Justin Timberlake spoke out on this point during the recent MTV Music Awards, urging MTV to play videos again. MTV has no one to blame but its own programmers; it's been meaningless and irrelevant for years.
We have passed balls vs. wild pitches in baseball, why not the same kind of thing for football interceptions? See the "Random thought with no heading" point from today's Quick Outs at CFN. I have to ask again, why not? Why blame the quarterback when a perfect pass hits a receiver in the hands, then passes through them only to be snagged by the defensive back lurking behind? Sure, there will be judgment calls, but baseball differentiates between the catcher's mistake and the pitcher's mistake. I say let's have football make the same sort of differentiation, especially since interceptions are much more common than passed balls and wild pitches.
The Sooners are doing well and getting some poll love, but it still looks a lot like 2000 to me. That year, OU snuck up on the world, with the pundits focusing on Nebraska, FSU, and Miami, until OU had their amazing October run against Texas, Kansas State, and Nebraska. This year, it's primarily USC and LSU, with a little West Virginia and Florida thrown in. OU's moved to 3rd in the AP and 5th in the Coaches' Poll, so they're gaining ground, but I'm wondering what they'll have to do this year to really boost their standing past either USC or LSU (or both). The Crimson and Cream Machine has a good plan, and I can't say I disagree. I'm thinking they'll have to go undefeated and win every game by at least 4 touchdowns to make that leap. If they can maintain the high level of play we've seen the first two weeks (and with Utah State, Tulsa, and Colorado as the next three warm-up games before Texas, I don't see that as an issue), they can make that last push and end up with a January 7th date in New Orleans.
Thanks for reading along.
Think about how accents change your perception and factor in to your attitude on many things. You hear an accent and immediately certain traits pop into your head. Radio stations take advantage of this by using DJs who speak with certain accents or with certain tones and inflections; think about how a "smooth jazz" DJ sounds differently than a DJ on a hard rock station, or a hip-hop DJ sounds different than a new-wave DJ. Let's take a quick look at a few accents and the characteristics they evoke, at least for me:
- British: This is a a complex one for Americans. Explorers (think "Dr. Livingstone, I presume" or "Land Rovers on an African safari", motor-heads (every Formula 1 race I've seen has a guy with a British accent...couple this with Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin, Mini, MG, and Triumph as examples of the UK's prolific love of automobiles), golfers (just watch a golf telecast some time, then turn it off when you hear the British accent...you shouldn't be watching for more than five minutes), snobby patricians, friendly foreigners (this comes from the generally-positive attitude most Brits seem to hold and maintain toward us...think about it)
- French: This one, on the other hand, isn't complex at all. Pretentious, artsy-fartsy losers, gourmet chefs, or America-haters
- Southern/Western: I don't see things this way, but for most folks, a Southern or Western accent automatically puts you into the "uneducated bumpkin" category.
- New York: Streetwise smart aleck or Mafioso (see "The Sopranos" and Simpsons' Fat Tony)
- Boston: The Kennedys, wealthy Harvard elites
- Ebonics: hip-hop and rap, gangstas and guns
- German: for me, this is a cool one because I am part German and I took German for four years in school. But lots of folks still make the old "ve haff vays of makink you talk" jokes, or Mike Myers' old "Now is de time on Shprockets vhen ve dance" shtick.
Salt-water that burns? Check out the story here. Salt-water is the most abundant resource on the planet. If this is true, and not a hoax (see Cold Fusion), this could be an incredible turning point in human history. Obviously with RF generators (think "microwave oven"), safety is an issue that must be worked out. Just imagine, though, using this technology in place of coal for turning steam-powered generators...in place of natural gas for heating homes and businesses...in ironworks and steelworks to melt the metal. And dare we dream?? In place of gasoline in, powering everything from cars to heavy earthmovers to factory machinery? Consider even the social implications, with adequate energy for everyone, inexpensively. Need some more fuel? Just walk on down to the shore with a couple of buckets.
And think of all the time and money we've wasted on desalinization plants!
Tron II??? I am SOOOOOOOO there!
Has MTV lost its appeal? What an asinine question to ask today, over 15 years since MTV moved away from being "MUSIC Television" to being "Politically Correct Television". Starting with the ridiculous "Rock The Vote" nonsense in 1992, and continuing with "The Real World," then moving into becoming just "Reality Television" with such incredible content as Punk'd, Jackass, and The Hills, MTV has done nothing to prove it's worth viewers' time. Even Justin Timberlake spoke out on this point during the recent MTV Music Awards, urging MTV to play videos again. MTV has no one to blame but its own programmers; it's been meaningless and irrelevant for years.
We have passed balls vs. wild pitches in baseball, why not the same kind of thing for football interceptions? See the "Random thought with no heading" point from today's Quick Outs at CFN. I have to ask again, why not? Why blame the quarterback when a perfect pass hits a receiver in the hands, then passes through them only to be snagged by the defensive back lurking behind? Sure, there will be judgment calls, but baseball differentiates between the catcher's mistake and the pitcher's mistake. I say let's have football make the same sort of differentiation, especially since interceptions are much more common than passed balls and wild pitches.
The Sooners are doing well and getting some poll love, but it still looks a lot like 2000 to me. That year, OU snuck up on the world, with the pundits focusing on Nebraska, FSU, and Miami, until OU had their amazing October run against Texas, Kansas State, and Nebraska. This year, it's primarily USC and LSU, with a little West Virginia and Florida thrown in. OU's moved to 3rd in the AP and 5th in the Coaches' Poll, so they're gaining ground, but I'm wondering what they'll have to do this year to really boost their standing past either USC or LSU (or both). The Crimson and Cream Machine has a good plan, and I can't say I disagree. I'm thinking they'll have to go undefeated and win every game by at least 4 touchdowns to make that leap. If they can maintain the high level of play we've seen the first two weeks (and with Utah State, Tulsa, and Colorado as the next three warm-up games before Texas, I don't see that as an issue), they can make that last push and end up with a January 7th date in New Orleans.
Thanks for reading along.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Can You Say FOR REAL?
(OU FOOTBALL DISCLAIMER: the first section of this post is about OU football. If you're not a Sooner-born-and-Sooner-bred-and-when-I-die-I'll-be-a-Sooner-dead kind of person, you might want to move on to the next section. Remember, just look for the giant capital letter at the start of the paragraph.)
The Sooners are for real.
Man oh man, after another incredible game, it appears the Sooners are for real. Sure, this Miami team is far removed from the amazing steamroller that used to come out of the U in recent years, but it's still Miami. Given their history, given OU's history with them, just about anything could have happened in this game. However, Sam Bradford, Malcolm Kelly (wearing my #4 jersey), and the rest of the Crimson and Cream fairly destroyed the Hurricanes (I'll forbear using the ridiculous "blew them away" cliches all the media-types are jumping on now). Miami had one opportunity to keep it close, with the Sooners stuck in the mud in the late 2nd quarter after Reggie Smith's fumble return for a touchdown made the score 21-3. But the OU put it into low, locked the rear diff, and dug out with some serious power, behind an ultra-stout defensive effort that permitted a touchdown to Miami, but only after Miami had 7 plays inside the 3-yard line to get it.
There were still issues to resolve, like some poor tackling here and there on defense that gave up more yards than should have been. There was also a few dropped passes, particularly by the running backs. And speaking of the running backs, the ground game didn't seem very effective this week, despite the great blocking on the line. I credit that to Miami's defense keying on the ground game, more than ineffective running. I think most teams are going to take that approach this year, since we have a young quarterback. Let me tell you this, though; by mid-season, after continuing to watch Bradford pile up yards and points, they'll soon learn the error of their ways. In fact, Bradford still leads the NCAA in completion percentage and pass efficiency rating. With the accuracy he's shown, that's not surprising. He might not be as accurate as Josh Heupel always seemed to be, but he's pretty close, and at least as accurate as Jason White. He's been threading the needle pretty regularly, and again, there's that completion percentage to bear out his ability.
Utah State is next up, then Tulsa, then Colorado for the Big 12 opener. It doesn't appear OU will be really tested until OU-Texas on October 6th. Personally, if OU continues on this path, I'm hoping for another 65-13 whuppin' by the Sooners when that day comes. (I'll have the Tivo warmed up and ready.
Oh, and one more thing: OU has vaulted to #3 in the latest AP Poll, while holding steady as a strong #5 in the Coaches' Poll. BOOMER SOONER!!
After months of hot, dry weather, it seems that fall just blew in yesterday. It was very cool, but sunny, most of the day, and the wind blew all day long. The boys went out and spent most of the day playing football (and various other things) out in the backyard, so it was still very nice. Not so much today; we woke up to 50 degrees, overcast skies, and light rain. You'd think it was late October here, not mid-September. I like this weather, because it's a lot like Oklahoma is in the fall and winter, but unfortunately, it's Colorado, which means it will only get colder and snowier as we move closer to winter. We'll see how the pattern holds, but I'm guessing we'll have our first snow by mid-October this year.
Have any of you ever replaced your car's brake pads? I got my first taste of that this weekend, as I spent about 4 hours total work time replacing the front-left pads and rotor on Heidi's minivan. I got it done and everything seems to be working just fine, which makes me very happy. I took it for an extended test drive last night to make sure all was well before I turned the keys back over to Heidi. It was good to do it, because now I know how it goes, but I always seem to forget some iron-clad rules of working on cars:
1. There will always at least one task in the whole job that takes 10 times longer than you expect or than the documentation specifies (or both). When I replaced the Rover's fuel pump a couple of years back, everything was smooth and quick, except for getting the pump out of the tank. There's a convenient hatch for removal, but nothing and no one tells you that the pump is so tightly seated with its seal, that it takes a crane to pull it out. It took me 45 minutes of the two hours I spent on the whole job, just to get the pump out. In the case of the minivan's brakes, everything was relatively smooth, if not slow because I was being VERY deliberate. But refilling the brake reservoir was the killer this time, because Ford's engineers apparently believe you'll never have to do so. This belief is indicated by the location of the reservoir back under the windshield, not in the open where it would be easily filled.
2. When you work on a car, you will injure at least one finger so that it bleeds. (Exception: if you're only changing the oil, the likelihood of finger injury is reduced by 50%.) This time it was my thumb get smashed into a wheel stud when my wrench slipped. When I was replacing the ignition wires in the Rover, it was banging my knuckle into the engine block while I was running the wires around the headers. When I replaced the thermostat in my Mom's BMW convertible, I had to remove the cooling fan...yes, it doesn't really take much imagination to come up with what happened there. Injury is inevitable, so keep the Band-Aids handy.
3. Fluid spills are likewise inevitable, regardless of how hard you try to avoid them. The brake system stayed sealed, so you would expect that nothing would spill. However, I needed to top off the brake system and of course, the placement of the reservoir increased the likelihood of a spill a hundredfold. And it happened, right on schedule. The bummer is that brake fluid is about the most dangerous fluid in your car, unless it's gasoline; brake fluid will take the paint and finish off your car, so you have to be really careful with it. Fortunately, I only spilled it on the concrete in the garage. I wear nitrile gloves both to keep my hands clean and protect against the nasty chemicals you work with in auto work. Nitrile gloves are supposed to be more puncture-resistant, and since you're banging your hands a lot, that helps. I usually go through 2-10 pairs over the course of a single job, depending on how long and involved it is and how many times I get called away. Non-medical grade gloves are available at most auto parts stores and run about $5 for a box of 50 or so.
4. A torque wrench is a good thing to have, but as long as you're smart about tightening your bolts, you can get by without one. One of my dad's favorite stories is from his teen years; he was working at a gas station/garage, where he was helping a guy work on a car. The guy was screwing a bolt back in, while warning Dad about not making them too tight. No sooner had the words escaped from his mouth, than SNAP!! Off came the bolt head. In about 30 instances where I have done automotive work in my life, I've only snapped off a bolt once. (I'm keeping my fingers crossed here.)
5. Do your research before you get started, and keep your documentation handy at all times. If I'm going to work on a car, I make double-darned sure that I know as much about what I have to do as possible so that I don't run into trouble (and even if I do run into trouble, I can back-track and get out of it). This holds true even if you are a pro. When I had the Rover, I purchased an official shop manual early on, at a cost of about $150. It was totally worth it, though, in the amount of money I saved by not taking it to a mechanic, and in the trouble it saved me while I was working on it.
Donovan had his first flag football game this weekend, and I'm so proud of him. He did really well, even if he is still learning about putting out his best effort. He had two "tackles" and ran better than I expected. He also has a tendency to "accidentally" fall down during and after plays, but he managed to keep control of that, too. He did really well, and he's enjoying it greatly. He's also hyper-interested in football now, watching it with me all the time. Connor is interested now, too, and he wants to play flag football in the spring, and maybe move to tackle football in the fall. We're going to have to work on that one; he's still kind of small, and he's involved with karate and Cub Scouts, so I probably won't get his mom's blessing. That means he'll probably have to miss every other week, since he'll only be playing when he's at my house. They're both definitely getting to that age, though, where sports becomes a lot more interesting. I'm happy for that.
Well, that's it for today. Thanks for reading along.
The Sooners are for real.
Man oh man, after another incredible game, it appears the Sooners are for real. Sure, this Miami team is far removed from the amazing steamroller that used to come out of the U in recent years, but it's still Miami. Given their history, given OU's history with them, just about anything could have happened in this game. However, Sam Bradford, Malcolm Kelly (wearing my #4 jersey), and the rest of the Crimson and Cream fairly destroyed the Hurricanes (I'll forbear using the ridiculous "blew them away" cliches all the media-types are jumping on now). Miami had one opportunity to keep it close, with the Sooners stuck in the mud in the late 2nd quarter after Reggie Smith's fumble return for a touchdown made the score 21-3. But the OU put it into low, locked the rear diff, and dug out with some serious power, behind an ultra-stout defensive effort that permitted a touchdown to Miami, but only after Miami had 7 plays inside the 3-yard line to get it.
There were still issues to resolve, like some poor tackling here and there on defense that gave up more yards than should have been. There was also a few dropped passes, particularly by the running backs. And speaking of the running backs, the ground game didn't seem very effective this week, despite the great blocking on the line. I credit that to Miami's defense keying on the ground game, more than ineffective running. I think most teams are going to take that approach this year, since we have a young quarterback. Let me tell you this, though; by mid-season, after continuing to watch Bradford pile up yards and points, they'll soon learn the error of their ways. In fact, Bradford still leads the NCAA in completion percentage and pass efficiency rating. With the accuracy he's shown, that's not surprising. He might not be as accurate as Josh Heupel always seemed to be, but he's pretty close, and at least as accurate as Jason White. He's been threading the needle pretty regularly, and again, there's that completion percentage to bear out his ability.
Utah State is next up, then Tulsa, then Colorado for the Big 12 opener. It doesn't appear OU will be really tested until OU-Texas on October 6th. Personally, if OU continues on this path, I'm hoping for another 65-13 whuppin' by the Sooners when that day comes. (I'll have the Tivo warmed up and ready.
Oh, and one more thing: OU has vaulted to #3 in the latest AP Poll, while holding steady as a strong #5 in the Coaches' Poll. BOOMER SOONER!!
After months of hot, dry weather, it seems that fall just blew in yesterday. It was very cool, but sunny, most of the day, and the wind blew all day long. The boys went out and spent most of the day playing football (and various other things) out in the backyard, so it was still very nice. Not so much today; we woke up to 50 degrees, overcast skies, and light rain. You'd think it was late October here, not mid-September. I like this weather, because it's a lot like Oklahoma is in the fall and winter, but unfortunately, it's Colorado, which means it will only get colder and snowier as we move closer to winter. We'll see how the pattern holds, but I'm guessing we'll have our first snow by mid-October this year.
Have any of you ever replaced your car's brake pads? I got my first taste of that this weekend, as I spent about 4 hours total work time replacing the front-left pads and rotor on Heidi's minivan. I got it done and everything seems to be working just fine, which makes me very happy. I took it for an extended test drive last night to make sure all was well before I turned the keys back over to Heidi. It was good to do it, because now I know how it goes, but I always seem to forget some iron-clad rules of working on cars:
1. There will always at least one task in the whole job that takes 10 times longer than you expect or than the documentation specifies (or both). When I replaced the Rover's fuel pump a couple of years back, everything was smooth and quick, except for getting the pump out of the tank. There's a convenient hatch for removal, but nothing and no one tells you that the pump is so tightly seated with its seal, that it takes a crane to pull it out. It took me 45 minutes of the two hours I spent on the whole job, just to get the pump out. In the case of the minivan's brakes, everything was relatively smooth, if not slow because I was being VERY deliberate. But refilling the brake reservoir was the killer this time, because Ford's engineers apparently believe you'll never have to do so. This belief is indicated by the location of the reservoir back under the windshield, not in the open where it would be easily filled.
2. When you work on a car, you will injure at least one finger so that it bleeds. (Exception: if you're only changing the oil, the likelihood of finger injury is reduced by 50%.) This time it was my thumb get smashed into a wheel stud when my wrench slipped. When I was replacing the ignition wires in the Rover, it was banging my knuckle into the engine block while I was running the wires around the headers. When I replaced the thermostat in my Mom's BMW convertible, I had to remove the cooling fan...yes, it doesn't really take much imagination to come up with what happened there. Injury is inevitable, so keep the Band-Aids handy.
3. Fluid spills are likewise inevitable, regardless of how hard you try to avoid them. The brake system stayed sealed, so you would expect that nothing would spill. However, I needed to top off the brake system and of course, the placement of the reservoir increased the likelihood of a spill a hundredfold. And it happened, right on schedule. The bummer is that brake fluid is about the most dangerous fluid in your car, unless it's gasoline; brake fluid will take the paint and finish off your car, so you have to be really careful with it. Fortunately, I only spilled it on the concrete in the garage. I wear nitrile gloves both to keep my hands clean and protect against the nasty chemicals you work with in auto work. Nitrile gloves are supposed to be more puncture-resistant, and since you're banging your hands a lot, that helps. I usually go through 2-10 pairs over the course of a single job, depending on how long and involved it is and how many times I get called away. Non-medical grade gloves are available at most auto parts stores and run about $5 for a box of 50 or so.
4. A torque wrench is a good thing to have, but as long as you're smart about tightening your bolts, you can get by without one. One of my dad's favorite stories is from his teen years; he was working at a gas station/garage, where he was helping a guy work on a car. The guy was screwing a bolt back in, while warning Dad about not making them too tight. No sooner had the words escaped from his mouth, than SNAP!! Off came the bolt head. In about 30 instances where I have done automotive work in my life, I've only snapped off a bolt once. (I'm keeping my fingers crossed here.)
5. Do your research before you get started, and keep your documentation handy at all times. If I'm going to work on a car, I make double-darned sure that I know as much about what I have to do as possible so that I don't run into trouble (and even if I do run into trouble, I can back-track and get out of it). This holds true even if you are a pro. When I had the Rover, I purchased an official shop manual early on, at a cost of about $150. It was totally worth it, though, in the amount of money I saved by not taking it to a mechanic, and in the trouble it saved me while I was working on it.
Donovan had his first flag football game this weekend, and I'm so proud of him. He did really well, even if he is still learning about putting out his best effort. He had two "tackles" and ran better than I expected. He also has a tendency to "accidentally" fall down during and after plays, but he managed to keep control of that, too. He did really well, and he's enjoying it greatly. He's also hyper-interested in football now, watching it with me all the time. Connor is interested now, too, and he wants to play flag football in the spring, and maybe move to tackle football in the fall. We're going to have to work on that one; he's still kind of small, and he's involved with karate and Cub Scouts, so I probably won't get his mom's blessing. That means he'll probably have to miss every other week, since he'll only be playing when he's at my house. They're both definitely getting to that age, though, where sports becomes a lot more interesting. I'm happy for that.
Well, that's it for today. Thanks for reading along.
Friday, September 07, 2007
Unfocused Days, with God's Help
It's been rough lately for me, and I'm not quite sure why. I've had some extremely unfocused days, both at work and at home. I don't know if it's because I have so much going on that I feel overwhelmed, or if the stress of everything is getting me down now that it's all ramping up. Who knows, it could even be the start of the OU football season. In any case, it's been very difficult for me to buckle down and focus on what I need to do. I think that, maybe, I need to start doing some meditation again, like I did when I used to do T'ai Chi, and perhaps that will help me relax and focus again. If you've never done it, try it. You don't have to make it a spiritualist thing or a martial arts thing or even a goofy thing. Just sit somewhere quiet and relatively dark, let your body relax, and just breathe. In through the nose, out through the mouth, and just focus on that breathing. In T'ai Chi we think about our chi (life-force energy) as we breathe, and that helps us focus. I like to blend my Christian beliefs in, imagining that God has created chi for us to use in real life, and that it is one of His gifts to us. If you are interested in chi, it's a bit like The Force...you can do some pretty amazing things with it if you're trained.
Also, as I had indicated before, Heidi and I are going the The Purpose-Driven Life and I must say that it is very hopeful and in some ways very frightening. It is a life-changing book. Honestly, I don't know if I'm capable of doing it. It sounds simple but there is so much to do, and so many things it asks that I'm not very good at. I'll do my best, and with God's help I will succeed.
Thanks for reading along.
Also, as I had indicated before, Heidi and I are going the The Purpose-Driven Life and I must say that it is very hopeful and in some ways very frightening. It is a life-changing book. Honestly, I don't know if I'm capable of doing it. It sounds simple but there is so much to do, and so many things it asks that I'm not very good at. I'll do my best, and with God's help I will succeed.
Thanks for reading along.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Careless Parents, Two More Days, The Essence of Comedy, and Other Musings
There has been a terrible rash of careless parents lately that has resulted in tragedy, involving everything from moms racing trains and losing, to leaving infants and toddlers in hot cars for long periods of time (we've seen lots of these lately), to accidentally ODing a toddler by cleaning his nose with a cotton swab used in a meth pipe. Please note that I'm not talking about negligent parents, although a few of these examples certainly border on negligence; I'm speaking of parents who, through habit or preoccupation or mere self-centeredness, have done things with their children that have led to terrible results. I'm sure that throughout history there have been all sorts of accidents, but I think today's parents have additional issues because of the increasing pace of life, as well as the "me first" mentality we've seen increasingly since the mid- to late 1960s. (There's also an argument to be made that we hear more about these incidents today thanks to the combination of modern technology and slow news days.) I know it can be difficult as a parent, but you have to be smart about it and take care. I don't know if I'd be racing trains or leaving drug paraphernalia around with my kids. I might be absent-minded and I do have a lot going on, but I am pretty sure I would never leave a small child in a hot car during the summer. "What were you THINKING?!?!" doesn't do it justice, really. Unfortunately, these parents end up paying for their carelessness with their kids' lives, and that alone makes it ever more horrible. I wouldn't pile on by scolding. They get to live the rest of their lives remembering the results.
I had a funny conversation just this morning with some of the guys at work, discussing comedy like Jackass: The Movie and Borat and the like, and during that discussion I came to one very important conclusion about the essence of comedy. You can try anything you like to make people laugh, but when all else fails, just kick a guy in the nuts. That always works. As Homer once said, "But...THE BALL!! HIS GROIN!!! IT WORKS ON SO MANY LEVELS!!!" Point made.
Just two more days until the big showdown and I'm totally stoked! I am getting a bit weary, though, of the constant discussions and comparisons to the mid-1980s, and the Switzer-vs-Johnson battles that presaged the death of the wishbone, and the lost opportunities for OU, and the chance for revenge, blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda. Yes, this is a huge game. Yes, for some folks there will be a measure of vengeance involved. And yes, when OU wins on Saturday, there will be a huge measure of satisfaction, even though it's still a down year for the Hurricanes, who are a shell of the juggernaut they were a few years back. Honestly, though, I'd much rather see OU kick the snot out of USC or Notre Dame any day. There's a lot more history there for long-time fans.
In fact, I'm going to quickly list my OU "s***-list", the teams who, through either repeated trouble, distant huge moments, or more recent travesties, are the teams I will always want to see lose (and ESPECIALLY, lose to the Sooners). Here's what it looks like:
I had a funny conversation just this morning with some of the guys at work, discussing comedy like Jackass: The Movie and Borat and the like, and during that discussion I came to one very important conclusion about the essence of comedy. You can try anything you like to make people laugh, but when all else fails, just kick a guy in the nuts. That always works. As Homer once said, "But...THE BALL!! HIS GROIN!!! IT WORKS ON SO MANY LEVELS!!!" Point made.
Just two more days until the big showdown and I'm totally stoked! I am getting a bit weary, though, of the constant discussions and comparisons to the mid-1980s, and the Switzer-vs-Johnson battles that presaged the death of the wishbone, and the lost opportunities for OU, and the chance for revenge, blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda. Yes, this is a huge game. Yes, for some folks there will be a measure of vengeance involved. And yes, when OU wins on Saturday, there will be a huge measure of satisfaction, even though it's still a down year for the Hurricanes, who are a shell of the juggernaut they were a few years back. Honestly, though, I'd much rather see OU kick the snot out of USC or Notre Dame any day. There's a lot more history there for long-time fans.
In fact, I'm going to quickly list my OU "s***-list", the teams who, through either repeated trouble, distant huge moments, or more recent travesties, are the teams I will always want to see lose (and ESPECIALLY, lose to the Sooners). Here's what it looks like:
- USC -- These guys are now and always will be #1 on my list. This goes back to the early 80s for me, when I watched them defeat OU in LA. It continued on my birthday in 1992, when USC came to Norman and plastered my beloved Sooners (happy birthday, Chris!!). It locked itself at the top with That Game from early 2005, which nothing more needs to be said about.
- Notre Dame -- Notre Dame used to be first on this list, but the more I thought about it, the more I feel comfortable with them in the #2 slot. This one goes two ways: first, I'm one of those folks who really hates Notre Dame. Sure, they have a great tradition, but that has led to ridiculous exclusive TV contracts, preferential treatment in the BCS, and the benefit of the doubt in every poll in every season. No other team gets these things, and frankly, no team, not even Notre Dame, deserves them. What the Irish get from the college football establishment is, well, un-American. Add to this ND's defeats of the Sooners that bookend the NCAA record 47-game winning streak, and a few other defeats like the 1999 Irish victory that should have belonged to OU, and Notre Dame sits here and will always sit here.
- Any team coached by Les Miles (actually a VERY close third) -- I admit that successful coaches need a bit of swagger, an attitude that borders on overconfidence. Unfortunately, while Mr. Miles is a very good coach, he also takes that attitude too far and has crossed the line into "brash, classless loud-mouth". He last popped off in 2003 while head coach at OSU, when he made a smart comment about OU: "One of these teams is Number 1 in the nation, or so we're told, and the other is darn good." OU responded with a solid 52-9 drubbing. And now Les has moved on to LSU, and I get a feeling we're somehow destined to meet him again soon.
- Texas -- For true fans, I don't really need to say anything further. This has been tempered a bit by the strength-of-schedule concept, which demands that Texas play well against everyone except OU so that OU looks better. There have been many defining moments in this storied rivalry, including Darrell Royal's defection from his alma mater and later accusation's of spying. The one I remember most, though, is the notorious 15-15 tie from 1984 that should have been an OU victory, after a few highly questionable calls on the field. I am almost always happy to see Texas lose. The lone exception was their game against USC for the 2005 National Championship, and even then, it was one of the toughest decisions I ever had to make. Dad and I even talked about the incredible moral and ethical dilemma of choosing between the Longhorns and the Trojans. In the end, conference loyalty won out, but that's the only time.
- Oregon -- After last year's travesty in Eugene, Oregon will forever be one of those teams I will cheer against. We watched the game at Jackson's in downtown Denver, and by a strange quirk of fate, the local Oregon alumni club was watching in the very next room. After the game was over, those same fans from Oregon were classless in their taunting, something I don't ever forgive. Finally, to this day, I have yet to see an Oregon fan admit that they got a victory against OU by crooked means. (I mean, come on...even Mr. "Pac-10 Forever" himself, ABC's Dan Fouts, admitted that OU got the shaft and had a victory stolen at Autzen Stadium that day...why can't you?) So, Ducks fans, welcome to The List, and enjoy your stay...you'll be here a VERY LONG time.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
THE SOONERS OVERTAKE THE HATED HORNS!
The first REAL Coaches' Poll was released today, and OU jumps up two spots, while Texas falls three! Ditto the AP poll, in which we tie for 5th place with Wisconsin. We're one slot ahead of Texas! A convincing victory against Miami could bump us to #3 or #4...then the Red River Shootout on October 6th...
Not astonishingly, Michigan has fallen from the Top 25 rankings. LONG road ahead for them, but wouldn't it be an amazing story if they were to go unbeaten the rest of the way and somehow compete for the national title?
Meanwhile, I'll be keeping my 8-year streak of seeing a live OU game going, when Heidi and I go watch the Sooners thump the Buffs on September 29th. This will be my 3rd straight OU-CU game to see in Boulder. One of the few benefits of living here.
Weird side note: it will actually be my FOURTH OU game here in Colorado. My ex-wife and I went to see the Sooners destroy Air Force 44-3 in 2001. That game showed me how many OU fans there are around here, when Air Force's already-diminutive stadium was half-full of crimson-and-cream-clad Sooner fans. It was almost like a home game. I'll say this...the Falcons' pre-game ceremony, in which a cadet falconer actually directs a beautiful trained falcon over the fans in their seats is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. He stands at midfield with the falcon on his gloved arm, releases it and directs it around the stadium four or five times, then calls it back to him. A wonderful spectacle and a joy to watch.
Thanks for reading along.
Not astonishingly, Michigan has fallen from the Top 25 rankings. LONG road ahead for them, but wouldn't it be an amazing story if they were to go unbeaten the rest of the way and somehow compete for the national title?
Meanwhile, I'll be keeping my 8-year streak of seeing a live OU game going, when Heidi and I go watch the Sooners thump the Buffs on September 29th. This will be my 3rd straight OU-CU game to see in Boulder. One of the few benefits of living here.
Weird side note: it will actually be my FOURTH OU game here in Colorado. My ex-wife and I went to see the Sooners destroy Air Force 44-3 in 2001. That game showed me how many OU fans there are around here, when Air Force's already-diminutive stadium was half-full of crimson-and-cream-clad Sooner fans. It was almost like a home game. I'll say this...the Falcons' pre-game ceremony, in which a cadet falconer actually directs a beautiful trained falcon over the fans in their seats is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. He stands at midfield with the falcon on his gloved arm, releases it and directs it around the stadium four or five times, then calls it back to him. A wonderful spectacle and a joy to watch.
Thanks for reading along.
Standards In Decline, and A Team On The Rise
Back from a long weekend, and I'll open with a quote:
Granted, this was fully tongue-in-cheek, but that was from an episode in 1995. It's amazing how prescient some comedy can be...The Onion also regularly comes up with its fake articles that somehow manage to come true. This happens regularly enough, in fact, that James Taranto over at Best of the Web Today at WSJ's OpinionJournal.com has a semi-regular section of his page devoted to such happenings. This quote popped into my head this morning while I was shaving and listening to 850 KOA, which reported on the well-known cable network Showtime and their new slogan, which they began advertising this weekend: "The Best S*** on Television". Seriously. It does make sense; I remember my high school days, when we would joke about the soft-core porn that Showtime would put on Friday nights after 9:00 pm, inspiring us to refer to the network as "Ho-time."
I myself have noticed the declining standards of decency on cable television, particularly on the Turner-sponsored TBS and TNT. Just over the weekend, I watched a couple of movies on these stations and noticed two HUGE examples in editing profane language that used to be no-brainers: g--d--- and a--holes. As most of you will attest, the first has almost universally been shortened to just d---, with the more blasphemous part removed entirely, while the "holes" in the second example is the universally-removed part. And yet, I noticed two different cases, g--d--- in Clint Eastwood's Pale Rider, and a--holes in Austin Powers: Goldmember, that somehow evaded the editors' notice entirely. I've spoken before on declining standards, even on the main networks during early prime-time, in which shows such as Ugly Betty and The Office, both of which occupy the standard general-audiences 6:00pm Eastern/7:00 Central timeslot, routinely have obvious innuendos and frank discussion of sexual topics.
Perhaps the idea is, "well, the kids are probably watching Cartoon Network anyway, so who's going to get upset about this?"
Interesting factoid: OU's football program accounts for 30% of the expenses of the Athletic Department as a whole, but it accounts for 70% of the department's income. And you want to say that football is a bad thing? Next time you shout about Title IX, consider what might happen if the football program where curtailed or worse, shut down altogether. How many women's sports would survive if the Athletic Department budget were to lose 70% of its income? Division III, anyone?
(OU FOOTBALL DISCUSSION DISCLAIMER: This post will conclude after this last section, so if you aren't interested at all in OU football, you can close the browser window/tab now.)
So I can't contain it any longer; I'm ready to say that Sam Bradford and DeMarco Murray will combine to lead OU to a national title game, if not this year, then probably next year. I know it was only North Texas, but who can argue with the Josh Heupel/Jason White-like numbers that Bradford put up? 21 of 23, 363 yards, 3 TDs? Bradford nearly broke Heupel's debut-game passing yardage record...IN THE FIRST HALF. He tied White's record for consecutive completions at 18, and the streak could continue into the Miami game, considering that streak consisted of his last 18 straight completions. He's OU's quarterback for the future, and it appears we'll be lucky to keep Keith Nichol, who will want to play as The Man, not some backup riding the pine.
And what about DeMarco Murray?? All I can say is, WOW. He had a tremendous game, not necessarily in terms of yardage, although he did have 100 all-purpose yards to go with those 5 TDs. He showed flashes of what is to come with him, and I know he will only get better.
That's the crazy thing...BOTH of these guys are only going to get better. Ponder that for a moment...they're already putting up numbers that better-known, acknowledged Sooner greats put up in their tune-up games, and these guys are just redshirt freshmen. The true test for both will come this weekend against Miami, but regardless of the outcome, this weekend's complete rout of North Texas gives the Sooner Nation tremendous, sincere hope for the future, for the first time in a few years.
Along that line, one other thought struck me, because I had almost the same conversation with Dad the other night that I had back in September of 2000..."if we can get past Texas, we should be OK." This season, for its own reasons, has shades of being like that 2000 season, and we all know how that turned out.
Thanks for reading along.
"You know, Fox turned into a hardcore sex channel so gradually, I didn't even notice!" -- Marge Simpson
Granted, this was fully tongue-in-cheek, but that was from an episode in 1995. It's amazing how prescient some comedy can be...The Onion also regularly comes up with its fake articles that somehow manage to come true. This happens regularly enough, in fact, that James Taranto over at Best of the Web Today at WSJ's OpinionJournal.com has a semi-regular section of his page devoted to such happenings. This quote popped into my head this morning while I was shaving and listening to 850 KOA, which reported on the well-known cable network Showtime and their new slogan, which they began advertising this weekend: "The Best S*** on Television". Seriously. It does make sense; I remember my high school days, when we would joke about the soft-core porn that Showtime would put on Friday nights after 9:00 pm, inspiring us to refer to the network as "Ho-time."
I myself have noticed the declining standards of decency on cable television, particularly on the Turner-sponsored TBS and TNT. Just over the weekend, I watched a couple of movies on these stations and noticed two HUGE examples in editing profane language that used to be no-brainers: g--d--- and a--holes. As most of you will attest, the first has almost universally been shortened to just d---, with the more blasphemous part removed entirely, while the "holes" in the second example is the universally-removed part. And yet, I noticed two different cases, g--d--- in Clint Eastwood's Pale Rider, and a--holes in Austin Powers: Goldmember, that somehow evaded the editors' notice entirely. I've spoken before on declining standards, even on the main networks during early prime-time, in which shows such as Ugly Betty and The Office, both of which occupy the standard general-audiences 6:00pm Eastern/7:00 Central timeslot, routinely have obvious innuendos and frank discussion of sexual topics.
Perhaps the idea is, "well, the kids are probably watching Cartoon Network anyway, so who's going to get upset about this?"
Interesting factoid: OU's football program accounts for 30% of the expenses of the Athletic Department as a whole, but it accounts for 70% of the department's income. And you want to say that football is a bad thing? Next time you shout about Title IX, consider what might happen if the football program where curtailed or worse, shut down altogether. How many women's sports would survive if the Athletic Department budget were to lose 70% of its income? Division III, anyone?
(OU FOOTBALL DISCUSSION DISCLAIMER: This post will conclude after this last section, so if you aren't interested at all in OU football, you can close the browser window/tab now.)
So I can't contain it any longer; I'm ready to say that Sam Bradford and DeMarco Murray will combine to lead OU to a national title game, if not this year, then probably next year. I know it was only North Texas, but who can argue with the Josh Heupel/Jason White-like numbers that Bradford put up? 21 of 23, 363 yards, 3 TDs? Bradford nearly broke Heupel's debut-game passing yardage record...IN THE FIRST HALF. He tied White's record for consecutive completions at 18, and the streak could continue into the Miami game, considering that streak consisted of his last 18 straight completions. He's OU's quarterback for the future, and it appears we'll be lucky to keep Keith Nichol, who will want to play as The Man, not some backup riding the pine.
And what about DeMarco Murray?? All I can say is, WOW. He had a tremendous game, not necessarily in terms of yardage, although he did have 100 all-purpose yards to go with those 5 TDs. He showed flashes of what is to come with him, and I know he will only get better.
That's the crazy thing...BOTH of these guys are only going to get better. Ponder that for a moment...they're already putting up numbers that better-known, acknowledged Sooner greats put up in their tune-up games, and these guys are just redshirt freshmen. The true test for both will come this weekend against Miami, but regardless of the outcome, this weekend's complete rout of North Texas gives the Sooner Nation tremendous, sincere hope for the future, for the first time in a few years.
Along that line, one other thought struck me, because I had almost the same conversation with Dad the other night that I had back in September of 2000..."if we can get past Texas, we should be OK." This season, for its own reasons, has shades of being like that 2000 season, and we all know how that turned out.
Thanks for reading along.
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