Back again folks. Sorry about the absence from the blogosphere. It's seems as Google didn't believe I was really me for about 10 days.
Football season is here. High School Football started on Thursday and continued through the weekend. I saw two very good games. Lorena vs. West and Mexia vs. China Spring. I will be following around Mark Bell and the Cougars this season and I see promise. But with a new QB and a run heavy offense, adjustments to the new style need to be made. I am sure they will be. Coach Bell is one of the best X and O men in the state. And his non district schedule is brutal. They already have a trip to mighty Mexia and Doug Gentry under their belt and will face both Liberty Hill (Sept. 10) and Brownwood (Sept. 21) on the road. They will be very ready for the 19-3A grind when it starts in early October.
Another nugget from the HSFB weekend is that Mexia's Doug Gentry is a BEAST. In a game that he would call so-so he racked up over 200 yards and 2 TDs. I have been covering this kid for 2+ years now and he is one of the best backs you will ever see at the high school level. Hopefully he can overcome the small town bias that most universities seem to have now and get a big time opportunity somewhere. In my opinion he is a Big 12/SEC type talent and deserves a shot at one of those schools.
But my favorite time of year starts this Saturday. College football. I miss it so terribly when it's gone. I am glad it's back. The most enjoyable and highly debated sport in the USA always gets me going. I am hoping to a return to prominence for several of the old school powers, Notre Dame, Michigan, UCLA, Stanford, and of course my beloved Noles at Florida State. College Football is better when they are all good. It will also be an interesting year for the Big 12. I wonder how we would all react if Nebraska won it in their last year. I am sure Big Red Nation would lap it up for eternity.
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Monday, August 30, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
10 Things to Love About 2010
After thinking about it all weekend, I'll bring some love to the blogs. Sometimes you can be too angry in the blogosphere. The Black Eyed Peas once saying "Where is the Love?" Well Black Eyed Peas, it's right here.
1. The Texas Rangers are relevant. And they have awesome new owners that completely overshadow the waste of space that was there before. After much turmoil and strife, the Boys from the Ballpark are under control of Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan. They are playing really well and are a very likable team. DFW is the nation's 4th largest media market. It's time they had teams that lived up to that.
2. Katy Perry. Not her music, which is annoying. Her. Wow. Wow. Wow. Russell Brand is a lucky dude.
3. The ending of Lost. No better way to wrap it up. Loved it. I know that some of you fellow Losties didn't care for it. But I thought it was well done.
4. College football is now Tebow-less. Maybe we can move on and pay attention to other players and teams. It's a great sport and one player was given far too much attention for too long. Probably to his own detriment. Thom Brennaman gushing over Tim Tebow caused more outrage than it probably should have, but it was just the tipping point for what a lot of people (inside and outside of Gainesville) where feeling. Enough already. We know he's a good guy. We know he's good. You don't have to keep saying it.
5. Inception. Movie making at it's finest. I don't think I have enjoyed a movie more this summer. Awesome. And if you still hate Leo DiCaprio, you have problems. The man can act. Straight up and down.
6. Some new faces on the MLB scene. The Padres are playing well. The Braves look like a playoff team again. The Reds are fun to watch and are very much a contender. I guess the Rays started this trend 2 years ago, but I like what's going on.
7. The Year of The Pitcher. No Hitters. Perfect Games. Near perfect games. 1 hitters. All over the place. Balance has come back to baseball, even if it's just for a year. Should make for an interesting playoffs.
8. Jerry Jones on Entourage. Jerry + Ari Gold = Awesome. I hope they can find a way for him to get on to some more episodes. Unfortunately for Ari, it looks like the NFL has moved on. But it does seem like a natural fit. Name another NFL owner who could (or would) do Entourage.
9. Some classic college football powers may be back on the uptick. Nebraska, Miami, Florida State, and Michigan might actually be relevant again. Nebraska already is and should be fun to watch in their last year in the Big 12. They will be painted as a villain in Big 12 Country (and they deserve it) but that will make so it so much more enjoyable.
10. Archer and East Bound and Down. If you haven't seen either of these shows you need to. Hilarious. Also honorable mention to Louie starring Louis CK. Great stuff.
That is all.
1. The Texas Rangers are relevant. And they have awesome new owners that completely overshadow the waste of space that was there before. After much turmoil and strife, the Boys from the Ballpark are under control of Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan. They are playing really well and are a very likable team. DFW is the nation's 4th largest media market. It's time they had teams that lived up to that.
2. Katy Perry. Not her music, which is annoying. Her. Wow. Wow. Wow. Russell Brand is a lucky dude.
3. The ending of Lost. No better way to wrap it up. Loved it. I know that some of you fellow Losties didn't care for it. But I thought it was well done.
4. College football is now Tebow-less. Maybe we can move on and pay attention to other players and teams. It's a great sport and one player was given far too much attention for too long. Probably to his own detriment. Thom Brennaman gushing over Tim Tebow caused more outrage than it probably should have, but it was just the tipping point for what a lot of people (inside and outside of Gainesville) where feeling. Enough already. We know he's a good guy. We know he's good. You don't have to keep saying it.
5. Inception. Movie making at it's finest. I don't think I have enjoyed a movie more this summer. Awesome. And if you still hate Leo DiCaprio, you have problems. The man can act. Straight up and down.
6. Some new faces on the MLB scene. The Padres are playing well. The Braves look like a playoff team again. The Reds are fun to watch and are very much a contender. I guess the Rays started this trend 2 years ago, but I like what's going on.
7. The Year of The Pitcher. No Hitters. Perfect Games. Near perfect games. 1 hitters. All over the place. Balance has come back to baseball, even if it's just for a year. Should make for an interesting playoffs.
8. Jerry Jones on Entourage. Jerry + Ari Gold = Awesome. I hope they can find a way for him to get on to some more episodes. Unfortunately for Ari, it looks like the NFL has moved on. But it does seem like a natural fit. Name another NFL owner who could (or would) do Entourage.
9. Some classic college football powers may be back on the uptick. Nebraska, Miami, Florida State, and Michigan might actually be relevant again. Nebraska already is and should be fun to watch in their last year in the Big 12. They will be painted as a villain in Big 12 Country (and they deserve it) but that will make so it so much more enjoyable.
10. Archer and East Bound and Down. If you haven't seen either of these shows you need to. Hilarious. Also honorable mention to Louie starring Louis CK. Great stuff.
That is all.
Friday, August 13, 2010
10 Things to hate about 2010
Good Morning all,
This morning's post is a precursor to 10 things to love about 2010, but I wanted to get all my rage out early in the day so that I can be productive for the rest of it. 2010 has been a strange year so far and I just wanted to point out a few things that have bothered me about it.
1. Fox News gave Sarah Palin an outlet to talk more. If there is something we learned in 2008, it's that even if you have a platform, it doesn't mean you should use it. This is not a Democrat vs. Republican thing. Not at all. In fact, I lean more towards the elephants than the donkeys. Much more. This is a smart person vs. moron thing. The woman is a loose cannon. Be advised. And where 1 moron speaks into a microphone, more are sure to follow. Especially a pretty moron. And one who is intentionally divisive. But I digress. I like to watch the news and when they get her on to talk about her take on something it just drives me up the wall.
2. Tim Tebow got drafted in the 1st round of the NFL draft. My Seminole bias comes through here a little bit, but this is more about the Broncos making an impulsive choice and not being responsible. Sure Tebow was fantastic at Florida. All the guy did was win. But this is more about Josh McDaniels proving that he is a true QB genius. He thinks he is the man who built Tom Brady and Matt Cassel, and certainly he deserves some of the credit. But Tim Tebow is a product of Urban Meyer's spread option offense. Alex Smith just recently showed some flashes and he is not nearly as run dependent as Tebow. This draft pick will either make McDaniels look like a genius or a joke. But it stinks of an impulse buy.
3. Vampires aren't scary anymore. When I read the book Dracula, I was scared out of my wits. Vampire movies from my youth were terrifying. Now Twilight has taken hold of our nation and won't let go. And I am pretty sure I could take any one of those wimpy vampires. I worry first about America's youth. They aren't being scared to an appropriate level. And vampires have been romanticized to a level where people think that being would be cool and not just awful.
4. Tiger Woods all of a sudden sucks at golf. I mentioned this in an earlier post. But it's driving me insane. Tiger- FIX IT!!!!!
5. Hockey and Soccer had to come onto my sports radar. USA Hockey was a fun team to watch in the Winter Games. The USA Soccer squad captured my attention in the World Cup. Now they are taking up space in my brain. Dang it. Just when I had sufficiently forgotten about them. It's a vicious cycle.
6. Dudes who wear skinny jeans. Men, this has to stop. For obvious reasons, you are not allowing yourself, well, full comfort. Plus you look like an idiot.
7. Flat billed baseball caps. It's an epidemic. I am looking at you Matt Purke. You are the most dominant pitcher in college baseball. Yet you like like a washed up skater. Stop it. I was in California a few weeks ago and the desire for these hats is so great, you can't find a regular cap without asking. Please stop the madness. Fix your cap.
8. Jersey Shore. MTV has decided that one day we will all be idiots. They started the onslaught on America's brain with the Real World. Then it was Road Rules. Then The Hills. Now the confluence of morons of Jersey Shore. It really makes my people, Italian Americans, look bad. Really bad. At least with the mob stereotype there was some level of fear there. These kids are a joke. Stop watching them. They'll go away.
9. College football made more news in 2010 than in 2009 and the season hasn't started yet. The Big 12 almost fell completely apart. The Big 10 got bigger. The PAC-10 did as well and tried to undo all reason in college football with the PAC-16 plan. Crooked agents are everywhere. Reggie Bush is a bad guy all of a sudden. Coaches are yelling at reporters for publishing direct quotes. Rich Rodriguez practices too much no matter where he goes. It's madness. Let's start the season already.
10. How in the cornbread heck are we supposed to say this year? Is it "twenty-ten?" "Two-thousand ten?" "2K10?" We have 90 more years of this. Let's settle on a way and go with it. Gosh I miss the 1900s. (Special thanks to Tony, Jessica, and Zach for an assist here.)
More to come on some things to love about 2010. Please give me your thoughts.
That is all.
This morning's post is a precursor to 10 things to love about 2010, but I wanted to get all my rage out early in the day so that I can be productive for the rest of it. 2010 has been a strange year so far and I just wanted to point out a few things that have bothered me about it.
1. Fox News gave Sarah Palin an outlet to talk more. If there is something we learned in 2008, it's that even if you have a platform, it doesn't mean you should use it. This is not a Democrat vs. Republican thing. Not at all. In fact, I lean more towards the elephants than the donkeys. Much more. This is a smart person vs. moron thing. The woman is a loose cannon. Be advised. And where 1 moron speaks into a microphone, more are sure to follow. Especially a pretty moron. And one who is intentionally divisive. But I digress. I like to watch the news and when they get her on to talk about her take on something it just drives me up the wall.
2. Tim Tebow got drafted in the 1st round of the NFL draft. My Seminole bias comes through here a little bit, but this is more about the Broncos making an impulsive choice and not being responsible. Sure Tebow was fantastic at Florida. All the guy did was win. But this is more about Josh McDaniels proving that he is a true QB genius. He thinks he is the man who built Tom Brady and Matt Cassel, and certainly he deserves some of the credit. But Tim Tebow is a product of Urban Meyer's spread option offense. Alex Smith just recently showed some flashes and he is not nearly as run dependent as Tebow. This draft pick will either make McDaniels look like a genius or a joke. But it stinks of an impulse buy.
3. Vampires aren't scary anymore. When I read the book Dracula, I was scared out of my wits. Vampire movies from my youth were terrifying. Now Twilight has taken hold of our nation and won't let go. And I am pretty sure I could take any one of those wimpy vampires. I worry first about America's youth. They aren't being scared to an appropriate level. And vampires have been romanticized to a level where people think that being would be cool and not just awful.
4. Tiger Woods all of a sudden sucks at golf. I mentioned this in an earlier post. But it's driving me insane. Tiger- FIX IT!!!!!
5. Hockey and Soccer had to come onto my sports radar. USA Hockey was a fun team to watch in the Winter Games. The USA Soccer squad captured my attention in the World Cup. Now they are taking up space in my brain. Dang it. Just when I had sufficiently forgotten about them. It's a vicious cycle.
6. Dudes who wear skinny jeans. Men, this has to stop. For obvious reasons, you are not allowing yourself, well, full comfort. Plus you look like an idiot.
7. Flat billed baseball caps. It's an epidemic. I am looking at you Matt Purke. You are the most dominant pitcher in college baseball. Yet you like like a washed up skater. Stop it. I was in California a few weeks ago and the desire for these hats is so great, you can't find a regular cap without asking. Please stop the madness. Fix your cap.
8. Jersey Shore. MTV has decided that one day we will all be idiots. They started the onslaught on America's brain with the Real World. Then it was Road Rules. Then The Hills. Now the confluence of morons of Jersey Shore. It really makes my people, Italian Americans, look bad. Really bad. At least with the mob stereotype there was some level of fear there. These kids are a joke. Stop watching them. They'll go away.
9. College football made more news in 2010 than in 2009 and the season hasn't started yet. The Big 12 almost fell completely apart. The Big 10 got bigger. The PAC-10 did as well and tried to undo all reason in college football with the PAC-16 plan. Crooked agents are everywhere. Reggie Bush is a bad guy all of a sudden. Coaches are yelling at reporters for publishing direct quotes. Rich Rodriguez practices too much no matter where he goes. It's madness. Let's start the season already.
10. How in the cornbread heck are we supposed to say this year? Is it "twenty-ten?" "Two-thousand ten?" "2K10?" We have 90 more years of this. Let's settle on a way and go with it. Gosh I miss the 1900s. (Special thanks to Tony, Jessica, and Zach for an assist here.)
More to come on some things to love about 2010. Please give me your thoughts.
That is all.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Paging Tiger Woods. No not you. The REAL TIGER WOODS!!!
An Open Letter to Tiger:
Tiger, first off, this letter is not a condemnation of your transgressions. We all know what happened and the only people you need to apologize to are your family and friends. What I do want, is for you to fix whatever has gone wrong with your golf game and please get back to being you. Your struggles lately are really killing golf for me. It is so much more enjoyable when you are playing well. Whatever it is that is still weighing on your mind, I offer my services to help you get over it. As a completely unlicensed motivational speaker and sports therapist (again understand I have not been trained at all) I will help you get through this rough patch. My upcoming book, "Cut the Crap and Do Your Job," should help. (Note to readers: There is no book, but I love that title.) All I and the rest of your fans want is for you to be you again. I am willing to help. And my fee will seem like a snack machine compared to what you have been paying I am sure.
I am not a doctor, but I have seen them on TV. I am here for you Tiger. Please get better so I don't have to find another golfer to root for.
That is all.
Tiger, first off, this letter is not a condemnation of your transgressions. We all know what happened and the only people you need to apologize to are your family and friends. What I do want, is for you to fix whatever has gone wrong with your golf game and please get back to being you. Your struggles lately are really killing golf for me. It is so much more enjoyable when you are playing well. Whatever it is that is still weighing on your mind, I offer my services to help you get over it. As a completely unlicensed motivational speaker and sports therapist (again understand I have not been trained at all) I will help you get through this rough patch. My upcoming book, "Cut the Crap and Do Your Job," should help. (Note to readers: There is no book, but I love that title.) All I and the rest of your fans want is for you to be you again. I am willing to help. And my fee will seem like a snack machine compared to what you have been paying I am sure.
I am not a doctor, but I have seen them on TV. I am here for you Tiger. Please get better so I don't have to find another golfer to root for.
That is all.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
The Big Auction
Cuban vs. Nolan.
For the sake of the Rangers I hope that whatever the outcome of the auction today is best for the team. Let's face it, they haven't exactly been blessed with stellar ownership over their history. Tom Hicks is just the latest, a man who got caught up in the early 2000s blitz of predicting money would be there at the end of the investment rainbow, when there's never a guarantee. A man who still owes Mickey Tettleton 1.4 million bucks. So I hope and pray that whoever wins the team will do what's best and produce a winner on a regular basis. I am optimistic either way. Mark Cuban is a passionate sports fan who will do what he can to make the team interesting and marketable, and in contention. Nolan Ryan has already proved to be an asset to the team. I really wish there was a way to combine these 2 groups. We'll see. Just another tumultuous chapter in the history of the Rangers.
That is all.
For the sake of the Rangers I hope that whatever the outcome of the auction today is best for the team. Let's face it, they haven't exactly been blessed with stellar ownership over their history. Tom Hicks is just the latest, a man who got caught up in the early 2000s blitz of predicting money would be there at the end of the investment rainbow, when there's never a guarantee. A man who still owes Mickey Tettleton 1.4 million bucks. So I hope and pray that whoever wins the team will do what's best and produce a winner on a regular basis. I am optimistic either way. Mark Cuban is a passionate sports fan who will do what he can to make the team interesting and marketable, and in contention. Nolan Ryan has already proved to be an asset to the team. I really wish there was a way to combine these 2 groups. We'll see. Just another tumultuous chapter in the history of the Rangers.
That is all.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Here we go again
Death, Taxes, Lindsay Lohan doing something stupid, and Brett Favre retirement talk. All things that are veritable certainties. Favre is at it again, according to multiple sources, saying he has called the Vikings to tell them he will not join them this year. And the dance begins again. Favre told coach Brad Childress that his ankle is not responding well to treatment and surgery. But let's be honest here, if by Week 4 or 5 the ankle starts feeling better, doesn't everyone think he'll be back? Actually, I'll have to see an entire season played without Favre to believe he is really done. And it's sad really, no Favre means less fun in the NFL. I am not a Favre hater, although I have grown weary of this yearly trend. But if this the end, thanks for the memories Brett.
That is all.
That is all.
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