When I Remember

Blindside is my favorite band right now and their song "When I Remember" is probably their best work. Check out the video:

Squirrels + Crack = Funny

Some squirrels in the UK are getting hooked on crack. Apparently some junkies or dealers have been hiding the drugs in flower beds and the like, then the squirrels dig it up. And then they go looking for more. According to the article, crack squirrels are a recognized problem here in the US and "have been known to attack park visitors in their search for a fix." I'm not surprised. The squirrels on campus at MSU got pretty grumpy when you came out of the cafeteria without something for them. You could see it in their beady little eyes: "Where's my cookie, punk?" I'd hate to see them actually on drugs. (Hat tip: Cosmo at The Corner)

Fun words to say?

Monkey. A word we like to say and talk about in this blog. But what happened when a heckler used it as a racial slur towards NBA star Dikembe Mutombo? Not exactly a slap on the wrist. He's been banned from attending games at any NBA arena. Orlando said they would refund his season ticket payment. You can check out the story here. I wonder, since they took away his season tickets and banned him from NBA arenas, what more could be done to him? Knowing that, did he call him a monkey again? What would they do? Ban him from next season?

Side note: If your name is Hooman Hamzehloui, maybe you shouldn't be calling someone a monkey.

"No! My candy innards!"

This comic is probably a little sick, but it made me laugh, so I thought I'd share. Enjoy.

Ruing

The Tigers are ruing their poor play in the World Series, especially the 8 errors in the series that lead to 8 unearned runs. "I didn't have the team ready to play the way it needed to play to win a World Series, so blame me," said manager Jim Leyland. Maybe, but Leyland wasn't the one making the errors. How do you prepare your team not to make errors anyway? In a little while I'm sure we'll be able to appreciate the Tigers' remarkable season, but it stings right now. Especially letting that punk Weaver clinch the title. That sucks.

RE: Care to reconsider?

I'm pretty sure that there's a clause in all Big Ten contracts that says if you lose to Illinois and Indiana in the same season you are automatically fired. If there's not, there ought to be. John L. is toast and so is this season. Also, a note to all aspiring coaches: a multiple-TD deficit at the half isn't always a good motivator. I still can't believe the Spartans are actually this bad, but you have to look at the product on the field and all signs point to it being a lemon. Thanks guys, you've managed to steal away all my joy in college football this season.

Care to reconsider?

Ok, maybe you don't fire a guy after a win. However, MSU should never have been down 38-3. Yeah, it was a great come from behind victory, but it shouldn't have been that way to begin with. So, it wouldn't have been too far fetched to see the reasoning behind firing JL Smith after a win. Now that Indiana rolled them up, and I know IU is having an awesome year in Indiana standards, I think by Monday morning would be an appropriate time to get fired. If getting down 38-3 didn't wake them up last week, there has to be problems.

Adam couldn't have said it better

For those of you illustrious blog readers, you've probably figured out that Adam doesn't think too highly of ESPN football "journalist" Michael Irvin. Well, either does Tiki Barber and he doesn't pull any punches. Tiki went on his radio show "The Barber Shop" and let loose on how he felt about a few of his critics. Basically, Tiki is pissed. You can read the story here, but all the meat and potatoes follow:

"And that includes Gary Myers," he said. "That includes Tom Jackson on ESPN. That includes the ultimate character guy, facetiously speaking of course, Michael Irvin. Please get a clue on how to be a journalist."

Amen.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance releases tomorrow, and it sure looks cool. Check out the trailer and see for yourself. It even has Deadpool. If you don't know who Deadpool is, you're a chimichanga. Obviously it also features more well-known characters like Spider-man, Wolverine, Captain America, Blade, and Beta Ray Bill. Okay, some of those are well-known. I would almost certainly be picking this up tomorrow, except that it's not coming out for the only system I have here, the Gamecube. Maybe I'll have to try the PC version, but I'll have to wait for reviews on that. Or, I could buy a 360... nah, better pay my auto insurance instead.

Hey Chevrolet,

When I'm watching the World Series, you know, the one featuring the DETROIT Tigers and ST. LOUIS Cardinals, I want my truck commercials to be in ENGLISH, not espańol. I'd also prefer truck commercials to feature a truck doing something it can actually do instead of moving a semi or withstanding a meteor hit (Yes that goes for you too Ford and Nissan). Still, I'd settle for English commercials.

Fantasy Football

Adam,

Do you think you could post the fantasy scores on the blog on Sunday nights to give us a little teaser of how everyone is doing?

Signed,

Fantasy Geek

You Read It Here First

John L. Smith is going to be fired. Not right now, or mid-season like another former MSU football coach. But the way the Spartans have played so far today (it's only halfway through the 3rd quarter) the season and Smith's job cannot be salvaged. Adios.

UPDATE: Talk about strange coincidences. Out of curiousity I was surfing the archives from last October and found this post, which is almost a year ago to the day. The content? Referring to the Spartans as a race horse 'Sparty Jones', I said "Looks like it's dog food time. Somebody get my gun." Deja Vu?

UPDATE 2: Maybe I spoke too soon, since Michigan State managed to pull off the biggest comeback in NCAA Division I-A history. The previous record had the teams coming back from a 31-point deficit, MSU trailed 38-3 in the 3rd quarter. This team might just have some life left in it.

Aliens, Predators, Batman, Superman, and... Monkeys!?!

This is either the coolest or dumbest idea I've ever heard: SUPERMAN AND BATMAN VS. ALIENS AND PREDATORS. Now, this isn't completely out of the blue as DC has published the crossovers Batman vs. Predator and Superman vs. Aliens previously. Or, perhaps the writers were inspired by the indie short film, Batman: Dead End. Either way, I suppose there's a thin line between lunacy and brilliance, and I suspect this two-issue series will jump right over it. But still, how could you pass it up? I just may have to check it out.

Another character that is so crazy I just might have to check out: Detective Chimp, who's billed as "The World's Greatest Simian Sleuth" (is there any competition?), and, of course, dresses like Sherlock Holmes. Who wouldn't love a crime-fighting monkey? Apparently he was once thought an embarassment left over from the Silver Age of comics, but has been resurrected recently. As soon as Barrigar finds out about this guy he will surely become his greatest fan. Maybe I'll have to find him a Detective Chimp t-shirt for Christmas.

UPDATE: Uhh, there are no Detective Chimp t-shirts, which is a sad commentary on our culture. Maybe we need Cass City Monkies t-shirts?

The Spirit of Detroit...

... has some new duds in preparation for the World Series which starts tonight at 8:05 PM. Fans are ready too. So how did the Tigers get here after years of being awful? Short answer: pitching. If you want more detail, click the link. Finally, how does Alan Trammell feel about the Tigers' success this season?

"I think our entire staff feels good that we were able to lay a little foundation. It's not like I'm sitting here saying, 'OK, they made the playoffs. Now I'm proud of them.' I've been proud of them all year."

Good luck tonight, Tigers.

You thought you knew it all...

...well, you probably didn't. Since it is October and the "Fall Classic" is just around the corner, I thought I'd let you know about a story I read on ESPN's Page 2. You didn't know Bill Buckner was in a double-whammy situation did you? Well, according to zoomed in picture technology, Buckner can be seen walking off the field with his glove off after the horrible fielding play he booted to lose game 6 of the World Series wearing a...Chicago Cubs batting glove! Gulp! If the Sox wouldn't have won in 2004, Sox fans could now have closure on the '86 disaster knowing everything now makes sense and has come around full circle.

Until next time, here's spanning the world, if there is a next time.

Best Campaign Stunt EVER

Elephant, mariachi band, mexican border. Go. Read. Now.

Money quote:
“If I can get an elephant led by a mariachi band into this country, I think Osama bin Laden could get across with all the weapons of mass destruction he could get into this country.”

Pro Bowl

Pro Bowl voting has begun. You can check it out by clicking here. Being selected is quite an honor, even if actually PLAYING in the game isn't. I'm sure you're all above revenge fantasy voting too. Right?

They won?

World Series fever is sweeping Detroit. It's so infectious, even the Detroit Lions have caught it. They decided to go ahead and win today so that Detroit fans could keep celebrating. Somehow, I don't think the celebration was quite as jubilant, but a win is a win. Roy William had 10 catches for 161 yds and a TD while Kevin Jones ran for 127 yards and a TD of his own.

Disgraceful

I've seen a bench-clearing brawl at a baseball game. But never at a football game. But Miami and FIU changed that last night in a fight that included players stomping on each other, punches being thrown, and helmets being used as weapons (They must have missed the classic "Your helmet is not a weapon" speech). 13 players were ejected during the game and Miami coach Larry Coker suspended more of his players today. Said Coker: "I don't have many bad days. This is a bad day."

ALCS Champions

The Detroit Tigers have won the ALCS and advanced to the World Series with their seventh straight win. Magglio Ordonez hit the game-winning home run with 2 on and 2 out in the bottom of the ninth. Placido Polanco won the the ALCS MVP. More rundowns of the game here, here, and here.

Who's Your MAM?

It's time to nominate some MAM's (Monday Afternoon Morons). Here are just a couple that receive a MAM:

1) Anyone who got married this weekend. Ok fellas, you are about to pick a date. You know it's fall which every real man knows is football season. How do you not check the schedule? Yeah, Michigan-Michigan State week doesn't create any hype at all. Let's see: Every sports radio station talks about it. Heck every news station talks about it. It's all going on at work for bragging rights. The list goes on. I know the "Big Day" is all about you and you could careless about football, but don't you want people to WANT to be there or at least show up? Yeah, I'm sure the bride-to-be is geeked about seeing the reception hall clear out so the guys can go watch the big screen TV.

2) Anyone who attended a wedding this weekend. Did you not know what was going on Saturday? Not just the Tigers, but the Freakin' Tigers were destroying the Evil Empire. Oh, that's right, there was some rivarly football game going on in A-squared that NO ONE had interest in. But, you don't ware the pants and you still went to the wedding. Loser.

3) Terrell Owens. He once again threw his QB under the bus.

4) Everyone that said the Tigers had no chance of beating the Yankees. Hmmmm...I guess this one pertains to me. Oops. Oh well, there's nothing wrong with MAM on MAM crime.

5) The Media and Coaches who rank West Virginia in the Top 5 football polls. West Virginia? WHOM? Do they play any tough teams? And we have to pin our hopes on Louisville taking them down?

6) The Lions defense. You gave up how many points in the 4th quarter? Answer me this: what kind of purse do they tackle with? Is it Gucchi, Ralph Lauren, a Gap Bag?

If anyone has any other MAM's they'd like to nominate, pile on.

Tigers Roundup

I'm short on time tonight and out of town the next couple of days, so I don't really have time to give the Tigers the proper coverage, so someone else is going to have to pick up the slack. That said here's an article with some historical perspective, one looking back at the ALDS, and another looking forward. An observation from the weekend: no one seems to hate a Tigers fan after their win on Saturday.

"This chick is toast."

That's it. I've had it. No more! I was driving home a few nights ago from Mandy's house and had 4 deer either jump out in front of me or walking along the shoulder and could have at any second. So what did I do about it? Well, punk, I bought a combo hunting license the next day from Wild John's. RACK 'EM! "If it's brown, it's down." (Nathan Fritz...during desparate hunting season).

And if you want, just for fun, name the movie that this quote comes from.

P.s. Adam, I don't surf the web for all the comics, but anytime you post one, I don't hesitate to check 'em out. Funny stuff. Keep it up.

Kenny! Kenny!

"I wanted this game as much as any game I've ever wanted in my life," said Kenny Rogers about last night's game. It showed as he pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings of baseball to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead over the Yankees in the ALDS. This was especially impressive since the Yankees have arguably the best lineup ever. Bonderman has a chance to finish off the Yankees this afternoon.

New Jobs

The Red Wings have a new captain: Nicklas Lidstrom. Lidstrom was the the favorite to win the position after Yzerman retired. Speaking of Yzerman, he has a new job too. He's the new vice-president of the Red Wings. Unfortunately, neither of these moves helped the Wings win their opener, which they lost 3-1 to the Canucks.

Idiot

I think this is my new favorite Dilbert ever. Check it out.

Now for the rest of the story

So I was picking up a supply for the Village at Fairway Discount. While waiting at the counter, I noticed this weeks Chronicle so I peeked at a couple of pages. I noticed I recognized someone who had their engagement picture in the paper. It was Dan Curtis. I just saw him yesterday at the Dealership because he is the GM there. (Side Note: I think he graduated close to my year from Caro.) So I read about the couple in the picture. His fiancé is Laura Price. Big deal. But I kept reading and she is the band director for Deckerville. But that's not the stumper. I kept reading and it said they met on e-Harmony.

Look, e-Harmony = losers. You can't find your life partner by going down the store isle picking out the exact one based on your needs. This isn't shopping. If I need a car, I look for the color, price, year, size, etc. until I find the one I want. Your partner isn't on ebay where you can refine your search: Girl = Blond = Blue eyes = Athletic = Age 20-25 = College Degree = Lives within 75 miles = Christian = etc... "You Have 7 items matching your search." It may work at Best Buy if you are looking for a specific kind of computer. But you won't find your partner on some shelf based on your specifications. "Yup, that's the one. Perfect. She has 250 GB of storage space! Oh, it says here she likes euchre. All right!"

If you meet that person and after a little while realize they weren't what you expected/wanted, then you are basically saying e-Harmony doesn't work and if e-Harmony doesn't work and it's programed to find the perfect match for you and this person wasn't, then there must not be anyone out there for you. Because, gee, if a computer can't find her, how will you ever find that person?

This has been Paul Harvey. Good day.

Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself

"More times than not, you don't have a dislike for the people who went to Michigan. It's the thousands and thousands of bandwagon people that jump on there that went all over, went to community college, and all of a sudden they're Michigan fans because Michigan's No. 1."
-Drew Stanton

Call on the Amish Mafia

Just to back up my aforementioned statement on the fantasy football post about Amish Mafia, check out the story.

On another note: I'm currently watching The Cobert Report and he just did a segment in which he called the Oscoda School Board pussies for canceling the rest of the football season. "Get your asses back on the field."

Re: This is how it's gonna be

I was looking at buying a house in the "EL" area, but it appears the one I wanted has already been sold. Dang. And I heard some guy by the name of Steve Mariucci bought it. Oh well. So, anybody else hear of that rumor yet? Side note: Hats off to the Spartans. I don't care who you lose to, you don't let anyone come on your turf and plant a flag, especially a crappy football team like Illinois. But if you really don't want a team doing that, WIN you idiots. What a bunch of underachievers. I also enjoyed the humor in your coach after the press conference: "And somebody slapped me." I like jabs at the Domers.

I am Batman

I already have a Batman mask. I got it in 1996, so whatever version that is, I don't know. It's not as cool as the one you blogged though. Maybe I should get this one instead:

How It's Gonna Be

John L. Smith, quoted in the Detroit News, afer yesterday's loss to Illinois: "Apparently I don’t have the answer." The question? How to get his players to practice hard and be ready for the game. Smith said he knew all week that his guys weren't prepared and he couldn't snap them out of it. Is this his fault? It has to be partly, but John L. has coached successfully at other places, you'd think he can get a team up for a game. But not the Spartans. Based on my experience from playing on a team that just didn't seem to care enough to win, maybe there's nothing he can do. But that doesn't matter. Too many excruciating losses have fans and alumni angry and looking for a scapegoat.

So how is this going to play out? I'll tell you. MSU loses it's next 2 games against superior teams, but the calls for Smith's head get louder. The Spartans can't pull enough wins out of their last 5 games and don't make a bowl game. Smith is fired. Smith's recruiting gains go out the window, along with his high-octane offense. MSU begins its coaching search, which turns into a pathetic circus. At the end MSU has an unexciting new coach and a new offense, as well as a slew of soon to be broken promises. Spartan football goes into rebuilding mode and is set back a decade. Dire? Maybe, but that's the path this program is on. There's no easy solutions and a new sheriff won't be able to clean up EL overnight.

So that's where the Spartan players are. They hold the next 10 years of the program in their hands right now. Turn your season around and save football at MSU, or bequeath their successors a legacy of losing. Make your choice.

MegaMan Vs Commies and Terrorists

Here's a webcomic I found fun in that old-school way.