Boom... Boom... Boom...

It's coming. Registration for Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football starts next week. So, a preemptive question: when do you want to draft? Labor Day is Monday, Sept. 3rd, the first NFL game is Thursday, Sept. 6. What day works best?

Roll Call

Okay, enough of the debating or whatever we're NOT DOING, and let's get down to business. Adam has put together some research on minor league baseball dates where we could see all 3 teams (Loons, Lugnuts and Whitecaps). As a member of the Cass City Monkey Baseball Trip Club (CCMBTC), yes, I pay membership dues, I'm voting for August 3-5 to "Make It Happen." So, speak up. Here are the votes so far, with one precinct reporting their results:

Yeas: 1
Nays: 0

Number of Yes votes needed to finalize: 4

Three more to go. Get out and vote!

Crazy Cuban

Mark Cuban and others in a group of investors have a simple idea: "We think there is more demand for pro football than supply." So, they're looking at the possibility of forming a new league that would be stocked with sub-2nd round draft pick players. Obviously others have had the same idea, but's it's been less and less successful each time it's been tried. The AFL was relatively successful and became part of the NFL. But the WWE/NBC XFL? Not so much, all that's left is Rod Smart and the memory of the "He Hate Me" jersey. The Arena league has a chance to really carve out a niche, but a direct competitor to the NFL? Maybe I lack imagination, but I just don't see it working out. Unless all eight of the teams in the proposed league have monkey-related names, then it would be like printing money.

The Best

Who has had the best basketball program over the last 10 years? Well, according to Andy Katz of ESPN.com, MSU has. Yeahbuhwhat? Sorry, I'm so used to my school being dumped on I'm quite sure what to do with such high praise. You automatically assume an ESPN writer will anoint Duke the king of NCAA basketball since they spend so much time slurping them during the season. So, is Katz crazy?

Why People Love Him

Barry Bonds on donating various items from his homerun chase to the Hall of Fame:

"I'm not worried about the Hall. I take care of me."

We know Barry, that's why everyone loves you so much.

Monster Pig

Want to hear a wild story? An 11-year-old boy in Alabama killed a giant wild hog weighing 1,051 pounds and measuring 9 feet 4 inches. I read about this the other day, but it just doesn't have the impact without a picture. It's insane. They had to cut down trees to get the thing out of the woods. Sausage is being made out of the monstrous beast; they expect to somewhere between 500 and 700 punds out of the animal. Someone is going to need another freezer.

Little Man

Line Rider

Line Rider is a timewaster that involves drawing slopes for a character to slide down on a sled. It's simple, but still addictive and fun. No zombies though. Possibly a candidate for the Hall of Fame?

Memorial Day

A couple of links for Memorial Day:

Fred Thompson on Memorial Day.

A message from Michael Yon.

(Hat tip: The Corner)

The Clone Wars

It's stuff like this that makes me remember why I dig Star Wars so much. Check it out.

"Heavyweight"

According to a confidential source of ESPN, Michael Vick is a "heavyweight" in the dog fighting world. Probably not the kind of thing thing the Falcons and the NFL wanted to hear. Can you imagine what kind of punishment he'll receive if this is all true? Do you hear that ticking? That's the final countdown on Vick's career.

Reality

Here's something you won't hear on the news. Check it out.

Sweet

So, to save some coin, I kicked Comcast cable TV to the curb today (kept the internet service) and plugged in the old antenna. Did you know there's no such thing as an HD antenna? There isn't. If it gets UHF, you're good. Plugged it in and did some setup and I've got HD channels. Comerica Park in HD? Almost as good as being there. Almost.

Back Up

The NCAA has decided to move the men's 3-pt line back to the same distance as the NBA line. The changes will start with the 2008-2009 season. So, we still have a season of players checking their feet to decide how cool they want to look when taking their shot.

A Question for the Ages

Cavemen versus astronauts, who wins?

Loonier

I just checked the schedules and it looks like if anyone wants to make this year the minor league version of the baseball trip and hit 3 games the best weekends would be July 13th-15th and August 3rd-5th. Games on Friday and Saturday would be at about 7pm, the Sunday game would be at 2pm or 3pm. This is assuming the teams we'd see are the Great Lakes Loons, the Lansing Lugnuts, and the Western Michigan Whitecaps.

Schadenfreude

Schadenfreude means "pleasure derived from the misfortune of others." I'm experiencing it right now. You see, after a controversial officiating in MSU's 2004 loss to Hawaii in Honolulu MSU decided to pay a $250,000 cancellation fee and drop out of the last game of what was scheduled to be a home-away-home series for Hawaii. Now the former Rainbow Warriors are having a hard time filling that 13th game on their schedule, which already includes two I-AA teams. No one wants to play them. Their athletic director was even grilled by state legislators this week about the state of UH athletics. Apparently they have an image problem. Can you taste that sweetness? (Hat tip: SpartanTailgate.com)

Assassin's Creed

I don't know a lot about the game, but this is a sweet trailer.



Also available in HD.

The Most Epic Battle In History

There's an epic struggle going on right now for the title of "Most Dominant College Mascot on Earth" at CBS Sportsline.com. Part of the final four is a match-up between Iowa State and the Michigan State Spartans. And this time, it's personal. For me anyway. My best friend at work is a Cyclone and I'll never hear the end of it if they win this one. So get out there and vote! Even if you're a Wolverine fan you have to jump on the bandwagon. Can we really let such an exalted title as "Most Dominant College Mascot on Earth" go to a bunch of windy birds from the Big 12? No! Strike a blow for the Big Ten and help me rub it in Eric's face.


It's on!

Thuggery

It's no secret that I'm not a fan of unions (at least I don't think it was... not now anyway). You want to know why? This article from NRO will give you a pretty good idea. Who wants to respect individual freedom when it's so much easier to bully people?

More Mass Effect (Yet Again)

There's new media available at the Mass Effect site, including a new video of a distress call. You can also check out the first chapter on the prequel novel, Mass Effect: Revelation. Cool stuff, but this game needs to get here right away. But, in the interest of not losing all my free time to a video game, I suppose I can wait.

400

Wow, that was the 400th episode of the Simpsons? Hard to believe that it's been on that long. Also hard to believe that crap like that actually passes for a Simpsons episode. This season has been pretty decent overall, but this was a huge disappointment for a fan expecting something special for number 400. And could someone explain how two different episodes aired consecutively make for a "one-hour special event"?

"By the power of Greyskull..."

I'm pretty sure my childhood demands I buy this:


Too bad it's an exclusive, that'll be way too much money to pay for nostalgia.

Do you believe in Harvey Dent?

(You can also click here.) I'm not sure I do.

"Another serious miscalculation, another mouthful of poo."

(That quote isn't quite right, but I can't find it online to bolster my memory.) Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe is coming to Michigan, the Mackinac Bridge specifically. The episode will cover painting and other maintenance of the 50-year-old bridge. It will also likely test just how comfortable Mr. Rowe is with heights. Hopefully the Mackinac Bridge can provide as much excitement as feeding casino buffet leftovers to pigs or shearing an alpaca.

Behind the Scenes

Ever wondered what it takes to keep the Joe Louis Arena ready for when the puck drops? The Detroit News has the scoop here.

Its a shame

that the enemy won't be able to see these (new F-35 helmet)...


I think they would run if we gave those to infantry instead of to pilots.

Honestly, I thought of this a long time ago...

Li vs. Statham, no plot required.

Ah...high school

As the school day was coming to a close today, I was walking through my office (the gymnasium) and heard the click of an intercom system before the necessary announcement:

"Attention Staff, it is now okay to log back into SDS for taking attendance."

Thank you Mrs. Battle for taking me back to 1997.

Wow, is Kingston that far behind or did SDS finally get their act together?

Not Nuts

Out for a walk, I just saw a squirrel making off with a piece of fried chicken. Not very quickly since the chicken was nearly the size of the squirrel itself. According to Wikipedia, squirrels are omnivores, but fried chicken? This, in addition to the albino squirrel I saw last week, has me a little concerned about the squirrel population around here. I just know I'm going to get mugged by a gang of hungry squirrels looking for money to buy nuts and alcohol.

Empty Seats?

I know I've been out of it for a little while, but there's empty seats at the Joe? I know the Detroit economy stinks and the Pistons and Tigers are getting attention, but still, empty seats? Seriously? Maybe it's the coyotes.

Progress

I've had a new idea. Go here to check it out.

NFL Roundup: Character Edition

News from around the NFL:

Ricky Williams has test positive for marijuana again, delaying any potential reinstatement. Shocking.

Pacman Jones received a speeding ticket (79 in a 55) four days before his meeting with commissioner Goodell about his season-long suspension. He's obviously learning his lesson.

Ron Mexico says that he doesn't know anything about the alleged dog-fighting ring on property he owns in Virginia. And he wants to focus on football, so please stop asking questions about it. "Now where's my water bottle?" Maybe he and Marcus have the same story and Marcus just decided to skip ahead a few chapters to the embarassing flameout.

Loony

Since we're having a difficult time figuring out the annual baseball trip, may I suggest a slightly different idea (courtesy of my mother)? Perhaps we could check out the Great Lakes Loons at Dow Diamond? Maybe make a multi-game trip out of it and also catch the Lugnuts and the Whitecaps? Sure, minor league baseball doesn't have quite the thrill of the major ballparks, but it would still be fun, fairly easy on the wallet, and be a decent compromise while still maintaining the integrity of the baseball trip. Am I crazy? Well, yes, but is the idea sound anyway?

Red & Gold

Okay, I have to geek out just a little more with a bigger version of the picture I linked to earlier (from Comics 2 Film):


You don't have to be a fan to think that looks cool. Also one of the best straight adaptions of a costume ever, as you can see here:

Progress Report

Barely a week later and the newest Detroit Lions look good, according to Mike O'Hara of the Detroit News. Calvin Johnson showed the skills that made him the #2 pick in the draft on the first day of mini-camp, even though he was a little under the weather and somewhat out of shape from all the draft festivities. Second round pick Drew Stanton is working on his mechanics with offensive coordinator Mike Martz, who's breaking him down so he can build him back up. Said Martz: "He had great success doing what he was doing. We can help him even more." I don't know about you, but I'm very interested to see what Martz can make out of the raw material he has in Stanton. Better throwing with great feet and a gunslinger mentality could make Stanton a real threat.

More Iron Man

Curious to see what the Iron Man suit for the new movie will look like? Not the prototype, but the one the character will be primarily featured in? Check out this link. If it looks as good as that picture, it'll be very sweet.

UPDATE: It does look that good, going by the spy photos and video over at IESB.net. Very cool.

Worse than American Idol

Navy Patents Sound Weapon

"The underlying physics is based on the intense heat and high-pressure pulse from the sonar sources as the damage mechanisms by virtue of the intense acoustic power of the sonar sources. An ensuing cavitation bubble formation and collapse and shock propagation will also inflict damages on underwater objects targeted for removal. The technical drivers are the cavitation lethality on the undesirable objects and the acoustic power of the sonar sources versus range and depth."

That makes two cool high-tech weapons announcements this week. Truly, it is Morning in America.

"Chris Berman's Nicknames

Becoming More Obscure After Taking Night Course In Russian Literature"

From The Onion:

"We'll check in on the fading fortunes of Uncle I-Vanya Rodriguez, the tragic circumstances that brought pitcher Dennis Dove-stoyevsky into the big leagues, and find out if the tempestuous relationship between Kurt and Kyle Busch make them the new Brothers NASCAR-amazov, so stay tuned."

ESPN management confirmed that viewers have taken to flooding their offices with thousands of confused phone calls immediately after every broadcast.

Ten Best Undrafted

Peter Schrager of FOXSports.com has an interesting list of his ten best players that went undrafted. I'm surprised some of these guys weren't drafted. Some of the names included: Darius Walker, Matt Trannon, and Jared Zabransky.

Interesting Development

Plasma and laser weapons!

from NewScientisTech.com
"The device uses a technology known as dynamic pulse detonation (DPD). A short but intense laser pulse creates a ball of plasma, and a second laser pulse generates a supersonic shockwave within the plasma to generate a bright flash and a loud bang."

"The company has also pitched a portable laser rifle, which would be lethal, to the US Army. It would weigh about fifteen kilograms, would have a range of more than a mile, and could have numerous advantages over existing rifles – better accuracy and the ability to hit a moving target at the speed of light."

I fully support our troops using laser weapons and hope that someday, in my lifetime, they will be accompanied by a lightsaber sidearm for close-combat.