Merry Christmas!

I'm on my way home for the holidays, so don't expect to see much more here over the next week.

$29 Million

The Tigers have reached an agreement on a three-year contract extension with Dontrelle Willis worth $29 million. Does this mean he can finally get a hat that fits?

The Hobbit...

...will be coming to the big screen with Peter Jackson involvement, according to this press release. Two interesting notes: Jackson will be producing, not directing, and there will be two films, "The Hobbit" and a sequel. Yeahbuhwhat?

Batman Blitz

Okay, so the trailer for The Dark Knight has got you interested, are you ready for more? Well, you can go check out The Gotham Times, or maybe Joker's version. If that's not enough, here's a few teaser posters:


From The Dark Knight Unofficial Movie Blog:



Is that enough?

The Dog Ate It

Jonathan Papelbon says his dog, "Boss", ate the baseball that was the last out of the 2007 World Series. Says the dog: "Woof."*

*Fictional dog quote, intended for comedic value only. Dogs do not talk.

The Basement

I've seen a lot of basements, but I think this guy might have the coolest I've ever seen. Now I have to admit that having that much space in your house dedicated to Star Wars is unquestionably geeky, but you've got to appreciate the hard work that went into it and the neatness of it all. It almost looks like a museum. A museum with an HDTV. You could easily replace Star Wars with "baseball" or "Detroit sports", if that was more your thing, and it would still be cool. Nice job.

Always have your ID ready

RE: Bobby Petrino

I meant to throw my 2-cents in before, just didn't have time: Let's take a step back and remember WHY he took the job in the first place. They wanted him because he was some offensive coaching genius that could work with Mike Vick. He also probably wanted the job because of that fact alone, working with "untouchable" Vick. Can you blame him? Well, there's no longer anymore Vick. There's no more offense. Two things he was given to work with are gone. Can you really blame him for leaving? Do I disagree that he's not a "real man"? Absolutely not. Adam was right, look over at the Colts and Dungy or D.C. at Joe Gibbs for a "real man." Hey, when the going get tough, quit. Isn't that how it goes? I don't condone what he did and quitting on his team, but every reason he went there is gone. They wanted him to work with Vick. Well, Vick's gone. What did you expect?

By the way, that was some nice doings by the NFL for dropping about 5 different fines on Falcon players for their "uniform" code breaking. And...I don't care.

Why So Serious?

Mass Effect Swag

I'm not usually interested in video game related apparel. Sure, I have a Duck Hunt and a Mario Bros. t-shirt, but those are exceptions. However, I'm tempted to pick up this Mass Effect shirt. If you haven't played the game, you'll just have to trust me that this is pretty cool.

Once Again, Mass Effect

I finished my first playthrough of Mass Effect yesterday. I didn't play every single bit of the game, though I got most of it (according to the achievement), but it still took approximately 44 hours. Forty-four hours of awesomeness. Despite sky-high expectations the game managed to impress and has dethroned Knights of the Old Republic as my favorite game.

Richie Rich

Rich Rodriquez will be the new head coach for the University of Michigan football squad. As unpredicted by Adam, he took the offer. Okay, I'm happy. Very happy. I've been rooting for this guy since last year when he showed he was willing to leave the Mountaineers but then decided to stay. That was enough for me to know UM had a shot at him. Bring on the pizzazz! He was definately at the top of my list. Honestly, he was in my top 3. Somewhere with Les Miles and Kirk Ferentz. Time to kick VEST!

Quote of the Day

"If I might lend a machete to your intellectual thicket..."
-Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

RE: KITT

This would have made a much better KITT:


I know the car just starred as a Transformer, but it's much better suited for the role than a Mustang.

Say Cheese

Picture 1: Our first Christmas tree. Yup, it's real...and free...from her parents property. Also my first real tree.

Picture 2: Possibly the best picture I've ever taken in my life. We were at "Animal Kingdom" at Disney World for Thanksgiving and on the tour ride through the "jungle" we took pictures of the various animals. Well, I wanted a picture of a lion. However, as I was getting the Cass City Chronicle classic shot, the lion was opening his mouth for a huge yawn...and I nailed the picture. Pure luck.

Picture 3: Giraffe. Beauty.

Picture 4: Best side of the elephant.

Sorry, the driver was going too fast and I couldn't get a monkey shot. Bummer.

A Joke

Adam, I don't know what you hear in the sports world about the UM football coaching search fiasco, but around here, it sounds like the world is going to end. I don't know what it was like for MSU in their last 2 searches, but everyone is calling the UM situation a joke. Maybe it is. The media is turning it into a mess and pointing fingers at Lloyd and AD Bill Martin. Now the popular talk is, are Michigan fans willing to wait another year for Les Miles. Hire some guy for a season and then try going after Les again. Some still want Cowher to at least get an interview. Ann Arbor people really hate Herbstreit now, as if they didn't before.

Andy, congrats on the latest news. I didn't hear how you popped the question, but I'm sure it had style. I think you may have beat me in how long you waited (or didn't wait) to pop the question, but I think I'll still have you on a shorter engagement time. Let the fun begin.

Adam...hang in there. I guess I have nothing else to say on that.

KITT

Couple things that bother me:
1. How can you not have the strip of blinking red lights?
2. "A nontalking version of the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR will go on sale next year." What? "Nontalking?" Come on.
3. "Oh, and the consumer model won't change colors or shift shapes, either." Why don't you just kick me in the groin.

I didn't realize the show was only on for 4 years. That means when the show ended, I was only 5 or 6. I thought for sure I was watching the show for at least a couple of years on Sunday nights at 8pm.

One of my favorites

Sorry for the pathetic sound quality. If you can find a better video, go for it.

P.S. I'm still working on Fritz to incorporate this into the morning worship. I think it can be done.

Who Puts Rock & Roll In Your Blood?

Truly Great Words

Picking up an old thread, great words:

1. Monkey
2. Chimichanga
3. Minion
4. Cogitate
5. Dirigible

The Voices In Your Head

Apparently a billboard in New York is causing a bit of a stir, not for its images, but for its sound. The advertisement is equipped with technology from a company called Holosonic that creates an "audio spotlight." Basically, it beams an audio signal directly into your head. Responding to some of the negative reaction to the ad, Holosonic founder Joe Pompei says:

"There's going to be a certain population sensitive to it. But once people see what it does and hear for themselves, they'll see it's effective for getting attention."

If the use of technology becomes widespread, I say we buy a Holosonic setup and put it up outside Mr. Pompei's house. Then we'll who's sensitive to it. Stay out of my head! (Hat tip: Mark Hemingway, The Corner)

Use the Force

Popular Mechanics has just released a list of "10 Tech Concepts You Need to Know for 2008." The first on the list? Mind-controlled gaming. Personally, I can't wait until this technology is ready for mass consumption. I think sports games could benefit tremendously by streamlining the controls in this way. To be honest though, I just want to throw stormtroopers around with my mind. THAT WOULD ROCK. (Hat tip: Joystiq)

"Real Men"

I think Bobby Petrino handled things badly in accepting the Arkansas job and quitting the Falcons before his first season was complete. I understand why he'd want to go back to college; quite honestly I'm not sure why any coach wants to go to the NFL, besides for the money. But when I read a story at ESPN.com about petrion's departure and the Falcons' reaction, this quote from Lawyer Milloy really irked me: "This league is for real men. I think he realized he didn't belong here."

Real men? You know what I think of most NFL players (and, really, pro athletes in general): They're a bunch of whining, self-centered, self-aggrandizing children with egos the size of dirigibles. They've been fawned over their entire lives because of their athletic abilities and can't stand to be told their wrong. I doubt Milloy has any idea what a true "real man" is. Hint: They look a lot like Tony Dungy.

Bring Them Home

I don't play World of Warcraft. I'm not much of an MMO player at all, excepting a week stint on City of Villains. Even so, this is pretty cool:



Would it be worthwhile for $100? I'd bet a lot of people will think so.

UPDATE: In case you're wondering, the figure above would be made by a process similar to this:

Quote of the Day

"Trust me on this: Some kids are dumb."
-John Derbyshire, The Corner at NRO

KITT

The new KITT in the upcoming "Knight Rider" TV movie is a Ford Mustang. Does that seem right to you?

She's Cold

1,000

On Saturday, February 26, 2005 I made the first post on this blog. Today it reaches 1,000 posts which is, quite frankly, more than I ever expected. Thanks for the continuing interest.

Pack Your Bags

As predicted earlier by Ump, Brandon Inge doesn't want to be a backup and would rather start for another team.

I Win

What I've Learned From Mass Effect: Part 1

There's no problem that can't be solved with a radioactive shotgun.

Done Deal

The Tigers have completed an eight-player trade that netted them Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera for six prospects, including Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller. Fans of other AL Central teams were dismayed; I heard plenty about it today (especially from a Twins fan) at work. With an all-star at almost every position, the Tigers look formidable. One question: What happens to Inge?

Grace Like Rain

Sunny Orlando...

...is the bowl destination for the Spartans where they will play in the Champs Sports Bowl against Boston College on Dec. 28th. I doubt I'll make it, but it's nice to see the Spartans playing somewhere besides Detroit.

UPDATE: Here's the bowl schedule. Why is the NFL Network carrying 2 NCAA bowl games? Are they looking to start a war?

Ugh.

The Lions look PATHETIC.

"I will be the head coach at LSU."

So, apparently Les Miles isn't enough of a Michigan man to actually want to coach the Wolverines. So who's nexton UM's wishlist? I can guarantee a few from Ump's list won't be the next coach at Michigan: Cowher, Pete Carroll (please, leave sunny LA for Ann Arbor?), Kirk Ferentz, Urban Meyer, and Rich Rodriguez (if he was going anywhere, he'd have left already) won't end up in the job. And didn't Jim Harbaugh have to turn in his alumni card after he said Michigan accepts players that don't meet UM standards and then steers them to easier academic programs? It seems to me there's no obvious choice for the job right now.

It's not a good weekend for Michigan and coaches as former coach Tommy Amaker and his Harvard team beat the Wolverines 62-51 last night. Ouch.

In other college sports news, Hawaii won their last game to go 12-0. They still suck.