Friday, February 29, 2008
Gone Baby Gone
Shaun Rogers is on his way to Cincinnati, according to Mike O'Hara of the Detroit News. The Lions will potentially receive a 3rd and 5th round pick, though this is still unconfirmed.
UPDATE: No, Rogers is actually going to the Browns. Maybe. Who knows?
UPDATE 2: Okay, Rogers really is going to Cleveland. The Lions will get CB Leigh Bodden (I've never heard of him either) and a 3rd round pick.
UPDATE: No, Rogers is actually going to the Browns. Maybe. Who knows?
UPDATE 2: Okay, Rogers really is going to Cleveland. The Lions will get CB Leigh Bodden (I've never heard of him either) and a 3rd round pick.
MAD MONEY?
You might be wondering what would bring a sleeping bear out of hibernation. As I toy with the idea of getting into e-trading I have been starting to watch finance shows to see what this thing is all about, Last night I'm stumble across Mad Money with Big Boo-Ya, To-Ya Jim Cramer. I've seen the show before so I'm basically only watching the bottom ticker and roughly listening to Mr Mad. To my surprize Cramer is wearing a John Deere Hat. Last Nights edition was about the 2 best investments right now. OIL & FARMING. Who is one of the leaders in farming. d/s Services Inc. is No.1 followed right behind by John Deere. Because I was unavailable, they they had Adams boss on there talking about his fine, fine, Supply Chain Manager/Monkey - Adam Sto-lacky making the company all the money. Then I hear on Paul Harvey this morning that the JD is investing 30 Mill into factories to produces bigger and better machines. Hats off to Adam and Myself for keeping this fine economy we are in going.
Signed
Expanding the Horizon of the Cass City monkies Blog with big Boo-Ya To-Ya
Signed
Expanding the Horizon of the Cass City monkies Blog with big Boo-Ya To-Ya
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Cheat Codes
On PTI they just discussed a Gametap interview of Tony Dungy where he poked fun at Bill Belichick. Here's the quote:
Funny stuff. Read the whole interview here.
GameTap: Are there going to be any cheat codes in the game where I can spy on my opponents?
Tony Dungy: [laughs] I don't know about any cheat codes. They say that's really a big secret around here, it's like Spygate. I don't know if they put that in there or not or what the penalty would be if you entered any cheat codes, but we'll probably only let New England have cheat codes.
Funny stuff. Read the whole interview here.
Breaking News
The "Ultimate Sweetroll" I just had from Wal-mart wasn't exactly ultimate. I suppose "Pretty Decent Sweetroll" or "Not-Half-Bad Sweetroll" doesn't sell quite as well though.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Standing athwart history yelling "Stop!"
William F. Buckley, Jr. died today at the age of 82. If you don't know who WFB was, the simplest way to describe his legacy is that he was the single person most responsible for the conservative movement in America, as well as the founder of National Review. The editors of NR have their statement here, and many, many words about WFB can be found at The Corner. RIP.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Another One
I've went and created a third blog, Monkie Quote. It's basically just a spot to store quotes in a format that can be searched through easily. I've already added all the post marked "quotes" from both here and Monkie's Progress. If anyone wants to be invited as a member let me know and I'll get the invitation sent out.
PR Nightmare
There's been a lot of people unhappy with the Big Ten Network. Apparently, Tom Izzo is one of them. Izzo had this to say yesterday:
Of course, the network claims Izzo is just frustrated, and, what do you know, they are too. Well, I'm glad they're feeling my pain, but empathy doesn't but MSU on my television. It's a disaster for them that the Big Ten's highest profile coach says the network isn't working. If they don't get things fixed soon, people are just going to walk away, and that definitely isn't good for the conference.
I think it has been a PR nightmare. And, I think it has hurt all of us.
Of course, the network claims Izzo is just frustrated, and, what do you know, they are too. Well, I'm glad they're feeling my pain, but empathy doesn't but MSU on my television. It's a disaster for them that the Big Ten's highest profile coach says the network isn't working. If they don't get things fixed soon, people are just going to walk away, and that definitely isn't good for the conference.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Great idea, Teach
Here is another wonderful idea by my Stats teacher. This is an email that was sent to him that he sent to everyone in class:
Dear all,
If you are teaching a class which is likely to have math majors who are NOT graduating this semester, please read on.
The email below describes an interesting housing opportunity for student clubs. Students (through a club, say the Math Club) with similar interests can apply to basically room together in a town house on campus. This would allow some of our on-campus math majors to share close proximity, a kitchen, and their own meeting space -- great conditions for doing mathematics.
I would appreciate if you could announce this to your class. Students can email me to express interest. But we have to hurry. The deadline is February 22.
Thanks!
Tony
Sign me up Tony! I dream about the possibility of living with some nerd doing mathematics together at our own little meeting space.
Dear all,
If you are teaching a class which is likely to have math majors who are NOT graduating this semester, please read on.
The email below describes an interesting housing opportunity for student clubs. Students (through a club, say the Math Club) with similar interests can apply to basically room together in a town house on campus. This would allow some of our on-campus math majors to share close proximity, a kitchen, and their own meeting space -- great conditions for doing mathematics.
I would appreciate if you could announce this to your class. Students can email me to express interest. But we have to hurry. The deadline is February 22.
Thanks!
Tony
Sign me up Tony! I dream about the possibility of living with some nerd doing mathematics together at our own little meeting space.
How about never...jerk
That title is taken from one of Jim Rome's popular resets of salesmen who come to his house (or call his office) and knock on his door trying to sell a product.
Rome: "Thanks a lot man, but I'm just not interested."
Salesman: "...I'll tell you what. I'll come back next week. Which day is best for you, Tuesday or Wednesday?"
Rome: "Um...how about NEVER, jerk. I don't want it. Get out."
Which leads me to share with you a moment in the life of a college student taking Math 304 Probability and Statistics from SVSU. Here is a little background. The professor is easily 70 years old. I don't know if he's 75, but Joe Pa could run circles around this goof. He certainly knows math, but doesn't know how to teach it. He just knows it. He can do it, but not show us how to. Basically he fits the model to a T of what I've been told about the math department at SVSU before taking any classes there. "The instructors are geniuses, but don't have a clue of how to teach it. They just expect you to get it." He's constantly being corrected by other classmates and always loses his place. I really don't find him boring because I kinda like the thought of probability scenarios. But, he makes it a ton more difficult in his teaching strategy.
Oh, he also has absolutely no clue of time managment. Class is supposed to be finished at 12:50 and at 12:51 he's still rolling like he's got 2 more hours of material to cover. You remember how it is. At 12:45, everyone pretty much starts making that "class is over" noise. The sound of books closing, bags unzipping, putting notebooks away, putting coats on, etc. Just to give the instructor the hint in case they're in the zone and didn't notice the time. Well, this cat just keeps going. In fact, numerous times someone has had to say, "can we just save this until next class?" Then Tyler, the instructor, responds, "well, if you have to go, go ahead. But, if you don't have anywhere to go, just stay for another 5-10 minutes and we'll be done."
We've also had 2 classes canceled due to the weather. And Wednesday is our last class before spring break (next week) and we still haven't had a test in the class.
The following is an unoffical transcript (but pretty accurate) of what took place as class was starting today:
Tyler: I want to check something. Did everybody get what I sent out?
Classmates: I didn't. No. Nope. I didn't either...etc.
Tyler: Well, I wanted to send out a poll to find out what would work best to make up those 2 classes we had canceled; a Friday evening, a Saturday, or a Sunday.
Nathan: (Thinking about what Jim Rome would say and also how Anti-Guza this teacher was) Um, how about never.
I'll leave you hangin' with that picture. I have more about this instructor and I'll tie it in with another timewaster that was showed to me by Mandy Ross.
Rome: "Thanks a lot man, but I'm just not interested."
Salesman: "...I'll tell you what. I'll come back next week. Which day is best for you, Tuesday or Wednesday?"
Rome: "Um...how about NEVER, jerk. I don't want it. Get out."
Which leads me to share with you a moment in the life of a college student taking Math 304 Probability and Statistics from SVSU. Here is a little background. The professor is easily 70 years old. I don't know if he's 75, but Joe Pa could run circles around this goof. He certainly knows math, but doesn't know how to teach it. He just knows it. He can do it, but not show us how to. Basically he fits the model to a T of what I've been told about the math department at SVSU before taking any classes there. "The instructors are geniuses, but don't have a clue of how to teach it. They just expect you to get it." He's constantly being corrected by other classmates and always loses his place. I really don't find him boring because I kinda like the thought of probability scenarios. But, he makes it a ton more difficult in his teaching strategy.
Oh, he also has absolutely no clue of time managment. Class is supposed to be finished at 12:50 and at 12:51 he's still rolling like he's got 2 more hours of material to cover. You remember how it is. At 12:45, everyone pretty much starts making that "class is over" noise. The sound of books closing, bags unzipping, putting notebooks away, putting coats on, etc. Just to give the instructor the hint in case they're in the zone and didn't notice the time. Well, this cat just keeps going. In fact, numerous times someone has had to say, "can we just save this until next class?" Then Tyler, the instructor, responds, "well, if you have to go, go ahead. But, if you don't have anywhere to go, just stay for another 5-10 minutes and we'll be done."
We've also had 2 classes canceled due to the weather. And Wednesday is our last class before spring break (next week) and we still haven't had a test in the class.
The following is an unoffical transcript (but pretty accurate) of what took place as class was starting today:
Tyler: I want to check something. Did everybody get what I sent out?
Classmates: I didn't. No. Nope. I didn't either...etc.
Tyler: Well, I wanted to send out a poll to find out what would work best to make up those 2 classes we had canceled; a Friday evening, a Saturday, or a Sunday.
Nathan: (Thinking about what Jim Rome would say and also how Anti-Guza this teacher was) Um, how about never.
I'll leave you hangin' with that picture. I have more about this instructor and I'll tie it in with another timewaster that was showed to me by Mandy Ross.
Another Timewaster
Add this site to the list of website timewasters. It's mostly a football website for the history of high school football in Michigan. I've known of this site for about 4 years but found some new links to make it even more addicting. I have no idea who has the time to put in all the NFL schedules for every team since 1945...but God bless them! This is the original link for all the high school football you'll need to know for Michigan. I don't recommend you spend much time looking at the Lions record books.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Washout
There's another interesting article by O'Hara at the Detroit News site that's mainly about the Lions looking to trade Shaun Rogers. What caught my eye though was blurb about former Lions 1st-round pick WR Mike Williams. According to the article Williams may be on his way out with his 3rd team, the Titans, and may be up to 280 lbs. Watching sports you see plenty of examples of guys who waste amazing talent by making bad decisions, being selfish, etc. But I don't think I've ever seen a professional athlete waste so much potential by simply being lazy. I understand that Williams might not love football, but how could you potentially be able to do something so well and just throw it away?
Saturday, February 23, 2008
What?
Rex Grossman has signed a one-year contract with the Bears. Sure, this doesn't seem like terribly notable news, except for one thing: last fall, there were few athletes criticized as much as Grossman around these parts. It was far worse than what Kitna had to deal with. Now, he'll be back competing for the starting job with Kyle Orton and whoever else the Bears bring in. I can't imagine Chicago fans are thrilled with this news.
"I'd blame me, too."
There's an interesting interview of Matt Millen by Mike O'Hara over at the Detroit News website. The best quote is in the title of this post, but many other topics are covered as well. Check it out.
Also, a blog-related side note: February 2008 is now the month with the most posts since the blog started. The previous record was 50, this post will make 53 this month.
Also, a blog-related side note: February 2008 is now the month with the most posts since the blog started. The previous record was 50, this post will make 53 this month.
Resigned
Kelvin Sampson is done at IU after accepting a $750,000 buyout of his contract. A couple of thoughts here:
1. Didn't Sampson have language in his contract specifically forbidding him from doing what he did? If I broke major rules at work at I'd be fired right away. Why does Sampson get to walk away with $750,000?
2. From the article: "Some players threatened to sit out the game as a protest." Okay, I get this if your coach was fired for poor performance and you disagree. Heck, I've been there myself (sort of). But if he's fired for cheating, what are you protesting?
3. Let's say Sampson coached all season and IU won the tournament. Wouldn't they be in danger of losing that championship?
1. Didn't Sampson have language in his contract specifically forbidding him from doing what he did? If I broke major rules at work at I'd be fired right away. Why does Sampson get to walk away with $750,000?
2. From the article: "Some players threatened to sit out the game as a protest." Okay, I get this if your coach was fired for poor performance and you disagree. Heck, I've been there myself (sort of). But if he's fired for cheating, what are you protesting?
3. Let's say Sampson coached all season and IU won the tournament. Wouldn't they be in danger of losing that championship?
Tournament Pick'em
There's a new Tournament Pick'em Group at Yahoo! Sports. The group ID number is 4311 and the password is, of course, monkie. Haven't got the invitation emails out yet, but you don't have to wait.
UPDATE: Clicking this link should do most of the work for you.
UPDATE: Clicking this link should do most of the work for you.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Surprise!
According to the Detroit News, the fears of boys and girls basketball being negatively impacted by the scheduling change has come to pass. Who would have thought? Are you saying people don't want to go to a HS basketball game EVERY night of the week? Can't imagine.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Jiffy What?
I believe we all agree that a critical part of any business specializing in rapid oil changes is having oil available. Apparently we would be wrong.
On two successive visits to a nearby Jiffylube, I have been informed that they had no 5W-30. The first time it was supposedly due to a late truck. This was forgivable, as we had just had a heavy snow, though a prudent manager would have perhaps thought "Hey, its Michigan, in the winter. There might be snow. I should have extra oil on hand." One showing initiative may have went across the road to Walmart and bought some, or tried to buy a barrel off a dealer at the automall, which is, to my knowledge, the largest collection of car dealerships in the state. Regardless, a one time fluke is inconvenient, but within reason.
Imagine my surprise when, upon returning a full week later, I was turned away again. No offer of compensation, just a mumbled excuse from a rather dejected attendant that I didn't really follow (I presume he had turned away many people and was not terribly pleased with his job). I informed the him that I would not be returning, ever. I would write a letter of complaint, but if the company can't figure out, on their own, that someone needs to be fired, then I don't see why I should help them.
So business 101: if you sell a product, have product to sell.
On two successive visits to a nearby Jiffylube, I have been informed that they had no 5W-30. The first time it was supposedly due to a late truck. This was forgivable, as we had just had a heavy snow, though a prudent manager would have perhaps thought "Hey, its Michigan, in the winter. There might be snow. I should have extra oil on hand." One showing initiative may have went across the road to Walmart and bought some, or tried to buy a barrel off a dealer at the automall, which is, to my knowledge, the largest collection of car dealerships in the state. Regardless, a one time fluke is inconvenient, but within reason.
Imagine my surprise when, upon returning a full week later, I was turned away again. No offer of compensation, just a mumbled excuse from a rather dejected attendant that I didn't really follow (I presume he had turned away many people and was not terribly pleased with his job). I informed the him that I would not be returning, ever. I would write a letter of complaint, but if the company can't figure out, on their own, that someone needs to be fired, then I don't see why I should help them.
So business 101: if you sell a product, have product to sell.
Crunch
Some pictures from an email I received from a co-worker entitled "Never drop your tractor bucket while in road gear..."
Notice the tractor is not green.
Notice the tractor is not green.
Never Go Back
Here's a bit of a speech by Michelle Obama, wife of Barack Obama, at UCLA, from Jim Geraghty of The Campaign Spot at NRO:Barack Obama will require you to work. He is going to demand that you shed your cynicism. That you put down your divisions. That you come out of your isolation, that you move out of your comfort zones. That you push yourselves to be better. And that you engage. Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual, uninvolved, uninformed.
That's a little scary. Require? Demand? Never allow? Excuse me, but I like my darn comfort zone, and no presidential candidate has any business telling me what I should do with it. The older I get, the more politics for me boils down to this: "Leave me alone." There's a word, which I don't use lightly, for what Mrs. Obama is describing: fascism. If you're confused, check out this book.
"Semi-Pro"
Will Ferrell's new movie "Semi-Pro" is hitting theaters nation-wide this weekend. For those of you living outside of Michigan and the thumb, the news is getting old, real fast. Apparently the movie is about a minor league basketball team in Flint, called the Flint Tropics. So, parts of the movie were of course filmed in Flint. You wouldn't believe the local news coverage on this movie. You would have thought the entire movie was filmed all over Flint. People talk about this like it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. We've even sent local news coverage teams to Hollywood for the film premier. Like it's a part of our life being shot on screen. You are Flint. Flint sucks. The movie will probably also suck. The news on this is very annoying, and I don't even live in Flint. Hey Flint, you do realize Will and the rest of the cast (Woody Harrelson) don't really give a rats tail about you, right? You are just another cesspool film location where all the groupies come out to get some action. Just because you see one or two streets of Flint in the movie doesn't mean it captures anything about what Flint is or is about. You and Will are not boys because he is now a part of Flint. We're talking about Flint. Not Miami. Flint. You're not going to sit at a local restaurant and be like, "Hey, Will Ferrell sat in this same booth in the movie 'Semi-Pro.'" Get a life. The ëxtras" that were used in the movie are practically glossing themselves as movie stars." Unbelievable.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Sold Out
On Friday night I had to referee a freshman boys basketball game at Marlette. Up until Wednesday of that week, I thought I had to ref the Freshmen and JV games. I really wanted to go to the Frankenmuth basketball game against Birch Run. I didn't think it would be possible after doing two basketball games. But, since it was just one game and it started at 5:00, I had plenty of time.
I decided to take my parents to the F'muth game to see Redford play. They had heard about him and I knew it would be a good game, if not 'muth's first loss of the year. We got to the gym at 7:30 and it was sold out. Couldn't even get in. Thanks for coming. Muth ended up losing by 14 and Redford only had 21, including the state record for 3's in a season.
I decided to take my parents to the F'muth game to see Redford play. They had heard about him and I knew it would be a good game, if not 'muth's first loss of the year. We got to the gym at 7:30 and it was sold out. Couldn't even get in. Thanks for coming. Muth ended up losing by 14 and Redford only had 21, including the state record for 3's in a season.
?
Does anyone watch SportsCenter anymore? I certainly don't. I can't even get through the intro after PTI is over. It's so sensational and hyperbolic I just can't stomach it. For example, yesterday the anchor mentioned Kobe's "transcendant" abilities in one of the teasers. Really? Transcendant? I don't think that word means what he thinks it means. Was it always this bad? Was I just insulated because I usually watched the morning version? Has ESPN become MTV for the sports crowd?
Sunday, February 17, 2008
I Want One
I'm not usually much for tools. I appreciate them, but since I haven't really had the need to do any woodworking in quite some time I don't find myself wanting any very badly. However, I just saw the CompuCarve Woodworking Machine from Craftsman advertised on TV and I definitely want one. It's basically a small CNC mill that can be used on wood and some plastics. It looks like it would allow you to make some fairly intricate designs that would be far beyond most of our capabilites with hand tools. It definitely doesn't look like the Haas lathe of woodworking equipment.*
*This joke requires explanation. Quite a while ago at work we bought a new machine, a Haas lathe. For various reasons the machine didn't perform as expected until months of tweaking and addition of some extra parts. In this time, being called the "Haas lathe of ____" became a common and particularly stinging insult.
*This joke requires explanation. Quite a while ago at work we bought a new machine, a Haas lathe. For various reasons the machine didn't perform as expected until months of tweaking and addition of some extra parts. In this time, being called the "Haas lathe of ____" became a common and particularly stinging insult.
Baaaah.... thud.
I received the first disc of the first season of Monty Python's Flying Circus this week and saw this sketch. It was too hilarious not to share. Of course, if you've never raised sheep you might disagree.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
"You want me on that mound. You need me on that mound."
According to Jonah Goldberg at the Corner, this text of Roger Clemens's testimony was going around earlier in the week:
Clemens: You want answers?
Congressman: I think I'm entitled to them.
Clemens: You want answers?
Congressman: I want the truth!
Clemens: You can't handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has baseballs. And those balls have to be hit by men with bats. Who's gonna do it? You? You,Congressman? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for steroids and you curse HGH. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that HGH, while illegal, probably sells tickets. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, sells tickets...You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that mound. You need me on that mound. We use words like fastall, slider, splitfinger...we use these words as the backbone to a life spent playing a sport. You use 'em as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and falls asleep to the Sportscenter clips I provide,! then questions the manner in which I provide it! I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a bat and dig in. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to!
Congressman: Did you order the HGH?
Clemens: (quietly) I did the job you sent me to do.
Congressman: Did you order the HGH?
Clemens: You're gddamn right I did!!
5 Pints
That's how much blood Richard Zednik lost after a freak accident where a teammate's skate cut his carotid artery. This happened back on the 11th, he's now been discharged from Buffalo General Hospital where he received life-saving surgery. You've probably seen the video by now, but I'm not going to post it because I had to turn away from the TV when they showed it on PTI the other day. The crowd's reaction in the photo in this article tells you all you need to know. I think most of the time we forget just how dangerous sports, especially hockey, can be. This was quite a reminder.
Friday, February 15, 2008
"...I thought that was closer."
Figured I might as well post this, since I mentioned it earlier:
If nothing else, the moment with the shadow of Indy putting on his fedora is perfect. I've found watching this trailer a couple of times has sparked a dormant interest in Indiana Jones gear: fedora, jacket, whip, etc. If you're interested in any of this stuff the place to go is, appropriately enough, IndyGear (which proves yet again that if you're even a little interested in something, there's a community of intense fans to be found on the internet). U.S. Wings also sells jackets here.
If nothing else, the moment with the shadow of Indy putting on his fedora is perfect. I've found watching this trailer a couple of times has sparked a dormant interest in Indiana Jones gear: fedora, jacket, whip, etc. If you're interested in any of this stuff the place to go is, appropriately enough, IndyGear (which proves yet again that if you're even a little interested in something, there's a community of intense fans to be found on the internet). U.S. Wings also sells jackets here.
Want to be a Detroit Tiger?
Yesterday I was listening to WDFN 1130 The Fan during Stoney and Wojo and they were talking to a Tigers guy, not sure who, but he said the Tigers were holding "open tryouts." So, I did some research on the Tigers website and here is what I found:
Tigers to hold open tryouts
02/12/2008 10:46 AM ET
By Jason Beck / MLB.com
DETROIT -- The Tigers will hold an open tryout camp at their Spring Training complex in Lakeland, Fla., on Tuesday, March 4.
The tryout at Joker Marchant Stadium is open to players age 18 and older, with no pre-registration and participation fee necessary. Interested athletes must simply provide their own glove and workout equipment; wooden bats, helmets and baseballs will be provided by the Tigers.
Time to put up or shut up.
I've always wondered about tryouts for professional teams, a la "Invincible" but never understood how it was done. Especially for cold weather baseball teams like Detroit. Why would they wait until May to hold tryouts once the season has begun? I didn't realize they would do it during spring training. I guess that makes more sense.
Tigers to hold open tryouts
02/12/2008 10:46 AM ET
By Jason Beck / MLB.com
DETROIT -- The Tigers will hold an open tryout camp at their Spring Training complex in Lakeland, Fla., on Tuesday, March 4.
The tryout at Joker Marchant Stadium is open to players age 18 and older, with no pre-registration and participation fee necessary. Interested athletes must simply provide their own glove and workout equipment; wooden bats, helmets and baseballs will be provided by the Tigers.
Time to put up or shut up.
I've always wondered about tryouts for professional teams, a la "Invincible" but never understood how it was done. Especially for cold weather baseball teams like Detroit. Why would they wait until May to hold tryouts once the season has begun? I didn't realize they would do it during spring training. I guess that makes more sense.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Indiana Jones...
...and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull now has a trailer available at Yahoo. Despite the fact that I'm a big Indiana Jones fan, I haven't been all that excited about this movie. This trailer helps. I'm not sold yet, but I think I'll be checking it out. If nothing else, it gives me a great excuse to pick up a fedora.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Did you hear that meatbag? I'LL BE BACK!
I posted over a year ago that there would be a third Knights of the Old Republic game. Today we get more confirmation where the game is listed in an Electronic Arts investor report under Bioware ongoing projects. That's right, it's going to be developed by the original developer. Now, if you haven't played the games this isn't going to matter at all, but if you're a gamer it's potentially, well, just about the best news ever. This immediately jumps to the top of my most anticipated games of 20XX. (Hat tip: Joystiq)UPDATE: Apparently, this isn't accurate. The information presented was referencing PAST projects by Bioware, so they may not actually be working on KOTOR 3. Boo!
Redford Update
Brad Redford played again tonight (Tuesday), and oh yeah, Frankenmuth was there too. You may have thought it was just a shoot around between Essexville-Garber and Redford judging by the score of 100-58. Brad scored 53, school record, and also broke the record for most 3-pointers made in a single season, 116. Man, get some shooting lessons.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Welcome to Cass City
Has anyone else seen the shiny new Cass City homepage? I guess I can't say how new it is since I don't actually go to the CC homepage often, but it looks new. Is it just me, or does "Come for a Day - Stay for a Lifetime!" sound kind of sinister?
Football Quotes
There's some great quotes in this article about Bill Belichick by Geoffrey Norman at NRO, so I thought I'd share:
More in the article.
"The alumni are with you, win or tie."
-Duffy Daugherty
"We didn’t tackle well today, but we made up for it by not blocking."
-John McKay
More in the article.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
What is cool?
I'm surfing automaker websites tonight checking out some information (I'm at the earliest stages of thinking about considering maybe looking at a new vehicle) and I'm struck by the differences I've seen so far. I could quickly and easily customize a car and get info about options and prices on the Nissan site. It was pretty fast and simple. The Pontiac website? It took a lot more work, but they've got a TON of media, not to mention a music player playing catchy alternative rock. No, seriously, I looked up one of the bands on Amazon. Pontiac wants you to think they're cool. I don't know if they are or not, but the attitude is certainly different.
Uniform
Well, after I commented about uniforms on Haag's earlier post I kept thinking about the idea, so here's the uniform I'd design for CC baseball, if there were no limits:
I can think of one major improvement to this design: replace the Strong Hawk with a Strong Hawk holding a baseball bat. That would be sweet.
I can think of one major improvement to this design: replace the Strong Hawk with a Strong Hawk holding a baseball bat. That would be sweet.
He Missed?
Frankenmuth's Brad Redford has finally missed a free throw. The Senior stud, who will be playing for Xavier next year, recently broke an MHSAA record for consecutive free throws made in a season. In Friday nights game against Vassar, he connected on 10 for 10 from the charity stripe giving him 102 straight free throws made. He is #1 in the MHSAA record books and SECOND in the national record!!! Redford is a freak on the basketball court. He has started for 'muth since his freshman year.
I've had the privilege of seeing Redford play over the years. I watched him his freshman season in the district finals against Cass City. At the time, he was just a pretty good player for a freshman. There were two twins on the team that kinda overshadowed him. Then I watched him his junior season beat up everyone in the disticts, including Cass City again. In one particular game his junior season, he put up 48 points in a losing effort to North Branch. With his domination of the Tri-Valley conference, there have been rumors the last few years that Redford would transfer to a bigger school to get more attention from larger colleges. The kid is probably not even 6 foot tall.
Anyway, I had not had a chance to see Redford play this year. Just highlight after highlight on the local TV sports stations. Oh, I forgot to mention that Redford toasted Vassar with 50 points on Friday night. I think that was his career best. He had a game a few weeks ago where he scored 27...in the FIRST FREAKIN' QUARTER! (6 3-pointers in the first quarter.) He only finished the game with 44 points. North Branch and Muth were supposed to play last Friday. Since my cousin coaches the North Branch team, Mandy and I were going to go watch the game. However, because of the weather, the game was postponed until tonight. So, Mandy and I went tonight instead. Side note: Frankenmuth was entering tonights game 16-0.
We got to the game with about 3 or 4 minutes left in the first quarter, Muth having the early edge. As the quarter went on, Redford was being his usual self...draining 3-pointers with hands in his face...well beyond the 3-point arc. Well, Redford was driving to the paint and got fouled. Two shots coming up. These were his first two attempts for the game. 102 stright. Dribble...dribble...release...BRICK. Yup, he missed his first shot of the night. It seemed like an eternity before the whole crowd and NB student section realized that he actually missed. I was sitting in the 3rd row, right across from the free throw line. In my opinion, as soon as he stepped to the free throw line, something didn't look right. The magic wasn't in the air.
After the miss, the Muth coach called a timeout before he could shoot his second attempt. Again, it took the crowd a few seconds to realize what just took place and why the coach would take a timeout. Eventually everyone realized and stood up to give him the standing ovation he deserved.
102. Gone. Done. But that's not all. In the 4th quarter, he missed again.
The final score was 90-65. I'm not sure how many points he finished with, but since he is averaging 35/game, I'm guessing he got around 30. In just his 3rd game of the season, he set the school record for most points scored in Frankenmuth history. In that 3rd game, he passed the #2 and #1. The #2 guy on the list...his coach.
You can check out the link of the MHSAA basketball record books if you like. It appears nothing has been updated for the 2007-2008 season. But, you can be amazed at how many records Drew Neitzel is involved in.
In my opinion, Redford is the best I've ever seen at the high school level. Incredible. His range is the half-court line. He has Reggie Miller's shooting ability off the screen and "Rip" Hamilton's endurance to run, run, run, and run some more until his opponent quits. Brad plays usually the entire game unless they are winning by 20 in the 4th quarter. If you give him 1 cm of space, you are finished. He's so quick on the dibble, if he gets any room, you are toast and might as well get back on offense. I thought Jordan Bitzer was the best, but even though Bitzer and Redford play two different styles, I have to edge in favor of Redford. I predict Muth to cruise thought the Districts, but will struggle in the Regionals. I expect them to finish undefeated, as they have beat all their remaining opponents by +15 points the previous time they played. Muth has absolutely no height and no large size. Everything they have is speed. If they run into team with some size or height (which you would think at the class B level), they will be in trouble. But, when you have the best player on the court, it doesn't matter. He can shoot lights out. I believe they lost in the regionals last year by one point...a close miss by Redford at the buzzer. Oh, Redford is also a "Mr. Basketball" candidate.
Well, I better stop man-loving on Redford before "Mike and Mike" play Chad Pennington and Brady Quinn music. (Probably only Adam will get that.)
Oh, I almost forgot the best part. After the game, Redford was signing autographs for at least 10 minutes and doing side interviews. He's worth the $5 admission price.
I've had the privilege of seeing Redford play over the years. I watched him his freshman season in the district finals against Cass City. At the time, he was just a pretty good player for a freshman. There were two twins on the team that kinda overshadowed him. Then I watched him his junior season beat up everyone in the disticts, including Cass City again. In one particular game his junior season, he put up 48 points in a losing effort to North Branch. With his domination of the Tri-Valley conference, there have been rumors the last few years that Redford would transfer to a bigger school to get more attention from larger colleges. The kid is probably not even 6 foot tall.
Anyway, I had not had a chance to see Redford play this year. Just highlight after highlight on the local TV sports stations. Oh, I forgot to mention that Redford toasted Vassar with 50 points on Friday night. I think that was his career best. He had a game a few weeks ago where he scored 27...in the FIRST FREAKIN' QUARTER! (6 3-pointers in the first quarter.) He only finished the game with 44 points. North Branch and Muth were supposed to play last Friday. Since my cousin coaches the North Branch team, Mandy and I were going to go watch the game. However, because of the weather, the game was postponed until tonight. So, Mandy and I went tonight instead. Side note: Frankenmuth was entering tonights game 16-0.
We got to the game with about 3 or 4 minutes left in the first quarter, Muth having the early edge. As the quarter went on, Redford was being his usual self...draining 3-pointers with hands in his face...well beyond the 3-point arc. Well, Redford was driving to the paint and got fouled. Two shots coming up. These were his first two attempts for the game. 102 stright. Dribble...dribble...release...BRICK. Yup, he missed his first shot of the night. It seemed like an eternity before the whole crowd and NB student section realized that he actually missed. I was sitting in the 3rd row, right across from the free throw line. In my opinion, as soon as he stepped to the free throw line, something didn't look right. The magic wasn't in the air.
After the miss, the Muth coach called a timeout before he could shoot his second attempt. Again, it took the crowd a few seconds to realize what just took place and why the coach would take a timeout. Eventually everyone realized and stood up to give him the standing ovation he deserved.
102. Gone. Done. But that's not all. In the 4th quarter, he missed again.
The final score was 90-65. I'm not sure how many points he finished with, but since he is averaging 35/game, I'm guessing he got around 30. In just his 3rd game of the season, he set the school record for most points scored in Frankenmuth history. In that 3rd game, he passed the #2 and #1. The #2 guy on the list...his coach.
You can check out the link of the MHSAA basketball record books if you like. It appears nothing has been updated for the 2007-2008 season. But, you can be amazed at how many records Drew Neitzel is involved in.
In my opinion, Redford is the best I've ever seen at the high school level. Incredible. His range is the half-court line. He has Reggie Miller's shooting ability off the screen and "Rip" Hamilton's endurance to run, run, run, and run some more until his opponent quits. Brad plays usually the entire game unless they are winning by 20 in the 4th quarter. If you give him 1 cm of space, you are finished. He's so quick on the dibble, if he gets any room, you are toast and might as well get back on offense. I thought Jordan Bitzer was the best, but even though Bitzer and Redford play two different styles, I have to edge in favor of Redford. I predict Muth to cruise thought the Districts, but will struggle in the Regionals. I expect them to finish undefeated, as they have beat all their remaining opponents by +15 points the previous time they played. Muth has absolutely no height and no large size. Everything they have is speed. If they run into team with some size or height (which you would think at the class B level), they will be in trouble. But, when you have the best player on the court, it doesn't matter. He can shoot lights out. I believe they lost in the regionals last year by one point...a close miss by Redford at the buzzer. Oh, Redford is also a "Mr. Basketball" candidate.
Well, I better stop man-loving on Redford before "Mike and Mike" play Chad Pennington and Brady Quinn music. (Probably only Adam will get that.)
Oh, I almost forgot the best part. After the game, Redford was signing autographs for at least 10 minutes and doing side interviews. He's worth the $5 admission price.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Rocky Balboa
I just watched Rocky Balboa, which I found surprisingly good. It's a little slow and self-referential through a good chunk of the movie, but you can't help but get into it once he steps into the ring. Anyway, did you know that a real boxer was the inspiration for Rocky? Apparently Chuck Wepner, who had lost fights against George Foreman and Sonny Liston, unexpectedly went 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali in a 1975 fight. Stallone saw the fight and was inspired to write the original Rocky. Interesting.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Things I'll Do....
The evil overlord list.
4. Shooting is not too good for my enemies.
12. One of my advisors will be an average five-year-old child. Any flaws in my plan that he is able to spot will be corrected before implementation.
196. I will hire an expert marksman to stand by the entrance to my fortress. His job will be to shoot anyone who rides up to challenge me.
201. All giant serpents acting as guardians in underground lakes will be fitted with sports goggles to prevent eye injuries.
222. I reserve the right to execute any henchmen who appear to be a little too intelligent, powerful, or devious. How-ever if I do so, I will not at some subsequent point shout "Why am I surrounded by these incompetent fools?!"
224. I will build machines which simply fail when over-loaded, rather than wiping out all nearby henchmen in an explosion or setting off a chain reaction. I will do this by using devices known as "surge protectors".
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
And in other news...
...Cass City has another new Varsity baseball coach. Let's recap the last 12 years:
19??-1996: Doug Hall
1997: Toby Wegener
1998: Mark Errer
1999: Chad Daniels (how could anyone forget)
2000: Some guy. Can't even remember his name.
2001-2006: Ryan Prichett
2007: Bill Hartsell
2008: Nathan Haag (what?)
As you can see, the key to NOT building a program is hiring a new varsity coach 6 straight years. Nothing like being the 8th different Varsity baseball coach in the last 13 years. Any extra motivation to do better than Daniels? Nah. None at all.
Job was accepted and approved on Monday, January 28. Contract was signed on Tuesday, January 29, 2008.
Play ball!
P.S. Adam, can you be my scorebook keeper in the dugout?
19??-1996: Doug Hall
1997: Toby Wegener
1998: Mark Errer
1999: Chad Daniels (how could anyone forget)
2000: Some guy. Can't even remember his name.
2001-2006: Ryan Prichett
2007: Bill Hartsell
2008: Nathan Haag (what?)
As you can see, the key to NOT building a program is hiring a new varsity coach 6 straight years. Nothing like being the 8th different Varsity baseball coach in the last 13 years. Any extra motivation to do better than Daniels? Nah. None at all.
Job was accepted and approved on Monday, January 28. Contract was signed on Tuesday, January 29, 2008.
Play ball!
P.S. Adam, can you be my scorebook keeper in the dugout?
Monday, February 04, 2008
Super Ruminations
Some thoughts on the game a day later, and after watching PTI:
-I'm really enjoying seeing Belichick get crushed for leaving early, at least by Wilbon if no one else. Sportsmanship matters and the Patriots have played with a deficit of it all year. How many records do they hold now because they ran up the score? This is one of the biggest reasons for my not being able to root for them, even though I'd also like to see an undefeated team in my lifetime. It just needs to be someone else.
-I've agreed with Wilbon all season that the way to beat the Patriots was to play tough and punch them in the mouth. Too many teams played not to lose and got killed because of it. The Giants weren't intimidated and it showed.
-Yeah, the Giants have 6 losses, but they're still the champion. It's pretty impressive that they won 11-straight games on the road. The "best" team doesn't always win in a playoff, people just tend to ignore this most of the time because we've decided it's the most "fair" way to determine a champion. Unless you're playing Madden, teams don't have a numerical rating. Everyone had the same shot at the Super Bowl; the Giants pulled it off. Hats off to them.
-Has anyone come in to the NFL with higher expectations than Eli Manning? I'd take Peyton over Eli any day, but I don't think Eli sucks. He's showed improvement that would get all sorts of compliments if he had a different last name. During the game-winning drive last night he displayed all the qualities that the QB on the sideline gets praised for constantly. Peyton has had consistently tougher opposition and has played better over his career, but the best teams don't always win. Eli made the best of his chance and now he's an NFL MVP. By the way, how great is it to watch two Super Bowl MVP brothers celebrating after the game? That's a great image.
-The commercials were underwhelming. Bridgestone "Screaming", Budweiser "Horse Training", and FedEx "Carrier Pigeons" were pretty good, but the rest didn't do much for me. Okay, I guess Corolla "Soundproof" wasn't bad either. The Prince Caspian trailer was good, but Iron Man just rocked.
-I'm really enjoying seeing Belichick get crushed for leaving early, at least by Wilbon if no one else. Sportsmanship matters and the Patriots have played with a deficit of it all year. How many records do they hold now because they ran up the score? This is one of the biggest reasons for my not being able to root for them, even though I'd also like to see an undefeated team in my lifetime. It just needs to be someone else.
-I've agreed with Wilbon all season that the way to beat the Patriots was to play tough and punch them in the mouth. Too many teams played not to lose and got killed because of it. The Giants weren't intimidated and it showed.
-Yeah, the Giants have 6 losses, but they're still the champion. It's pretty impressive that they won 11-straight games on the road. The "best" team doesn't always win in a playoff, people just tend to ignore this most of the time because we've decided it's the most "fair" way to determine a champion. Unless you're playing Madden, teams don't have a numerical rating. Everyone had the same shot at the Super Bowl; the Giants pulled it off. Hats off to them.
-Has anyone come in to the NFL with higher expectations than Eli Manning? I'd take Peyton over Eli any day, but I don't think Eli sucks. He's showed improvement that would get all sorts of compliments if he had a different last name. During the game-winning drive last night he displayed all the qualities that the QB on the sideline gets praised for constantly. Peyton has had consistently tougher opposition and has played better over his career, but the best teams don't always win. Eli made the best of his chance and now he's an NFL MVP. By the way, how great is it to watch two Super Bowl MVP brothers celebrating after the game? That's a great image.
-The commercials were underwhelming. Bridgestone "Screaming", Budweiser "Horse Training", and FedEx "Carrier Pigeons" were pretty good, but the rest didn't do much for me. Okay, I guess Corolla "Soundproof" wasn't bad either. The Prince Caspian trailer was good, but Iron Man just rocked.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Liveblogging the Super Bowl (2nd Half)
Would it be crazy to say Wes Welker is more important to the Patriots than Randy Moss?
Terminator vs. Fox Sports robot? That was cool.
You can review the number of players on the field? I thought that fell under unreviewable plays.
That commercial for Wall-E actually got me kind of interested in the film. I'm sure he's not as cool as Johnny 5 though.
I love play-action early down by the goal line.
What's a zombie doing on the Giants sideline?
14-10 Patriots? Game over man, game over.
Plaxiiiiicoooo!!!!
Okay, I was wrong earlier. Is it ironic that the Giants just played the role of David? Welcome to history Patriots, you're a footnote.
Classy move by Belichick to leave before the game is over. That's downright Moss-like.
I'm no NFL expert, but I'm going to guess brothers have never won consecutive Super Bowls.
Congratulations to the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants.
Terminator vs. Fox Sports robot? That was cool.
You can review the number of players on the field? I thought that fell under unreviewable plays.
That commercial for Wall-E actually got me kind of interested in the film. I'm sure he's not as cool as Johnny 5 though.
I love play-action early down by the goal line.
What's a zombie doing on the Giants sideline?
14-10 Patriots? Game over man, game over.
Plaxiiiiicoooo!!!!
Okay, I was wrong earlier. Is it ironic that the Giants just played the role of David? Welcome to history Patriots, you're a footnote.
Classy move by Belichick to leave before the game is over. That's downright Moss-like.
I'm no NFL expert, but I'm going to guess brothers have never won consecutive Super Bowls.
Congratulations to the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants.
Liveblogging the Super Bowl (1st Half)
Yeah, I pretty much skipped the 1st quarter. I was in an epic battle with a troll (courtesy of Oblivion).
Gisele Bundchen? See, that's why I don't like Tom Brady.
The Giants are really picking up the blitz well.
Interception. That's exactly the kind of play that always goes the Patriots way. The ball ALWAYS bounces their way.
That Iron Man trailer was awesome.
The robot is shiny today.
I wonder if the NFL told Belichick that he couldn't wear the hoody today?
You don't see Brady get sacked twice in a row very often.
Moss looks like he's going to cry. By the way, did you know that if you swap the first letters of Randy Moss's first and last name you get "Mandy Ross"?
So, can the Giants add some offense to their excellent defensive performance and actually win this thing? I'm thinking they're going to get close, then have a bad bounce and the Patriots walk away the winners.
That was a pretty decent show by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Gisele Bundchen? See, that's why I don't like Tom Brady.
The Giants are really picking up the blitz well.
Interception. That's exactly the kind of play that always goes the Patriots way. The ball ALWAYS bounces their way.
That Iron Man trailer was awesome.
The robot is shiny today.
I wonder if the NFL told Belichick that he couldn't wear the hoody today?
You don't see Brady get sacked twice in a row very often.
Moss looks like he's going to cry. By the way, did you know that if you swap the first letters of Randy Moss's first and last name you get "Mandy Ross"?
So, can the Giants add some offense to their excellent defensive performance and actually win this thing? I'm thinking they're going to get close, then have a bad bounce and the Patriots walk away the winners.
That was a pretty decent show by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Welcome to the World of Tomorrow
I'm not sure what to think of this product:
That's a cheeseburger in a can. Who came up with such craziness? Zee Germans. I didn't even know they had cheesebugers in Germany, I assumed there was only sausage. And sauerkraut. I wonder if it's any good at all? Because if they can make a good cheeseburger in a can, we're definitely living in the future.(Hat tip: Jonah Goldberg at the Corner, Gizmodo, Spulch)
That's a cheeseburger in a can. Who came up with such craziness? Zee Germans. I didn't even know they had cheesebugers in Germany, I assumed there was only sausage. And sauerkraut. I wonder if it's any good at all? Because if they can make a good cheeseburger in a can, we're definitely living in the future.(Hat tip: Jonah Goldberg at the Corner, Gizmodo, Spulch)
The Story That Won't Go Away
The Boston Herald is reporting that the Patriots filmed the Rams' last walthrough before the Super Bowl in 2002. The Patriots deny that this happened and the NFL seems uninterested in verifying the story, if there's anything to verify at all. This stuff is never going to go away, especially in the Patriots win tonight. The sports media will try to forget it as their heaping praise on the Patriots, but the team has such a polarizing effect that these rumors will persist. Add that to a 24-hour news cycle and you've got a zombie story that will never quite go down.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Groundhog Day!
Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooooold out there today.
Well, brace yourself for another six weeks of winter. Or not. It depends on which groundhog you think has the best prognostication skills. Punxsutawney Phil predicts more winter. Gen. Beauregard Lee predicts that spring will come soon. Woody of the Howell Nature Center also predicts that spring is on the way, and also predicted the Patriots would win the Super Bowl. No word on Punxsutawney Phil and Gen. Beauregard Lee's picks for the big game.
This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather.
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