I'm done with Rich Rod. Done. I gave you a 3rd year. But that has turned into 2.5 years for the last 3 performances. I won't completely blame Rich Rod for the MSU game. That was more Denard having a really, really bad day, making it so much easier for MSU to set up their offense. Then again, it would have been nice if Cousins/MSU would have played just 10% as bad as they did today when they played Michigan. I don't want to get into today's MSU game, that's not what this tread was for.
You are coming off a bye week against an unranked Penn State team starting a walk-on QB. Did you even mix in some film the last two weeks? I mean Penn State film, not highlights of Denard through the first 7 games. Thanks for spotting them 28 points by halftime. Hey, do you even work on creating turnovers? Fumbles, INT's, anything?
By the way, how come I've never heard of Evan Royster? He is the all-time leading rusher in Penn State history? I would have thought I would have heard of him some time in the last 3 seasons.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Congratulations
I'd like to congratulate Coach Dantonio and the Spartans for proving every single one of their critics absolutely, unequivocally correct. Way to go. Thank you for the humiliation I'm going to have to endure over the next week, I really appreciate it.
Classic Quote
This came to me out of the blue the other day and thought I'd share the memory:
No place for women and children!
-Coach O.
!
Wow, Jacory Harris just got absolutely demolished. My sternum hurts just watching it.
UPDATE: Video.
UPDATE: Video.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Horror Movie Marathon
I decided I was going to hit horror movies hard this month. Now I'm not much of a horror fan, so I went with a lot of classics. Many of these might be more properly called monster movies, but I think they all qualify as "horror." Here's the list:
Color
The Fly (1958)
Horror of Dracula (1958)
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
Alien (1979)
Dead Snow (2009)
Black & White
Werewolf of London (1935)
White Zombie (1932)
Them! (1954)
Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
Dracula (1931)
Frankenstein (1931)
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
The Invisible Man (1933)
Wolf Man (1941)
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)
The Mummy (1932)
The Thing From Another World (1951)
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
My favorites? Werewolf of London, Wolf Man, and The Fly. Both werewolf films are deeper and much more psychological than you'd expect. The Fly, though not near as graphic as the newer version, is surprisingly tense and disturbing.
Color
The Fly (1958)
Horror of Dracula (1958)
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
Alien (1979)
Dead Snow (2009)
Black & White
Werewolf of London (1935)
White Zombie (1932)
Them! (1954)
Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
Dracula (1931)
Frankenstein (1931)
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
The Invisible Man (1933)
Wolf Man (1941)
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)
The Mummy (1932)
The Thing From Another World (1951)
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
My favorites? Werewolf of London, Wolf Man, and The Fly. Both werewolf films are deeper and much more psychological than you'd expect. The Fly, though not near as graphic as the newer version, is surprisingly tense and disturbing.
Questionable
Just for the record, I don't support Coach Dantonio's decision to reinstate Chris Rucker. He had a second chance and he blew it. His career should be over. Bringing him back makes the whole program look dirty and desperate.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Re: Who is at fault?
So, they're talking about MSU football almost as much as Denard Robinson's shoelaces?
Obviously I don't listen to much Michigan sports radio, or much sports radio period, so I can only guess at the context. I suspect much of that context is bitter Wolverine fans trying to diminish the success the Spartans are having: "It doesn't really count if you don't play OSU." Well, I just looked up the "Method to Determine Big Ten Conference Automatic Representative to Bowl Championship Series" and there's nothing in there about playing OSU. The insinuation would also seem to be that the Spartans are ducking the Buckeyes, which is where "not their fault" comes in. MSU didn't cause Ohio State not to be on the schedule this year; they can only play the games they have to play.
That's not to say that skipping OSU is not a bonus for the Spartans because it surely is. It's also much more pronounced because Penn State, MSU's final opponent, isn't near as threatening as they often are. So I think the statement could easily be: "It's not MSU's fault Penn State sucks." But there's a lot of good teams that haven't been able to take advantage of a favorable schedule. So if MSU wins the title I don't think there will be much to whine about, but I also think MSU has to win every game to make that a reality. Are there any excuses for getting beat? No, just the fact that you got beat, but I don't think they'd be adding an asterisk to the record book if it was by Ohio State instead of someone else.
Obviously I don't listen to much Michigan sports radio, or much sports radio period, so I can only guess at the context. I suspect much of that context is bitter Wolverine fans trying to diminish the success the Spartans are having: "It doesn't really count if you don't play OSU." Well, I just looked up the "Method to Determine Big Ten Conference Automatic Representative to Bowl Championship Series" and there's nothing in there about playing OSU. The insinuation would also seem to be that the Spartans are ducking the Buckeyes, which is where "not their fault" comes in. MSU didn't cause Ohio State not to be on the schedule this year; they can only play the games they have to play.
That's not to say that skipping OSU is not a bonus for the Spartans because it surely is. It's also much more pronounced because Penn State, MSU's final opponent, isn't near as threatening as they often are. So I think the statement could easily be: "It's not MSU's fault Penn State sucks." But there's a lot of good teams that haven't been able to take advantage of a favorable schedule. So if MSU wins the title I don't think there will be much to whine about, but I also think MSU has to win every game to make that a reality. Are there any excuses for getting beat? No, just the fact that you got beat, but I don't think they'd be adding an asterisk to the record book if it was by Ohio State instead of someone else.
Who is at fault?
Something you hear about on the radio often right now is MSU football. I'm talking The Huge Show and WDFN The Fan. MSU has the potential to go 12-0 (and then not make the championship game even though undefeated...I can't wait for that.)
Many callers regularly drop the "It's not State's fault they don't play Ohio State this year" card. I think, if that's the case, then MSU has no excuses if they lose any games. Saying "It's not their fault..." just sets them up for failure. Losing to Ohio State is an excuse. By not playing them, you have lost your only excuse for not finishing undefeated.
Using the excuse "It's not State's fault they don't play Ohio State this year" isn't an excuse, and it's weak.
Many callers regularly drop the "It's not State's fault they don't play Ohio State this year" card. I think, if that's the case, then MSU has no excuses if they lose any games. Saying "It's not their fault..." just sets them up for failure. Losing to Ohio State is an excuse. By not playing them, you have lost your only excuse for not finishing undefeated.
Using the excuse "It's not State's fault they don't play Ohio State this year" isn't an excuse, and it's weak.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Rome Take - 10/18/10
Cowboys Self Destruct Again
The Cowboys not only lost a must win game, but completely self-destructed again, proving they are the most undisciplined, overrated, underachieving team in the NFL. Their deal is pretty clear by now; overwhelm the opponent with yards. Then, double them up with penalties…the types of penalties that take points of the board and kill drives. A flag that took away a 68 yard T.D. for Miles Austin and a 34 yard punt return for Dez Bryant.
Those types of penalties…and while you’re at it, go ahead and allow another kickoff return for a T.D. because you’re good enough to overcome that…and send another kickoff out of bounds. That’s a 1-4 football team that looks like a 4-12 football team, but with 12-4 talent. But don’t tell that to receiver Roy Williams. Uh-oh. Although everyone else in the world says you are what your record says you are, Roy says the Cowboys aren’t; “Are we a 1-4 football team? Not but yes. We’re undefeated in these losses. Cowboys are 4-0 because we beat ourselves. We beat ourselves in all of these losses.” Awesome. Even for you, Roy. That’s funny; I thought you were in last place. When you’re really in first place. My bad. I thought you choked away another one to Minnesota Sunday, when you really laid a beat down on them. When the postseason starts, Roy will be at the stadium, in his gear, ready to go. And security will be like, uh, Mr. Williams, can I help you? Yeah, you can help me; by getting the hell out of my way, so I can get on the field; I have a game to play. Uhh, Mr. Williams, you’re not playing today; y’all finished 4-12. No we didn’t fool, we finished 14-2; we were 10-0 in those games we lost, because we beat ourselves; now, get the hell out of my way, before someone gets hurt. They’re not only the most undisciplined and overrated team in the NFL, they’re the most deluded and myopic. And it all starts with the head coach. And of course, Jerry Jones reminded everyone that he has never fired a coach in the middle of a season and is not going to right now. Whatever. It’s not like there’s anyone on his staff who could do any better than Phillips anyway. But you know Jerry’s working his list, looking for Philips replacement. Time to look in the mirror once again Jerry: do you want to win, or do you want to absolute authority; because the two are not mutually exclusive. If you want to hire a puppet that you can manipulate and roll over, go find another doughy son of a coach who is better suited to coordinate a defense than lead men. But if you want to win, and get the most out of the talent you’ve acquired, you better take a big swing and hire a legitimate leader and head coach. A guy who will motivate, instill discipline and hold guys accountable. Again, do you want to win, or do you want a guy who will yes you and who you can control. It’s one or the other; make up your mind what’s more important. Better to get a little less credit on a winning team, than to get all of the credit on a loser.
The Cowboys not only lost a must win game, but completely self-destructed again, proving they are the most undisciplined, overrated, underachieving team in the NFL. Their deal is pretty clear by now; overwhelm the opponent with yards. Then, double them up with penalties…the types of penalties that take points of the board and kill drives. A flag that took away a 68 yard T.D. for Miles Austin and a 34 yard punt return for Dez Bryant.
Those types of penalties…and while you’re at it, go ahead and allow another kickoff return for a T.D. because you’re good enough to overcome that…and send another kickoff out of bounds. That’s a 1-4 football team that looks like a 4-12 football team, but with 12-4 talent. But don’t tell that to receiver Roy Williams. Uh-oh. Although everyone else in the world says you are what your record says you are, Roy says the Cowboys aren’t; “Are we a 1-4 football team? Not but yes. We’re undefeated in these losses. Cowboys are 4-0 because we beat ourselves. We beat ourselves in all of these losses.” Awesome. Even for you, Roy. That’s funny; I thought you were in last place. When you’re really in first place. My bad. I thought you choked away another one to Minnesota Sunday, when you really laid a beat down on them. When the postseason starts, Roy will be at the stadium, in his gear, ready to go. And security will be like, uh, Mr. Williams, can I help you? Yeah, you can help me; by getting the hell out of my way, so I can get on the field; I have a game to play. Uhh, Mr. Williams, you’re not playing today; y’all finished 4-12. No we didn’t fool, we finished 14-2; we were 10-0 in those games we lost, because we beat ourselves; now, get the hell out of my way, before someone gets hurt. They’re not only the most undisciplined and overrated team in the NFL, they’re the most deluded and myopic. And it all starts with the head coach. And of course, Jerry Jones reminded everyone that he has never fired a coach in the middle of a season and is not going to right now. Whatever. It’s not like there’s anyone on his staff who could do any better than Phillips anyway. But you know Jerry’s working his list, looking for Philips replacement. Time to look in the mirror once again Jerry: do you want to win, or do you want to absolute authority; because the two are not mutually exclusive. If you want to hire a puppet that you can manipulate and roll over, go find another doughy son of a coach who is better suited to coordinate a defense than lead men. But if you want to win, and get the most out of the talent you’ve acquired, you better take a big swing and hire a legitimate leader and head coach. A guy who will motivate, instill discipline and hold guys accountable. Again, do you want to win, or do you want a guy who will yes you and who you can control. It’s one or the other; make up your mind what’s more important. Better to get a little less credit on a winning team, than to get all of the credit on a loser.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
This Is A Heart Attack
This one goes out to the Spartan football team because they almost killed me today:
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Gerard Butler at Homecoming
I shouldn't have been worried about the game against Illinois. Why? Gerard Butler was there:
Thoughts on Saturday
- Are Wolverine fans feeling a little déjà vu? I don't think this team will crash as thoroughly as last year's (I can hope though!), but it still has to be an awful feeling.
- Is Denard Robinson still a Heisman contender?
- I really didn't expect Wisconsin to beat OSU. I was hoping for it, but I'm surprised it happened.
- I'm having a hard time accepting that MSU is likely considered the favorite to win the Big Ten title by many. Sure, I think it's a possibility, I'm just not used to others agreeing.
- It is mind-boggling that winning that title would put them in the hunt for the national title. I don't think MSU is that good, but I think they'll have to run the table to win the Big Ten, and if you do that your BCS ranking has to be pretty good.
- The Illinois game felt a lot closer than it was.
- MSU often has trouble with Northwestern. They need to start fast next week.
- Things are going to start getting a lot more heated with all these Iowa fans.
- Is Denard Robinson still a Heisman contender?
- I really didn't expect Wisconsin to beat OSU. I was hoping for it, but I'm surprised it happened.
- I'm having a hard time accepting that MSU is likely considered the favorite to win the Big Ten title by many. Sure, I think it's a possibility, I'm just not used to others agreeing.
- It is mind-boggling that winning that title would put them in the hunt for the national title. I don't think MSU is that good, but I think they'll have to run the table to win the Big Ten, and if you do that your BCS ranking has to be pretty good.
- The Illinois game felt a lot closer than it was.
- MSU often has trouble with Northwestern. They need to start fast next week.
- Things are going to start getting a lot more heated with all these Iowa fans.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The most beautiful car in the world?
I saw the Ferrari 458 Italia featured on Top Gear last night and had to check it out:
I don't know if it's the best-looking car in the world, but it has to be in the running.
I don't know if it's the best-looking car in the world, but it has to be in the running.
Saturday, October 09, 2010
RE: Breaking Down The Game
Bell and Baker...were who we thought they were. Good.
Special Teams: I should not know Keshawn Martin. He went beyond special teams, unfortunately.
Greg Jones who? I didn't feel he was a factor.
D-Rob: Absolutely the MVP of the game (for the wrong team).
Offense: Very impressed with how Michigan ran the ball in the first quarter.
Score: Shocked to see it 3-0 after 1st quarter. A Michigan victory if they could have kept MSU at 14 at halftime. But, 17 wasn't terrible, especially knowing any other D-1 team in the nation could have nailed that FG before the half. At least acknowledge UM should have been winning 14-0 after the 1st quarter.
I feel cheated out of a good game. It's like I keep hoping they are playing a "do-over" tomorrow. 3 INT's can't happen. I don't put this on Rich Rod. Either it was the game plan or D-Rob that decided to get away from what had been working the first 5 games. The decision making on somebody seemed timid. Even before the game, I thought MSU was the better team, I just didn't want to get embarrassed.
Bell+Baker+Cousins+Crappy Michigan Defense+Spartan Stadium = 4 straight MSU wins.
Personally, I picked MSU to win by 3 touchdowns. Yeah, yeah, we all heard "last team with the ball wins," or "first team to 35 points wins." Forget it. MSU by 3 TD's.
Special Teams: I should not know Keshawn Martin. He went beyond special teams, unfortunately.
Greg Jones who? I didn't feel he was a factor.
D-Rob: Absolutely the MVP of the game (for the wrong team).
Offense: Very impressed with how Michigan ran the ball in the first quarter.
Score: Shocked to see it 3-0 after 1st quarter. A Michigan victory if they could have kept MSU at 14 at halftime. But, 17 wasn't terrible, especially knowing any other D-1 team in the nation could have nailed that FG before the half. At least acknowledge UM should have been winning 14-0 after the 1st quarter.
I feel cheated out of a good game. It's like I keep hoping they are playing a "do-over" tomorrow. 3 INT's can't happen. I don't put this on Rich Rod. Either it was the game plan or D-Rob that decided to get away from what had been working the first 5 games. The decision making on somebody seemed timid. Even before the game, I thought MSU was the better team, I just didn't want to get embarrassed.
Bell+Baker+Cousins+Crappy Michigan Defense+Spartan Stadium = 4 straight MSU wins.
Personally, I picked MSU to win by 3 touchdowns. Yeah, yeah, we all heard "last team with the ball wins," or "first team to 35 points wins." Forget it. MSU by 3 TD's.
Things You Don't Want To Do
The owner of a Bugatti Veyron in Germany crashed his car on an autobahn. At 125 mph. Into a truck. Everyone was unharmed, but approximately $558,792 of damage was done to the Veyron. Yikes. (Hat Tip: Top Gear website)
Friday, October 08, 2010
Breaking Down Saturday's Game
The simplest way to break down Saturday's Michigan-Michigan State game seems to be to look at the three phases of the game. So let's take a look:
Special teams: MSU has a kicker. UM was holding auditions. Whoever UM has returning kicks and punts is not better than Keshawn Martin. Advantage: MSU.
Defense: MSU has had a weak pass defense, though they played well against Wisconsin, and an excellent front seven. UM gave up 35 points to Indiana. Advantage: MSU
Offense: MSU has a great group of WRs, one of the best QBs in the conference, and a lethal RB tandem with Baker and Bell. UM has one of the most explosive players in the country. Advantage: Push.
Intangibles: UM is playing at the Big House and desperately need to beat MSU to prove the program is back on track and to avoid three straight losses to the Spartans. Coach Dantonio returns to the sidelines for MSU after a heart attack and MSU wants to derail UM's media-anointed "return to glory" and leave Ann Arbor 6-0. Advantage: Push.
I'm predicting lots of points scored in a game MSU wins in the 4th quarter. I also think there's a 50/50 chance Greg Jones literally splits Denard Robinson in half.
Special teams: MSU has a kicker. UM was holding auditions. Whoever UM has returning kicks and punts is not better than Keshawn Martin. Advantage: MSU.
Defense: MSU has had a weak pass defense, though they played well against Wisconsin, and an excellent front seven. UM gave up 35 points to Indiana. Advantage: MSU
Offense: MSU has a great group of WRs, one of the best QBs in the conference, and a lethal RB tandem with Baker and Bell. UM has one of the most explosive players in the country. Advantage: Push.
Intangibles: UM is playing at the Big House and desperately need to beat MSU to prove the program is back on track and to avoid three straight losses to the Spartans. Coach Dantonio returns to the sidelines for MSU after a heart attack and MSU wants to derail UM's media-anointed "return to glory" and leave Ann Arbor 6-0. Advantage: Push.
I'm predicting lots of points scored in a game MSU wins in the 4th quarter. I also think there's a 50/50 chance Greg Jones literally splits Denard Robinson in half.
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Monday, October 04, 2010
Sunday, October 03, 2010
RE: Sneaky End Credits
Yeah, if it wasn't explained well enough, the hammer you see at the end is the same as in this picture from Thor:
There's also a post-credit sequence at the end of Hulk that features Tony Stark. And, if you look carefully, you can see news footage from Hulk playing on TV screens in Iron Man 2.
There's also a post-credit sequence at the end of Hulk that features Tony Stark. And, if you look carefully, you can see news footage from Hulk playing on TV screens in Iron Man 2.
Woodchucks
My dad mentioned this commercial a few weeks ago and I finally saw it yesterday. I thought it was pretty funny, so I figured I'd share:
Sneaky End Credits
For whatever reason, I decided to watch or fast-forward through the entire end credits of "Iron Man 2." I get to the end and there is a 45 second clip. I'm not a comic book guy and I don't really understand "Iron Man" and "The Avengers," so I went to the IMDB for some clarification. Then I thought, I wonder if they pulled the same stunt at the end of the first "Iron Man?" Sure enough, they did. But I'm not going to spend the money to rent the movie just for 45 seconds. Thankfully "YouTube" had me covered.
Saturday, October 02, 2010
Friday, October 01, 2010
?
In a sportsmanship email I received from the MSU Athletic Department today it quotes the following statistic: 89% of MSU fans in the stands think it is acceptable for fans to yell or chant loudly to make it difficult for the opposing team to communicate. Sure, of course. So what the heck is wrong with that other 11%? Did they not return the survey? Are there actually fans that think you should stay quiet for the opposing team?
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