Tuesday, August 18, 2009
I'll Huff, and I'll Puff...
The Tigers aquired Aubrey Huff from the B-more Orioles yesterday. If I'm correct, when we went to Cleveland for one of our Baseball Stadium Tours, they were playing the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (not just the Rays, the Devil Rays). We were all standing on the porch in left field...about 25 yards from a delicious lemonade stand...watching the TB batting practice. All of a sudden, a homerun ball came flying right at us. The ball hit my hand (ouch) and bunced around us. I eventually got the ball. But, if memory serves me correct, I wanted to know who hit the ball, and all I could see was "Huff" and #44.
UPDATE BEFORE POSTING: Apparently memory only served a little bit correct. I remember the batter hitting from the right side of homeplate. I just realized Aubrey Huff's profile lists him as batting lefty, hence the major reason the Tigers traded for him.
My bad. Well, it was a great story. At least I plugged the lemonade stand back into our memory banks.
Heck. Why not make a reference to the annoying guy dressed up as an indian banging the drum 9 innings straight in the top row of the left-center seats.
UPDATE BEFORE POSTING: Apparently memory only served a little bit correct. I remember the batter hitting from the right side of homeplate. I just realized Aubrey Huff's profile lists him as batting lefty, hence the major reason the Tigers traded for him.
My bad. Well, it was a great story. At least I plugged the lemonade stand back into our memory banks.
Heck. Why not make a reference to the annoying guy dressed up as an indian banging the drum 9 innings straight in the top row of the left-center seats.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Rock Star
I was reading the paper as I was getting my oil changed this morning and there was an article about how popular Jay Cutler is with Bears fans. It included a chart comparing Cutler to... the Beatles. Really. Apparently fans knocked down a fence at training camp so they could get closer to him.
I'm sure they have realistic expectations for the season though.
I'm sure they have realistic expectations for the season though.
Imagine That
Michael Vick, on returning to the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles:
Shocking that the guy who desperately needs a second chance after taking a wrecking ball to his life believes in second chances. So did Vick actually change, or just learn that he's not untouchable? Tony Dungy seems to think he's changed. Does anyone else?
"I think everybody deserves a second chance, I think as long as you are willing to come back and do it the right way and do the right things and that you’re committed, then I think you deserve it. But you only get one shot at a second chance, and I am conscious of that."
Shocking that the guy who desperately needs a second chance after taking a wrecking ball to his life believes in second chances. So did Vick actually change, or just learn that he's not untouchable? Tony Dungy seems to think he's changed. Does anyone else?
Friday, August 14, 2009
Fantasy Draft
Is anyone ready to make plans for the 2009 Fantasy Draft? The season starts 9/10. Labor Day is 9/7. I will be in town from 9/5 to 9/12. Thoughts?
By the way, you do have to sign up to be able to play.
By the way, you do have to sign up to be able to play.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Monday, August 03, 2009
Top Gear reviews the Ford Fiesta
Unwinding from the long drive on Saturday I sat down on the couch, started flipping through channels, and came across Top Gear on BBC America. What I've seen before was pretty entertaining, so I stopped surfing and started watching. They featured this segment, which may be the best car review ever:
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Quote of the Night
After starting the game throwing in the low 90s, Verlander ramped up it up near 100 mph in the later innings.
Leading the WORLD! Awesome.
Game Notes: Granderson led off the game by sending the third pitch into the bleachers. (He also did it on Monday.) He added another HR later in the game, his fourth career two-homer game. It was the 20th time he's led off the game with an HR (I realize "homerun" does not start with a vowel, so that should be the word "a" instead of "an" before "HR." However, on the baseball team, we call them "H-R's". Then again, the letter H, last time I checked isn't a vowel either, but I believe if you spell H, it is spelled a-i-t-c-h. Sorry...that was one of the words on the spelling bee contest on ESPN. Revoke my Man Card). Not too shabby your lead-off hitter is 9th in homeruns in the AL.
That's what he does," Rangers center fielder Marlon Byrd said. "There's a reason he's leading the world in strikeouts.
Leading the WORLD! Awesome.
Game Notes: Granderson led off the game by sending the third pitch into the bleachers. (He also did it on Monday.) He added another HR later in the game, his fourth career two-homer game. It was the 20th time he's led off the game with an HR (I realize "homerun" does not start with a vowel, so that should be the word "a" instead of "an" before "HR." However, on the baseball team, we call them "H-R's". Then again, the letter H, last time I checked isn't a vowel either, but I believe if you spell H, it is spelled a-i-t-c-h. Sorry...that was one of the words on the spelling bee contest on ESPN. Revoke my Man Card). Not too shabby your lead-off hitter is 9th in homeruns in the AL.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Airplane Movies
Our flight back from Hawaii took us straight to Minneapolis. That was a nice 7 hour flight. But, each seat had it's own 6" monitor and could pick from about a dozen or so movies. Not many really peaked my interest, but I haven't seen "Watchmen" and that was one of the choices and I wouldn't mind seeing it. I've got nothing better to do, what is 2.5 hours going to hurt?
I really know nothing about the comic book, but this was definately long, weird, and dark. It was also difficult to hear well on the plane, so some parts were a little confusing. It appeared the comic book was really hard to bring to life on the big screen, but did a pretty good job. Seemed like there was a bunch of story they wanted to fit into 2.5 hours. And, I would agree with Adam, "Rorschach" was my favorite character.
Speaking of "Rorschach," I am addicted to the IMDB, so I did a search. "Rorschach" was played by Jackie Earle Haley, who, come to find out, will be playing the character of "Freddy Krueger" in the remake of "A Nightmare on Elm Street."
Also according to the IMDB, Jackie Earle Haley had a role in an episode of "MacGyver" from season one, which I own and just watched not too long ago. What a small world.
I really know nothing about the comic book, but this was definately long, weird, and dark. It was also difficult to hear well on the plane, so some parts were a little confusing. It appeared the comic book was really hard to bring to life on the big screen, but did a pretty good job. Seemed like there was a bunch of story they wanted to fit into 2.5 hours. And, I would agree with Adam, "Rorschach" was my favorite character.
Speaking of "Rorschach," I am addicted to the IMDB, so I did a search. "Rorschach" was played by Jackie Earle Haley, who, come to find out, will be playing the character of "Freddy Krueger" in the remake of "A Nightmare on Elm Street."
Also according to the IMDB, Jackie Earle Haley had a role in an episode of "MacGyver" from season one, which I own and just watched not too long ago. What a small world.
Monday, July 27, 2009
College Fantasy Football
CBS Sports is offering college fantasy football this year, and unlike previous years, you get to draft individual players instead of team positions. Anyone interested? Apparently you can't change the settings after you sign up, so everyone who wants to play will need to be committed before I can create a league.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Vacation
I'm going to be in CC approximately August 1st through the 8th for some R&R. I know we talked about going to see the Tigers in September, but would anyone be interested in trying it that week instead? I've got a wedding to go to on the 8th (maybe Matt does too?), but the rest of that week is wide open.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Idiots
While I haven't supported the government's actions in dealing with the automakers, the members of Congress that are grilling the auto task force are idiots. Or maybe marginally intelligent people hoping to score a few points with voters. They claim to know better than GM or Chrysler about how many dealerships they need, but most of them have never run a business, or even done real work, in their lives. And looking at the way the government runs, I don't think there's any doubts about the quality of their collective business sense, and drunken sailors have more spending restraint. But back to the point at hand, let's look at an example. How many GM and Chrysler dealers are there within a thirty minute drive of Cass City? And how many people live in the Thumb? Does that seem right to you?
That's a Wrap
In case you're interested, Iron Man 2 finished shooting principal photography over the weekend, which was right on schedule. The sequel has a release date of May 7, 2010. Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow return and new cast members Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson. Samuel L. Jackson is also expected to make an appearance.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
"Can we get another angle?"
Check out Pujols's feet. On top of homeplate and he had to practically lunge forward to get it and scoop it off the ground.
"Never tell me the odds."
The Detroit News has a story on the odds of various teams winning the national championship, per Las Vegas Sports Consultants. Florida is the overall favorite at 2-1. Ohio State has the best odds from the Big Ten at 12-1. MSU has 75-1 odds; Michigan checks in at 150-1. Notre Dame is predicted to have 30-1 odds, which just seems silly to me. Eastern Michigan has 3,720-1 odds.*
*I made that up. That number and the title are both references to a particular movie; coolness points to whoever posts the source.
*I made that up. That number and the title are both references to a particular movie; coolness points to whoever posts the source.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
"...want to loosen up my arm a little bit."
President Obama is planning on warming up before throwing out the first pitch at the All-Star Game tonight. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think ceremonial pitchers usually warm up. But I'm sure a guy who thinks as highly of himself as our president wouldn't want to one-hop a pitch into home plate, especially since George W. Bush was known to throw some pretty good strikes for a guy wearing a bullet-proof vest. If he does short it, I'm curious to see the media reaction, because you know throwing a strike will lead to days of reflection on how "cool" and "studly" our president is.
UPDATE: I'd make some comments about the actual pitch, but since Fox didn't even bother showing home plate it's kind of tough. Also, is there a game tonight? I was hoping to see at least one inning before I had to turn in, but at the rate they're going I'll be able to catch the third when I'm eating breakfast tomorrow morning.
UPDATE 2: Apparently the pitch made it to the plate, but it was short. In the game itself, Curtis Granderson hit a triple in the eighth that led to the AL winning the game 4-3.
UPDATE 3: Andy McCarthy has more at The Corner.
UPDATE 4: After watching the MLB in McCarthy's link, that pitch definitely wasn't going to make it past home plate. It would have been in the dirt if Pujols didn't lean forward and grab it.
UPDATE: I'd make some comments about the actual pitch, but since Fox didn't even bother showing home plate it's kind of tough. Also, is there a game tonight? I was hoping to see at least one inning before I had to turn in, but at the rate they're going I'll be able to catch the third when I'm eating breakfast tomorrow morning.
UPDATE 2: Apparently the pitch made it to the plate, but it was short. In the game itself, Curtis Granderson hit a triple in the eighth that led to the AL winning the game 4-3.
UPDATE 3: Andy McCarthy has more at The Corner.
UPDATE 4: After watching the MLB in McCarthy's link, that pitch definitely wasn't going to make it past home plate. It would have been in the dirt if Pujols didn't lean forward and grab it.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Big Ten Predictions
The Detroit News has a good roundup of preseason Big Ten football predictions. The general consensus: #1 Ohio State, #2 Penn State, #3 Michigan State, #6 Michigan.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Even More Stupidity
I hate it when Congress gets involved in sports, which I've mentioned before. They've got more important things to do, like try and spend more money than we've spent in the entire history of the United States. But that's neither here or there. The real problem is that representatives like Orrin Hatch and Joe Barton are abusing their power to try and score some points with their constituents. Now, I could go on and on about how any replacement for the BCS will be vulnerable to the same issues at a different level, but I'll just skip to the most interesting quote from the article:
So the whole thing is flawed right from the get-go. But it sure does produce controversy.
The point is that rankings were never about fairness or producing a clear-cut winner. They were about creating what fans need most: something to argue about. Before he died, the AP sports editor who created its famous poll, Alan Gould, explained it this way: "It was a case of thinking up ideas to develop interest and controversy between football Saturdays. . . . That's all I had in mind, something to keep the pot boiling. Sports then was living off controversy, opinion, whatever. This was just another exercise in hoopla."
So the whole thing is flawed right from the get-go. But it sure does produce controversy.
"The Saga of the Catalytic Converter" or "Detroit Sucks"
I've been meaning to post this story for a few days but haven't had the time. On July 3rd, I went with my dad, brother, and brother-in-law to see Star Trek: The Exhibit, a display of various Trek props and costumes, at the Detroit Science Center. We got there 10:30am and parked down the block next to the African-American History Museum, just off a main street near an apartment building. There were lots of other vehicles on the street. We were driving the Grand Am. To my knowledge, this is a pretty decent part of Detroit.A little over an hour later, we had finished with the exhibit and returned to the car. We got in, and my brother turned the key. The engine rumbled to life with a throaty roar, which was unusual for a 3.4L V6. "It didn't sound like that when we parked, did it?" As we pulled away from the curb the noise mounted to unbearable levels. Something was obviously wrong, so we pulled back to the curb, shut the car off, and made an inspection. The muffler was fine, but between the muffler and engine was a bright metal cut. Someone had stolen the catalytic converter. Keep in mind, the car sits a whopping 4" off the ground. We discussed what to do for a while, finally coming the conclusion that calling the Detroit Police was a waste of time. We headed down the one way street so we could head back toward the freeway and my brother's house. We drove around a park and came to a four-way stop when a car shot through the intersection, bumping up over the curv and through the park:
It nearly ran into a fountain, then kept on driving through the park. I think I spoke for us all when I said, "Let's get out of here."
After an extremely loud ride back to my brother's place my Dad was able to track down the local Midas online and schedule an appointment so we could get the car repaired that afternoon. I was able to make it to the reunion.
As for Detroit? I say we burn the place down.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Gordon and Villanueva
I don't follow the NBA that closely, but this seems like a pretty big deal for the Pistons.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Simpsonized
This site had me clicking for at least an hour. It features pop culture characters drawn in the Simpsons animated style, like so:
Much more at the link.
Much more at the link.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Wow
A picture of a volcanic eruption, taken from the International Space Station:
More here. (Hat tip: Jonah Goldberg at The Corner)
More here. (Hat tip: Jonah Goldberg at The Corner)
Global Warming
According to Yahoo! Weather at 4:17pm in Cass City:
Partly Cloudy - 90 degrees
"Feels Like" - 96 degrees
Partly Cloudy - 90 degrees
"Feels Like" - 96 degrees
Bumper Music, Vol. 1
This is the first edition of a summer-segment of bumper music that can be heard on the Jim Rome show. I think in this case, Jimmy Kimmel uses this song as well, usually towards the end of his show, heading into the final break.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Hall of Famer
Steve Yzerman selected to the Hockey Hall of Fame today, along with former teammates Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille. There's not much to write about the Captain that hasn't already been written, so I'll just link to one of my last posts on him. So, the only question left is whether Steve Yzerman is the greatest all-time Detroit sports hero, or is there someone (Gordie Howe? Joe Louis?) who would rank ahead of him?
Monday, June 22, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Don't click the link...
...unless you want to see pure awesomeness. I think I need to take up a new hobby, and I even know where I could pick up some cylinders. (Hat tip: Jonah Goldberg at The Corner)
...Goes Around
Please read the previous post "What Comes Around..." before reading this one.
I knew since June 2008 what teams would be in the baseball district tournament with Cass City. Five teams...and one of them was Harbor Beach. I was also pretty sure,... yup, wait for it...THAT DAN BROWN WAS THE VARSITY BASEBALL COACH FOR HARBOR BEACH.
So, after this situation had happened, I started to come up with plans that were as evilish that I could make them...baseball-wise.
Knowing we would be playing against each other in the regular season, I contemplated running up the score as high as I could. However, knowing we could possibly face each other in the baseball districts (and we might not actually be good enough to run the score up even if we wanted to), why would I want to "even the score" in the regular season only for him to "punk" me in the baseball districts when it really mattered.
In the regular season, we were ahead 10-0 in game 1 and finished 10-3. We lost the second game 3-8.
Life can be funny sometimes, and wouldn't you know it, we drew Harbor Beach in the baseball district semi-finals.
I never told anyone on the team about my "ulterior motives," but I so BADLY wanted to mercy HB in the districts, squeeze the coaches hand, and tell him "don't ever swear at me again!"
Long story short, I lost the coin flip, so we batted first. We scored 4 runs in the first inning like a little leaguer was on the mound. Steffin Bader gave up 2 in the bottom of the 1st to make it 4-2. But, we answered back with 3 more like we were batting off a Tee in the second inning. The next inning was side toss and next thing you know, we are winning 11-2 in the 6th inning. I even stole home on a passed ball to make it 12-2 (which came after a call that Dan Brown argued forever, making my runner return to 3rd base, only to score on the VERY NEXT PITCH after the argument..."The ball don't lie, DAN!")
Final score, 12-2. I now accept your apology.
"MAN'S GAME" DAN!
What comes around, goes around.
I knew since June 2008 what teams would be in the baseball district tournament with Cass City. Five teams...and one of them was Harbor Beach. I was also pretty sure,... yup, wait for it...THAT DAN BROWN WAS THE VARSITY BASEBALL COACH FOR HARBOR BEACH.
So, after this situation had happened, I started to come up with plans that were as evilish that I could make them...baseball-wise.
Knowing we would be playing against each other in the regular season, I contemplated running up the score as high as I could. However, knowing we could possibly face each other in the baseball districts (and we might not actually be good enough to run the score up even if we wanted to), why would I want to "even the score" in the regular season only for him to "punk" me in the baseball districts when it really mattered.
In the regular season, we were ahead 10-0 in game 1 and finished 10-3. We lost the second game 3-8.
Life can be funny sometimes, and wouldn't you know it, we drew Harbor Beach in the baseball district semi-finals.
I never told anyone on the team about my "ulterior motives," but I so BADLY wanted to mercy HB in the districts, squeeze the coaches hand, and tell him "don't ever swear at me again!"
Long story short, I lost the coin flip, so we batted first. We scored 4 runs in the first inning like a little leaguer was on the mound. Steffin Bader gave up 2 in the bottom of the 1st to make it 4-2. But, we answered back with 3 more like we were batting off a Tee in the second inning. The next inning was side toss and next thing you know, we are winning 11-2 in the 6th inning. I even stole home on a passed ball to make it 12-2 (which came after a call that Dan Brown argued forever, making my runner return to 3rd base, only to score on the VERY NEXT PITCH after the argument..."The ball don't lie, DAN!")
Final score, 12-2. I now accept your apology.
"MAN'S GAME" DAN!
What comes around, goes around.
What Comes Around...
I had alluded to this story and finally have time to get back to it. And I'm glad I postponed the story, because it really got good. Better than I was hoping for.
I was refereeing a FRESHMAN boys basketball game on Friday, February 20 at Marlette. I was scheduled to do a freshman/JV doubleheader. It's a pretty good gig. Less than 1 hour of total drive time, 2.5 hours of work, $110. The opposing team was Harbor Beach. Before the game, my partner had mentioned the HB coach was a pretty good basketball official himself and did a lot of Varsity games in the Saginaw area. (I believe that, however I don't know how long ago that was. It's pretty difficult to coach a freshman game and then have time to do anything else after the game, let alone drive to Saginaw in time to ref.)
Let's cut to the chase. HB has the ball at halfcourt after the timeout with :09 seconds remaining. Marlette is winning by 2. HB takes a shot and misses. A HB player gets the rebound at the low block, right in front of me. IN MY JUDGEMENT, he was fouled, but a non-shooting foul. I blew my whistle about a half second before the buzzer went off to end the game. I called "on the floor," meaning he was fouled, but not when shooting. Again, the key here is, in my judgement, when he was fouled, he was NOT attempting a shot. Normally, at the freshman level, this wouldn't be all that bad because the other team probably had committed too many fouls in the half, making this a one-in-one situation for HB. But, HB was not in the bonus situation, so the game just basically ends. The HB coach new Marlette did not have enough team fouls to put HB on the free throw line unless it was a shooting foul. So, he was extremely...
In my 13 years of officiating any sport at any level, to my best recollection, no one has ever swore at me (that I've been able to hear).
Coach: (On the basketball court, following me to the scores table to report the foul)
Not only was he "giving me the business," but so was the Varsity basketball coach:
Varsity Coach: (Sarcastically clapping) "Great call ref. Excellent call."
Oh, and my mom was at the game that night too. She was sitting behind the HB bench, about halfway up the bleachers. However, she never mentioned anything to me about the call. I'm not so sure she even knew this happened.
Like I mentioned before, this was a doubleheader. So, I had to go in the coaches office in the locker room after the game, try to completely forget about what just took place, and the come back out for a much faster, competitive tempo JV game...with more people in the stands.
The ironic thing is, really no one knew I had to work the JV game as well, but the one guy I don't remember ripping on me after the game was the HB JV coach. He must have known there was a good chance I'd be reffing the next game, so why get on my bad side (not that I didn't want to stick it to HB anyway). Side note, HB won the JV game.
That was one of the more mentally challenging nights of officiating I've ever had to deal with. Some of you were with me at the 12-year old State Championship baseball game that I umpired behind homeplate with 2000 people in attendance. That was easy compared to coming out of the locker room for the JV game that night.
Fast forward to boys basketball districts at Cass City, March 9. HB was one of the 5 basketball teams in the district. I had "girls/opponent locker room supervision" duty for the districts. When HB showed up, I immediately recognized all the HB coaches, including Dan Brown, the freshman coach. I didn't know if he would recognize me in regular clothes and glasses 3 weeks later, but I sure hoped he would so I put myself in positions where it would be easy for him to see me next to the wall.
I never knew what I would say had we met again. But I tried to burn a hole through his eyes anytime we made eye contact. I so badly wanted him to know it was me.
Later that night, as the HB team huddled near the locker room waiting to take the floor, Dan Brown approached me. Dan is bald, mid-40's, shorter than me, but looks like he can hold his own. He shook my hand and deeply appologized for what he had said. (He also couldn't help himself from commenting/correcting my positioning on the floor when I refereed.)
I politely "accepted" the apology...
I was refereeing a FRESHMAN boys basketball game on Friday, February 20 at Marlette. I was scheduled to do a freshman/JV doubleheader. It's a pretty good gig. Less than 1 hour of total drive time, 2.5 hours of work, $110. The opposing team was Harbor Beach. Before the game, my partner had mentioned the HB coach was a pretty good basketball official himself and did a lot of Varsity games in the Saginaw area. (I believe that, however I don't know how long ago that was. It's pretty difficult to coach a freshman game and then have time to do anything else after the game, let alone drive to Saginaw in time to ref.)
Let's cut to the chase. HB has the ball at halfcourt after the timeout with :09 seconds remaining. Marlette is winning by 2. HB takes a shot and misses. A HB player gets the rebound at the low block, right in front of me. IN MY JUDGEMENT, he was fouled, but a non-shooting foul. I blew my whistle about a half second before the buzzer went off to end the game. I called "on the floor," meaning he was fouled, but not when shooting. Again, the key here is, in my judgement, when he was fouled, he was NOT attempting a shot. Normally, at the freshman level, this wouldn't be all that bad because the other team probably had committed too many fouls in the half, making this a one-in-one situation for HB. But, HB was not in the bonus situation, so the game just basically ends. The HB coach new Marlette did not have enough team fouls to put HB on the free throw line unless it was a shooting foul. So, he was extremely...
In my 13 years of officiating any sport at any level, to my best recollection, no one has ever swore at me (that I've been able to hear).
Coach: (On the basketball court, following me to the scores table to report the foul)
That is horse bleep. No way! You can't end the game like that! Are you kidding me? That is horse bleep. No way are you going to end the game on that!
Not only was he "giving me the business," but so was the Varsity basketball coach:
Varsity Coach: (Sarcastically clapping) "Great call ref. Excellent call."
Oh, and my mom was at the game that night too. She was sitting behind the HB bench, about halfway up the bleachers. However, she never mentioned anything to me about the call. I'm not so sure she even knew this happened.
Like I mentioned before, this was a doubleheader. So, I had to go in the coaches office in the locker room after the game, try to completely forget about what just took place, and the come back out for a much faster, competitive tempo JV game...with more people in the stands.
The ironic thing is, really no one knew I had to work the JV game as well, but the one guy I don't remember ripping on me after the game was the HB JV coach. He must have known there was a good chance I'd be reffing the next game, so why get on my bad side (not that I didn't want to stick it to HB anyway). Side note, HB won the JV game.
That was one of the more mentally challenging nights of officiating I've ever had to deal with. Some of you were with me at the 12-year old State Championship baseball game that I umpired behind homeplate with 2000 people in attendance. That was easy compared to coming out of the locker room for the JV game that night.
Fast forward to boys basketball districts at Cass City, March 9. HB was one of the 5 basketball teams in the district. I had "girls/opponent locker room supervision" duty for the districts. When HB showed up, I immediately recognized all the HB coaches, including Dan Brown, the freshman coach. I didn't know if he would recognize me in regular clothes and glasses 3 weeks later, but I sure hoped he would so I put myself in positions where it would be easy for him to see me next to the wall.
I never knew what I would say had we met again. But I tried to burn a hole through his eyes anytime we made eye contact. I so badly wanted him to know it was me.
Later that night, as the HB team huddled near the locker room waiting to take the floor, Dan Brown approached me. Dan is bald, mid-40's, shorter than me, but looks like he can hold his own. He shook my hand and deeply appologized for what he had said. (He also couldn't help himself from commenting/correcting my positioning on the floor when I refereed.)
I politely "accepted" the apology...
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
"Expecting you to be able to count to three isn’t unreasonable."
Hilarious take yesterday from Romey on "The Volcanic Milton Bradley."
With Man-Ram on “maternity leave”, we need to venture off to “other parts of the galaxy”. And back on “Planet Milton”, things are getting nice. I’ve been loaded up on the NBA Finals the last few days and wanted to double-back to Cubs’ outfielder Milton Bradley’s “act” last Friday.
As I’m sure you already know, trailing by two runs in the 8th, Milton caught a Joe Mauer fly ball…styled it for a few moments…and then tossed it into the bleachers. Better to toss the ball to the fans, than to slam a water bottle at their feet. Progress! Nice touch, Milton.
Or it would have been had it not been just the second out of the inning with runners on the corners. “Uh-oh!!!”
Of course, as unforgivable an act as that is, Milton’s inevitable reaction to it is worse than the crime itself: “…that’s life. These people have high expectations. I have high expectations for myself. I never made a mistake like that in my life. Sue me.” See, Milton, this is why you’re not misunderstood! Why the world really isn’t out to get you! But you could see how it might be after hearing something like that.
Striking out with the bases loaded in the 9th…that’s life. Forgetting how many outs there are and throwing the ball into the stands is unforgivable! That can’t ever happen! And what do you mean “these people have high expectations”?! Expecting you to be able to count to three isn’t unreasonable. Mix in an umpire indicator, my man! If you’re going to go “bonehead” like that…you better “own it”, “promise it will never happen again” and “just keep moving”.
Bad things, Cubs fans! He’s hitting .220, getting booed, the team is struggling and he’s hooking fans up with two out souvenirs. “Head for the hills, North-siders”, because it’s only a matter of time before “Mt. Milton” erupts.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
This is amazing
According to our bulletin insert "Church Around the World: News of Significance to Christians" June edition:
"Korn Member Becomes a Christian"
Quoting word for word:
"Korn Member Becomes a Christian"
Quoting word for word:
Another member of the heavy metal band Korn has become a Christian and overcome drug addiction. Korn's bassist, Reginald Arvizu, says he was an addict and womanizer who quit drugs cold turkey when his father, a born-again Christian, told him his dying wish was for his son to find God. Arvizu says Jesus Christ and the Bible were his only rehab and that the change in his life is 'an amazing and powerful thing.' A former bandmate, Brian Welch, left Korn after becoming a Christian in 2005. Arvizu has written a book called 'Got the Life: My Journey of Addiction, Faith, Recovery, and Korn.'
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Friday, June 05, 2009
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Reunion Update
In case those I forwarded the email to missed it:
THE LOCATION HAS BEEN DETERMINED!!!!
We will meet at Charmont for dinner at 7:00pm. If you plan to attend dinner please let me know. I need to let Charmont know how many of us there will be. Also, they have a buffet that night for $8.99 or we can order from the menu. Please let me know 9by 6/26) which you intend to do so I can give them a heads up. You can either email me on Facebook or email or call my email address/phone number listed below.
After dinner we will head to the tavern for drinks. No need to RSVP if you are just planning on coming to the tavern. Just show up! We will be there!
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
The pen is mightier...
I don't know if I need a pen this tough, but I want one. A "tactical pen" sounds like the kind of thing I need to have. But maybe not at $80.
"Career Change"
Vince Young is talking about making a "career change" if the Titans want him to play behind Kerry Collins. I get that Young is frustrated, even though I can't blame the Titans for considering sticking with Collins since they went 13-3 and Vince had a few issues last year. My beef is all about language. I don't think he wants to make a "career change", more like a job change. What's he going to do, sell used cars in Austin?
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Ein, Zwei, Die!
I'm not much of a horror guy, but this might be the best horror film ever (from Big Hollywood via Hot Air).
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Helpful Advice
When I mentioned to my friend at work today that I was considering possibly replacing my S10, he suggested I buy one of these:
His reasoning being that with the government soon to take a majority stake in GM, the Camaro will most likely be killed and become a collector's item. Of course, he also offered to keep it in his garage if there wasn't room in my apartment's parking lot, so he might have an ulterior motive.
If I did buy a 2010 Camaro, I think it would have to look like this (which, according to the Camaro website, is a $470 paint option):
And, yes, I'd buy an autobot badge for it.
His reasoning being that with the government soon to take a majority stake in GM, the Camaro will most likely be killed and become a collector's item. Of course, he also offered to keep it in his garage if there wasn't room in my apartment's parking lot, so he might have an ulterior motive.
If I did buy a 2010 Camaro, I think it would have to look like this (which, according to the Camaro website, is a $470 paint option):
And, yes, I'd buy an autobot badge for it.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Rack 'em
Check out the History of the Smack Off! What a great website. Just what the clones needed. I highly suggest you listen to Jay Mohr's and Joe in the OC's rants on the 2009 Smack Off.
Diamond in the Rough
The Red Hawks of Cass City played at Dow Diamond on Wednesday night. Check out the photos and the story here.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
"Biblically terrible."
This review of the Honda Insight 1.3 IMA SE Hybrid by Jeremy Clarkston of Top Gear is the best car review I've ever read. And by best, I mean hilarious. A small taste:
And it goes on like that. Awesome. (Hat tip: Iain Murray at The Corner)
And the sound is worse. The Honda’s petrol engine is a much-shaved, built-for-economy, low-friction 1.3 that, at full chat, makes a noise worse than someone else’s crying baby on an airliner. It’s worse than the sound of your parachute failing to open. Really, to get an idea of how awful it is, you’d have to sit a dog on a ham slicer.
And it goes on like that. Awesome. (Hat tip: Iain Murray at The Corner)
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Curve Ball
Here's the three best visual illusions in the world, as chosen by a group of neuroscientists and psychologists. The best one illustrates why a curve ball is difficult to hit, and will freak you out. (Hat tip: Jonah Goldberg at The Corner)
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Best & Worst
According to SI, Detroit has one of the best owners in sports (Mike Ilitch, #1 in the NHL) and one of the worst (William Clay Ford, second worst in the NFL).
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Song and Dance Man
Sounds like Tom Izzo was pretty good at his one man fund-raising show "Izzo Goes To Broadway." I'm still having trouble wrapping my mind around the idea that Izzo was willing to go that far to help out Coaches vs. Cancer. That's why the man is the most beloved college coach in the nation.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Again?
I am shocked, shocked that Brett Favre is considering unretiring... again. It must feel good to be Tarvaris Jackson right now.
Baseball Update
For those living outside of Cass City, here is a quick recap of the 2009 Varsity baseball season. Keep in mind, our record last year was 9-21 overall, and 1-9 in conference play:
16 Official Games
6-10 overall
0-5 league record
"Fun" stats:
5 of our 10 losses have come by one run. (We had a 3-game losing streak of one run.)
Another loss was by two runs.
Number of victories by one run: ZERO
Number of victories by two runs: ONE
We just lost to Bay City All-Saints tonight (they were the 2008 Division 4 State Champions).
Game 1: 5-6 (We scored 4 runs in the bottom of the first inning. BCAS scored 2 runs in the top of the 7th inning to grab the lead.)
Game 2: 1-10. Enough said.
Of the 11 total innings that we played tonight against BCAS, the lead-off hitter each inning for BCAS got on base NINE times. That's a bunch of crap.
Last season, we gave up 3 or more runs in the 1st inning 16 times out of 30 games. We lost 84% of the time when we gave up 3+ runs in the 1st inning, whether they batted first or not.
This season, we've given up 3+ runs only 3 times. We've lost 2 and one game didn't count as an official game.
On the flip side, we've scored 2 or more runs in the 1st inning 5 times. Our record: 1-4 (that includes tonights 4-run first inning loss).
Positive Notes:
We have a freshman on the team. Let's just say we tell the defense, "Fence, coming your way!" He's got some power.
16 Official Games
6-10 overall
0-5 league record
"Fun" stats:
5 of our 10 losses have come by one run. (We had a 3-game losing streak of one run.)
Another loss was by two runs.
Number of victories by one run: ZERO
Number of victories by two runs: ONE
We just lost to Bay City All-Saints tonight (they were the 2008 Division 4 State Champions).
Game 1: 5-6 (We scored 4 runs in the bottom of the first inning. BCAS scored 2 runs in the top of the 7th inning to grab the lead.)
Game 2: 1-10. Enough said.
Of the 11 total innings that we played tonight against BCAS, the lead-off hitter each inning for BCAS got on base NINE times. That's a bunch of crap.
Last season, we gave up 3 or more runs in the 1st inning 16 times out of 30 games. We lost 84% of the time when we gave up 3+ runs in the 1st inning, whether they batted first or not.
This season, we've given up 3+ runs only 3 times. We've lost 2 and one game didn't count as an official game.
On the flip side, we've scored 2 or more runs in the 1st inning 5 times. Our record: 1-4 (that includes tonights 4-run first inning loss).
Positive Notes:
We have a freshman on the team. Let's just say we tell the defense, "Fence, coming your way!" He's got some power.
Quote of the Day
I was talking in the hall with a teacher today after the bell had rang. I was on my prep hour, he was heading to his classroom to teach. We were still talking at least 3 minutes after the tardy bell had rang and a student came into the hall:
Student (Female 8th grader): You're really slow.
Mr. Meunier (Teaching his 39th year): You're really ugly so get back in the room.
Student: You're mean!
Mr. Meunier: I know. But switch that around.
The joke is that his name is pronounced "Mean-yer." So, when you say the words "you're mean," it's the same pronounciation of his name, only backwards.
By the way, the entire middle school loves him as a teacher, so that's just how he jokes around with them. Plus, after teaching 39 years, he's taught all of their parents.
Student (Female 8th grader): You're really slow.
Mr. Meunier (Teaching his 39th year): You're really ugly so get back in the room.
Student: You're mean!
Mr. Meunier: I know. But switch that around.
The joke is that his name is pronounced "Mean-yer." So, when you say the words "you're mean," it's the same pronounciation of his name, only backwards.
By the way, the entire middle school loves him as a teacher, so that's just how he jokes around with them. Plus, after teaching 39 years, he's taught all of their parents.
Movie Review
Has anyone seen the movie "The Happening"? If you have, I'm curious what your explanation is to why the people were committing suicide.
Monday, May 04, 2009
The Buzz
The buzz on Facebook is that there might be a 10-yr reunion for the class of '99 over the Fourth of July weekend. Maybe.
I figure a real baseball trip is out this year, but would anyone be up for a Tigers game? Or a blowout minor league weekend? I've got vacation that I need to decide when to take.
I figure a real baseball trip is out this year, but would anyone be up for a Tigers game? Or a blowout minor league weekend? I've got vacation that I need to decide when to take.
Wow
I don't follow horse racing. I didn't bother to watch the Kentucky Derby. But I saw the end of the race on PTI, and 50-1 longshot Mine That Bird's win was amazing. As Kornheiser said: "...it looked like the other horses were running in oatmeal."
Also, I thought this Derby had quite a good showing of names. My favorites: I Want Revenge, General Quarters, and Atomic Rain.
Also, I thought this Derby had quite a good showing of names. My favorites: I Want Revenge, General Quarters, and Atomic Rain.
IRS Short Bus Kids
This is possibly the best comment I've read on government intervention this year. An excerpt:
Now that's an insult. (Hat tip: John Derbyshire at The Corner)
We've looked at the numbers and know what he's planning to do. I know dozens of people who are already putting the legal structures in place to move their companies and themselves offshore and away from the grip of the tax man. These are some of the smartest most dynamic people in the world and they'll have no trouble staying ahead of the kids from the short bus over at the IRS.
Now that's an insult. (Hat tip: John Derbyshire at The Corner)
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Memo to the Lions
If the Lions draft Stafford I'm done being a Lions fan.* I agree with Wojo: Stafford isn't worth the risk, and I don't think he's a sure-fire prospect. Did anyone watch them play MSU? An NFL-caliber quarterback would have carved up MSU's secondary, like Matt Ryan did the year before. C.J. Bacher (Northwestern) looked better against the Spartans than Stafford. My prediction: If the Lions take Stafford, fans are going to end up wishing for the good old days of Joey Harrington.
*For a minimum of one season. I reserve the right to return to being a fan of the Lions during the 2010 season or if Drew Stanton is named starting QB. Void were prohibited. Watching Lions football may be harmful to humans, small animals, and some monkeys.
*For a minimum of one season. I reserve the right to return to being a fan of the Lions during the 2010 season or if Drew Stanton is named starting QB. Void were prohibited. Watching Lions football may be harmful to humans, small animals, and some monkeys.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Huh?
Lego Rock Band? Well, obviously building blocks and rhythm games are meant to go together. I think I'm suffering from franchise overload.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Transformers
I felt like watching some Transformers, so I thought I'd share so everyone could enjoy. Here's the entire first episode of the original animated series:
Jumping off a building... for charity.
Hugh Jackman deserves some props for this, even if I suspect Wolverine is going to suck. (Hat tip: Kathryn Jean Lopez at The Corner)
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Public Service Announcement
In case some of you are interested, Amazon currently has Prom Night on sale for $3.99. I know Ump's been looking for a good deal on this one.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Arrr.
So we're negotiating with pirates now? I understand it in this situation to a degree, but I don't like the idea of that being the standard. Even kids watching Pirates of the Caribbean know what you do with pirates when you capture them: you hang them.
UPDATE: Or you send the SEALs after them. That's more like it. (Hat tip: Mark Steyn at The Corner)
UPDATE: Or you send the SEALs after them. That's more like it. (Hat tip: Mark Steyn at The Corner)
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
"PUNCHED IN THE FACE AND PUT TO SLEEP!!!"
RECAP
I'm sorry but somebody has to say it. I know there are many Sparty fans on this site and we have heard all about the success of this years MSU team. Here is how it went down in our house. I left for ice cream at approx 9:10pm when I returned at 9:20 I could hardly believe the score (24-7). What I can't believe is the fact that they just got beat in every way. What were they thinking trying to RUN with Carolina. I understand, you take it when you can get it. Maybe you get a easy basket here or there. They should have been walking the ball up the court. They Had to of known if they were going to win, this game has got to be in the 50's or low 60's. Right? Play MSU's pace not CAROLINA's. Rome's Take is exactly how I feel and I was also thinking MSU had a shot going in.
Michigan St. coach Tom Izzo had said if his Spartans play well and North Carolina plays well, State would lose. Well, Carolina was “unconscious”, the Spartans didn’t even bother “to get off the bus” and that was a straight up “mug-job”!
The Tar Heels went into Michigan State’s house, the most hostile environment imaginable, “speed bagged” them, chased that with a vicious “curb stomp” and it all lasted about five minutes. Tom Izzo said his guys looked like the proverbial “deer in the headlights”. Punched in the face and put to sleep is more like it! I had picked Michigan St. to win the game yesterday and Carolina made me look really, really bad. And Michigan St. even worse!
And while I have never seen a national champion team look more impressive or dominant than North Carolina last night, I have to say it is pretty tough to play the game with “both hands around your throat”. Could Michigan St. have come out any tighter? Could they have gripped any harder? Carolina had been there before and it showed. They were poised and didn’t force a thing. The Spartans completely unraveled and forced everything.
Look, everyone knew Michigan State’s best shot wasn’t going to be enough to beat Carolina’s best shot. But the Spartans never even threw a punch! Carolina came out, “cold-cocked” them and they never recovered. Michigan St. had a great season, and a great run in the tourney’. But not showing up or playing anywhere near to your capability in the biggest game of your life had to be disappointing. They were totally outclassed and frankly didn’t belong on the same floor with Carolina last night. That was a “boat race” and nowhere near as close as the 89-72 final score indicated.
CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE...
Look, I am a fan of the Big Ten and I am bigger fan of Tom Izzo. Therefore I was hoping State would win. I want to believe that the Big Ten is the best conference in every sport. The thing is, MSU didn't have any business being in that game. They did what they do and it got them there. You have to respect that and admire it. Izzo's streak of Final Four's with every class of kids is awesome and the ultimate recruiting tool. Do I feel they are one of the top 5 programs in the country...Yes. The biggest blessing in disguise is Kentucky fired their man, and hired their man before State was done. I'm not saying he leaves, but I bet "He Listens". You also know he's great coach by the lack of NBA talent. I mean who's the best, Richardson maybe. You give him more recruiting leverage with Kentucky and his coaching abilities and look out.
Reguardless, they had a great year by almost any standard and congrats to them.
P.S. They better hope they get back to a title game soon to get rid of the stink coming out of East lansing after this. Smells worse than Caro.
Late
I'm sorry but somebody has to say it. I know there are many Sparty fans on this site and we have heard all about the success of this years MSU team. Here is how it went down in our house. I left for ice cream at approx 9:10pm when I returned at 9:20 I could hardly believe the score (24-7). What I can't believe is the fact that they just got beat in every way. What were they thinking trying to RUN with Carolina. I understand, you take it when you can get it. Maybe you get a easy basket here or there. They should have been walking the ball up the court. They Had to of known if they were going to win, this game has got to be in the 50's or low 60's. Right? Play MSU's pace not CAROLINA's. Rome's Take is exactly how I feel and I was also thinking MSU had a shot going in.
Michigan St. coach Tom Izzo had said if his Spartans play well and North Carolina plays well, State would lose. Well, Carolina was “unconscious”, the Spartans didn’t even bother “to get off the bus” and that was a straight up “mug-job”!
The Tar Heels went into Michigan State’s house, the most hostile environment imaginable, “speed bagged” them, chased that with a vicious “curb stomp” and it all lasted about five minutes. Tom Izzo said his guys looked like the proverbial “deer in the headlights”. Punched in the face and put to sleep is more like it! I had picked Michigan St. to win the game yesterday and Carolina made me look really, really bad. And Michigan St. even worse!
And while I have never seen a national champion team look more impressive or dominant than North Carolina last night, I have to say it is pretty tough to play the game with “both hands around your throat”. Could Michigan St. have come out any tighter? Could they have gripped any harder? Carolina had been there before and it showed. They were poised and didn’t force a thing. The Spartans completely unraveled and forced everything.
Look, everyone knew Michigan State’s best shot wasn’t going to be enough to beat Carolina’s best shot. But the Spartans never even threw a punch! Carolina came out, “cold-cocked” them and they never recovered. Michigan St. had a great season, and a great run in the tourney’. But not showing up or playing anywhere near to your capability in the biggest game of your life had to be disappointing. They were totally outclassed and frankly didn’t belong on the same floor with Carolina last night. That was a “boat race” and nowhere near as close as the 89-72 final score indicated.
CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE...
Look, I am a fan of the Big Ten and I am bigger fan of Tom Izzo. Therefore I was hoping State would win. I want to believe that the Big Ten is the best conference in every sport. The thing is, MSU didn't have any business being in that game. They did what they do and it got them there. You have to respect that and admire it. Izzo's streak of Final Four's with every class of kids is awesome and the ultimate recruiting tool. Do I feel they are one of the top 5 programs in the country...Yes. The biggest blessing in disguise is Kentucky fired their man, and hired their man before State was done. I'm not saying he leaves, but I bet "He Listens". You also know he's great coach by the lack of NBA talent. I mean who's the best, Richardson maybe. You give him more recruiting leverage with Kentucky and his coaching abilities and look out.
Reguardless, they had a great year by almost any standard and congrats to them.
P.S. They better hope they get back to a title game soon to get rid of the stink coming out of East lansing after this. Smells worse than Caro.
Late
Canada Dry
Tigers Manager Jim Leyland after finding out alcohol was going to be banned at the Rogers Center Tuesday night:
"That has no bearing on me," Leyland said. "I don't drink beer, particularly not during the game."
Monday, April 06, 2009
Spartan Spirit
I know I'm biased, but I thought this was really cool:
Way to go, Detroit News.
UPDATE: Okay, the Freep ain't bad either:
Way to go, Detroit News.
UPDATE: Okay, the Freep ain't bad either:
Sunday, April 05, 2009
BREAKING NEWS
I meant to post this before the Final Four, so it might not be as funny now. Sorry, super busy with class, teaching, baseball season,...and oh yeah, my school won't let me create posts on blogs. Buttholes.
I don't know if any of you have heard this already. You may have been out of town a few days or maybe your power went out for a night. Not everyone gets the newspaper anymore and so just in case you haven't found out, I'll just let you know: The Final Four is going to be held at Ford Field this year! But wait, that's not all. Michigan State University, you know, the team Ervin "Magic" Johnson played for? You may have seen his face in the crowd once or twice during some of the tournament games. Well, MSU not only has a chance to play in their home state in Detroit, but they've advanced to the Final Four! Incredible, right? This will be like them...THIS JUST IN:
MSU will be playing for the National Championship! But guess who it will be against? North Carolina! Again, I don't know if you remember this or not, but MSU and UNC played each other earlier this year. Ironic, right? Well wait till you hear this: They played AT FORD FIELD!?!? OH MY GOSH! That is freakin' unreal. What are the odds? I did some huge research and found another incredible fact about the game: This is the 30th Anniversary of the 1979 National Championship between Indiana State and...wait for it...Ervin "Magic" Johnson and the Michigan State Spartans. I can't believe there haven't been articles in the newspapers about this. Do you remember the game? Probably not. There were these two guys in the game that kinda made basketball popular at the time. Larry Bird from Indiana State and Magic Johnson from MSU. I heard there were a lot of people watching that game on TV.
So, if you didn't hear about this yet, I'm excited to be the first person to tell you. The championship game will be tomorrow night. If you didn't realize, that game will be like a home game for MSU, well, because MSU is from Michigan and the game is in Michigan. It's only 45 minutes away from campus.
Okay, back to a serious note: Was CBS and EVERY OTHER sports news anchor trying to ram that information down our throats for the last two weeks? How old did those stories get? How many times did they slam Magic's face on TV? How many 10 year olds were like, "Daddy, why do they keep showing that fat guy in the stands?" How badly did CBS want UNC in the Championship? How badly did they want a earlier season blowout to be a championship rematch, on the same court? I swear, every day, on every channel, on every radio show, in every newspaper was a story about MSU competing with the chance to play at Ford Field. If it wasn't already for the economy, that didn't help make me want to be from Michigan.
Talk about slow news days. Over and over and over and over, all you heard around here, even from Sam Merill and Mark Toragrosa, was MSU with the chance to play in front of their "home" crowd at Ford Field. People! You have journalism degrees! Use them! We are from Michigan. We already freakin' know about it. Also, if you are working in the sports department, no matter what career, you are more than likely communicating to sports fans. Who, more than likely, figured out last year during the Elite 8 at Ford Field that MSU would have an opportunity to play for the 2009 Final Four at Ford Field. They also probably knew about the December game at Ford Field between UNC-MSU and have connected the dots that they may see each other, again, at Ford Field, for the Championship. "Preaching to the choir." I don't care if you are an MSU fan. Even good news can get old. It's not like they were a 10 seed.
Congrats to MSU. I think MSU fan took a sigh of relief that Calipari took the UK job, because you know Izzo could get any job he wanted. And if Calipari turned it down, you know they'd flash big money at Izzo.
I don't know if any of you have heard this already. You may have been out of town a few days or maybe your power went out for a night. Not everyone gets the newspaper anymore and so just in case you haven't found out, I'll just let you know: The Final Four is going to be held at Ford Field this year! But wait, that's not all. Michigan State University, you know, the team Ervin "Magic" Johnson played for? You may have seen his face in the crowd once or twice during some of the tournament games. Well, MSU not only has a chance to play in their home state in Detroit, but they've advanced to the Final Four! Incredible, right? This will be like them...THIS JUST IN:
MSU will be playing for the National Championship! But guess who it will be against? North Carolina! Again, I don't know if you remember this or not, but MSU and UNC played each other earlier this year. Ironic, right? Well wait till you hear this: They played AT FORD FIELD!?!? OH MY GOSH! That is freakin' unreal. What are the odds? I did some huge research and found another incredible fact about the game: This is the 30th Anniversary of the 1979 National Championship between Indiana State and...wait for it...Ervin "Magic" Johnson and the Michigan State Spartans. I can't believe there haven't been articles in the newspapers about this. Do you remember the game? Probably not. There were these two guys in the game that kinda made basketball popular at the time. Larry Bird from Indiana State and Magic Johnson from MSU. I heard there were a lot of people watching that game on TV.
So, if you didn't hear about this yet, I'm excited to be the first person to tell you. The championship game will be tomorrow night. If you didn't realize, that game will be like a home game for MSU, well, because MSU is from Michigan and the game is in Michigan. It's only 45 minutes away from campus.
Okay, back to a serious note: Was CBS and EVERY OTHER sports news anchor trying to ram that information down our throats for the last two weeks? How old did those stories get? How many times did they slam Magic's face on TV? How many 10 year olds were like, "Daddy, why do they keep showing that fat guy in the stands?" How badly did CBS want UNC in the Championship? How badly did they want a earlier season blowout to be a championship rematch, on the same court? I swear, every day, on every channel, on every radio show, in every newspaper was a story about MSU competing with the chance to play at Ford Field. If it wasn't already for the economy, that didn't help make me want to be from Michigan.
Talk about slow news days. Over and over and over and over, all you heard around here, even from Sam Merill and Mark Toragrosa, was MSU with the chance to play in front of their "home" crowd at Ford Field. People! You have journalism degrees! Use them! We are from Michigan. We already freakin' know about it. Also, if you are working in the sports department, no matter what career, you are more than likely communicating to sports fans. Who, more than likely, figured out last year during the Elite 8 at Ford Field that MSU would have an opportunity to play for the 2009 Final Four at Ford Field. They also probably knew about the December game at Ford Field between UNC-MSU and have connected the dots that they may see each other, again, at Ford Field, for the Championship. "Preaching to the choir." I don't care if you are an MSU fan. Even good news can get old. It's not like they were a 10 seed.
Congrats to MSU. I think MSU fan took a sigh of relief that Calipari took the UK job, because you know Izzo could get any job he wanted. And if Calipari turned it down, you know they'd flash big money at Izzo.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
"We'll see you Monday night."
That was one of the best games I've ever seen. The emphatic Summers slam over the UConn defender was just awesome. And the unexpected scoring contribution from the "Dancing Bear"? That was great. I went from covering my eyes to running around the room cheering. Go Green!
Friday, April 03, 2009
Brain Drain
Of all the stories I've seen about how bad things are in Michigan, I think this one on how 49% of Michigan college graduates are leaving the state is the most striking. Why? Because it matches up exactly with my experience in the Quad Cities. My neighbors are from Michigan. I worked with a guy who went to Western Michigan who was from the Grand Rapids area. Someone stopped and talked to me in the Wal-mart parking lot because I had an MSU sticker on my pickup. The poll with the story speak volumes as well. Only a little over 13% the respondents even want to stay in Michigan. Yikes. Will the last one out please turn off the lights?
Thursday, April 02, 2009
To Chicago
So, I hope no one was pinning their hopes for the Lions on acquiring Jay Cutler, because the Bears have that covered. Does that make them the favorite in the NFC North?
Urban Cuisine
I know things are bad in Detroit, but I didn't think the inhabitants would be turning to raccoons for sustenance. Yuck.
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