Red & Gold

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


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

Progress Report

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

More Iron Man

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

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

Worse than American Idol

Navy Patents Sound Weapon

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

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

"Chris Berman's Nicknames

Becoming More Obscure After Taking Night Course In Russian Literature"

From The Onion:

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

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

Ten Best Undrafted

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

Interesting Development

Plasma and laser weapons!

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

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

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

The Last Stand

The Last Stand is my new favorite timewaster. It's actually more of a real game than a timewaster, but it uses flash so I think it still qualifies. Anyway, you get to shoot zombies with lots of guns. And a chainsaw. There's also resource management involved, so it has a little depth beyond gunning down the brain-hungry hordes of the undead. Check it out, just not before work. (Hat tip: Joystiq)

"Those clowns don't know what terror is."

Remember Andy posting about Frank Miller's Batman vs al Qaeda book? Apparently it's being held up because DC Comics and it's parent, Warner Bros., are a bunch of pansies. Oops, I guess "pansies" probably isn't PC. How about ant-American invertebrates? Anyway, they're afraid to send Batman, one of their biggest characters, after terrorists for fear of upsetting, uhm, terrorists I guess? The ones that already want us dead. Would al Qaeda like it more if it was Aquaman out to foil their plots? It seems like Miller has little patience for such things. He's been labeled such things as a "proto-fascist" since the success of "300" has introduced more people to his work. Says Miller: "These terrorists are worse than any villain I can come up with, and I think it's ridiculous that people in entertainment are not showing what we are up against here." Refreshing. (Hat tip: Michelle Malkin)

Randy Moss Is A Patriot

No, seriously. You see, it's right here. Is there a guy that seems further from the ideal Patriot player than Moss? Well, yeah, his name is T.O. Still, it seems pretty bizarre. However, the Patriots have had success with "malcontents" before (see Corey Dillon). It'll be interesting seeing how this plays out.

UPDATE: More on the trade from ESPN Page 2's Bill Simmons. A quote: "The team looks so loaded, they could probably win a fourth Super Bowl with or without him." Right. I'll make a prediction right now: the Patriots will not win the Super Bowl this season.

Pack Your Bags

Hey, Mike Williams... you suck. That was the message from the Detroit Lions today as they traded the former 1st-round pick and QB Josh McCown to the Raiders for their 4th-round draft pick. Ouch. This was made possible by drafting Calvin Johnson and Drew "Bonzai" Stanton earlier. Catch ya later, Mikey. Thanks for nothing.

Rawkfist

Liveblogging the Draft

1-1. Oakland Raiders- JaMarcus Russell
This one was pretty obvious since it was rumored to be set before the draft even started. I'm still not sold that he's the top QB. Since the Raiders took him, I'm sure he'll never live up to this pick.

1-2. Detroit Lions- Calvin Johnson
Yes, based on ability and value this pick makes a lot of sense. Don't love the pick though. I think other holes would have been better filled.

1-3. Cleveland Browns- Joe Thomas
Nice, solid, safe pick. Is Charlie Frye that unpopular in Cleveland that the fans really wanted Quinn?

1-5. Arizona Cardinals- Levi Brown
Geez, can't the poor guy even get his face on TV when he's selected? I know, Brady Quinn looking at his cell phone is much more interesting.

Why is Keyshawn on the draft commentary team? Am I really supposed to take him seriously with Mel Kiper Jr. right there?

Mel Kiper Jr. has a cybernetic brain. That's the only explanation for his encyclopedic knowlege of the draft.

Oh no, Brady Quinn wasn't drafted by the Dolphins! What are we going to do!?! Ahhhhhhhh!

1-10. Houston Texans- Amobi Okoye
He's only 19? They're joking, right? Think of all the records he could break if he's pretty decent and stays healthy.

Call of Duty 4 looks cool.

Why are the fans at the draft always fat guys with mustaches?

No, I'm not a fan of the MLS, and I already know that. I'm pretty sure I've got that straight ESPN.

Could Brady Quinn actually be left when the Lions pick in the 2nd round? Would they want to take him if he was?

1-22. Cleveland Browns- Brady Quinn
Nope. Good for Quinn, going to his hometown team. Too bad they're still the Browns (yes, that's coming from a Lions fan).

How long is this going to go on? Longest first round ever. Geez.

Okay, with the Lions trading, I'm out.

I lied, I'm back. I'm not sure whether to be deliriously happy or very, very sorry for Drew. He has a lot of potential, I hope being with the Lions doesn't ruin it. Just don't follow Chuck's example.

Threadless

Sometimes in my travels across the cyberscape I come across a particularly interesting website. Threadless is one of them. It's a site that sells t-shirts based on user-submitted designs which are voted on by users. Yes, it has a bit of a hippie vibe, and many of the shirts aren't worth a second glance. But some are brilliant, like this one, which you should go vote for:


Or maybe this one. It may take a while to find one that you really like, but there's plenty to choose from. Check it out.

Cheesed

Andy Warhol once said: "In the future everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes." Well, we must be beyond the future now because today you can be famous even if you're only a large cheese.

Wrecked?

Mike O'Hara of the Detroit News is predicting that the Lions will take WR Calvin Johnson of the Ramblin' Wreck with the second pick in the '07 NFL Draft. Says O'Hara:

Teamed with Roy Williams, who made the Pro Bowl last season, and Mike Furrey, who led the NFC with 98 receptions, the Lions would have a formidable group of receivers.

Gee, where have I heard that before?

Cheapskate? Just smart.

If this article couldn't have been written by us, then we're doing something wrong. I thought this story would be quite fitting with our baseball trip coming sometime soon (?) and the planning process in the works.

Re: The Madden Curse

So how would one "reverse the curse?" I have a couple of ideas, let me know what ones you think will work and what ones will backfire:

1. Put a Detroit Lion on the Madden cover. It's a win-win play. The Lions player will be good and the curse will have ended. No more Andre Ware's.

2. Put a/the Heisman Trophy winner on the cover. Keep in mind, if you use the latest Heisman winner and he hasn't been drafted yet, you might need to superimpose a few of the copies with the team that drafts him or just give him a white jersey on the cover. Another win-win option. You get rid of the Heisman jinx at the same time as the Madden jinx. Perfect. Now I can start my fantasy football draft. Again, no more Andre Ware's, Gino's, Ryan Leaf's, etc.

3. Put the #1 draft pick on the box. No more Jeff George's, etc.

4. Do a combination of the previous three. But, watch out for double reversing which can turn back into a curse. For instance, a Detroit Lion on the cover would fix the curse. But, if that Lion were a Heisman trophy winner or been the #1 draft pick, that scenario might re-curse the player on the Madden game.

Hobbit House

You know, I've always dug round doors, but this guy went all out. Well, maybe it's a little too above ground, but still very impressive.

Moody

I had a strange experience at church this morning. There were no women in the worship team this morning, so it was lead by the male members plus a few extra guys. I believe this particular group goes by "Bob and the Boys" when they sing at other events. Anyway, the music was slightly different, more upbeat. You could hear the guitars and the drummer actually hit the drums. When they got to the last song I was getting a strange vibe. It sounded vaguely familiar. Not the song itself, just the style and overall sound. Four guys singing in harmony, guitars, drums... then it hit me. It sounded like the Moody Blues. Sort of. One of the singers did have quite a beard. Not that I'm overly familiar with the Moody Blues, but I heard the tapes and CDs played enough as a kid that I probably have dozen songs stored in my head. So, I'm going to share a little bit of that with you:



Enjoy.

Lift Me Up

Baseball Trip

So, has there been any more discussion? Just curious, since I'm about 500 miles out of the loop.

The Tumbler

Today at while on lunch break from work we were discussing my coworker's new vehicle, a Jeep Patriot, which is a pretty nice ride. Somehow the conversation turned to the Batmobile from Batman Begins and how it was constructed. I didn't know the answer then, so I had to find out. This article gives you a pretty good idea as to how the car was made. Now if I only had a spare $250,000...

Be Afraid

So, you're thinking one of the young QBs from last year's draft might be a good sleeper to help you rule fantasy football this season. Don't bet on Vince Young. You see, he's been chosen to be on the cover of Madden '08. And there's a curse. That's right, he could be the next Daunte Culpepper. Good luck, Vince. You're gonna need it.

10-6?

Mike O'Hara of the Detroit News thinks the Lions could go 10-6 this season. He gives a formula for making it to the big one-oh, though "avoid losing streaks" and "win on the road" are pretty obvious for any team. Kitna has mentioned this offseason that he think the team can win 10 too. So what's in the water in Detroit? From here, it smells like crazy.

Rebirthing

Desktop Tower Defense

Timewasters, simple but addictive flash games, are all over the internet. Most of them aren't all that great, but some rise to the top. Desktop Tower Defense is one of them. You set up various defensive weapon emplacements to protect your battlefield, a desktop, from the incursion of different enemies. Simple and really addictive. Check it out. Just not before work. (Hat tip: Joystiq)

I am Iron Man

I'd seldom send you to AICN, but I think this time it's worth it. Why? Because it gives you a look at the first Iron Man suit that will be seen in the new movie, due in May '08. And there's even music (Just enjoy the Ozzy!). Check it out. Just don't get sucked in to the swamp of idiocy that is the comments. Seriously, it gets pretty silly over there.

Old School

Sometimes college students do crazy things. Sometimes those things aren't desctructive. Take these students at UC Santa Cruz. They decided to make a large scale version of Donkey Kong on their dorm windows. The fact that the game was popular in arcades before they were even born was apparently not a deterrent. Sixty-four thousand Post-It® notes and 5 hours later they were finished. Sigh. I miss college. The same group has also done Mario in the same format. This is true artistry folks. They need to do Contra next. (Hat tip: Joystiq)


UPDATE: And now to the video.

The Punisher

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has laid the smack down on Pacman Jones and Chris Henry. Both were suspended for mulitple breaches of the NFL's personal conduct policy, Henry for 8 games and Jones for the season. That's right, the entire season. Both are suspended without pay. For Jones, that's $1.3 million he won't be making this year. Ouch. An excerpt from Goodell's letter to each of the players:

"Your conduct has brought embarrassment and ridicule upon yourself, your club, and the NFL, and has damaged the reputation of players throughout the league. You have put in jeopardy an otherwise promising NFL career, and have risked both your own safety and the safety of others through your off-field actions. In each of these respects, you have engaged in conduct detrimental to the NFL and failed to live up to the standards expected of NFL players. Taken as a whole, this conduct warrants significant sanction."

In other news, Joey Harrington is now a Falcon. He will compete for the #2 QB spot in Atlanta.

Statuesque

Mr. Hockey has been honored by the Detroit Red Wings with a statue. The 12-foot tall bronze sculpture has been placed inside the west entrance of the Joe Louis Arena, which was renamed the Gordie Howe Entrance last October. The statue was sculpted by Omri Amrany, who you might recognize from such statues as the Detroit Tigers Hall of Fame players at Comerica Park, Magic Johnson at the Breslin Center, and The Spirit: Michael Jordan at the United Center.

Victory for MSU!

The Michigan State Spartan hockey team has won the 2007 National Championship. Justin Abdelkader scored at 19:41 in the 3rd period to break a 1-1 tie. The Spartans added an empty-net goal to cap a 3-1 victory over Boston College, who was playing in their second straight national title game.

UPDATE: Here's the summary of the game from Spartans Online.

UPDATE 2: More on the Spartan victory from the Detroit News and ESPN.com.

Ocean Floor

100

Devin Hester is the fastest football player ever. At least according to the development team of Madden '08. No one has ever achieved a perfect 100 rating in the "Speed" category. That's right, Hester is faster than Barry Sanders, Michael Vick, or even that Tecmo Super Bowl god Deion Sanders. According to Hester, "Deion has told me a bunch of times that I was as fast as he was." Does that mean he'll be able to run circles around the offense? (Hat tip: Joystiq)

Win #1

On the day the Detroit Tigers received their AL Championship rings they got their first win of the season, beating the Blue Jays (they are still blue, not just the Jays, right?), 10-9. They barely managed to hang on after giving up 7 runs in the 8th inning. Curtis Granderson had his first career grand slam and also hit an RBI triple.

Mmmm... comfy.

I used Windows Vista for the first time this weekend. My experience? Well, this comic pretty much sums it up.

Q&A with T.J.

The official Lions site has a Q&A up with recent acquisition T.J. Duckett. Check it out here.

A Flowery Song

How Not To Be Seen (Halo Style)

Instant Replay

Do you like the NFL's system of instant replay? I could understand why not; it's pretty awful compared to the Big Ten's implementation of the same idea. However, it's better than no replay at all, and apparently it's here to stay. Check out the story here.

Brawl In Hockeytown

Ten years ago today was one of the most memorable games in Detroit Red Wings history.

The Brawl in Hockeytown.



I can't usually say I hate opposing teams, but I hated the '97 Colorado Avalanche, Claude Lemieux especially. I'm sure you did too. Enjoy the video.

UPDATE: Looks like I wasn't the only who noticed the anniversary. The Detroit News has an article up here.

Truly Great Words

Having been inspired by the "Merc with a mouth", I think we need to start a list of truly great words. Once we have a few it could migrate to the sidebar. Number one on the list would be, of course, monkey. I have two other candidates as well: chimichanga and minion. So, any other suggestions?

Spider-Man 3...

...has a new trailer out, which you can see here. Yeah, I know it's Comcast, but what're you gonna do? It includes new scenes from the movie, including the first glimpse of the villain Venom, which I have to admit made me giggle with delight. It also gives you a pretty good idea of how the plot will unfold, so you could probably consider it spoiler material. You can learn more about the movie at the official site.

Pitiful

Of Log Skidders and Locusts

For those of you who don't regularly have the experience, working with engineers can get a little strange. I say that as one who was partly trained as an engineer and without malice. Here's an example. At lunch today, we concluded that this vehicle, a John Deere Log Skidder:


Would be the appropriate machine if you had to deal with a plague of giant locusts, like this, only much bigger:


I wonder if the other people at Arby's could hear our conversation and thought we were crazy? Well, if using a log skidder to fight giant locusts is crazy, I don't want to be sane.

10

How many wins does Jon Kitna think the Lions will have this coming season? "I really think we should not win any less than 10 games this year, to be honest."
.
..
...
....
Sorry, it took me a moment to recover from a furious fit of laughter. Read more here.

Back...

...and better than ever. Well, maybe not, but I've been watching Mike & Mike in the Morning a lot the past week, so I can't help but steal the line. I could say my prolonged absence is what you get when no one comments on posts, but really it's all about Comcast. And how much they suck. In fact, only a jury rigged repair is letting me get on the internet now, but who really needs to be able to close a window all the way. Good thing it's spring. And, man, the sports world has been a little crazy while I've been out. Matt Schaub out of Atlanta and in at Houston, sure to send David Carr out of town? Trent Green possibly signing for the veteran minimum in Miami? Tubby Smith leaving Kentucky to coach the Golden Gophers? Crazy stuff man.

Public Service Announcement

Basements don't like water.

It often destroys a basement built with cardboard boxes.

Note to self: Build house with a sub-pump.

Or, be prepared to employ every and all shop-vacs you don't own so you can pump out about 1000 gallons of water and dump it in your backyard.

Even better, when weather report says warm temperatures are heading your way, get out the shovel and move out all snow in backyard into someone else's yard.

I'd attach a picture, but I'm lazy.

Public Service Announcement

Cell phones don't like washing machines.

They often function after drying however.

(Air dry only, do not tumble)

Cowabunga!

Have I used that title already? Anyway, if you want to see some shots and concept art from the upcoming (3/23) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, click here. If you don't, well, what's wrong with you? Ninja. Turtles. Come on. The movie looks to be a mix between The Incredibles and, uh, TMNT. The real question about the movie though is whether there's going to be more kids in the audience that 20-something-year-old fans. What do you think?

Rams East

Yesterday the Lions agreed to a 2-yr contract with former Rams WR Shaun McDonald. You think maybe, just maybe, Mike Martz has some say in personnel decisions? Seriously though, I think McDonald is a good pickup. He's the kind of guy a struggling team trying to rebuild (maybe just build?) needs: solid with potential to become even better. Substance instead of flash. You know what the sad part is though? After spending three 1st round draft picks on WRs, the article reads "...strengthening a receiving corps that includes Roy Williams and Mike Furrey." Sigh.

Reminder

The field for the NCAA tournament is now set and you can start filling out your brackets for the tournament challenge. Just remember to be done by Thursday morning. League ID 32717, password monkie.

I think...

...we need a logo. You know, something like this:


Except without the rampant copyright infringement. Anyone have any ideas?

Another T.J. TD!

The Lions have signed former Michigan State star T.J. Duckett to a one-year deal. This is the first move by the Lions to excite me since, well, last season started anyway. Could T.J. and Tatum Bell make a "thunder and lightning" combo for the Lions? Or is this Duckett's chance to be a feature back after splitting time his whole career? Maybe I won't have to quit on the Lions after all. Maybe.

Teams

Picture from Worth1000.com.

Supertones Strike Back

House of Flying Daggers

I just watched House of Flying Daggers and decided to look up some reviews to help me organize my thoughts about the movie. This review puts it better than I could. The key quote:

"Swords are sharp. Ziyi Zhang is pretty. There sure is a lot of bamboo in China."

Yup, that pretty much sums it up.

Junk Mail

Stack let me know if you got my e-mail. I couldnt remember your email. Hopefully you get it.

Cap's Dead

I've been without the internet for a couple of days so I've been pretty much without news. So, imagine my surprise to return to the internet and within 10 minutes discover that Captain America is dead. Apparently it's all over the place, even on CNN. It's not quite the event that it was when Superman died, but it is an awful lot of attention for a less-than-well-known hero. Of course you could go on for hours about the symbolism of gunning down a here that's basically dressed in the American flag, but I'll skip that. Cap's always been high on my list of favorite heroes, so it's a little disturbing to see that he's been killed. It's more annoying that he has a lame death, killed by a sniper's bullet instead of going down fighting, even if the assassination was plotted by his arch-nemesis. I mean, come on, in his first appearance Cap punched Hitler in the face! I'm sure there's some commentary on the state of our culture in here somewhere, but I'm too tired. So, until the (probably) inevitable resurrection, RIP Cap.

Math Help for Haag

Not you too ESPN

Has the world turned upside down? It wasn't too long ago that the Golden State Warriors were just as much a laughingstock in the NBA as the Clippers. But then Jason Richardson came along and made the team somewhat entertaining to watch. But no matter who they had, the Pistons took care of business. Well, until this year. Back in November, Detroit traveled to Golden State and got spanked 79-111. A swift 32 point butt kicking. Lindsey Hunter led the team with 14 points on the night. So, last night the Warriors came to the Palace where the Pistons have been playing fairly well lately (unless you count that ridiculous loss to the Wade-less Heat...on their home court...after 5 days of rest). Most were expecting a bit of revenge. No. Warriors 111, Pistons 93. Yeah, only 18 point this time...AT HOME. Oh, and guess who lead the charges? Lindsey Hunter with 20 points. Look guys, if Lindsey Hunter is the only one the Warrios can't seem to stop, you're in trouble. Lindsey Hunter? Come on, he was drafted in '93 (I know because I was at the Palace when he got drafted right before Allen Houston). He's over 36 years old running around on the court. "We're pinning our hopes on Lindsey Hunter? Please tell me we have something more."

One other thing that ticked me off last night...the ESPN Bottom Ticker. I knew it was only a matter of time before this would happen, especially since you now have females talking Men's College basketball on the ESPN set, but stop trying to be Title IX and Equal Rights and women are just as knowledgable crap. The world was spinning absolutely perfect when the bottom ticker read "NCAA" for the Men and "NCAAW" for the women. But then you had to tick me off last night. What is this "NCAAM" crap? Like I can't figure out who you are talking about when it's just plain old "NCAA". Besides, anyone that follows college basketball (meaning anyone that follows Men's basketball because no one cares about Women's) knows what teams you are referring to on the bottom ticker. It's not like I'm sitting at home wondering "Was that the score for the Duke men's team or the Duke women's team?" Like I said, anyone that follows college basketball knows the Men's team sucks, so if you see the name "Duke" on the bottom ticker with a single digit ranking in front of their name, you know it's not the Men's team. So now you are saying, "Well what if there isn't a ranking in front of either teams name?" Well, then it's still obvious that was a men's score because no one cares about women's basketball scores, especially if both teams are unranked. If you want to do everything exactly the same, then you have to show all the scores of both genders. No one cares about the MAC conference and how CMU did last night in Men's basketball. But, ESPN will put the score on the bottom ticker. However, ESPN has never put a Women's MAC score on the bottom ticker because first, no one cares and second, MAC teams wouldn't be ranked in Women's basketball. But, if you are trying to all of a sudden reach a female demographic on your network, then you might as well start showing scores for all Women's teams. That means I better start seeing scores for MD Eastern Shore versus Ark Pine Bluff (yeah, they have a team).

Oh, and it was kinda cool to see Kenny Mayne doing Sportscenter Sunday night with Stuart Scott. Bring back Kilborn and Eisen!!!

¡Cuidado! ¡Llamas!

Book Club Time! - Tides of War

I promised I would put up a review as soon as I finished, so here it is.

"Tides of War" - Steven Pressfield

Pressfield also wrote Gates of Fire, so the writing style is similar. Short review: if you liked Gates of Fire, you'll like this one too. If you haven't read Gates of Fire, what are you waiting for?

The core of the story is the career of Alcibiates ( if that name doesn't ring a bell it mmight be worth looking up. Interesting fellow), told through the eyes of his long time friend, confidant, and assassin.

Comparisions to GOF: similar framing of the story, historical detail, color, and general ring of authenticity in characterisation. Overall, I didn't like it as much as GOF, but that is mostly due to it focusing on less likeable people and less heroic events. Th Spartans sacrificed themselves to attain eventual victory, Alcibiates was driven and destroyed by both himself and the city which he embodied. But I'll skip the essay and give the book thumbs up.

Tourney Time

I've just created a Yahoo! Tournament Pick'E group. The number is 32717 and the password is, of course, monkie. Emails will be arriving in your inbox sometime this week (probably), but that info will get you in if you can't wait.

Free Agency

The Lions started out free agency Friday by sending Dre' Bly packing for Tatum Bell, George Foster, and the Broncos' 5th and 6th round picks. They also sent James Hall to the Rams for a 5th round pick. Today they signed DE Dewayne White from the Bucs.

Obviously the Lions must be worried about their running back situation since they acquired Tatum Bell. The second article points out that TJ Duckett will fly to Detroit on Monday and meet with the Lions. This is the first news I've heard about the Lions all offseason that's had me excited. Bell and Duckett could make a great RB tandem if Bell can be successful outside of Denver. And since RB duos are all the rage in the NFL, why shouldn't the Lions jump on the bandwagon?

Movie Parallelism: Part Deux

Well, I've already broke down the action movie playbook between Die Hard and Lethal Weapon, so now I'll look at two other movies 15 years apart in release.

The movies are "Escape From Alcatraz" and "The Shawshank Redemption":

1. Both movies are about escaping from prision. I know, pretty deep observation.

2. Both movies have a leading white character (Eastwood and Robbins) who develop a relationship in the prison with a black character.

3. Each movie had a jerk for a Warden.

4. There was a homosexual that wanted to get some action with the leading character in each film.

5. The main characters in each movie were mostly in prison for life sentences, usually because of murder (Eastwood and Robbins).

6. Each movie had an old guy who was really attached to something. The old guy in Alcatraz loved to paint and when told he couldn't anymore, he chopped off his fingers. The old guy in Shawshank loved his library and didn't want to be released from prision.


I think that's all I could remember. There may be more but I haven't seen either movie in quite awhile. Well, I do own Shawshank, so I could go watch it.

You Tube

How do you post a "You Tube" video?

The Da Vinci... Errr... Last Tomb of Jesus

There's been a lot of controversy about James Cameron's "documentary" The Last Tomb of Jesus. As far as I can tell, this article from John J. Miller of NRO tells you all you need to know. A quote:

The Lost Tomb of Jesus runs perilously close to Erich von Daniken territory — no prehistoric astronauts, but definitely a flight of fancy. It runs for 90 minutes (with commercials stretching it to two hours). Views that dissent from its relentlessly uncritical presentation of a madly speculative theory — which is to say, the opinions of Cross and virtually every mainstream Biblical scholar who has examined the film’s central contentions — receive almost no air time.

Check it out.

100 Years of Faygo

Did you know Faygo is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year? Well, I didn't until I read this article from the Detroit News. The most interesting thing I learned from the piece? Faygo is credited for "pop" being used in the Midwest rather than "soda." Fascinating. Flavors, of course, are Faygo's claim to fame. Some of the more popular: Rock and Rye, Moon Mist, Redpop, Root Beer, Strawberry, and Pineapple Orange. Okay, so Pineapple Orange and Strawberry may not be that popular, but they're my favorites. What are yours?

The good ol' Chronicle

Hey, you gotta love that picture of community service in this weeks addition of the Cass City Free Press. Nothing says good community service work better than a picture of Damian Izydorek and Gilberto Nazario from "Complete Concrete." I think the name of the company should be "Complete Convicts." That might make more sense. I'm fine with them bulldozing buildings down, but I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with them building apartment structures.

Nazario...what a great Cass City family heritage. I mean, who could forget Jose in 7th grade. I've loved it in the fall of 2005 when I had jury duty in Caro. I didn't have to serve, but I was selected as a possible juror for a Circuit Court case that same day. Guess who was in court. Jose. Criminal Sexual Conduct. Gasp. I wonder what I would have said if I was selected and they asked me if I had prior knowledge of one Jose Nazario. I probably would have lied or else Jason Mester might have killed me. He was there supporting Jose. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if Mester and pal Jason Humpert also worked for Complete Concrete. I know Humpert does because his sister is married to the owner of the company.

Oh, and who could forget Jose's sister...Anna. You remember. The summer we were going to be freshmen in high school. Anna and 2 other girls, one in 6th grade and the other in our grade, Amanda Smith, decided to steal a truck and go on a joy ride. Well, when you have a 6th grader driving, Anna, bad things will happen. Bad things did happen and Anna died. Great family story. I remember the first day of english class that freshman year with Mrs. Comire:

Mrs. Comire: So tell me about yourself.

Amanda Smith: Hi, my name is Amanda Smith.

Mrs. Comire: Wow, what happened to you? Why are you on crutches?

Amanda Smith: (Sitting down with cast on leg and crutches at desk) Well, me and some friends decided to steal a truck this summer and we got in an accident and my friend Anna died.

Mrs. Comire: Oh, you're THAT Amanda Smith.

This has been Down Memory Lane. Hope you enjoyed.

Things to Ponder...

Pro Athletes buying drugs online? What's next your going to tell me they don't visit strip clubs. Shocking developments. Maybe I'm not that smart but if I'm buying beef-roids online, I'm sure as Cass City's growing stock on the TV 5 News, not going to put my real name on there. And furthermore I'm probably not going to put my real address on there either. Maybe they did this and they cought them anyway, who knows. Just a thought.

Second, Pencil in you schedules March 24th boys for a gathering. Just pencil in the whole day. Groom how does that work in your schedule?

Third, "Are you smarter than a 5th Grader" Has got to be a huge accomplishment once you win. THERE KIDS... I SHOWED YOU!

Late

Onward and Upward

While on the way back from lunch today the subject of old school video game systems came up. Specifically the TI-99 home computer and classic games like Parsec, Alpiner, and Hunt the Wumpus. A little bit of searching the internet even turned up an emulator for the computer, which you can download from here if you're interested (games included). If you've never played these games this won't mean much to you, but I really appreciated the nostalgia. Check out the sound clips, many of which used real speech emulation. And I'm sure that to this day there's still not another mountain climbing where you can get sprayed by skunks or run over by a Yeti.

Novesta Domination

It was once again a Novesta domination at the February 3, 2007 Tecmo Super Bowl Tournament. The 2006 winner was Criag Emmert, who was unable to defend his title at this years contest. But that is okay, as fellow Novesta Church of Christ alumnus Jason Speirs picked up the bobble head trophy going 5-0 in the madness. He defeated, of all people, Kevin Schott in the Championship game. Kevin advanced to the title game after beating Nathan Haag in the Loser's bracket finale, 14-13.

You can check out the bracket below, but before you do, here are some fun facts about the tournament:

1. Of the top 4 finishers in the 2006 tourney, none were to be found in the championship game.

2. Nathan Haag had a 13-0 lead at halftime (with the 1st player controller) over Kevin Schott as he was looking ahead to the rematch with Jason Speirs in the Title game. Schott came back to win 14-13, defeating the Oilers with his 49ers.

3. Jason Speirs got revenge on Haag after losing to him in the 2006 tourney and being eliminated from the competition. His Eagles crushed the Rams 24-14 in the rematch. (I bet you are wondering...why did he use the Rams?) It should be noted, Haag missed a FG at the end of the half which would have made the score 3-10 at Halftime.

4. There was lots and lots of Monkey on Monkey crime. Fritz eliminted Aaron, then Fritz knocked out Matt, then Haag crushed Fritz, and then Kevin punched out Haag like Mandy in the Nintendo Wii boxing game. Since the clones all eliminated each other, only Kevin was able to reach the top.

5. Kevin beat Haag. Enough said. When was the last time that happened?

On the day, there were no Nintendo deaths or unforeseen restarts because of the floor shaking. The Life Support (Game Genie) once again did the trick. Unfortunately, there was no official record of how many "That's a Bunch of crap" were used.

Re: Did MSU cure Cancer?

I probably should have posted this earlier but I just got to it now. The short version: they're working on it.

The (Not So) Mighty Quinn

Brady Quinn has an image problem. Scouts think he's slipped. Why? Well, there's no reason at all, really. He hasn't done anything since he's waiting for Notre Dame's pro day to show off his skills for the scouts. Still, he's falling behind JaMarcus Russell, who seems to be this years come-from-nowhere high draft pick. I predict Quinn will be the better QB in the long run, especially if Russell goes to the Raiders, but Russell looks to be on the path to a bigger payday.

Note: In all fairness about my picks, I should note that last year I was unimpressed with Vince Young and thought he was mostly hype and that he certainly wouldn't be a better QB than Matt Leinart. Results aren't in yet, but it gives you a point of reference.

Fresh Fruit

That Chic at Rome's Christmas Party

Gentleman, coming up on the eve of our dear brothers funeral errrr... wedding I think it's fitting that we talk about the the final hurrah. First, Sparty when are you home. I'm assuming that your coming home friday. Second is the issue of when, who, and what. And I am looking for input, including from the man himself. I've come up with some idea's

1.) Throwing snowballs into crowds of people, running, finding someone to chase us, denie it, then yell " THANKS"

2.) Get together, throw in the fine movie "PROM NIGHT" and throw back a few carrotts. Washed down with some fine H2O.

3.) Get a women to make out with you while driving around town, first one to get pulled over by law enforcement wins.

4. ) Blow out Pilot Lights.

5.) I'm a sure I am forgetting some great moments in history but I really am looking for some serious suggestions. I'm sure your all think strippers and beer, that's just a given of course.

I have a few ideas in my mind but I'm always ready to hear a few more.

Late

Pining for the Fjords

Upgrade

I think I'm going to try and switch the blog over to the new Blogger, so if something isn't working, that's probably the source of the problem.

UPDATE: It seems to be working, more or less. I'm not entirely satisfied, but I think I can work out the issues.

Did MSU cure Cancer?

I'm going to take the fine line between gettin' run and gettin' racked because I know I'm going to be offending some people. Oh well. You won't be hearing any Tim Hardaway or Colorado football coach apologies after it's been said. And before you drop the ever-so-predictable "...well at least our team actually wins games..." or "...at least our team has something to celebrate..." or "...at least our team is going to the NCAA tournament..." save it because I already know. I get it. Michigan sucks.

But, you'd have to be green and white color blind to not see what happened last night. So, I'm going to try and come at this take not as Michigan (has a crappy team) Fan, but as NCAA basketball Fan. As if I lived in California and watched the game on ESPN last night.

After MSU won the game, the student section rushed the court like they just won the NCAA Championship game. Why? You are freakin' Michigan State. You have Tom Izzo. You were playing AT HOME. You live in the Big 11.

Tom Izzo is one of the top 5 coaches in the NCAA right now. He is brilliant. He is always winning games that MSU isn't supposed to win. It's called outcoaching the other team and being prepared (something that guy 45 miles south has yet to figure out in 6 years).

You were playing in East Lansing. It's nearly impossible to win at MSU. At one time they had a streak of FOREVER not losing a home game. It's called home court dominance.

Wisconsin wasn't exactly an undefeated team. This was no major upset. It's not like they were #1 in the county for 10 weeks and no one could beat them. They were #1 (in one poll) for a whole 2 days! That's what always happens when a team becomes the new team with the target on their back...you're going to get shot down. Everyone is gunning for you. Hope you savored the taste of it because you won't taste it again the rest of the year. Too bad you didn't get to play Northwestern or Penn State so you could stay at the top a little while longer before someone knocked you off.

The Big 11 isn't exactly a dominating conference. They never get respect, so why should it be a "shocker" Wisconsin lost?

Tell me honestly, was anyone really surpised MSU won last night? I don't want to take anything away from the season and talent Wisconsin has, but Michigan State is still Michigan State. You aren't East Middle Tennessee State so why are you acting like you just won the championship? I realize you may have just sealed the deal on the Big Dance, but come on, you are Michigan State. The same Michigan State that went to 3 straight Final Fours just a few years ago. Act like your college has played and won bigger games than that. I understand MSU is down from a few years ago and hasn't had the same class of players like before, but come on. You are better this year than last year. You were also on a little bit of a roll heading into the game. You beat a rival team, spanked your next opponent, then showed why it's so hard to win on the road in the Big 11, especially at MSU.

So congrats to MSU on the big win. No doubt about it, beating the #1 team no matter how good or bad you are is a great accomplishment. But, next time, don't act like you are Northwestern or Penn State. EXPECT to win that game. I know Izzo did.

Fighting With A Vim

I like it when my team wins. Especially when they beat the #1 team in the nation. Good times.

Suggestion

Seeing as how some of you are getting around to starting families I'd assume you've spent at least some time thinking about names for your children. May I make a suggestion? Check out this guy: Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish, nickname Buster. Now that's a name. Actually, it's 5 names, but who's counting? So, how about Ronald Reagan Odysseus Pedro Indiana Barrigar? No? (Hat tip: The Corner.)

Wonderful

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World not doing it for you? Think we need some new wonders? Well, some people do and worldwide voting on the "New 7 Wonders" is going on right now. At first I thought this was silly and even a little arrogant, but then I realized the only one of the original wonders that still exists is the Great Pyramid of Giza, so maybe it's not a crazy idea. Some of the candidates seem a bit questionable to me: does anyone think the Eiffel Tower really can stand up to the Great Pyramid? I'm down with some of the others though, like Petra for example. And, yes, you all know what Petra looks like because you've all seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Anyway, Yahoo didn't actually provide a link in the article (it's the internet, use it), but I managed to find one. So, if you want to vote, click here.

Fantasy Baseball

In case you're wondering, I'm not planning on starting a fantasy baseball league this year. We had practically zero interest during the season last year, so as far as I'm concerned it's dead. If someone is really interested in playing feel free to start a league, I'm just not interested in being commish.

It's Coming

Say It Ain't So

I was watching Sportscenter the other night and they were doing their Nascar segment. I couldn't care less about Nascar so I was going to change the channel. But then I saw Chris Fowler sitting at the table. Did Chris lose a bet in one of the bowl games or something? Chris doesn't strike me as a redneck. But this isn't what really drew my attention. It was the guy sitting at the other end of the table. A black guy. A tall black guy. A tall black guy that played for Carolina and many NBA seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers...Brad Daugherty.

Quick, name me a tall race car driver....
Quick, name me a black race car driver...
Quick, name me ANY race car driver...

What in the world does an NBA basketball player know about Redneck country?

Is NASCAR that bad that even ESPN can't find "experts" to cover the "sport?"

Who Needs Tickets?

Yeah, it's almost that time of year again. That's right, the Cass City Baseball Trip Excutive Board Meeting. Baseball game tickets are going on sale as we speak with new teams opening up their box offices everyday. (Tigers individual tickets go on sale March 3.) Some years I already ordered the tickets by now.

It seems after 7 years of Baseball trip "Roadies," we are almost to our driving limits or flying minimums. Rumor has it the Yankees will be hosting the All-Star game in 2008 and after the 2008 season will be playing in a new ball park. No more Yankee Stadium. So, it has been mentioned we better make sure we get to New York for our 2008 Road Trip.

With that being said, there is no 2008 trip without a 2007 trip first...which is exactly our current dilemma. Where? Who? I believe now would be a good time to start throwing out the ideas of what we are going to do or any possible options.

Here is my list of options:

1) Toronto. Toronto would be one game and one of the shortest drives we've ever had. It would also be a very cheap trip if it's only one game. Not as cheap as last year with no hotel fees, but still cheaper than other years with less gas money.

2) Two game series watching 2 of the possible 3 teams (if their game schedules actually work out so we could do this) in the Maryland/Pennsylvania area: Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals and the Philadelphia Phillies. Cons: Long trip and cost of 2 games. Not much time would probably be available to see much of the D.C. area.

3) Go back to a stadium we've already been to. If we did Wrigley Field, we might get to stay for the whole game this time. Pros: It would be a lot closer/cheaper for Adam to come on the trip.

4) KC Royals...they suck and probably as far as a Baltimore trip.

5) Fly. I still don't think we are financially at that point yet. If we are going to fly, let's go as far as we can; California, Arizona, etc. If we do New York next year, I think Flying would be the best way to go.

6) No Trip. Not an option

Not that this is all about Adam...but it is. It's really his fault for moving to Minnesota just for a job. Obviously my tongue is shooting through both cheeks when I say that. But, I don't know Adam's options. He's already taking time off for my wedding. He already flew home once this year for Christmas. Making him drive to Michigan so we can then drive to some game 10 hours away probably isn't a great idea either.

I'm not really in favor of Options 4, 5, or 6. I don't mind doing the Washington trip for 2 games, but logistics would make things difficult I think.

I guess it comes down to what is our goal? Our purpose? Do we plan on doing this for another 5 years? 10? Until we see all MLB stadiums? It all sounds great, but we have to be reasonable. If those aren't our goals, then when and where do we draw the line? According to my calculations, this would be trip #8. We are dang close to 10 and we've all been talking about New York long before the media started talking about Hilary Clinton running for President in '08.

If we do New York in 2008, that is trip #9. I think it would be cool to fly some place for our 10th Anniversary in 2009 and quite possibly seeing our 14th and 15th stadiums in 10 years.

The Board is open so have a take and don't suck.

Wait...is this satire?

Thousands Lose Jobs As Michigan Unemployment Offices Close

"Our state has a long, hallowed history of unemployment, and with these closings, we have lost a vital part of our economic and social fabric."

Here It Goes Again

I was having lunch with some friends when this song started playing in the restaurant. When asked if I had seen the video, I said no. I was told to check it out and thought it was pretty entertaining, so I thought I'd share. OK Go's Here It Goes Again:

Movies to Rent

I'm looking for suggestions on a few good flicks to rent or even go see. I need to remind you, however, that 102% of my movie viewing is with a female. As much as I love movies like "Rounders" and "Pool Hall Junkies," if you recommend a movie like that, it may be a long time before I get to watch. I'm not saying you need to restrict all your suggestions to just crappy G-rated Disney movies, but that's kinda what it seems like sometimes. I've let her pick the movie once in a while, but she's yet to rent any classics like "Prom Night." She picked out "The Illusionist" a few weeks ago and I'd have to give her an A+ on that one. But picking out "The Final Cut" is flirting dangerously with "Prom Night" and "One Hour Photo." Someone needs to take "The Final Cut" out back and shoot that thing. What was Robin Williams thinking this time? I hate to say go Barbaro on that movie, but it has to be done.

I am open to any suggestions anyone may have. It can be a 2007 movie. It can be a movie from 2006. It can even be a movie from 1985. I don't care. Don't hold back on any type of genre, because some nights I just get lucky and get to pick what I want.

Down by the River

The Matt Foley, motivational speaker sketch came up at work today, so I thought I'd post one. It's not the Spanish Inquisition, but it's still pretty good.

Why can't we tickle ourselves?

Before the Super Bowl on Sunday, the Pistons/Cavs were on ESPN. I wasn't watching the game, but I could still hear it as I was shooting pool Ricky Schroeder style in another room. All of a sudden I hear the Cavalier PA guy clowning the Pistons and Piston PA dude Tyson:

"Deeeeeee-troit Turnnnn-overrrrrrr"

I get that Tyson has certainly found a way to make a buck at his job as the PA man for the Pistons. And I bet if we weren't Piston fans, we'd also probably get annoyed hearing the guy constantly say "Deeeeee-troit Basketballllllll." (I think some of us are annoyed at the Denver Bronco PA person everytime he does his "And the pass was IN-COM-PLETE."

However, you are still the Cleveland Cavaliers and if you didn't have LeBron, you'd still be wondering why Craig Ehlo couldn't stop Jordan from making that last second buzzer-beater on your home court at the free throw line to send you out of the playoffs.

Oh, and when this took place, there was less than 2 minutes left in the game with Detroit ahead by at least 10 points. So, clown the Pistons all you want, they still kicked you and LeBrons tail. Maybe next time try that trick when you are winning. Or, since that won't be happening, do it earlier in the game as soon as you have a lead, like 2-0. Making a parody of Detroit Basketball into Detroit Turnover probably wasn't hilarious to Cavs fans as they were walking out of the joint during the 4th quarter. Don't tell me that won't come back to haunt you in the playoffs.

I'm waiting....who's got the ultimate crackback for me....Fritz? You know what's coming....

SCOREBOARD!

NOBODY EXPECTS....

....The Spanish Inquisition!!!

Happy Birthday!

Today is the 203rd brithday of John Deere. The man, not the company. You can read more about him at his biography on the official site.

-9°

Halfway through the morning and it's still -9°F here in the Twin Cities. The forecast calls for it to barely break zero all weekend. So, yes, it's freakin' cold.

A Million Penguins

No, this post isn't about Antarctica, it's about writing. Penguin, a British publisher, has started the first "wiki novel." This means anyone can log on and contribute to the story, much like happens with Wikipedia. So, like Wikipedia, you're likely to get some very good content, and probably a lot of crap. The story contains this interesting quote from Penguin's blogger:

"...and in truth I'll be happy so long as it manages to avoid becoming some sort of robotic-zombie-assassins-against-African-ninjas-in-space-narrated-by-a-Papal-Tiara type of thing."

Who WOULDN'T want that? Except for the papal tiara thing, that's just weird. Really, he should hope for a Pirate vs. Robot vs. Zombie vs. Ninja vs. Monkey deathmatch sort of thing, but maybe that story would be better for a visual medium. Anyway, you can check out the current results of the experiment here.

Year in Review

Here is Dave Barry's annual recap.

A quote:
...But the big sporting event is the Winter Olympics, a glorious quadrennial celebration of world-class virtuoso athletic accomplishment in sports nobody has ever heard of. Surprise winners include Latvia in the 500-kilometer Modified Nordic Combined; the Republic of Irvingkahnistan in the 2,300-meter Slavic Personified; and U.S. skier Bode Miller in Most Nike Commercials Featuring A Competitor Who, In the Actual Competitions, Mainly Falls Down.

A wonderful rememberence of all the idiocy you managed to forget.
Go read the whole thing.

Backyard Sports

Now that most of us are married or soon to be, some of us are also buying homes. So what is your dream home? Is it a home with a backyard ice-hockey rink? It was for ESPN's John Buccigross. It's a great article, practially a How-To.

Scorecard

Super Bow(l) Thesis

This weekend is the Super Bowl or Super "Bow" (like a bow tie) depending on who you listen to on the radio or TV. I didn't think it was that difficult to pronounce the "l" at the end of "bowl." When they go bowling, do they say "Let's do some bowing tonight"? Come on people, speak english. It's BOWLLLLLL, not "bow."

Also, with the Super Bow in Miami, do U think Michael Irvin will say anything about the game being played at the U of Miami and how awesome the U is and that U should all know by now the U is the best college football team in America or U must be an idiot. U better watch out for the U in 2007.

In the spirit of the big game this weekend, I thought I would put on a Super Bowl History Course. Here is the curriculum:

SB History 101: On January 26, 1992 the Washington Redskins won Super Bowl XXVI (26) by defeating the Buffalo Bills 37 to 24.

SB History 201: Think back to September 1991. In Week 1, the Detroit Lions played their first game of the year at the Washington Redskins and were pasted 45-0.

SB History 301: Now think forward to January 1992. The Detroit Lions finished 12-4. After receiving a first round bye, they destroyed the Dallas Cowboys to advance to the NFC Championship game against the Washington Redskins. Once again it was at Washington and once again they got thumped.

So far most of you remember all of this to some degree if you are a Lions and/or NFL fan. This is where the Master's curriculum starts.

SB History 401: Think back to Week 17 of the 1991 season. Detroit at Buffalo. The game went to overtime with a score of 14-14. All I remember is Eddie Murray kicking the game winning FG in OT to beat the Bills 17-14.

I may have lost a few of you, depending on your memory bank. If you are still hanging with me, here is where you get your Doctorate.

SB History 501: Let's pretend for one brief, hypothetical moment that the Lions defeated the Redskins in the NFC Championship game. Do you see where I'm going with this? It's the always fun "What If" game. That would mean the Lions would have matched up in the Super Bowl with the Buffalo Bills. A rematch from the season finale. The Lions proved they could beat the Bills in Buffalo. So, theoretically speaking, IF the Lions would have made it to the Super Bowl, they would have beat the Bills again and become the Super Bowl Champions!

I hope you enjoyed the pursuit of this degree. Your diploma will be in the mail shortly.


I just wanted to add that the tournament Tiger Woods won last weekend was played at Torrey Pines in San Diego, California. I played that course almost 5 or 6 years ago to the month. I didn't quite shoot the same score Tiger finished with on the North Course. I tried looking for my scorecard but couldn't find it. I'll try harder later. If I find it, I'll post my embarrassment.