Anyone have an extra $499,000?

Because I want to buy this:


Via: Top Gear Blog

Quote of the Day

Mr. Madison, what you've just said . . . is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

-Principal, Billy Madison

Boosted

The other day my Dad and I were joking about cars being stolen from the auto show, but it actually happened last night. The thieves made off with a BMW 7 series. Detroit, this is why you can't have nice things.

Comic Cover of the Week: Thor: The Mighty Avenger #87

?

Did the national championship game feel anticlimactic to you? I only watched the first half, and it seemed to be a good game, but I didn't really care. It's hard to root for the SEC but even hard to root for Oregon and their technicolor socks. But I think the main reason was the game being played on 1/10. As much as I love college football, it feels finished after 1/1. All the games after that, even big ones, feel less significant than even the games played before Christmas. Anyone else feel this way?

The New Guy

Brady Hoke has been named Michigan's new coach. So, how do you Michigan fans feel? Excited? Relieved? Disappointed? Angry? Hungry?

History of the Batmobile

This is awesome:


Via: CarInsurance.org

Who you gonna call?

There's a script for "Ghostbusters 3" and it's been sent to Bill Murray says Ivan Reitman, who produced and directed the first two. Presumably if Murray was interested the rest of the original cast could be enticed to reprise their roles. Hollywood definitely goes overboard with sequels and remakes, but I think I'd be up for this as long as it didn't turn into an embarrassment like "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull".

Harbaugh to 49ers

Apparently Jim Harbaugh has signed a contract to coach the 49ers, so that puts him officially off the list of potential coaches for UM.

?

Question for the Michigan fans out there: What do you think did Rich Rodriguez in? Not results so much as the causes. Recruiting offense over defense? Arrogance, i.e. not taking the rivalries with OSU and MSU seriously? Not teaching fundamentals? Lack of institutional control? Lack of support from boosters? Bad luck? Expectations that were too high? All of the above?

FF Top Scorers '10

Here are the top scorers from the fantasy football league. This will be updated weekly. * denotes current record holder for the year. All-time is based on '04 on, which I have records for. The scoring was changed for the '05 season to include points for receptions, and then in '07 to reduce points per yard for the QB. The highest team score in '04 was The Living Legend (Bader) with 206.95 pts. The highest team score from '05-'06 was Battletoads (Stack, '06) with 232.40 pts. See the '05 data here, the '06 data here, the '07 data here, the '08 data here, and the '09 data here.

Week 1
Top Player: Arian Foster, 42.00 pts
Top Team: Assault Lemurs, 114.85 pts

Week 2
Top Player: Jahvid Best, 43.00 pts
Top Team: Cantthinkof one, 150.75 pts

Week 3
Top Player: Michael Vick, 41.55 pts
Top Team: WW Chicken Dinner, 145.90 pts

Week 4
Top Player: New England Defense, 33.00 pts
Top Team: Bum Knee Underdogs, 147.30 pts

Week 5
Top Player: Tony Romo, 33.20 pts
Top Team: WW Chicken Dinner, 152.80 pts

Week 6
Top Player: Kevin Kolb, 32.40 pts
Top Team: Life Is Good, 131.65 pts

Week 7
Top Player: Darren McFadden, 44.00 pts
Top Team: Game Changers, 125.45 pts

Week 8
Top Player: David Garrard, 41.20 pts
Top Team: Snot Bubbles, 139.65 pts

Week 9
Top Player: Aaron Rodgers, 36.55 pts
Top Team: where's the flag, 129.10 pts

Week 10
Top Player: Michael Vick, 60.65 pts*
Top Team: where's the flag, 165.15 pts*

Week 11
Top Player: Ben Roethlisberger, 43.25 pts
Top Team: Life is Good, 150.30 pts

Week 12
Top Player: Tom Brady, 41.15 pts
Top Team: Bum Knee Underdogs, 125.15 pts

Week 13
Top Player: Tom Brady, 40.60 pts
Top Team: Win and...IN, 131.00 pts

Playoffs
Week 14
Top Player: Darren McFadden, 39.50 pts
Top Team: WW Chicken Dinner, 109.40 pts

Week 15
Top Player: Michael Vick, 47.10 pts
Top Team: where's the flag, 159.50 pts

Week 16
Top Player: Aaron Rodgers, 46.80 pts
Top Team: Greensboro Gumps, 121.50 pts

Rodriguez Out

Apparently Rich Rodriguez is out at Michigan. I agree with Wojo:

Ultimately, two records necessitated his dismissal: 6-18 in the Big Ten, 0-6 versus rivals Ohio State and Michigan State.

He was also 0-4 against schools that go by the initials "MSU".

So Michigan fans, who next? Besides Harbaugh.

In the Basement

I've been in the basement lately, literally and figuratively, so I haven't been able to keep updated on stuff.

I'll post pictures later, but let's just say we had our own "Metrodome" of sorts, instead of snow, insert water.

UConn: 89 and Counting

Who cares.

Okay, winning 89 straight in ANYTHING is pretty impressive. But, it's not the same. There is UConn...and nobody else. Yes, there's parity in women's ball just like men's, but there is one absolute dominate team, UConn.

Also, 88 is special to men's ball because it will never happen again. Not even Coach K can get a kid to stay in the program more than 2 or 3 years. Heck, Irving's only played a few games his freshman year at Duke, out for the rest of the season due to injury and will probably go Pro this summer. In order to win 88, you have to keep players around, and you can't do that anymore. The women's game doesn't have that same jump to the Pros.

RE: ?

Okay, let me chime in. If Tom Coughlin did tell him to punt it out of bounds, HE HAS TO PUNT IT OUT OF BOUNDS! It's DeSean freakin' Jackson. Mike Wallace, Devin Hester, you know, the fastest cats around do not touch the ball in those situations. There are 10 seconds left in the game. It goes out of bounds, Eagles take a knee, go to overtime.

Side Note: The Lions, Wings, and Pistons all went into overtime on Sunday. Detroit went 2-1.

Yes, Adam's right, the other 10 guys have to make a play. Unless they were all dogging it down the field thinking, "Why bother, he's just kicking it out of bounds anyway....CRAP!"

But here is the biggest issue: The Giants never should have been in this situation to begin with. That is pretty said Coughlin is taking it out on national TV on his punter when it's his own darn fault they gave up 4 TD's in the 4th quarter.

(Painful) Quote of the Day

Rick Reilly

You have everything you need to take your kid to an NFL game this Sunday? Program? Binoculars? Nunchucks?

Actually, if I were you, I wouldn't take my kid. I'd take Manny Pacquiao. NFL stadiums are rougher than sandpaper thongs lately.

These days, NFL fans make NHL fans look like Miss Manners. They're often buy-a-vowel drunk, spewing cuss words and looking to fight. And the men are sometimes worse.

Our Fellow American

All I can say is WOW!

Preach it, brother.

I'd like to drop a quote from the article, but really, how do I not copy and paste the entire thing?

The law is made for law-abiding citizens. The guy who you don't have to worry about robbing you, the guy who pays his taxes, the guy who has a job, the guy who's not interested in hurting people. He's not the rapist, he's not the killer. He's the one who's going to follow the law. Now, the law can say you can't have a gun, but the thug, gangster, rapist and criminal — the thief — they're not going to obey the law anyway. It doesn't even apply.

Basically, what you've done is, you've told the man who pays his bills and minds his own business, who's trying to protect his family and provide for his family, if you take away his gun [and] you give him a golf club or a baseball bat, or a knife, and if the criminal has a gun, he's going to win that battle 10 out of 10 times.

The real issue behind these people who are gun grabbers, the truth is — based on fact — the reason why is, they want control. They want control of the people. That's what socialism is and communism.

Punk Rawk Christmas

The worst word you can hear at the end of an NFL broadcast:

"Figure skating is next."

?

Just watched the end of the Eagles-Giants game where the punter, Dodge, kicked a line drive punt directly to DeSean Jackson, who missed it and then picked the ball up and ran for a TD, winning the game. As soon as Jackson got loose the commentators started criticizing the punter, and for good reason. But aren't there 10 other guys on the punt return team? Jackson should have been demolished as soon as he picked up the ball, but those guys are all going to get a pass because it was an awful punt.

Mass Effect 3

Vengeance By The Sons Of A King

Propaganda

TheDetroit News has an article up about the "changing" auto industry, based on the North American Car and Truck of the Year finalists. A quote:

This marks the first time all the car finalists have some degree of electrification. They were chosen from a field of 27 by automotive journalists from the United States and Canada.

"It says the consumer mindset for high efficiency has gone mainstream," said Tony DiSalle, General Motors Co. director of product marketing for the Volt.

But has it? The New York Times suggests otherwise. Sales of cars have fallen and what profitability automakers are seeing is coming from, you guessed it, SUVs and trucks. Heck, the first Volt was purchased by a Prius owner trading in his old ride. So when the Car of the Year results are finally announced, take it with a grain of salt. The internal combustion engine and real automobiles aren't going anywhere.

?

So, I take it the Big Ten's announcement about names, divisions, logos, trophies, etc didn't go over well? Honestly, since they decided geography was just too obvious a way to break up the divisions, I don't know how they could have done better. Speaking as someone who is not a fan of Michigan or Ohio State, calling the divisions "Schembechler" and "Hayes" would have been unacceptably offensive to at least 10 of the 12 teams. Maybe "Lakes" and "Plains" would work, but since they threw geography out the window that's tough.

Also, if they paid a bunch of money for that logo, they didn't get their money's worth.

Comic Cover of the Week: Deadpool Pulp #4

Quote of the Day

Darn that Favre, huh? He has spent most of his 20-year career beating the Lions, and the one time — one time— he doesn't play in their stadium, the Lions aren't the opponent.

-Bob Wojnowski, "Lions were big winners in Ford Field game", The Detroit News

Legends and Leaders

I could write a lot about the Big Ten's new logos and division names, but I think a picture will cover much of it:


I guess the names are okay, and at least they're not offensive to fans of any particular team. The logos are fine if not very impressive. I'm a little surprised they didn't change the name though. I'm probably as big a fan of tradition as anyone, but I can't see it as anything but ridiculous that a 12-team league will be calling itself the Big Ten while a 10-team league will (presumably) be calling itself the Big 12.

Metrodome Roof Collapses

Thor

Comic Cover of the Week: Thor: The Mighty Avenger #7

Bad Call

The NFL has fined Ndamukong Suh $15,000 for his hit on Jay Cutler on Sunday. Hit is too strong a word really, it was more like a push. Or a forearm shiver if you want to be technical. But whatever else you want to call it, it's a load of crap. It shouldn't have been a penalty and it's ridiculous to be fined for it. Maybe the NFL should issue the defense feather dusters so they can tickle the offense until they down the ball?

Sparty

?

Wasn't the effect of Michigan's coaching situation on recruiting just brought up here? Herbstreit says it will be a negative.

?

Just how many uniforms do the Ducks have?

UPDATE: Let's count:

1.


2.


3.


4.


5.


6.


7.


8.


9.


10.


11.


12.


Twelve. That's one for each game, and I'm sure they'll have an extra special one for the national championship game. Does that strike anyone else as excessive?

Michigan Man

Let me weigh in on the recent discussion of one Rich Rodriquez.

I am not retracting from my stance that Rich Rod should be replaced. Then again, this isn't three years ago where there was a wishlist of possible coaches.

But, since it appears the wishlist is now down to ONE possible coach, if you can't get him, keep Rich Rod. If you can't get Jim Harbaugh, then don't get anyone else. However, I still wouldn't be opposed to a Kirk Frentz from Iowa. I don't know a lot about the guys at TCU or Boise State right now, but their offense probably wouldn't be too far off of what Michigan currently has, so maybe that transition wouldn't be too difficult.

So, here is my updated list of possible coaches:

1. Jim Harbaugh
2. Rich Rodriquez
3. Kirk Frentz
4. Chris Peterson - Boise State (if he brings the blue carpet)
5. Gary Patterson - TCU

I'd still be surprised if AD David Brandon strung everyone along until AFTER the Bowl game. Maybe we could move that date up to next week and end this drama. Why go through another 3-4 weeks of speculation? Plus, does it help recruiting? Probably hurts.

Side note: I still don't miss Lloyd Carr.

LPGA scraps 'female at birth' policy

Finally!!!

I no longer have to be a "female at birth" in order to join the LPGA. Now I know what I REALLY want for Christmas.

I've never used this acronym, but if it doesn't belong because of this story, then when does it?...

W-T-F?

Rome Take 11-30-10

Another Memorable Cardinal Presser

No, it wasn’t Denny Green good as some of you seem to think, but Cardinals Q.B. Derek Anderson snapping after last night’s loss during questioning from the media was pretty epic. Look, I know plenty of you are insulted that this guy would display any emotion other than rage at the end of another humiliating blowout. And that laughing at the end of a game like that speaks to his utter lack of desire and competitiveness….blah blah blah. You know what, probably not. I don’t know what Deuce Lutui hit him with on the sideline. Maybe it was something like, “Hey D,; how funny is it that we’re the Monday nighter? How bent do you think ESPN and the rest of America are? That’s funny. Maybe he was just picking his guy up with some gallows humor. Unfortunately that’s the issue: we don’t know, because Anderson wouldn’t tell us. Although Philip Rivers and Tom Brady wouldn’t do it, I don’t have a huge problem with Derek Anderson cracking a smile on the bench. He’s Derek Anderson. My problem is with how he reacted to being questioned about it. He put on a clinic on how not to handle that situation.

It was like a step by step guide on exactly what not to do at the podium. Step one, laughing at the end of a blowout loss during a disastrous year, does look pretty bad; when asked about it, throw the ‘It’s none of your business card. Then, if that doesn’t deter the questioner, start lying. Say you weren’t even laughing. Then, when caught in your lie, aggressively starting pounding away with, “That’s fine. That’s fine”. And be sure to say it no less than a dozen times. Then when it’s clear you’re wrong, and backed into a corner, try to fight your way off the ropes. Come out swinging. Switch from defense to offense. Attempt to intimidate and back down the questioner; mix in some profanity. Whine about how hard you work. And then if all that doesn’t work, take a knee and just bust out of there. What a perfect fail by Anderson. Every read he made at the presser was the wrong one and every pass he threw was picked and housed. Only after falling behind by 9 T.D.’s did he finally throw one into the stands, pull the rip chord and just eject from the whole proceeding. Just remember, D.A. the cover-up is always worse than the crime.

Comic Cover of the Week: Baltimore: The Plague Ships #5

One More Thing

Yes, I'm thrilled that a deserving team, like maybe UConn, will be in a BCS bowl instead of the Spartans. That should make for great television.

Preemptive Strike

To head off some ribbing later, I totally expect MSU to lose to Duke tonight. The Spartans always play a tough early season schedule, and they mostly suck doing it. I probably won't even check in on the game, though that's as much because of how late it's being played.

I think this does make a notable point about college football vs. college basketball though. The equivalent football matchup in Week 3 of the season would be a huge deal, likely having a major impact on the national championship picture. The basketball matchup will be a footnote when the tournament comes around. I don't think that's better.

?

Lions QB Shaun Hill has a broken finger. Do you think the Lions will let Drew Stanton start, or will they bring someone out of the stands to play QB instead?

!

The 'Skins should never wear yellow pants. It's just awful.

True Grit

Can the Dude adequately replace the Duke?

Quote of the Day

Everyone wants their neighbors to take mass transit so the roads will be clear when they drive to work.

Jack Nerad, editorial director of Kelley Blue Book, "Eco-friendly vehicles lack mass appeal"

Quote of the Day

Teddy Roosevelt never said, "Speak softly and carry 'Cat in the Hat.'"

Greg Gutfeld, Daily Gut

Cowboys & Aliens

Comic Cover of the Week: Hellboy: Double Feature of Evil #1

Green Lantern

Happy Birthday Timmy!

The Detroit News reports that some schools are banning kids from bringing in birthday treats, like cupcakes, to fight childhood obesity. The Alma school district is replacing the treats with 30 additional minutes of gym class. I can picture it now: "Happy birthday Timmy! Go run 10 gassers."

Wolverine Victory

The Wolverines beat the Spartans today. The South Carolina Upstate Spartans. Yes, that's a real school, though you'd be hard-pressed to tell since they only scored 35 points. I hope UM enjoyed it, because that first sentence isn't going to be written again this season.

!

Penn State just threw their first TD pass in Columbus under Joe Paterno. That is just crazy.

Not Just Yet !!!

While some seem to think that old Rich Rod should get the axe. I on the other hand disagree. While admittedly I probably would think somewhat differently if they had scored 67 and lost to Illinois I think the set back would not out weight the benefits of keeping him around. The reason is if you fire him, you now just cost Michigan Football another 3 years of embarrasement. Let's not forget why Michigan brought him in. 8-4 or 9-3 wasn't good enough. They were sick and tire of the old run, run, pass, punt offense. The same old predicatable bland offense. While other big time programs were lighting it up with the spread, Michigan was envious. An offense that can lite it up. Big time playmakers. That is what they got and by the way they got an offense that is still very young and while they may have somewhat sputtered against the best defenses this year they should light it up with out a problem next. Offensively they have great promise and the offense is right where they hoped it would be. Certainly can't fire him based on that.

Now since I have never seen a defense as painful to watch as Michigan's there is no doubt that Robinson has to get the axe. In his defense I don't care what type of defense you run if you have ANY, and I mean ANY talent you should be able to give up less than 65 points. I mean a fumble, an interception, anything. All they have to do is get a little better. Just limit the other team to 30 or less and should be able to come up with a good year next year. Furthermore a bowl game will give them 18 more practices and another game against a good desent team. Any time a team gets extra practice and game experience it helps. The extra months practice and game experience it can only help for the years to come. USA and Ubly would testify to that. And Rich Rod is a fairly good recuiter. He should have no problem selling a starting job to any top knoch defensive recruit. The bright side is it can't get any worse.

Bottom line. What's one more year. Both the offense and defense will be better and no matter who else is out there, in 3 years we may be in the same boat. Let's see what happens.

Release Him

I agree with Terry Foster: Since the Lions obviously have no faith in Drew Stanton, they ought to release him. What's the point of keeping him around if you're going to start a QB with a broken arm rather than let him take the snaps?

Comic Cover of the Week: Knight and Squire #2

Drought

According to Fantasy Football research (no, I'm not talking about the Elias Sports Bureau), my top performances have been more upside-down:

The last time I had a player on my fantasy roster lead the week in points scored was in Week 13 of 2008. Donovan McNabb scored slightly less than 40 points. Whippee!

The last time my fantasy team lead the week in total points scored was Week 5 of 2007 with 139 points and change. Fabulous.

No wonder I've finished 6-7 and out of the playoffs 2-3 years in a row.

More Weird Sports

The Miami Heat eventually lost in OT after having an 8-point lead with :30 seconds remaining in the game. (There was 30 seconds on the clock when the ball left his hand for the 3-pointer.) Can't exactly defend the 3-ball if you have your hands around your throat.

With Miami at 5-3, forget 70, it may be difficult to get to 60 wins.

Lions Thoughts

Sunday...sucked. That was worse than the Bears game. The Lions won that game. I know, I know, "they stole defeat from the jaws of victory."

1. Terrible luck for Jason Hanson. Was Suh really their best option? Really? He looked like a robot. I know of 40,000 fans that could have kicked that extra point for free. I hope Hanson at least spoke a few words of advice before the kick. Or, did they all just say, "shut up, it's 20 yards, buzz off Hanson"? This isn't Little League where the players all talk the coach into doing something stupid, like letting little Jonny pitch for the first time all year. "Yeah coach, come on, I can do it." "Yeah, let 'em try, coach!" "Give it to Suh, the rook!" Give me a break. What about the punter? HE'S A KICKING SPECIALIST!!! You're telling me he has nothing other to do all day long than just punt? You do realize Hanson is like 50 years old and can't do this forever, right?

Someone made a good point, why not go for the 2-pt conversion?

2. The Play. I don't have a problem with passing the ball in that 3rd down play. Go for the win. You're not going to win the division, make the playoffs, win the Super Bowl, etc. Go for it. You're playing at home, do it. Great play call, TERRIBLE decision. First, throw a pass that will get you a first down. Second, throw the freakin' ball. What kind of arm was that? Third, and this is the biggie...JUST FALL DOWN. TAKE A KNEE. WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T THROW IT INCOMPLETE. Why is that so difficult? You're in the NFL, how do you not know the situation? Keep the clock running, idiot!

3. Fire the nob that had the late hit penalty on LaDanian Tomlinson. That didn't cost the game, but it didn't help the situation. Folk might of had to kick a +45 yard FG attempt, as opposed to 36 yards.

4. "Glassford" is done. I think the Lions are headed in the right direction, and that's not bandwagon talk. They are exciting and have options. I think Stafford could be real special. I was excited for the year because of what he showed last season after a rookie season. You knew it only had to get better for him. But, with his weak shoulders, how can you not cringe every time he takes a fall. He's never going to be reliable. The Lions actually had something special, but injuries will cost them a great player. You can't get that #1 pick back.

???

If MSU wins the Big Ten and goes to the Rose Bowl, does Stack pony up for Rose Bowl tickets?

Michigan Thoughts

67-65. Football score. Not the basketball team (which I heard almost lost to SVSU).

If they would have lost that game, I would have been in favor of removing Rich Rod immediately.

At the beginning of the year, I was going to give Rich Rod a full 3rd year, and then wait at the end to see what happens.

With the Penn State debacle, I made my decision that he needs to be gone at the end of the year.

If they would have lost to Illinois, I would have said fire him immediately.

Congrats on a bowl. More than likely, they'll get a better than expected bowl because they'll sell tickets...and they have a human highlight guy. I expect them now to beat Purdue, so that will improve their bowl bids.

Weird Sports

Colorado gave up 35 points in the 4th quarter on Saturday in their loss to Kansas. Colorado was up 45-17 with less than 12 minutes left in the 4th!!!! THAT CAN'T HAPPEN! And no, this wasn't on a video game that the computer blew a huge lead.

The Indiana Pacers scored 54 points tonight...in the 3rd quarter! Fitty-Four! Keep in mind, the Utah Jazz scored 54 total points in game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals against the Bulls. The Michigan Wolverines scored 67 points...oh wait, never mind.

54. Think about that. That's 4.5 points per minute. I can't attempt 4.5 shots per minute. At that pace, that would be 216 points in the game. They also scored a total of 85 in the second half. Total score was 144. Not too shabby.

Good Move

Apparently Ndamukong Suh won't be the Lions' long-term solution at kicker as they signed Spartan alum Dave Rayner to a contract today. Rayner is #2 with the Spartans in career scoring, PATs, and FGs.

Two Piles On McNabb

Rome Take: 11-3-10

With all the fire Donovan McNabb has been taking lately, you knew it was just a matter of time before his old pal Terrell Owens piled on. And he just did. On his reality show; “Well, I don’t really want to start anything, but I did play in the Super Bowl and there were rumors where he couldn’t get our two minute offense going at the end of the game. I’m just saying.” Vintage, Two. Anytime anyone says ‘I don’t really want to start anything’, they’re there to do just one thing. Start something. And if they cap it with, ‘I’m just saying’ what they really mean is, “Yeah, I said it.” You got a problem with it? You wanna go? The problem I have…is not that he said it, but rather, what he said; that there were rumors that he couldn’t get the two minute offense going at the end of the game? You mean the rumors you yourself started, when you laid the guy out for getting sick in the huddle during the Super Bowl? Those rumors?

C’mon, man; you’re a talk show host now, Two; you don’t couch things with ‘there were rumors, or people will say:’…. Let it rip; just say it. The man couldn’t run the two minute drill when I was with him in Philly, and obviously he can’t run it now, which is why Mike Shanahan jerked him out of there. Shoot straight, don’t pull any punches. You know, like your co-host Ochocinco, who let it rip by simply saying, “If anyone out there feels that Rex Grossman gives the Washington Redskins a better chance than Donovan McNabb to win a game with two minutes left on the clock-they need to slap they selves.” Word, Chad. And Mike Shanahan really needs to stop jerking his Q.B.’s around, because John Elway ain’t coming through that door.

But JaMarcus Russell did. And apparently bent the scale at 286 on arrival. Is this for real? Shanahan has concerns about McNabb’s cardiovascular endurance but brought in a guy who ate his way out of the league and showed up weighing 286? Hey Mike, are you looking to motivate McNabb or fight him? Because, calling into question a guy’s work ethic and then bringing in JaMarcus Russell for a look is a reason to go. And JaMarcus, you do know you were interviewing for McNabb’s gig and not Albert Haynesworth’s right? Because unless you’re looking to put a hand in the ground, you’ve got no business showing up weighing 286. You had a better chance of locking down that gig by skipping that interview altogether than showing up a few double-doubles south of 3 bills. My man, what’s it going to be. Are you going to accept the label of biggest bust ever, or is your pride going to kick in at some point and are you going to do what you have to do to salvage what’s left of your good name. I mean, what have you been doing in the nearly six months since you were released? Because it’s pretty clear what you haven’t been doing; getting within 500 feet of a treadmill. If that reported weight is accurate, then nothing has changed and you haven’t learned anything. And if that’s the case, why bother at all? Just tell teams, I got paid, I’m going to keep on rocking the Ja-Walrus Ruffles handle and I’m good. Or get in the gym and re-write your legacy.

I hate the NFL.

Or, more specifically, I hate the way they televise their games. The Bears play early here, so of course that game is on. The Lions go to OT, but they don't switch over for the end of that game, we just to go to the postgame show. And after that, while other games are being played, Fox is airing poker. A card game. Not that I could get into any of these games because of commercials breaking up the flow, but it'd be nice to have the option.

Zinger of the Day

From Bob Wojnowski's column in the the Detroit News:

Even better news, the NCAA softened its stance the other day and merely found Rich Rodriguez guilty of "failing to promote an atmosphere of tackling."

Minor Keys

Not So Happy

The city of San Franciso, well-know for its lunacy, is banning Happy Meals. Specifically, they are banning including a toy with a meal if it doesn't meet certain health requirements, i.e. can't be a burger and fries. A quote from Supervisor Eric Mar, who sponsored the measure:

We're part of a movement that is moving forward an agenda of food justice. From San Francisco to New York City, the epidemic of childhood obesity in this country is making our kids sick, particularly kids from low income neighborhoods, at an alarming rate. It's a survival issue and a day-to-day issue.

Eric Mar can choose food for your kids better than you can, after all, he's in government.

?

So is it safe to assume that Rich Rodriguez's job at Michigan is safe since he wasn't fired over major NCAA rules violations? Yes, the violations weren't as serious as some had alleged, but if Rodriguez is already in hot water over the performance of his team wouldn't this be an easy out for the AD since it's in the contract?

Comic Cover of the Week: Bullseye: Perfect Game #1

The End

I'm done with Rich Rod. Done. I gave you a 3rd year. But that has turned into 2.5 years for the last 3 performances. I won't completely blame Rich Rod for the MSU game. That was more Denard having a really, really bad day, making it so much easier for MSU to set up their offense. Then again, it would have been nice if Cousins/MSU would have played just 10% as bad as they did today when they played Michigan. I don't want to get into today's MSU game, that's not what this tread was for.

You are coming off a bye week against an unranked Penn State team starting a walk-on QB. Did you even mix in some film the last two weeks? I mean Penn State film, not highlights of Denard through the first 7 games. Thanks for spotting them 28 points by halftime. Hey, do you even work on creating turnovers? Fumbles, INT's, anything?

By the way, how come I've never heard of Evan Royster? He is the all-time leading rusher in Penn State history? I would have thought I would have heard of him some time in the last 3 seasons.

Congratulations

I'd like to congratulate Coach Dantonio and the Spartans for proving every single one of their critics absolutely, unequivocally correct. Way to go. Thank you for the humiliation I'm going to have to endure over the next week, I really appreciate it.

Classic Quote

This came to me out of the blue the other day and thought I'd share the memory:

No place for women and children!

-Coach O.

!

Wow, Jacory Harris just got absolutely demolished. My sternum hurts just watching it.

UPDATE: Video.

Horror Movie Marathon

I decided I was going to hit horror movies hard this month. Now I'm not much of a horror fan, so I went with a lot of classics. Many of these might be more properly called monster movies, but I think they all qualify as "horror." Here's the list:

Color
The Fly (1958)
Horror of Dracula (1958)
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
Alien (1979)
Dead Snow (2009)

Black & White
Werewolf of London (1935)
White Zombie (1932)
Them! (1954)
Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
Dracula (1931)
Frankenstein (1931)
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
The Invisible Man (1933)
Wolf Man (1941)
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)
The Mummy (1932)
The Thing From Another World (1951)
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

My favorites? Werewolf of London, Wolf Man, and The Fly. Both werewolf films are deeper and much more psychological than you'd expect. The Fly, though not near as graphic as the newer version, is surprisingly tense and disturbing.

Questionable

Just for the record, I don't support Coach Dantonio's decision to reinstate Chris Rucker. He had a second chance and he blew it. His career should be over. Bringing him back makes the whole program look dirty and desperate.

Re: Who is at fault?

So, they're talking about MSU football almost as much as Denard Robinson's shoelaces?

Obviously I don't listen to much Michigan sports radio, or much sports radio period, so I can only guess at the context. I suspect much of that context is bitter Wolverine fans trying to diminish the success the Spartans are having: "It doesn't really count if you don't play OSU." Well, I just looked up the "Method to Determine Big Ten Conference Automatic Representative to Bowl Championship Series" and there's nothing in there about playing OSU. The insinuation would also seem to be that the Spartans are ducking the Buckeyes, which is where "not their fault" comes in. MSU didn't cause Ohio State not to be on the schedule this year; they can only play the games they have to play.

That's not to say that skipping OSU is not a bonus for the Spartans because it surely is. It's also much more pronounced because Penn State, MSU's final opponent, isn't near as threatening as they often are. So I think the statement could easily be: "It's not MSU's fault Penn State sucks." But there's a lot of good teams that haven't been able to take advantage of a favorable schedule. So if MSU wins the title I don't think there will be much to whine about, but I also think MSU has to win every game to make that a reality. Are there any excuses for getting beat? No, just the fact that you got beat, but I don't think they'd be adding an asterisk to the record book if it was by Ohio State instead of someone else.

Who is at fault?

Something you hear about on the radio often right now is MSU football. I'm talking The Huge Show and WDFN The Fan. MSU has the potential to go 12-0 (and then not make the championship game even though undefeated...I can't wait for that.)

Many callers regularly drop the "It's not State's fault they don't play Ohio State this year" card. I think, if that's the case, then MSU has no excuses if they lose any games. Saying "It's not their fault..." just sets them up for failure. Losing to Ohio State is an excuse. By not playing them, you have lost your only excuse for not finishing undefeated.

Using the excuse "It's not State's fault they don't play Ohio State this year" isn't an excuse, and it's weak.

Say It Ain't So

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1745960/

Rome Take - 10/18/10‏

Cowboys Self Destruct Again

The Cowboys not only lost a must win game, but completely self-destructed again, proving they are the most undisciplined, overrated, underachieving team in the NFL. Their deal is pretty clear by now; overwhelm the opponent with yards. Then, double them up with penalties…the types of penalties that take points of the board and kill drives. A flag that took away a 68 yard T.D. for Miles Austin and a 34 yard punt return for Dez Bryant.

Those types of penalties…and while you’re at it, go ahead and allow another kickoff return for a T.D. because you’re good enough to overcome that…and send another kickoff out of bounds. That’s a 1-4 football team that looks like a 4-12 football team, but with 12-4 talent. But don’t tell that to receiver Roy Williams. Uh-oh. Although everyone else in the world says you are what your record says you are, Roy says the Cowboys aren’t; “Are we a 1-4 football team? Not but yes. We’re undefeated in these losses. Cowboys are 4-0 because we beat ourselves. We beat ourselves in all of these losses.” Awesome. Even for you, Roy. That’s funny; I thought you were in last place. When you’re really in first place. My bad. I thought you choked away another one to Minnesota Sunday, when you really laid a beat down on them. When the postseason starts, Roy will be at the stadium, in his gear, ready to go. And security will be like, uh, Mr. Williams, can I help you? Yeah, you can help me; by getting the hell out of my way, so I can get on the field; I have a game to play. Uhh, Mr. Williams, you’re not playing today; y’all finished 4-12. No we didn’t fool, we finished 14-2; we were 10-0 in those games we lost, because we beat ourselves; now, get the hell out of my way, before someone gets hurt. They’re not only the most undisciplined and overrated team in the NFL, they’re the most deluded and myopic. And it all starts with the head coach. And of course, Jerry Jones reminded everyone that he has never fired a coach in the middle of a season and is not going to right now. Whatever. It’s not like there’s anyone on his staff who could do any better than Phillips anyway. But you know Jerry’s working his list, looking for Philips replacement. Time to look in the mirror once again Jerry: do you want to win, or do you want to absolute authority; because the two are not mutually exclusive. If you want to hire a puppet that you can manipulate and roll over, go find another doughy son of a coach who is better suited to coordinate a defense than lead men. But if you want to win, and get the most out of the talent you’ve acquired, you better take a big swing and hire a legitimate leader and head coach. A guy who will motivate, instill discipline and hold guys accountable. Again, do you want to win, or do you want a guy who will yes you and who you can control. It’s one or the other; make up your mind what’s more important. Better to get a little less credit on a winning team, than to get all of the credit on a loser.

Comic Cover of the Week: Spider-Man vs. Vampires #1

This Is A Heart Attack

This one goes out to the Spartan football team because they almost killed me today:

Comic Cover of the Week: The Muppet Show Comic Book #11

Gerard Butler at Homecoming

I shouldn't have been worried about the game against Illinois. Why? Gerard Butler was there:

The most beautiful car in the world? Part 2

If the Ferrari 458 Italia isn't your thing, maybe you'd like the Aston Martin V12 Vantage?

Thoughts on Saturday

- Are Wolverine fans feeling a little déjà vu? I don't think this team will crash as thoroughly as last year's (I can hope though!), but it still has to be an awful feeling.

- Is Denard Robinson still a Heisman contender?

- I really didn't expect Wisconsin to beat OSU. I was hoping for it, but I'm surprised it happened.

- I'm having a hard time accepting that MSU is likely considered the favorite to win the Big Ten title by many. Sure, I think it's a possibility, I'm just not used to others agreeing.

- It is mind-boggling that winning that title would put them in the hunt for the national title. I don't think MSU is that good, but I think they'll have to run the table to win the Big Ten, and if you do that your BCS ranking has to be pretty good.

- The Illinois game felt a lot closer than it was.

- MSU often has trouble with Northwestern. They need to start fast next week.

- Things are going to start getting a lot more heated with all these Iowa fans.

The most beautiful car in the world?

I saw the Ferrari 458 Italia featured on Top Gear last night and had to check it out:


I don't know if it's the best-looking car in the world, but it has to be in the running.

Comic Cover of the Week: Jonah Hex #60

RE: Breaking Down The Game

Bell and Baker...were who we thought they were. Good.

Special Teams: I should not know Keshawn Martin. He went beyond special teams, unfortunately.

Greg Jones who? I didn't feel he was a factor.

D-Rob: Absolutely the MVP of the game (for the wrong team).

Offense: Very impressed with how Michigan ran the ball in the first quarter.

Score: Shocked to see it 3-0 after 1st quarter. A Michigan victory if they could have kept MSU at 14 at halftime. But, 17 wasn't terrible, especially knowing any other D-1 team in the nation could have nailed that FG before the half. At least acknowledge UM should have been winning 14-0 after the 1st quarter.

I feel cheated out of a good game. It's like I keep hoping they are playing a "do-over" tomorrow. 3 INT's can't happen. I don't put this on Rich Rod. Either it was the game plan or D-Rob that decided to get away from what had been working the first 5 games. The decision making on somebody seemed timid. Even before the game, I thought MSU was the better team, I just didn't want to get embarrassed.

Bell+Baker+Cousins+Crappy Michigan Defense+Spartan Stadium = 4 straight MSU wins.

Personally, I picked MSU to win by 3 touchdowns. Yeah, yeah, we all heard "last team with the ball wins," or "first team to 35 points wins." Forget it. MSU by 3 TD's.

Captain America: Super Soldier

This looks fun:

Things You Don't Want To Do

The owner of a Bugatti Veyron in Germany crashed his car on an autobahn. At 125 mph. Into a truck. Everyone was unharmed, but approximately $558,792 of damage was done to the Veyron. Yikes. (Hat Tip: Top Gear website)

?

You know what the best sound in the world is? "Go GREEN! Go WHITE!" echoing across the Big House.

Breaking Down Saturday's Game

The simplest way to break down Saturday's Michigan-Michigan State game seems to be to look at the three phases of the game. So let's take a look:

Special teams: MSU has a kicker. UM was holding auditions. Whoever UM has returning kicks and punts is not better than Keshawn Martin. Advantage: MSU.

Defense: MSU has had a weak pass defense, though they played well against Wisconsin, and an excellent front seven. UM gave up 35 points to Indiana. Advantage: MSU

Offense: MSU has a great group of WRs, one of the best QBs in the conference, and a lethal RB tandem with Baker and Bell. UM has one of the most explosive players in the country. Advantage: Push.

Intangibles: UM is playing at the Big House and desperately need to beat MSU to prove the program is back on track and to avoid three straight losses to the Spartans. Coach Dantonio returns to the sidelines for MSU after a heart attack and MSU wants to derail UM's media-anointed "return to glory" and leave Ann Arbor 6-0. Advantage: Push.

I'm predicting lots of points scored in a game MSU wins in the 4th quarter. I also think there's a 50/50 chance Greg Jones literally splits Denard Robinson in half.

What?

I stop paying attention for something like ten minutes and Randy Moss is back in Minnesota? What is going on?

Ken Block on Top Gear

Comic Cover of the Week: Deadpool Pulp #2

Re: Geico

This is my favorite.

RE: Sneaky End Credits

Yeah, if it wasn't explained well enough, the hammer you see at the end is the same as in this picture from Thor:


There's also a post-credit sequence at the end of Hulk that features Tony Stark. And, if you look carefully, you can see news footage from Hulk playing on TV screens in Iron Man 2.

Woodchucks

My dad mentioned this commercial a few weeks ago and I finally saw it yesterday. I thought it was pretty funny, so I figured I'd share:

Sneaky End Credits

For whatever reason, I decided to watch or fast-forward through the entire end credits of "Iron Man 2." I get to the end and there is a 45 second clip. I'm not a comic book guy and I don't really understand "Iron Man" and "The Avengers," so I went to the IMDB for some clarification. Then I thought, I wonder if they pulled the same stunt at the end of the first "Iron Man?" Sure enough, they did. But I'm not going to spend the money to rent the movie just for 45 seconds. Thankfully "YouTube" had me covered.

Another Question

Who was that MSU team and where did they come from? Because they were awesome.

?

In a sportsmanship email I received from the MSU Athletic Department today it quotes the following statistic: 89% of MSU fans in the stands think it is acceptable for fans to yell or chant loudly to make it difficult for the opposing team to communicate. Sure, of course. So what the heck is wrong with that other 11%? Did they not return the survey? Are there actually fans that think you should stay quiet for the opposing team?