What If...

I've tried to remain quiet about the Cardinals' success so far this year. Somewhat out of fear of "jinxing" the team (as if my actions had any role in the team's outcome), but mostly because I didn't want to praise the team and then look stupid when it went in the tank.

I was quite excited going into this season due to the new faces and lowered expectations everyone else had. Although it received little love from the pundits, I liked this team a lot. It had gotten a lot younger and hungrier over the winter.

Now with the season past the half-way point, I have to say this has been one of the most enjoyable seasons to watch. Because the expectations were lower than past years, there has been no great frustration those few times when the team hasn't played well.

The opposite effect is also most certainly true- there is nothing more aggravating than seeing a team with supposedly great players struggling, like we've seen occur in past seasons.

This season kind of reminds me of the 2006 post-season. What made that whole thing so enjoyable was not just the ultimate victory that resulted, but the way the team played so loosely under little expectation of triumph. We just sat back in awe and enjoyed the ride. Let some other team grip while we just have fun.

To be only 4 games in back of the Cubs and leading the wildcard with the starting rotation stitched together like it is is simply a gift. It has been enjoyable.

IF things go according to plan, this team is about to get a lot better in the next month. I see no need to make a trade.

Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, the two best pitchers the Cardinals have, are set to return within the month. Carpenter hasn't pitched a meaningful game since Opening Night 2007, the game in which he was injured. But apparently all systems are go for his return as he has been sent out for a rehab assignment that could take up to 30 days.

Injuries are always the joker in the deck, so the outcome of a season is always in doubt. However, this season has to be labeled an unqualified success, regardless of what happens here on out.

Do I think we're going to see a repeat of 2006? No, not likely. Could it happen? Yes, absolutely. And to be able to say that heading toward August and September is good enough.

All Star Game

St. Louis gets the All Star Game next year. A chance to highlight the city's new ballpark, just like Yankee Stadium in New York this year, and all the new stadiums in recent memory.

So what's the problem?

This is season three of the new stadium. The new stadium also promised a new "ballpark village" over the remaining site of the former Busch Stadium, immediately north of the new one.

Problem is, there remains no ballpark village.

So, when everyone gathers for the All Star Game fun next year, what are they going to say about this eyesore? (Photo courtesy of St. Louis Daily Photo Blog)





Another view (originally found here)




Still another view (courtesy of Urban Review STL)



At least this guy has the answer! Merchandise the St. Louis mudhole!

Since they had nothing better to put here, they should have listened to the Sklar brothers and made the gigantic Busch Stadium they proposed back in 2005.

Such an embarrassment.

Questions In Search Of Answers

Aren't libraries just giant file-sharing administrators? The "files" being books, magazines, videos, CDs, newspapers, etc.

Why don't publishers of these particular articles of information "go after" libraries for distributing their materials? Don't these lending institutions cut into the potential profits of these giant producing corporations? I don't have to go buy a book- I can just check it out, read it, and return it. Same with music, periodicals or newspapers.

And yet if I do the same thing on the internet, I might potentially be breaking the law.

There must be a reason. I don't get it.

Things I Learned From PTI

Did you know July 9th was the birthday of OJ Simpson, Courtney Love...and John Tesh?

I learned of this strange trio from PTI, my favorite ESPN weekday informant. I verified it at this nifty website, where I also learned Ed Ames was a member of this club.

At the NNDB site you can look up any date to see who you share a birthday with, but I digress.

Does anyone else think this is the most bizarre arrangement of celebrities born on the same date that I do?

Here you have a multiple murderer who can't stay out of trouble, a drug addicted rock and roll singer who can't stay out of trouble...and John Tesh? Where does he fit in to this melting pot of mayhem?

Makes you wonder what Tesh is hiding under his rug, doesn't it?

That group just doesn't fit together. The fact that those three are linked together by anything at all is just-this-side of crazy.

But then I looked at who was born on my birthday, just to see if there was an even weirder group I could come up with.

Try this on for size- November 7th, my birthday, claims the bizarre triumvirate of Judy Tenuta, Dana Plato and Billy Graham.

Not too shabby, huh?

So my question for you all is this- do you think you can mix together a weirder combination of 3 people born on your birthday that beats July 9th or November 7th?

World's Strongest Man

That's one of my favorite competitions on ESPN.

But how about a new competition, ESPN- World's Toughest Man?

I have my first nominee- Chris Snyder, Arizona Diamondbacks catcher.

In fact, I'm not even tough enough to type up a post about what happened to this cat. So I'll let Jim Rome's 'take' suffice. It was even better on the radio- I almost spit spit.

From his website:
"This next ‘take’ is extreme graphic in nature! And, horrifying! And that’s why I’m going to tell it to you. Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Chris Snyder just suffered the worst injury in the history of major league baseball…a fractured testicle!

Insane! A foul ball off the face without a mask would have felt good by comparison. Given the choice between getting shot in the face and that…I’m taking the lead.

The D-Backs immediately put Snyder on the 15 day D.L.

Never mind the 15 day D.L., how is the guy not dead? If it were me, I would have asked the groundskeeper to break out a shovel, bury me right there behind the dish and I’m calling it a day.

If that guy bounces back from that in two weeks, he’s the toughest “cat” ever!

Aron Ralston, who was trapped under a boulder, broke his own arm and then sawed it off with a pocket knife in order to walk down the side of a mountain to safety...can’t believe how tough Snyder is.

Stay strong bro! I’m already in the process of designing you a “kevlar cup”! Get well…every dude on the face of the earth is pulling for you. Seriously!"

15 day DL? How about 15 year DL?


Okay, Aron Ralston, Chris Snyder, and that dude from the X-games last year who fell from the sky from his skateboard are my first 3 nominees for Toughest Man. Any other nominees?

TV B.C.

And by B.C. I mean "before clickers".

Back in the day, there was some real competition for viewers between the big 3 networks.

For example, check out this TV prime time lineup from 1970 (from the Super Seventies website- just click to enlarge):



Check out Sunday. You could watch for 2.5 straight quality hours, going from 'Wild Kingdom' to 'Hogan's Heroes' to 'Ed Sullivan' to 'Bonanza'.

Monday's even better. Not only do you have 'MNF', but you could catch 'Gunsmoke', 'Here's Lucy', 'Doris Day' and 'Carol Burnett'. Or 'Laugh In' if none of that floats your boat.

Just pick a night. It's like an All-Star lineup. One could even argue a Hall of Fame lineup. There's something to watch every night of the week.

And the 1960s are even better.

Nowadays, except for sports, I'm lucky to find something once a week I really don't want to miss.

Note that this is all pretty much before cable TV's boom.

I'm not going to completely knock cable. Cable certainly has had it's TV advantages. Particularly when it comes to sports coverage. I think it's not a stretch to suggest the Olympics are no longer as big a deal now as opposed to then because there is so much sports saturation.

But the thing that makes this TV lineup better than today's is simple- today there is just too much TV. Way back then, only the most talented actors, entertainers, writers and producers got a chance to work at this level. If you weren't that good, you just didn't make it.

Now, with 500 channels, no talent hacks can put something on everyday. It's diluted the quality down to nothing.

Not unlike how the quality of pitching goes down when baseball expansion occurs. With more roster spots to fill, those who never would have gotten to the big leagues before become major leaguers due to this competitive advantage.

Anyway, I find such useless information fascinating. There's a lot more old TV schedules out there to peruse if you're interested. Just Google the TV year and have at it.

Since Angus Didn't Post It...

...I will. But credit him for finding it on YouTube.

Designing Ice Road Cardinals- A Sunday TV Trifecta

Yesterday's Cards-"Sawks" baseball marathon was exciting enough, yet disappointing ultimately. It also didn't leave me time to get much done before Design Star and Ice Road Truckers came on.

Since when did Ice Road Truckers become a comedy? A laugh track could easily have been put on the last two shows, what with Drew and Rick's comic shennanigans. Hugh and Alex are again showing why they are old-school tough men, while the comedy team of D&R are showing us how weak, juvenile and lazy they are. The sight of Drew driving a fork lift and cube truck last week was only surpassed in hilarity by Hugh's scornful guffaws aimed at Drew.

Rick getting in two accidents in less than a week, costing his owners thousands of dollars of repairs, and yet seeming to have no remorse or awareness of his driving shortcomings, is pathetic. He sits around acting angry that he can't get out and make money, completely missing the obvious fact that HE ALONE is the reason he can't get out and make money.

I have to say last night's Design Star left much to be desired. Disappointments with the quality of the finished rooms and the contestant bickering seem about equal, both with me and with the message boards.

As I posted earlier, D. Paul had no chance to win, and last night the deal went down as he was sent home. But did he really deserve to go?

The answer is yes. Although a strong argument could be made for Tracee or Jennifer.

D. Paul's mistake was in missing the point of the whole challenge, which was to incorporate his garage sale junk into the sitting room in some way.

He was too distracted by the sheer height of the room's ceilings, and it cost him.

So what does he do? He appears to wait until there is only about an hour left before deciding what to do with his junk piece, which is what he should have been thinking of from the beginning. He destroys it, then assembles some goof-trap sculpture out of its remains.

Really inspired stuff. There's no way anyone can seriously argue he didn't deserve to go out.

What blew me away the most, however, was the judges lack of attention to detail. They didn't even notice D. Paul's molding treatment that had consumed his 3 days work.

I'm not sure what the judges want this year. And Vern has been particularly petulant, almost virulent. Unless your name is Matt or Michael.

None of the other contestants brought anything inspiring to the scene last night. Which I blame on the $5,000 budget. That's not enough for a room that big with no furniture in it.

Tracee is everyone's villain. No one even spoke to her at the end when she entered the green room instead of D. Paul. Which means she has no chance to win. No one in America will vote for her now.

Unless she is paired in the final two with the annoying Michael. In which case I predict this season of Design Star will be the last, because he almost has as many negatives as she does. No one would watch those final two shows, and no one would call in to vote.

If Michael would just tone it down a little, he'd have a shot.

Matt seems to have the inside track, doing well each of the last two weeks. Mikey V. also has a good shot. That would make a good final pairing. I think I like Mikey V a little better so far, but think Matt is probably the favorite.

Two contestants down, six to go.

So here's my odds after week 3:
Matt still holds the edge at 2:1.
Mikey V. 5:1.
Trish 10:1.
Jennifer 10:1.
Michael 15:1.
Tracee 200:1.
Stephanie 200:1.

Odds to leave the show THIS NEXT episode:
Stephanie 2:1.
Tracee 2:1.
Michael 5:1.
Trish 20:1.
Jennifer 20:1.
Mikey V. 25:1.
Matt 50:1.

I was pretty right on this week, so don't forget to watch next week to see how I did!

The State Of Golf, Part 2

Another reason to love The Onion!

Design Star's New Sub-Title- "Let's Get Ready To Rumble"

The fireworks started early this year on Design Star. What a contentious group this is!

Wow. Let's review last night's show.

First off was the totally lame practical joke HGTV played on their own potential prodigy. That building a shelter thing from last week turned out to be a scam. Ha ha.

The new digs for these 9 finalists turned out to be pretty cool, but boy did our heroes do some butchering to it. And then, back in the studios, the gloves really came off, thanks mostly to our UK girl Tracee.

Boy, she didn't do herself any favors. She came off looking like a shrew. Her first mistake was not speaking her mind. Better to get things out in the open from the start than to start firing your first poison darts in front of the judges. She now has 7 other contestants who don't trust her and seemingly hate her guts.

Scottius Maximus Rules For Design Stars #1- Speak now or forever hold your peace. If you go along with something, don't come back later and say you didn't like it. Unless you like having enemies.

Then Tracee went at it with the judges. She has quite the air of arrogance. She started arguing with them, like they were her underlings.

Scottius Maximus Rules For Design Stars #2- If you want to keep your job, don't mess with the judges.

I was quite surprised by Scottie's departure. I liked that guy from the beginning. And no, he didn't do the greatest job with that bedroom, but let's face it, he went it alone, as opposed to everyone else teaming up. It was a gamble that didn't pay off. I like the motto "no guts no glory." But in this case it was more "lots of guts no glory."

Remember last year's first challenge? Who was the first to go? That's right- the lady who worked alone.

Scottius Maximus Rules For Design Stars #3- Never work the first week alone.

Scottie's bedroom wall color was okay- it worked last year, and I think the judges liked it then. Isn't it weird they seemed to hate it this year? The problem with the room was in what he chose not to do- put stuff on the walls and buy furniture. They never said what his budget was, but I wonder if they short changed him because he was only 1 man, not a 4 person group?

Too bad, because there are some others that really have to go.

1- Stephanie. She should have been toast. And she knew it. Why else would she commence sobbing? That dining room was a total disaster. I just about said a bad word when she dumped paint on that beautiful half-ton oak(?) table she managed to sucker the others into carrying into the house.

2- Michael. He's like a pinball bouncing all over the place. He acts like a gay Ed Grimley. I think there is the outside possibility that if they are not kept separated, Tracee will throttle him. As I said before, he should never have made it on this show in the first place. Please, America, make sure this guy doesn't win. I don't ask you for much.

3- D. Paul. I don't think he did a single thing except agree with Michael all night long. Either he made no contribution or HGTV edited it out. But they wouldn't do that, would they?

The living room was beautifully done, so I knew that group of 4 was going to make it. No matter how hard Tracee tried to blow it.

I liked Matt's thinking and execution. His and Mikey's bedroom (that's an awkward way to start a sentence) was the only other room that was a success. But what was with that platform on top of the beds- it was unfinished...I think.

What was up with Trish? Did she or did she not volunteer to join the 3 man group in order to work on the sunroom? So what exactly was her contribution to the festivities?

That sunroom was a mishmash of I don't know what, but I think a sunroom is supposed to be bright and cheery. A pool table and dark brown walls are not sunroom material in my world.

But I think the ugliest of the night award went to that monstrous dining room. The single worst thing I have ever seen on Design Star was that painted fireplace. It looked like someone took a tan magic marker to it and just tried to "color" it. Beyond hideous. Very unprofessional looking.

Candace Olsen probably had a seizure if she saw that. Someone call Canada to check on her, please.

Anyway, as I wrote last year, it's hard to make odds on this show, because there is no resting on laurels. There is no "immunity". You have a bad week, you're on the hotseat. One week a star, next week you're gone.

But that won't stop me. In honor of Scottie and his no guts no glory attitude, I present this weeks odds for winning and this week's odds of departure (for entertainment purposes only!) I don't have enough money to "make book".

For winning:
Matt 2:1
Mikey 5:1
Trish 10:1
Tracee 10:1
Jennifer 15:1
Michael 30:1
D. Paul 100:1
Stephanie 100:1.

For going off THIS week:
Stephanie 2:1
D. Paul 5:1
Michael 15:1
Jennifer 20:1
Tracee 25:1
Trish 50:1
Mikey 75:1
Matt 100:1.

Remember- on this site there is no wagering. What you do on other sites is entirely up to you! And don't forget to tune in again next Sunday night to see how I did!

The State Of Golf

How pathetic is it when a man on one leg is superior to all others on two? Why don't they all just give up? The only alternative is to hamper the one man in some other, not-yet-attempted way. Maybe at the next major golf tournament, the powers that be can tie both of the man's feet together, you know, just to give everyone else a chance. Unbelievable.

Hit The Ground Running, Part 2

So after watching 1st episode of 'Design Star 3' Sunday night, I hit the play button on the DVR and watched the 1st episode of 'Ice Road Truckers'. Little did I know I was about to witness the most hilarious and at the same time insanely idiotic moment of 2008 TV history. More on that momentarily.

It's good to see they brought back Alex and Hugh. At least there'll be a little competition for 'top dog'- to see who hauls the most and gets paid the most. And the new guy looks good, too.

What I didn't expect to see was the return of two of last seasons quitters. Both Rick and Drew couldn't last the season with Hugh when we last saw them.

I loved Hugh's reaction when Drew showed up- he didn't really even look up. The disdain was palpable. Hugh must have been laughing to himself, "what a joke!"

I'm glad they moved to a different route this year. Driving the same road might have been a little boring. They're even farther north this year, Inuvik, NT, Canada.

So what was the funniest moment of the year? No, not Rick's blue hair. It was Drew's incalculable foolishness. If you didn't watch, let me explain.

The premise of the show is that a group of truck drivers haul mining equipment across winter ice roads in the Arctic. The water, including parts of the ocean, freezes, and roads are cut out of the snow-packed land that is formed.

The temperature on that first day was a balmy minus 32 degrees. Sounds a little cold right?

So what does Drew do?

Drew shows up to work with a briefcase (in case I didn't mention it, he's a truckdriver) and...get this...no coat!

Yeah, that's right- no freaking coat! He states he forgot it at home. His wife had to call him to tell him he forgot it.

Nice packing job, Einstein. Dude leaves for his job within the Arctic Circle, only he forgets to pack a coat.

Heck, when I've packed to fly to warmer climates, I always packed at least a light jacket. Just in case.

But, hey, why bother when you're flying to the Arctic. They're bound to have plenty of things like coats lying around.

I don't know about you, but if I showed up for work in the Arctic without a coat, I'm not telling anyone. Because the pain of freezing to death could never be as great as the humiliation of having to admit to someone I'm the biggest moron in the world by asking them if I can borrow a coat. I'd rather die.

The question, "was Drew ever a boy scout?", has been answered.

He had to borrow one. Needless to say, I'm sure his co-workers think a lot of him.

Then Drew gets mad because the first two days go by and he isn't given a load to haul.

Do ya think the coat thing had anything to do with it?

If I'm in charge, and I'm responsible for putting millions of dollars worth of equipment on trailers and having them hauled by truck over an ice road...do ya think, I mean, do ya really think, I'm putting all that responsibility in the hands of a guy who forgets to bring his coat to the Arctic. GET REAL!

He's never leaving home base for that reason. Oh, and for that other reason- he's already quit again!

Hit The Ground Running

(Thanks to HGTV for letting me "borrow" their logo.)

Whenever starting something new while going to school all those years, it seemed someone would invariably give this advice. But I don't think the good people at HGTV have heard this one, because Episode 1 of Design Star 3 started very slow.

I wasn't one of those who went to the the website to see the cast before the first episode aired. Everyone was a new face to me. I like starting out fresh with no preconceived notions.

The first half hour was a little tedious. I get that the selection process for the finalists is interesting to some people. And there was a good smattering of goofballs to laugh at.

But there shouldn't have been goofballs. These are the finalists, for crying out loud. These people should have been weeded out a long time ago.

Then again, we are talking about designers, here. Everyone's bound to have a little goofiness to their personality.

This does look like a good group, but it seemed the HGTV people went out of their way to state how much better this year's group was. Implying last year's group was subpar.

Ouch. Did anyone else pick up on that? I have to admit, however, I agree with them- last year's group was subpar as a whole, especially compared to the first season. Just look at the two finalists.

Whether this year's group is better, however, remains to be seen.

It's good to see old Clive-boy back again. And our 3 judges.

The unquestionable leader of the judges again this year is, of course, Vern Yip. Some have said on other sites that they wanted different judges, but I like these 3 and think they do a good job.

But they made a horrible decision in giving that Michael guy a second chance. He is too young and inarticulate to host his own TV show. That was obvious at his audition. But the judges felt sorry for him. I'll never forget the sight of Vern running down the hall after this cat. That was pathetic.

And didn't this happen with a finalist last year, also? I must go to the archives of last season to see.

"America, it's official- Michael blew up under pressure."

At any rate, are they going to give the other 8 contestants second chances when they flame out? Doubtful. So the whole "contest" is already unfair.

And what's with D. Paul and his Elvis soul-patch persona? He and Michael were really the only finalists I disagreed with.

Anyway, I love the first week's challenge- 1 week and $100,000 to design and build their own living quarters! That was brilliant! I can't wait to see what happens.

The look on their collective faces- that "we're sleeping where?" look- was priceless.

So, let's play Oddsmakers, like on PTI.

I love making the odds- and this week based only on first impressions. Remember, though, just like last year- no wagering allowed on this website, please.

The favorite: Tracee at 2:1.
A good chance: Jerome (or is it "Scottie"?) and Matt at 5:1.
Fighting chance: Trish 10:1, Jennifer 10:1, Mikey 10:1.
Puncher's chance/no chance: D. Paul 20:1, Michael 30:1 and Stephanie ("I've never used a power tool") 30:1.

Who to root for? So far, I'm behind Jerome and Mikey. One's an engineer and one's a police officer. And I can pull for Matt, he's a historian, and also Tracee, a UK grad.

Remember to tune in Sunday night to see what gets built.

Another Lost Episode Of The Chris Farley Show

"Thanks...um...for being here again, Paul."

"You're welcome, Chris."

"Remember...remember those red...um...bouncy red ball thingies...um...ahh...red balls with the handles...what...that...were big and giant...remember those rubber...balls you'd sit on as a kid...and bounced around on?"

"Yeah, Chris. They were called Hoppity Hop Balls in America. Some people called them Space Hoppers, or Kangaroo Balls or just Hop Balls."

"YEAH! I KNEW YOU'D REMEMBER, PAUL! AWESOME!!!"

"What about them Chris?"

"Well...why...um...why does Cardinals announcer Mike Shannon sit on one in the Busch Stadium broadcast booth?"

A Few Of Us Don't Do This

This video makes me embarrassed to be a Cardinals fan (hanging head in shame).

What were the good folks at Busch Stadium thinking?

You want to hold a dance contest?

Fine, but next time don't sell adult beverages at that game.

Why not?

Exhibit A- Busch Stadium, beyond the centerfield area.




Busch Stadium Fan Battle - video powered by Metacafe


And before all the wiseacre comments begin, let's get one thing straight- NO, NEITHER ONE OF THESE DUDES IS ME.

Although I did once have a home-made Superman outfit. (Okay, and too-short shorts, too).

Quipper? You there? Here's two quick nominees for So Many Idiots, So Little Time.

Hat tip for the link to John Sebben.

Get Ready!

HGTV's "Design Star" is back on Sunday at 8 p.m. CDT.

They're starting a little early this summer. But that's okay. Hopefully that means more episodes.

The History Channel's "Ice Road Truckers" is also back. At the same time slot- Sunday at 8 p.m. CDT.

In the past such scheduling shenanigans would have put me through the roof, but thanks to the magic of DVR, I'll just watch one 'live' and then the other right behind it.

But which one should I watch live? How does one make such decisions?

I'm a little concerned about the quality of contestants on 'reality' shows after the first season or two. Just a hunch, but it seems the people that are picked in later seasons are picked to fit a particular niche-stereotype, rather than for who they are.

My two favorite summer series are back- watch out for more posts from me this summer.

It Changes Everything

'It' meaning where you come down on the age of the Earth.

I looked at today's Lutheran Tidbit of the Day in the sidebar-
"Luther said, 'Don't argue with the Devil...he has had five thousand years of experience. He has tried out all his tricks on Adam, Abraham, and David, and he knows exactly the weak spots.'"

Now, if Luther had lived in our day, would he have said the same thing? I hypothesize yes.

I have to believe he took scripture to literally mean what it says, unless the context is obviously a metaphor or prophecy. Meaning, if alive right now, he still wouldn't have problems writing 5000 years of experience.

That's right. I'm claiming Luther as a creationist.

Otherwise, if he weren't, he'd have to write:
'Don't argue with the Devil...he has had thousands (or millions or billions, who knows?) years of experience. He has tried out all his tricks on Adam, Abraham, and David, and he knows exactly the weak spots. He even may have tried his tricks out on Mr. Neanderthal and Rhodesian Man before that, and look what happened to them."

I'm sorry, I just don't see those sentences happening.

I just don't know what you do with anything and everything if the timeline in Genesis is not correct. I believe the whole thing starts to unravel.

I know what science says about the origins of life. And I can imagine what science would say about the Real Presence . But in either case, I don't think we have the option of Biblical unbelief.

CC: The President

Dear NASA:

When I read of the toileting troubles of the International Space Station, my thoughts could turn nowhere but to this problem, especially after it was mentioned again later on PTI's opening segment. I think it not random happenstance, but divine providence, that on the very day I learned of the current dilemma, I would learn about this via the Jim Rome Show.

Please take the time to equip all shuttles, and the space station, with the UroClub. Golf and space travel have a long association, dating back to the 1970s. Heck, Alan Shepherd might have had one of these on the moon when he was playing. So this is a natural fit. Although reportedly his was a 6-iron.

I am so happy to hear the "solid waste collector" is functioning properly. Otherwise I might have been up all night worrying about whether you were getting low and wearing helmets, as Tony Kornheiser pointed out.

Since a shuttle launch is scheduled soon, I thought you might want to order about a thousand of these things for the trip and keep them stored on board. This way, I don't ever have to read, hear, watch or otherwise be educated about space sewage. For the rest of my life

Don't ask me how such contingencies got overlooked after all these years. I'm just glad I was here to do my patriotic duty. But the next time I hear the words "Emergency Shuttle Launch", I'm not buying it if you claim that it's not toilet-related.

Oh, and don't forget to throw in a box of those "privacy shields."

You're welcome.

Sincerely,


Scottius Maximus
Spaceman

It Was Meant In A Good Way, Of Course

Am I THAT bad?!!!

This is great (read comment #2)! And even better, I got to be associated with Reclaim News and Pastor Cascione. I must be doing something right, although sometimes that is hard to see.

Maybe I should incorporate "nasty little beast" into my profile.

You Had Me At Hello

That's my favorite line, uttered by Charlie Steiner, from those great ESPN "This Is Sportscenter" commercials. I seem to recall it from someplace else, although I'm not sure about that. A little help?

At any rate, there are some songs that hook me right at the beginning, although not every song I love has a raucous start. In fact, some of my favorite songs start off slow before enmeshing you in a web of musicianship from which you cannot escape.

Along those lines, Led Zeppelin, usually who I consider my favorite band, is represented only four times on the following list. Yet, Guns N Roses, a band I don't consider myself to be a great fan of, has some very crafty song beginnings, and has 3 entries on my list. Weird. But alas, that is a subject for another post.

The songs I want to honor with this post are those songs that hook me from the instant I hear them. They don't necessarily have to end great, or even middle (?) great, although most do. Songs instantly recognizable, such that, unless there is some dire emergency, I'll stop to listen to whether I'm flipping the stations or just riding along in the car. Even if I only listen until the end of the song's beginning. That was a confusing sentence to write.

After a lot of thought, the following are what I believe to be the songs with the greatest beginnings. Notice a lot of these songs have strong guitar openings. Seems to be a theme for me.

I'm sure I've forgotten several, so let me know what I've omitted. And if I'm wrong about any of these, then argue your point in the comments.

My favorite song beginning? Number 10 on the playlist.

By the way, I've noticed some technical difficulties with this post. If you cannot see the player, click on "pop out player" and it will take you to the playing list.

Could It Be?

Is it possible?

That this is related to this?



"Easy Ange, I'll handle this one."

For Anyone Who Has A Blog

Warning- don't click the link until you read this post.

If you have a blog, and you are not offended by certain words (including a definite misuse of the Lord's name), you might want to watch this.

It aired Tuesday on Bob Costas' HBO program. This was a "round table" discussion of sports and sports blogs. Will Leitch, who posts on Deadspin, Buzz Bissinger, a traditional sportswriter, and Braylon Edwards, modern athlete, have a "discussion", supposedly "moderated" by Costas.

I don't have HBO, and the only reason I know about this is a local sports editor mentioned it as a guest on a local morning radio program Tuesday. He was promoting the Costas program, mostly because he and the host of that program don't like blogs. This definitely got my attention, because it sounded like potential fireworks in the making.

Although I've heard of it, I did not read Deadspin before the show aired. It's a little out there for me.

But listening to this Buzz guy, who wrote the Tony LaRussa book "Three Nights in August", by the way, made me get a little defensive. I'm a blogger, and I don't like seeing bloggers disparaged just because we're not professional writers or part of the main-stream media.

What an angry little man Bissinger appears to be. This guy totally comes unglued on national TV. He obviously does not see the irony in his speech and appearance on this show- that while trying to make bloggers out to be unprofessional, juvenile miscreants, he himself is acting like an unprofessional, foul-mouthed juvenile. Mr. Leitch ended up looking like the professional due to the real professional's(Bissinger's) behavior.

But this is what most journalists must think of bloggers. They just don't get it. It has happened time and again. True, there are bad people blogging, just as there are bad people who have radio programs, TV programs, and sadly, newspaper columns. But some of us do try to be careful about what we write, how we phrase a thought, how grammatically correct we are, and how well we spell.

I also love how Costas doesn't seem to be able to differentiate a "post" from a "comment".

I don't think these guys get it. How 'bout you? It looked less like a round table, and more like a set-up to "get Leitch", and therefore bloggers.

So if you have 18 minutes, take a look. But again, this is definitely not safe for work. Or if children are around. You've been warned.

Shout Outs

A couple o' posts
I want to link you up with.
Both written today?

Preachrboy writes on the National Day of Prayer at Preachrblog. I believe this event's purpose is for the pious and self-righteous to be seen and heard from. These folks should just go back home and do what should be done in secret.


Pastor Snyder posts on A Summary Of Doctrine and Practices at Ask The Pastor. Good Q&A for anyone interested in learning about Lutheran teaching and worship.


Thanks, men.


Now, can anyone solve the riddle of my lame haiku?

Only One Thing Left To Do

It's bad enough I have to put up with tornadoes and tree pollen in a Midwestern Spring. But if I now have to put up with this, too, then I might as well be loadin' up my truck and movin' to Beverly- or at least Californie.



"We-e-e-ll doggies!"

Ben Stein's Movie

I'd love to go see it, but I'd have to see where it is playing. It starts soon. Anyway, he and another of my favorites, RC Sproul, had a discussion about the issue and the movie. Thanks to Google Video.

My Favorite

I posted about this joke once before, but thought I'd post its actual performance. This is the best.

I Love To Verb Nouns

In other words, I like to take nouns and turn them into verbs. Don't look at me like I'm crazy. A lot of the words we use in English probably got their start this way. Such as 'phoning' someone.

But, in addition to using these like everyone else, I also like less acceptable ones.

Such as envelope. I don't turn that noun into a verb in the traditional sense. I use it to describe the process of putting a letter in an envelope. Such as 'I enveloped a stack of letters to mail today.' You can also say 'enveloping' or 'envelope' depending on what tense you are putting something in an envelope.

But my favorite has to be 'lightninging'. Probably because of the double 'ing' ending. If it's really stormy, and the lightning is flashing, that means it is really 'lightninging' out. Or you could say, in the past tense, that it 'lightninged' hard.

Any other good ones?