Son Of Celebrity Of The Month

Through the years, we've had a number of Celebrities of the Month. 

But now we have the first two time winner.  

He first won in 2006, and now Alice Cooper has won it again. 

Just because of one thing. This picture. 

I'm sure he does this type of thing wherever he stops on tour. But that doesn't make it look less cool.

New Math

The Avengers=Totally Awesome

So Far So Good

It's still really early.  But this season has been amazingly fun to watch.  I really like this team.   Probably because of this.

Beltran's been a beast, Freese has picked up where he left off, Holliday is heating up.  And Berkman has hardly played yet.

Spider 3 Y Banana

That's become a catch phrase. Because of this year's version of Gruden's QB Camp.

Every Spring I look forward to Jon Gruden and his show. This year did not disappoint. It's on again on ESPN2 at 9:00 PM and 12:30 AM tonight, in case you missed it. As well as Monday and next week on ESPNU.

Gruden puts people on the hot seat in a fun way. Very entertaining, even brilliant, TV. The guy can coach.

Here's a clip of this year's show.

Winning From A Distance

Not everyone was fortunate to score Game 7 tickets. But that didn't stop them from having a good time. They just wanted to be a part of it all.

In the top of the ninth, some of the gates at Busch Stadium were opened, letting in some of the crowd who had gathered outside. Storming in, there were a few able to catch the last out.



Others camped out and had to stay put. I don't think they minded too much.



Many who couldn't get in the stadium went to a downtown establishment near Busch to watch the game. They don't look like they were too cheated from the experience.



Some were able to get standing room only tickets, and watched from a vantage that was almost outside the stadium. That was good enough. In fact, their vantage point was almost better than others closer, as they could see what was going on both inside and outside the stadium. I love the view of people climbing the gates and generalized craziness witnessed from a bird's eye.



But the best view of all had to be from the east parking garage. They could see in the stadium, as well as several blocks surrounding. No doubt it was party time downtown on October 28, 2011.



Thankfully, the celebration did not get out of hand. Angus, who was an eye witness, could attest to that. Just a lot of yelling, honking horns and high-fives.



Good times.

A Final Look Back...At Least For Now

Tomorrow, a new baseball season begins for the Cardinals, meaning it's time to start looking forward, not backward. So, some final remembrances of 2011.

The last 5 months I've explored the far reaches of the internet, looking for videos to capture the magic of the 2011 World Series for the historical record.

There's lots of them. The next couple of days I'll post some of my favorites.

We'll start with these three. None are very long.

I find these 3 videos significant, not so much for the bedlam of the miraculous Game 6, but for the perspective of the dumb-founded Ranger fans lost in a nightmare from which they will never totally escape. Time may pass, years fly by, but what might have been will always haunt them.

Whoever they are. (And thanks to the documenter of such, whoever they may be, for their videos).

So close, but never to be. It's the flip side, the yang to the yin, so to speak. Whenever something great happens in team sports, something bad is happening to someone else.

Let's start with the bottom of the 9th, already mid-flight of Freese's heroic triple. I especially feel bad for the the two women sitting behind the documenter of the moment, wiping away a tear, or more, after Freese's 9th inning triple, around the 37 second mark.



I kind of wonder what their story is, why they are at the game, and why it obviously means so much to them. Those two, at this moment, are the embodiment of what sadness is.

The contrast of unbridled joy and heart-break makes these videos remarkable. Here's Berkman's 10th inning heroics.



Again, notice all the blue-hatted Ranger fans, waiting for that 3rd strike, that 3rd out, that never came. Who I think after this moment, had to realize the futility of their cause, and, their certain defeat. The 2 women do not appear, but the Rangers fan at around the 39 second mark, standing in stunned disbelief, sums it all up. A picture is worth a thousand words.

The last video starts with Freese's homer mid-flight. The women in the first video make a brief appearance around 1:05, but are gone forever soon after.



The Rangers fans appeared to be pretty good sports about the whole thing, although what else could they do? They were part of something they would never forget, but for all the wrong reasons.

As a Cardinals fan, I have felt the unsurpassed joy of winning, but also can understand, a little, what these Rangers fans went through. Having lived through a Game 6 of my own, in 1985, I kind of can sympathize with them.

Which is why, if the Cardinals don't make it this year, I'll be pulling for them this year. Especially since I really can't stand the Angels. But no need to go into that right now.

A Good Time Was Had By All

When's the last time you had as much fun as these guys, and their audience, are obviously having? Especially Ringo!

And what else can you say about Ringo? Besides Quintessential Drummer?



You have to be in awesome shape to drum.

Wasting Time

We'll lose another perfectly good hour today. All for no apparent reason.

Nobody has ever been able to satisfactorily explain this time change thing to me. That's why, for several years, I've opted out. I keep my clocks on permanent DST.

Why can't we just pick a time and go with it?

This Just In

I just realized that tonight starts a 2nd season of Rehab Addict on DIY! Where did that come from? I know what I'll be doing in a few minutes.

Let The Good Times Roll

No, not The Cars.

Rather, motorcycles.

Don't know what made me think of this, but something reminded me of it today. One of my favorite commercials of the early '70s. Especially around the 17 second mark, of course.



If only I'd be allowed to get one.

Super Bowl Pick

Wow. You'd think the Giants were playing the Colts today.

I'm very surprised that almost no one is picking the Patriots. And it's not just the ESPN guys.

I feel like it's 2008 in reverse.

No one in their right mind was picking the Giants to beat the Patriots that year. That's why I had to pick the Giants in that Super Bowl.

Which is also why this year, I have the Patriots.

There are other reasons. First, there's Tom Brady. He's almost Joe Montana.

Then there's Bill Belichick. He's had two weeks to prepare for this game. Don't worry about New England's defense.

Then there's the revenge factor. The Patriots have had 4 years to think about what happened to them in 2008. And now they have a chance to redeem themselves.

And there's the disrespect factor. As in, no one believes New England will win.

Yeah. Today it's Bizarro-2008. I'll swim upstream again. I got New England.

NFL Conference Championship Week Picks

This is my favorite weekend of the NFL season. Usually there are good games with great teams with championships at stake. And none of the excess of what will come in 2 weeks.

Also, I'm reminded of the old NFL and AFL championships. Pre-merger. If I have one criticism of the NFL to mention today, it's that there's too much interleague play. I prefer a thicker conference boundary.

The Giants appear to be the NFL's version of the 2011 Cardinals. They got in the playoffs on the final day of the season and appear to be the hottest team left. They also have already dispatched the best team in their league in the playoffs.

For that reason I'm picking them today, against all my instincts to pick the 49ers.

And I just don't see the Patriots losing, although I'd like them to do so.

So, unfortunately, I foresee a NY-NE Super Bowl. Again.

But I'm rooting for a San Fran-Baltimore match up.

New England.
New York.

ESPN Experts here.

NFL Divisional Round Picks

I split four games last week. I'll take that. Even though I lost the game, it was hard not to root for the Broncos last week.

And even harder not to this week. They're definitely my second favorite team now.

But that doesn't mean I'm picking them.

ESPN Expert picks here.

New Orleans.
New England.
Baltimore.
Green Bay.

World Series Game Six And The Calls Of History

This is one of those posts that has been over 2 months in the making.

For baseball's most famous home runs, most are associated with one particular announcer's call. Even though more than one person would have called these games on TV and radio. It's just that the others are largely forgotten.

For example:
Bobby Thompson in 1951- "The Giants Win The Pennant!"- Russ Hodges
Carlton Fisk in 1975- "There It Goes...A Long Drive...If It Stays Fair...Home Run!"- Dick Stockton
Ozzie Smith in 1985- "Smith Corks One Into Right Down The Line, It May Go...Go Crazy Folks, Go Crazy!"- Jack Buck
Kirk Gibson in 1988- "This Is Going To Be A Home Run...Unbelievable!...A Home Run For Gibson...And The Dodgers Have Won The Game 5-4...I Don't Believe What I Just Saw!"- Jack Buck
Kirby Puckett in 1991- "And we'll see you tomorrow night!"- Jack Buck
Joe Carter in 1993- "Well Hit Down The Left Field Line...Way Back And Gone!"- Sean McDonough

Does anyone remember any other announcers calls of the above? Probably not. Although a few might remember Vin Scully's call of Gibson.

In the aftermath of the 2011 World Series, I figured Joe Buck's call on Fox would probably be forever associated with David Freese's Game 6 walk-off.

However, the past two months I have been scouring YouTube for videos of the Game 6 miracle, and I've found several calls of Freese's home run that are from various broadcasts of the game.

Feeds from ESPN Radio's broadcast, ESPN's TV broacast outside the US, the BBC, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN Brasil.

Which one will go down in history? Probably Buck's. I like it, but that doesn't mean it's my favorite.

Here's Buck's again:


Here's the ESPN Radio call from Dan Shulman:


Here's Gary Thorne's call on ESPN's world wide TV feed:


Here's the BBC's Simon Brotherton! Great stuff here:


Here's ESPN Deportes Ernesto Jerez:



Now comes the epic calls from ESPN Brasil. Does anyone speak Portugese?

I have know idea who these people are, or most of what they are saying, but they sure know how to capture the excitement of the World Series! I couldn't find a call just of David Freese's 11th inning blast, so you have to sit through a couple of innings, starting with the Freese's 9th inning heroics. But it is SOOOO worth it! The color man especially, is like Brazil's answer to Mike Shannon!


These last two videos just go to show you that baseball has it's own language- you don't have to speak the announcer's language to understand the thrill of it all.

So, I'm sure Joe Buck's call will stand the test of time. But there is no way, NO WAY, that these others should be forgotten. I wanted to make sure they were preserved for posterity.

(And for those of you who appreciate the Brazilian announcers like I do, here are all of their calls of all the Game 6 scoring. The internet doesn't get any better than stuff like this!)

NFL Picks Wild-Card Weekend

So, congratulations are in order. To me!

Last week's 13-3 record led to my finishing this season in 1st place amongst the humans, with a 168-87 overall record. It's my first "championship" in my head to head against the ESPN Experts, something I've done for a number of years now.

Thank you. I finished a game in front of Schlereth and Wickersham. Okay, so the computer did the best and Schlereth has forgotten more about football than I'll ever know, but who cares about that?

Now comes the playoffs. Always the hardest part of the season to predict. The games are for the most part a toss-up. A coin-flip, if you will.

And you know what that means! Just in time for the playoffs, it is the return of my trusty quarter to see if it can best me.

Who'd have thought we would ever have seen playoff games featuring Houston against Cincinnati and Detroit against New Orleans? And yet, today it is happening.

My quarter likes:
Cincinnati.
New Orleans.
Giants.
Denver.

I like:
Cincinnati.
New Orleans.
Giants.
Pittsburgh.

ESPN Experts like:
Go here. But why bother? I can pick better than those guys!

NFL Picks Week 17

Happy New Year!

Last week I was 11-5, making my record 155-84 for the season. ESPN records here. I'm just two games out of first place. So anything could still happen. Their are 8 games in which I have picked differently than the two leaders.

Last weeks are hard to predict. Some teams are resting starters, others desperate to make the playoffs, and others ready to go home.

It's hard to believe we've come to the end of another football season. The Bears were eliminated last week, which means they have absolutely nothing to play for this week. Except to escape any more injury. Let's hope they escape and look forward to training camp this July.

It's really a shame because of what might have been had Cutler and Forte not been hurt 6 weeks ago. The Bears defense isn't getting any younger and neither is Devin Hester. The window of opportunity just got smaller, and with the rise of the Lions this year could possibly have slammed shut. The Lions will gain playoff experience this year and should get better, while the Bears really needed to put it together this year.

In other words, this may have been their best opportunity for the foreseeable future. And now its over.

There's a little drama heading into the last day. There are a few playoff scenarios to be played out. But for the most part, it's on to the playoffs.

Which start tonight for the Cowboys and Giants. Loser goes home. Just like the playoffs.

Anyway, I did far better this year than I could have ever imagined. I actually have 8 more victories than I managed last year. Not bad.

New Orleans.
New England.
Minnesota.
Miami.
San Francisco.
Green Bay.
Philadelphia.
Jacksonville.
Tennessee.
Arizona.
Denver.
Atlanta.
Baltimore.
Pittsburgh.
Oakland.
Giants.

Bethlehem Star

Saw this guy's video a few months back. It is very fascinating and worth a look if you've never seen it.

The evidence this guy presents is pretty compelling. Not being an astronomer, I have no idea whether he is right or wrong. Perhaps it is easily discounted by someone more knowledgable, but I know of no one so far who has.

Whether it is the way things happened or not is not ultimately important, as one's faith does not hang on one man's research.

But if it is really true all I can say is...



"Awesome! Totally awesome!"

NFL Picks Week 16

Last week's 7-8 record was the disaster I didn't need. My overall record this year is now 144-79. ESPN Experts here. I'm in third place, but I'm now 4 games behind first place with only 2 weeks to go. Doesn't look good.

Kansas City.
Tennessee.
New England.
Cincinnati.
Denver.
Pittsburgh.
Jets.
Washington.
Carolina.
Baltimore.
Detroit.
Philadelphia.
San Francisco.
Green Bay- Sunday Night.
New Orleans- Monday Night.

Thursday Night NFL Pick

Houston.


So tempted to pick Indy, though.

NFL Picks Week 15

Last week's 11-5 showing gave me a 137-71 record entering this week's games. And I missed out on a win last night. I knew there were Saturday games in December, but forgot about it in the end. Too bad, the Cowboys would have been an easy win.

Anyway, I'm still in contention, although now 3 games behind Schlereth and 1 behind Wickersham, in 3rd place among the ESPN Experts who are human.

The Bears surprised me last week in almost winning against the Broncos. That's how sad the season has become, I'm satisfied with the result of almost-winning. I'm just anxious for the season to end now.

It's even worse than that. I'm just happy to see the Bears put points put on the board. Which is why I can't pick them today, either, even though almost everyone else is.

Fourteen games today. At last we have good Sunday Night and Monday Night games. There are a lot of coin flip games late.

This week could be great or ugly. My rank in the final NFL Picks standings will likely be decided today.

Houston.
Giants.
Buffalo.
Seattle.
New Orleans.
Cincinnati.
Tennessee.
Green Bay.
Oakland.
New England.
Jets.
Arizona.
Baltimore.
San Francisco- Monday Night.

Thursday Night NFL Pick

Atlanta.

NFL Picks Week 14

I limped into a 10-6 record last week. For a while I thought it would be the worst week of the season but managed to pull out all but one of the late games. I am 126-66 for the year. ESPN Expert records here. I'm alone in 2nd place, still two games behind the first place human Schlereth, although the computer is now 7 games in front.

It's safe to say the Bears are out of it. I would not be surprised if they lost the rest of their games. What little remains of their offense will struggle against Denver today. It will be interesting to see if they just give up, but I doubt it.

It's funny how Houston has also been riddled with injuries but continued to win.

San Diego could still win the AFC West.

I think we're going to have a team go undefeated and another go winless in the same year.

Giants-Dallas should be a good late game. Not a lot of thrilling match-ups today otherwise.

And another dud Monday Night game.

Jets.
Tampa Bay.
New England.
Atlanta.
Baltimore.
Miami.
Detroit.
New Orleans.
Cincinnati.
Denver.
San Francisco.
San Diego.
Green Bay.
Dallas.
Seattle- Monday Night.

The Business Of Business Is Business

I don't agree that baseball is a business, just as I don't agree that it's a game.

Then what is it exactly? The answer, like most things, is "it depends".

What we all saw last October was clearly that baseball is a game. To be enjoyed. And there is no better example of this than the 2011 World Series.

But now, this time of year, baseball is a business. So the parties involved in the business have to do what's in their best interests.

Which is the beauty of the Albert Pujols signing this week by the Angels. I think all the principal actors in it won. At least for awhile.

Albert won the second biggest contract in MLB history. No doubt it would have been the biggest ever if the Yankees and Red Sox had not already had 1st basemen.

This signing fits perfectly for Pujols, who will undoubtedly benefit from being a DH later in his career.

But the biggest reason this is good for Pujols is, of course, "the money". (I'm overlooking the fact, for the moment, that on numerous occasions Pujols said it wasn't about "the money" and that he already had plenty of it. That's fodder for another post).

The Angels won, at least for the immediate future, in that they get the best hitter in the game. Ask me again in 5 or 6 years if they are still "winners" on this point and I might have a different opinion. I've watched Albert Pujols closely these last 11 years, and the Albert Pujols of today is definitely not the Albert Pujols of 5 years ago. I don't see any reason why this trend will not continue. (If I may paraphrase Toby Keith, "he ain't as good as he once was, but he's as good once as he ever was." Nowhere was this more evident than in the World Series, where he had 1 game where he was the best ever, but really did not do a lot in the other 6).

Which brings me exactly to the reason why the Cardinals also won in this deal. They are not going to be handcuffed by an expensive contract to an aging player when he is past his prime, allowing them much more flexibility in an uncertain economic era.

They have Molina, Wainwright, Freese and Craig to take care of in the future. No way that was happening with a huge Albert contract.

A lot of people think the Cardinals should take the money they were trying to come up with for Pujols and get 2 or 3 other players. But I don't. For it is the spending of the money they supposedly don't really have, whether to Pujols or others, that is the the handcuffing factor. Mid-season deals are easier to make if one remains flexible.

And the Cardinals farm system is loaded right now. With or without Albert, the Cardinals can still contend.

In the business sense, everyone wins right now. As a fan, I'm disappointed it happened like this. I would rather have Albert than not have him. But at this time of year baseball is a business, and it doesn't operate in the realms of hope and sentimentality.

Fortunately, it won't stay this way. I'm already looking forward to spring training, when all that game stuff will start again.

Thursday Night NFL Pick

Pittsburgh.

More to come.

NFL Picks Week 13

Last week's 11-5 puts me at 116-60 on the year. I'm in fourth place amongst humans heading into the week but only two games out of first. This whole thing is up for grabs this year. And Thursday night's win helped my cause.

The Bears offense looked bad again last week. If they have any playoff hopes remaining they've got to beat Kansas City today.

I can't believe how many people are picking the Giants over the Packers. There should be, like, zero.

That's really the only interesting matchup in games starting after noon today. And Monday's game is one of the biggest duds in years.

And, yes, I'm riding the Tebow wagon until it crashes again.

Tampa Bay.
Pittsburgh.
Atlanta.
Jets.
New England.
Oakland.
Denver.
Buffalo.
Chicago.
Baltimore.
Dallas.
Green Bay.
San Francisco.
New Orleans.
San Diego- Monday Night.

Thursday Night NFL Pick

Seattle.

A Slight Misunderstanding

I found out, too late, that today was actually "Cyber Monday".

I had never heard of this before. I wish I had paid closer attention.

Because I could have swore they said today was "Fiber Monday". Not good.

Oooooh {shudder}. Going to be a long night.

NFL Picks Week 12

A 10-4 record last week puts me at 105-55 for the year. I'm just a game out of first place amongst the ESPN humans. Wickersham came from nowhere and went 13-1 last week, tying him with Allen for 1st place. Those two are usually in the back by this time of the season. It's been a weird year.

Anyway, the Bears have a tough one today. Should be a good game to watch. Despite the QB injury, I would like to think they still have a shot at the playoffs. Atlanta and the Giants are right behind.

The Bears need for the Lions to keep losing and someone to keep the Falcons and Giants down. I don't think I can count on the Vikings today, however. I probably can count on the Saints tomorrow.

This looks like the Colts best chance for a victory this season, as the rest of their schedule looks tough.

Houston.
Jets.
Cincinnati.
Atlanta.
St. Louis.
Carolina.
Tennessee.
Chicago.
Seattle.
San Diego.
New England.
Pittsburgh.
New Orleans- Monday Night.

Did I Misremember?

"My intention was not to kick anybody, as I did not, removing myself...I was on top of a guy, being pulled down, and trying to get up off the ground -- and why you see me pushing his helmet down, because I'm trying to remove myself from the situation, and as I'm getting up, I'm getting pushed, so I'm getting myself on balance." - Ndamukong Suh.

That's an interesting statement about yesterday's incident. He was just trying to maintain his balance and used another player to do it.

But I could have swore I saw this guy stomp on another player.

I guess I'm not the only one, though. There are over 5000 comments on this statement from ESPN's article about his explanation.

This is one of my all time favorite comments:

"When I left for work yesterday morning I slipped on a patch of ice. I didn't want to fall, I mean who does, right? As I was slowly and awkwardly careening towards the earth, I was able to reach out and slam a passerby's head into the ground a few times, before finishing him off with a perfectly executed stomp. Thanks random pedestrian! If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have regained my balance." - Ketelnutzz.

Thanksgiving Picks

Finally some good match-ups on Thanksgiving. Every game has potential.

It would be best for the Bears that the Packers win today. The Bears aren't going to win the division, but their position in the playoff seedings is up for grabs with the Lions.

However, I'd hate to see the Packers run the table and go undefeated. So part of me wants to see the Lions win. Which I think they will.

Miami is hot and so is Dallas.

But the most intriguing match-up to me is tonight's Baltimore-San Francisco game on NFL Network. I think we'll finally see how good the 49ers are.

Detroit.
Dallas.
Baltimore.