Movie Review - Shine A Light

The Rolling Stones in concert at the Beacon Theater in New York. Need I really say anymore?

 

Any of you out there who think the Stones have lost it, think again! Put it up on the IMAX screen and as Jerry Lee said, you have flat out got something!

 

Make no mistake about it; this is a movie of a Rolling Stones concert. There may be little tidbits of the Stones in their early years including Mick saying he could see doing what he was doing at 22 at age 60. There is Mick, Keith, Charlie and Ronnie along with regulars Chuck Leavell and Bobby Keyes and other singers and musicians. It is the power of “The Worlds Greatest Rock and Roll Band” in an intimate setting and plowing the road and taking everyone for a great ride. I myself wanted to get up and dance as the band ripped through number after number giving their all.

 

I’ve seen the band twice at the Dome and it didn’t do them justice. I imagine I’d go again if they were here, but it would take great seats. I’d much prefer to see them in a setting like the Beacon.

 

The movie may have been directed by Martin Scorsese, but make no mistake, it is Mick Jagger who is in charge. Even the set list isn’t delivered until minutes before the show to the director.

 

Jagger dominates the stage and the camera, but there is plenty of “Keef”. And let me tell you something, he can be quite scary on a 6 story tall screen, but he’s as great as he is scary. Man, that is one rode hard and put away wet dude and us Stones fans love him for it. Ronnie and Charlie get less screen time, but their talents are audibly present the whole time. As I said, they just flat out kick ass the whole time.

 

The movie does start with about 10 minutes of the band and director making their way through the tour before they get to the Beacon and even backstage when they arrive. Be aware that Slick Willie and his family make an appearance before the show and talk with the band. But don’t let that deter you from seeing this, especially if you are a Stones fan. And I suppose if you are also a Clinton fan, it’s an added bonus. The show is a benefit/birthday party for Clinton, but honestly he’s only on for a couple of minutes. Like I said, don’t let it keep you away.

 

The bottom line is that the Stones still got it. If any of you have seen the Four Flick’s DVD that came out a couple of years ago you’d know that. As it is, I can’t wait until this one comes out on DVD!

Welcome Coach Crean

This morning, Tom Crean will be introduced as the new coach of the Indiana University basketball program. Crean, who has been coaching at Marquette, apparently came to terms with the school and when asked why he was leaving Marquette for Bloomington, he replied, “Because it’s Indiana”. I wish coach Crean all the luck in the world in turning this once proud program around and putting it back where most of us Hoosier fans believe it should be. But Crean’s hiring is only the first step in what promises to be a long, hard battle to not only get the team back to the top, but to repair the bad feelings and general apathy of the fans who have been treated to a shitload of bad basketball, bad coaching, cheating and various other scandals with very little good ball thrown in.

Good luck coach!

And for those players who can't make up their mind whether or not to stay the course down in Bloomington, well, may God bless you and help you make the right decision. If you stay, great, I'll root for you next season. If you decide to leave, so be it and good luck in your future endeavors. But if any of you assholes think you are bigger than the program itself then you can go fuck yourselves, and I can post this reasonably sure there are those who do think they are bigger than the programor the team.

Sad Days For the Pacer Faithful

Last night me and the wife took in a Pacer game. First one for me in a couple of years. It was a pleasant evening, but honestly, the only reason we went was because DJ Deak was on the court with the Pacer Power Pack when they, and Boomer, did their high-flying trampoline act after the third quarter. Apparently many more decided it wasn’t worth coming out to at all. The on court product pretty much makes their case.

It was really kind of sad. A scant 8 years ago Conseco Fieldhouse was opening to rave reviews and was the home of one of the best teams in the league. In fact, the Pacers celebrated their first season in their new home by making the NBA Finals and even though they lost that series to the Lakers, the Pacers made us all proud. They played good, solid, fundamental basketball on both sides of the ball and they seemed to be really great guys.

Fast-forward to last night. The announced attendance was over 12,000, but if there was 7,000 actually there I’d be shocked. The Pacers still have the BS about us having the best 6th man in the league, but that sounds so stupid when there is no one there.

I understand the apathy towards this team. The players have had so many off court problems that it just gets to the point you don’t want to root for them as players. In fact, this morning’s news that a woman was raped at Marquis Daniel’s home over the weekend bounced right off of me. I feel for the woman, but it’s just another Pacer too close to trouble. Even if Daniels had no involvement in the action, someone he knew did. Yet these are the kind of players Larry Bird has brought here.

Besides Daniels, who does play hard, there simply isn’t much talent on the squad. JO is constantly hurt. Tinsley is hurt more and more this year after a couple of decent years. Jeff Foster is getting old and doesn’t compete like he used to. Troy Murphy hustles, but isn’t that good. Mike Dunleavy sucks. Travis Diener is a hustler, but again, that is his strong point. Talent wise this team isn’t even close. I know they’re hurt, but you have to suck it up and win some games even when it seems like you shouldn’t.

I’ve been saying for a couple of years that Larry Legend is in over his head. The fans obviously feel the same way. Indy fans may be fickle, but if you give them a team that competes and shows signs of getting better they will still back you, but this team is a disaster and the gate is showing it.

The answer? I think it’s obvious that Larry Bird has to go. All of the players are expendable, although I doubt anyone wants any of them. You have to just start over with this team. Willard wants them to just tank the rest of the season and get a high draft pick. He’s probably right. If they can draft Eric Gordon you might at least put some butts in the seats.

I hate to rag on the team because frankly I don’t feel close enough to the situation to do so, but it just makes me sad to see that beautiful arena less than half full with no real end to that situation in sight. I still love the Pacers and want them to win, but with the current team and management I just don’t see a bright future.

IU v Purdue

Just a couple of observations about tonight's game.

A nice win for the Hoosiers. 77-68 over the Boilers and now they have a share of the Big 10 lead again. Tied with Purdue and Wisconsin it's anyone's (of those three) league now.

Kelvin Sampson is a cheater and is despicable as a person. He's not a bad coach though and face it, his violations are aggressive recruiting and I have to agree with tonight's broadcast team, they aren't that bad. The real issue is that he continued the practice even after he had been caught. That said, my gut feeling tonight is that the university will deflect the blame to former president Herbert and do nothing until the hearing in front of the NCAA in May.

Had Purdue hit the front end of their one and one's and some three's they may have won. On the other hand, had the Hoosiers not turned it over a million times they may have won by 30.

Eric Gordon is playing a little too fast right now. He's young, but needs to learn a little control. Just a little though.

No matter what happens to the coach, I think this team will continue to improve and will be very happy with their result come the end of the season which just may turn out to be as long as anyone's.

Unification

It appears, once again, that the powers that be in the IRL and Champ Car are about to come to an agreement to unify open wheel racing. I, for one, will welcome a unification of the series as one is nearly defunct as I write and the other is a bad idea which has done as much harm to the sport as it has done good. And lest we start calling Tony George the salvation of the sport since he is the point man on these negotiations, let's not forget it was his, along with the CART owners, whose greed led us to where we are now.

The unification story goes as such. A couple of weeks ago FTG offered the owners of the CC teams both cars and money to come race in the IRL and effectively end the war that has raged since 1995 and split the series teams and fans and diminishing both. For some reason that only idiots like Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerry Forsythe could understand, the offer was not good enough. More was demanded and George, not unlike what he did to Bernie last year after the USGP, said no. For some reason, Forsythe and Kalkhoven decided that getting nothing was better than getting quite a bit. Had they accepted the proposal they would be back in the only race that pays worth a crap, the 500. Plus they would be able to take part in George's share the wealth TEAMS plan, which rewards teams for running the whole season rather than cherry picking the 500. I mean, that isn't that smart anyway if you look at the payout, but I've been all over that before.

The CC principals, it has been revealed, didn't even share the plan with the other owners who are getting ready for their second year in the DP01 and with little to no sponsorship money. The 500 may be diminished from what it was, but sponsors know it's bigger than any other open wheel race. That leaves few scraps for the CC teams and they are feeling the pinch as they have lost their top driver Bourdais to F1.

Now it appears as though Derrick Walker has decided that he is going to go to the IRL and it sounds like the Newman Haas team will follow. What does that leave for CC? Nothing, that’s what. They may have their few money making races, but who’s going to go watch the mostly no-name drivers run through street courses where they see the cars for a few second each lap? There simply isn’t any viability to the series without Newman Haas.

So the end of the war seems to be near. Will it matter to anyone but the few passionate race fans left? To me if it means increased visibility for the 500 then I am all for it. I don’t think it will make any real difference this year, but the increased field sizes can only help as well as the lack of confusion over the two series. I hope that the CC guys realize that they have an opportunity to put an end to the lunacy that has occurred over the past 12 years. It seems as though George has decided it is time to end and to me it is time to put the ego’s aside and do what is best for the sport. If that means TG wins then so be it. He had the trump card all along with the Speedway. The time for greed is over. KK thought he could get a bargain and sell for a profit when he bought the CART assets. Clearly he didn’t and it is time he swallowed his pride and quit losing money to save face, for spite or whatever.

If the unification doesn’t take place this time around it most likely will only happen because of the demise of CC. But worse than that, those fans who want the end of this and will welcome the end and unification will feel like we have been duped yet again by the little boys who cry wolf!

Meatloaf!

Hi folks,

I don’t get into too many cooking items on my blog, but since I stepped on my wee-wee last night, I should send out a tip. Of course it is probably something that you all know, but I learned the hard way!

In all honesty, I do, usually, make a killer meatloaf. It’s nothing out of the ordinary mind you, but that fucker is pretty tasty. It’s my mom’s recipe and basically calls for a pound of hamburger, which I usually use a low fat content version, but not a chuck since it kind of changes the taste and usually has less renderings which are kind of crucial to the process. A half of a diced up onion, which I use a partial bag of Lipton Onion Soup. I don’t use a whole bag because I think it is overwhelming. One eggiweg, some salt and pepper and some ketchup. I use about ¾ of a cup myself. And finally, and I found out that this is key, a sleeve of crackers. Mom started using Ritz many years ago and they do provide what I think is a better flavor than saltines. Of course, if you don’t put them in, it really doesn’t matter. I don’t put any ketchup or any other concoction on the top as I don’t like it, and hey, it’s my meatloaf.

Funny story about putting that concoction on a loaf. My mom made it without that for years much to my pop’s chagrin. Well one night she put it on the loaf and I was horrified. Well it was a standoff. I wasn’t eating it with the ketchup crap on top of it, even though I generally like ketchup, and I wasn’t leaving the table until I do. An hour passed after everyone else was done and there I sat. Mom tried to hang tough, but it was no contest. My will prevailed. I may have went hungry, and those who know me, know that isn’t really a problem. I was released from the table and ultimately that night we went to the mall and I got a Johnny Bench T-shirt which I remember wearing until it was threads! Mom is such a softie!

Well last night I found out that there is more to the crackers than flavor. Without them, my poor meatloaf was swimming in the renderings since there were no crackers to soak it up. It also made a much smaller loaf. Also since it was swimming in the renderings none of the bottom had that nice crunchy texture that really tastes good. It was just a disaster.

God bless Linda. She ate it last night and ate more for breakfast this morning. It was so plain jane, but she still liked it. At least the mashed taters and corn were good!

So remember any of you out there making meatloaves. DON’T FORGET THE CRACKERS!!!

Odd's and Ends During Super Bowl Week

History

So I’m listening to the news this morning and I hear that Britney Spears is locked up in a psych ward this morning and it got me to thinking about the uber-skank wars that have raged the past several years. You all know whom the uber-skank’s are don’t you? Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Paris are the A-Lister’s with Nicole Richie, Tara Reid, Pamela and other young, stupid, Hollywood hotties who garner more than their share of attention they deserve when compared to their talent. But this is about the top 2. Britney and Lohan.

Before I go on, let me just say that I like Britney and really don’t have a problem with her except where it comes to the way she is raising her kids, or as is the case, not raising her kids. Lohan on the other hand is so repulsive to me that let me just say, or paraphrase, with all props to whoever, possibly Ben Stiller, that said it first, “I wouldn’t fuck Lindsay Lohan with Bea Arthur’s dick.”

But enough of that already, this isn’t about all of that. This is about trying to maintain that number one slut, I mean slot. Or actually how this relates to something that happened more than 20 years ago and how humorous I found it and how this smacks of the same thing.

Some of you may be too young to remember when stand-up comedy was seemingly dominated by just a few really big names. Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, George Carlin were the really big names. Bill was the G-rated version, making clever observations about life and getting big laughs. Pryor was much more down and dirty with no subject being taboo. Carlin was kind of a mix. His humor being a little more cerebral than the other two, but getting in the gutter when he needed to and going G at times.

Cosby had other projects such as television and movies, but Carlin and Pryor at the time were pretty much about the stand-up even if Pryor had begun to take on movie roles. Cosby was considered the clean one with the nice-guy image and a near wholesome feeling. Carlin and Pryor both partied, to excess.

Well you can look up the exact timing of everything and who said what, but at one point Richard Pryor had a heart attack. He was still a relatively young man, but he was partying to the point of it being a career instead of recreational. About a year later George Carlin also had a heart attack, also when he was a relatively young man. Shortly after that Pryor suffered bad burns while free-basing cocaine. Not to be outdone, Carlin suffered another heart attack and joked about it in his stand-up routine saying that he led Pryor 2-1 in heart attacks, but Pryor led in burns. He joked that when Pryor burnt himself up and ‘Fuck it, I’m having another heart attack’.

Fast forward to this morning when I heard about Britney. Over the past couple of years Britney’s life had started to become more and more bizarre. Eventually she had 2 children and still she partied and acted like anything but a mother. Of course, what do you expect from some LA bayou kid who probably never knew right from wrong. In her case she had talent and that led to money which is not a good combination.

In the mean time, little Lindsay Lohan was growing up into a hottie herself, and, like Spears, was losing her mind. She was fighting her family, drinking and acting like a spoiled brat, which of course, she was.

Over the course of a couple of years, Lohan, Spears and Paris Hilton all battled for the top spot on the uber-skank chart. Paris seemed to be grabbing the lead with her TV show, constant photo ops, sex video and spoiled, rich kid behavior. That is until Britney and Lindsay began to pull out all of the stops. In fact, although Paris went to jail for her driving woes, she has pretty much dropped off the skank radar for the past several months.

But not Lindsay and Britney. Last year in a 2 month time period, Lohan was in and out of rehab 3 times. She was drunk, she was driving, she was busted twice in 48 hours last May for DUI. She was out of control. Not to be outdone, Spears went on a rampage that had her showing her crotch in paparazzi pictures, driving while holding her kid on her lap, fighting for the custody of her kids and generally showing anti-social behavior leading to today’s news.

Now I don’t believe for one second that Lohan will allow Spears to grab the top spot without a fight. It’s just that it reminds me so much of Carlin and Pryor back in the day. I can’t wait to see which one of these skanks makes the next move and what it will be!

SUPER BOWL 42

Okay, okay so the Giants DID have a chance. I never would have believed that they could have gone to Dallas AND to Green Bay and won. And in the Green Bay matchup, it was not about the weather, but simply that they were the inferior team. Same in Dallas. But win they did and now they are standing one game from being World Champions.

Honestly, other than die-hard fans and pie-in-the-sky, anything can happen types, did anyone think this team would make the Super Bowl? I sure as hell didn’t see it. Kind of reminds me of a team from last year. Remember who won the Super Bowl? Granted, the Colts were playing the Bears in the big game, but who really thought they’d even get there?

Last year, after what was a pretty lackluster regular season by the Colts, especially the defense, not many gave them a chance. Another 1 and done for the good guys! Kansas City and Larry Johnson was going to run all over the puny Colt D. Didn’t happen. A shaky Giant team probably couldn’t go to Tampa and beat the Bucs D even though the team had excelled on the road. Didn’t happen.

In the second game, the Raven D had a week off and was going to make little horsey patties out of the Colts. Didn’t happen. The Giants had no chance against what was supposed to be the NFC representative in the Super Bowl. Dallas was just too good. Didn’t happen.

Last year, the Patriots took care of the vaunted Chargers, but it was the Patriots and if they were good enough to win on the road at SDG then they’d have no problem with the Colts. Didn’t happen. Similarly, there was no way the Giants could go to frosty Green Bay and beat the vaunted Packers. Yeah, it was cold, but it didn’t seem to have an influence on the game. Still, the Packers should have ruled the day. Didn’t happen.

I’m not saying the Giants can beat the Patriots. This is where the argument breaks down. The Giants are the NFC team playing the seemingly superior AFC team in the Patriots. Last year, the Colts were the team from the superior AFC. This year the Giants are a huge underdog. Last year the Colts were the favorite. It’s just that the similarity in circumstances leading up to it are tantalizing to think about.

One last thing about the Super Bowl, or rather, the week leading up to it. Of course I am far less focused on the pregame “hike” than last year. Last year I caught just about everything the NFL Network and ESPN offered. This year, not so much. But one thing I have noticed is how little, Little Eli seems to be saying. Gap tooth Strahan can’t shut up, but Manning is silent it seems. Hope that works out for him, but I find it curious.

My prediction for the game, Patriots 37 Giants 20.

Colts :(

Where to begin? It’s been almost 20 hours since the Colts dropped their latest disappointment on us fans. Yesterday, in the final Colt game to be played at the RCA Dome the Colts lost to the San Diego Fucking Chargers 28-24. Besides being disappointed I am downright pissed off. The Colts came out and just played like crap. Other than an opening drive that produced a TD nothing came easy and more often than not, the defense failed to make plays.

After watching the Chargers last week I didn’t really think they had much of a chance. They played a lackluster game against the Titans and barely eked out a win at home. While I didn’t really think they were going to be a pushover, I didn’t expect them to really compete with the Colts. Boy, was I wrong! And like I said, the Colts played like crap!

Marvin was back after missing almost all of the season. He looked small and afraid out there and his first quarter fumble showed he really shouldn’t have been out there. Manning was okay, but he didn’t do anything above and beyond the call of duty. His two picks were tipped by the receivers. But when it counted most he overthrew Dallas to end the game.

The Colts only ran the ball 17 times. Neither the Mayor, nor Keef ever got untracked. Manning failed to look off his primary target continually and missed several wide-open guys down the field. He had time all day, but didn’t see very well.

So offensively we sucked, but we made up for it with shit defense. No pressure on Rivers gave him all day and their tall receivers made our midget DB’s look foolish. Hell everyone on D was a step behind all damn day. It didn’t make sense to me that we could neither get any pressure on Rivers nor could we hit their receivers at the line of scrimmage and slow them down. They toyed with us all day. And I knew when Volek came in we were in trouble. We’d seen that asshole beat us when he was with the Tacks.

It is all just so sad. Our last game in the dome, wasted. I don’t really think we were going to go to Foxboro and win, but at least we had another week. Now we have nothing. Maybe even less if Tony Dungy steps down as many expect him to. Many even think Marvin is going to call it a day. I don’t know if either will happen, but it will be sad to see either or both go.

As for the dome, I’ll miss it. For years I have said it is a great football stadium. Sure it lacked a lot of the creature comforts of the newer places, but as it is configured the fans are right on top of the action. Plus with only two levels everyone seems together. Like one big happy family. I love Conseco as an arena, but it has such an antiseptic feeling to it as well as having a real have and have-not feel to it. When I sit down low I feel no connection to those in the upper deck. Conversely, when I sit up there I feel no connection to the lower level. I pray the Luke isn’t like that, but I think it will.

But, the dome, home for 24 seasons of Colt football. We’ve nicked the Steel Curtain banner in the first year. Dressed in tuxes the day after one of the guys got married to go to the game. We’ve made friends with those around us. Talked to an Indiana legend. Drove some fans away. Yelled until it hurt to yell any more. Hung our heads in disgust at some of the play. Cheered at some of the more inspired play. Suffered through the darkness of 1-15 and 3-13 seasons. Roared our approval as the team won its first 14 games a couple of seasons ago only to have our hearts ripped from us much like yesterday. We’ve been to the top of the mountain beating the Patriots last year in the AFCCG and ultimately the day after the Super Bowl win, in the dome for a celebration for our conquering champions. I’ve been to NCAA tournament games, IU-Kentucky basketball games. I’ve seen the Rebels win state championships there. Watched IU play football. Been in the suites and sat near the top row of the place. All told I figured up last year that I had missed a grand total of 11 games since the Colts have been here. 12 after the Titan game this year. No one can call me fair weathered. 14-2, 13-3, 9-7, 4-12, 1-5. You name the record, I’ve been there.

I’ve seen Montana, Marino (too many times), Young, Favre, Elway, Aikman, Kelly and Esiason. I’ve seen Barry Sanders run and Jerry Rice catch. I’ve yelled at Mike Ditka and gave the finger to countless opponents.

I’ve seen our own teams, some with superior talent, some with minimal. I saw us waste 5 years on the Jeff George plan. I’ve seen Eric Dickerson, Marshall Faulk and the Edge all run the ball for us. Lately we’ve had the pleasure of watching Marvin, Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark catch the balls Peyton Manning throws. And while he may have not been as sharp yesterday, for the past 10 years I’ve watched nearly every play Manning has played.

I saw a team led by Jim Harbaugh take the team to the brink of the Super Bowl. Captain Comeback may have had the biggest heart of any QB to play the game.

I know enough not to be spoiled by the current run of success, but I also know to appreciate it and not forget what came before. I appreciate what Jim Irsay has done to make the franchise a winner. I may not care for Bill Polian’s attitude, but I tip my hat to his football mind.

Yes, yesterday is a tough pill to swallow. Hell, listening to the National Anthem for the last time got me all misty. I was almost in tears in the car going just thinking about it. I had to tap this out today because it will help me get over the bad part of the game. But I have great memories of the dome. After this I am ready to start building memories in the new place!

Jamaal Tinsley

Since it seems to be a recurring event I’ll just post that over the weekend Indiana Pacer point guard Jamaal Tinsley was involved in an incident he should be trying to avoid. Tinsley and his entourage/posse were at a club out on ghetto row when the club was cleared because of a fight between a couple of female patrons.  Tinsley and his crew were at the club and had arrived in three of Tinsley’s slick rides including a Rolls Royce.

 

Apparently some thugs thought they would show up the guard and an argument in the parking lot ensued. When Tinsley and co. left the thugs in the parking lot followed. Knowing they were being followed, Tinsley and them drove into the heart of downtown Indianapolis where, in front of the Conrad Hotel at approximately 3:40 am, a firefight took place. Several shots were fired at Tinsley and his friends. One man was wounded, but is okay. The shooters fled in their cars. Tinsley’s brother fired a couple of shots and one man with Tinsley was arrested on an out of state warrant.

 

Tinsley, for his part, has apologized to the Pacers and the city and says he made a mistake and needs to make better choices. I applaud that Jamaal, but your track record makes me skeptical that you’ll ever change. I just hope you do before someone who can aim a gun fires at you.

 

Victoria's Secret

Well it looks like the dumbass season has officially started! Okay I know, it rarely seems as though it never really ends. Case in point would be last Sunday at the Colts game, but I digress. Some turd burglar, soccer mom up in Carmel has decided that the window display at the local Victoria's Secret store is just too risqué for her taste.

This bitch who obviously has way too much time on her hands and not enough wiener in her has gone to the store headquarters and demanded the display be taken down or greatly modified. Much to my chagrin and as near as I can tell, most everyone else's, the company has cow-towed to this mess of a human being and replaced the bra and panties (their business) on their mannequins with pajamas. And the real kicker is that the bitch that started this bullshit is still not happy.

Lori Baxter is the pond scum that initiated this ridiculous war. I don't know if she just doesn't get enough, is some crackpot, right-wing nut or some overprotective soccer mom who is having trouble grasping what most of us call reality.

Ms. Baxter is claiming that the mannequins and their sexy clothing are causing kids to have sex earlier. She has nothing in the way of research to back her bullshit up, but hell, since when did being right matter any more in this country. Everyone's so fucking scared of being sued they err on the side of political correctness just to be safe. Unfortunately, those of us who go about living life and not being offended personally by any little thing, directed at them or not, are made to suffer these fools and their moronic ideas.

Tell you what Baxter, if your 11-year-old kid is having sex or even polishing his Bishop it ain't the fault of some store and its mannequins. Your apparent stranglehold on "morality" probably has him rebelling or he is surfing porn at home while you are out crusading against mannequins.

You know, I get the whole "protect the kids" thing, but for fuck's sake, how do people like this climb into bed at night and even for one second think they are doing right? And to thinks she is still offended by the pajama wearing faux models. What the fuck does she think they are supposed to wear? What does she think VS sells? And why is VS letting this bible-thumping thug have her way?

It's time someone told this sub-human POS that she is not the community standard police and that making this all public and drawing attention to herself is a disgrace and shows that she is more about attention that she ever thought about being for protecting the children.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so first off, a big Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you out there who happen by to read my blog. I hope all of you have someone special to spend the holiday with. Truly an American original, Thanksgiving is one of those holiday's when families seem to get together.

 

Maybe we sometimes get caught up in the family and friends, the food and the football and forget about the true meaning of the day which is to give thanks for all we have. We should also pray for those less fortunate than us, be it financially or more importantly, those who have no friends or family to share not only the holiday with, but all aspects of our lives.

 

I always thought I had it made. I always had friends and family to spend the holidays with, but about a year and a half ago I got married and I was thinking this morning about how empty my life would be without my wife Linda. She means so very much to me and I can't imagine beign without her. (And no, this is not just a sucking up post). Unfortunately she does like the stuffing out of the bird at my mom's house so now I only get half of it, but it's great to have her to share it with.

 

So as you gather with whoever you gather with tonight, tomorrow and over the weekend remember to give thanks for being able to share with those around you and remember those who are less fortunate. And lastly, GO COLTS!!

Bullet Dodged

Face it, since the Patriot game the Colts have not looked sharp. Last week against the Chargers they came out flat, but rallied to make it a game at the end only to let it slip away. Yesterday in the dome it damn near happened again. The Colts beat the Cheifs 13-10 on the strength of a last second FG by Adam Vinatieri.

 

Sure I'm happy with the win, but the Colts barely beat a bad team and looked bad doing it. If you looked up winning ugly in the dictionary there would be a picture of the team yesterday.

 

I won't go over all of the game details, but there are some very bothersome things going on.

 

18. Peyton Manning had another bad day. Granted it wasn't all his fault. He had very little time and was sacked twice. He had  a couple of balls dropped , but be that as it may, 18 did not look sharp. It's hard to beleive how little respect Marvin Harrison gets when his absence is clearly missed. Without him Reggie and Dallas are doubled up on and Utecht and Moorehead have yet to earn 18's confidence. But in the end, Manning has to make more plays than he is now. He's the big boy, the high paid one, head cheese. He has to step up and make the remaining receivers step up their games. Instead we keep getting the Peyton Manning "I just stepped in doog poop" look. Come on Peyton, pick it the fuck up.

 

4. Adam Vinatieri is in a slump. Last week he missed a chip shot FG at the end of the first half. It was a rush job, but he still should have made it. He missed another easy on at the end of that game that he had a good look at and it seemed to go well. Fast forward to this week and we find him attempting a 49 yarder. He claims it was tipped, but either way it was no good and the boos were more than a little audible. A few minutes later he steppedup and missed a 29 yarder and he was booed loudly. Finally he shook it off and made a couple to seal the game. I didn't boo AV, but I admit I was holding my breath when he kicked the game winner. These kickers are a strange breed and even AV who seems as much as one of the guys as a kicker can be can be quirky. Clearly it was in his head when he missed his fourht in a row. It's too deep in the season to think about a change, but we best start scoring some TD's to keep him out of the equation for the time being.

 

Now we have a short week. We go to ATL to play on Thanksgiving night against a bad Falcon team. We're going to have to play better to keep winning these games. Pittsburgh lost yesterday which is a big help and gives us the inside track for the second seed in the AFC. Now it's time to suck it up and heve the December we all know this team is capable of having.

Bucket Game 2007

Here we are, the eve of the annual game to decide who get the Old Oaken Bucket. Tomorrow, in Bloomington, Indiana University's football team will host the Purdue University team in what is each team's big rivalry game of the season. Unfortunately, outside of the alumni of both schools living outside of Indiana, no one really gives a shit about the game or who wins it.

 

As has become the norm, the Bucket game will again be a battle to determine who sucks less between the two schools, in football at least. But this year does have a bit of a twist. Both programs have coaches whose livelihood could hang in the balance. Indiana, still reeling from the loss of coach Hoeppner, has to decide if they are going to stick with Bill Lynch while the Boiler fans seem to have become disenchanted with Joe Tiller up in West Lafayette. Both coaches have their supporters and both have their detractors.

 

Down in Bloomington it is the consensus that Lynch is a nice guy, but is not the guy to take the program to the “next” level. The problem in Bloomington is that if they cut Lynch loose and get that next level coach, how long will he stick around? The program has been such a piece of shit for so long that the next level ain’t much, but going to a bowl game every year would certainly be a step in the right direction. Face it, in Bloomington, basketball is king and football is a distant second, that’s the way it is, has been and unless the cosmos shift, will always be.

 

Lynch, the coach is a little different story. While compiling an overall winning record, many feel he inherited a pretty good program at Ball State and ran it in to the ground. He made one bowl appearance in 1996, but left the program with a losing record. He also seemed to have control problems with his team and a number of them found themselves afoul of the law. Perhaps he was just too nice to deal with rowdy, thuggish, MAC kids. An 8-2 record at division 2 DePauw buoyed his overall mark. Obviously Hep saw something and hired him to coach with him at IU. Just before Hep’s death last summer Lynch was named interim coach. I, like many cast a wary eye towards AD Greenspan for his decision and took a wait-and-see approach.

 

The Hoosiers got off to a great start, something unusual for them. They beat the patsies on their schedule unlike many years when they were lucky to split. There was talk that Lynch should have had the interim tag removed and hired permanently. A loss to Illinois dampened the spirits some, but in the upcoming weeks the Illini would prove to be a tough beat. Meanwhile the Hoosiers went to Iowa City and won and beat a bad Minnesota team at home. Then came the October from hell. Not unlike their upstate brethren the Hoosiers came up with squadouche against Michigan State, Penn State and Wisconsin. They finally got off the mat to beat Ball U before dropping a nondescript piece of shit to Northwestern.

 

At 6-5 the Hoosiers are bowl eligible, but does anyone actually believe this team deserves a bowl bid if they end up 6-6. For craps sake they can’t even sell out their own stadium unless Ohio State, Michigan or Purdue are in town. Why would any bowl committee want a team who’s fans won’t show up to home games. They aren’t going to show up at a bowl either.

 

So that leaves us with Lynch’s situation. He beats Purdue and he goes to a bowl as well as gets the Purdue monkey off the teams back. Frankly I don’t think he’s done enough with a win to garner anything long term, but he will probably, and maybe should be, given a 2 or 3 year contract. A loss and he has to go. Nobody in Hoosierland that actually cares about football wants to start over AGAIN, but the bottom line is the program must improve or move on.

 

Of course, getting a good young coach will probably lead to starting over again in a couple of years anyway since they probably won’t pay when others come looking for talented young coaches. Not with the basketball program sucking all the resources.

 

On to the Boilers. The Boiler faithful may not be as dumb as the Hoosier fans think they are, but one thing they are is unrealistic. At some point the Boilermaker fans decided they were in the same class as Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin. The teams gaudy September and early October records always get the fans tweaked to a, well, boiling point, only to have their hopes dashed. This year it was Ohio State. With a 7-0 record and everything on the line the team came out flat as a pancake and got their asses handed to them. Tired of this seemingly unending pattern the fans have turned their ire towards the coach of late.

 

Joe Tiller has compiled a 61% winning percentage at Purdue and has taken the team to a bowl game 9 out of his 10 seasons, including an appearance in the 2001 Rose Bowl. A record the Indiana fans can only dream of these days. At 7-4 this season it appears as though the Boilers will again be bowling regardless of tomorrow’s outcome. But for the fans it simply isn’t enough.

 

Purdue has reached as far it is going I don’t care who the coach is. Beat Notre Dame, get one against the big 3 and for fuck’s sake, beat Penn State once in a while. You do that and Purdue fans should have nothing to gripe about, but they will. And God help him if they lose tomorrow, which, while I find doubtful; it’s not out of the question by any means.

 

So IU fans, are you going to embrace Bill Lynch if he wins? Will you run him out of town on a rail if he loses? Is he the answer? Probably not, but he may be about the best you can expect. It’s not a glamour detail and will always be in the shadow of the basketball team.

 

Purdue fans, will you ever be satisfied? Can Tiller stay if he wins tomorrow, because I know you will all call for his ass if he doesn’t. Hey IU, tell you what, if the Boilers don’t want Joe T and decide to cut him loose I’d be on his doorstep about 1 second later and sign him to a contract until he retires. Boilers, be careful what you wish for, losing Tiller could and probably will bit you all in the ass!

Hurt's (Not) So Good!

Dang, I mean just dang. I just heard that 93 is now out for the season for the Colts. Just when I thought the injury situation couldn't get any worse it did!

 

Dwight Freeney is lost for the season. The Pro-Bowl D-end has some foot injury that will require surgery and end his season. Losing 93 is awful. The team has brought in former Pro Bowler Simeon Rice who had been cut by the Bronco's last week. Face it, anybody who got cut during the season probably isn't going to be a big impacter. But something had to be done.

 

I've been know to be pessimistic, but I thought we had a good chacne this year to repeat. After playing the cheaters to a tough game the injury report ballooned up so fast it made my head spin. Dallas out with a concussion, Gonzo out with a dislocated thumb, Marvin out with a bruised knee, Ugoh out with a bad neck, Freddy K out with an ear problem and the list goes on.

 

I'm starting to get really concerned about the season. If it were just DF out I'd be okay, but it's not. Some people are looking at thei weeks game against Kansas City as a "week off", but this is the NFL and there are no bye weeks when you have a game. Couple that with the fact the Chefs are probably still smarting from the playoff loss last year AND the fact that we turn around and play 4 days later and this spells tough sledding for a beat up team.

 

There is no doubt we are better than the Chefs, but it won't be easy. Say a prayer for the boys this week and let's get through Sunday and Thirsday's game and get a little break!

Jury Duty

I see Marion County has begun a crackdown on people who skip out on jury duty. Apparently just over 40% of those called actually show up. A sad statement considering it is one of few requirements of our freedoms as well as something we should all be willing to take part in. Sure it's a pain the ass, doesn't pay shit and generally wrecks a day or more, but it is still a living breathing part of our freedom.

 

I admit, I have been guilty of not showing, but it was an honest mistake. I simply forgot to call until the Wednesday night of the week I was supposed to serve. I don't think my pool number was actually called, but I did feel bad about it. For those of you who don't know how it works in Marion County, and I don't know if it's not like this everywhere, you are mailed a summons to appear. Beginning on Sunday evening you have to call the provided number or check on line to see if your group is required to appear. If it is you show up the next morning at the City-County building. If not you call back each evening until Wednesday. If your group is never called you simply do nothing, if it is you report. They county doesn't pay you for parking or meals and if you don't make it on a jury you get a whopping $15 + mileage. If you do make it on a jury you get $40 + mileage per day and once you start the jury you get meals.

 

Well back in April I was called once again and I actually called and had to show up on a Thursday morning. I got an early start and got downtown about an hour before I needed to be. Fortunately for me it was 'Juror Appreciation Week' and we were treated to coffee, juice and snacks while filling out our paperwork and waiting to be called. I went through the process and spoke to a lady who was scared. She was over 65 so she had an out if she wanted. She was afraid to convict someone and have him or her come back and get her.

 

Eventually my number was called and we were led to a courtroom and the prosecutor and defending attorney asked us questions to determine our suitability for the jury. I was in the third group and answered honestly, which seemed to be rare with some of my co-would be jurors’. A little while later I was sent to the deliberation room and eventually was joined by 12 others who made up the jury and 1 alternate. We were then sent to lunch, which I felt should have been on them, but wasn't. I did get to go to the King David Hot Dog shop, which was cool, but it still should have been on the county since I was already part of the jury. Oh well!

 

When we returned from lunch we were given some instructions and then sent into the courtroom. The judge swore us in and gave us his instructions and an overview of the case. We were now ready to go.

 

Let me just say this, I had heard that turnout for jury duty was low and was shocked, and while I was treated with respect by the court the whole process was boring and irritating and I now know why people don't show.

 

Our case was the state versus this kid accused of armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. What left the biggest impression on me was that this was some kid, 19 years old, facing 20 years in prison. It was all such a waste it seemed. The story goes as such: Four friends conspired to call the local Domino's Pizza, order a pizza to a bogus address and when the pizza came they would rob the pizza guy. What happened was that they damn near beat the delivery guy to death, stole the pizza, some wings and his cell phone. The morons even used the cell phone to make a few calls, which is what eventually got them caught. The scary thing is that they actually tried to call another pizza place and while the defendant’s attorney downplayed it, they were going to try it again!

 

The state's star witness was a completely unbelievable character that had plea-bargained his way down to a 8 year sentence from 115 years. With his track record he was not to be trusted even though the state said he could be. This punk basically got on the stand and acted polished, a little too much to me, and it turned out to be one's word against the other. In the meantime, emails and threats had been exchanged between the two boys. In true gangster wannabe fashion these morons forgot what "code of silence" meant. So here we were in court listening to these 2 boobs call each other liars and talk about how heinous the other was.

 

Even the pizza man got on the stand but he didn't provide much as he was japped and didn't see or remember much.

 

After a couple of breaks we finally got the case about 6:30. Me and another girl were adamant that the defendant was guilty but we were outvoted. The alternate who was not supposed to have a say wouldn’t shut up. She took over the jury and this white trash that was also in there was so anxious to let this thug back onto the streets. All the while I still thought it sad that these two punks were going to throw away their lives for some pizza and a cell phone. The thing is, these kids seemed to come from decent homes and from what I heard from them, knew better. In the deliberation room things turned worse and I just gave up. I thought guilty but it was clear that there was no way these idiots were going to change their mind. You get a real civics lessen in there as in my fellow citizens are stupid!

 

Ultimately we found the defendant guilty of conspiracy to commit robbery. The alternate kept telling us that he would still get 8 years, but I knew better. He'd be lucky if he saw one day behind bars. We pressed the buzzer to summon the bailiff who thought we were ready for dinner. We told her no, we were ready to deliver the verdict. I had lost all interest in the future of this punk by now and just wanted to get out of there.

 

At about 8:00 PM we delivered the verdict. The defendant seemed pleased, the state, who presented a weak case looked beaten down and we had more paperwork to fill out. Back in the deliberation room the bailiff told us we were entitled to dinner and that they had already ordered it. We could stay if we wanted, but I wanted nothing but to be away from these assholes. Oh and that dinner? Fucking pizza after hearing about it all afternoon.

 

I walked back to my car saddened by the case and disillusioned by the system.

As a final note to this, I checked the Indiana Department of Corrections Offender Locator for our defendant; On June 26 he was sentenced to 1 year in the Indiana Department of Corrections and is currently at the New Castle Correctional Facility. He is eligible for release on November 24, 2007. A far fucking cry from the 8 years that uber-dumbass alternate tried to spew.

The county may be cracking down on those who skip out on their jury duty, and I doubt I would ever try to get out of it or just skip it, (that's for the you-know-who’s) I can certainly see why people bemoan having to serve.

Colts (Cheater) Patriots Aftermath

As you might expect I'm not feeling real great about yesterday's game. Colts lose 24-20, but there is hope. I guess the biggest disappointment is that we really had a chance to put the thing away and unfortunately made mistakes that cost the game. The good news is that the Patriots are human and what looks clear is that they and the Colts are head and shoulders above the NFL crowd.

I won't rehash the whole game, but I have to vent about a couple of things. First and foremost. why in the hell did we take the ball out of Joe Addai's hands? He had a monster first half and nothing really in the second. I feel like the Colts overthought the situation and figured NE would focus on the Mayor so we went a different direction. It didn't really work. Stick with Joe, he'll work!

Overall it was a great game and I feel like it lived up to the hype. Two heavyweights going toe-to-toe for 60 minutes. If you like the NFL it doesn't get any better than that!

Things started off at Tom's. We went to the Monkey and then on to the game. The place was rocking. In fact, when Addai scored late in the second quarter the dome was rocking more than I had ever felt it rock. Loud, loud, loud was the order of the day. I think Pawly was yelling in tongue's. At the strat of the fourth quarter I, as usual, had thought ahead and had a beer in reserve. Some guy from the other side of the aisle offered me $20 for it. At first I balked, but thought it over for a minute and sold it. A nice 285% ROI!

Anyway, I firmly believe we will see the Pats in January and this time I think it is they who are the "finesse" team and us who are the hard hitting patient, grind it out offense. I'm already looking forward to it!

Hype Week!

The Colts have done their part in ripping Rooney’s Panthers 31-7 yesterday in Charlotte. The Cheater Patriots did theirs by crushing the Redskins 52-7. Now we stand by for what will be the biggest week of hype for a regular season NFL game ever. It’s the Colts and Cheater Patriots next Sunday 4:15 in the dome for world supremacy! At least that is what it will seem like.

 

Honestly it is a huge game. Both teams along with the Steelers have been the class of the league for the past several seasons and now we have two undefeated heavyweights getting ready to go at it in what could well determine where the AFC Championship game is played. With half the season left to be played after this game is it too early to talk of home field advantage for the playoffs? Probably, but how can you not talk about it? The Colts have amassed a clean record and have won by a decisive 17+ point margin against some solid teams. The Cheater Patriots have posted even gaudier numbers although it has been against less talented teams.

 

It is stacking up to be the immovable object versus the irresistible force. A game for the ages. Name your cliché and you will likely hear it this week and I think it’s appropriate. Will the game live up to the hype? Who knows but these teams did put on a show last January in the dome. Of course it was like 2 separate games. Before that the Colts had won the previous 2 at New England after a period of disappointments against the Cheater Patriots.

 

I have to tell you, the Cheater Patriots looks great, but so do the Colts. Patient and physical seem to be the calling cards of this years team. Yesterday they looked like crap early on, but just kept plugging away on offense and finally got untracked. The defense had one series letdown, but for the second week in a row allowed just 7 points and this coming off a short week with 2 on the road. The Cheaters have been killing people and their defense has been pretty stingy itself.

 

Who’s going to win? Too early to tell for sure, but it should be a lot of fun talking about it this week and going to the game Sunday!

Weekend TV

It was kind of a slow weekend. No Colts game and no real plans so I made some time to catch quite a bit of television and I have a few thoughts on what I saw. I'll kind of take things in order of how I saw them.

Friday night I actually got to watch Friday Night Lights at its regular time. Well, I saw most of it. I kind of fell asleep and had to watch the balance on Saturday morning. This was the third episode of the season and it looks as though my original fears for the show were unfounded. The religious angle is still there, but it has been integrated nicely into the show without being preachy or overbearing. The political angle seems to have completely gone away as far as what happened in week 1. I'm really gald of this as it is a good show and has a good story going. And Tyra rocks even if she is with Landry!

Saturday I went out and watched some college ball. It looks like the Boilers are pretty much what we thought they were ;). They're a decent team that will feed on backmarkers and lose to the big dogs. Same old thing with Tiller. He reminds me somewhat of Bill Mallory down at Bloomington. Decent coach, nice guy and he while he got them to A Rose Bowl, it's doubtful he's going to go again and he can only take them so far.

IU is a disaster as usual. Their defense is so shoddy it makes me sick. Couple that with their penchant for boneheaded plays and you get what you had Saturday. Penn State is not a good team and Indiana had a myriad of chances to win, but just kept fucking up. They'll win another and go to a bowl, but they still suck.

The Irish are just awful and they may win one more this year. It may be Navy's year and I love every minute of it!

Sunday I got up and watched Snakes On A Plane. Pretty fucking creepy. Not much of a plot but it was still fun. Snakes are scary and I wouldn't let the cat watch because he has nightmares.

The big payoff on Sunday was the F1 race. Kiwi needed a lot of help to be the World Champion and he got it. McLaren cheaters are appealing the result but they are such liars that no one would believe them anyway. Congrats to Kiwi!

Finally I got to watch a shitload of football Sunday afternoon. I started at Sidelines Sports Pub. It was okay, but even sitting at the bar I was having trouble getting a beer and the clincher was not being able to watch the Raider game. Out of about a million TV's all they wanted to put on was the fucking Cowboy's and Bear games. I left and went to BW-3's and was able to watch the Raiders lose to Kansas City.

About the Raiders, well they suck! I watched as they tried again and again to run the ball. THEY AREN'T A RUNNING TEAM! They should have thrown the ball exclusively and they just refused to do it.

Well it was still a good weekend and now we have the Colts tonight. I'm a little worried. JAX is a good team and we'll need to bring a good game to beat them. That's all I got for now, just wanted to check in. Have a great day!

Indiana University

Well, it was another red letter weekend for the IU athletic department. Both the football and basketball teams managed to make the news for the wrong reasons and by Sunday night it wasn't clear whether either teams coach would be employed by the university much longer. As a former rabid fan of both programs I can only say I am dismayed at the crap that continues to go on down there. To paraphrase Strother Martin in Up In Smoke, "When IU, when are you gonna get your act together?"

I guess I can only be glad the football team has had a couple of setbacks this season and especially the one Saturday night in East Lansing. With the emergence of the Illinois football team the lone Hoosier loss was looking a lot more palatable. So palatable that I thought they might pull the trigger on a new contract for interim head coach Bill Lynch. Lynch ain't the answer. With the debacle Saturday I hope AD Greenspan has figured that out and will at least wait until the end of the season to do anything.

What was looking like a sure bowl berth season took a turn for the ugly Saturday night. Now games against Wisconsin and Penn State that may have looked winnable a week ago now loom as sure losses. Sure the Hoosiers should be able to beat Northwestern and Ball State, but we all know the Hoosiers penchant for losing to a mid-major team like Ball U. Then there is the Bucket game which looks like will determine nothing. At best the Hoosiers are looking at some low budget bowl in some cold weather city.

Across the parking lot the basketball team opened practice Friday night to a decent crowd and a shitload of anticipation. There was a buzz around the basketball team last year that hadn't been felt in some time. Kelvin Sampson had the team playing defense and they were a joy compared to the POC teams Mike Davis had put out there the previous years. Unfortunately Sampson is an unpleasant, defensive and arrogant man who can bring them a championship and I won't be able to embrace him. I'll root for the team, but I just don't like Sampson. Probably never will. And before you think I was against his hiring I wasn't. I heard some interviews with him after he was hired and it was clear he wasn't a quality person.

Well all of the goodwill and anticipation came crashing down yesterday as reports surfaced that Sampson had violated recruiting rules by making more phone calls than are allowed by the NCAA. The rules are stupid, but they are the rules. Sampson, who had been run out of Oklahoma for doing the same thing was at it again. How does this knucklehead not get it? For fucks sake Sampson, are you that stupid? Is your arrogance so profound that you just think you are above the rules? Are you too damn dumb to change up your shtick a little? And AD Greenspan, why aren't you watching this prick? You put a clause in his contract that he is gone if he steps out of line. Why is he still coach as of this writing?

IU has taken the first step and docked Sampson, with his blessing $500,000. A tidy sum to be sure, but if this clown was in trouble with the NCAA before for the same infractions then do you honestly think a monetary penalty is going to keep them from throwing the book at him this time? How many scholarships will be lost for this one?

I know Sampson won't get fired by the university at this point. It is too close to the season and lets not forget, the team has some highly touted recruits and expectations are high as IU has been ranked as high as 10th in preseason polls. Sampson will continue to run roughshod over the rules and be unable to distinguish right from wrong. He recruited some guy in KY who was promptly busted for selling dope. Nice. The whole Eric Gordon recruitment smelled funny. The IU hardcore's will tell you all is fair in recruiting and that the "gentleman's agreements" are BS, but they exist and I just think there is more to Gordon being at IU than meets the eye.

I don't like what is going on down there these days and until someone is willing to watch the program a little closer this shit will continue to happen. It's a shame that a major university's athletic department needs to be babysat, but that is what they need down there.

2007 Pacers and Other Stuff

Well, here we are, five weeks into the NFL season and the Colts once again are heading into the bye week with an unblemished record. At 5-0 and atop the AFC South the team seems to be hitting on all cylinders and have looked particularly impressive the past couple of weeks. However, as the NFL moves from its first quarter of the season