Holly College Football Batman

Well my national champ pick is basically trash. OK lost at Colorado this weekend to all but throw their NC hopes out the window. Texas, Oregon, WVU and Rutgers all did the same thing.

Now here is where you need to stay smart with your gambling. Next week is the red river shoot out and if the line starts at anywhere less then OK -6, you need to jump on it. Texas has really struggled all year, barely sneaking by teams like Ark St. OK has basically rolled except for a really crappy 4th quarter this week.

I think the same can be said for WVU. If Pat White is healthy, do they turn it over 6 times against USF? Look at the stats, they ran for 188 and pretty much shut down USF, but their backup QB just couldn't not turn it over.

I thought OU looked really good against Cal. Cal played next to perfect and OU still had a couple of chances to take the lead.

The conference games are really going to start get interesting this week with the red river shootout and LSU/Florida. Florida looked extremely pedestrian on offense vs Auburn. I think most people believe that LSU's D is even better. I wouldn't be shocked if this line was 14.

Purdue/OSU is a huge big ten match up. But who really believes that Purdue is going to beat OSU? How many times has Purdue been 5-0 then faced OSU or Michigan and show their true colors?

Kentucky/South Carolina is pivotal for the SEC. Kentucky has been huge this year, but SC D is seriously good. I sort of expect everyone to jump on Kentucky for this game. I'm sort of leaning the other way.

Can Notre Dame get a win? They head to a struggling UCLA this week. They looked like they actually had some offense last week, but I'm sure they'll be at least 17 point dogs. I'll stay away from that action.

Finally, my Gophers got drubbed by OSU at the Metrodome for the 11th consecutive time. That is the last time the Buckeyes will ever beat the Gophers there. Not because the gophers will be better, but because the new stadium will be open the next time OSU comes to town. This week against Indiana may be their best shot for a conference win.

Holly College Football Batman

Well it looks like my national champion pick is in the toilet. Colorado defended their home turf this week and knocked off OK with a last second field goal. You win some and lose some, but this was a tough one for OK. They were up big late and ended up fumbling a kick return that really turned the tide of the game.

New York Jets Football - NJ.com

New York Jets Football - NJ.com

This is an must read if you are an NFL fan. I bought a Wayne Chrebet Jersey about 7 years ago and it was between him and Keyshawn Johnson. My buddy thought Johnson was better but how could you not respect this un-recruited, un-drafted first down machine.

Its sad to hear about his concussions. Hopefully articles like this opens the NFL's eyes as to what is happening to these players.

The White Stripes News on Yahoo! Music

The White Stripes News on Yahoo! Music

Lets just say that there is no way in the world that I would ever watch a Meg White sex tape. First, as I've said before, I'm pretty sure Meg is retarded. Second, I don't think she is remotely attractive.

CBC.ca Arts - White Stripes cancel 18 U.S. tour dates

CBC.ca Arts - White Stripes cancel 18 U.S. tour dates

I guess this article wasn't a shock to me. As I've said before, Meg White is probably retarded. My theory is that because she's retarded, Jack is forced to step up his game while performing therefore making the White Stripes the best band in the last ten years.

But my question is this, couldn't Jack keep touring with some random drummers? Better yet, couldn't he get that device Howie Day used on his first tour. It was some sort of fancy tape machine where he play a chord or make a sound and the machine would then repeat it over and over until he stopped it. It's hard to explain, but it made for a terrific show.

The reason I say this is not for the fear of my tickets getting canceled, but because I don't want another Racantours CD. I have one, and that's all I need. I'm worried Jack will get bored and start making a CD with those guys.

Aaron and Kris Update

Because my fans were dying for more on Aaron and Kris, I figured I'd put something out there.

First a little back ground on Aaron. He's the Sam Malone of my friends. I wouldn't go so far as to call him a man whore, but he's probably dated as many people as Kristine did on Seinfeld. Which according to my math is near the triple digits. Oh yeah, and 80 percent of them looked exactly like this girl on the right.


For him, short blonde's are like guacamole at a party. Salsa and queso are good, but when its there, he'll always go for the guacamole. He's always ended up being a relationship guy, but not long term relationship guy. 8 to 16 months is about their limit.

But I got to hand it to him, even after all the different girl friends, he's still a romantic. Most new girl friends start with a story about how great they are and how they have a bunch in common which is usually music and sex. He takes most of them to meet his mom at some point and lavishes most of them far more than I'd ever.

Now a little update on Kris. I guess she is married, but separated and has a daughter. Last I heard she was some computer programmer or some crap. I'll always remember her as the bartender who put tequila in my long island.

So now I know what your judgemental ass is thinking, why is she chasing after Aaron when she's married and has a kid. First, Aaron does pretty well for himself and he's never been afraid to drop a little cash on just about anything. Second, why wouldn't she? If my previous blog proved anything, its that she's a little crazy. Not like 'I'm going to hurt someone' crazy, but crazy like 'I think he loves me' crazy. Sort of like Nicole Kidman.

So Aaron says he going to hold out and not 'get back together' with Kris. Which is entirely possible as long as she doesn't see him at the bar and start crying again. But the longer he goes with out a girlfriend the more likely they are to hook back up.

Aaron and Kris

My best friend Aaron has what some might call and on off again relationship. It started sometime in 1998 or 1999 and is pretty much still going on. Kris, the girl, was a bartender at this bar, 'The G' we went to all the time. And when I say all the time, I mean anytime they were open, we were there.

We had been going there for awhile and eventually, Aaron and Kris started dating on some level. It wasn't like one of those 'he looked into my eyes' relationships. It was more like, 'since were the only two straight people here, we might as well have sex' types of relationships. Kris was a really nice chic. A fag hag, but a pretty nice gal. She always hooked me up with drinks and never got upset if I tried to grab her ass*. Aaron was convinced she could take me in a fight since she was 5'10" 155.

There relationship was meant for Dr Phil. The whole thing consisted of Kris ignoring Aaron while other people were around, Aaron leaving the club pissed off and Kris calling him around 4:00 when she was off work to apologize, than finally come over and sleep with him. Aaron would go to work the next day, bitch about how tired he was, brag about the great sex, and do it again the next day. Hurrah Air Force!

That went on for some time. Aaron always had a plan to break it off. One time he was actually able to carry it out for a short period. He gave a well prepared break up speech and ended it. He said he just couldn't handle the drama anymore. Which is total bullshit. Aaron loves drama more than any dude I've ever met. A day or two later, Kris saw him at the bar and approached him with tears in her eyes, giving him every reason in the world to take her back. Giving him the whole 'your the best thing in my life' BS. Well, that was enough to make Aaron crack. "What was I gonna say?" Aaron asked me a couple of days later, to which I responded " Are you done yet? No, really, are you done?" But Aaron's a sucker for some tears and the chance at some steady ass, so they were back together that night.

I can't remember which one left Fairbanks first, but eventually they both left. Aaron moved to KC and then to Tampa. Kris moved to where ever crazy chicks move to, which in this case is to where ever Aaron was living at that time.

At some point Kris tracked Aaron down in New England. She got a boob job and lost a few pounds and of course Aaron couldn't resist himself. Well that wonderful meeting in New England led to one of the most pathetic agreements ever "If were not married by the time were 40, lets get married."

If you are a man and are not married or engaged, please understand this, marriage is extremely important to women. Its important to men as well, but we don't think about what tux we are going to wear or what color dresses our bridesmaids are going to wear. Women know this shit, and its important to them. And the moment they tell you its not, tell them they are lying.

Anyways, after the agreement, it gave Kris the green light to follow Aaron where ever he went to ensure that he didn't get married before he was 40.

She would eventually move to Florida. In an extremely bold move she asked Aaron if she could stay at his place while she found a place to live. The catch? Aaron had an extremely jealous girlfriend (who, according to doctors, was much crazier than Kris) who wasn't really pumped about Kris moving into Aaron's house. So that situation lasted for a couple of weeks until Aaron's girl friend nixed it.

Kris moved out, but stayed in Tampa for awhile, but gave up when Aaron wouldn't let go of his girlfriend or really give her the time of day.

But now, Kris is back! She has moved back to the Tampa area. Only 7 years left until her wedding day. Oh, and what a wedding it will be.

*Alicia, this was way before we met.

Week 2 College football/NFL kickoff

Oh yeah!! Who's ready to gamble? It's on now. I'm not worried about Wal-Mart, GW or Darfur. I'm only thinking about making some money. The first week of College FB started off really well. Now you add NFL to the mix and take it to the next level.

Week 2 in college football is like drinking your second beer. You have that nice little buzz, and you actually start to convince yourself that if you could spend your whole life like this you would be much more effective. But unfortunately, your perception is probably a little skewed. You start thinking about 'how is this team going to react' or 'this teams fans will be really rough on them after the loss'. That stuff is great and all, but most of these kids are basically paid athletes. They've had assholes like me yelling at them since they were 9. Concentrate on the match ups and let the other stuff fall as it may.

Whats better than week 1 in the NFL? Can it get any easier? You don't need to spend 3 hours reading a injury report because any coach with a brain protects the shit out of his key guys. But as a gambler how can't you be excited to see a team like Pittsburgh go in to Cleavland as a 4 point favorite? Seriously, 4 points when Charlie 'Biggie Size' Frye is the starting QB?

Here are my games of the week:

VT -14 @ LSU I think LSU is really good. But even at home, 14 is an assload of points against a very good and extremely well coached Virginia Tech team. Pretty much everyone I know is taking LSU, so as far as I'm concerned, this is a lock.

Alabama - 3.5@ Vanderbilt I have a hard-on for the tide this year. I really think they have a good team. Vandy is probably tougher than I think, but I'm smelling a shut out.

Steelers -4 @ Cle Really? Who made this line? Which position on Cleavland is better than the same position on Pitt? ESPN said that Cle has the better linebackers. What? Isn't Pittsburgh the team that has basically reinvented their linebackers year after year? This game won't be close.

Report: American workers world's most productive - Sep. 2, 2007

Report: American workers world's most productive - Sep. 2, 2007

Isn't this a little puzzling? I know that I'm a government employee, so I don't work very hard, but most people I know aren't putting in 60 hour weeks, breaking productivity records. This article just doesn't sit with me.

Something makes me believe that our old friend 'illegal immigrant' has something to do with these statistics. The stats used by the UN are based off of the GNP divided by the number of workers. Of course they are not counting the illegal workers paid under the table.

How efficient would the American work force be if all the workers received a legitimate wage and health care?

Oh, the horror.

Thought on College Football Week 1

I know there is some debate, but I'll call it the biggest upset ever. Appalachian State goes into the big house and beats #5 Michigan. Appalachian State may be the best 1AA team, but there still 1AA. There are some serious questions about Michigan's D after this game. There next game is home against Oregon who runs a similar type spread offense. It will be interesting to see if Michigan can bounce back.

Even after the big upset in Ann Arbor, I thought one team looked worse; Notre Dame. I really thought going into this game that Charlie Weiss would concoct a offense game plan in order to beat Georgia Tech at South Bend. To be honest, his game plan was extremely boring. They started with Jones at QB and basically handcuffed him by not calling a single pass play on their first two possessions. The tough part for ND is that I don't see a winnable game on their schedule until they play Navy and that by no means is a gimme.

I thought Wisconsin looked pretty good. Not good enough to win the Big Ten, bu they did look good. I know everyone in Madison is probably going nuts over Tyler Donovan, but don't get to far ahead of yourself. WSU has the worst pass D in D1. You should be a little worried that they were fairly effective against your running game and the fact that they put up 14 in the first quarter. The next two games are gimme's, but home against Iowa will be a challenge.

I think VT is happy just to have gotten that first game over with. Everyone wanted VT to blow out a good ECU team, which was a little unrealistic with VT's offense. I'm not sure how next weeks LSU/VT game will pan out, but I don't think they have enough to beat the Tigers.

Huge win for Cal. Any time you can beat a ranked SEC team, its a good week. Tennessee should be happy with what they did on O. If you subtract the one fumble returned for a touchdown, this would be a completely different game. Both these teams will be in contention in their respective conferences.

As far as gambling is concerned, I started off extremely hot, hitting 6 of 7 going into tonight's game. If FSU covers, I'll be 7-1. The ND game is the only blemish. Obviously this won't last, so next week I'll probably go 1-7.

My Top Ten College Football Teams

I covered the Big Ten the other day and I would have like to have covered all the other major conferences, but I'm not that good. But I will give you a run down of my top ten teams. More specifically, this is how I think they'll finish out the season.

10. Wisconsin--With any luck, they could be at the top of this list. Aside from QB, this is better than last years team. But, they're schedule is going to get the best of them. By the way, why are offensive linemen so much bigger in Wisconsin than in Minnesota? For the last 5 years is hasn't even been close. Wisconsin always has 5 300lb behemoth's and the gophers has a bunch of 275lb TE's. Did I mention I'm glad Glenn Mason is gone?

10. Alabama Nick Saban is a great coach. He's not the best at finding good NFL jobs, but he's still a winner. He is walking into great situation at 'Bama and I really see this team pulling off some big wins. They have GA, AR and LSU at home, which makes those winnable (even against LSU). I see them taking at least 2 of them. They play @ FSU and the Iron Bowl's on the road, but if they win 1 of those games, they'll be in a BCS bowl.

9. WVU There backfield is super explosive. I think their toughest game will be @ Rutgers following @ USF. I think they lose one of those two. They have Louisville at home following a bye, so this team has a legit shot at going undefeated. Their problem is that one lose in the Big East is more than enough to knock them out of National Championship contention.

8 Georgia My least favorite thing about the SEC, is that they never leave their neck of the woods to play a football game. I'm pretty sure that the Bulldogs haven't crossed the Mason Dixon line or the Mississippi River in the last 10 years for a non-bowl game. The furthest they travel this year is to Knoxville. That game, @ Alabama and the Worlds Largest Outdoor Cocktail party are their toughest games. If the lose to Bama, you can swap their spots.

7. Ohio State I think Lloyd Carr finally beats these guys. Plus I think PSU will knock them off as well. Their other tough game is against the Badgers.

6. PSU They have a senior QB and a bunch of studs at WR to complement an always outstanding D. I think Joe Pa stuck around for this season. He wants to go out on top. Their only hick up will be in week 5 @ Michigan. They'll have enough space between that and the end of the season to move up to at least here. With a little help they could be closer to the top.

5. Va Tech I really like this team. I think they'll breeze through the first part of the ACC season. If Butt Face Beamer can stop his team from tailing off at teh end of the season, it could be a great year. There toughest game by far is at LSU which is probably the best non-conference game since the first OSU/Texas game 2 years ago. They'll be tested at home by FSU and Miami, but I still think they finish with just one loss and a ACC championship.

4. LSU I think just about everyone is picking them, USC or Michigan to win it all. And there is nothing wrong with those picks. LSU's toughest road game will be at Bama, but its following a bye week, so they should be prepped for it. I don't see a lose on the regular season schedule, but the SEC is so tough, you have to think they lose once. I'll go out on a limb and say its the SEC championship against the Bulldogs.

3. Michigan They end the season at Wisconsin than against OSU. If they're offense is healthy, they should be able to get it done. They have PSU at the big house to start the season. Lloyd Carr has won a national championship before and this team has a great shot at getting it done. Why are the #3? They'll lose at Illinois.

2. USC Its amazing how much talent they have. If you were a high school running back, why would you want to play for them? You may get 50 carries a year as a senior. Did I mention that I think Pete Carroll is an idiot? He's smart enough to hire good assistants, but I don't think he brings much to the table. They'll go undefeated fairly easily. At Cal may be scary, but they have the team to beat anyone anywhere.

1. Oklahoma Seriously, what fun would it be if I didn't go out on a ledge? They return 15 starters from last year. They haven't had a ton of luck the last two years which I think will turn around a little this year. Bob Stoops is not Pete Carroll. He's gotten his average teams to do great things, where Carroll fucked the Jets up. When they beat Texas, it will be fairly clear sailing for the rest of the season. At 10-1, I'm jumping on them for a future bet. They have the talent and coach to get it done.

Big Ten Preview

Here is a real quick preview of the Big Ten for the upcoming college football season, to include a couple of prop bets that might pay off for you.

Michigan Pretty much every magazine is swinging from there O's nut sack. But if they can't beat OSU, it doesn't matter. I think they get it done this year. I have them as an absolute lock to win 10 games and I really believe they are going to win 11. I see them being undefeated headed in to Madison. They end up Wis then OSU. Winning one will get them to the Rose Bowl.

Penn St I really like there team this year. Senior QB's in the B10 are priceless. They have OSU and Wis at home and I think they pull them both off. If Michigan stumbles late or goes undefeated, they could slide in to the Rose Bowl.

OSU First, they were 9-3 against the spread last year and were favorites in every game. That is an amazing number and it could have been better. They have 11 starters returning and don't have to play Texas again (which is a shame because they were epic early season battles). Tressel is an absolute machine, who probably cheats, but he recruits and wins. I see them losing at PSU and Michigan. Wisconsin is there only other challenge and that's at home. The over under on wins for them is 9. I see them clearing that easy.

Iowa I wonder why Ferentz is still coaching this school. I think they are as good as they'll ever be, which is pretty good, but not BCS good. They collapsed last year after the Michigan game, but it looked worse than it was. 14 starters come back and there is no OSU or Michigan. Wisconsin and PSU on the road are games they can't win, but the rest of the schedule sets up nicely for 10 wins. The o/u is 8 1/2. Can you say LOCK!

Wisconsin This should be the best Wisconsin team in the last 4 years. They have a senior QB, but he doesn't have much in the way of experience. There O-lines as good as ever. So whats the problem? Games at PSU, OSU and home against Michigan. If they win one, there in the running for a BCS game. Two a the big ten title, three a national championship. I don't think they win any of them.

Purdue Much like Wisconsin, Purdue's schedule gets in the way of having a great year. OSU, @ Michigan and Iowa are at the heart of the schedule. On top of that there is PSU and ND. I think QB Painter will have a nice year but I don't see them winning more than 2 of the games mentioned. 9 wins would be a nice season.

Illinois Shouldn't these guys be better? Seriously, with all the accusations against Zook, shouldn't he have an assload of talent? There are a bunch of good players, but there not earth shattering. Following a 2 win season, I think they make the jump to a bowl game. Juice is back and will probably win 3 games by himself. WR Benn is supposed to be a game changer. At home against Missouri to start and then an impossible stretch of PSU, Badgers, @ Iowa and Michigan plus OSU. I still count 6 wins.

Northwestern Losing there coach before the start of last year couldn't have helped. They have 16 starters coming back and should be much improved. What does that mean? 2 more wins. @ OSU, Michigan @ MSU is a really tough start to the B10. The last game of the season is against the Illini and could potentially be for a bowl bid.

MSU Last year they were 3-8 verse the spread and 1-3 as a home favorite. I don't know if there is a better way to show that you didn't live up to expectations. I'm pretty much still steaming after the ND lose. I had +3 and they ended up pushing after having a huge lead. I don't see them winning a game after home coming. Which is a problem since its on Oct 13th.

Indiana The only B10 team they can beat is MN.

Minnesota So who can the Gophers beat? There best chances for a B10 wins are against Purdue and Illini. They have a joke of a non conference schedule, so if they win both, they might be bowl eligible. I'm glad they finally jettisoned Mason and I'm optimistic about the future, but if they don't get a bunch of breaks, this could be a really tough year. A really tough year.

Defining my politics

I think I have erred. Everyone makes mistakes, and I'm pretty sure I've made one. When it comes to politics and you tell people your a socialist, they envision some 'socialist' democratic country in Europe where people don't pay for medical care or college.

Well, that's not what I'm all about. Those are OK and its probably better than having the social system we have now.

But the problem with democratic 'socialism' is that it is doomed. Open market economies that could care less about domestic welfare are bound to tear down their social programs. Globalization is happening and those economies that can't compete will suffer and the programs they support will suffer along side them.

So if I'm not a modern day socialist, what am I? I reluctant to call myself a Marxist because we could literally wait a hundred years and the revolution that Marx imagined would happen. I'm not sure what the world is missing but there is something that is just preventing people from uniting on a economic level. Race, religion, nationalism and political ideals can tie us together but if you're poor, you probably don't want to hang out with other poor people.

What I believe is that capitalism is not the answer. There is no invisible hand protecting the interests of the average working man. Furthermore it forces the capitalist to be as greedy as possible otherwise the other guy will surpass them and thus put them out of business.

I'm not even sure how to title it, but I'm thinking about 'capitalism is fucked'. I'm soliciting feedback.

No more Big Ticket

If its not official, it will be in a day or so. KG aka the Kid, aka the Big Ticket is leaving 'sota' and headed to Boston. I'm not a huge NBA guy. I really don't get into it until the playoffs, but I'm a serious homer when it comes to the Wolves.

On one side, its good to see KG finally move on and get another chance to actually put something together. The guy is definitely a hall of famer, but his teammates have basically sucked ass for the last 4 years.

On the other side, he is the best athlete in 'sota' since Kirby Pucket gave us 'tomorrow night'. KG was Minnesota basketball. Wally was popular only because he is white, the gophers have been faceless since we 'didn't' make the final four and Cassell/Sprewell combo were just paid assassins. KG was and is the man. I'm sure he'll be cheered when he returns to the target center for one game next year.

I'm pretty sure the wolves are headed to doom, but it wasn't like there was a ray of hope around the corner with Garnett. After the trade, they'll clear some cap space, get a few picks, and take a stab at a future with Al Green. I'll put it this way, I'm not betting the house on the wolves winning the west for the next 10 years.

Finally, the best thing that will probably happen is that they will finally let McHale go. They will win 30 games next year and make some bad move, signing someone for way to much money, and Glenn Taylor will finally pull the plug on the bum.

Why its good to not be poor

What?! How can the socialist gambler make such a statement? Well maybe because I'm not an idiot. In the mail today (aside from packages, why do we still have mail?), I received my silver medallion Delta frequent flyer card. This is my first frequent flyer card. I never had one in the past because I was never able to fly the same airline more than once or twice a year maybe. I was always just stuck flying the cheapest possible airline no matter what the perks were.

But if you fly with the same guy all the time, which obviously costs more money, they start throwing shit at you. Free first class upgrades, additional frequent flyer miles, discounts on their 'executive waiting areas'.

So its good not being poor. Because if I was some broke ass white boy, I'd be stuck using travelocity, just hoping I didn't have 6 layovers on my flight from Minneapolis to Tampa.

The larger point is that we don't start on a level playing field. I'm sure Paris Hilton had more frequent flyer miles at the age of 9 than I'd ever get.

Do Not Vote For this Guy!

If you don't know, this is Mitt Romney and he is a republican candidate for president. And he's Mormon. I'll try not to bash any specific organized religion, because I'm not a big fan of any of them, but I'll have a hard time having a president who wears 'magic underwear'. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_garment

Its not just the underwear. He also doesn't believe in dinosaurs. I'm not kidding. He thinks the world is 3,800 years old and that the old testament should be read literally.

When it comes time to vote, ask yourself, do you want your kids to grow up thinking there was no dinosaurs?

The T-shirt

My friend Felix (his blog is cough drop realities) is gay. And he also thinks he's a funny guy. So what has become sort of an annual thing, he'll send a couple of us funny t-shirts. Last year he sent me one that said approved for lovin...

This year he stepped it up a notch. He got me the shirt in the picture. Which is absolutely hilarious. The thing is, I really can't wear it out of the house. Turks are extremely nationalistic, and would probably be offended if they saw some stupid white guy with turkey on there chest.

Anyways, they've been harassing me about sending a picture, so here it is. The picture was taken at my Capt promotion ceremony, just to prove I would wear it in public.

Senate votes to reduce guest workers allowed in U.S. - CNN.com

Senate votes to reduce guest workers allowed in U.S. - CNN.com

Well, I think its clear with this decision that senators aren't actually real people. The spend there days in sheltered little bubbles like Surrey Cruise. If they think 200,000 is 'plenty', than they really have no idea how many immigrants are in America. I'm willing to be that there are 200,000 un-registered immigrants working as dish washers alone. There is probably a half million who work in agricultural and another half million working in landscaping and construction.

Its amazing how unaware our government really is.

Bush declassifies al-Qaida intelligence - Yahoo! News

Bush declassifies al-Qaida intelligence - Yahoo! News

Let me just say one thing; that's a bunch of shit. Sadam would have never let that happen. I don't care how crazy he was, or how much he hated George Bush, he never would have let these guys into Iraq to establish a camp to attack the US.

And oh by the way, Al Qaida is in Iraq now and only because GW destroyed the only viable option to a unified Iraq.

Seriously, is there any way to get into a high stakes poker game with Rumsfield, Cheney and Bush? These guys couldn't see one step in front of them to save their life.

The big shooter is back!!

Well after my little hiatus in Northern Cyprus, which is really hard to compare to anywhere in the western hemisphere because is 99% Muslim. The hotel was great. The food was top notch, everything was included, and the weather was amazing. The people were okay; I'm not totally sold on the Turks being a labeled as 'friendly' people. They're friendly if you are going to buy something from them, but if you are waiting in line to get on the plane, forget about it. The cut in front of you like you not even there. And if your a woman its 5 times worse.

The thing was, the gambling blew. The first night there the wife and I went into the casino to 'check out the action'. She's into (addicted) slots that have the bonus round. We could visibly see those types of slots, but there was no slot to put the money, and the pit bosses were less then helpful. I was looking for the poker, since they advertised it on their website. Well, there was no real poker, just shitty versions of 3 card poker. The roulette tables were packed. Europeans love it. Its not my favorite, because its pretty slow and I don't feel like I'm involved. I made my way to the $10 black jack table. I sat down and gave the dealer a hundred, and he looked at me like I was from mars. He said 'locked' in a really bad Turkish accent.

Now, Alicia is not what I would call bad luck, but sometimes its hard to gamble when she's around, because she is a serious nervous Nelly. I can tell she's freaking out, so its already off to a bad start. So I ask him if it can be opened, and he looks at me even more confused than before. At this point, I was willing to put the hundred on black and just give it a go. Finally the pit boss came over to unlock the chips, and the gambling could begin. Oh, no, that would be too easy. Now they are pointing at me saying 'two boxes'. What the fuck? You're telling me I have to play two boxes? How the fuck does that make any sense?

I turn to Alicia and say "well, its only a hundred. It's definitely not going to last". I think she was more worried about me 'making a scene' than losing the hundred. I think I could have talked her into a game of Halo instead of being in the casino at that moment. My hundred flew away in a matter of minutes. I was up for about 8 seconds and as soon as that happened I let our my traditional "We're gambling over here!". Believe it or not, the dealer and pit boss weren't real excited about it. I got the 'you need to quiet down' right of the bat. Even in the Indian casino's I usually get 2 of those off before I get the shhsssh.

I lost a hundy their, and didn't play a table game the rest of the week. I did get in a few hours on a automatic roulette game that ended up costing me another 50.

All in all, it was a good week, but the casino we played at was maybe on par with Little Six Casino in MN. Really smokey, everyone is quiet and I always avoid it.

Well one thing is for certain, it gave me the fever. I like Utah to cover tonight.

Where have I been?

As they say in the street 'its been a minute' since I've posted on my blog. I could give you some BS about how busy I've been but really I just been playing a lot more video games than anything else.

I'm headed to Northern Cyprus (the Bahamas of the Mediterranean) next week for a vacation and school starts back up a week after that. So my blog will be back up and kicking then.

Mayweather/de la Hoya

I'm not a huge boxing fan, but I enjoy a good, legitimate boxing match. The line on this one is Mayweather -200, which in my opinion is free money. There is no way in the world Mayweather loses that fight. First, de la Hoya is a little past his prime. His window for being in his prime was small because he made a ton of money in boxing, and really doesn't need to keep fighting. As soon as he became a promoter, he could hang it up. Other fighters hang on longer because they are just 'rapper' rich. The drive nice cars, but need that next fight in order to pay the rent therefore, the do everything in their power to remain at a hight level, knowing that if they can't fight, they'll end up shooting craps on the corner with Sprewell and JR Rider. Second, Sugar Shane dominated the Golden Boy with his speed, and I think the Mayweather may be faster the Mosley.

Its a great fight for de la Hoya as a promoter, but its probably not a great choice for him as a fighter.

NBA

Why are the playoffs so much better in the NBA? There is such a huge difference between the quality and competition of the NBA playoffs compared to the regular season. I find the regular season to be barely watchable. Half the players look like they are dogging it, and the ones who are trying are just fighting to stay with a a team. But once the playoffs start everything changes. The best players lay everything on the line and the coaches leave them in nearly the entire game.

So, if you made me the commissioner of the NBA, I'd make two fixes. One, I'd do get the owners to conduct a lockout to get guaranteed contracts out of the NBA. The Vince Carter's and Vin Bakers of the world shouldn't get paid millions to ride the pine. Second, I'd shorten the season, by a month, but keep the number of games the same. The teams would play more games in a week. This way, the best teams would really rise to the surface. Team work and depth would be crucial because of the limited amount of rest. I think the season would be much more enjoyable.

But until then, I'll continue to ignore the regular season and wait for the playoffs.

BBQ ribs

I'm a huge ribs guy. I love them. We'll, I love dry ribs that have been slow cooked over an open fire. And they have to be pork. Sorry Texas, but beef ribs are OK, but its not really the same. They just don't have the flavor and texture that pork has.

Memphis in my mind has the perfect ribs going on. Dry with sauce on the side, with a spicy rub and some smokey flavor. If your ever in Memphis, which I recommend visiting even though the segregation is unbelievable (that's another blog), you need to visit Rendezvous in downtown Memphis. The place is simply incredible. I'm not really eloquent enough to describe the atmosphere of the place. Its a window less cave with red and white checkered table clothes, old black men as waiters, and beer served in short handled mugs. The food is so good, I dream about it after I leave. The last time I was in Memphis we ate dinner there, went out for a few drinks and on our way out of downtown I had to stop and get a slab for the rode. Its the Mecca of all things pork.

Well, I've tried to make my own mecca in my backyard. I've been getting more and more adventurous on my Weber grill. The ribs are turning out good, but the quality of pork available in a Muslim country leaves much to be desired. Its sort of like buying a toothbrush at a gas station, there is only one choice. I've got the wood chips, dry rub and slow cooking, but I haven't been able to match the flavor of a Rendezvous slab. But don't worry, I'll succeed.

An intelligent point of view

http://www.kansascity.com/182/story/66339.html

I know this is the third time I've written about Imus, but it just won't seem to go away. I really surprised this became such a big deal for 2 reasons; his show sucks ass. It's hardly watchable. His skits and jokes are from a different generation. His career is based on the fact that he was popular in New York city for a period of greater than 5 years. As Barbara Streisand and Liesa Menili proved, that's all it takes.

Secondly, 'nappy headed ho's' is hardly the worst thing I've heard a black women called in the last 6 months.

Click on the link, and read Whitlocks article. If you don't know who he is, he's a top 5 sports journalist in the US, who was black balled by ESPN (not a great career move). If he wrote in LA or NY, he would be bigger than Steven A. Smith by a mile. He's far more intelligent, and doesn't 'act a fool'.

I stand corrected

What was I thinking, saying that there was a double standard in terms of what Imus said about some basketball players. Snoop Dogg set me straight

""It's a completely different scenario. (Rappers) are not talking about no collegiate basketball girls who have made it to the next level in education and sports. We're talking about hoes that's in the 'hood that ain't doing shit, that's trying to get a nigga for his money. These are two separate things. First of all, we ain't no old-ass white men that sit up on MSNBC going hard on black girls. We are rappers that have these songs coming from our minds and our souls that are relevant to what we feel. I will not let them muthafuckas say we are in the same league as him. Kick him off the air forever."

My argument just went down the toilet with that gem.

Who listens to Imus anyways?

Can the press make a bigger deal out of nothing? If they are up in arms over 'nappy headed ho's', why aren't they going absolutely bonkers over basically every rap cd produced over the last 15 years? To be honest, I don't think the phrase nappy headed ho's is really that racial. But what it is, is a statement that shows that public opinion is two faced. If Chris Rock called the Rutgers women a bunch of nappy headed lesbian n***ers, we'd probably laugh our ass off. But if a white guy does it, its not only not funny, but its some how racist?

Do you want to know whats racist? Substandard schools, government subsidised housing that benefits the landlords far more than renter, the complete lack of drug abuse counseling, and lack of US political and military involvement in areas where the residents don't look like us.

If you are listening to Imus in the morning, you're either an employee of NBC, or to cheap to spring for Sirius satellite radio (worth every penny).

2 places that are beyond intervention

What 2 places in the world is it the most dangerous for a white guy to wear an American flag t-shirt? The list of dangerous places is long, and would include places Mogadishu and Sierra Leone. But I'm pretty sure that right now, the two places I'm sure I wouldn't wear a flag t-shirt is downtown Tehran and any where Muqtada al-Sadr and his followers are planning a pot luck.

In Tehran they will capture you and put you on the governments tv channel in an attempt drum up propaganda. In Al-Sadr's world, it could get much worse. Al-Sadr has no international community to keep his movement in check. His followers are motivated by the death of those he opposes whereas Ahmadinejad builds his support by taking pot shots against the west, carefully walking the line of what is acceptable. A direct attack against the US or its interests would most likely be met with a substantial response.

But what type of response is their for Al-Sadr and his crew? No matter what the administration might tell us about the success of the surge, there is nothing we can do. Well unless we can resurrect Saddam and put him back in power. That's right, the only way the US can be successful is to go back to the status quo.

I may have said this before, but the US messed with a good thing; the construct of a nation state. Now the US is stuck in an unwinable conflict trying unproven techniques, with no clear time frame. This won't end well.

MN Sports Update

With the start of the baseball season, I thought it would be a good time to cover MN sports in general. Obviously because I'm a Jets fan, I won't be covering the queens but otherwise we'll touch all the bases.

T-Wolves:

Is KG leaving? I wouldn't blame him. But on the other hand, his billion dollar contract really has hamstrung the franchise over the last 6 years. Well that, and the fact we have the worst GM in basketball. Realize we lost 4 first round draft picks because we wanted to keep Joe Smith so badly. Sam and Spree aren't walking through the door, so its probably time for the KG era to end in MN. The wolves should do everything to mirror the Suns. If they stick money anywhere, it needs to be in a play making point. Everything else is available on the open market. There seasons over and I really expect some action to happen in the front office. Either KG or McHale won't be here next year.

Gopher football:

I am super pumped about the future. Not necessarily this year, but the next 5. The move to the spread option is not going to happen over night. I played high school football in MN, and there is not a huge pool of talent. A young QB (whom ever it is) and a young coach, doesn't equal 10 wins in the big ten. I'd be shocked if we snuck into a bowl game.

Gopher Basketball:

If I'm pumped about the future of football, I'm super pumped for basketball. Tubby Smith is the biggest name in the history of coaches in MN sports. Period. I don't think they win it all, but I'd expect them to be a top 4 team in the big ten within the next 5 years. And if there are no endemic infractions, that a really good thing.

Gopher Hockey:

Seriously disappointing. So much talent and so little results. Even though were not in the frozen four, we are still one of the top 4 teams in college hockey. The tournament is set up by 4Th graders, who somehow put the gophers and ND in the same bracket. Either way, its a disappointing year for the gophers. Depending on NHL departures, the gophers will be back full bore next year.

MN Twins:

They have a nice little 3-0 start. If Ramon Ortiz can pitch the way he did last night half the time he goes out, the twins will be near the top of the division. Baseball is a long season, but the twins really have it together this year if Ortiz, Boozer and Ponson can pitch well. We don't need Cy Young efforts, just 12-15 wins and 6 1/3 a game from them. Our ace and bullpen will do the rest. I'm a little, well a lot shaky about Rondell White. But Kubel and Lew Ford can pretty much provide everything he does except for the upside. White has the ability to go off for 100 rbi's and 28 hr's. It may be hard to believe, but he has put together some great little runs, but has a hard time staying healthy. This could be his healthy year.

360 problems

My Xbox 360 went tits up the other day. I had just received my first new game in 6 months when the system totally froze up. Resetting only brought 3 flashing red lights, which after some research, I came to find out meant a hardware problem.

I ran through the checks, even though they are nothing more than checking the cables and restarting the system, and called the XBOX help line. After an annoying automated phone system kept calling me 'dude', I spoke to a customer service agent, who amazingly didn't sound like he was from India, and he gave me an address to send my system back to and have it repaired under warranty.

Its absolutely terrible timing. I had planned on not taking any classes for the next month or so, and planned on becoming a master of Gears of War. Now I'm stuck with no video game system, and no new games for my PC.

What am I supposed to do now, read?

More 'Views'

As I have mentioned before, Alicia watches the View everyday between her morning nap (she gets up early to take a nap) and going to work. And I take it from the conversations we have , that Rosie is a Liberal. No biggie, just an observation. I don't have a stance on Rosie. Its one of my rules in life to not have an opinion about fat lesbian women. I find its a good practice to stay out of their way and not talk to them. Nothing good happens when straight white guys and fat lesbians mix.

Anyways, Rosie brought up the concept that the taking of the British soldiers as hostages may be a ploy by the Bush/Blair administrations to engage in a conflict with Iran. Alicia asked me this, thinking I would give her the most reasonable answer, with my 'years' of political science study. She was a little surprised by my answer.

I told her, that it really wasn't that far fetched of an idea. Its no more far fetched than the North Vietnamese Navy attacking a PT boat in the Gulf of Tonkin, even though the NV navy was basically 3 fishing boats with AK-47's on them. And that was enough info for the American public to allow for the increase of US troops in Vietnam.

If we look closely at the current situation, we have Iran with nothing really to lose in the situation, who is openly pursuing nuclear weapons in the face of the UN and whose leadership has continuously bad mouthed the leader of the free world. Then we have the UK; if their navy isn't the 2nd largest, its in the top 5 and is probably as advanced as any in the world. Those Brits really take pride in their sailing. Its like bike racing in France. Taking these sailors hostage is like calling the queen a hoe.

If the situation escalates to the point where they are talking about 'regime' change, then I'm on Rosie's side. But I still expect it to cool down in few weeks.

Iran

Iran taking 15 British soldiers hostage is Kellen Clemens throwing 2 touchdowns for the Jets when they are down 42-10 lat in the fourth quarter. Its just enough action to get the NY press buzzing about the possibility of him replacing Pennington, but it really doesn't mean shit. Pennigton is still the starter. Clemmens was going against a team that knew the game was over. They weren't throwing any blitzes at him, so he could basically stand there all day with no real pressure to perform but there is a ton of positive press that can be earned by throwing a couple of garbage time TD's. He had nothing to lose, and a ton to gain.

For Iran its basically the same way. If there were ever a fear of escalation, the prisoners would be released. The press they get is tremendous. You don't think Hugo Chavez is watching this and thinking "Damn, I wish I had done that". And that doesn't even count for the millions of Al Jazera subscribers who think that this is the greatest victory ever. Its is probably being sold as a direct assault on Britain who is still considered a super power and they're a huge US ally. So if Iran could take an opportunity to snatch up a couple of sailors and get some propaganda flowing, than they really have nothing to lose, its the 4th quarter and there down by 30.

Iran will eventually give up the hostages. It will take some time and some sort of persuasion, but they'll eventually get released.

Tubby Smith

What can I say about the Gophers basketball team landing a big name coach to get their program back on track? If you would have asked me 3 months ago after the firing of Dan Monson, if I'd like Tubby Smith to come in and take over, without a doubt I'd have said yes.

You SEC/ACC guys probably won't understand this, but college sports in MN aren't the same as they are in states south of the Mason Dixon line. For instance, when Kentucky hired Smith, the fans expectations were that he would win a few national championships. I'm a Gopher fan, and all I care about Smith doing is beating Wisconsin. If they go .500 in the Big Ten and he gets Williams arena back to the way it was 8 years ago, than he's accomplished the mission.

The only thing that worries me, is that Tubby sucks at recruiting. He seems to go after a few big names a year and maybe gets one, but the depth just hasn't been there. And if its hard for him to recruit at a school with 7 national championships, try doing it at a school where basketball is falls 3rd in terms of fall sports (hockey and wrestling).

Either way, I'm happy to see the Gophers land a couple of good coaches who hopefully can make them competitive in the Big Ten. And most of all BEAT WISCONSIN!!!

ESPN.com - GEN - Report: 11 pro wrestlers linked to pharmacy probe

ESPN.com - GEN - Report: 11 pro wrestlers linked to pharmacy probe

Hold on just one second. You can mess with the MLB, NFL and Olympics, but when it comes to the WWE, I'm just not going to stand by and let these great role models be attacked by the 'liberal' press.

Seriously, has there ever been a doubt that these guys use roids? Didn't the commissioner of the WWE admit to using roids? I say fuck it, let them use roids. We should do everything possible to prevent them from breeding.

THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED - Google Video

THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED - Google Video

An absolute must see. It is a great example of what Marx called a 'Counter-Revolution". Well, he probably had some French or German word for it, but its what he meant to say.

Two things to think about as you watch this. One, the ant-Chavez groups are mostly light skinned where as the supporters were almost primarily darker skinned. If you think racism only exists in the US, you're wrong. Second, what would happen to military officers in the US if they participated in a coup? Yeah, they'd get shot.

You obviously know where I stand on the matter, but who would you believe, the guys who attempted to pull off the bay of pigs, ousted multiple governments in the past, or a president who was elected twice by a wide majority? No conspiracy here.

Supporting the Troops

I didn't think I was going to write a blog about this topic because of my affiliation, but after thinking about it, I'm probably in the clear.

The amount of press over the Walter Reed Army Medical center and the lack of quality facilities is pretty discerning. I've never been to Walter Reed, but I've been to a few military hospitals. I've also been to a few civilian hospitals and I've seen pictures of 'free clinics'. Some are nice, some are OK, and some suck.

Am I shocked that there is mold or mice in some ones dorm room? No. It wasn't a hospital room, there was no nurse buzzer or attendant, it was a place for them to sleep in between physical therapy. I've got nothing but respect for those guys and no one should live in those sub-par conditions but the reaction that the press and congress had was crazy. How is anyone surprised that the Army has lackluster facilities? Its spent the last 15 years engaged in some sort of conflict or another. It has requested to close numerous bases in order to save money but congress has repeatedly turned them down because of the effect it would have on the towns where the bases exist. The Army is not a business. They don't make anything.

Doing all of those things hasn't allowed the Army to spend money on the things it needs, like new facilities, body armor and Humvee armor.

If firing the general officer who over saw this operation, the Army is basically looking for scapegoats. None of them are going to lose a star or a dollar of retirement money, and they shouldn't. Its just politics.

What we need to begin to understand is the amount of responsibility that needs to rest in Congresses hands when it comes to the resources the military has at its disposal because the congress decides how much money the military will spend on an annual basis. Period. So if you pick up the Sunday paper and think that the military is poorly managed or unfunded, don't question the Generals or even the secretaries, ask what your congressmen or president is doing to correct the problem.

Country Music?

I'm not sure how, when or where it happened, but I'm pretty sure I'm country music fan. No, I don't own any Dwight Yokum or Shania Twain and I sure as hell don't listen to the 'country' chick from American Idol, whatever her name is.

But I do listen to a lot of White Stripes, Johnny Cash and Ryan Adams. I'm positive that Mr Cash is considered country and if you listened to Ryan Adams enough, you'd be hard pressed to say he doesn't have a ton of country influences in his music. The White Stripes you question? Well there must be something in that De-Troit Water that makes their musicians go a little country. Kid Rock tries his best to play it up, but the White Stripes definitely have an 'Alt'-country feel.

Maybe its time for me to get some boots and a bigger hat.

NBA.com NBA.com Blog: Gilbert Arenas

NBA.com NBA.com Blog: Gilbert Arenas

Absolute must read. I thought this guy was a little wacko before I read his blog. Now I'm sure of it. If he wasn't in the NBA, he'd be in a mental facility.

ESPN.com - MLB - Rose: I bet on Reds to win every night

ESPN.com - MLB - Rose: I bet on Reds to win every night

I have two things to say about Pete Rose betting on the Reds every night.

First, that is what I am talking about. If you are in a competition, you should be able to put some money on yourself. What a better way to show faith in your abilities, and to show everyone that no matter the outcome, you gave it your all.

Second, who the hell bets on baseball besides degenerate gamblers anyway? And every single game? I know he is full of shit. Lets say you he is the current Twins manager and Johan Santana is pitching against some bum one night. Yeah, I would put a C-note on that game as well. But lets say the next night, you have some AAA call up going against Oswalt, in your right mind how are you going to bet on your own team? Yeah the line comes into play a little, but I seriously question his integrity on this matter.

Not that Pete Rose has integrity issues.

AFN Right Wing Conspiracy

For those of you who have never been stationed at a military base overseas, AFN is the Armed Forces Network. It is a mix of 12 channels that plays some of the popular shows from the US along with the news and one channel called the Commander Access Channel which shows the same 30 PowerPoint slides over and over again. All in all, AFN sucks ass. Most of the shows are from last year, and there is really only 12 hours of programming a day, which they repeat for people who are working on shifts. It alone has forced me to pirate 50 gigs of tv shows and movies.

Alicia's normal daily activities puts her in front of the TV to watch The View sometime between eating breakfast and going to work. During today's View there was a Democratic political analyst on discussing how the democrats could win the '08 Presidential election and all of a sudden, that channel goes blank. She checked every other channel and all of them were in working order. And as soon as the guy was done talking, the channel was back to normal.

Coincidence? I think not. Its obvious to me that the current administration is willing to pull out all of the stops in order to prevent the military wives from getting both sides of the political picture.

ESPN.com - NBA - 'Improvement' gets Knicks' Thomas an extension

ESPN.com - NBA - 'Improvement' gets Knicks' Thomas an extension
When my life as an Air Force officer ends, I think I'll become an NBA coach. How in the world does this guy get an extension? They are have the largest payroll in the NBA and they might, I repeat, might make the playoffs, in a division that is loaded with a bunch of crappy teams.

FBI

Is anyone surprised that the FBI abused their power when it came to the Patriot act? I mean anyone? Think about it, can you name 10 people in your life who didn't abuse their power? The ones I could name are great men and women. Their not your everyday mortal like you or I.

Lets just look at a few examples of abuse of power. We have a long list to choose from. Teachers, priests, politicians, police officers, military officials, CEO, accountants, bankers, card dealers, poker players, atheletesathletes and the list goes on and on.

Take me for example. I abuse my power all of the time. Don't worry, it doesn't involve little boys or millions of dollars, but I steal. Lots. Well sort of. See, I download tons of stuff from the internet. Movies, video games, TV shows, sporting events and computer software. I have thousands of dollars worth of the stuff on my hard drive. In my defense, the TV in Turkey sucks, and their are no piracy laws, but do you think the Weinstein cares that there are no piracy laws? Hell no, he wants me to pay for Clerks 2 in the theaters.

So the next time someone tells you to 'trust us', we won't take advatageadvantage of the situation. Think twice. Unless you can see the halo glowing or their last name is Bojaxhiu, they are more than likely full of shit.

The World's Billionaires - Forbes.com

The World's Billionaires - Forbes.com

It's really nice of Forbes to put together a hit list for me. And don't give me any shit about how much money they donate to charity. If you made a billion dollars off of producing steel in India, there is no amount of charity that can make up for the abuse you've make working men and women endure.

Turkish students want YouTube ban revoked - Tech News & Reviews - MSNBC.com

Turkish students want YouTube ban revoked - Tech News & Reviews - MSNBC.com

This gives you an idea of what type of country I live in. Its as 'western' as a 99% muslim country can be.

Gingrich admits having affair in '90s - Politics - MSNBC.com

Gingrich admits having affair in '90s - Politics - MSNBC.com

I only have one question, who in their right mind finds Gingrich attractive enough to mess around with him?

Why I dig Kevin Smith

I dig Kevin Smith. Not enough to be a member of his fan site, or to post messages on his blog, but enough to see basically any movie he does with out Jennifer Lopez in it. I just stole Clerks II the other day and watched it with Alicia. A well done indi-style movie. The actors were not in the same class as the directing/writing, but I don't care about that when I see his movies.

I love his movies because when I watch them, I can actually relate to the characters. Most movies have characters that are so blown out of proportion, that their really not like anyone I know, let alone myself. Take the movie closer for instance. Good movie, solid acting and enticing story line. Do I know a single person who lives anything like any of those people? No. Not one. I don't even think I've met some one like them. But in Smith's movies, I know a Jay, and I've met a few Silent Bobs. The 2 guys in Chasing Amy? It could have been me and a buddy a couple of times.

Now I could go on and ask why more directors and writers don't make movies like this, but that's a waste of time because poor, fat and lonely people don't go to the movies to see other poor, fat and lonely people. Which is to bad, because it makes for great movies.

Top 5 Weeks in sports

I really love the NCAA basketball conference tournaments. Just a load of great games and fierce competitors. The big east and ACC are always the two best, but all the other big conferences are decent as well. I'll give some props to the mid-majors and small conferences because those kids still show up and give it there all for a shot to make it to the big dance.

If you ever get a chance, you need to attend one of the big ones. Big east or ACC. Big Ten, SEC and Big 12 would be good, but without the history of the other two. I went to the ACC tourney a few years ago and was hooked. The fans were crazy like at college football games and after the games, the fans sold their ticket packages to the winning teams fans. Just good stuff all around.

Next week made me thing about the 5 best weeks in sports. Weeks where there is great action for gambling and sports entertainment.

#5 New years day. I love college football, but most bowls are a little bit of a bore. There is always a gem every year, but who can watch everyone to find out which one its going to be? Still a great week with tons of possible action.
#4 NFL conference championship weekend. Two huge games in the NFL. Can it get better?
#3 The above mentioned week. I just love it. Real games with real rivalries. Plus they play games on Thursday afternoons.
#2 First week in December. Conference championship games in football, plus NFL is at its peak. And if you didn't get enough action there, you have the NBA an NHL as well.
#1 First week of NCAA tournament. More college basketball than you can shake a stick at. Plus everyone in the world has money on the tourney. Action galore!

Gambling in the US

I just got done watching a European Union heavy weight boxing match where the underdog pulled off an upset of Buster Douglas proportions. After the fight, the new champ said "if you had money on me with the bookies, enjoy it." To which the interviewer responded, "I heard that you had a spot of money on you as well?"

Can you believe that? If Roy Jones won his next fight, which would be an upset since he is a shell of his former self, could you imagine the interviewer asking him if he had money on himself? The press would be outraged. There would be investigations into the book makers even if they were legitimate and the wager was on themselves.

You know what I say, you should be able to bet on yourself, especially if you are a boxer. Not only that, we should force them to put a portion of the net worth up as a wager. Wouldn't boxing be that much more intriguing if the fighters had a substantial portion of the net worth on the line? I guarantee that boxers wouldn't show up to the fight completely unprepared. You see them fight their brains out because if they lost, they really lost.

U.S. wants to leave Iraq with honor, Cheney says | Reuters

U.S. wants to leave Iraq with honor, Cheney says Reuters

My previous point is proven right here.

Bye Bye Britain

Here is a question, how can England pull out of Iraq with pretty much no fanfare, yet our obligation remains? Well besides the fact that we fucked the place up in the first place, just our ego.

Here is the deal, the US messed with a tested and true system and went for broke on a long shot. To make it simple, the 'state' based international relations system is by far the most peaceful and beneficial system that has ever existed. Well the US said, 'lets get rid of Sadam and get someone better in their'. Well they forgot about a milleniums worth of bad blood that was suppressed by his regime. Now not only do we not have the same level of security as we once previously had, the US is basically ass fucking themselves because we have obligated themselves into staying there for forever because the US sucks at admitting defeat.

So our real options are limited, but if I were a gambling man (which I am) I would put my money on mass genocide and civil war for the next 4-10 years.

Police: 10-year-old left at MOA while mom went to casino

Police: 10-year-old left at MOA while mom went to casino

I don't know what the big deal is, he had unlimited rides.

NBA All-Star Weekend

Can you even believe the let this game go to Vegas this year? The number of groupies/hookers/strippers that are being shipped in from across the world must be mind boggling. The cheapest craps game is probably $25 and its probably 3 rows deep. Its definitely not a good weekend to go and feel like a high roller.

I needed to post my picks for the All Star Saturday night. Last year I went an astonishing 3-1. That may be harder to pull off than the 10-1 in the NFL playoffs.

Slam Dunk contest: Gerald Green -130. It is really his contest to lose. He is going against Nate Robinson, who shouldn't have won last year because it was the most excruciating dunk contest to watch, and two tall guys. Remember, tall guys never win the slam dunk contest.

Skills Challenge: Chris Paul +230. Wade won it last year and is the favorite this year. Paul is going in with a chip on his shoulder because he's only here because nash is hurt.

3 Point Shootout: Jason Kapono +210. He's the favorite, but in this competition, I look for a taller white guy who has a smooth stroke. Am I racist for saying that? Maybe. If you want to get risky, take Miller at +530. He could win this thing if his hair band holds up.

Shooting star challenge (such a popular event it took 5 minutes to find out who was competing): Team San Antonio +200. They won last year, and I believe Gervin still shoots the ball for fun. When he was a kid he would shoot 1,000 shots a day but he made sure to shoot them on different hoops so he didn't get accustomed to certain bounces.

One good thing about Myspace

I am not a big Myspace fan. Yeah, I have an account and I have looked up everyone I have ever know, but if I didn't keep in touch with someone, it was for a reason. So after I found all these people I haven't seen for years, I didn't send them emails or say hi, I just looked at how much money they were making or if they married a fat girl. Otherwise, I am happy with them out of my life.

The good thing about myspace is that it reminds you of people's birthday's. Its always nice to get b-day wishes from your friends, even though you know there is no chance in hell they would have remembered without Myspace. The unfortunate thing for me is that no one in my immediate family is on my space, so I don't get any of b-days my mom cares about.

Speaking of birthday's, 3 years ago I spent my birthday drinking enough micro brew and Jager to kill an donkey but I spent yesterday 'going crazy' by pouring a second glass of wine after dinner. And to make matters worse, I was worried about having a 'wine' headache when I woke up.

Its possible my balls were removed on my flight to Turkey

In memory of Frank Grimes

If you're not a Simpson fan, than you probably don't know who Frank 'Grimey' Grimes is, but he was a character in an episode of the Simpson's where he is hired to work at the power plant. He is amazed at how successful Homer is even though Homer nearly kills himself a couple of times a day. Grimey goes over to Homers house and sees his family, Marge cooking lobster, Homer's Grammy and picture in space and can't believe a dufus like Homer lives such a lavish life.

He would have been an excellent socialist. Hardworking, dedicated and always questioning why he worked so hard but his life never seemed to get any better. Before he was electrocuted, he understood the struggle against the burgeiouse oppressor

Me on the other hand, I am a better Homer. I am proof that 90% of life is just showing up. (Knocking on wood) Life just hasn't been that hard for me. I slept through high school, I was drunk through my first 4 years in the AF, college was one very large party with tests and paper one weekend a quarter, and my last 4 years in the AF have been one long lunch break.

And its probably my fault. I should have dropped out of school and taken a job at the docks or at a record store, gotten a handicapped girl knocked up and been arrested a couple of times. I am afraid that because of my 'smart' life choices, I face two consequences. One, I am turning into a liberal. I listened to Hilary the other day, and I found myself nodding my head in agreeance. Fuck! Those assholes are just as bad a republicans. What was I doing. Two, I have no credibility when it comes to organizing the working class. I could tell them my mom and dad were both working class, but i am a petite bourgeoisie.

Police: Child left in casino parking lot was in danger of dying

Police: Child left in casino parking lot was in danger of dying

Wow! I am a degenerate gambler, but I wouldn't even think of this. My favorite part of the whole article is when they asked the casino if it happened often, and they replied "A couple of times a year, but not all the time." A couple of times a year kids are left in the vehicle so mom or dad can go in and get their fix!? I wish I was more shocked. I guess I would have liked to know what he was playing. If he was sitting at the nickle slots, I would be really disgusted. $100 a hand black jack, well that makes a little more sense.

Your next President?

I didn't include this little tidbit in any of my emails or posts, but 2 years ago I said the Barak Obama would be the next president. Yes, I know we are two years away from the election, but he is going to announce that he is running for president today.

As of right now, the Democrats have all of the momentum. As long as they don't get to carried away and the Iraq war doesn't end, they should be able to hold onto it until the election. There major road block will be themselves. I can foresee their primary getting a little dirty. Hilary will have a ton of money, and a bunch of political friends, so to beat her, they may start throwing some Whitewater/Lewinsky dirt at her. If that happens, they could really damage themselves when it comes time for the general election because she'll be forced to launch back.

If Obama can survive the primary, he'll be faced with a Republican whose last name is not Bush. It may be McCain, but I don't know if he has the guts to be president. His center of the road style is probably not what the religious right is looking for in the republican nominee. If I were to make a guess, I'd say Giuliani. I think he'll be able to raise enough money to get it done. If that happens, it could be a really close presidential election, especially if Giuliani could carry New York.

My prediction is the ballot will look like this Rep: Giuliani, Dem: Obama, and Ind: Lieberman. I really see Lieberman throwing a wrench in the works. He's really not popular enough to get elected, but if he runs, he'll force the others to address issues they'd normally avoid.

ESPN.com - NBA - Barkley claims $700K gambling win after huge losses

ESPN.com - NBA - Barkley claims $700K gambling win after huge losses

My favorite NBA guy is also a compulsive gambler. I have actually used his "its not a problem unless as long as I can afford it excuse" for drinking and gambling. $700k is a pretty nice superbowl weekend. Its just enough to get him to come back next weekend.

I wish I was in South Beach

I wish I could quit my job and surf the internet all day. My job last year basically consisted of me surfing the net all day. Now, I spend six or seven hours a day in meetings, and then I spend the rest of my day trying to get other people to spend less time surfing the net and more time doing work. Last year, I probably spent thirty or forty hours thinking about who was going to win the superbowl. I may have spent 2 hours doing that this year.

Not sure what this all means, but lets just say, I am not betting the house on the game this year. One more negative is that I will probably be in an airplane during the fourth quarter.

Anyways, to the game.

Lets talk about qb's. I don't know about you, but is there even a comparison to be made? Future Hall of famer versus a guy who might not be a starter next year.

How about rb's? I like Chi-town here, but not by a ton. I am a Thomas Jones fan, but I think Addai'ed and gone to heaven is going to be a top ten back next year.

WR's? Harrison has been invisible in the playoffs. Beriman is a huge difference maker. Clark is overrated, but the colts probably have an edge here because of their QB.

OL? I have no idea. Indy's gets a ton more press, but the bears seem to get it done just fine.

Dl? I really like indy's d line. When they have a lead, they can really pressure the QB with only 4 guys. Chicago does a good job as well, but they have more talent behind them.

LB's? Not even close.

DB? Closer than some might think. Indy does what they do (cover 2), Chicago does the same, but mixes it up a lot more. So much of this match-up will revolve around who has the lead.

Special teams? Gotta love da bears on this one. Hester is a game breaker.

Who am i picking? Four weeks ago I watched the Colts do something they have never done, they put together a game clinching time consuming drive against KC. Along with that, they also shut down the run like they hadn't done all year. I am not a big fan of betting on Dungy in the playoffs, but he isn't as big of a risk as Grossman.

Here are my pics

Colts -7, the over, Thomas Jones (7-1) & Bob Sanders (18-1)and the first touchdown Dallas Clark (10-1)

Gophers Football

The gophers have their new coaching staff in place. It looks like the spread offense is going to be coming to the dome this season. I can't say that I am too excited about it. The Gophers have had a pretty good O for the last 6 years or so and because of their style of play have been able to recruit some big name running backs and tight ends. Its going to be a tough recruiting road if we are trying to get the kids who fit into this offense the best. The offense isn't huge in the Big Ten, but OSU, Northwestern and Purdue all run some form of it.

I am impressed that they brought in quality guys with a good history, but turning around this program is going to be a test for anyone.

State of the Union

Besides the obvious holes in the presidents address. Like the fact that the War on Terror is probably the biggest consumer of fuel in the world, I want to talk about his tax cuts for health care.

If you haven't noticed, the health care system in America is completely broken. I know pure Smithian economists would say its broken because there is not enough true competition, but I think if Smith were alive today, he would probably agree with me that its really hard to compete the health care service. If I am dying on the stretcher, I don't want to find out who has the best deal, I want them to save my ass. Period.

Here is the gist, the President has proposed a tax cut for the money you and I spend on health care. Sounds like a good deal right? Well it doesn't really help the millions of Americans who are still without health care. They aren't going to make any more money, and the prospect of a tax cut means about nothing to the average person who lives without health care.

Its sort of like saying, the people don't have bread to eat. Well, let them eat cake.

Football and Politics

Two topics, one post.

First the football. I was 0-2 this weekend. Ouch. Can't say it was a big shock after my picks this year pretty much turned to shit after week 2. I am in some form of shock that Rex Grossman made it to the Superbowl and Tom Brady lost to Peyton Manning in a playoff game all happened in the same day. The devil may be wearing snow shoes today. The 7 point line sounds about right. If this game was at indy the line would be 10. At Chicago, it would be indy -3. I can't bet on Grossman. Period.

Second, the more I read about Hugo Chavez, the more I love him. Its always good times when someone get referred to as a gringo. In case you didn't see, he called the US a 'bunch of gringos' and told us to mind our own business. I am fully expecting to being deployed to Venezuela within the next 10 years. Actually it will probably be more like 5.

That is why it is called gambling

Remember last year when Indy was a ten point favorite against Pitt at home? I do. All gamblers remember that one loss. You know, the one that cost you the 15 team parlay. Well that game cost me my perfect playoff run. And you know what, I should have saw it coming. I knew that game would play out one of two ways. Either a nail biter classic (like it was) or a blow out by indy. Pitt had to much respect to let it get ugly. Of course the game was close and my perfect record went down the toilet.

So how are these games going to play out you ask? The Indy/NE feels like the easier of the two. There is a ton recent games between the two, so at home, I think either Indy wins big, or NE pulls out a close one. But ask yourself, which would I rather bet on? Tony Dungy killing the pats, or Tom Brady pulling of a last minute drive to win the game? All week I have tried to talk myself into taking the colts but I have to go with NE. NE +3 in a classic.

The Bear/Saints just doesn't play out as easy. Too many other factors. Weather, inexperienced coaches, two QBs who hadn't won a playoff game till this year and a D that was once thought to be unstoppable, but now looks pretty average. Whats to say that Berieman doesn't catch 2 huge TD's and the Saints have to throw the rest of the day. Or Grossman could throw three picks in the first half and the Saints could blow them out. Tons of possibilities. In that case, I'll take the best QB/coach combo. Saints +2.

The best recruiter I have ever seen?

That is a quote from Tom Flemming who is pretty much the Mel Kiper Jr. of college football recruiting. Who is it about you ask? Tim Brewster. Who is currently the TE's coach for the Denver Bronco's, but is rumored to be the next head coach of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Every thing I have read looks good. Not a big name, but I can get by that if the guy can really recruit. But recruiting for programs like Texas and North Carolina is a lot different than recruiting for MN. Until the stadium is finished, the Gophers are still the only big ten team without an on campus stadium. The U is great, really cool bars and close to the city, but its no Austin or Chapel Hill.

Here is my prediction. Brewster comes in and has 3-4 good years of recruiting, finishes 2nd or 3rd in the Big Ten and maybe pulls off a win at OSU or Mich one year. Then he'll skip town for some place with instate talent and a fan base that isn't at the game for a hockey ticket promotion.

Are the Colts a Superbowl Team?

Did you see the Colts final drive last night? Wow. That is what Super Bowl teams do. Up by 6 with 7:30 to play, you need to be able to put together a 6 mn game clincher. And the Colts did it. Grinding out tough yards and getting first down after first down against the toughest D they'll face in the playoffs. The catch by Clark on third down is one of those plays that will go unnoticed if they win the SB, but it was really the play of the game. If its incomplete, the Colts punt and Balt has 2:30 and a 2 mn warning to go the length of the field for a score.

Really the only thing holding the Colts back is Dungy. Has he ever watched football before? Up by 6 with less than 2 mn to go and your opponent has no time outs. Tell me the logic in a field goal? Yeah, lets get the guys on the field who play the least, and see if the Ravens can block or kick and return it for a touchdown. There is absolutely no reason to kick the ball. Take a knee and get your D on the field. Especially since Balt hadn't moved the ball all game.

I am going to cheer for the Pats tonight just we can watch the Pats @ Colts one more time.