Archive for April, 2008

Here is just a warm up to what’s on menus around town.

There are some good choices and much to my dismay there are a lot, a lot, of bad choices.

Who would have thought that a Quizno’s sub can kill, or that a Chili’s Awesome Blossom can kick start a heart attack?

Here is a link to a Men’s Health article I found on the web.

Hungry yet?

How much rice does an average American family eat?
Is there a rice shortage in the U.S.?
So many questions, so many answers. All I know is that my one box of Uncle Ben’s in my cupboard is going to be there for a while.
Watching the news yesterday made we want to go to Sam’s and get greedy over rice. I thought there my be Nintendo Wii Christmas lines.
I didn’t go. I don’t plan on eating that much rice.
So had bad will it really get. How about one person buys a bag, the selling business collects that bag from the purchaser and the company sends it to people who sound like they really need it.
Here’s a fun little video I thought some might enjoy. And of course its from Comedy Central/Jon Stewart’s vault.
I love Jon Stewart. He is my current man crush.

I know they started this morning, but I wanted to give my two cents on the weekend’s track meets.
The top two in each event of the four classifications will be heading to Austin in a couple of weeks. Here are people I consider have pretty good shots, as long as they reach the same times/distances they have so far:

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Who would have seen this coming?
Barack, Hillary and McCain have faced on pretty big stages but none as big as under the lights and glimmer of the WWF (I still use the F and not the E simply because that’s what I grew up on.)

Above is Jon Stewart’s spin – and his writers – on the funny little situation. I’d imagine they thought they needed an in with the really red necked folk down south.
Well, it won me over with a one, two, three.

Prediction 1
Cowboys fans will walk away from Day 1 happy. What will two first round picks do to a franchise on the cusp?
Propel them into the Super Bowl? Unlikely, but it could happen. They just need someone that stays injury free and can make a solid if not spectacular contribution.
They need a WR of the future and we all know Chad Johnson, of the Bungals, is still out there to be had.
The Bengals don’t want to let him go, from what I’ve read on the internet, but why keep a player only to fine him until it hurts for not showing up at training camp?
I say forget about Chad Johnson. Sure, he’d be nice to have with a star on the side of his helmet, but I don’t think he’s worth a draft pick that could lead to 10+ years of cornerstone play.
And I really hope they don’t take Felix Jones. Wait a while and nab someone like Jamaal Charles in the second, possibly third, round.
There is a lot of running backs to be had.
Why not go Limas Sweed and Kenny Phillips. Safetys are hard to come by, especially the great ones, and Phillips has the “U” pedigree to become a good NFL safety.
Sweed’s healthy time at UT should be convincing enough to skeptics to select him.
Prediction 2
Houston will make solid choices. It seems they’ve continued to get better at collecting talent over the years. Not a lot of their team is comprised of late selections, but they don’t exactly have the system in place to develop talent at a steady pace.
Throw ‘em in the fire in Houston.
I just hope they don’t go after another DL.
Prediction 3
The Patriots will either hit it big with the selection of Darren McFadden, or they’ll trade down and select an offensive or defensive lineman.
If the Pats do land McFadden then Jets fans will be ready to walk out of the Radio City Music Hall looking to chop off someone’s head.
Prediction 4
If Matt Ryan is available for Atlanta to select, they shouldn’t do it. Wait until the second round and get a winner like Chad Henne and get the best player available at No. 3.
Atlanta really needs to redo their image after the Vick debacle. I still remember the team changing their uniforms to represent a stealthier Falcon. Vick was stealth-like so the team mirrored his image.
Time to go back to the Neon Deion Falcons. I love the horrible red and black uniforms. The uniform sets the tone for the team, and now that Deangelo Hall is gone also its time to change the uniforms.
Prediction 5
I’m hearing that Jared Allen, the terror of Kansas City, is looking to relocate. He doesn’t look the part, but maybe, just maybe Minnesota will trade for Allen.
Kansas City needs all the help it can get, but if a player doesn’t want to play for an organization…so long, don’t let the door hit ya’ were the good Lord split ya.
Chiefs fans will be content with their draft. Maybe they’ll be able to land Jake Long, OT from Michigan, but it seems like Long is the building block that Parcells wants to build around.
Prediction 6
By the end of the first day Saturday at least two of my predictions will make no sense.

Because I am obsessed and have a little too much time on my hands during the day, I have compiled a list of city and area track athletes heading to regionals this week.
There’s about 350 of them, and the top two in each event in the region will go to Austin on May 9-10.
In a couple of days, I will blog about the kids I think have the best chances of advancing. For now, here’s the list:

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Your thoughts?

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Who would have thought I would have enjoyed a movie about the plight of a 16-year old preggo so much.
“Juno” staring the fantastically sarcastic Ellen Page, as Juno MacGuff, sets the tone for future actresses who make light of a teenage pregnancy.
Juno gets a case of the babies when she sleeps with similarly skinny Michael Cera, as Paulie Bleeker.
Juno decides to give the kid up for an adoption and finds a deserving rich white couple in the Penny Saver, or our equivalent of the Thrifty Nickel.
Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner, as Mark and Vanessa, have wanted to become parents for as long as Vanessa has played with dolls.
But there’s one problem…and I’m not going to tell you about it. Let’s just say the surprise surprised the hell out of me.
I thought it was all going to be fun and babies. It wasn’t and it was.
I do wish however that the film would have featured more of the zany Rainn Wilson (aka The real star of “The Office).
He shows up once as a cash register home skillet at the local five-and-dime.
Juno’s dad, J.K. Simmons (Jonah Jameson from Spiderman), does a good job. Even though he never executed on his promise to “punch Paulie in the wiener.”
Overall, a good movie. Now I can see why it was nominated for an Oscar. Ellen Page does a great job and despite the fact that she looks like a Olsen twin in size she has some attractive characteristics.
I find out how old she (21 years old) actually was before I commented on her hottness.
And I’m happy for the sing talker Cera. The guy was a hit in “Superbad” and he does a really good job as the thigh deodorizer in “Juno,” even if he did hang on to the panties of the girl that took his virginity.
It’s not wierd, but it should remain that un-talked about thing that guys do. Like the elephant in the room.

I now have caught it. Which is pretty weak that it took this long, considering my past.
Growing up in Dallas, I was a die-hard Stars fan. Watched nearly every game. Can recall nearly every huge playoff contest.
I can tell you how awesome the line of Joe Nieuwendyk, Jamie Langenbrunner and Dave Reid were in the ’99 playoffs, which ended with a Stanley Cup.

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I did not work last night, but I saw online this morning that there was finally a Sound Off.
We have gone two full weeks without one of those, and I cannot give you a good reason why.

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I liked the performance, but I like someone else’s performance so much more.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig
announced 11 years ago that Robinson’s number was being retired by all
major league teams. The only player wearing No. 42 then who remains
active is New York Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera,” says ESPN.com.

I do think however that too many ball players wear the number. I believe the number should be a exclusively released reward for the player that still honors the memory and legacy of Jackie Robinson.

What have you done on a social-awareness level, do you volunteer — stuff like that. It only makes sense.

And definitely only one player per team.

Not a lot of people have, or are able to have watched Robinson play. I’ve only seen bits and pieces.

About a month ago I downloaded the 1952 World Series, game 7, to my iPod. What a special event to watch. Mantle, Robinson, what else could a sports nut love.

For $1.99 you can love it too. I recommend it. The camera work is not the norm for today’s standards, but buy it anyway.

Watch a baseball game tonight and remember we’ve come a long way and still have a ways to go.

I have been meaning to blog a lot more starting last week, but it has been pretty crazy around here in the sports world.
A quick breakdown of what has been going on:

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If felt pretty good to go into Final Four weekend with both brackets having a chance at placing in the office pool.

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These photos are taken from the Associated Press. The first few are generic shots, that hopefully don’t need a description to understand.
Just in case, the motel photographs are taken from the location were Dr. King was assassinated.
Take a second and let everything sink in once your are done. There aren’t many photographs here, but they can have a mighty blow once the truth of just a simple picture sinks in.
Some of these photographs, especially the final one, gave me chills. Remembering a man so great is tough to do, but it must be done.






Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., attends a news conference in Birmingham, Ala. in this May 9, 1963 file photo. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated when he was only 39. Now, four decades later, the anniversary of his death is marked by a documentary that explores his life and legacy. “King,” which airs Sunday at 8 p.m. EDT on History, revisits signal moments from his fight for civil rights: the bus boycott in Montgomery, Ala.; the march in Selma; his incarceration in Birmingham; the march on Washington and his speech where he declared unforgettably, “I have a dream.” His tragic death in Memphis.

Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King gestures during a speech at a political rally in Montgomery, Ala., in this April 29, 1966 file photo. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated when he was only 39 .Now, four decades later, the anniversary of his death is marked by a documentary that explores his life and legacy. “King,” which airs Sunday at 8 p.m. EDT on History, revisits signal moments from his fight for civil rights: the bus boycott in Montgomery, Ala.; the march in Selma; his incarceration in Birmingham; the march on Washington and his speech where he declared unforgettably, “I have a dream.” His tragic death in Memphis.

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I continue to be amazed.
Lil Jon — the YEEEAAAAHHHH! man himself — is starting a wine label. Who would have thought. Doesn’t everybody like to get throwed off the wine.
For many who don’t know, Lil Jon is an Atlanta rapper/producer with long dreads who has notoriously been featured in skits on Dave Chappelle’s TV show. Jon might not have been there when they were recorded, but he was there in spirit.
Lil Jon has about single-word catch phrases. What, yeah, OK and something that I can’t remember to include.
He’s funny and an entertaining dude. He also help reinvent the pimp cup. I’ll put it this way, the pimp cup is something that Indiana Jones didn’t select in “The Last Crusade.”
Lil Jon didn’t live the life of a carpenter.
And now I’ll back off the Lil Jon/Jesus references. Wait, one more, Lil Jon wants to make sure he can turn water into wine.
I’m done.
So next time you reach for a bottle of that vintage 1983 southern France delicacy – throw your hood up.
Here’s the story on our website. http://www.timesrecordnews.com/news/2008/apr/04/rapper-producer-lil-jon-gets-winemaking-starts-own/

Fans greet members of the Philadelphia Phillies as they enter the field before their home opener baseball game against the Washington Nationals in Philadelphia, Monday, March 31, 2008. (AP Photo)

President Bush throws out the ceremonial first pitch before the home opener for the Washington Nationals in their new ballpark Sunday, March 30, 2008 in Washington. The Nationals face the Atlanta Braves in their first game of the regular season. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

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