This is just going to be one of those quick post/link things, mainly because I'm not feeling good and I really just don't feel like writing a bunch of posts. So...
1. I just noticed, that, as of the time I make the link (which doesn't mean that it won't change afterwards) that the Texans are anywhere from 9 to 9.5 point favorites over the Raiders this weekend. I know that the Raiders suck, but I wonder if any of the people taking the Texans have bothered to watch the Texans. A team that should have destroyed the Raiders last season but instead got their asses handed to them. The Texans are also a team that can't, CAN'T stop the run.
Sure, the Texans should have an easy win. But it's the Texans. All I'm saying is take the Raiders and the points, especially if you can get the 9.5 points.
2. As if you really a needed a reason to take the Raiders and the points.
3. So John Lopez is leaving 790 The Sports Animal and going over to 610 to join that morning show. Two things, would the last person left standing at 790 please turn off the lights? Second, just how desperate is 610 that it's picking up Lopez for its morning show? Seriously, isn't there someone else in this city with a little talent? God knows that Lopez doesn't have any. And to make it worse, 610 is trotting out Brad Davies and Barry Warner to handle a weekend show. I guess this pretty much means that Warner has worked at every radio station in Houston. And who knows, maybe this way Davies will finally be forced to learn a little something about Houston sports teams.
4. According to Ed Wade, the Astros owe it to Miguel Tejada and Geoff Blum to play them every game because they're free agents at the end of the the year and the players are trying to make a good impression. How about the Astros owe it to the fans to see if the some of the young guys who might be playing in place of Tejada and Blum next season can actually play?
That's it. I'll try to come back for more tomorrow.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Just Another Of The Many Reasons That The Chronicle Sucks
Dear Houston Chronicle:
If your NFL/Houston Texans beat writer thinks that it is more important, during the season, to take off a couple of days to go a film movie than it is to do his job, then maybe, just maybe, you fired and laid off the wrong writers and reporters earlier this year. Because, like, I don't know, you would think that maybe your NFL/Houston Texans beat writer should actually be doing some reporting during the season and not filming a movie.
That's just reason number 836,901 that the Chron totally sucks.
If your NFL/Houston Texans beat writer thinks that it is more important, during the season, to take off a couple of days to go a film movie than it is to do his job, then maybe, just maybe, you fired and laid off the wrong writers and reporters earlier this year. Because, like, I don't know, you would think that maybe your NFL/Houston Texans beat writer should actually be doing some reporting during the season and not filming a movie.
That's just reason number 836,901 that the Chron totally sucks.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Have I Mentioned Lately That The Texans Suck?
I know you're expecting some words of wisdom after today's Texans loss to the Jaguars. But I've got to say that I don't know what to say except for how can anybody really be surprised by that happens with the Texans. The run defense was, once again, for the third time this regular season as well as for all of the preseason, nonexistent. The pass defense wasn't that great either, especially since the Jaguars pass game sucks. And could someone please tell me what happened to Andre Johnson in the second half?
Burt at least Steve Slaton appeared for this game.
Like I said, I don't know how anybody could be surprised by what happened. But then again, I'm guessing that John McClain never really pays any attention to what the Texans actually do. Otherwise, there's no way he would be so shocked by what happened today.
After all, he wrote this after the game:
"The Texans are an abomination, an embarrassment to the city, the county and to themselves.
"Bob McNair and Gary Kubiak should be humiliated for the wretched performance they came up with at Reliant Stadium on Sunday. It was another miserable effort by the defense, and then the offense blew the game.
"In short, the Jaguars saw red, and they made the Texans bleed. And what an ugly sight it was.
"After showing heart and guts and toughness in the victory at Tennessee, the Texans came back home and allowed Jacksonville to shove the ball down their throats."
If he would have paid any attention to the Jets game, or the first half of the Titans game, or any of the preseason games, then he would have expected this. Because the team looked like this for large parts of those games. That long run that Maurice Jones-Drew busted for a TD? That looked like Chris Johnson last week and Thomas Jones the week before that and Adrian Peterson several weeks before that.
Now I picked the Texans to finish 7-9 for the season. So I'm not surprised by the way they play. I've yet to see anything that indicates the Texans are capable of being a winning team, or a playoff team. The only problem is that, though I picked them to finish 7-9, this was one of the games I saw them winning when I made that prediction. And as you saw earlier today, I thought they were going to lose.
Next week they play Oakland. Which should be an easy win.
Then again, this is the Texans we're talking about, and Gary Kubiak is still the coach, the defense still sucks, and the Raiders actually have some good running backs, so there's no telling yet about what's going to happen.
Burt at least Steve Slaton appeared for this game.
Like I said, I don't know how anybody could be surprised by what happened. But then again, I'm guessing that John McClain never really pays any attention to what the Texans actually do. Otherwise, there's no way he would be so shocked by what happened today.
After all, he wrote this after the game:
"The Texans are an abomination, an embarrassment to the city, the county and to themselves.
"Bob McNair and Gary Kubiak should be humiliated for the wretched performance they came up with at Reliant Stadium on Sunday. It was another miserable effort by the defense, and then the offense blew the game.
"In short, the Jaguars saw red, and they made the Texans bleed. And what an ugly sight it was.
"After showing heart and guts and toughness in the victory at Tennessee, the Texans came back home and allowed Jacksonville to shove the ball down their throats."
If he would have paid any attention to the Jets game, or the first half of the Titans game, or any of the preseason games, then he would have expected this. Because the team looked like this for large parts of those games. That long run that Maurice Jones-Drew busted for a TD? That looked like Chris Johnson last week and Thomas Jones the week before that and Adrian Peterson several weeks before that.
Now I picked the Texans to finish 7-9 for the season. So I'm not surprised by the way they play. I've yet to see anything that indicates the Texans are capable of being a winning team, or a playoff team. The only problem is that, though I picked them to finish 7-9, this was one of the games I saw them winning when I made that prediction. And as you saw earlier today, I thought they were going to lose.
Next week they play Oakland. Which should be an easy win.
Then again, this is the Texans we're talking about, and Gary Kubiak is still the coach, the defense still sucks, and the Raiders actually have some good running backs, so there's no telling yet about what's going to happen.
Some Thoughts On The Upcoming Texans/Jaguars Game
I should have some words of wisdom regarding the Texans/Jaguars game that is fast approaching. But to tell the truth, I'm still too wiped out from the Cougars game last night to really think.
What I do think is this: in the past, the Texans found ways to lose games like this. Games that they were supposed to win because they were better than the opponent, or because the week before they had won a big, defining game, games like that one against the Titans last week. And in the past, when that has happened, the team has laid a big, giant egg.
I still don't trust Gary Kubiak as a coach. I think the Titans game was more a fluke than it was anything else. And I see the Jaguars just pounding the ball and running Maurice Jones-Drew for the whole game. And I see the Texans defense letting him break a few big runs. I see the Texans losing.
But I could be wrong.
What I do think is this: in the past, the Texans found ways to lose games like this. Games that they were supposed to win because they were better than the opponent, or because the week before they had won a big, defining game, games like that one against the Titans last week. And in the past, when that has happened, the team has laid a big, giant egg.
I still don't trust Gary Kubiak as a coach. I think the Titans game was more a fluke than it was anything else. And I see the Jaguars just pounding the ball and running Maurice Jones-Drew for the whole game. And I see the Texans defense letting him break a few big runs. I see the Texans losing.
But I could be wrong.
Some Late Night Thoughts On UH/Texas Tech
Just got home from the UH/Texas Tech game. I've got interviews to transcribe and notes to decipher. Luckily, unlike the guys on deadline for this morning, I don't have to file until later this afternoon/tonight.That said, a few things. For awhile there, I thought Gary Kubiak was coaching the Cougars. They couldn't stop the run. They were making dumb penalties. The clock management was awful. They couldn't convert red zone opportunities into touchdowns. Yet they stayed with Tech and kept in the game, and in the fourth quarter, when it counted, the Cougars got the job done. I doubted the Cougars could come back and win, and I was wrong.
And do you know where I was when Case Keenum scored the game winning touchdown? I was on the field, standing in the corner of the end zone that he scored in? And I was trying to make my way across the field for the post-game presser when the fans tried to storm the field.
And here's hoping that, with Ole Miss, Cal, and Penn State losing this weekend that the Coogs can climb into the Top 10. I'm doubting it will happen, but we can hope. Right?
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Some Thoughts On The Upcoming Cougar Game
In a couple of hours, the Houston Cougars will be kicking off what might be their most important game in decades. Sure, the Oklahoma State got them ranked for the first time since 1991, but now the team needs to win a game so as to keep in the Top 25. If the Coogs lose, they're out, and despite what happens the rest of the season, I don't think they get back in. But if they can be Texas Tech, the last major conference school they face this season, then I think they're solid. I don't think they'll make the Top 10 this season, but I think they'll stay ranked the rest of the season.
So what happens?
I was confident before the Oklahoma State game. I had talked to the players, and the coaches, and I sensed their confidence. They knew that no matter what happened, they were going to win that game. I didn't quite get that from the players this week. They think they can beat Tech, but they all seemed kind of surprised at just how good the Tech defense appeared, and at just how good the Tech receiving corps was. The Oklahoma State defense was supposed to be good, but the Cougar offensive linemen told me before the game that they could beat that defense because it was geared to stopping a power run game, whereas the Coogs are a pass first team.
I think the Coogs win this game against Texas Tech. I think they should win this game. But I think it's going to be a nail-biter.
And I'll be back tomorrow with some thoughts on the game. And hopefully Mr. Fred -- who is shooting the game for me and the mothership will have some nice photos.
P.S.: For those who are really interested, I'll be tweeting from the game if you want to follow along. Just look for @John_Royal.
So what happens?
I was confident before the Oklahoma State game. I had talked to the players, and the coaches, and I sensed their confidence. They knew that no matter what happened, they were going to win that game. I didn't quite get that from the players this week. They think they can beat Tech, but they all seemed kind of surprised at just how good the Tech defense appeared, and at just how good the Tech receiving corps was. The Oklahoma State defense was supposed to be good, but the Cougar offensive linemen told me before the game that they could beat that defense because it was geared to stopping a power run game, whereas the Coogs are a pass first team.
I think the Coogs win this game against Texas Tech. I think they should win this game. But I think it's going to be a nail-biter.
And I'll be back tomorrow with some thoughts on the game. And hopefully Mr. Fred -- who is shooting the game for me and the mothership will have some nice photos.
P.S.: For those who are really interested, I'll be tweeting from the game if you want to follow along. Just look for @John_Royal.
A Little Something For The Cougars
I don't know what Coach Kevin Sumlin be doing to fire up his guys before the game, but here's a little something for the fans. It's kind of low-key, but I think it works. So here's Spoon and "The Underdog."
Why Ed Wade Is Going To Get It Wrong
Jesus Ortiz has one of those articles in the Chron right now that really drives me nuts -- even more nuts than I already am. While it has context, it's devoid of the proper context. It has a conclusion which with it wants the reader to agree, but leaves out information and redefines certain terms so that the reader can only come to the conclusion that Ortiz desires.
In short, it's a really crappy story, but it's along of what happens when the Chron reminds itself that it's a propaganda rag for Drayton McLane.
The story is about how Astros GM Ed Wade is going to use his past experience as GM of the Philadelphia Phillies in choosing the new manager of the Houston Astros. And Ortiz tells us that since Wade got it right with the Phillies by ignoring popular opinion, then he's going to get it right here.
The story goes that Wade hired two managers in Philadelphia, and that the first time, he listened to the fans, and he got it wrong. The second time, he ignored the fans and hired Charlie Manuel to manage the team, and that he was run out of town for hiring a country bumpkin who, last year, led the Phillies to a World Series championship.
What the story glosses over is that the fan choice for the job was Jim Leyland, who had managed the Pittsburgh Pirates the last time they made the playoffs and who led the 1997 Florida Marlins to the World Series. As I remember it, Leyland really wanted this job, but Wade passed him over because Leyland wasn't the type to kiss Wade's ass. But Ortiz tells this is all okay because Manuel took the Phillies to the World Series.
Now what Mr. Ortiz doesn't tell the reader is that Leyland is known as one of the best managers of the last two decades whereas Manuel is just seen as a guy who doesn't rock the boat and just rides what he has, i.e., if he has talent, the team finds a way to win despite Manuel, but if the team sucks, well, you're out of luck. What Oritz also glosses over is that the fans were pissed with Wade not because he hired Manuel, but because he kept his job while Larry Bowa was fired, and Bowa was stuck with a roster that was handed to him by Wade. Remember, the World Series Phillies roster was partially built by Wade, but the finishing touches, those things that actually got the Phillies over the top, were done by Pat Gillick who replaced Wade because Wade couldn't get the job done.
And another problem is that Ortiz says the players are dismissive of the Astros hiring a retread manager. Well, I'm not in favor of the Astros hiring a retread either, but according to Ortiz's definition of retread, Tony La Russa -- who got the White Sox to the playoffs, and the A's and Cardinals to the World Series and works wonders with his players -- and Joe Torre are retreads.
Now my definition of retread doesn't include Tony La Russa, and I don't think this is what the players meant by retread. To me, a retread is a guy like Phil Garner or Jimy Williams. A guy who keeps getting hired for a job despite their ability to actually win -- Garner and Williams were on the their third managing jobs with the Astros and Garner owes the World Series to Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte and not to anything he ever did. A retread is not a guy who wins at every stop and gets his teams in the playoffs on a consistent basis. By Ortiz's definition, not only is La Russa a retread, but so is Jim Leyland. And Buck Showalter. And Davey Johnson. And Bobby Cox.
These guys are among the great managers and baseball minds. They're not retreads. They didn't get jobs due to the Old Boys Network like Garner and Williams and Manuel did. They got jobs because the teams they manage win games. Sure, they all lost their jobs. But that's because they're strong personalities who often clashed with guys like Ed Wade and were then fired. yet they win games.
In one way, Ortiz is right. Wade's work with the Phillies when it comes to hiring managers is informative when it comes to the Astros job. And it informs us that Wade is going to screw this hire up because he's going to hire someone who is actually his buddy while ignoring a guy who can win.
In short, it's a really crappy story, but it's along of what happens when the Chron reminds itself that it's a propaganda rag for Drayton McLane.
The story is about how Astros GM Ed Wade is going to use his past experience as GM of the Philadelphia Phillies in choosing the new manager of the Houston Astros. And Ortiz tells us that since Wade got it right with the Phillies by ignoring popular opinion, then he's going to get it right here.
The story goes that Wade hired two managers in Philadelphia, and that the first time, he listened to the fans, and he got it wrong. The second time, he ignored the fans and hired Charlie Manuel to manage the team, and that he was run out of town for hiring a country bumpkin who, last year, led the Phillies to a World Series championship.
What the story glosses over is that the fan choice for the job was Jim Leyland, who had managed the Pittsburgh Pirates the last time they made the playoffs and who led the 1997 Florida Marlins to the World Series. As I remember it, Leyland really wanted this job, but Wade passed him over because Leyland wasn't the type to kiss Wade's ass. But Ortiz tells this is all okay because Manuel took the Phillies to the World Series.
Now what Mr. Ortiz doesn't tell the reader is that Leyland is known as one of the best managers of the last two decades whereas Manuel is just seen as a guy who doesn't rock the boat and just rides what he has, i.e., if he has talent, the team finds a way to win despite Manuel, but if the team sucks, well, you're out of luck. What Oritz also glosses over is that the fans were pissed with Wade not because he hired Manuel, but because he kept his job while Larry Bowa was fired, and Bowa was stuck with a roster that was handed to him by Wade. Remember, the World Series Phillies roster was partially built by Wade, but the finishing touches, those things that actually got the Phillies over the top, were done by Pat Gillick who replaced Wade because Wade couldn't get the job done.
And another problem is that Ortiz says the players are dismissive of the Astros hiring a retread manager. Well, I'm not in favor of the Astros hiring a retread either, but according to Ortiz's definition of retread, Tony La Russa -- who got the White Sox to the playoffs, and the A's and Cardinals to the World Series and works wonders with his players -- and Joe Torre are retreads.
Now my definition of retread doesn't include Tony La Russa, and I don't think this is what the players meant by retread. To me, a retread is a guy like Phil Garner or Jimy Williams. A guy who keeps getting hired for a job despite their ability to actually win -- Garner and Williams were on the their third managing jobs with the Astros and Garner owes the World Series to Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte and not to anything he ever did. A retread is not a guy who wins at every stop and gets his teams in the playoffs on a consistent basis. By Ortiz's definition, not only is La Russa a retread, but so is Jim Leyland. And Buck Showalter. And Davey Johnson. And Bobby Cox.
These guys are among the great managers and baseball minds. They're not retreads. They didn't get jobs due to the Old Boys Network like Garner and Williams and Manuel did. They got jobs because the teams they manage win games. Sure, they all lost their jobs. But that's because they're strong personalities who often clashed with guys like Ed Wade and were then fired. yet they win games.
In one way, Ortiz is right. Wade's work with the Phillies when it comes to hiring managers is informative when it comes to the Astros job. And it informs us that Wade is going to screw this hire up because he's going to hire someone who is actually his buddy while ignoring a guy who can win.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Hold Me Closer
I've had a good day. As a result, I thought I would share probably the best scene from one of my all-time favorite movies.
Uh, About That Lack of Posts
Sorry for the lack of postings recently. I've been busy not being busy, and I've been a little burnt-out, blogging wise. Hopefully, with all of the football activity this weekend I'll be able to ramp a little. I know that, right now, I'm planning some prediction posts for the Cougars and Texans. But expect things to remain a little quiet next week as I'm starting a temp job at a firm in Houston which is promising to keep me busy for at least a couple of weeks.
The Three Guys Who Could Save The Astros
Over at the mothership, you can read my thoughts on the three names that Drayton McLane should be considering to come in and turn around the Astros. Of course, I don't see Drayton actually calling any of these people because they wouldn't take any of his crap, but still, they could probably save the franchise.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
It Might Get Loud
I saw the documentary It Might Get Loud today. It was an interesting movie about guitars and rock music, starring Jack White, The Edge, and Jimmy Page.
But I had a couple of issues. For instance I can't understand how Jack White can be compared to the likes of Page and The Edge. Surely there was someone of this generation who is a better guitarist than White -- especially since White admits to being a sloppy guitarist. And it was interesting listening to The Edge and Page talk about their process while White just came off as a bit of a prick.
And I learned something interesting. I knew that Jimmy Page had been a session guitarist before joining The Yardbirds. What I didn't know was that Page played guitar on one of the iconic film songs of all time, "Goldfinger."
But I had a couple of issues. For instance I can't understand how Jack White can be compared to the likes of Page and The Edge. Surely there was someone of this generation who is a better guitarist than White -- especially since White admits to being a sloppy guitarist. And it was interesting listening to The Edge and Page talk about their process while White just came off as a bit of a prick.
And I learned something interesting. I knew that Jimmy Page had been a session guitarist before joining The Yardbirds. What I didn't know was that Page played guitar on one of the iconic film songs of all time, "Goldfinger."
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Enough With The Drayton McLane's A Great Guy Already
Richard Justice does it again. He's back with the propaganda about what a well-run franchise the Astros have been under Drayton McLane. I'm not going to do another of my recitations of why McLane has been such an awful owner of the franchise. I just want Justice to stop writing this crap.
It's a lie. He knows it's a lie. Hell, he's even written in the past about how awful McLane is to the people who work for him. So. Just. Stop. It. Already.
It's a lie. He knows it's a lie. Hell, he's even written in the past about how awful McLane is to the people who work for him. So. Just. Stop. It. Already.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Springsteen
I've been busy with other matters today, so I haven't spent much time on the blog. Sorry. I'll try to get some more stuff up tonight. But hopefully, this will satisfy you. Since it's The Boss's birthday today, how about a little Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performing one of my all-time favorites, "Murder Incorporated."
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Just Around The Corner
Being that this is Joan Jett's birthday, I thought a little Joan Jett would be appropriate today. So here's Ms. Jett performing a song written by some guy named Bruce Springsteen called "Light of Day."
The Richard Justice Jinx
I've got some bad news, Cougar fans. The football team's good run might be coming to an end. And why, do you ask? Simple. Richard Justice attended the media luncheon today.
Usually, the Cougars only exist for Justice so that he can trash the school and make insults about the team, the students, and the facilities. But we all know that Richard Justice has never found a bandwagon that he can't jump on, so I'm guessing that his newest bandwagon is the Cougars. Which means the team will probably be defeated this weekend.
Usually, the Cougars only exist for Justice so that he can trash the school and make insults about the team, the students, and the facilities. But we all know that Richard Justice has never found a bandwagon that he can't jump on, so I'm guessing that his newest bandwagon is the Cougars. Which means the team will probably be defeated this weekend.
Musings On The Astros Manager Search
Over at the mothership you can read my thoughts on the dismissal of Cecil Cooper and my thoughts on some of the people who have been mentioned as his possible replacement.
Some Musings On The Texans Defeat Of The Titans
I'm still in shock over the Texans defeating the Titans on Sunday. But I've got to say, I see this more as a game the Titans lost than the Texans won. Seriously, can someone tell me what Jeff Fisher was thinking? The Texans -- in both of the last two games the Titans have lost to them -- have shown an inability to stop Chris Johnson. Did you see what he did to the Texans on Sunday? Yet for some reason, Jeff Fisher went to the passing game, and stopped giving the ball to Chris Johnson. It just doesn't make sense.
The Texans had no clue when it came to Johnson. And if I were coaching, I would have just kept giving him the ball. Now the Texans have the Jaguars and Maurice Jones-Drew this weekend. And Jones-Drew has torn up the Texans in the past. I wonder how that will go.
The Texans had no clue when it came to Johnson. And if I were coaching, I would have just kept giving him the ball. Now the Texans have the Jaguars and Maurice Jones-Drew this weekend. And Jones-Drew has torn up the Texans in the past. I wonder how that will go.
Quote of the Day: Carlos Lee Edition
Our quote of the day is courtesy of Astros "left fielder" Carlos Lee, who offered up his comments on the firing of Cecil Cooper and how Drayton McLane has been spending his money: "I’ll tell you, you just got to have a good balance and a competitive team," left fielder Carlos Lee told the Chron. "If you see the team across the hall right here, the St. Louis Cardinals, they find a way to do it. They’re not a big-market team. They don’t spend that much money. I guess just find a way to do it. That’s what we got to do, just find a way to do it."
Yeah, and Carlos, the Cardinals don't waste money on fat hacks like you. They spend for pitchers. They spend for guys who can play defense. They stock the farm system. They have players that hustle. They don't overpay for designated hitters, especially since the Cardinals are a National League team.
In short, Carlos. You're not part of the solution. You're part of the problem.
Yeah, and Carlos, the Cardinals don't waste money on fat hacks like you. They spend for pitchers. They spend for guys who can play defense. They stock the farm system. They have players that hustle. They don't overpay for designated hitters, especially since the Cardinals are a National League team.
In short, Carlos. You're not part of the solution. You're part of the problem.
My First Step Should I Become The Astros Manager
Drayton McLane finally pulled the trigger yesterday and fired Cecil Cooper. And I think we can all agree that that move was more than two years overdue. Now I have, in the past, campaigned for this job.
But now is the time to get serious. Now is the time to make me the manager of the Houston Astros. Not Jim Fregosi. Not Manny Acta. Definitely not interim manager Dave Clark. But me.
I know that some of you have joined my Facebook group that deals with making me the manager, but I think that all of you should sign up and join the group. And I also think that you should call the Astros switchboard and demand that I get the job.
I'm not doing this as a lark. I've been putting some thought into this thing. And I thought I would share with you what I have in mind as my first move once I become the manager of the Houston Astros. I'm going to get on the phone and I'm calling Dave Duncan, the pitching coach of the St. Louis Cardinals. Duncan's contract expires at the end of this season, and the reports out of St. Louis are that he's not exactly happy with the Cardinals organization. It's no secret that the Astros pitching has sucked, and it's also no secret that teams with awful pitching don't make the playoffs.
The Astros have possibly three pitchers they can depend on next season -- Roy Oswalt, Wandy Rodriguez, and Bud Norris. Brian Moehler might be back. But other than that, the organization appears to be devoid of talent. The odds are that Drayton is not going to spend big bucks on pitching, so they'll probably do more like they have in the past and get retreads. And Dave Duncan has done a great job with retreads -- witness the Kyle Lohse reclamation project. Or Braden Looper. The Astros have not had this kind of luck with their rejects. So I'm going to see if Duncan wants to come here.
And if not, I'm going to give Larry Dierker a call. I liked his theories regarding the pitchers when he was managing the Astros, and I liked to give him a shot with what the Astros have now. There's not much for him to work with, but there's been too much of the pitchers dealing with pitching coaches like Dewey Robinson that they don't respect -- anyone remember Roy Oswalt going for advice to Jim Hickey, who is the Tampa Bay Rays pitching coach?
So there's where I would start if I were named manager. There needs to be a pitching coach that the pitchers can respect, and who is used to reclamation projects. That person is Dave Duncan. And that's who I want by my side making pitching decisions.
But now is the time to get serious. Now is the time to make me the manager of the Houston Astros. Not Jim Fregosi. Not Manny Acta. Definitely not interim manager Dave Clark. But me.
I know that some of you have joined my Facebook group that deals with making me the manager, but I think that all of you should sign up and join the group. And I also think that you should call the Astros switchboard and demand that I get the job.
I'm not doing this as a lark. I've been putting some thought into this thing. And I thought I would share with you what I have in mind as my first move once I become the manager of the Houston Astros. I'm going to get on the phone and I'm calling Dave Duncan, the pitching coach of the St. Louis Cardinals. Duncan's contract expires at the end of this season, and the reports out of St. Louis are that he's not exactly happy with the Cardinals organization. It's no secret that the Astros pitching has sucked, and it's also no secret that teams with awful pitching don't make the playoffs.
The Astros have possibly three pitchers they can depend on next season -- Roy Oswalt, Wandy Rodriguez, and Bud Norris. Brian Moehler might be back. But other than that, the organization appears to be devoid of talent. The odds are that Drayton is not going to spend big bucks on pitching, so they'll probably do more like they have in the past and get retreads. And Dave Duncan has done a great job with retreads -- witness the Kyle Lohse reclamation project. Or Braden Looper. The Astros have not had this kind of luck with their rejects. So I'm going to see if Duncan wants to come here.
And if not, I'm going to give Larry Dierker a call. I liked his theories regarding the pitchers when he was managing the Astros, and I liked to give him a shot with what the Astros have now. There's not much for him to work with, but there's been too much of the pitchers dealing with pitching coaches like Dewey Robinson that they don't respect -- anyone remember Roy Oswalt going for advice to Jim Hickey, who is the Tampa Bay Rays pitching coach?
So there's where I would start if I were named manager. There needs to be a pitching coach that the pitchers can respect, and who is used to reclamation projects. That person is Dave Duncan. And that's who I want by my side making pitching decisions.
Monday, September 21, 2009
A Few Comments from the New UH AD
Here's my early contribution to today's mothership. It's a story on the new UH Athletic Director, Mack Rhoades. Go give it a read.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
NFL Prediction: Titans To Be The Texans
So kickoff from Nashville is quick approaching, and perhaps it's time for me to give some thoughts on the Texans/Titans match-up. Texans' expert John McClain predicts a Titans win, but only by a score of 19-13. Of course, McClain also didn't anticipate last week's debacle, and he was one of those pushing the Texans are a good football team meme -- along, of course it seems, with most of his colleagues at the Chron.The Titans possess several things which give the Texans problems. A good coach. A great running game. A very good defense.
The Texans can't stop good running teams. No matter what they try, nothing works. And for the most part, when the Texans put everybody up front to stop the run, teams kill them with the pass, and the Titans are good enough to kill them with the passing game. But I wouldn't expect the Titans to abandon the running game right away and I would expect Chris Johnson and LenDale White to run all over the Texans. The Steelers had trouble stopping the Titans running game, and the Steelers have a good defense, so I think it's a pretty hopeless task for the Texans.
Steve Slaton has had some luck with running the football against the Titans. But if the line is as crappy today as it was last week, well, forget that. And the Titans love facing Matt Schaub -- I'm surprised they haven't maimed him for life, and with the guy injured due to running over the sideline, I wouldn't be surprised to see him get injured again at some point today.
And then there's the coaching. Gary Kubiak has shown a continued inability to get his team prepared for a game. I'm sure he thinks they'll be ready. And I'm sure he thinks he's anticipated everything the Titans will do. But I'm pretty sure that, come the end of the game, he'll be saying the same thing he always does after a loss, that it's his fault for not properly preparing the team.
More importantly, I think Jeff Fisher and the Titans will be trying to prove a point. They dominated the Steelers for most of the season's first game, and lost in overtime. I'm sure that they're going to use the Texans to prove a point. The point being that the Titans are a really good team and the Texans suck.
The Texans lose this game. And I don't think the score will be that close. What I'm debating is whether the Texans are able to score. So once again, the Texans start the season at 0-2.
TDs With A Bang
And here's a little something to get everybody in a mood for a little afternoon mayhem.
District 9 Banned And I Want My Interview
Here's an interesting little story. It's interesting because it appears that the Nigerian government has banned the movie District 9 from showing at cinemas in that country. And that's probably because the Nigerians don't come off very good in the movie.
But here's what I really find interesting. This AP story to which I've linked finds it compelling that the Nigerians have created a Facebook page called "Nigerians Offended by District 9" that has, gasp, 57 members.
Fifty-seven members. Is that all?
Hell, my Facebook group "Make John Royal the Manager of the Houston Astros" has 36 members, and I haven't even really advertised it. So when is the Associated Press sending someone around to interview me? I would hope that I at least get interviewed after Cecil Cooper is fired because I really want that job, and the publicity would really help me out.
But this is just an indication to me that this AP reporter doesn't spend much time on Facebook, because 57 members isn't really that much for one of Facebook's groups.
But here's what I really find interesting. This AP story to which I've linked finds it compelling that the Nigerians have created a Facebook page called "Nigerians Offended by District 9" that has, gasp, 57 members.
Fifty-seven members. Is that all?
Hell, my Facebook group "Make John Royal the Manager of the Houston Astros" has 36 members, and I haven't even really advertised it. So when is the Associated Press sending someone around to interview me? I would hope that I at least get interviewed after Cecil Cooper is fired because I really want that job, and the publicity would really help me out.
But this is just an indication to me that this AP reporter doesn't spend much time on Facebook, because 57 members isn't really that much for one of Facebook's groups.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Houston Texans: Consistenly Mediocre
Our quote of the day is courtesy, once again, of a writer at SI.com in the Huddle Up blog, who in his attempt to say that the Texans showing against the Jets wasn't as bad as everybody thinks, wrote: "Houston: No surprise, the Texans are all over the place. They'll look terrible, reel off two winning streaks and end up at 8-8. Then we'll all pick them as our darkhorse next season. "And I don't doubt that. And what I also don't doubt is, come the end of the season, with the Texans having finished around 8-8 -- or 7-9 as I predicted -- the guys at the Chron will be writing about what great character the Texans showed by coming back from a rough start. Richard Justice will write something about how Gary Kubiak is getting his act together and next season will be the magic season. And John McClain will write about a movie he's working on, then he'll toss out something about Matt Schaub is a tremendous QB and that since he'll be healthy next season the Texans won't be stopped.
And everyone at the Chron will write about how Peyton Manning is aging. And the Titans can't win consistently if they can't pass. And Jacksonville is Jacksonville, so that means the Texans are poised for the playoffs. Which will lead to numerous offseason stories about new defensive schemes and the team will draft a defensive lineman in the first round and we'll hear about how Matt Schaub isn't injury-prone, he's just prone to bad luck and cheap shots -- like white lines being drawing on the turf. And the team will look awful in preseason and we'll be told that preseason doesn't count. And it will all start all over again.
Here's hoping that I'm wrong. But I doubt it.
Some Musings On Vehicle Parking
Hey, could someone out there help me with something? Could someone please explain to me the thinking behind backing into a parking space? Especially trucks?
I wonder about this because a) it's generally trucks, and the big ones at that, that I see backing into parking spaces, b) it always seems to take forever as the idiots who insist on doing this generally don't know what the hell they're doing, they're always doing it in a tight spot, they go back and forth, up and down, as they try to eaze in which in turns, causes all of the traffic to back up because no one can move while Joe Bob tries to get his vehicle parked, and c) no matter how long they take, they never, never, never, never, never, never park between the damn lines and they're generally so far close to some other car that people can't get into their cars.
So, someone, please, explain this stupidity to me. What's the thinking going on here?
I wonder about this because a) it's generally trucks, and the big ones at that, that I see backing into parking spaces, b) it always seems to take forever as the idiots who insist on doing this generally don't know what the hell they're doing, they're always doing it in a tight spot, they go back and forth, up and down, as they try to eaze in which in turns, causes all of the traffic to back up because no one can move while Joe Bob tries to get his vehicle parked, and c) no matter how long they take, they never, never, never, never, never, never park between the damn lines and they're generally so far close to some other car that people can't get into their cars.
So, someone, please, explain this stupidity to me. What's the thinking going on here?
Uh, About That Spot In The Press Box
So I got the note from the Houston Cougar SID yesterday. Apparently, there's such an overwhelming demand for access at next week's Cougar/Texas Tech game, that press box access is going to be limited. Oh, I'll be there.Probably.
Here's the deal. Robertson Stadium is sold out for the first time since the Cougars played the Longhorns in 2001. And suddenly, all of these media guys who have seen fit to ignore the team this year, want to go to the game. The Cougar press box is rather small and old, and small, and old. And even at the Northwestern State game, where the Houston media consisted of me, the Chronicle, the Daily Cougar, and Bob Slovak -- for about a half -- it was a tight fit.
So the note from the SID says that the all of the media organizations are limited to one person in the press box per organization. Even then, they're expecting an overflow, so media will be sent to the roof. For some reason, I'm thinking I'm going to be sent to sit on the roof. Actually, funny thing, when they do TV games from Robertson, the TV announcers are placed on the roof, so I'm guessing I'll be up there with the crew from ESPN.
Now I can see how the Coogs would want the big media guys having good spots. And it's true that I don't spend all of my time on campus learning the team and talking to the coaches -- some of the radio guys hang around practice a lot but don't go to the games -- but still, seeing as how I, you know, actually attend the games, you would think I would deserve the actual press box.
But we'll see. And now that I think about, unless the weather is really bad, I don't see how sitting on the roof can be worse than having a spot with an obstructed view of the field.
Friday, September 18, 2009
You're So, Precious
Here's a good way to close out a Friday night. Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders doing "Precious."
I Want To Thank You
I saw the movie Whiteout earlier today. It's an okay thriller with some really nice scenery -- it's set in the Antarctic and for the first part of the movie, they make some nice use of the scenery. The movie's not great -- if you don't figure out the bad guys pretty early on, then you're just not that bright, or you haven't gone to that many thriller movies.Still, there's one thing that is really outstanding about this movie. And for that, I just want to thank the producers. You see, early on, the star of the movie, Kate Beckinsale, who though she is British plays a U.S. Marshall, returns to the main base after checking out a problem at a remote location. And we follow her through the tight corridors into her spacious living quarters where she then proceeds to strip down to her bra and panties then head to the shower for a completely gratuitous shower scene.
And for that, I just really, really, really want to thank you.
Picture from omgstars.com
The Quote of the Day
The quote of the day comes, once again, from the Chron's John McClain, who, in his analysis of this weekend's game against the Tennessee Titans, wrote this: "Defensive coordinator Frank Bush won't be able to fool a veteran quarterback like Kerry Collins, who has seen everything in his 15-year career."
Now, I don't know about you, but I didn't notice defensive coordinator Frank Bush fooling Mark Sanchez last week, and Sanchez is a rookie. But it's nice to see McClain finding another way to excuse the ineptitude of the Texans coaching staff.
McClain also has, in his analysis, the Titans dominating the Texans in every single category, yet the final score is only 19-13 Titans. That just happens to get the final score in under the 6.5 point spread. If I were you though, I'd take the Titans and the points.
Now, I don't know about you, but I didn't notice defensive coordinator Frank Bush fooling Mark Sanchez last week, and Sanchez is a rookie. But it's nice to see McClain finding another way to excuse the ineptitude of the Texans coaching staff.
McClain also has, in his analysis, the Titans dominating the Texans in every single category, yet the final score is only 19-13 Titans. That just happens to get the final score in under the 6.5 point spread. If I were you though, I'd take the Titans and the points.
Cougar Basketball Mini-Preview
For you Houston Cougar basketball fans, I've got a post up over at the mothership on the team, and what coach Tom Penders thinks about this upcoming season. Penders also gives a brief overview on how Conference USA will look this season.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Some Thoughts On The Ian Fleming James Bond
I've been re-reading some of the James Bonds books that Ian Fleming wrote. And it got me to thinking. I really like what they've done with the Daniel Craig films. They've admitted that they're stripping the character down and back to the basics. That in essence, they're showing you what made Bond Bond -- though, truthfully, I can't figure how Craig's Bond morphs into the Roger Moore Bond.
But instead of filming new stories that have nothing to do with the Fleming works, why don't they completely reboot series. Dr. No and From Russia With Love are really true to the books. I haven't gotten around to Goldfinger or Thunderball yet, but the Fleming books just don't rely on gadgets. So why don't they film the books as written? Without all of the huge stunts and special effects and large men wearing braces named Jaws.
Just a thought, really. Because they're doing great with the Craig films. This guy captures the essence of the Fleming Bond -- so did Sean Connery, and in a way, Timothy Dalton. But it would be really nice to see if they could capture the essence of the books.
But instead of filming new stories that have nothing to do with the Fleming works, why don't they completely reboot series. Dr. No and From Russia With Love are really true to the books. I haven't gotten around to Goldfinger or Thunderball yet, but the Fleming books just don't rely on gadgets. So why don't they film the books as written? Without all of the huge stunts and special effects and large men wearing braces named Jaws.
Just a thought, really. Because they're doing great with the Craig films. This guy captures the essence of the Fleming Bond -- so did Sean Connery, and in a way, Timothy Dalton. But it would be really nice to see if they could capture the essence of the books.
Detrimental Conduct
Over at the mothership today, I hand out numerous fines to various parties involved with the alleged game the Texans played on Sunday. The fines are for conduct detrimental to the team.
When I Met You In A...
I thought I would go with a little Blondie this morning. So here's one of my favorites, "Dreaming."
The Truth About Drayton McLane
I vowed to myself to ignore Richard Justice, but I just can't. Especially when the topic turns to Drayton McLane. And this time, Justice is back with the myth of McLane wanting to win a certain way. And about McLane not tolerating bad behavior. And this bugs me because it's a lie. And it bugs me because Justice knows that it's a lie.I've been having trouble with the Chron archives, and I don't want to pay for old stuff anyway -- so hopefully one of my readers has this stuff cached somewhere -- so excuse the lack of a link, but...
Am I the only one around here who remembers that Drayton didn't invite Gerry Hunsicker to the 2005 World Series. The man more responsible than anybody for that Astros team getting to the Series wasn't even acknowledged by the Astros. And how do I know this, why Richard Justice wrote about it. That, to me, is bad behavior.
And I remember how the Astros told lies to the Philadelphia Phillies which prevented Hunsicker from getting the GM job to replace Ed Wade -- the tool for those lies was Jesus Ortiz. And who came to Hunsicker's defense? Richard Justice. (Good work back in the day by the folks at Houston's Clear Thinkers because, while the original articles can't be found at the links, they do a great job of summarizing the contents). Once again, this, to me, is indicative of the kind of bad behavior that Drayton so supposedly despises.
Then there's this quote from Justice on Drayton: "That seems to be a common theme of McLane's former employees. They don't just resent the man for firing them. They absolutely despise him, portray him as someone far different, far meaner than the aw-shucks public image he attempts to portray."
And that's what makes me so damn angry regarding Drayton. I'm one of those former employees. I was let go in March 2000. Most of us working at the Dome were informed, via a certified photocopy of a memo, that our services were no longer required. There was no thank you. There was no personal acknowledgement of our services. Just a memo. And I know people who had been devoting their time to designing MMP and getting it ready to go who found out they no longer had jobs because a vendor called them and asked why they were being told to ignore that person and deal with someone else. So those people would call their bosses who would tell them that yeah, they were fired, but they had been putting off the news until some more of the design work was done.
That's bad behavior. That's not good behavior. Drayton might not tolerate jerks. But his behavior is that of a first class jerk. And Richard Justice knows this because he's written this in the past. Yet now he's telling us about what a great guy Drayton is and how he demands his employees operate a certain way. I don't like Cecil Cooper. I think he's a lousy manager. I think he deserves to be fired. But he doesn't deserve to be to a different standard. Especially if that standard is one that doesn't have to be followed by Drayton or any of the immediate people working below him.
Justice knows this. And I just wish he would stop trying to cover for that lying bastard McLane.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Shocking Development! Science Fiction Has A Political Element
Well, as I've written in the past, I was not that big a fan of the new Star Trek movie. Once again, the acting and effects were good, but the whole story and logic and ignoring of physics things just really, really bugged me. But I must be the only one around who was disappointed because they're making a sequel.
But, according to the Gawker-Defamer blog, the powers that be are, this time, adding a political statement to the film. And the blog doesn't understand the reasoning behind this. Now the person who wrote this post has clearly never read or seen much science fiction, because the best stuff is generally a political allegory to what's happening in current times. And anyone who watched the original Star Trek series knows that Gene Roddenberry attempted to cram some kind of political statement into that thing any chance that he got.
I'm probably not going to see the sequel. But that's just because I didn't like the original. However, it's not a shock to the science fiction field to have the movie be political. It's just the way things happen in science fiction.
But, according to the Gawker-Defamer blog, the powers that be are, this time, adding a political statement to the film. And the blog doesn't understand the reasoning behind this. Now the person who wrote this post has clearly never read or seen much science fiction, because the best stuff is generally a political allegory to what's happening in current times. And anyone who watched the original Star Trek series knows that Gene Roddenberry attempted to cram some kind of political statement into that thing any chance that he got.
I'm probably not going to see the sequel. But that's just because I didn't like the original. However, it's not a shock to the science fiction field to have the movie be political. It's just the way things happen in science fiction.
Reflections On A Game That No Longer Exists
If you should see one of the Cougar football players, or any of the coaches around Houston or on campus today, just a note, the Oklahoma State game no longer exists. The team's attention is now focused only on next week's game with Texas Tech. But if you want to read more about last the Oklahoma State game, then just click on the link and go over the to the mothership and read Bryce Beall's take on the world moving in slow motion as he caught the pass that the put the Cougars up 38-35 in the fourth quarter.
I Told You I Was Freaky
Good news. The new Flight of the Conchords CD will be released next month -- just after my birthday for anyone who wants to get me a gift. I Told You I Was Freaky will be released on October 20.
So in honor of this news, here's the title track.
So in honor of this news, here's the title track.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
John McClain Thinks You're An Idiot
Here is the quote of the week, from John McClain's chat session on the Houston Texans earlier today: "John McClain: Yes,. he [Gary Kubiak] did look incompetent. I remember a lot of coaches looking incompetent early in their careers. Jeff Fisher didn't have a winning record until his fifth full season. Titans fans wanted to run him out of town, but Bud stuck with him. "
Do I need to point out that Kubiak is no longer early in his career. He's in his fourth year as a head coach. At this point, he should start looking competent. He should act like he has a clue as to what he's doing. And the comparison to Jeff Fisher is unfair to Jeff Fisher. The Oilers/Titans were outclassed in many of those years because of talent issues and because of the franchise move. But the team was never constantly out-played and out-hustled on the field. And they were never out-coached.
The early Fisher-era Oilers/Titans were never out-coached. Those teams were prepared. Fisher always had them ready to play. You can't say that about Kubiak and the Texans. But I guess McClain is going to keep with the propaganda as long as possible.
Do I need to point out that Kubiak is no longer early in his career. He's in his fourth year as a head coach. At this point, he should start looking competent. He should act like he has a clue as to what he's doing. And the comparison to Jeff Fisher is unfair to Jeff Fisher. The Oilers/Titans were outclassed in many of those years because of talent issues and because of the franchise move. But the team was never constantly out-played and out-hustled on the field. And they were never out-coached.
The early Fisher-era Oilers/Titans were never out-coached. Those teams were prepared. Fisher always had them ready to play. You can't say that about Kubiak and the Texans. But I guess McClain is going to keep with the propaganda as long as possible.
Richard Justice Gets It Wrong Again
Don't read Richard Justice. Don't read Richard Justice. Don't re...
Hey look, it's a new Richard Justice blog post. Oh damn, I just read Richard Justice again. And this new post is just another of the many reasons I try not to read Richard Justice, yet like a car wreck, I find that I just have to look. So...
Justice goes off on a rant about the players laughing at Dunta Robinson's shoes and the message he wrote on them about getting paid. Justice can't believe this. And he goes off on this being unprofessional, and says this is one of the things wrong with the team and how a real coach, a Jimmy Johnson, a Joe Gibbs, a Bill Cowher, a Bill Parcells wouldn't permit something like this on their teams.
But once again, Justice just doesn't get what's wrong with Gary Kubiak as a head coach. It's not how Kubiak handles his team and keeps them in line. It's about how Kubiak fails to prepare his team each week. It's about how he can't work up a coherent game plan. It's about how he can't make in-game adjustments. It's about how well prepared he has his players on what the opposition has been doing, and might be doing, come the next game.
Cowher, Johnson, Gibbs, and Parcells didn't win all of those games because they were able to keep a good hold on their locker room. They won all of those games because they had their teams prepared to play. Troy Aikman, Phil Simms, the QB of the week for Pittsburgh and D.C. knew what the other team would be throwing at them. They knew where to look for the blitz, and how it would be disguised. They knew which defensive back played soft, and which could beat on a slant. You watch the Texans, and you get the feeling that Matt Schaub and his line just can't figure out the different schemes they're seeing, thus they can't react properly when they misread the Cover Two.
Gary Kubiak can't control what happens on the field. Neither could Johnson, Cowher, Gibbs, or Parcells. But what they could control was what happened before the players hit the field. In baseball, the adage is that a good manager puts his players in the best position to win if they perform. And does anyone get the feeling, watching Kubiak and his players, that he has the ability to put them in the position to win if they perform.
No.
So the problem isn't that Dunta Robinson is writing things on his shoes and Gary Kubiak's not adequately angry enough about it. The problem is that Gary Kubiak just hasn't figured out what to do as a head coach.
Hey look, it's a new Richard Justice blog post. Oh damn, I just read Richard Justice again. And this new post is just another of the many reasons I try not to read Richard Justice, yet like a car wreck, I find that I just have to look. So...
Justice goes off on a rant about the players laughing at Dunta Robinson's shoes and the message he wrote on them about getting paid. Justice can't believe this. And he goes off on this being unprofessional, and says this is one of the things wrong with the team and how a real coach, a Jimmy Johnson, a Joe Gibbs, a Bill Cowher, a Bill Parcells wouldn't permit something like this on their teams.
But once again, Justice just doesn't get what's wrong with Gary Kubiak as a head coach. It's not how Kubiak handles his team and keeps them in line. It's about how Kubiak fails to prepare his team each week. It's about how he can't work up a coherent game plan. It's about how he can't make in-game adjustments. It's about how well prepared he has his players on what the opposition has been doing, and might be doing, come the next game.
Cowher, Johnson, Gibbs, and Parcells didn't win all of those games because they were able to keep a good hold on their locker room. They won all of those games because they had their teams prepared to play. Troy Aikman, Phil Simms, the QB of the week for Pittsburgh and D.C. knew what the other team would be throwing at them. They knew where to look for the blitz, and how it would be disguised. They knew which defensive back played soft, and which could beat on a slant. You watch the Texans, and you get the feeling that Matt Schaub and his line just can't figure out the different schemes they're seeing, thus they can't react properly when they misread the Cover Two.
Gary Kubiak can't control what happens on the field. Neither could Johnson, Cowher, Gibbs, or Parcells. But what they could control was what happened before the players hit the field. In baseball, the adage is that a good manager puts his players in the best position to win if they perform. And does anyone get the feeling, watching Kubiak and his players, that he has the ability to put them in the position to win if they perform.
No.
So the problem isn't that Dunta Robinson is writing things on his shoes and Gary Kubiak's not adequately angry enough about it. The problem is that Gary Kubiak just hasn't figured out what to do as a head coach.
The Gary Kubiak Experiment
Over at the mothership today, I ask the important question. Is it time to end the Gary Kubiak Experiment? Especially after he admitted that, yet again, he had failed to get the Houston Texans ready to play a football game. I think you know what my answer is.
Is This The Cure For What Ails You?
Today I'm in the mood for 80s synth-pop. So here's The Cure with "Lovesong."
Some Thoughts On Serena Williams
I've been reading a lot of people blasting Serena Williams over her outburst at the U.S. Open on Saturday night. And I'm not trying to excuse her actions, or her profanity, but I think there are a lot of people who really need to get a grip.
After all, am I the only one who remembers John McEnroe's outbursts in the 80s. Can you name a tournament where he wasn't going off after some official or linesman or umpire? The guy was a total ass. As far I can tell, this is the only time Williams has ever done something like this. So maybe some of you people really just need to chill out.
Did she go over the top? Yes. But in the context of some of the other stuff I've seen in tennis and in sports, it was nothing.
After all, am I the only one who remembers John McEnroe's outbursts in the 80s. Can you name a tournament where he wasn't going off after some official or linesman or umpire? The guy was a total ass. As far I can tell, this is the only time Williams has ever done something like this. So maybe some of you people really just need to chill out.
Did she go over the top? Yes. But in the context of some of the other stuff I've seen in tennis and in sports, it was nothing.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Texans Stuck With The Sex Cannon
The Texans are out of luck. I've been pushing to have them sign Jeff Garcia to be the number two QB behind Matt "Brittle" Schaub. But he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles today. So not only is Garcia not coming to Houston, that means that Mrs. Garcia isn't coming to Houston either.Damn.
It's interesting to note that Garcia signed with the Eagles. I'm not sure how long Donovan McNabb is supposed to be out with broken ribs, but Michael Vick, who looked good in limited preseason action will be eligible to play in week three's games. Former Cougar Kevin Kolb is taking the snaps with the first string Eagles offense this week, but it just seems doubtful that Garcia would sign with the Eagles to backup Kolb and Vick.
Garcia knows the Eagles offense -- he bailed them out several seasons ago when he was backing up McNabb and McNabb had to miss the last month or so with an injury -- Garcia was able to get the team into the playoffs. I'm guessing that the Eagles don't have much faith in Kolb for this week, and I'm wondering about the faith they have in Vick.
Oh well. That's not my problem. I just have to deal with the continued presence of an injured Matt Schaub and his backup The Sex Cannon.
Photo of Carmella Garcia from SI.com
The Coogs Were Robbed
Well, the Coaches Poll is out, and it's obvious the various college coaches college sports information directors really haven't been paying that much attention to the college football, because they decided that the Houston Cougars weren't worthy of being ranked in the Top 25.
Yeah, they call it the Coaches Poll, but it really is the various sports information directors around the country who do the voting instead of the coaches, and it's pretty obvious that a bunch of them are friggin idiots. And I think it's wrong that Florida and Texas are awarded with one and two in both polls, despite both teams being cowards and refusing to play high caliber non-conference competition. Say what you will about USC, but the Trojans make it a habit every year to schedule legitimate, high-caliber competition like Ohio State.
Yeah, they call it the Coaches Poll, but it really is the various sports information directors around the country who do the voting instead of the coaches, and it's pretty obvious that a bunch of them are friggin idiots. And I think it's wrong that Florida and Texas are awarded with one and two in both polls, despite both teams being cowards and refusing to play high caliber non-conference competition. Say what you will about USC, but the Trojans make it a habit every year to schedule legitimate, high-caliber competition like Ohio State.
No Disarming Mood Today
I haven't listened to this song, or the Smashing Pumpkins for what it matters, for a long time. But for some reason, this song is just matching my mood today. Bored? Moody? Monday? Who knows?
Anyway, here's the Smashing Pumpkins with "Disarm."
Anyway, here's the Smashing Pumpkins with "Disarm."
What Did Miguel Tejada Do This Time?
The Astros have played 143 games. Their record is 70-73. There are only 19 games remaining. And I can't tell you how much I want this season to be over. I don't know what it is. I love baseball. And I've lived through numerous Astros seasons that have been worse than this, but there's just something about this season that's drained the fun of baseball out of me. I don't care about the pennant races. I'm not looking forward to the playoffs. I just want it over.
I blame this on you, Houston Astros.
Maybe it's because of the MLB Network. Due to this damn unemployment, all that I do when I'm not looking for work or doing some kind of slight contract work is watch baseball and the MLB Network. And it seems as if I've paid more attention to the Astros than I have in the past.
I don't know. I just want it over.
By the way, the latest news is that the Pittsburgh Pirates have accused Miguel Tejada of trying to steal signs. Tejada claims he didn't do it. Of course, we all know Tejada's history when it comes to truth telling, so let's just say I'm believing the Pirates on this one. And this is probably just another reason that I want this season over already.
I blame this on you, Houston Astros.
Maybe it's because of the MLB Network. Due to this damn unemployment, all that I do when I'm not looking for work or doing some kind of slight contract work is watch baseball and the MLB Network. And it seems as if I've paid more attention to the Astros than I have in the past.
I don't know. I just want it over.
By the way, the latest news is that the Pittsburgh Pirates have accused Miguel Tejada of trying to steal signs. Tejada claims he didn't do it. Of course, we all know Tejada's history when it comes to truth telling, so let's just say I'm believing the Pirates on this one. And this is probably just another reason that I want this season over already.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
25 Random Observations From The Texans/Jets Game
That was an awful football game the Texans played this afternoon. I thought they would get beat. I thought they would look bad. But I didn't think they'd get beat as bad as they did, or look as bad as they did. But after a weekend of football, I've got a few observations to make.1. At least the cheerleaders looked good.
2. Once again the Texans got their asses kicked, and just did not look prepared from the opening kick. It just appears that Gary Kubiak has yet to learn how to prepare a game plan or motivate his team.
3. Supposedly, Matt Schaub was still injured and he played anyway. Gary Kubiak said things would have been fine for the Texans, even with an injured Schaub, if the rest of the team would have played perfectly. The rest of the team didn't. This kind of thing bugs me. I don't want Rex Grossman playing football either, but if the rest of the team needs to play a perfect game for Schaub to be effective, then Schaub shouldn't be playing football. It hurts the team as a whole.
4. Matt Schaub looked like crap. And Rex Grossman is the backup. It's really time to put in a phone call to Jeff Garcia. And please get him to bring his wife along (nsfw).
5. Did you see the shots of Joe Namath sitting with the Jets owner? There's no way in hell that Suzy Kolber's ever going to kiss him now. I know the guy got beat up a lot when he played football, but man, he looked like he was 80 years old.
6. Here's a devastating Texans stat. Under Gary Kubiak, the Texans are 2-9 in the month of September. That includes six straight losses. It doesn't matter how the team plays in December if the team plays it way out of contention in September.
7. Here's another devastating analysis of the Texans from Sports Illustrated: "I've been skeptical all along that Houston is headed for a breakthrough year. I'm more dubious than ever after watching the Texans' efforts in Week 1. They richly deserved those late-game boos that rang out throughout Reliant Stadium." Just a reminder, SI picked the Texans to win the division. Where was this skepticism when the magazine was making its predictions.
8. Man, New York Jets coach Rex Ryan sure looks like his dad. Right down to the big gut. I was waiting for him to go slug his offensive coordinator after Mark Sanchez threw that interception.
9. It was just as thought. The Texans just can't stop a legitimate running game. And they play the Tennessee Titans next week, and unless Jeff Fisher tries to play like he's an offensive guru, the Titans are going to shove Chris Johnson and LenDale White down the throat of the Texans defense.
10. The Texans should know that that will be coming. But it's still doubtful the Texans will be able to stop the Titans.
11. Steve Slaton put on weight in the offseason. Whoever suggested that should be fired. Then again, it's kind of doubtful that even Adrian Peterson could do anything playing for the Texans.
12. Chron beat writer John McClain said he didn't see this loss coming. I ask, why not? Didn't he watch this team play during the preseason?
13. McClain also says this was the worst loss in team history. He must not have watched the Texans lose to the Oakland Raiders last season. The Texans were still technically in the playoff hunt during that game, and the Texans got their ass handed to them by one of the worst teams in football.
14. I've got an idea. Put Andre Johnson in motion. Maybe then he can shake some of the double coverage.
15. I've got another idea, trying throwing the ball downfield. It seemed to work for the Jets.
16. The Texans can't use Hurricane Ike as an excuse this year. So I wonder what they're going to start using as an excuse for this year.
17. Since Gary Kubiak has this fetish for former Denver Broncos, maybe he should put in a call to his former boss, Mike Shanahan. Of course, that call should be to ask Mike Shanahan to take over as head coach.
18. On the positive side, at least Kubiak didn't lose any replay challenges in this game.
19. Hey, maybe this will stop the talk about Kubiak being a quarterback guru. For a week at least.
20. At least the red zone offense didn't suck. Of course, the Texans were never inside the red zone. Well, I think Steve Slaton reached the red zone, but he fumbled as soon as that happened, so I really don't think it counts.
21. You just know that, right now, in Green Bay,
22. On the plus side, at least Matt Schaub didn't hurt himself running out of bounds in this game.
23. The team looked good in their liberty whites. And since they didn't tackle anybody, the uniforms still look nice and white.
24. I think Joe Namath, even in his current condition, could have picked apart the Texans defense without fear of being sacked or rushed or pressured.
25. Only 15 more games to go.
Coogs Ranked At 21
Congratulations are in order to my Houston Cougars. The AP voters put them at number 21 after their 45-35 defeat of Oklahoma State yesterday. This is the first time the Cougars have been ranked since September 1991. And yesterday's win was the team's first over a top five ranked since 1984 when they defeated the third-ranked Texas Longhorns.
It does bug me that Texas has played nobody (Louisiana-Monroe and Wyoming) and is still ranked number two and Florida has played less than nobody (Charleston Southern and Troy) and is still ranked number one. You really should have to play a legitimate team before you get ranked that high. Let's just say that I'm really hoping that Texas Tech kicks the hell out of Texas this Saturday.
But enough of that. Congrats to the Cougars. The ranking is well deserved.
It does bug me that Texas has played nobody (Louisiana-Monroe and Wyoming) and is still ranked number two and Florida has played less than nobody (Charleston Southern and Troy) and is still ranked number one. You really should have to play a legitimate team before you get ranked that high. Let's just say that I'm really hoping that Texas Tech kicks the hell out of Texas this Saturday.
But enough of that. Congrats to the Cougars. The ranking is well deserved.
Here's An Idea
I've got an idea for a betting pool. On what play of the game does Matt Schaub get injured? And does a hit cause the injury, or does someone sneeze on him?
NFL Prediction: Jets To Beat Texans
The Texans are going to kick off their season in about an hour, and I thought I would put down a few thoughts about this first game of the season.I'm not optimistic. The Texans are playing a team with a new coach and a rookie quarterback, and it should be a game they easily win. But the New York Jets have several things working in their favor. They're a running team -- Thomas Jones was the leading rusher in the AFC last season -- and the Texans have shown no indication, either last year or in this preseason, that they're capable of stopping a decent running game.
Rex Ryan is a first-time head coach. And he's the former defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, a team that relied heavily on its running game. But if I'm Ryan I make a gamble on the first play. I do like the Minnesota Vikings did last year on the first play and hit them with the play fake and go for the bomb. This will work. Gary Kubiak's lousy on game preparation, especially for plays that might be out of the norm. He and his staff are going to have the Texans trying to play the run. And a bomb can destroy that the Texans secondary.
After that, if I'm Ryan, I run the football. The Texans can't stop the run as it is, and if they're down, they'll be in a panic. What the Jets shouldn't do is what the Kansas City Chiefs did several years ago. Larry Johnson was running all over the Texans defense, but Herm Edwards decided to try passing the football and the Texans were able to get the win. Not that the Texans pass defense was that good, but the Chiefs passing game was bad. And the Jets passing game doesn't look that good. But the Jets have a good running game, and they should stuff that ball down the Texans throat.
I'm not sure what to expect from the Texans offense. Matt Schaub is still dealing with that ankle he hurt running out of bounds against Minnesota. The running game looked like crap. And I'm still not sold on the Texans offensive line. And being it's a Rex Ryan team, I expect the Jets to blitz and to use all kinds of different looks in an attempt to confuse Schaub. And I just don't have any feeling for what coach
I predicted at the mothership that the Texans would finish 7-9 for the season, and this is one of the games I have them losing.
Some Musings On The Second Week Of College Football
The Houston Cougars yesterday got their first victory over a Top-5 ranked team in 25 years. And if there's any justice, Monday will find the team with its first ranking in the Top 25 since 1991.
The Cougars were impressive in the first half of the game against Oklahoma State yesterday, dominating offensively and defensively as they roared out to the 24-7 halftime lead. But as happened last year, when the Cougars were leading 16-14 at the half against Oklahoma State, the Cowboys came out and scored 21 unanswered points in the third quarter to take the 28-24 lead. But the Coogs scored 21 points in the fourth quarter -- including a fantastic catch by Bryce Beall in the end zone off of a deflection to put Houston up 38-35 with 6:42 left in the game.
The Cougars are now 2-0 on the season, and have this week off before playing Texas Tech at Robertson Stadium on the 26th. The team should get a ranking in the top 25, but the primary question should be how high? It's disgusting to think that Florida and Texas will be ranked one and two after this weekend when neither team has yet to play any legitimate competition whereas I saw over at one forum that a voter was saying that the Coogs will be punished because of their win against Northwestern State. What's worse is that UH will probably be ranked behind Oklahoma who will have a 1-1 record after losing to BYU last week but demolishing Idaho State last night.
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As much as I dislike Rich Rodriguez and Michigan, I'd really like to thank them for putting Notre Dame out of our misery for the rest of this season. I turned to that game after the Cougar win, and was shocked to see that, with Notre Dame winning and the clock in the Irish favor that they were throwing bombs. It seems to me that Charlie Weis really ain't a genius.
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I'd also like to give my thanks to USC for putting Ohio State out of our misery. Hopefully. Somehow or another the Buckeyes always find a way to get into the national title discussion despite the fact that it is only able to defeat teams inside the Big11 10. But hopefully, barely beating Navy last week and losing to USC yesterday will eliminate them and we won't have to worry about Ohio State getting its ass kicked in the title game.
The Cougars were impressive in the first half of the game against Oklahoma State yesterday, dominating offensively and defensively as they roared out to the 24-7 halftime lead. But as happened last year, when the Cougars were leading 16-14 at the half against Oklahoma State, the Cowboys came out and scored 21 unanswered points in the third quarter to take the 28-24 lead. But the Coogs scored 21 points in the fourth quarter -- including a fantastic catch by Bryce Beall in the end zone off of a deflection to put Houston up 38-35 with 6:42 left in the game.
The Cougars are now 2-0 on the season, and have this week off before playing Texas Tech at Robertson Stadium on the 26th. The team should get a ranking in the top 25, but the primary question should be how high? It's disgusting to think that Florida and Texas will be ranked one and two after this weekend when neither team has yet to play any legitimate competition whereas I saw over at one forum that a voter was saying that the Coogs will be punished because of their win against Northwestern State. What's worse is that UH will probably be ranked behind Oklahoma who will have a 1-1 record after losing to BYU last week but demolishing Idaho State last night.
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As much as I dislike Rich Rodriguez and Michigan, I'd really like to thank them for putting Notre Dame out of our misery for the rest of this season. I turned to that game after the Cougar win, and was shocked to see that, with Notre Dame winning and the clock in the Irish favor that they were throwing bombs. It seems to me that Charlie Weis really ain't a genius.
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I'd also like to give my thanks to USC for putting Ohio State out of our misery. Hopefully. Somehow or another the Buckeyes always find a way to get into the national title discussion despite the fact that it is only able to defeat teams inside the Big
Saturday, September 12, 2009
You Were Made To Go Out and Get Her
In honor of the Houston Cougars victory -- which I predicted -- I think I'll play my favorite song of all time. So here's The Beatles with "Hey Jude."
R.I.P. Larry Gelbart
Larry Gelbart, one of the great writers, died yesterday. I remembered that he was the guy responsible for the funny seasons of M.A.S.H. and that he was one of the primary writers on Tootsie and that he wrote A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum. But what I forgot is that he's the guy who wrote Oh, God!
So, here's a little of Gelbart's work.
I don't think they could make this movie today. The religous nutjobs would get too upset.
So, here's a little of Gelbart's work.
I don't think they could make this movie today. The religous nutjobs would get too upset.
Today We Find Out That The Cougars Aren't Pretenders, I Hope
So kickoff for the Cougars is quickly approaching, and after watching Lee Corso on ESPN's College Gameday pick the Cougars as the upset of the day, I suppose I should actually make some kind of prediction.
At the media luncheon on Tuesday, I noticed a quiet confidence about the Cougars. Coach Kevin Sumlin said if the team played the way it's capable of playing then everyone will be happy. Center Carl Barnett knows that the team stayed with Oklahoma State for most of the game last year -- except for a bad third quarter which Sumlin was his fault and the result of bad halftime planning. Sumlin also said that last year's game doesn't matter. He said both teams are different from what they were last year, and that each team is better.
What he didn't say, and which I think was implicit in his statements as well as those of the players I talked with were that the key players of each team are back. The Oklahoma State defense had problems stopping the Cougar offense last season -- there were some Cougar errors on offense that helped out Oklahoma State. The key for the Cougars will be stopping the Oklahoma State offense. And last year, for the first half at least, the Cougars were able to do that.
So what happens today? Well, it's kind of dependent on the weather. The Cougars don't have a power running game, so if the weather is really, really bad, they might have problems on offense that Oklahoma State won't. But if the weather is halfway decent to where the Cougars can run their offense, then I think they win this game. So I'm picking the Cougars to win this game in an upset.
And to get the squad pumped up, here's some Foo Fighters.
Foo Fighters- The Pretender
Uploaded by fuzz59. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.
At the media luncheon on Tuesday, I noticed a quiet confidence about the Cougars. Coach Kevin Sumlin said if the team played the way it's capable of playing then everyone will be happy. Center Carl Barnett knows that the team stayed with Oklahoma State for most of the game last year -- except for a bad third quarter which Sumlin was his fault and the result of bad halftime planning. Sumlin also said that last year's game doesn't matter. He said both teams are different from what they were last year, and that each team is better.
What he didn't say, and which I think was implicit in his statements as well as those of the players I talked with were that the key players of each team are back. The Oklahoma State defense had problems stopping the Cougar offense last season -- there were some Cougar errors on offense that helped out Oklahoma State. The key for the Cougars will be stopping the Oklahoma State offense. And last year, for the first half at least, the Cougars were able to do that.
So what happens today? Well, it's kind of dependent on the weather. The Cougars don't have a power running game, so if the weather is really, really bad, they might have problems on offense that Oklahoma State won't. But if the weather is halfway decent to where the Cougars can run their offense, then I think they win this game. So I'm picking the Cougars to win this game in an upset.
And to get the squad pumped up, here's some Foo Fighters.
Foo Fighters- The Pretender
Uploaded by fuzz59. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.
Friday, September 11, 2009
SI Congratulates Jon Gruden For Doing What It Didn't Have The Guts To Do
I'm just getting around to reading Peter King's new Friday post over at SI.com. And as usual with King, there's not much of substance. But I've got to admit that I found this statement of his interesting: "Jon Gruden's moxie. Speaking of announcers under the microscope, Gruden joins the Monday night crew in what's likely the start of a one-and-done season. I've liked what I've heard in Gruden so far. He's had the stones to say Houston would finish below .500, and that Carolina and Green Bay wouldn't win more than eight games." (emphasis mine)
I find this interesting because it means that I agree with Gruden because, over at the mothership earlier today, I predicted the Texans to finish 7-9 for the season. There's the whole brittle QB thing. There's The Sex Cannon as the backup. There's the defense that looked bad in preseason. There's Gary Kubiak. I'm just not buying the hype, and it's always good to see that I'm not the only one not buying it.
But I also found it interesting because, well, King is chief NFL writer for SI.com and Sports Illustrated, and SI picked the Texans to win the division and make the playoffs. Which means that King is disagreeing with what his employer said. And it's just hard for me to believe that King had absolutely no say in the SI predictions.
So I guess he's congratulating Gruden for having the guts to do what he was to chicken to do, which was to correctly study the Texans and make a prediction on facts and not on hype.
I find this interesting because it means that I agree with Gruden because, over at the mothership earlier today, I predicted the Texans to finish 7-9 for the season. There's the whole brittle QB thing. There's The Sex Cannon as the backup. There's the defense that looked bad in preseason. There's Gary Kubiak. I'm just not buying the hype, and it's always good to see that I'm not the only one not buying it.
But I also found it interesting because, well, King is chief NFL writer for SI.com and Sports Illustrated, and SI picked the Texans to win the division and make the playoffs. Which means that King is disagreeing with what his employer said. And it's just hard for me to believe that King had absolutely no say in the SI predictions.
So I guess he's congratulating Gruden for having the guts to do what he was to chicken to do, which was to correctly study the Texans and make a prediction on facts and not on hype.
Some Thoughts On The Texans
My thoughts on how the Texans will end up this season can now be found over at the mothership, so click on the link and go read it. Let's just say that I'm not confident and I see a losing record.
Adventures With "Yesterday" And How Denmark Made Me Hate "Abbey Road"
Because I'm a fan of The Beatles, Mr. Fred sent me this little slice of video last night. It's labeled as the worst Beatles cover, ever. And it really is not that good. It's a choir of some kind fronted by what appears to be a big Russian dude, and they're doing severe damage to "Let It Be."
But this isn't the worst Beatles cover ever. No. No it isn't. I seen and heard worse. Much, much worse.
Let me take you on a little journey. A little journey to place known as Copenhagen, Denmark. It's a dreary October afternoon in 1993 -- I love Denmark, but I don't think there are any other kind of October afternoon in Denmark. I'm done for the day with my intern duties at the Danish law firm I was interning with, and I was out exploring the city -- Copenhagen's a great city for walking around in, even on dreary October afternoons.
There's this portion of the city over by the shopping district which is closed to vehicular traffic. And despite the weather, there were always street performers out and about on this section of the street trying to earn a little money. And this one day, I'm walking about and I hear this guy, kid really, wailing away something awful. He sounds like he's in excruciating pain. So I wander over -- there's not a crowd around him -- and I suddenly realize what he's wailing away at. He's doing "Yesterday." At the top of his lungs he's doing perhaps the world's most famous song. Except there's just a problem, except for the word "yesterday," he's getting every word in the song wrong.
At first I thought he was doing the song in Danish -- he was young enough to look as if he didn't have a full command of English -- but as I listen, I realize that every word he issingingshouting is in English. It's just that they're the wrong words. But he's so earnest about it -- I don't think Paul McCartney was even ever this earnest for this song -- and he's feeling every wrong word of the song. So being the kind person I am, I walked over and dropped a couple of kroners into his hat -- I was a student, after all, and I was even more broke then than I am now. But I thought he deserved something, and everybody else was just laughing at him.
Without a doubt, that rendition of "Yesterday" is the worst cover of a Beatles song that I've ever heard.
But before I go, I've got one more The Beatles in Denmark story to share, this one being about how I came to hate Abbey Road with a passion I didn't think possible.
I've said before that Abbey Road is my favorite album from the group, and it always has been -- I think side two is some of the best music ever recorded. But for a couple of months, while in living in Copenhagen, there was a time when I covered my ears whenever I heard side two, especially the final medley -- "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End" -- was played. Because, here's the thing. I was hearing that medley every frigging night at about three a.m., and I heard it every frigging night from about three a.m. to five a.m. for two frigging months.
The law firm I was interning with in Copenhagen owned the building where it had it's offices. The offices were on floors one and two. And floors three and four were apartments. They gave me an apartment on the third floor to live in. There was one, huge apartment on the fourth floor. And a group of college students lived in it. And one of them was a musician. A drummer to be exact.
How do I know he was a drummer?
Simple.
Every night, at three o'clock, he would put on the final medley of side two of Abbey Road and start practicing his drumming. My theory was that he was trying to perfect Ringo's drum solo at the start of the "The End" -- which, by the way, was the only time Ringo ever soloed on a Beatles album. And how did I arrive at that theory, you ask? Well, he frigging screwed up every single time he tried it. And when he did, he start all over again at the start of the medley. And he never got to the end. In that whole time I was subjected to it, he never once got the damn thing right.
This started in mid-October. It went on until I returned home in mid-December. For two months, I heard the the same portions of the final medley of my favorite Beatles album over and over and over and over and over and over again, and I never once got to hear the damn end of "The End." Hell, I never got to hear the end of Ringo's drum solo bleed into the guitar solos because the idiot drummer couldn't get the beat right.
It wasn't until mid-1995, around the time The Beatles Anthology came out, that I was able to listen to Abbey Road again. And trust me, after that time in Denmark, I'll never dismiss Ringo Starr's drumming. Never.
But this isn't the worst Beatles cover ever. No. No it isn't. I seen and heard worse. Much, much worse.
Let me take you on a little journey. A little journey to place known as Copenhagen, Denmark. It's a dreary October afternoon in 1993 -- I love Denmark, but I don't think there are any other kind of October afternoon in Denmark. I'm done for the day with my intern duties at the Danish law firm I was interning with, and I was out exploring the city -- Copenhagen's a great city for walking around in, even on dreary October afternoons.
There's this portion of the city over by the shopping district which is closed to vehicular traffic. And despite the weather, there were always street performers out and about on this section of the street trying to earn a little money. And this one day, I'm walking about and I hear this guy, kid really, wailing away something awful. He sounds like he's in excruciating pain. So I wander over -- there's not a crowd around him -- and I suddenly realize what he's wailing away at. He's doing "Yesterday." At the top of his lungs he's doing perhaps the world's most famous song. Except there's just a problem, except for the word "yesterday," he's getting every word in the song wrong.
At first I thought he was doing the song in Danish -- he was young enough to look as if he didn't have a full command of English -- but as I listen, I realize that every word he is
Without a doubt, that rendition of "Yesterday" is the worst cover of a Beatles song that I've ever heard.
But before I go, I've got one more The Beatles in Denmark story to share, this one being about how I came to hate Abbey Road with a passion I didn't think possible.
I've said before that Abbey Road is my favorite album from the group, and it always has been -- I think side two is some of the best music ever recorded. But for a couple of months, while in living in Copenhagen, there was a time when I covered my ears whenever I heard side two, especially the final medley -- "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End" -- was played. Because, here's the thing. I was hearing that medley every frigging night at about three a.m., and I heard it every frigging night from about three a.m. to five a.m. for two frigging months.The law firm I was interning with in Copenhagen owned the building where it had it's offices. The offices were on floors one and two. And floors three and four were apartments. They gave me an apartment on the third floor to live in. There was one, huge apartment on the fourth floor. And a group of college students lived in it. And one of them was a musician. A drummer to be exact.
How do I know he was a drummer?
Simple.
Every night, at three o'clock, he would put on the final medley of side two of Abbey Road and start practicing his drumming. My theory was that he was trying to perfect Ringo's drum solo at the start of the "The End" -- which, by the way, was the only time Ringo ever soloed on a Beatles album. And how did I arrive at that theory, you ask? Well, he frigging screwed up every single time he tried it. And when he did, he start all over again at the start of the medley. And he never got to the end. In that whole time I was subjected to it, he never once got the damn thing right.
This started in mid-October. It went on until I returned home in mid-December. For two months, I heard the the same portions of the final medley of my favorite Beatles album over and over and over and over and over and over again, and I never once got to hear the damn end of "The End." Hell, I never got to hear the end of Ringo's drum solo bleed into the guitar solos because the idiot drummer couldn't get the beat right.
It wasn't until mid-1995, around the time The Beatles Anthology came out, that I was able to listen to Abbey Road again. And trust me, after that time in Denmark, I'll never dismiss Ringo Starr's drumming. Never.
All I've Got Is This Photograph
I thought I would start this morning off with a little Ringo Starr -- especially seeing as how I've done post-Beatles McCartney, Lennon, and Harrison. So hear's Ringo performing "Photograph."
Thursday, September 10, 2009
How Many Times Are You Going To Resurrect Her
So I'm watching the football game tonight, and what do I see but a commercial for Heroes. I've already given up on this show. I don't intend on returning to it this year -- hell, I didn't even see the final few episodes last season. Still, I couldn't help but notice that, once again, Ali Larter is returning to the show.Which is kind of surprising in that they seem to make it a practice to seemingly kill her off at the end of every year. Yeah, I know, she's a genetic mutant who has been cloned, or some such nonsense. But to me, it's just further proof of why I stopped watching this program. They producers never really plan anything, and nothing that happens means anything. There are no consequences because whenever someone dies he/she/it returns. And the show has made so many leaps in time and gone to so many alternate universes that it's just too confusing to matter.
Lost does a bit of this. It's always jumping in time -- back, forward, sideways. And if I understand what I've read correctly, the show's entering some alternate reality where the plane crash on the island never happened. But the creators of that show don't treat me like an idiot. When people die, they die. Or become ghosts or spirits or whatever the hell Claire and Christian are.
Oh well, I've gotten off point. If I even had one. I guess it's just that Heroes is a failing show that didn't have to fail. Well, that and it gave me an excuse to post a picture of Ali Larter.
The Jinx Is On
This, sports fans, is the cover of the current Sports Illustrated. And the team on the cover is the Oklahoma State Cowboys, who just happen to be playing the Houston Cougars this weekend. You know what this means, don't you?
The Coogs should now win this game because Oklahoma State has just been hit with the SI cover jinx. So thank you, SI. Thank you.
Pimping The College Game Of The Week
For those of you seeking a good college football game to watch on Saturday afternoon, then I've got a game for you -- and it's seconded by the Davey O'Brien Foundation which hands out the Davey O'Brien trophy at the end of the season to the country's best QB. The best game of the weekend will be Saturday night as USC heads to Ohio State, but come the afternoon...
The game I'd watch is the University of Houston at Oklahoma State. This game pits two high-scoring offenses and two very good coaches. Oklahoma State is trying to prove that it's one of the best teams in the country, and the Cougars are trying to prove that they can play with the big boys. And the O'Brien folks recommend the game because of the two quarterbacks, Houston's Case Keenum and Oklahoma State's Zac Robinson.
The game airs at 2:30 on FSN Houston, and it should be a far superior game to watch than Notre Dame/Michigan or anything that ABC/ESPN and CBS are airing at that same time. I'm convinced that the Cougars can score on Oklahoma State -- they did last year. The key for the Cougars will be getting some good defense from a bunch of really young kids. I really think that if the UH defense can hold Oklahoma State down a few times that the Coogs can win.
The game I'd watch is the University of Houston at Oklahoma State. This game pits two high-scoring offenses and two very good coaches. Oklahoma State is trying to prove that it's one of the best teams in the country, and the Cougars are trying to prove that they can play with the big boys. And the O'Brien folks recommend the game because of the two quarterbacks, Houston's Case Keenum and Oklahoma State's Zac Robinson.
The game airs at 2:30 on FSN Houston, and it should be a far superior game to watch than Notre Dame/Michigan or anything that ABC/ESPN and CBS are airing at that same time. I'm convinced that the Cougars can score on Oklahoma State -- they did last year. The key for the Cougars will be getting some good defense from a bunch of really young kids. I really think that if the UH defense can hold Oklahoma State down a few times that the Coogs can win.
It's Research Time
It's time. I can't put it off any longer. The pro football season starts tonight, and the Texans season starts on Sunday. Which means I can't put off my piece for the mothership with my predictions for the upcoming Texans season. Which means that I'm going to spend today in the bookstore with all of the football magazines, looking for something to justify my feelings about the team -- and let's just say that I think Sports Illustrated is a bit off with it's pick of the Texans winning the division and making the playoffs.
Research, then write. That'll be my day. And some football tonight. And hopefully, this pain in my mouth from the dental work on yesterday will have faded a way a bit more.
Research, then write. That'll be my day. And some football tonight. And hopefully, this pain in my mouth from the dental work on yesterday will have faded a way a bit more.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Miguel Tejada Is Not A Hero
I was just watching the MLB Network, and they were talking about Miguel Tejada whom they'd just interviewed. And they were going off about what a great guy he was, and about how he cared so much, and about graceful and sorry he was when all of his various lies were discovered, and how he did the best thing and came clean.
To which I ask, oh really?
You mean how he only admitted to purchasing the HGH after the Feds nailed him in a lie. Or how he only admitted to lying about his age after ESPN nailed him with the facts. This guy never willingly admitted to anything, he's not a role model, and I'm really tired of him being held up as the ideal clubhouse guy.
To which I ask, oh really?
You mean how he only admitted to purchasing the HGH after the Feds nailed him in a lie. Or how he only admitted to lying about his age after ESPN nailed him with the facts. This guy never willingly admitted to anything, he's not a role model, and I'm really tired of him being held up as the ideal clubhouse guy.
Wait, Jose Valverde's How Old?
Well, as I've been dealing with my dental pain and waiting for the pain meds to kick in, I've been trying to figure out what to write for the mothership for tomorrow. But Brian McTaggart at MLB.com saved my ass with this little story on MLB.com about Jose Valverde.
Seriously, can someone explain to me how the people in the Astros front office still have a job.
Seriously, can someone explain to me how the people in the Astros front office still have a job.
Cougar Football Update
The post on yesterday's press conference with Kevin Sumlin and some of the Cougar players is now posted over at the mothership. I urge to go read it, and I hope you enjoy it. Now I'm off to the dentist for some drilling and digging and hopefully some numbing.
Come Together And Fix This Commercial, Right Now
I think we can all agree that I'm a big Beatles fan. But damn, this commercial for the new Beatles Rock Band has really been creeping me out. It's not so much that John and George are dead in real life, it's just that they look so obviously fake and otherworldly in the spot. It's like the whole animation is off just a bit.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Some Musings On A Day Somewhat Wasted
Some days there just isn't much to blog/tweet/facebook status. Today is one of those days. It was just one of those days where I did a bunch of little days, ended up really doing nothing, and now find myself at the end of the day feeling like I've done nothing.
Let's see, I did get a flu shot. Spent some time up at the UH for today's media luncheon. I felt kind of sorry for the women's soccer coach. There are all of these people here eating free food and waiting for the football coach, and the SID brings in the soccer coach to talk to us first. She looked like she didn't really want to be there, either. She said a few sentences. Reminded us of when her team's next two games are -- this Friday against Texas State and Sunday afternoon against McNeese State with both games at Robertson Stadium -- then got no questions because none of us knew she was coming.
Kevin Sumlin got off a few zingers our direction for our stupid questions -- I know my nephew could ask a better question than I did -- and I got some good stuff from center Carl Barnett who is becoming a favorite interview of mine. I didn't use most of it in what I wrote for the mothership -- space limitations -- but the guy doesn't speak in cliches. I need to get receiver Tryon Carrier back on tape because he was good at breaking down the offense from a receiver's perspective when I last talked to him.
Then as I was leaving, I was handed the men's basketball schedule and got to do an impromptu interview with head coach Tom Penders which I'll put up on the mothership next week. My questions for him weren't that great -- truly, didn't expect to be speaking to him today so didn't do any prep work -- but I think I got some good stuff that I can follow up on later in the season -- if I'm still around Houston once their season gets going.
It was really nice to see a bunch of the media guys show up today for the luncheon -- there was free food, after all. But except for Channel 13's Bob Slovak, none of the TV/radio people bothered to show up at last week's game. And after the game, it was me, Steve Campbell with the Chron, the student paper, and a couple of other writer types talking to the players and coach. But I'm pretty sure that come the team's next home game -- Sept. 26 -- they'll all be at the stadium as the Cougars are taking on Texas Tech. I wish I could make this weekend's game where the Cougars are taking on Oklahoma State in Stillwater, but the Press doesn't pay me for that, so I'll be watching from home like everybody else.
Damn, I really enjoy doing this sports stuff. I've always loved sports, and I've always liked writing. I just wish there was someway I could make a living at it, but I don't really think there is now, not with the papers going under and everything.
Oh well, that's it for my nothing day. I'll try to post the UH story before heading out tomorrow, but I've got one of those all-day dentist things coming, so who knows how that's going to go.
Let's see, I did get a flu shot. Spent some time up at the UH for today's media luncheon. I felt kind of sorry for the women's soccer coach. There are all of these people here eating free food and waiting for the football coach, and the SID brings in the soccer coach to talk to us first. She looked like she didn't really want to be there, either. She said a few sentences. Reminded us of when her team's next two games are -- this Friday against Texas State and Sunday afternoon against McNeese State with both games at Robertson Stadium -- then got no questions because none of us knew she was coming.
Kevin Sumlin got off a few zingers our direction for our stupid questions -- I know my nephew could ask a better question than I did -- and I got some good stuff from center Carl Barnett who is becoming a favorite interview of mine. I didn't use most of it in what I wrote for the mothership -- space limitations -- but the guy doesn't speak in cliches. I need to get receiver Tryon Carrier back on tape because he was good at breaking down the offense from a receiver's perspective when I last talked to him.
Then as I was leaving, I was handed the men's basketball schedule and got to do an impromptu interview with head coach Tom Penders which I'll put up on the mothership next week. My questions for him weren't that great -- truly, didn't expect to be speaking to him today so didn't do any prep work -- but I think I got some good stuff that I can follow up on later in the season -- if I'm still around Houston once their season gets going.
It was really nice to see a bunch of the media guys show up today for the luncheon -- there was free food, after all. But except for Channel 13's Bob Slovak, none of the TV/radio people bothered to show up at last week's game. And after the game, it was me, Steve Campbell with the Chron, the student paper, and a couple of other writer types talking to the players and coach. But I'm pretty sure that come the team's next home game -- Sept. 26 -- they'll all be at the stadium as the Cougars are taking on Texas Tech. I wish I could make this weekend's game where the Cougars are taking on Oklahoma State in Stillwater, but the Press doesn't pay me for that, so I'll be watching from home like everybody else.
Damn, I really enjoy doing this sports stuff. I've always loved sports, and I've always liked writing. I just wish there was someway I could make a living at it, but I don't really think there is now, not with the papers going under and everything.
Oh well, that's it for my nothing day. I'll try to post the UH story before heading out tomorrow, but I've got one of those all-day dentist things coming, so who knows how that's going to go.
Some Reading Assignments
Apologies for the lack of material, so far today, but I've been busy with other matters -- it was media day at the UH which meant free food, which meant I had to get there really early to get a parking spot. And there was a doctor's appointment and a flu shot.
I'm working on my UH stuff for the mothership, right now, so I'll try to get you some stuff later, but until then, here's my post for the mothership this morning, in which I expound on why the Astros should give Frank Robinson a call. And for your further pleasure, here's a post from my mothership editor, Richard Connelly, offering up five reasons why Notre Dame will the BCS but Texas won't. (For the record, I despite both of these team, and I don't want either of them getting near the BCS title game.)
I'm working on my UH stuff for the mothership, right now, so I'll try to get you some stuff later, but until then, here's my post for the mothership this morning, in which I expound on why the Astros should give Frank Robinson a call. And for your further pleasure, here's a post from my mothership editor, Richard Connelly, offering up five reasons why Notre Dame will the BCS but Texas won't. (For the record, I despite both of these team, and I don't want either of them getting near the BCS title game.)
Let's Go, Let's Go
Did some John Lennon yesterday, so here's some post Beatles Paul McCartney as he performs with his other band, Wings. And here is "Junior's Farm."
Monday, September 7, 2009
Some Bad Late Night Sports Radio
I was having trouble sleeping last night, and about the only thing I could pick up halfway decently on my radio was Fox Sports Radio -- yep, they're back to live programming in the wee, wee hours. And the host, that moron Bruce Jacobs -- who for some reason also serves as a substitute host for 790 The Sports Animal despite his complete and utter lack of knowledge of the Houston sports market -- was on the attack against New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush.
I don't follow Reggie Bush on Twitter. I just don't feel the need. But apparently, Bush was tweeting during Saturday's USC football game, which Bush was watching on TV. One would, of course, expect Bush to watch USC games since he played for USC. And while tweeting, Bush apparently made comments about one of the TV commentators doing the game for Fox Sports Net. The guy's name is Petros Papadakis, and Bush was wondering how in the hell the guy got his job because he sounded like a complete idiot -- which, thanks to 790 The Sports Animal being an awful station and playing tape from just about everybody who works for Fox Sports Radio, means I've heard him doing sports talks radio -- and Bush is right, the guy sounds like an idiot.
But Jacobs didn't like this, and he was going off -- at least as long as I was awake -- about how Bush was unqualified to be giving an opinion on this matter. And that bugged me. We in the media give our opinion about what athletes do all of the time. We call them names. We question how they act in games, the decisions they make on and off the field, etc. So it makes sense that Bush and other players, if given the chance, should have the same opportunity to offer up opinions on those that offer up opinions on them.
I didn't hear anything from Papadakis, so I don't know if his feelings were hurt. But Jacobs has, in the few times I've heard him, sounded like one of those loud mouths who can dish it out, but can't take it. But as members of the media, we have to take it. And if we can't, then maybe we should be doing something else. And having listened to Jacobs, I really wish he would find something else to do.
I don't follow Reggie Bush on Twitter. I just don't feel the need. But apparently, Bush was tweeting during Saturday's USC football game, which Bush was watching on TV. One would, of course, expect Bush to watch USC games since he played for USC. And while tweeting, Bush apparently made comments about one of the TV commentators doing the game for Fox Sports Net. The guy's name is Petros Papadakis, and Bush was wondering how in the hell the guy got his job because he sounded like a complete idiot -- which, thanks to 790 The Sports Animal being an awful station and playing tape from just about everybody who works for Fox Sports Radio, means I've heard him doing sports talks radio -- and Bush is right, the guy sounds like an idiot.
But Jacobs didn't like this, and he was going off -- at least as long as I was awake -- about how Bush was unqualified to be giving an opinion on this matter. And that bugged me. We in the media give our opinion about what athletes do all of the time. We call them names. We question how they act in games, the decisions they make on and off the field, etc. So it makes sense that Bush and other players, if given the chance, should have the same opportunity to offer up opinions on those that offer up opinions on them.
I didn't hear anything from Papadakis, so I don't know if his feelings were hurt. But Jacobs has, in the few times I've heard him, sounded like one of those loud mouths who can dish it out, but can't take it. But as members of the media, we have to take it. And if we can't, then maybe we should be doing something else. And having listened to Jacobs, I really wish he would find something else to do.
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