Will He Stay Or Will He Go?

Kobe Bryant in a matter of hours, publicly announced that he wanted to be traded from the Lakers and then publicly announced that he wanted to stay with the Lakers - of course, both on ESPN Radio. ESPN, who I think by their overbearing, overhyping of any and everything sports related, is turning more and more into the entertainment/gossip type programming. Similar to MTV slowly dropping the element that made it popular with everyone, stopped playing music videos some time ago and realized that they can better market and manipulate their market by developing their own shows that have nothing pertaining to music at all. I see the same progression in ESPN, that ESPN will be nothing but Sportscenter - filled with plenty of opinion and commentary - and 'sports talk' and/or original programming. They will develop their other networks to show the petty items such as actual sporting events.

Kobe wanting to leave or stay with the Lakers might be big news for ESPN to hype until further notice - at least to fill their Sportscenter shows rather than show Stanley Cup highlights - but I think is a non-story for most everyone else, including Laker fans.

Tale Of 2 League's Playoffs

Last night I settled in for a good night of playoff sports watching...I, of course, watched game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals, which was a fantastic game. Sure, probably boring to a casual or less-than casual fan being a 1-0 final...but the sole goal came with under 6 minutes to play in the game. The Ducks seemed to control the tempo for the entire game and outshot the Sens almost 2-to-1 (31-16). I am impressed with the goaltending of Emery for Ottawa and thought he may not be up to the challenge but is clearly showing that he is a big reason that Ottawa is where it is right now. With the Ducks up 2-0 in the series they just need to win one of the next two games and they will have 2 chances to wrap the series up in Anaheim.

After I watched a thrilling hockey game I flipped over to ESPN in hopes that I would be treated to an exciting finish in the Utah-San Antonio NBA Western Conference Finals game 5...wrong. Going from an intense, down to the wire NHL game I turned over just in time to see San Antonio increase their 2nd half lead from 20 to 30 points...and it wasn't even the 4th period yet. Boring...

New Nike Commercial Featuring Tomlinson

In Charger news from last week...

Looks like we will be seeing a new Nike commercial this football season that will feature Tomlinson.

Hopefully all of this fame and attention isn't going to affect his play this year as it has affected others in the past.

Long Holiday

Back at it after an extended Memorial Day Holiday break...because our daycare was closed, but I'll suck it up. Just getting caught up with the sports scene...

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Finally underway. Game one was good. Ducks scored 2 goals in the third with the game winner coming with under 3 minutes to play. Ottawa looked good, the Ducks looked a little more sloppy than they have in any of the other games I have seen them play in the playoffs.

The French Open is underway and I think at the time of this post the last American male was just eliminated...I caught the Roddick match yesterday and couldn't believe how poorly he was playing. I'm pulling for Federer...I don't like Nadal at all...clay court specialist...bleah.

The NBA is in it's conference finals, I've been tuning in a bit. I like how LeBron just doesn't have what it takes to be a 'clutch' player after games 1 and 2, and now, after the series is tied, LeBron is god and Detroit is done...sports analysts are a freakin' joke.

Landis Arbitration Case Ends, Just The Beginning

Oh my god! I did not realize that the Floyd Landis arbitration hearing that I've been following will not be the end of this already arduous process of determining whether or not Landis will be found guilty of doping in last year's Tour de France and thus lose the title of champion. From the AP wrap up story...

"...the loser is expected to appeal at the next and final level, the Court of Arbitration for Sport."

And why did I not know this? Because no one printed or said so! It should have been the first line of every story involving this case... "In the first of two Landis arbitration hearings...". I mean come on... this first hearing is a non-story when there is a final hearing which will render the final decision...or will it? Is that just bullshit too? And the loser of that hearing can then take it to some other court and on and on and on...just get it over with while someone cares...Landis will be dead before he knows whether or not he is found guilty.

So this entire hearing was just a colossal waste of time to even put any interest into it. Why didn't both parties agree to fore go this meaningless arbitration hearing and go straight to the final hearing and have a single showdown. All this arbitration hearing does, is give away some of your offense, but I am thinking that both sides have withheld some material because they know that this was just the beginning.

Free TV On The Internet

I'm always looking for a way to watch TV on the internet and I was a big supporter of TVU Networks when they first fired up. But now, most of their good content is no longer available...like ESPN, HBO, Comedy Central, USA, etc... So in looking for something new I have ran across TVThug.com. The user interface is all web-browser based and pretty simple. The player is the standard Windows Media Player and only Internet Explorer works...but it is still pretty slick and has a lot of channels to offer... at least for now...

Check it out...

Landis Arbitration Winding Down

Today is the final day for the Floyd Landis Arbitration hearing and unless some bombshell(s) are unloaded, I think Landis will be found guilty.

The facts, as I have read them, have Landis' case basically supported by complex science and alternate interpretations of the results. Then throw in that Landis' manager (now former) made a threatening call to Greg LeMond the night before he was testifying. If a person had any doubts about which 'science' to believe, that might be the intangible item that sways the arbitrators one way because the appearance of desperation is evident in that incident.

The news reports I read did not detail much of the complex science that was used in this case, I will admit that, but I would think that if the science was to be refuted it would be very plain to describe and detail. Landis' testimony, saying that it would be of no benefit for him to cheat, is also very obtuse. To think he has nothing to gain by cheating and getting away with it is total bullshit. In almost every top-tier athletic competition athletes will cheat until they get caught and do everything they can to not get caught. Why? Fame & fortune, that's what they gain by cheating and not getting caught. Unfortunately the fortune the gain while cheating will often provide them with the means to put on a high profile case to try and prove that the testing procedure to find you guilty of cheating might be flawed.

NBC's Worst Nightmare: Anaheim vs Ottawa

I'm thinking NBC will drop it's half-hearted effort to carry the NHL and the Stanley Cup finals now that Ottawa and Anaheim are the two teams that will face off for Lord Stanley's Cup. I also think that NBC had something to do with the scheduling of the finals because game 1 doesn't start until Monday and of course the first 2 games are on VS. But NBC will probably drop coverage of the game half way through the third period to make sure Dateline starts as scheduled.

I think the finals should be pretty entertaining. I think Anaheim has been playing well all season and has turned it up a notch for the playoffs. I think the Ducks win in 6 because, as I have been saying, Giguere has been solid between the pipes. The Ducks, right now, seem to have the right blend of offensive fire power and a solid, experienced defense. In the Detroit series, it seemed to me that the Ducks would often 'set the tone' of the game and are not intimidated, but rather, they do the intimidating.

Sabres Out, Sens Wait For West Winner

So Ottawa defeated the Sabres this past Saturday, advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals. They are awaiting the winner of the Detroit-Anaheim series. Game 6 is tonight with Anaheim holding a 3 games to 2 edge in the series right now. What was noteworthy about Saturday's game, I thought, was a person got to see the commitment that NBC has to the NHL. Of course the Preakness was also on Saturday and the hockey game goes into overtime. NBC decided to end coverage of the NHL game as it was scheduled and go to their Preakness coverage - of course the actual horse race wouldn't be ran for another hour and half (at least). Name one other sport that any network would drop it's television coverage of to join another event...and then add the fact that this was a conference final game! Of course this should be to no surprise... NBC opted to carry ZERO playoff games the previous weekend and showed the TPC golf event. Very evident that NBC is only interested in having the games on a weekend afternoon rather then break up it's prime time weekend schedule.

How low has your sport gotten when you can't even give the networks a great, overtime conference playoff game and they will drop their coverage to show you an hour or 2 of pre-race hype for the Preakness? I was just glad I have VS and was able to watch the end of the game. One has to think that NBC is already cringing at Ottawa making the finals and I am almost certain the network big-wigs are keeping their fingers crossed for Detroit to pull through and make the finals as well. I can see the headlines already if the finals are Ottawa-Anaheim: "Lowest NHL finals in history." But NBC has itself to blame... a person only got to see Detroit, the Rangers, Colorado or Dallas play on the very few games NBC even aired. Then you add the fact that VS is in about 10 homes in America and the NHL finals are being played in June you then have the recipe for people to not care.

Landis Arbitration Continues

So the Floyd Landis arbitration hearing continued through the weekend and as I read through the news articles seems pretty 'typical' for an arbitration hearing. Landis took the stand and (surprise) said he did not knowingly do any doping. Then the Landis camp flew in an expert to refute the findings of the lab that came up with a positive result. All of it seems standard legal defense for someone that isn't really trying to prove that they didn't take steroids but rather that the testing process itself is flawed.

As I previously mentioned, the defense is very O.J.esque. Will this arbitration hearing prove without a doubt that Landis didn't cheat...I don't think so. What it will do is prove that the process can be questioned if you get the right scientists and forensic experts to refute any evidence used against you to bring in the question of reasonable doubt.

Clutch At First Avenue, May 17

So I have returned! Last Thursday I went down to the twin cities to see Clutch perform at First Avenue. Had a real good time. The lead singer (Neil Fallon) reportedly had strep throat prior to the show we saw and Clutch cancelled their previous two shows because of that. The show was fantastic, but it was short and we believe due to the need to recover from the illness.

Posted are some pics I took of downtown Minneapolis and some short video clips of the show itself.

Just to give you a timeline of my trip/weekend it was like this: Work Thursday until noon. Jump in car, drive to Minneapolis, see Clutch - drink too much, stay up too late. Friday AM: On the road back home by 9:30 AM, pull into my house at 12:45, change clothes at work by 1:00. Work until 9 Friday night, go home and pass out of exhaustion. Saturday, back at work by 7:30 AM and work until 4 PM. Then I was able to relax until work this morning... but a very busy and tiring few days around Clutch...my intention was to not work on Friday, but my services were needed and so I came to work....what a trooper I am, huh?

Favre: Attention Whore

If there is one thing I would thank god for if I wasn't agnostic would be that I am not a Green Bay Packers fan. I have never liked Brett Favre and continue to build up even more dislike on an almost daily basis because I think he is just an attention whore. He likes to see his name and stories about him on ESPN and be talked about on sports talk radio...is what he likes.

The previous 2 off-seasons Favre would hold the whole world in doubt as to whether or not he would return...sometimes trade demands would surface but he would address the media a few days later to say that he did not issue any trade demands.

Last year, Favre, not only did not announce his plans on whether or not he would return to the Packers until well after the draft occurred. How's that for a team player, don't even let your team know if they should draft a quarterback or not. And if you recall, actually held a press conference to tell everyone that he still hasn't made a decision. Now if that doesn't just wreak of 'look at me' syndrome I don't know what does.

So what does the 2007 edition of Favre have in store to get his media attention he so craves? Well, how about pout to the media about not getting Randy Moss, just to warm things up. Then say you are not going to the Packers mini-camp because you are injured, have family events, whatever, but most certainly not because you are still pouting over the Packers not getting Randy Moss. And just to keep your name in print and make sure you get some good weekend roundtable talk amongst the sports talking heads, reverse that decision and now say that you will be attending the Packers' mini-camp.

Pouting over not getting Randy Moss just shows what a freakin' bonehead Favre is. The only reason Favre wants Moss is because he (Favre) has no finesse anymore, no offensive line and no running game. All Favre does now is drop back and heave the ball and he knows that Moss has no desire to run any pattern other than a straight fly pattern...the two, seemingly, are a match made in heaven. But of course Favre is a moron... Moss is washed up and having the one-trick play will get you a couple of wins against the Vikes and the Lions but any team with a real defense will have that shut down in a millisecond and Moss and Favre would be pouting together on the sidelines.

Landis Trial Day 3

Yesterday's Landis arbitration hearing wrapped up testimony from the French lab worker who tested Landis' sample. From the news reports, it seems to me, that this lab worker, Cynthia Mongongu, is holding some animosity towards Landis...taping a 'do not cross' line in the lab for the observers. And not sure how the arbitrators will take it, but Mongongu apparently needed a more detailed chart to determine if the tests were truly accurate. Now is it just me...but if this process has to be infinitely detailed to determine certain accuracy, then how can the test be relied upon at all? Saying that, then, if this is the approved process to determine guilt or not...then Landis is screwed because trying to detail inaccuracies and incompetence as a reason for innocence is just the O.J. Simpson way to try and get away with murder.

Today Greg LeMond is taking the stand and apparently not only is he going to testify against Landis but also Lance Armstrong. This move seems like such an overt attempt by the USADA to not only get Landis, but (as Landis has already laid his foundation for his defense) also cast some speculation on Lance Armstrong potentially doping.

London's Hottest Ticket: The NFL

Something that I don't like to see, an NFL regular season game being played outside the U.S.A. selling like hotcakes. I think it is ridiculous that the NFL seems to think it is a good idea to play meaningful NFL games outside of America. Sure, it's all about money and the NFL is just trying to broaden its appeal and create more revenue streams...blah, blah, blah. But what this is really doing is taking a game away from some team's most rabid and hardcore fans and moving the game to another country in a very clear marketing attempt. The NFL may be a league that can withstand some minor fan loss, but if the NFL increases - or arguably even maintains - it's current frequency of scheduling meaningful games outside of the U.S., I think fan dropoff in America would become noticeable. Since the beginnings of this plan is going well, that when that fan dropoff does become noticeable the league will scramble to try other things in an attempt to recoup the American fans but won't want to release it's foothold in other countries because by that time they will have established a fanbase abroad. In the end, American NFL fans will be the only entity that the NFL doesn't care about, the same fans that made the NFL the greatest sports league in the world up until that point.

Wings Destroy Ducks, Go Up 2-1 In Series

As I watched the Red Wings-Ducks game 3 last night, it was clear that Detroit was the more dominate team. I am just wondering if the 5 goal onslaught will shake the confidence of Anaheim goalie Giguere, who up until last night, has impressed me throughout the playoffs. Last night's game should be an exception to the series, which has looked very close and played very tight until last night's lop-sided win.

Vick Involved In Dog Fighting

The Micheal Vick story continues to gather some steam. At first, reports had acquaintances of Vick involved in dog fighting at one of Vick's houses. But now, there is apparently evidence that can put Vick on the property during dog fights, including possible videotape and witnesses. Flipping fans off was just the beginning of Vick's decline...with this news developing over the offseason, I think his fan support is going to dry up quickly.

Landis Trial Day 2

Day 2 of the Landis trial was dominated by translator problems. This may actually end up helping Landis because much of the basis of his defense is that the USADA has botched and totally mishandled the process by which Landis was tested and the subsequent positive test for doping. The USADA was responsible for providing the interpreter for these hearings and by having a translator that was not able to do an adequate job may add to Landis' case that the USADA is riddled with incompetence.

Landis Arbitration Case Begins

About to slip into the past, the Floyd Landis arbitration case has finally begun. The outcome of this case will likely determine whether Landis keeps his Tour de France title or not. The case is expected to go through next Wednesday and looks like it has a fiery start, basically wrangling over linguistics. For some reason I have been lured to steroid cases and will continue to follow this one. If Landis is able to shake the roid rap, I am sure others are taking notes.

Senators 3-0 On Sabres

Wow! I thought the Sabres looked a little flat against the Rangers in round 2 of the playoffs, but they certainly look like they may have blew their wad in the regular season and are running out of gas in the playoffs. Ottawa just needed one goal last night to beat the Sabres and from what I have seen in these 3 games, it doesn't seem as if Buffalo is able to muster any sort of formidable attack.

The Western Conference Finals, on the other hand, has been fantastic...with the east series looking to finish shortly, I think the western finals winner - barring unforeseen injuries - will carry that momentum into the finals.

Tool At Council Bluffs, IA - 5-12-07

Posted are some pictures and short video clips from my camera phone at the Tool show in Council Bluffs, IA. This trip was a good time. It is about a 6 hour drive, so my friend and I left Saturday morning, got to Council Bluffs early enough to have a few beers and grill up some grub before the show. The venue was fairly small... and there isn't a bad seat at the Mid-America Arena. The show was sold out and you could tell the venue staff wasn't prepared for this show. After getting the 'pat down' to enter the venue and displaying my ticket, I didn't see a single security person or even an usher. As soon as the lights went out you saw about 5,000 cell phones open up to begin snapping pics and vids. The venue ran out of beer and cups well before they were going to cut off sales...that sucked but at $6 a beer it probably saved me a bunch of money. With what seemed as a pretty light security staff you would think things could have gotten out of hand but from what I observed, everything seemed fairly orderly.

The show itself was, of course, awesome. Maynard (lead singer for Tool) only said "Happy Mother's Day" and "Thank You, Good Night." to the crowd...least amount of audience interaction I have witnessed from the band...but didn't bother me. Tool sounded really good. I got to hear Wings For Maria (pt. 1 & 2) and Right In Two which were the only songs I didn't get to hear at the Orphium show last year. Tool has expanded their stage show and added laser lights along with all their other video imagery and really adds a new dimension. I think Tool is the new "Pink Floyd" in that if you love their music, their stage show will only enhance your experience with their music. I can hardly wait to see Tool again in a little more than a month...



46 & 2


Right In Two

Simpson's Movie Trailer #3

Dale Jr. Leaving DEI

Dale Earnhardt Jr. couldn't come to terms with his stepmother and will leave the company his father created. This is just a move about money and nothing more. Junior has gotten a free ride his entire career. With his father being the greatest NASCAR driver ever and essentially handing his son a sweet ride with a huge sponsor, Jr. has had to do little more than show up to the race track and collect a check. In Junior's statement as to why he is leaving DEI he said, "it's time for me to compete on a consistent basis and contend for championships now". On obvious slam against DEI. His team at DEI must be what is holding him back and once Jr. gets on a 'real' team then you'll see him start winning...something he doesn't do very often now. I would think that his sponsor, Budweiser, will follow Dale Jr. where ever he goes and as a result, Jr. will have plenty of teams interested in getting him to secure those sponsorship dollars.

I don't think Dale Jr. is a good driver and hasn't proven to be one. I think he is carried by the rest of his team and he has skirted any real criticism from almost everyone because of his father. But I think Dale Sr. would not approve of this action by his son...nor do I think it would be happening if he was still overseeing DEI.

McNair Busted For Being A Passenger

Have I mentioned that this country is law happy? Well, here you go... apparently if you let someone else drive your vehicle and they are drunk...you will be arrested as well. Just ask Steve McNair. What is next? And then what about rental cars? If I rent a car, get trashed and pulled over in Tennessee, will everyone at Hertz get arrested because they own the car? I think they should!

Vick Likes Dog Fighting

Right when you think things can't get too much worse for Vick - publicity wise - you then read about how friends of Michael say he likes dog fighting. Of course this accusation all comes from finding a bunch of dogs at Vick's house, which were discovered of course during a drug raid. So he will obviously have someone else come forward to claim the dogs and drugs (if any were found) and things will go on as normal... but Michael Vick is proving every day how dumb some of his actions are.

NHL Conference Finals Prediction

My last round of hockey playoff picks weren't too shabby if I say so myself...only Ottawa slipped by me but I attributed Ottawa losing to the Devils because of their choking in the past...not that they are a bad team. Which leads to the first matchup, Ottawa vs Buffalo. My good friend Kevin at Buffalo Blog does more than a fantastic job keeping any Sabres fan up-to-date with team info and offers great incite to their play as well, as a result, I am pulling a bit for the Sabres. To my dislike, I think the Sabres played a good series against the Rangers but didn't seem as dominating as I would like them to be. The Sabres look like they should outmatch the Senators and I think they should win in 5. That series starts tomorrow in Buffalo.

Out west starting on Friday it will be Anaheim vs Detroit. I think this is going to be a fantastic series whether it goes 4 games or all 7. The Ducks have Giguere who has been hot in the playoffs not giving up more than 2 goals in any game...that's right, if you are going to beat the Ducks you better stop them from scoring because you probably aren't going to score too much yourself. Saying that, Hasek has matched that mark, not giving up more than a pair of goals in any game in the playoffs. Both teams have good defenses and some snipers so it may all come down to who does the best on special teams...which is an easy hockey cliche. I think this series is going to go 7 with more than 1 game going into overtime...I think the Ducks will win but really think this series could be a coin flip.

Someone In This Country Showing Moral Convictions?

Unbelievable...I just read this story where a restaurant owner actually kicked O.J. Simpson out because he is sickened by all the attention that O.J. still gets. The best line of the story was the owner saying how it was the first time since '94 that O.J. showed any class by leaving the restaurant quietly.

Couric Scores Lowest Ratings For CBS

Katie Couric has posted the lowest viewership for CBS news since 1987. Of course I don't watch the nightly news on any of the big three networks on a regular basis but I am stunned to see that Chuck Gibson is the number 1. Anyone that was forced to watch Good Morning America during Chuck's tenure on the show wouldn't trust anything that moron says...so is Katie an even bigger imbecile?

I Am A Loser

The title of this post says it all, I am a loser. You see at my workplace, about 3 years ago, a co-worker accidentally goofed and made a comment that I heard regarding a previous company function that seating was all random except one table where the 'losers' were put so that no one 'cool' had to tolerate them...and I was at that table. I have no animosity towards anyone I work with and up until that point, I really enjoyed coming to work and enjoyed my job as a whole. But since that time I have made some changes just for my own well-being. You see, I really don't give a shit that I am considered a 'loser' around here because being a 'loser' around here means you enjoy sports, rock music and drinking. I am literally the only person that does follow all sports avidly and listen to popular rock music as well am fairly up-to-par with pop culture. But my attitude towards most everyone I work with has altered since this incident.

First, I no longer attend any work related social function. Several times throughout the year there are company social functions (ie: picnic, holiday party, etc.), all of which I would get a free meal and likely some 'prizes' as well. I typically won't even RSVP and if they demand an RSVP it will be returned as not attending. In addition to not attending social functions there are certain 'mandatory' meetings that I no longer attend as well. These meetings are basically introducing new employees to the full time staff and I will overtly lie as to why I wasn't present, although I have been overlooked a couple of times to make it even more inconspicuous when I do purposely skip.

Next, I no longer allow myself to be a 'pawn'. I use to gladly accept additional responsibility and offered my opinion on most any topic. Now I go to meetings and remember this simple phrase: "Just keep my mouth shut" and that is what I do. I go in and politely answer any questions that may be asked of me and leave at the first opportunity I can. But this isn't just because I am a loser at work it is also because once you prove yourself versatile and efficient those that are not will take advantage of you without even flinching. Creating anything ahead of a deadline is laughable now because all that means is those that do nothing but critique and require you to redo your work will just have you to redo your work until the deadline approaches. Being the a loser doesn't mean I have to be stupid.

In addition to my above point, I am now blatantly not doing optional work that is not really assigned to me but asked if I can do it. Here's how it typically goes... a person from another department will ask if I can do something that they should be doing in the first place...like let's say solder wires for a communication system. I have never been trained in soldering, wiring or any of the specifics regarding that process at all. The 'system' that needs to be soldered has about 100 wires that need soldering...so is essentially busywork for someone. So while this person proceeds to tell me how this device should be soldered, in the back of my mind - the entire time - I am giggling because there is no way in hell I am going to touch one wire or solder one thing for this device that I will never use and I have absolutely no connection with at all. But this person continues to explain how this device should be put together. I am contemplating doing these menial tasks but make sure that I do it so poorly that it will be a bigger hassle for someone to undo what I have done and correct it.

I also enjoy no longer taking place in 'conference calls' with our 'corporate headquarters'. There is absolutely nothing good that comes from these conference calls except for more work for me to do before the next conference call which, in the end, will mean little, if any, company productivity or profitability. Again, it is just busywork the corporate bigwigs want to see to make sure that no is just sitting around (maybe blogging on the internet...).

In my previous jobs, I have always made friends with my co-workers and would ban together because the company and the job would oftentimes suck. This is the first job where I enjoy the actual 'work' that I do but I no longer can say that is the same with my coworkers.

So I have entered a new chapter in my life... I like my job but not the people I work with. I am fairly disgruntled about many things that are beyond my basic job responsibilities. I am content with my actions, as I think most of my coworkers are, for they haven't even noticed...and I think are probably happy that they have rid themselves of 1 loser that attended their functions....

Saturday Night Live

Something I should start doing, just for my own amusement, would be to review SNL...and I just might start doing that...for you see, since I was young, I have watched Saturday Night Live and have formed an 'instant opinion' of each show...some good, some bad. Having said that, I did watch the Sunday night special regarding Saturday Night Live in the 90's. The special itself wasn't too bad, but I really didn't care for the shortening of the skits...and not that they were shortened but that they were too short. If they wanted to show an abbreviated sketch, that's fine...but to show just a quick snippet only has the viewer wanting to see more. The show itself was interviews with people that would reminiscence about each season of SNL in the 90's and was essentially a 'look at how great SNL is' type show. Which leads me to my primary theory, that SNL of late is crappy. But as this show pointed out, in 1994-95 SNL had some of its lowest ratings ever and you look at the cast and it had Adam Sandler, David Spade, Cris Farley, Phil Hartmen, Mike Myers, Dana Carvey and Cris Rock. An overt move to guilt people into turning SNL back on because you don't want to miss any potential star developing on SNL. Watching SNL lately, there might be one or 2 funny sketches in the entire show with the rest being lame. And after watching this retrospective one of my initial impressions was that this was a clear attempt to try and bolster SNL ratings for next season because I find it hard to believe that people were entertained watching this past season of SNL.

Foley Pleads Guilty To DUI

Chargers' linebacker Steve Foley, who was shot last year just prior to the season starting by an off-duty cop, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence.

A almost no-brain move to no doubtedly help his case against the off-duty police officer and the Coronado PD. I have yet to hear if Foley is going to try and come back this season but there was some speculation that his injuries could be career-ending.

Concerts Galore

After not going to a concert in almost 6 months, I will be getting my fill in the next couple of months...

It start all starts next when I am heading to Iowa (first time there) to see my favorite band, Tool. Then 5 days later, I'm cruising down to Minneapolis to see another band I really enjoy, Clutch. Later this month Static-X will be playing locally and I figure to check that show out. And then in June I return to the Twin Cities to see Tool again in St. Paul. It should be a fun time but I almost shudder at what my bank account will look like after all these shows... of course I could go and just not drink any alcohol but then why go at all?