Protestors Need To Conform

You sure can tell times have changed...the St. Paul Police announced today that during the Republican National Convention Sep. 1-4 at the Xcel Center, there would be a single route and a set area where the protestors will be confined too. At the end of the article it also says that permits to march on the convention will be available starting this Monday. Is it just me or has protesting gotten to be to commercial? First of all, if you are protesting something and you actually follow the route and remain in the set area for you to protest in...are you really doing effective protesting? And where are the true protesters? The ones that are willing to ignore the 'man' and disobey the route and abandon the set area and do some actual 'protesting'. Of course that may mean they will get arrested so that is likely out of the question... I think when 'routes' and 'areas' are set for protesting then the protesters that adhere to these rules are just sheep from a different flock then the one that they are actually protesting.

Clemens: Probe Sought

Like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens now may be in trouble with the feds. The committee that Clemens testified in front of last week can not make a definitive decision on whether Clemens perjured himself or not...but they do know that his testimony, and only his testimony, directly contradicts the Mitchell report and all the entities named in the Mitchell report (McNamee, Pettitte, etc.). To the best of my knowledge, I don't think there has been any other player that has been named in the Mitchell report to deny any of the allegations the Mitchell report made. But of course, Clemens is the most prominent athlete to be outed by the Mitchell report and thus, has the most to lose if his legacy is 'tainted'. Then you have Rog's hayseed lawyer who basically says "Oh yeah, we knew it would come to this...and we are totally prepared." I am keeping my fingers crossed that all of Rog's court appearances and, of course, the trial itself are aired live on television (or internet) just for the comic value Rusty will add to all the proceedings.

I haven't gotten to see Bonds' legal posse yet, but we can only hope he also has some entertaining lawyers as well to break up the monotony of defining what "is" is - which will likely be the crux of both of these cheats cases in a last second dodge to avoid the ultimate wrath of federal punishment....or maybe not....

You Suck At Photoshop #7

Here's the latest "You Suck At Photoshop" installment...not as good as previous episodes, but still pretty good...Donnie tries to spice up a Facebook picture for some 'lucky' fan...

SNL Returns: Tina Fey - Carrie Underwood

After a several month hiatus due to the writer's strike, a new SNL final hit the airwaves this past weekend and to 'ease' back into the show, they asked former writer/cast member Tina Fey back to host the show. Because I don't actually watch the show as it airs, but at a later time - hey, I have stuff to do on Saturday night - and because a sporting event went extremely late in my viewing area, I didn't get to watch the show, instead my DVR has a triple overtime high school hockey championship game and then my late local news...and not SNL... I did check out the clips this morning but I'll have to wait another month or 2 until the rerun airs to catch the entire show. But here's what I did see...

The open was actually pretty funny, mocking the democratic debate in which the media has essentially 'chosen' Barack Obama and is ignoring Hillary...


Tina's monologue, of course, referenced the writer's strike and then Steve Martin makes a cameo to 'liven' up the monologue...


The mock commercial this week was for the product "Annuale" which is a product for women that has them only experience their period once a year...but when they get it, they are crazed beasts...at least more than normally!


The mock show 'lady business' promo really didn't do much for me...seemed more stupid than funny...


The SNL Digital Short featured grandkids in movies and was actually fairly amusing where an elderly person who is easily frightened by things on television but by inserting your grandchildren into the movies and videos, things are more normal for the elderly person...


I'm going to drink your milkshake was the next sketch and I really didn't 'get it'...it had a moment or two, but overall, I didn't think was that amusing at all...but maybe I need to see No Country For Old Men...


Tina Fey had a Weekend Update piece which essentially was a campaign pitch for Hillary Clinton...


And then Mike Huckabee also had an appearance on Weekend Update...and the more I have seen Huckabee on the comedy talk show(s), the more I like him. He has a good sense of humor and isn't scared to laugh at himself.

Again, I missed the show but these are the elements I did get to watch and it doesn't seem like too bad a show with a few sketches that are alright and a few that aren't alright...

Photos Prove Clemens At Canseco's Party

Roger Clemens' credibility takes yet another hit... apparently there is photographic evidence that will prove that Roger Clemens was at the Jose Canseco party in which steroids were discussed and possibly distributed. Something Roger denied and attempted to disprove McNamee by providing a pro shop receipt that would show that Roger was golfing at a golf course 20 minutes from Canseco's house and most certainly wasn't at Canseco's. What I think Clemens and his lawyers will do now to side-step this latest lie will be to state that Roger didn't attend the 'party' that Canseco had, which is why some of the guests didn't see him there, but that Roger came by after the 'party' so he didn't actually attend the party but just stopped by to visit after his golf game, yeah that's the ticket... And Rusty Hardin, if you didn't think of this defense yet and are simply reading it now - which I think is extremely likely with this hayseed - I hope I at least get a mention and I would be available to help his defense, and probably at a fraction of the cost he is paying now and I think I would be just as (in)effective as they have been for Rog.

UPDATE:

As a side note, why hasn't anyone in the major media picked up on this juicy nugget? ... Apparently McNamee also recalls a few specifics from this particular Canseco party, one of which was that apparently Roger's and Jose's wives showed off their surgically enhanced boobs to each other to compare boob-jobs. I want some follow-up on this story and I want it now, I mean the American public deserves to know the truth...

Bonds Defense: Typos Mean He Shouldn't Be Tried

While Clemens' steroid case has grabbed all the media attention as of late, there of course is Barry Bonds and his own problems with lying about using steroids. His legal team, which seems a little more professional then the legal-hacks Clemens has, starts out his defense with the notion that the entire case should be thrown out because there is a typo in the government's case filing. The error is about a failed steroid test of Bonds and the government originally listed it as occurring in 2000 and later in the filing refer to the failed test as mistakenly happening in 2001. The Bonds defense says that this will taint the perception of potential jurors that read the first filing and, thus, would be impossible for Bonds to get a fair trial. Yeah, that's the ticket...because jurors would be confused as to what year he failed the drug test it would be impossible for him to get a fair trial about him lying about his drug use...

I would hope that the case will proceed and this minor issue having no effect on the proceedings...but of course who knows what back-room deals are being sought and dealt at this time and anything may be possible.

You Suck At Photoshop #6

Here is the latest installment of "You Suck At Photoshop" by Donnie Hoyle. One of my favorite reoccurring 'characters' is Donnie's online buddy Sn4tchbuckl3r ... there is little doubt in my mind that Sn4tchbuckl3r is pretty cool...doing a lot of online gaming pwning n00bs...and I think that if Donnie wasn't tied down with his job at Phebco he'd be pwning with his bud Sn4tchbuckl3r. This episode has a little more 'toilet' humor than I would have preferred, but still, all-in-all still pretty funny stuff...

Chris Berman Popping Pills

Here's another Chris Berman video leaked onto the internet...here he is talking about how he likes to pop codeine and how a person can smuggle them back into America from Canada...

J.F.C. - It Is F'n Cold!

My thermometer at home had a temperature of -25 (F) when I woke up this morning...the radio had a temp of -30 and to the left is the "Accu-Weather" readings...if there was any wind at all, the windchill would easily be -100 below...it is FUCKING COLD! Why does anyone live here? Oh yeah, the weather may suck here but the people are nice...right now I'd be willing to trade a few nice folks in for about 20 degrees....

Note the high temperature for the day... -4 ...at least that is 25 degrees warmer than it is now, but how sad is it when you "warm up" 25 degrees and you still aren't even above zero?

Spinal Tap's Stonehenge & Amps That Go To 11

Because a blog can never have enough videos from the movie "This Is Spinal Tap" What's more appropriate video then the Stonehenge scene from the movie? And then I might as well post the video featuring Nigel giving us a look at his guitar collection and his amps that go to 11... all good stuff!

Enjoy...

Long Weekend - NBA Slam Dunk

Out of the blue, I decided to take an extended weekend...I had worked, essentially, every weekend since Christmas and had this past weekend off...I had my 40 hours in by noon on Wednesday, and only having to take 1 vacation day, I decided - with my son's coaxing - to have an extended 4 1/2 day weekend...and it was everything I imagined... I stayed up late every night, drank too much and basically was a worthless slug for 4 days...or sure, I grilled - yes grilled - a couple of times and bought a new snowblower...but I really didn't do jack squat for 4 days...it was great.

I wouldn't have gone out of my way to watch the NBA slam dunk contest because it usually is a snooze-fest, but I did actually watch it and it was pretty good. Dwight Howard and Gerald Green put on a good show, pulling out all the stops... Howard's best dunk, in my opinion, was he first one where he started behind the basket, bounced the ball off the backside of the backboard, caught the ball and dunked it on the other side...it was pretty sweet. Howard's second dunk, that has gotten the most play in the media, was one in which he put on a Superman cape after taking off his jersey to reveal a Superman 'S' on his undershirt and launched from just inside the freethrow line and 'threw down' the ball...after seeing replays, it looked more spectacular than it actually was because he didn't 'dunk' the ball...he was unable to "fly" to the rim...but because it was so quick and a person watching it at normal speed certainly had the impression that he did indeed 'slam' it...

Gerald Green's best dunk was his first one in which he had a cupcake placed on the back of the basket and the lone candle lit...he then had a pretty impressive dunk that included him blowing out the candle of the cupcake before slamming the ball threw the hoop. His final dunk was fairly anti-climatic...he took off his shoes and did a windmill style dunk... the actual slam dunk contest was pretty good to watch...the conclusion was not. First you have to sit through 5 minutes of 'fan voting' that had Cheryl Miller interview each of the celebrity judges as to how they felt won...Dr. J, for some reason, had an entire dissertation that he was willing to recite but Miller finally coaxed him into simply revealing his favorite. Then after that 5 minutes was up you then got to sit through 2 minutes of commercials...the next time you saw the venue it was all but empty...Cheryl Miller fumbles with the untold number of promotions that she likely needs to work in at every opportunity, then simply throws them to the ground so she can read the promotion on the back of the envelope that contained the winner's name. She then gives a phony look of surprise to announce that Dwight Howard won.

Why does the skills-contest/slam dunk events suck? Primarily because it has become nothing more than a 'sponsor-fest' ... Here's the Sony pass cam, Ford dunk cam, Nintendo Slam Dunk Contest all of which are part of the Re/Max all-star skills night...(note: I do not know if any of the sponsors I listed are actual sponsors of the event...just using them for illustration purposes only). I think the participants would think that they are just shills for big business. Take any spontaneity out of the event and make it into a 'structured', promo-filled event and that is the recipe for brewing up a boring event...both at the venue, where television did everything it could to suck any excitement out of the building by going to commercial breaks and having lame and boring interviews...

For a change the actual slam dunk contest was able to overcome all the odds that TNT throws at it to be exciting and interesting and delivered this year. Now it will be interesting to see how TNT can further try to destroy the event after the success gained from this year...

The Lying Is Underway

So the congressional hearings are underway and it's starting off with a bang... Clemens' opening statements were more about how he has helped children through the Roger Clemens' foundation, how he was raised up to not take short-cuts and cheat and that hard work and determination are the reason's he was able to compete and that he never took steroids. McNamee starts out with the statement that he injected Clemens even more times then he initially admitted too.

Commissioners begin instantly attacking Roger Clemens' credibility... Roger admits that Andy Pettitte is an honest individual but "mis-remembers" his conversation regarding him using HGH in 1999 and that he (Clemens) never said that and instead that he said that his wife was using HGH. That's how classy Roger is...let's start throwing everyone else under the bus, including your own wife.

You can watch the Roger Clemens congressional hearing live by clicking here.

Almost 2 hours into the hearing and the first Rusty Hardin outburst...Rog is in some deep shit right now... the committee wanted to talk with Roger's former nanny in an effort to collaborate McNamee's story of Clemens talking with Jose Canseco in Florida. The committee told the Clemens camp to provide the name of his nanny and to not contact this nanny until the committee had a chance to question her...well, Roger was 'doing the committee a favor' by inviting the nanny to his house and spending the day with Roger and then a day later provide her contact information to the committee...his legal team jumped out of their seats to interject vehemently at such outrageous innuendo, that Roger would deliberately meet and potentially coerce her testimony for the committee. Roger was doing the committee a favor by helping the nanny recall her memory...thanks Roger, innocent people do that all the time...

Clemens To Lie To Congress

Well tomorrow the world will get to watch and see - by all accounts - Roger Clemens lie to congress. Roger's whole defense, by all appearances, is that the Mitchell Report's star witness, Brian McNamee, is a habitual liar and his testimony can't be trusted...the Clemens camp hasn't wavered from that attack point. Since Clemens was named in the Mitchell report he has acted in a manner that in no way has swayed my opinion, and in fact has done the opposite where at first I was willing to give Rog a little benefit of the doubt but after the 'press conference' when he played the phone call he taped with McNamee - without McNamee's consent - Clemens, to me, seems as a man in desperation, grasping for anything he possibly can. When McNamee came out last week saying that he also injected Clemens' wife before a Sports Illustrated photo shoot, not much was heard from Rog about that...maybe someone on his 'crack' legal team bought a clue and told him to shut up. And is it me or do you not love watching the buffoon that is Rusty Hardin? I really need to make an effort to watch the proceedings tomorrow if I can just for the gems Rusty is sure to have...

McNamee Produces Photos

Not that it really proves that Roger Clemens did use steroids, two photos were released showing used syringes and gauze that allegedly were used to inject Clemens with steroids by Brian McNamee. And although this is similar to Clemens and his team of lawyers to win the war of public approval, it really does nothing to validity his claims but at the same time, it certainly doesn't refute them as the Clemens camp would lead you to believe. Clemens was making every attempt to meet with congressional committee members privately - I'm sure to try and woo them to his side, hopefully unsuccessfully - and that move seems yet another move of desperation on his part. Unlike the Clemens camp, in which they released a taped phone conversation with McNamee that did nothing to exonerate Clemens and then issue another report, which I don't think anyone read or cares about, but again to try and put some credibility towards Clemens - which it didn't - I think the McNamee case still is the better case... although these pictures are far from being the smoking gun, the fact remains that Roger Clemens is the only athlete out of all the athletes in the Mitchell report to refute and fight the charges...and sure, he is probably the most notable athlete named and the most to lose...so it would seem as if he would try to do so...but with no one else adamantly denying the Mitchell report other than Roger, I continue to think that he is a cheater and used steroids...and as I see it, so far there has been a fair amount of evidence to prove that he did cheat and he has yet to produce even an ounce of evidence to refute that claim, and to be honest, if he was to gain any credibility he will have to start punching holes in the Mitchell report itself by getting other athletes to join with him in the fight...which, as I have mentioned, has yet to happen.

You Suck At Photoshop

One of my new favorite internet video series is "You Suck At Photoshop" that is produced by My Damn Channel. They are tutorials on how to use Photoshop that aren't really tutorials but rather humorous (I think) videos... Anyways, here's the first five episodes and I hope there are more to come but that may also depend on how well Donnie is doing on any given day...you'll see what I mean after you watch them...

Enjoy...

Chris Berman's Blowup

I can't believe it took me a few weeks to see this video that has been making it's rounds on the internet... a Chris Berman blowup... obviously someone in the control room - who likely isn't a fan of Berman - was taping when this happened and graciously put it on the internet...

Clemens: Lying To Congress?

All these athletes suspected of cheating and using steroids never give a shit about the consequences of them lying to prosecutors and to congress...they only care about preserving their legacy. The threat of a 5 year prison sentence - which they all likely know they will never get even if found guilty of perjury - isn't even a factor. Roger Clemens this week went in front of a congressional committee and repeatedly denied ever using steroids...very similar to Rafeal Palmerio. In an effort to further bolster his case, Brian McNamee apparently turned over syringes and gauze that he used to inject Roger with steroids to an IRS special agent last month.

To tell you the truth, with all of the athletes that have came out and denied ever using steroids and then either being convicted or found to have lied, I am not giving Roger any benefit of the doubt. Out of all the athletes named in the Mitchell report he is the only one coming out and attempting to refute the charges... you then factor in that Andy Pettitte has already collaborated McNamee's story in that he did indeed using steroids it really casts a lot of doubt, in my mind, that Roger is clean. I also think that the way Roger and his legal team have gone about trying to clear his name has been anything but convincing...taping a phone conversation that added nothing to the debate and issue a 'report' detailing how it is plausible that Roger could be a dominating pitcher as he aged is far from convincing and in fact, to me, look like desperate actions by a desperate man.

Gopher-Sioux Hockey Weekend

The best hockey rivalry in America is the UND Fighting Sioux vs the Minnesota Gophers...in my opinion...and anyone that has followed this rivalry understands the passion and intensity that is brought out by both teams when they match up. The WCHA has done everything they can to keep these teams from playing more often for reasons unknown by anyone...they now only play 2 games during the regular season which then makes those 2 games even more intense...The Sioux and Gophers faced off this past weekend and the games were just as I described, intense and filled with heated exchanges... The Sioux end up winning Friday night in overtime on an unbelievable game-winner and Saturday's night game ended in an overtime tie but not before the teams would exchange blows at the end of the game and a huge fight involving everyone at center ice during the concluding handshake...now that should show you how heated this rivalry is... here's some video from those games... first is the unbelievable goal and the second is the big fight that happened at the end of the game...

Super Bowl After Thoughts

Wow! What a Super Bowl...

I was hoping to see a good game but wasn't expecting one and not only did I get an exciting, good game, but one of the biggest upsets of all time.

As I was driving to the Super Bowl function that I was attending I had the radio on and they played the Randy Moss audio of him stating that he just wanted to get it over with and go home, that he wished the game was somewhere else, like Miami. As I heard these comments, I instantly began to think that it seems as if Randy doesn't give a shit about the Super Bowl and really doesn't want to play...and for most of the Super Bowl it didn't seem that he did. You then factor in that the media had all but crowned the Patriots as the greatest team of all time, I think it took most of the game for the Patriots to realize that the Giants were indeed playing to win the game and not going to just lay down and let the Patriots win.

I really wasn't cheering or pulling for any team but the bar I was at was filled with most everyone pulling for the Giants or, maybe a little more appropriate, against the Patriots...by the end of the game, I too was glad to see the Giants win despite my hatred towards Eli.

In the end, this Super Bowl was the most watched Super Bowl of all time and the 2nd most watched television program of all time in America...a game with that type of ending certainly deserves that type of viewership.

Unluckiest Person Ever

I'm a person that has some belief in luck...well, let me rephrase that... I truly believe that some people are 'more' lucky than others... and not necessarily in life but just in ordinary situations that make those that are destined to be 'unlucky' and a person like me realize that I would trade most, if not all, of my attributes if they are worth anything, which I would hope they would be -
just to be lucky. But, for me, luck has never been on my side... in fact, I think there has been a very rare occasion, and odds are it was for nothing or less, that I actually "got lucky".

And before I continue, I don't want to sound like I am complaining or whining because I still believe that some how, some way, that luck has to hit me some time...right? I'm a pragmatic person... I am rooted in facts and sound theories... but, I can truly and honestly say that I challenge any person to be more unlucky than me...

So let's start out with the Super Bowl pools - more on the Super Bowl later which, I thought was a very good game - you know the Super Bowl pools where you simply pay some money and write your name in a square and if your 'numbers' hit, you win money...right, we all know the drill. Just to start out with the unlucky theme...which I guess was the stimulus for this post...I know for a fact that I have entered a Super Bowl square pool every year for at least 20 years... yes, since 1985... and I think that may even be short by a year or five but to be honest, I'lll say '85... and to this date I have won exactly $0.00 from said pools... and no big deal, anytime you enter a 'pool' if you intend to win you are probably mistaken- well, I guess I have no experience or luck so I think that it is all a waste of money, so my perspective is obviously skewed...I had fully intended on posting a piece on how the Super Bowl square pools are simply a small lottery and you need to be lucky to win anyways because it is true...and most people have some luck, which will further elaborate my point of me having no luck...

Ok, a person can easily say that they too have not won a Super Bowl square pool either... but I can also say that I have also never won a raffle, lottery or even a prize drawing regardless of the entrants in my entire life. In fact, I - with witnesses - can say that I played a bingo game in which the objective was to have the last number left in the hopper be left on your card and thus you would win a free drink at a small bar that the game was being played at... so this game is right up my alley... to not win... to literally have a bingo card that will have the absolute last number pulled from the hopper to win... and as "luck" would have it, I had that card... but I was playing in a bar with 14 other people and if I had no luck it would be better than the bad luck that I have, because of course one other person had that last number left on their card as well. So what happens? A mere cut of the cards to see who wins the big prize (which I think was a free drink) and I lose...

And in fact... to further go into the depths of my history, I am almost 99.9% confident that I have never won a prize, or at least a worthwhile prize, that involved a drawing, a raffle, or just pure coincidence... and let me say right now that I really am not bitter with the fact because I am use to it...

Let me just further illustrate a little bit of what my "luck" entails...

Saturday night poker game... it's a cash game with 6 guys playing... the game gets pretty "hot" right off the get-go with players betting heavy with some winning on a pair of fours and high cards. The first hand I get involved in, I have a pair of queens - and after seeing all the action on high card and shitty low pairs I'm thinking I'm sitting alright - so another queen comes on the flop for 3 queens for me... of course I am betting heavy prior to the flop and after the flop because I am thinking I have this hand wrapped up. But I lose because someone stays in on 9 jack and hits a straight on runner-runner... right there, are you kidding me? A 9-jack and you are, first calling my pre-flop raise which was more than respectable, then postflop bet which was, again, respectable? I would never think to call pre-flop with that garbage, and especially after not hitting shit and needing a 2 card hit, but continuing to call on a runner-runner hit... but of course they hit the straight and beat my 3 queens...how's that for luck...? Tonight after the Super Bowl a card game starts up...11 players.. I don't play a hand for almost an hour.. get garbage the entire time. People are winning, again, on high card or low pair and basically garbage... 8 of us are left, I get dealt a pair of queens before the flop, the first big pair seen all game - and of course I lose... not necessarily bad luck, but just no luck for me which is really the best I can hope for... I really hope for no bad luck because I know I have no luck...

So you don't play cards and don't understand the bad luck I just detailed...o.k. ... well, as I began this post with, regarding the Super Bowl pools... and I really don't won't to make the Super Bowl pools a big deal, but as I talked with others that attended, apparently everyone else has won at least once, if not multiple times, in a Super Bowl pool... in fact, the 2 of the guys I was with had won in previous years and of course win this year as well, and not just win the Super Bowl pools, but win the free drawings and other free prizes by merely showing up... what did I win...nothing. Which has me to thinking... what the fuck? I never win anything ever...EVER...I NEVER WIN ANYTHING EVER...do I sound bitter yet? Because the more I continue the more bitter I think I am getting but I really don't intend too...

And to wrap up this post, to simplify my luck... or lack of... one of my friends - who can't lose and is lucky, unlike me - wanted to bet $3 on the coin flip of the Super Bowl... I'm thinking "What the hell, I probably have the best chances ever to win something.... 50/50" I had heads, he had tails...Coin flip: tails. Before the game is over he ends up winning well over $100 and some door prizes. Me, I won exactly jack-squat.

Which further proves my theory that I have bad luck or no luck...

And I will now make this promise to all my regular blog viewers that if I ever win anything in a raffle, drawing, lottery or by chance/luck I will post it here...but what makes me even more curious is the factor of luck... and as of right now, I am willing to put my record of bad luck against anyone else's... and for starters, if you have won anything by a raffle, drawing, pick or by chance, even once, you are already one up on me. Then, as a tie-break, we can factor in all other facets of life and like George Costanza making his plea for the sweet apartment (...she was in fact a Nazi), I think my body of work in bad luck is unparalleled and am willing to put it up against anyone...And let me also say that I haven't stopped trying... I usually sign up for at least 2, 3 or more Super Bowl pools and I buy at least 6-20 raffle tickets for various charities every year and to date I haven't won anything.

As kind of a postscript to further illustrate my luck or lack thereof... my fantasy football team lost to the worst team in our fantasy league last year because they had Rod Bironas and of course I played that team the week he set the NFL record for field goals so I of course lost. My fantasy hockey team is currently 40 games out of first place in a head-to-head league and I have yet to win a week alright and am 7 games behind the team directly in front of me... a person who doesn't even try could do just as well or better than me in that league...yet you look at my team and most say "it isn't that bad..."

And to conclude, I really am not bitter about any of this... although it may appear that I am... and O.K. maybe I will just question the laws of the universe on how this is all possible but I really don't lose any sleep over it because I am use to it... I may get 'lucky' and win a small cash game cards...which I will admit that I have done but I am not willing to admit that luck or chance had anything to do with it - not because I am arrogant or full of my self but know my 'luck factor'...but as cynical and probably illogical as it may seem, I am willing to boast that I lose because I either have no luck or bad luck...

Super Bowl XLII Pick

The Super Bowl is today and that means it is the end of another NFL season... it will take me a few weeks to get adjusted to not going out to watch football every Sunday... but for some reason my wife enjoys the end of the football season.

My original playoff picks, I did think the Patriots and Cowboys would be facing off but was hoping the Chargers could have slipped through. I don't know of anyone that had the Giants going as far as they did, being a true wild card team, but I think that just goes to show how weak the NFC really is...but also at the same time, seemingly in all sports, show what a team that gets hot at the right time can do in the playoffs and the Giants did that...but again, I have put little stock in the Giants, Packers, Cowboys or any of the NFC teams all season.

I also think that the Patriots playing in a warm climate that better suits their game and their 'slowdown' towards the end of the season was partly due to the elements, which shouldn't be a factor in today's Super Bowl. With more allegations of cheating surfacing yesterday, one would think the Pats are only going to use that as a motivator and I think this game may be similar to last years...that is, the Giants may keep it interesting in the first half but I think by the end of the third quarter this game will likely be over.

My prediction - Pats: 31 Giants: 17.

NFL Powers The Patriots Conspiracy

So I read and post about the Patriots videotaping the Rams walk through during Super Bowl 36 and was willing to brush it aside and really not think much more of it...but with it possibly adding to a Patriots' cheating theme that could tarnish their legacy...and I really thought that would be the end of it...

But, after a hard night's work I decided to peruse the news and what do I see... a fresh article stating that the NFL already knew about this and had dismissed the allegation with this statement:

"We were aware of the rumor months ago and looked into it. There was no evidence of it on the tapes or in the notes produced by the Patriots, and the Patriots told us it was not true," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told The Associated Press.

All I can say is WOW! Does the NFL think we are that dense? If the NFL would have said nothing, I think it would have been better than that statement, which I think further justifies concerns of a NFL conspiracy to let the Patriots off the hook - and for what reasons I don't know. I mean are you fucking kidding me? First off you burned all the evidence so - as we see now - we can only take your word as for what was or was not on the tapes and notes that were given to you by the Patriots. Second, how do you know the Patriots gave you everything - which, you would think cheaters wouldn't do. And finally, and most disturbing to me in that statement, is the phrase "...the Patriots told us it was not true." Well there you have it... a team caught cheating said it wasn't true so it must not be true, case closed.

I mean WHAT THE FUCK? The NFL has left so much up to speculation now and I almost hope more dirt is discovered and, as it has been proven time and time again, the cover-up is oftentimes more damaging than the initial 'crime' and I am beginning to think that this may be the case...The NFL was trying and get this 'scandal' out of the public eye but the scandal is refusing to do so. Belichek refuses to answer any questions regarding the matter because he may likely know that anything he says may come back to bite him in the ass later. This 'scandal' has a ways to go, but if it continues, it may very well overshadow Barry Bonds and the baseball steroids scandal...for a while. And if the New England dynasty is somehow proven to be dirty and the NFL as facilitators, it would instantly put the NFL on the same level as the MLB as far as credibility. As of this time the NFL, in my eyes, was seen to be so much more credible in its operation of its league, but with its already shady handling of the Patriots spying scandal - by destroying all the evidence and now with this lame statement - it has already begun to lower its credible standing.

Roger Goodell has already decided to move the NFL out of America, which I think is a bad decision from the get-go, and now is acting incredibly suspicious in his actions against the Patriots... I think his grade as NFL commissioner is continuing to drop and I am losing much respect towards him. It won't take much more for me to start asking for his dismissal.

Patriots: History Of Cheating Beginning To Develop

The NFL wanted to quickly to brush the New England Patriots' cheating scandal to the side, burn the evidence and have everyone forget about the whole matter. The cheating conspiracy has lingered all season long over New England's perfect season but there hasn't been enough uproar or further revelations to cause the media and fan's, for the most part, to really put much stock into the whole situation. My thought is that the Patriots are probably not the only team that is doing this, just the only team that has gotten caught so far. But now ESPN is reporting that the Patriots had an cameraman videotaping a Rams walkthrough prior to Super Bowl 36...obviously showing a pattern of nefarious activity for the Patriots that doesn't stop even on NFL's biggest stage, the Super Bowl.

If more and more dubious activity is reported regarding the Patriots, they will quickly fall from being one of the greatest NFL dynasty's to being one of the dirtiest, least respected teams of all-time. Although I still contend that it is probably likely that all NFL teams engage in some sort of questionable activity to gain a competitive advantage, no other team has really been caught and now that the Patriots have been caught and it seems as if they engaged in this activity for quite some time, it could really cast a shadow on their legacy.

Selling Out

As many of my regular viewers of my blog know, I am a Libertarian and am supporting Ron Paul for president. But I also am proud to announce that I am a shill and instead of going to the Ron Paul rally in my home town on Monday prior to super Tuesday, I am driving to Grand Forks to work a Hilary Clinton campaign function.

Now before people start taunting and making fun of me let's make something perfectly clear... I am only doing it for the money! As I discussed the job responsibilities with the event coordinator, the job is (seemingly) incredibly easy so I initially thought the pay would be nominal...then I asked how much the pay would be and after hearing the offer - which is almost a week's pay for me doing 1 days slack work - I didn't hesitate to sign up...

I've got some car problems that are going to cost a pretty penny and this is just what the doctor ordered... a big fat, easy paycheck...unfortunately I will be working for a person that I despise with every fiber of my being so hopefully I won't get fired before I get paid!