So, this buddy of mine in the Pacific northwest is a big fan of being outside. He's got a blog here, getoutandromp.blogspot.com and I have to give him his due, I did go out and romp through the woods in my greenspace neighborhood. OUTSTANDING walk! I'll try and get some photos posted next week after my walk, but we have quite the nice set of shoals along with a beautiful trail. I'm loving this outside thing. Also, helps that it was sunny and about 80 today instead of, well, July.
Anyway, Thanks My Friend!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
NFL Thoughts and some Political Ranting
I sat and thought and mulled and worried about what to do with my first real post. I mean, this is huge right? I mean, if this isn't good, no one will read my blog... Yeah, whatever, I don't care. I'm writing what I'd write any one day and we'll see if anyone cares. If not, oh well. Here goes.
I spend most weekends in the fall watching football or going to football games. When the DAWGS are in Athens, it's automatic. When they're on the road, I'm usually there. I even went to Tempe this year. Great trip, awesome win.
On the NFL Week 5
My first thoughts after the early games is that it's amazing to me how much the NFL is coming to resemble the NBA in the feel and flow of the games. One team can look entirely dominant early in the game and then fall flat before halftime.
Case in point, the Philadelphia Eagles today. I watched the first quarter of this game and assumed it was over. They made the Redskins look completely lost and ineffective. So, I turn my attention elsewhere. Later I notice that Philly hasn't scored and that the Skins have cut the lead to 5. OK, whatever, Skins kicked three field goals. The Eagles will add a TD and that'll be it. WRONG!!! The Skins outscore the Eagles 23 - 3 in the last three quarters and win it 23 - 17.
Meanwhile in Houston, the Texans have decided to officially commence Peyton Manning's transition into the new Dan Marino. (You know, the really great QB who never seems to have the support he needs to win. The guy who obviously has all the tools, but spends a lot of time bossing his receivers around.) Don't get me wrong, I love Dan Marino, despite his Sugar Bowl performance vs my DAWGS in the 80s. And I like Peyton too, he's a supernice guy who does and says all the right things, but lately, he's been kind of a whiner. Not cool. Anyway, the Texans are rolling in front of a home crowd that is still reeling from a killer hurricane that totally decimated their city. (Why don't we hear more about how bad Houston was hit?) Well, the Colts scored 21 in the last two-plus minutes to win it 31-27. OUCH! How does an implosion like that happen. I mean, I watched it, but the whole time I'm thinking, who did Peyton make a deal with to get this kind of luck/karma? Crazy stuff.
Two coaches and their questionable performances cuaght my attention Sunday as well. One is a guy whose reputation has ALWAYS been baffling to me. Herman Edwards enjoyed great adoration when he was with the Jets...for no reason as best I can tell. He was 49-51 in five seasons and managed two post-season wins. Yes, the playoffs are an automatic ticket-punch to a contract extension, usually. But Edwards' teams were just awful in his last two seasons and then...the Cheifs made complete idiots of themselves to steal him away from a franchise that was more than happy to let him go. Oh yeah, the Jets put up a fight and made a big stink about the Cheifs "tampering" etc, but really, when a team let's a coach go in exchange for a fourth round draft pick, how serious are they about keeping a guy? Anyway, the Cheifs got smoked by the Panthers today...34-0. 34-0? Really? I know the Panthers are pretty good, but GEEZE! They're not THAT good.
The other doofus of the day is Norv Turner with the Chargers. I love Norv. I do. What he did with Dallas in the 90s made me a really happy guy. I was a giant Cowboys fan when the triplets were running all over the field. (I still think Troy Aikman, for all the publicity and accolades, is one of the more overrated QBs in NFL history. I mean, he was clearly good, but not that good. Emmitt Smith, Michael Irivin, Jay Novacek, Darryl Johnston, and that massive O-line could make any QB feel safe and happy.) But since leaving Big D Norv has been positively mediocre. Dan Snyder assembled the NFL dream team for him in Washington and he flopped miserably. Yes, the tenure in Oakland can be excused, especially considering what we learned from Warren Sapp this week on Inside the NFL. But where does all this respect for Norv come from? Now, he's managing a Chargers team that looks positively lost despite having the league's most talented RB and one of the best young QBs in the game. Rivers can put the ball almost anywhere and LT could avoid a tackle in a phone booth. (BTW, they should start building those again. The big ones! Wouldn't it be great to sneak into one of those when your cell rings? I mean, charge me a quarter to duck in there and talk without all the noise of the street or a restaurant.) So, yeah, Norv and Herman, fooling the league. Someone give me a call when these guys do something that looks good.
Finally, I come to the Falcons. Being a life-long Georgian, the Falcons have always been a curiosity of some interest. I grew up a Cowboys fan and followed them faithfully until Jerry Jones started developing into the NFL's George Steinbrenner. Tank and Pac-Man were the last straw for me. So, while pulling for the Steelers with The Wife, I keep a curious eye on the Home Team. And I'll be dang if they didn't look good today. Nothing more impressive than watching them gather some first downs on the ground late in the game. Coach Smith has really started to change the look of the team in order to make them a more serious running threat. To go up to Lambeau and pull out that win today while Aaron Rodgers was channelling Brett Favre, great job. Serious credit to Rodgers for starting, playing pretty well, and almost pulling one out! Good game all around and big kudos to Coach Smith and the whole team. Fun to see.
On Politics...A Quick Hit
I am conservative both politically and fiscally. On a personal note, I'm pretty liberal. If what you are doing doesn't infringe on my rights or make my world a worse place to live, go for it. Now, when your drug habit kills someone because you got behind the wheel, well, let's just have a special jail cell for you.
Anyway, I'm watching the VP debate Thursday (Palin, yeah, OK, she was successful because she didn't totally freak out and wet herself or anything) and I hear Joe Biden blame the Bush administration for our current economic woes. Now, I'm not going to tell you that GW and the GOP doesn't bear some blame. Lord knows, there's enough blame to spread around all over the place on this one, but for him to assign it to GW and pretend that's the real truth makes me wonder. Do politicians really believe their own BS? I mean, does Biden really think that GW is to blame for all of this? Whether the answer is yes, or no, we've got a problem. If he DOES believe that GW is as responsible as he suggests, then he's uninformed and that bothres me. If he DOESN'T believe it, HE'S A LIAR!? So, what bothers us more? I can't decide. I mean, I personally believe that he's a liar. I think he knows that GW isn't nearly as culpable as he's suggesting, but he's doing it for political reasons. The problem with that is, millions of people are taking what he's saying at face value. They think he's telling the truth and they're going to base their voting behavior on his words.
Here's some concrete proof that Biden's blame game is weak on substance.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0DE7DB153EF933A0575AC0A96F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print
Here are a couple excerpts from the article from September of '99:
'Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, has been under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration to expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people and felt pressure from stock holders to maintain its phenomenal growth in profits.
In moving, even tentatively, into this new area of lending, Fannie Mae is taking on significantly more risk, which may not pose any difficulties during flush economic times. But the government-subsidized corporation may run into trouble in an economic downturn, prompting a government rescue similar to that of the savings and loan industry in the 1980's.
''From the perspective of many people, including me, this is another thrift industry growing up around us,'' said Peter Wallison a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. ''If they fail, the government will have to step up and bail them out the way it stepped up and bailed out the thrift industry.'''
So yeah, Joe, it's all GW's fault. Does he bear some blame, sure, but to call this thing the result of "Failed Bush Economic policies" is just a little disingeniune. Tell the whole truth, the country needs it.
I spend most weekends in the fall watching football or going to football games. When the DAWGS are in Athens, it's automatic. When they're on the road, I'm usually there. I even went to Tempe this year. Great trip, awesome win.
On the NFL Week 5
My first thoughts after the early games is that it's amazing to me how much the NFL is coming to resemble the NBA in the feel and flow of the games. One team can look entirely dominant early in the game and then fall flat before halftime.
Case in point, the Philadelphia Eagles today. I watched the first quarter of this game and assumed it was over. They made the Redskins look completely lost and ineffective. So, I turn my attention elsewhere. Later I notice that Philly hasn't scored and that the Skins have cut the lead to 5. OK, whatever, Skins kicked three field goals. The Eagles will add a TD and that'll be it. WRONG!!! The Skins outscore the Eagles 23 - 3 in the last three quarters and win it 23 - 17.
Meanwhile in Houston, the Texans have decided to officially commence Peyton Manning's transition into the new Dan Marino. (You know, the really great QB who never seems to have the support he needs to win. The guy who obviously has all the tools, but spends a lot of time bossing his receivers around.) Don't get me wrong, I love Dan Marino, despite his Sugar Bowl performance vs my DAWGS in the 80s. And I like Peyton too, he's a supernice guy who does and says all the right things, but lately, he's been kind of a whiner. Not cool. Anyway, the Texans are rolling in front of a home crowd that is still reeling from a killer hurricane that totally decimated their city. (Why don't we hear more about how bad Houston was hit?) Well, the Colts scored 21 in the last two-plus minutes to win it 31-27. OUCH! How does an implosion like that happen. I mean, I watched it, but the whole time I'm thinking, who did Peyton make a deal with to get this kind of luck/karma? Crazy stuff.
Two coaches and their questionable performances cuaght my attention Sunday as well. One is a guy whose reputation has ALWAYS been baffling to me. Herman Edwards enjoyed great adoration when he was with the Jets...for no reason as best I can tell. He was 49-51 in five seasons and managed two post-season wins. Yes, the playoffs are an automatic ticket-punch to a contract extension, usually. But Edwards' teams were just awful in his last two seasons and then...the Cheifs made complete idiots of themselves to steal him away from a franchise that was more than happy to let him go. Oh yeah, the Jets put up a fight and made a big stink about the Cheifs "tampering" etc, but really, when a team let's a coach go in exchange for a fourth round draft pick, how serious are they about keeping a guy? Anyway, the Cheifs got smoked by the Panthers today...34-0. 34-0? Really? I know the Panthers are pretty good, but GEEZE! They're not THAT good.
The other doofus of the day is Norv Turner with the Chargers. I love Norv. I do. What he did with Dallas in the 90s made me a really happy guy. I was a giant Cowboys fan when the triplets were running all over the field. (I still think Troy Aikman, for all the publicity and accolades, is one of the more overrated QBs in NFL history. I mean, he was clearly good, but not that good. Emmitt Smith, Michael Irivin, Jay Novacek, Darryl Johnston, and that massive O-line could make any QB feel safe and happy.) But since leaving Big D Norv has been positively mediocre. Dan Snyder assembled the NFL dream team for him in Washington and he flopped miserably. Yes, the tenure in Oakland can be excused, especially considering what we learned from Warren Sapp this week on Inside the NFL. But where does all this respect for Norv come from? Now, he's managing a Chargers team that looks positively lost despite having the league's most talented RB and one of the best young QBs in the game. Rivers can put the ball almost anywhere and LT could avoid a tackle in a phone booth. (BTW, they should start building those again. The big ones! Wouldn't it be great to sneak into one of those when your cell rings? I mean, charge me a quarter to duck in there and talk without all the noise of the street or a restaurant.) So, yeah, Norv and Herman, fooling the league. Someone give me a call when these guys do something that looks good.
Finally, I come to the Falcons. Being a life-long Georgian, the Falcons have always been a curiosity of some interest. I grew up a Cowboys fan and followed them faithfully until Jerry Jones started developing into the NFL's George Steinbrenner. Tank and Pac-Man were the last straw for me. So, while pulling for the Steelers with The Wife, I keep a curious eye on the Home Team. And I'll be dang if they didn't look good today. Nothing more impressive than watching them gather some first downs on the ground late in the game. Coach Smith has really started to change the look of the team in order to make them a more serious running threat. To go up to Lambeau and pull out that win today while Aaron Rodgers was channelling Brett Favre, great job. Serious credit to Rodgers for starting, playing pretty well, and almost pulling one out! Good game all around and big kudos to Coach Smith and the whole team. Fun to see.
On Politics...A Quick Hit
I am conservative both politically and fiscally. On a personal note, I'm pretty liberal. If what you are doing doesn't infringe on my rights or make my world a worse place to live, go for it. Now, when your drug habit kills someone because you got behind the wheel, well, let's just have a special jail cell for you.
Anyway, I'm watching the VP debate Thursday (Palin, yeah, OK, she was successful because she didn't totally freak out and wet herself or anything) and I hear Joe Biden blame the Bush administration for our current economic woes. Now, I'm not going to tell you that GW and the GOP doesn't bear some blame. Lord knows, there's enough blame to spread around all over the place on this one, but for him to assign it to GW and pretend that's the real truth makes me wonder. Do politicians really believe their own BS? I mean, does Biden really think that GW is to blame for all of this? Whether the answer is yes, or no, we've got a problem. If he DOES believe that GW is as responsible as he suggests, then he's uninformed and that bothres me. If he DOESN'T believe it, HE'S A LIAR!? So, what bothers us more? I can't decide. I mean, I personally believe that he's a liar. I think he knows that GW isn't nearly as culpable as he's suggesting, but he's doing it for political reasons. The problem with that is, millions of people are taking what he's saying at face value. They think he's telling the truth and they're going to base their voting behavior on his words.
Here's some concrete proof that Biden's blame game is weak on substance.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0DE7DB153EF933A0575AC0A96F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print
Here are a couple excerpts from the article from September of '99:
'Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, has been under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration to expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people and felt pressure from stock holders to maintain its phenomenal growth in profits.
In moving, even tentatively, into this new area of lending, Fannie Mae is taking on significantly more risk, which may not pose any difficulties during flush economic times. But the government-subsidized corporation may run into trouble in an economic downturn, prompting a government rescue similar to that of the savings and loan industry in the 1980's.
''From the perspective of many people, including me, this is another thrift industry growing up around us,'' said Peter Wallison a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. ''If they fail, the government will have to step up and bail them out the way it stepped up and bailed out the thrift industry.'''
So yeah, Joe, it's all GW's fault. Does he bear some blame, sure, but to call this thing the result of "Failed Bush Economic policies" is just a little disingeniune. Tell the whole truth, the country needs it.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Welcome
So, I'm new to this and don't really know what I'll be musing on first, so I'll give it a day or so in order to make sure my first post is a good one. For now, GO DAWGS!
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