Category: Life

WFU Week Two: Deja Vu All Over Again

Last week I predicted that Wake would lose at Nebraska by 10 or less. Silly me, I forgot that the game was on national TV. A nationally televised game guarantees a WFU embarrassment and that’s what we got. I suspect that at some point the networks will notice this and, but for any games mandated by the ACC TV contract, we won’t see any more Deacon football on national TV.

In a game in which Nebraska’s bad offense made Wake’s mediocre (which, by WFU standards, means “pretty good”) defense look very good for a half, Nebraska spanked the Deacs 31-3. WFU is now 0-2 for the season, with 5 top 25 teams among the 9 games that make up the rest of the season. It’s going to be tough to match last years’ 4-7 record. That’s what losing at home to Vanderbilt will do for you.

Ben Mauk, who was an amazing high school QB but was (maybe not so) curiously not recruited by the big boys, looked absolutely awful (and that’s being kind). Micah Andrews looked OK, but lightning didn’t strike twice (not another 250+ yard game). The special teams looked, well, not very special. If there’s a worse kicking team in America, I don’t know about it. As far as I can tell, we have no WRs.

Here’s my thing: Jim Grobe has been riding the benefits of taking a typically 3-8 team and turning it into a typically 5-6 team for a couple of years now. That’s a fine accomplishment, but at some point Wake needs to actually win some games. Clearly, Bill Callahan made much more effective halftime adjustments than Grobe. I’m still a Grobe fan, because I believe that if anyone can win at Wake, it’s Grobe. But itsy bitsy baby steps and moral victories are no longer enough for me. I want some tangible evidence in the only place where it matters: the won-loss column.

Playing in the ACC, you simply can’t afford to let winnable games slip away. Vanderbilt (at home, no less) was a gimme that Wake lost. Nebraska, who has an anemic offense and struggled with Division I-AA Maine last week, was winnable. Many of the remaining games are simply not winnable absent a major upset. Wake plays better when it has no chance, so expect some close losses (as long as the Deacs are not on national TV).

Some folks will rightly call for Cory Randolph at QB after Mauk’s performance. I can understand that (believe me I can), but Grobe should either stick with Mauk or, if there is a younger QB with potential, maybe give him a shot. This year is over bowl-wise, and Randlolph is a senior. We need to give next year’s QB experience this year. There’s always next year. It’s just that with the Deacs, next year will probably look a lot like this year.

Come join the post-game party on the WFU message board at ACCBoards.Com.

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Friday's Link: Birthday Scams

One of the funniest things on the radio is the birthday scams that Dean & Rog do on 93.7 FM in Houston. At times, I have laughed so hard I had to pull over to keep from wrecking my truck.

Some of them are available online. Every one of these is hilarious.

Start with “Where’s Your Payment,” “Claude’s Dog” and “Cementing Frustration.” Funny stuff.

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A Joke I Saw

At John Dvorak’s blog. It’s that interesting combination of funny and sad, which is the recipe for a good politics joke. I especially like number 5. I don’t find number 10 to be all that clever.

How many members of the Bush Administration are needed to change a light bulb?

Answer: Ten

1. One to deny that a light bulb needs to be changed,

2. One to attack the patriotism of anyone who says the light bulb needs to be changed,

3. One to blame Clinton for burning out the light bulb,

4. One to tell the nations of the world that they are either for changing the light bulb or for eternal darkness,

5. One to give a billion dollar no-bid contract to Halliburton for the new light bulb,

6. One to arrange a photograph of Bush, dressed as a janitor, standing on a step ladder under the banner “Bulb Accomplished,”

7. One administration insider to resign and in detail reveal how Bush was literally “in the dark” the whole time,

8. One to viciously smear #7,

9. One surrogate to campaign on TV and at rallies on how George Bush has had a strong light-bulb-changing policy all along,

10. And finally, one to confuse Americans about the difference between screwing a light bulb and screwing the country.

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Fantasy Football Draft

mrMy fantasy football league soundly rejected my plan to save the league, so we held our draft last night. Our league rules make Doc Searls’ blog seem like a Dick and Jane book, but here’s what little I have been able to gather about the complex rules and their effect on the teams:

1) It is a hybrid keeper/auction league. Each team has 100 points to spend. You can keep 2 players from the prior year roster at a slightly increased salary and you can claim match rights on 3 others.

2) The 2 expansion teams, led by Alchris Lallodavis, negotiated entry rules that make it virtually impossible for those 2 teams not to become instant dynasties. Goober, the other new owner, managed to defeat the odds and end up with a bad team.

3) Andy had to run to the restroom and regroup in the middle of the draft for the 2nd year, out of 3 total. Emmett, who quit last week, showed up for the draft and managed to put together a good team. He’ll lose by 50 to Alchris Lallodavis, but he’ll be better than everyone else. I don’t think his new employer has a fantasy football team, so it may be hard for him to Kip-out.

Anyway, my draft didn’t go well. I think this is because I had a bad plan to begin with and then executed it poorly. My plan had something to do with saving points until the middle rounds of the draft, by which time everyone else would be down to their last few points and I could buy a bunch of pretty good players for 8-15 points each (top players go for 30-35 points). The other owners did spend a lot of money early. The problem is that they bought all the good players so I had to buy pretty bad players instead of pretty good players for my 8-15 points.

Somehow I ended up with Tiki Barber as my marquee player, Kevin Jones as my other RB and 3, count ’em 3, Detroit Lions as my receivers. Sure wish I’d known who Mike Williams played for when I drafted him in the rookie draft (after the expansion teams drafted all the blue chip rookies). I also forgot to draft a kicker, which almost always goes for 1 point, so I had to drop a player I paid 5 for to add a kicker from the free agent pool.

Here are my predictions for the league:

North Division:

Hawkeyes- decent starters; thin bench; way overpaid for Manning; too heavy in Colts; will probably finish 2nd in the division behind Brilligs.

Longhorns- betting it all on Priest Holmes; lots of injury concerns; not a threat this year.

Brilligs- this is Emmett’s team discussed above. Very, very strong with McNabb, Jamal Lewis, TO, and Javon Walker; Will meet and lose big to Alchris Lallodavis’s NYSE in the championship game.

Capacitators- Floyd rode LT and Shaun Alexander to the championship last year and paid lots for them this year; one of those guys will get banged up this year and the thin bench will hurt; will still fight the Hawkeyes for 2nd in the division.

Young guns- not a good team, considering the way the draft was stacked in favor of the expansion teams. Goober was in Vegas and let Alchris Lallodavis draft for him by proxy; hope he won some cash in Vegas because he’s going to lose some in this league.

South Division:

Buckeyes- good, balanced team; good, cheap young RBs (Johnson and Brown) for next year; will face and lose to NYSE in the playoffs.

Wolverines- when I need to feel less bad about my team, I look at this roster; Vick and Harrison can’t do it by themselves; not a threat this year.

Whackjobs- good depth, but depth only works if there are lots of injuries; will battle the Buckeyes for the chance to lose by 40 to NYSE in the playoffs.

Ramblers- as discussed above, I had a bad night at the draftsky; no playoffs for the Ramblers this year.

NYSE- how can Trent Green, McGahee, Curtis Martin, Ahman Green, Torry Holt, Alge Crumpler, the Colts defense and coach and the highest rated rookie be on the same team in a 10 team league? Enough said; NYSE wins this year and next, easily.

It’s going to be a long year for the Ramblers, but I’ve got some decent players at low salaries so maybe next year….

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Flickr Poster Received

I received my first of many Flickr posters in the mail today. The quality of both the images and the paper is excellent. Each of the pitcures is crystal clear and the poster paper is thick and glossy.

One small caveat: some of the photos have to be cropped in order to be inserted in the poster. The ordering page informs you of this and allows you to preview the poster to make sure the photos meet your approval. I didn’t preview mine so a few of my photos (4-5 out of 135) have heads cropped off. Even so, the poster looks very cool, and I highly recommend this service.

I expect to order 4-5 posters a year and at least one photo book a year.

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3 Things I Remember About: 1965

I’m going to start an occasional series of the most significant things I remember from each year. It may take me a long time to get from the earliest years I can remember until today, but I’ll give it a shot. I would love it if others would add their lists via the comments or a trackback.

I was born in 1960. I have a few scattered memories from pre-1965, but 1965 is the first year that my memories can be definitively associated with a year, so here goes:

(1) I went to kindergarten at The Little Red Schoolhouse. Someone went potty in one of the play structures on the playground. I believe it was in the Shoe (as in the old lady who lived in a shoe), but it may have been in the Daniel Boone Hut. It was a huge scandal. It wasn’t me and I don’t think I ever knew who it was. Nor do I know if the teachers ever discovered the culprit.

C65-741251

(2) I had perhaps my best Christmas as a youngster ever that year. I got a racetrack, a little round pool-table game and this neat golf game, which my dad and his friends played a lot.

(3) I remember regularly watching two TV shows with my dad. The first is The Honeymooners, which must have been in reruns, since it only aired as a separate show during the 1955-56 season. The second, and my favorite, was Combat. We watched Combat together for years. In fact, reruns are still shown on the Encore Action channel on DirecTV, and I still watch it once in a while.

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Happy Labor Day

Into the Pool-765248
Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September in the United States since the 1880s. The origins of the American Labor Day can be traced back to the Knights of Labor in the United States and a parade organized by that group and held on September 5, 1882 in New York City.

The US Department of Labor’s web site has this to say about Labor Day:

“Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”

Today, Labor Day is generally regarded as a day for picnics, barbecues, water activities and other family activities.

The Veldmans, LeFevers, Clarks and Carlsons came over today for a cookout. The kids swam and played in the new yard. We had hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner. It was big fun and we are blessed to have such a good group of friends.

Great Flickr News

Flickr and its publishing partner, QOOP have unveiled Flickr’s new book printing service. This wonderful and affordable service allows you to order glossy, laminated photo books and posters made up of your favorite photos from your Flickr account. I’ve already ordered a poster of my Summer 2005 photos and plan to order at least one book a year, and probably more.

The prices are $9.99 for a 13.5 by 19 inch poster (with many pictures in rows- it looks very cool) and books start at $9.99.

The possibilities of this service are endless. Not only can you order professional looking books and posters of your own photos, but just imagine the fund raising possibilities for schools, etc. If my kids’ teachers took one picture of classroom activites every day during the school year, I’d pay 3 or 4 (or 10) times what it would cost the school to have these books printed. Other parents would too. Think about all of the old family photos we all have stuffed into boxes somewhere. A nice book of the best ones would make a super holiday gift.

My friends all say that Flickr is great, but complain that you can’t order prints from your Flickr account (you can’t order covered wagons from a Toyota dealer either). Now you can order an entire book of photos, which is much better, not to mention easier, than ordering and organizing a bunch of prints. Luddites fear not, however, because Flickr representatives have stated on the record that they are looking into print ordering as a future option.

Google changed the internet search world for the better. Now Flickr is changing the photography world for the better. I can’t wait for my poster to get here!

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George Gets a Letter

One of the main reasons I am firmly apolitical is because I believe that Democrats and Republicans put promoting their respective platforms far above logic and doing their job. In all aspects of life I discount completely the opinion of anyone who cannot or will not see the other side of an argument. Because if they can’t it’s because they are regurgitating what someone has spoon fed them, not because they reached a conclusion on their own.

I have the same problem with a lot of the media, including Michael Moore. While I think he is a smart guy, he loses me by completely discounting the opposing view. I have the same problem with Rush Limbaugh and that crowd.

Having said all of this, I have enjoyed every one of Michael Moore’s movies. Not because he is going to change my mind or make me vote for that idiot Bob Kerry, but because they make me think. My current irritation with the media’s handling of the Hurricane Katrina aftermath is directly a result of something I concluded after watching Fahrenheit 9/11- American media is creating a culture of fear in the way it presents the news. Be scared; don’t trust; be afraid; they’re coming to get you, etc.

The downward spiral of my opinion of George W. Bush has been accelerated by his weak and very non-presidential actions since the hurricane. While I think it is ridiculous to blame the federal government for not stopping this damage that could not have been stopped, I do find fault with the almost lackadaisical response to the devastation.

So today, Michael Moore writes an open letter to Mr. Bush. Yes, it’s a little over the top, but I agree with a lot of it. Especially this passage:

“On Day 3, when you finally left your vacation home, I have to say I was moved by how you had your Air Force One pilot descend from the clouds as you flew over New Orleans so you could catch a quick look of the disaster. Hey, I know you couldn’t stop and grab a bullhorn and stand on some rubble and act like a commander in chief. Been there done that.”

I would vote for Daffy Duck before I would vote for Kerry, and the fact that Kerry was front and center then and Hillary Clinton will be front and center soon shows how shallow the Democrats’ pool of options has become. But at this point, I’d vote for Daffy over the whole crew.

I am now consistently irritated by George W. Bush. At this point, almost every word that comes out of his mouth pisses me off. I don’t think I’m alone. The approval polls over the next few weeks should be interesting.

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