Tiger not out of the Woods

I love blogging. Well, not really. But it is a nice tool for archiving stuff. Like stupid predictions.

Hey! Here's a stupid prediction! At some point in the next month, Tiger Woods will "admit" to have a sex addiction of some kind, and go into "treatment" (or therapy) for it. Why? Because he needs an "out" of this mess, publicly. Ok, perhaps he actually has one. If he does, then I hope he gets better.

But for the sake of higher quality blog-like crap like this, we're going to assume he doesn't *really* have such an addiction.

He comes out, announces this, goes into some treatment center in Malibu for a few weeks or a month, then a couple weeks later goes on Oprah and tells "his side", admits all of this and asks for the forgiveness of everyone. Oprah, ever so appreciate of the record ratings and the exclusive, takes his side and paints him in the best possible light.

It may not go down that way, but if I was Tiger that's what I would do and that's how I would paint this. We'll see over the next 3 months. But you heard it here first.

Bad news for the Redskins

(note: Facebookies, these Notes copy over from my blog, http://wellformedthoughts.blogspot.com/)

Back on September 8 I wrote the following:


Maryland Terrapins - 5-7 (yes, I know they already got killed by Cal)
Washington Redskins - 6-10

Opinion: If Maryland goes 5-7, as I think, Ralph Freidgen should resign. You need to recruit better OL/DL/LB types, Ralph. Peer E Uhd. Speculation: Last year for Jason Campbell in a Redskins uniform. Last year for Jim Zorn as head coach. Albert Haynesworth will remind people more of Dana Stubblefield than of Reggie White, and he'll miss at least 3 games. And hopefully, if they hire a Bill Cowher / Mike Shannahan / Jon Gruden type to come in, it means bye-bye for Vinny Cerrato. I'll help you pack your office, Vinny.


Ok, so I was actually optimistic on both, even though at the time I was in the very low end of most opinions. And the opinions and speculations, I stand by those.

Maryland Football, it's a mess, and frankly, they are now being cost-conscious which means they won't be good for a while. Like 10 years.

But the Redskins. Oi. People, it's NOT going to get better. Why? I read in an article where Dan Snyder and Vinny Cerrato recently both took a trip to scout Colt McCoy, QB at Texas and Heisman hopeful.

And that's it in a nutshell.

Problem A. NFL owners are NOT qualified to scout college players. I don't care how smart you are, or how much money you make, or how successful you are in business. Dan Snyder has no business evaluating college talent. If he's got that much free time, come wash my car. Remember last year when Snyder was in love with Mark Sanchez (of USC, who went to the Jets), Jake Cutler, and who knows how many else QBs? Clearly, Snyder has a thing for "big name" QBs.

Problem B. If Snyder is jet-setting around the country with Vinny, he's not getting rid of Vinny any time soon. So, if you accept A and B as true, as I do, you come to the conclusion it will be business as usual next year for the Redskins. More losing, more mediocrity.

At this point, I can't imagine there are ANY big name coaches (established difference makers) who will work in this scenario.

There has been exactly ONE coach who has finished his tenure with the Snyder-owned Redskins at .500 (no coach in the Snyder era has compiled a winning record) - Marty Schottenheimer. Read this article (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2009/12/schottenheimer_on_cerrato.html?wprss=dcsportsbog) and you'll see things more clearly.

Prediction? Way too early, but right now, Zorn gets fired, Vinny stays, no established coach wants to come here and the Redskins reach on some young college guy or NFL assistant. Just like they did with Jim Zorn. Then they draft a big name college QB (McCoy, or Sam Bradford, or Jimmy Clausen), a WR, and a RB. They won't address the OL, DE, or LB issues significantly. And they'll go 4-12 or 6-10 next year.

Jason Reid of the Washington Post put it perfectly - "Dan Snyder could go out and hire a big name coach/GM to handle all the football operations, win 4 of the next 5 Super Bowls, and he would be miserable because he didn't do it himself."

Darker days lay ahead, Redskins fans. Darker than we've seen and darker than you can imagine.

Flame On!

I'm tired. Really.

I'm not just sleepy tired, although I am sleepy tired. Specifically, I'm tired of people. Not just all people, but certain people. Maybe I'm just annoyed, more than tired. But I digress.

I'm tired of people who think that because they belong to some sort of group, or hold some sort of ideology, or have certain physical traits, that they are better than someone / everyone else, or people who are outside of whatever category "empowers" them to think they are superior.

Just because you are (insert your chosen faith here) doesn't make you ANY better than someone who isn't (insert your chosen faith here).

Just because you are (insert your chosen political party here) doesn't make you ANY better than someone who isn't (insert your chosen political party here).

I'm tired of "in shape" people who think they are better than "fat" people.

I'm tired of people of ANY race who think they are better than any other race.

The list goes on, and on, and on....

I believe the problems with our society, our country, and our world, largely stem from people who think that because they are (whatever) they are better than people who aren't (whatever). I think if YOU are one of those people, I think YOU are the problem. And I mean this in complete sincerity - If you ARE one of those people, I don't want to know you, anymore, ever again. Period. Delete my email address. Erase my phone numbers. Unfriend me from Facebook. Take me off your Christmas card list. Consider me dead and forget I ever existed.

See, I prefer to think that being part of a group, either by choice or by heritage, is nothing more or less than that. You're a part of a group. The value of a person, the worth and quality of that person, are defined by the actions we take in life. The way we treat other people. How we chose to interact with the world.

Don't get me wrong - I don't devalue ANY of these groups, beliefs, or people. I have no problem if someone wants to be a Catholic, a Muslim, a Pagan, a Boy Scout, a Soldier, Straight or Gay, a Democrat or a Republican, it's doesn't matter. Heck, you can even be ignorant for all I care, it's up to you. Being something is a good thing, it can give you a sense of of belonging and community, a feeling of accomplishment.

BEING something isn't wrong. Thinking it makes you better than me by simply being it, yeah, I'm done with that, and I'm done with those people. And I won't miss you.

This world has become so polarized it's not funny, and that's a bad thing. I truly believe the "American Way" is two things: One, a system of government where the people are ultimately responsible, and Two, the freedom to be ANYTHING you want WITHOUT someone judging you for being that thing (ok, disclaimer here - anything legal. Yeah, if you're an Axe Murderer or a Kid Toucher, you're going to get judged, rightly so. I'm more on an ideological rant than a literal rant).

I'm not asking for everyone to hold hands and sing Kumbayah. I think disagreement is fine, and in fact I think it's necessary. But you know what else is fine? Civility. Modesty. Live and let live.

Actions, people. What we DO matters most.

Besides, everyone knows smart people, like myself, are better than everyone else, anyway. ;-)

The Chicken or the Egg?

I once asked my friend Steve what was more important to him, the freedoms granted in the Constitution, or the process defined in the Constitution for the people to perform self-governance? Don't worry, I had to explain my question to Steve as well :-D

Basically, it works out to be, what's more important - the specific freedoms we presently enjoy, or, the freedom of process to decide what rights we have as a society. For example, presently we have things like the freedom to bear arms, free speech, protections against searches and seizure, etc. as amendments to the Constitution. But what if those amendments changed in a legal and valid fashion?

The Constitution defines the process for amending itself (you can't repeal an amendment if you want to remove it, you have to pass an amendment nullifying a different amendment) that requires Congressional approval followed by 3/4 of the states ratifying that amendment via a Constitutional Convention. Sound complicated? It's supposed to be.

So why do I bring this up? I was recently made aware of a group called "Oath Keepers" that got me thinking about this again. Intrigued, I spent an hour or so reading their website. It's quite the noble organization, but I found some discrepancies I simply couldn't just dismiss. Their mission statement reads as follows:

"Oath Keepers is a non-partisan association of currently serving military, reserves, National Guard, veterans, Peace Officers, and Fire Fighters who will fulfill the Oath we swore, with the support of like minded citizens who take an Oath to stand with us, to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, so help us God. Our Oath is to the Constitution."

I'm good with that, makes sense as I see it. But once I kept reading, I discovered their Declarations, which begins as such:

"Recognizing that we each swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and affirming that we are guardians of the Republic, of the principles in our Declaration of Independence, and of the rights of our people, we affirm and declare the following:"

and then it goes on to list the 10 orders they will not follow, the first of which reads "1. We will NOT obey orders to disarm the American people.".

Hmmmmm.

So here's the problem. Simply put, you cannot decide which amendments to the Constitution are "right" and which are "less important" when you promise to defend the Constitution. For example, WHAT IF the American people decide they no longer want to guarantee the right to bear arms, and ratify a valid, legal amendment to Constitution that removes the Second Amendment?

What now? Defend the Constitution, or defend the specific amendment? Chicken, or Egg?

Anyone who knows me knows I would say the Constitution is the more important thing. I like the way it is presently structured and support the freedoms in grants. But I support the document, the process of the people to self govern, above those amendments. I think a lot of people get caught up in the specifics of the amendments as the driving doctrine, and often miss a lot of the big picture.

All that said, if you can get 38 states to agree on ANYTHING, it's probably a no-brainer.

And what did Steve answer? He thought about it for a few weeks, and he decided the process was the thing as well, but, he also said he thought that some of the freedoms should be untouchable as well. Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz In other words, he couldn't really decide.

Chicken, or Egg?

A lesson in being unpopular

Today is September 11, 2009. It marks the 8th Anniversary of the terrorist attacks involving 4 commercial airliners against the United States of America. For the majority of Americans, and maybe even the world, it's the day that has defined and shaped much of the 21st Century.

I say majority of Americans, but not all. Because it wasn't that kind of day for me.

Before I start on this let me say this: I love my country. I consider myself to be an upstanding citizen, and I think we here in the U.S. have figured out a pretty good system of government. I am in no-way "anti-American" and believe in the Constitution of the United States. I believe the society that has arisen from this document is special and unique and worth preserving.

9/11 simply doesn't have the impact for me that has for most people. On 9/11 I remember logging into my AOL account and seeing a news report that a plane had hit the World Trade Center and assumed it was some knucklehead from Yonkers in his twin-engine Cessna who couldn't figure out how to steer his plane. Just before leaving for work I decided to check out the news, and for the next two hours I watched the second tower get hit, heard the reports of the Pentagon being hit, and saw the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. And then I called my mom, who was at Johns Hopkins in the final days of her battle with Pancreatic cancer, a battle we knew she was rapidly losing, a battle she would ultimately lose 10 days later.

A lot of things happened over the next few days, but the circumstances of that time will always be overshadowed, for me, by the loss of my mom. We talked about 9/11 a couple of times, and she was worried about the world she was leaving us to look after. I told her I thought everything would be ok, we'd figure out who did this and where they were, and remove them from existence. I still hope I'm right about that. I truly did believe that at the time, that we would deal with this, figure out who did it and systematically remove then from the face of the earth. I think the saddest part of the whole thing is that eight years later we're still in Afghanistan chasing around the knuckleheads behind all this.

I understand why it affected so many people, why it was such an important event. Historical significance is not lost on me, it's the emotional attachment to the event that I guess is different for me than it is for a lot of people. I've never been a person to just accept what I was told and pretty much question everything. A complete cynic in many ways. And I've always felt the very best thing we can do to defeat the actions of 9/11 was to return to "life as normal", rebuild the buildings as they were, and go about our lives in a way that says "you can attack us, but you can't hurt us, you can't change us".

Was 9/11 a tragedy? Of course. Does it deserve a National holiday? Absolutely not. Memorials, Remembrances, of course, but not a National holiday. For me, it wasn't even the worst day of that week.

I realize this isn't my best blog post ever, so thanks for bearing with me.

2009 Football Predictions

(note: Facebookies, these Notes copy over from my blog, http://wellformedthoughts.blogspot.com/)

It's September 8, and I want to put these out for the record:

Maryland Terrapins - 5-7 (yes, I know they already got killed by Cal)
Washington Redskins - 6-10

Opinion: If Maryland goes 5-7, as I think, Ralph Freidgen should resign. You need to recruit better OL/DL/LB types, Ralph. Peer E Uhd.

Speculation: Last year for Jason Campbell in a Redskins uniform. Last year for Jim Zorn as head coach. Albert Haynesworth will remind people more of Dana Stubblefield than of Reggie White, and he'll miss at least 3 games. And hopefully, if they hire a Bill Cowher / Mike Shannahan / Jon Gruden type to come in, it means bye-bye for Vinny Cerrato. I'll help you pack your office, Vinny.

I'm down on both teams. Why? With both, it's the obvious lack of physical talent in the right areas. The Redskins will be more competitive because their defense has a chance to be quite good. I hope I'm wrong, but this is how I see it.

A Big Problem

I was 21 years old in 1988 when the movie "Big" came out, and I remember going to see the movie with my friends Tim and Frank. For those of you who might be cinematically impaired, "Big" is a story about a boy who makes a wish and wakes up the next day as an adult, and follows his adventures over the span of a few months as he learns to be an adult all while trying to become a kid again. At the end of the movie, Tom Hank's character (Josh Baskin) goes back to being a kid and all is well.

When the movie was done, we began discussing how each of us would have handled that scenario. Back then, Tim was 22, and Frank was probably 35 or so. I steadfastly argued that Josh made a huge mistake going back, and should have continued his life as an adult. Sure, he went from being 11 to probably 30, but, in his short time as an adult he landed a great job (toy company executive), an awesome loft apartment, and a legitimate relationship with one of the most elegant and beautiful women I've ever seen (Elizabeth Perkins) in my entire life (even still to this day).

Frank was adamant that you had to go back to being a kid, and Tim agreed with Frank. Now, over the course of the last 21 years, I've forgotten why Tim took that position, but Frank took his stance based on the idea you could still have all those things later in life. I argued that was crazy, and that Josh had basically won the life lottery and might never get those things back.

And here I sit, 21 years later, at the age of 42, having just watched the middle portions of "Big" on cable, and it started me thinking about that discussion. And while I still think did win the life lottery, I have to admit I'm reconsidering my viewpoint. Perhaps it's my age, the extra life experience, perhaps it's just a mid-life crisis, but I'm starting to think Josh made the right decision in going back to being a kid, even if that meant giving up Elizabeth Perkins. Now, was Josh stupid for not liquidating all his assets and placing them in an offshore account before he went back so he'd be able to keep all that he earned? Maybe ;-)

What I'm really curious to know is, how would you handle that scenario? Would you stay as an adult or go back?

The Warp Core Breach

• 4.5 oz Bacardi Superior (or any white, clear, cheap rum out there)
• 3 oz Bacardi Limon (or any lemon rum you can find)
• 1.5 oz Bacardi Select (Meyers Dark rum also works, or whatever dark rum your store has)
• 1.5 oz Bacardi Spice (Captain Morgans also works, but any spice rum will do)
• 1.5 oz Dekuyper Lucious Raspberry Rush (formerly known as Razzmatazz, this is the most important part, other Raspberry liquers don’t seem to work)
• .75 oz Bacardi 151 (any 151 proof rum will do, since they all seem to taste like gasoline by themselves)
• 30 oz (1.5 bottles) Sobe Power (finding Aceorla/passion berry juice is too hard to find so just use Sobe Power, besides, the caffeine in the Sobe Power ads an extra kick to the drink)

Mix the alcohol, pour into a bowl, add the 30 oz of Sobe Power and food-grade dry ice and there you have it, the Warp Core Breach.

Jon Plus 8 - Beat it, Kate

So the world watched with great anticipation as "Jon and Kate plus 8" premiered their new season last night on TLC. I haven't seen the new episode yet but man, am I tired of these two. For the unwashed, it's a reality/documentary about a family comprised of a husband, wife, a set of twins and a set of sextuplets.

I won't go into the tabloid stories, the rumors, etc., but I am left with one overall thought on the show: this woman, "Kate", would drive me insane. She's the perfect combination of martyr and shrew. Jon just seems like a guy who wants to be a dad and take care of his kids, and he seems completely beat down by this attention-loving wench.

Let me be clear about this: the only people I feel remotely bad for are the kids. Their chances of having normal lives have plummeted to somewhere just north of zero.

So I'll settle the issue for everyone. I'll grant the two an instant divorce and give the kids to Jon, not because I'm a father myself or because I'm a man, but I think he presents the only chance these kids have of experiencing something approaching a normal childhood. Kate gets custody of the TV show, the book deal, and the impending made-for-Lifetime movie. Oh, and she is legally barred from that awful reverse-mullet haircut she wears.

Honestly, someone needs to just slap these two around, lock them in a room and not let either of them out until it's all resolved or one of them dies of "natural causes". I've wondered if all this crap hasn't been manufactured to promote the show, maybe it has. I hope it has.

Redskins ruminations

The QB for the Redskins, Jason Campbell, is in a contract year. And the Redskins tried REALLY hard to replace him before the draft.

So, you're reading it here first.

The starting QB for your 2010 Washington Redskins: Michael Vick.

He'd be inexpensive. He's a glamour name. He'd sell a boatload of jerseys. He doesn't need an offensive line (and he won't have one). And he'll go 7-9 or 9-7. It's a perfect fit.

Remember, I called it.

How bad are the Nats?

How bad are the Washington Nationals this season? Bad. Really Bad.

This is a scene of the Phillies dugout before the played Washington in the Nats' home opener yesterday, a game in which the Phillies won 9-8. And apparently, they did while they were high. Ryan Howard, Phillies first baseman and the National League 2006 Most Valuable Player, is seen here doing the "puff puff pass" drill from spring training. Jayson Werth was quoted as saying "Dude, don't bogart the J".

After their win, the Phillies celebrated with nacho cheese Doritos and all the Pringles they could find in Southeast D.C., then went over to Five Guys and shut the place down.

The Nats fall to 0-7 for 2009. How bad are they? They lost 102 games last year. They'll probably lose 95-100 this year and I will not be surprised if they lost MORE than 102. It's one of the the worst major league pitching staffs I've ever seen, bar none. Defensively, they are mediocre at best. Ryan Zimmerman, the annointed "star" of the team, has shown nothing more average major league talent in his 4+ seasons and appears to be regressing defensively.

I love the Nats, they're my team and I'll go to more games if they lose than win (because there will be less crowds and traffic) but really, let's just just completely tank the next two seasons and get some good draft picks to rebuild the farm system. And if you someone could even possibly be traded for prospects, trade them.

I'm starting to hate CNN

Why? Because they're producing less and less news for the sake of entertainment. And because of these stupid "iReports", where people submit their own "news". The latest?

"Earth Hour - People around the world are switching off their lights during Earth Hour 2009 on March 28. The movement hopes to draw attention to global warming. Could you spend an hour without electricity? What would you do during that time? Tell us how you plan to spend Earth Hour. Your video could be featured on CNN."

If you want to draw attention to Global Warming, say "Hey, I think this Global Warming this is a problem" or put a thermometer up somewhere. Honestly, please, someone tell me what time "Earth Hour" is supposed to happen. I will turn on every light I own, including my Christmas lights. If it has a cord and switch it'll be on in my house.

Even more annoying is CNN pandering to this crap. Just stop already.

Do I think Global Warming is real? Yes. Do I think it's a problem? Yes. But really, this scores a 10 on the "don't people have anything better to do?" scale.

Dora the, um.... Tweenager who explores... Part Two

So, Mattel and Nickelodeon heard all the negative furor about the new "Dora the Explorer" being released this fall. And decided to release the new look now.

It's not too bad. I still don't think you mess with established icons, but she's not as "bratty" as I envisioned initially. I think all the inappropriate jokes about her (and more so about Diego) are still valid, but I have to give credit to Mattel and Nick for getting out in front of this one, so to speak. I felt since I blasted her when they initially announced this I should do this follow up entry.

Random kids show thought: I saw part of a newer episode of the Wiggles the other day, and they were doing a early Beatles spoof, and it was really well done - I actually LOL'ed at it. I'm really glad my son never got into the Wiggles, I probably would have had a lobotomy by now.

The Redskins

Disclosure: I'm a Redskins fan. I love the team, always have and probably always will. But I hate the owner and I hate the way the team in run and managed.

So, in the last 2 weeks, the Redskins spent $180 million on the total contract values for THREE players. And I am convinced this was not done to improve the quality of the team. I am convinced this was done to make the club more marketable, more valuable, and to make more money for ownership.

$180 million for three players. Did I mentioned the Redskins layed off 40-plus people in "cost cutting" moves?

The headliner, Albert Haynesworth, is arguably the best defensive linemen in football. He's also just been indicted because of a car accident where the other drive is paralyzed due to his careless driving. The second signing, DeAngelo Hall, is a very good cornerback, who was deemed a malcontent in Atlanta and Oakland. Excuse me? How messed up do you have to be to be judged a malcontent with the Raiders?

Simply put, the Redskins are looking to sell jerseys, and have a team of headliners, not win football games. The sad part is, most people know this, most people see this, but the Redskins don't seem to care. After all, business is business.

Dora the, um.... Tweenager who explores... I think

I read this today.

Apparently, "Dora the Explorer" is getting updated. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I have a 5-year old son, so I've seen the show. A lot. But now, Dora will be like, I dunno, 12 or 13 or so. Which opens up a whole new set of scenarios, like "Dora has her first beer" or "Dora goes to Puberty Mountain".

I don't know. I don't think you mess with iconic figures so easily. If Dora no longer appeals to kids, let it go and come up with something else. Dora's cousin, Diego, will probably get the same treatment I suspect. Although I look for him to be fighting terrorists or playing professional sports instead of rescuing animals.

It's back!!!!!!!!!

It's back! It's back! It's back! It's back! It's back! It's back! It's back! It's back! It's back! It's back!

What, you ask?


The Star Trek Experience !!!!!!!!


Yes, I know. It won't be the same. Ok, I accept that. But still, I honestly haven't been this jazzed in a long time.

Added: WOW!!!!!

If you build it ...

According to this article, the last hurdle to bring the Metro out to Dulles and beyond has been cleared. And according to the website for the project, the end of the Phase 1 project will put a station less than 2 miles from my house sometime in the year 2013.

My property value should return to skyrocketing any minute now.

The funniest thing I have EVER seen

Watch Prank War 7: The Half Million Dollar Shot on CollegeHumor

I love the Internet

Hiya, Chuck

So much for becoming the Governor of Alabama....

Time flies ...

I watched the final episode of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" last week, and all of the sudden I felt really old.

I remember - vividly - when Dave Letterman was the host of "Late Night". I remember Conan being introduced on "The Tonight Show" by Jay Leno as being the next host of "Late Night", and I remember watching Conan and thinking "this guy is pretty damn funny". And now Conan just finished up 16 years hosting that show.

16 years.

I guess if you're a glacier, 16 years isn't all that long. But I remember when *Letterman* started on that show - hell, I remember when Letterman had a daytime show (that bombed miserably). So to me, 16 years is a sizable chunk of time, but in retrospect it seems like not very long ago.

Conan is taking over for Leno, and other than being up against Letterman I hope Conan makes Leno looks like the unfunny dope he's always been. I had 5 or 6 "laugh out loud" moments watching Conan last week and if he brings that kind of creativity to 11:35, we're all in for a treat.

Up next ...

Over a year ago I predicted on our podcast that the economy was going to be one the biggest issues in the 2008 Presidential Election. I also said that the economy was going to get really bad, and sadly it has.

I'm not going to argue the merits or failings of the most recent stimulus package. I'm simply going to point out what I think are the two key indicators to keep your eyes on for the time being.

Unemployment and Inflation.

Unemployment is the bigger of the two. At last look, it was around 7.3%. If this number gets up around 9% or higher, this downturn can easily become a depression and things could get really bad. As long as it stays below 8%, I think America can ride out this "downturn". Unemployment is key because if people are working, people are spending money. Our economy is based on money changing hands - consumer to business, business to business, lender to consumer, etc. and as long as that process continues in sufficient quantities, things won't get too bad. No other economic indicator is more telling of the health of our economy that unemployment.

Inflation is a tougher nut. Since a lot of organizations are freezing wages, rapid inflation devalues the currency we earn. The higher the rate of inflation, the faster it becomes devalued, and devalued currency has a similar effect to high unemployment. That's why the government prime lending rates are almost non-existent, to keep inflation down and keep the currency moving.

Food for thought, no more, no less.

Maryland Basketball

I watched the Maryland / Clemson game tonight. I wish I hadn't, but it's probably a good thing that I did.

There was a series of three articles in the Washington Post last week about the decline of Maryland Basketball. A lot of fans called it a hatchet job, Gary-hating, etc.. After part one, I thought Gary Williams should be fired. After parts two and three, I pretty much felt that if you want to compete in big time College Basketball you have to get a little dirty and Gary won't do that. I thought Gary should be commended on sticking to his principles and not dealing with the shady side of the recruiting.

And then I watched the Maryland / Clemson game tonight.

The first half was competitive, even close. A hard fought half on both sides. And then in the second half, Clemson just basically said "F You" and did everything they wanted, ended up scoring 59 points (59?!?!?) in the second half to win by 29. And it just became so obvious to me.

Gary Williams is an excellent coach. He gave his team a chance to compete, a chance to steal a game. Maryland played hard, played smart. But my god, if this is the best basketball talent / athletes he can get, 30- and 40-point losses are going to become the norm, and quickly. The Maryland kids literally didn't belong on the same floor as the Clemson kids. Clemson was bigger, faster, more athletic, and better basketball players. There is not one player from Maryland who will play in the NBA, or even get a sniff. There is not one player who would start on MOST of the other 11 teams in the ACC. Grevious Vasquez, arguably Maryland's best player, is a mediocre (average) college player who plays with a lot of intensity. I felt so bad for the kids, and frankly you could see it on their faces - they just didn't belong out there.

Gary, thank you for the National Championship in 2002. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication, but I think the ability to recruit and evaluate talent is just as important in college sports as is X's and O's, and this is just not an area where Gary's style and system works anymore. Please Gary, retire gracefully and play golf 6 times a week, enjoy your grandkids and live a good life, but don't make them fire you, because that's coming and frankly, maybe it's needed.

Maryland plays Duke, North Carolina, Wake Forest, N.C. State and Virginia to finish the season. I will be shocked if Duke, UNC, and Wake don't win by a combined 80 points. Maryland has no chance at the NCAA tournament and frankly won't fare well in the NIT either. But not because they didn't try, or play hard. It's just not there for these guys, and that is the saddest part.

Shameless plug

My buddies and I do a podcast every now and then. It's fun.. usually. It's called "Some Guys in a Car" and you can get it through iTunes. We also have a website, www.someguysinacar.com.

I've probably taken part in about half to two-thirds of the shows, mostly later in our run. Our most recent posting, "While Steve's Away..." was completely edited and produced by me - the first time I've done anything like that in about 18 years. My buddy Steve has done an awesome job editing and producing and really deserves all the credit for building an actual show.

I recognize our little talent show isn't for everyone, and that's cool. But a lot of it is either very entertaining or very thought-provoking and worth checking out. Not for the kiddies, folks, by the way. But I think if you listen for a while, you'll like it.

Welcome

I just joined "Facebook". If you found this blog via that site, welcome. If you found it because you did a google search "most awesome dude. ever.", welcome.

Age has taught me to NOT say everything I think. So now, I try to stick to only the "well-formed" thoughts in terms of public consumption. Most of the time.

That's all I have to say about that.

Can you spare some change?

So, Barack Obama has been President of the United States for about twenty three hours now, and it seems to be going well so far. I would hope so, anyway. But oddly, the thoughts that stick out about the last 48 hours for me are about George W. Bush, the outgoing President.

And you know, it really bothered me that he got booed as he was introduced at the Inaguration. I don't care if you like him or not, if you think he did a good job or not - you respect the Office of the President. I'll be the first one to cite all the things were I think he didn't do a very good job over his 8 years, but I would never just boo him because I believe in the deepest part of my heart that he honestly tried his best. I think history will look back at him with a rather unfavorable assesment of his Presidency - as will I. I think we are FAR worse off than we were 8 years ago, in every way you can imagine. But there is a big difference between articulating one's disdain for something and simply saying "Boooooo".

It's debateable whether or not he actually won the 2000 election - in either case he got less popular votes than his opponent. The 2004 election was handed to him via mudslinging and fear mongering ("It's too risky to elect John Kerry") and even that came down to a relatively thin margin in Ohio. And if you read some of the interviews he gave in the last few weeks, it's clear he knows he made mistakes and would do at least a few things differently. Look, my biggest beef with W was how he interpreted the Constitution, something I strongly disagree with and will always disagree with. And perhaps even that is misdirected, since a lot of what I had issues with could be attributed to what people around him were telling him and advising him to do, but I don't think so. He's the man responsible because he's in charge. I could write for an hour about where I think he went wrong, but I won't. His time has passed and I don't see the point of piling on.

It's your right to boo. It's guaranteed in the Bill of Rights under "Free Speech". But just because it's your right doesn't mean you can't show some respect as well, especially while the world watches. Just turn the page, America.

Overdoing it just a * tiny * bit

So, in less than a week, Barack Obama gets sworn in as President of the United States. And to commemorate this fine occasion, Federal and local governments have decided to screw things so royally in terms of traffic that it won't even be funny.

The Washington Post has a nice summary of this.

But I guess I'm some sort of Anarchist, or Un-American. To me, if the threat to "security" is so great that this is what is required, then MOVE THE DAMN THING. Seriously. Have it at the front door of the White House. Obama says "So Help Me God", they change the "Welcome" mat from Red to Blue, hand him the keys, and get the F*** to work. No parade. No parties. He can give his speech from the White House press room or the Oval Office.

And why the hell would you want to go stand a half-mile from someone giving a speech in 29 degree weather with a 25% chance of precipitation? To say you where there? Honestly, that doesn't impress anyone. Ok, maybe when Buzz Aldrin says "yeah, I was there, I saw the First Man step on the Moon" or something along those, then I think "being there" was impressive. But the orderly and voluntary transition of power, while pretty amazing, does not require 4 million eyewitnesses. Go home and watch it in High Def.

My friend Steve is leaving town for a few days. Personally, I think it's as much of a protest as it is to avoid all of this, and I'm still trying to figure out how he got leave approved (given his job). I won't be going anywhere - there's no need I figure. If there was a legitimate, credible threat I'm hoping he would tip me off and since he hasn't then there isn't one or he's pissed at me.

Look, I'm not oblivious to the importance of the first black President. But effectively walling off half of the city and shutting down traffic on this scale? Nope, sorry.

Now get to work, Obama.

It takes brass ones, baby

Stargate Atlantis ended last Friday, with the Wraith (the show bad guys) figuring out where Earth is and showing up, but getting destroyed just in the nick of time by Atlantis (they flew the entire city from one galaxy to another in like 30 minutes. Riiiiight). The show ended with the City of Atlantis floating off the coast of San Francisco, invisible to everyone outside of it. So they moved the setting to Earth for any follow up movies they decide.

It's the biggest wimp out ending of all time.

What they SHOULD have done, if they had ANY balls, is have the Wraith show up at Earth and kill everyone. Period.

How great would that have been? I liked the show, but, talk about a ballsy ending. No happy ending, no feel good. Just "Wow, we lost". It would have been the most talked about TV show in a very long time.