tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146056922024-02-28T00:28:26.815-06:00Politics: Sports for the clumsyReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-5387148142109659852012-11-09T00:29:00.000-06:002016-01-28T08:16:46.822-06:00Oops, we did it again - Obama '12Silly season is finally over, and the lead clown is back inside the Big Top for four more years.<br />
<br />
Excuse me while I spit the "bitter" out of my mouth.<br />
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In all sincerity, it sucks to lose. And I didn't even work on a campaign this year. As empty as my gut felt during the final, futile returns on Nov. 6, 2012, I found myself wondering what it must feel like for people who actively work on a campaign - who live and breathe these things for six, eight, 12 months or more - only to come up short. No matter what party they call home, I tip my hat to them. They cared enough to put themselves out there, and that's a step beyond what I did.<br />
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Having said that, I was shocked not that President Obama will remain President Obama but that he earned that repeat so handily. At this time, he led Mitt Romney 303-206 in electoral votes, with Florida still too close to call.<br />
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In a season when Obama's highlights became his lowlights and his lowlights still weren't enough to move people beyond him, many of us were left scratching our heads:<br />
<br />
<b>'You didn't build that ...'</b> (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKjPI6no5ng">link</a>)<br />
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On July 13, 2012, in Roanoke, Va., Obama gave a speech in which he detailed why business owners should not take full credit for the success of their enterprises. "You didn't get their on your own," he said. He stated that a teacher or someone along the line gave that person some help; that they moved their goods on roads and railways built by others.<br />
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What Obama neglected was that those same business owners may have sat in an overcrowded classroom with 20-30 other students. And they shared the roadways with hundreds - likely thousands - of other motorists every day. Yet THEY were the ones who took the initiative to double-mortgage their homes, to cash in their savings and retirement funds, to lie awake at night staring at the ceiling wondering if they really can realize their dream ... or if they've just made a gargantuan mistake.<br />
Because the auto industry might earn itself the mulligan of a bailout; the small-business owner won't.<br />
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The contempt that emanated from that comment was breathtaking, and disheartening. To hear the president of the United States nut-kick everyone who's ever founded a business in this country, rather than celebrate their ingenuity, their creativity and opportunism, and quite simply their guts, was disgraceful.<br />
If he wanted to make a case for Small Business Administration loans, he could have. But he didn't. He instead revealed himself to be contemptuous of those who've lived the "bootstraps" mantra so often espoused by the right.<br />
Now we know why that only came from one side of the aisle.<br />
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<br />
<b>Benghazi</b><br />
On Sept. 11, 2012, the American embassy in Banghazi, Libya, was attacked. Four Americans died, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. For about two weeks afterward, Obama advanced the idea that the attacks resulted from a protest about a YouTube movie produced in America that insulted Islam.<br />
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He tried to rewrite his own history in his second debate with Romney, on Oct. 16, when he insisted that he indeed referred to Benghazi as a "terrorist attack." Moderator Candy Crowley of CNN supported him on this (which is unfathomable for a moderator to inject him/herself into a debate in such a manner, though to be fair, she did backpedal almost immediately).<br />
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The truth is, he lumped the Benghazi attack in with other attacks and ambiguously referenced "terror attacks." It gave him enough wiggle room to be able to say he did not in fact call THAT attack one of "terrorism."<br />
<br />
Why he would go to such extraordinary lengths to mask over an organized terror attack is beyond me. Right-wing radio asserted it was because he didn't want it to disrupt his narrative of having vanquished terrorism by ordering the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May 2011. That seems too simple for me. I don't think any reasonable person could assume that the willing mindset of terrorism could disappear forever.<br />
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In late October, the CIA leaked e-mails that indicated the White House knew within hours of the attack that it was organized. The CIA also indicated that numerous pleas by Stevens and the consulate for more security were ignored.<br />
On the night of the attack, who did we send in; Marines? SEALs? Rangers? Nope; an UNARMED drone. ... Hope they got some nice pictures.<br />
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<b>Unemployment</b><br />
Obama promised us that his Keynesian (as opposed to Kenyan ... ZING!) "stimulus" bill would help bring the unemployment rate below 8%. Oh, it cracked 8% all right; checking in at a robust 7.8% for September. <br />
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Former General Electric CEO Jack Welch even questioned the numbers, as some of the vital internals did not measure up to a decline of ANY kind. And in fact, the number of "real" unemployed - those who are unemployed but no longer reporting for purposes of Unemployment Insurance because they've simply given up looking for work - held steady at more than 14%.<br />
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Unemployment among African-Americans was in the teens as well; for women, it was a little above the national average for all women and more than 12% among younger women. (WHO's waging the so-called "War on Women"?)<br />
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<b>Rubber-gate</b><br />
The Obama administration mandated that religious employers provide contraception for their female employees regardless if it was consistent with that institution's religious beliefs. Catholics, who have long opposed birth control, understandably balked.<br />
<br />
But Sandra Fluke went before a Congressional committee to testify about female friends of hers who needed The Pill for medical purposes.<br />
So now what was a Catholic institution to do? Providing The Pill for menstrual regulation likely wouldn't violate any church tenets, but how would they know that it wasn't being used for contraception? Less sinful to simply not provide it at all, one would assume.<br />
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Obama demonstrated a brazen disregard for the First Amendment rights of a religious institution to adhere to its beliefs. Not to mention that The Pill is quite inexpensive and wouldn't have to propose a challenge at all if a woman wanted to visit her local Walgreen's.<br />
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<b>Obamacare</b><br />
... I don't even know where to start with this imminently insolvent boondoggle.<br />
This thing was invidious from the outset, and I question whether it's actually rooted in "good" intentions. It mandates that employers of 50 or more provide health insurance for their employees; if Obamacare was NOT intended to eliminate private insurance, then the penalty for failure to provide a plan for employees would not be LESS than the cost of providing health care for employees, it would be MORE (thus providing an incentive to keep/move people into the private sector).<br />
Plus, Obamacare does NOTHING to achieve its purported goal of reducing healthcare costs. In fact, it will raise them. Consider:<br />
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The simplest of economic principles is the Law of Supply and Demand. Draw an X on an X-Y graph and label one "Supply" and the other "Demand." As you slide either line one way or the other, the point at which they intersect is the price.<br />
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So if you add 30 million people to the "demand" pool of people seeking health care, and you add nothing to the "supply" pool (meaning you don't add a proportional number of doctors), guess what's going to happen to prices.<br />
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And if anything, numbers of doctors may decline. A unique circumstance called Medical Morale is a serious issue in the medical industry, where about 60% of physicians can expect to be sued at some point in their careers. (!?) Find me another industry where practitioners can expect that, and I'll show you an exodus of people to a safer line of work.<br />
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I probably could go on; these were just issues off the top of my head.<br />
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Nonetheless, about 60 million Americans spoke at the ballot box and said they thought he needed four more years. He earned 9 million fewer votes than in 2008, and interestingly, Romney garnered about 2 million fewer than did John McCain in 2008. I'd be lying if I said that such a robust turnout for the other guy isn't going to make me re-evaluate my positions on issues, or at the very least the quality of case I make for or against them. As Michael Jordan once said in a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPFOlXo7UPI">classic Nike ad</a>, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life ... and that is why I succeed."<br />
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I won't pretend to know why we lost this election, and it'll be a while before I understand how a state that decisively re-elected Gov. Scott Walker in a recall on June 5, 2012, could turn around and vote not only for Obama but also for a liberal lesbian in Tammy Baldwin just five months later.<br />
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There are lessons to be learned from this loss, and we have two years to study up as mid-terms loom. While that may seem a safe distance into the future, and we may all be electioned out (especially in Wisconsin), there's no time to waste ... there's a state Supreme Court election in spring 2013!ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-21704595137853408622011-02-04T12:17:00.002-06:002016-01-28T08:20:21.598-06:00The Packers' unending seasonThe Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears in the Game of the Century on Jan. 23, 2011, and earned a right to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV on Feb. 6 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.<br />
It's an exciting time in Packerland, as this is the first time they've gone to a Super Bowl since the 1997 season. (That's the one we like to not talk about, a loss to the Broncos.)<br />
<br />
Since the Packers' last trip to the Super Bowls, I'd forgotten how much NFC Champion stuff was out there and have held off on buying up a lot of it until after the Super Bowl. I figure if the Packers win, then THAT's the gear I'll want. Plus, the stuff is pretty expensive; NFCC hats are going for $26-$30.<br />
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For what it's worth, I like the Packers to beat the Steelers, not because I'm a blind homer but because I believe the Packers were good enough this season to be undefeated.<br />
Consider, the team went 10-6 with 15 players - six opening-day starters - lost for the season to Injured Reserve. None of those six losses was by more than 4 points, and the Packers had real opportunities to win each one:<br />
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<strong>Loss 1, vs. Bears </strong>- Packers commit 18 penalties for 152 yards - two of which came on what would've been drive-killing INTs in the fourth quarter when the Packers had the lead - and still only lost by a FG.<br />
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<strong>Loss 2, at Washington </strong>- K Mason Crosby missed potential game-winner with 7 seconds left in regulation, defense can't hold in OT<br />
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<strong>Loss 3, vs. Miami </strong>- Aaron Rodgers tied it with 16 seconds to play, but defense couldn't hold in OT and we lost by a FG.<br />
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<strong>Loss 4, at Atl </strong>- GB tied it with a minute left before reserve LB Matt Wilhelm commits a 15-yard facemask on the ensuing kickoff, which puts Atl at midfield. They gain 22 yards in 49 seconds and hit the game-winning FG.<br />
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<strong>Loss 5, at Det </strong>- Rodgers leaves with a concussion, but Detroit is no longer a joke anyway. They're going to push for the division next year.<br />
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<strong>Loss 6, at NE </strong>- We led that game 17-7 near the end of the first half until that big lineman put together a 71-yard TD return and the Patriots made it 24-17. We also led 27-21 and 27-24 in the fourth quarter. Matt Flynn played a hell of a game for his first start . His inexperience kept him from calling a play at the end, a flub that a more experienced Rodgers likely wouldn't have committed. Now, would he have fired a TD? Who knows, but he likely would've gotten off a play. And maybe a bevy of healthy starters on D would've kept the Patriots from taking the lead in the first place.<br />
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There are two things that scare me about the Steelers; their linebackers and their running game.<br />
OLBs James Harrison and Lamarr Woodley both have double-digit sacks. So Pitt will bring pressure from the edges. Rodgers will HAVE to get the ball out quickly - something he hasn't always done, though he's made tremendous progress from 2009. <br />
RB <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/8800/situational;_ylt=At_AzhTLP56Cp5tajdNr8d_.uLYF">Rashard Mendenhall </a>accrued the majority of his carries in the second half of games, and the plurality of his yardage in the fourth quarter. The Packers need to hold him to a reasonable total - he's averaged a modest 79 yards per game on 3.9 a carry.ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-40196924673528445802010-12-21T19:43:00.004-06:002012-11-09T00:44:39.107-06:00UConn women impressive, but leave men out of itFurther evidence of liberal creep into sports media has really been burning my beans lately; endless chatter among the sports-minded that the University of Connecticut women's basketball team, poised to win its 89th consecutive game, will be "breaking" the UCLA men's record set 1971-74.<br />
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Even UConn coach Geno Auriemma recently went off on media for what he perceived as a lack of coverage, repeatedly asserting that his ladies were breaking a men's record.<br />
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While the UConn women's streak is remarkable - impressive in every conceivable way - it is not breaking a men's record. Among their 89 straight vanquished opponents, not one has been a men's team. This is because the UConn women play - wait for it - women's basketball. Division I women's basketball, to be precise. Thus, saying they can break a record set by men holds no more water than to credit men for surpassing an achievement set in the women's game. To compare the women's game to men's is as apples-oranges as comparing DI records with those in DII or DIII. The sports, and divisions, are distinct.<br />
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And those who insist that the Huskies are breaking a men's record unwittingly advance the thought that the men's game is superior to the women's and thus compiling a win streak that is longer than one found in the men's game must make the women's more impressive.<br />
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This type of subtle sexim has no place in sports or its coverage.<br />
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The women's game is impressive and has done wonderful things for the physical and psychological well-being of countless women through the years. But to continue to imply that it's the little sister to its more popular counterpart puts it right back on the end of the bench.<br />
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Congratulations, UConn women ... let's leave it at that.ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-43619424097102178002010-12-14T13:36:00.004-06:002010-12-14T15:43:41.264-06:00The sanctimony ... err, sanctity of the bowlsTime for my annual rant about how NCAA Division I football needs a playoff. I can't leave it alone because I heard it again last night; a college FB talking head - in this case former Ohio State and Minnesota Viking running back, and apparent <a href="http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-71057449.html">med-school </a>dropout, Robert Smith - talk about how college football's regular season is so much more exciting than in any other sport.<br />Um, what?<br />For whom?<br />Certainly not for the fans of teams that begin the season outside the top 10 rankings. Yes, preseason rankings have as much to do with who plays for the national championship as anything. So your school's legacy works in your favor - or against it - before any team has taken its first snap.<br />Certainly Smith hasn't forgotten his NFL career, which peaked when his Vikings went 15-1 in 1998. They lost in the second week of the season that year but went on a run that didn't end until the NFC Championship game. If the NFL had adopted the BCS model, his Vikings would've been out of contention long before October. THAT, my friends, is what renders the regular season obsolete.<br />Not to mention the fact that the regular season is what prepares team for the postseason in the first place. Ask the New York Giants, who in 2007 got hot late in the season and went on to foil the unbeaten New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. Or ask the Pittsburgh Steelers, who in 2005 sneaked into the playoffs as the bottom seed, only to march to a Super Bowl win in Detroit.<br /><br />Gamblers aside, I'd like someone to tell me why anyone would watch a bowl game in which neither participant has the slightest hope of playing for a national championship.<br />Is it for the prestige? Well, if you're vying to become the champion of the vaunted Beef 'O Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl, or the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, or perhaps my favorite for its illustration of systemic absurdity, the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl.<br /><br />How can anyone make this anti-playoff argument with a straight face? My other favorite arguments ...<br /><br /><strong>* It would stretch the season into the next semester</strong><br />Really? So men's and women's basketball, wrestling, etc., will need to choose a semester at some point, it sounds like.<br /><br /><strong>* Our bowl system is unique and needs to be preserved</strong><br />Hah. See above.<br />Then see the bowl committees voluntarily shut down every bowl founded after 1950. Hold your breath for that one.<br /><br /><strong>* It makes the season too long</strong><br />This is the only argument that has any degree of plausibility, in that college bodies arguably aren't built for a potentially 18-game schedule.<br />Presumably, that's why coaches are allowed more than 80 scholarships to field 11 guys at a time.<br />Coaches have the depth; they should use it.<br /><br />The solution is simpler than the BCS honks would have us believe: The NCAA can turn its back on all of the bowls, as it did against the National Invitational Tournament in basketball, it can set up its own brackets and invite teams all on its own.<br /><br />My suggestion would be for 16 teams. You win your conference? Congratulations, you've earned a chance - however remote, it's still a chance - to play for the national championship. <br />That leaves us with five at-large bids. One will almost always go to Notre Dame - just being a realist - which truthfully leaves us with four. Those would be distributed among conference runners-up, or the Flavor of the Month that's having a great season and could be that Cinder-fella story that we hear so much about during the basketball tournament.<br />By all means, keep your precious BCS rankings; just use them as an excuse for seeding.<br />Here's what this year's brackets would look like:<br /><br />Just one example of a way to do it; here would be the matchups if you didn't even take the conference winners and just went with the straight BCS rankings:<br /><br /><strong>16 Alabama<br />1 Auburn </strong>(can't imagine anyone wanting to tune in for this yawner)<br /><br /><strong>9 Arkansas<br />8 Michigan State </strong>(two evenly matched defenses; Ark is 31st in NCAA, MSU is 34th)<br /><br />12 Missouri<br />5 Wisconsin<br /><br />13 Virginia Tech<br />4 Stanford<br /><br /><strong>11 LSU<br />6 Ohio State </strong>(No. 7 defense at No. 2 D)<br /><br /><strong>14 Oklahoma State<br />3 TCU</strong> (No. 1 offense in the country at No. 9 O)<br /><br />10 Boise State (honestly, who could bear watching this rematch!?)<br />7 Oklahoma<br /><br />15 Nevada<br />2 Oregon (No. 2 offense vs. No. 3)ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-50429063886217016102009-10-07T19:29:00.002-06:002012-11-09T01:32:41.577-06:00Never Let You Go<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8vdJ4vCmzpZTF56Kh29wROjx_oRdt_zU2W4Zq6uXL1HTfkvB3Dezc7RcYLdQSoE5nOOLKBLaRGdy7FO8l-wjhl5vvAlO38SDy8EHrYFreNPh88IkFqajzcbhnC1b7pZEamPbS/s1600-h/Daddy+the+soldier+100709.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390035175509910434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8vdJ4vCmzpZTF56Kh29wROjx_oRdt_zU2W4Zq6uXL1HTfkvB3Dezc7RcYLdQSoE5nOOLKBLaRGdy7FO8l-wjhl5vvAlO38SDy8EHrYFreNPh88IkFqajzcbhnC1b7pZEamPbS/s400/Daddy+the+soldier+100709.jpg" border="0" /></a> If this image doesn't touch you, you have no soul.<br />
Paige Bennethum, 4, clutches Daddy one last time before he ships off to Iraq last July from Fort Dix, N.J. She said she "didn't want to let go of him." Leave it to a small child to say what a lot of grown-us don't know how to express.<br />
May God bless your daddy, Paige, and as many as possible so they can get home in one piece.ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-84742093149180852832009-09-17T20:18:00.002-06:002012-11-09T00:45:51.364-06:00RIP, AdrianPatrick Swayze succumbed yesterday to pancreatic cancer, a disease that normally claims its victims within about six months but that Swayze held off for a remarkable two years.<br />
While he's best known for his leading roles in 'Dirty Dancing,' 'Roadhouse' and 'Ghost,' many of us will remember him best not for his solo acts but for a duet of sorts he did with another man who left us too early.<br />
Swayze and Chris Farley squared off in an October 1990 skit on 'Saturday Night Live' that will immortalize both men.<br />
Now both are gone.<br />
Enjoy.<br />
<br />
<div><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="480" height="348"><param name="_cx" value="12700"><param name="_cy" value="9207"><param name="FlashVars" value=""><param name="Movie" value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/xu9mx_patrick-swayze-chippendale_dating"><param name="Src" value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/xu9mx_patrick-swayze-chippendale_dating"><param name="WMode" value="Window"><param name="Play" value="-1"><param name="Loop" value="-1"><param name="Quality" value="High"><param name="SAlign" value=""><param name="Menu" value="-1"><param name="Base" value=""><param name="AllowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="Scale" value="ShowAll"><param name="DeviceFont" value="0"><param name="EmbedMovie" value="0"><param name="BGColor" value=""><param name="SWRemote" value=""><param name="MovieData" value=""><param name="SeamlessTabbing" value="1"><param name="Profile" value="0"><param name="ProfileAddress" value=""><param name="ProfilePort" value="0"><param name="AllowNetworking" value="all"><param name="AllowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/xu9mx_patrick-swayze-chippendale_dating" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="348" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object>
<b><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xu9mx_patrick-swayze-chippendale_dating">Patrick Swayze - Chippendale </a></b>
<i>Uploaded by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/tressage">tressage</a>. - </i></div>ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-43444872500959571362009-09-14T12:30:00.002-06:002009-09-14T12:41:34.598-06:00Cornelius TimberlakeFor some reason, I've had this stuck in my head for a long time. Gotta love people - especially celebrities - who can make fun of themselves.<br /><br /><object width="512" height="296 "><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/NZ1MZ5ac_4XSxW-EliJS4A"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/NZ1MZ5ac_4XSxW-EliJS4A" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" width="512" height="296"></embed></object>ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-64931741842461584792009-09-11T21:31:00.001-06:002010-11-26T09:01:25.150-06:00Forever YoungWhat can I say but that I'm thinking about my son?<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yGEe_zpddNI?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yGEe_zpddNI?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-46866946159818916632009-09-04T02:58:00.003-06:002009-09-04T03:45:19.560-06:00Teddy and the BrettBusy news cycles lately. No sooner did Michael Jackson moonwalk off this mortal coil than Ted Kennedy succumbed to brain cancer, on Aug. 25, at age 77.<br />It was easy to roll one's eyes at the liberal love-fest and glossy record-polishing that was sure to follow, but nearly two weeks later, I've found the media portrayals to be pretty fair. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chappaquiddick_incident">Chappaquidick </a>was not glazed over; rightfully so. And for all the talk about Kennedy's accomplishments, it stayed fairly loose. This too is fair, considering liberals themselves have been critical of some of the higher-profile programs in which Kennedy played a significant role, including <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCLB">No Child Left Behind</a>, for which Kennedy was a key champion during George W. Bush's first year.<br />I'm not going to spend a lot of time waxing about Kennedy's record or legacy, as plenty of better writers than I have done so over at <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2009/08/27/">RealClearPolitics.com</a>; folks who know more about both than I.<br /><br />While Ted departs, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brett_favre">Brett Favre </a>returns. Again. This time for good. Unless his arm hurts too much.<br />About three weeks after telling the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Vikings">Minnesota Vikings </a>he was done, Favre publicly changed his mind one more time, kicking his legacy ever-closer to the curb of late-night comedic punchlinedom.<br />Favre looked rough in his first game with the Viqueens, though granted he'd only been in camp about three days. Incidentally, this apparently didn't play well with the guys who'd been busting their humps for the weeks leading up to that point - go figure - as reports surfaced that there was the infamous "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwk2Q_VYvO8">schism</a>" infecting the locker room.<br />He's since looked better, though he obviously has yet to hit the wire-to-wire grind of the regular season.<br />He has his excuses all set; his supposed damaged biceps tendon and now allegedly cracked rib ready to serve as the fallguys should his age-eroded skills prove unworthy of an NFL starting role.<br /><br />The Packers looked very strong in three of their four preseason games, hammering <a href="http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/cle/">Cleveland</a>, <a href="http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/">Buffalo </a>and <a href="http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/crd/">Arizona </a>before falling to <a href="http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/oti/">Tennessee</a>. The starting unit for the new 3-4 defense forced a number of turnovers - turning some directly into points - and the offense scored on 10 of its first 11 drives. It's all preseason, where O's and D's show nothing but vanilla packages, so we can safely assume neither of the Packers' units will look as sharp in the regular season, but anything resembling that should help them compete for the NFC North championship.<br />They'd better look sharp, as they open the season on NBC's <a href="http://www.snfonnbc.com/">'Sunday Night Football' </a>against the <a href="http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/chi/">Decatur Staleys</a>.ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-19634558414954093582009-07-08T02:46:00.004-06:002009-09-11T21:48:00.004-06:00RIP, Michael Jackson newsOn June 25, 2009, the world changed.<br />At least that's what the non-stop news coverage of the <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/news/king_of_pop_dead_at_12?utm_source=a-section">death of the 'King of Pop</a>,' <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_jackson">Michael Jackson</a>, would have us believe.<br />From the day it was announced that he'd passed away at a hospital in Los Angeles, CNN and other news channels have been wall-to-wall coverage of Jackson's death. And I imagine the tabloids are just getting started.<br />Speculation about why he died runs rampant, and it appears the coup de grace was his insistence on taking a drug called Diprivan, which is used to put people under for surgery. It isn't so much a 'pain killer' as it is 'death in a bottle' for someone who doesn't know what he's doing. That any physician would hand this to him and say, "Well, all right, Mr. Jackson, whatever you say," is itself worthy of investigation.<br />And make no mistake, Jackson gave us some great music:<br /><br /><u>Jackson 5</u><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYx3BR2aJA4">ABC</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC-rkHXRPX4">I Want You Back</a><br /><u>Solo</u><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtyJbIOZjS8">Thriller</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqxo1SKB0z8&feature=fvst">Beat It</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En-cHBv7UpA">Billie Jean</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG5NhkxQJQc">Bad</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBos1XjcDg0">Man in the Mirror</a><br /><br />But it also seems criminal to have so much attention paid to someone who, in 1993, paid more than $20 million to a 13-year-old boy in an <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/06/16/michael.jackson/index.html">out-of-court settlement </a>after the boy had alleged that Jackson had molested him. While that doesn't necessarily mean Jackson was guilty, it was inevitable for such a situation to arise given Jackson's penchant for <a href="http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/mjdec1.html">allowing young boys </a>to spend nights at his Neverland Ranch.<br />Jackson's memorial service was today (Tuesday), so while we'll be subjected to the teary image of his daughter squeaking to the world that she loved her daddy (really? We HAVE to drag his previously secluded children into this now?), the news spotlight should now shift toward more worthy topics.<br /><br />RIP, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farrah_fawcett">Farrah Fawcett</a>, who had the misfortune of dying, of cancer, on the same day as Jackson. She was 62. Her unfortunate timing reminds me of poor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Matthews">Eddie Matthews</a>, a Hall of Famer and former Milwaukee Brave, who likely would've gotten a couple of days of good sports coverage ... if he hadn't died on the same day as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dale_Earnhardt">Dale Earnhardt</a>.<br /><br />Meanwhile, former NFL quarterback <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Mcnair">Steve McNair </a>was shot four times early on July 4. His 20-year-old girlfriend, an Iranian national named Sahel Kazemi, lay dead on the couch next to him with a gunshot wound to her head. McNair had a wife of 12 years, as well as four boys.<br />Police haven't yet ruled it the murder-suicide that it appears to be because of some fishiness on the timeline as to when his buddies discovered the bodies and when they called 911. Apparently a friend of McNair's walked into the apartment and past the bodies, which had been dead for several hours, into the kitchen, then back again, noticed the bodies and then ... called his buddy. About 35 minutes elapsed between his discovery and when they called 911.<br />What else is fishy, at least to me, is that McNair was shot twice in the chest and twice in the head; not a bad grouping for a young lady who'd just purchased the murder weapon two days prior.<br /><br />Finally, RIP to the seven soldiers who died in Afghanistan between the day Jackson died and the day of his memorial. Networks devoted about <a href="http://www.mrc.org/biasalert/2009/20090707031607.aspx">one-20th of the time </a>to them as they dedicated to Jackson, even a week and a half after Jackson died. I wouldn't expect a full biopic on every soldier who is killed in action, but for Anderson Cooper to spend nearly three times as long on the 'Wife Carrying World Championship' as on their deaths is simply inexplicable.ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-45004213941132079642009-07-04T07:16:00.002-06:002009-07-04T07:40:27.196-06:00The Left silences our heroesWausau's American Legion canceled its annual ceremonial tribute to our fallen soldiers scheduled for today, July 4. They usually have speakers and a 21-gun salute.<br />This year, following the Legion's events, the <a href="http://teapartypatriots.org/Default.aspx">Wausau Tea Party Patriots </a>were to hold their own events, protesting high taxes and selling merchandise to support families of fallen soldiers.<br />But the Legion canceled its event after, <a href="http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090704/WDH0101/907040525&s=a&page=2#pluckcomments">according to the Wausau Daily Herald</a>, it received about 30 anonymous phone calls from people threatening to boycott the Legion's golf course.<br /><br />First, there simply has to be more to the story. I have a hard time believing that this bastion of hardened battlefield veterans was scared off by people threatening to withhold golf.<br /><br />Second, this is another example of intolerance from the Left when it encounters a viewpoint with which it disagrees. If you don't like the Wausau Tea Party, then after the Legion is done with its events ... LEAVE!<br />Or have ACORN gather up some of your like-minded sycophants for you and stage your own rally (what, in FAVOR of higher taxes? selling trinkets to support the families of fallen terrorists? seriously, what the hell is there to hate about what the Tea Party plans to do?).<br />The Left should be very proud.ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-60806219540753467042009-04-25T12:02:00.010-06:002009-09-04T03:49:37.633-06:00New look at an old hero<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqD1PViSDd4_HI4xP7A0ycs6a5gf_0yhwtQrlSzo1OZp3dEeg53SOfL4InOk-x0ngG2GxnhdsMHUg5NnXYV0b83okssnpbm2oIYS0GLzkWqQZapiJL1DgYpQ92Kl6dWns0xCmH/s1600-h/John+Bradley,+Antigo+-+flag+raiser.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328699296523680354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqD1PViSDd4_HI4xP7A0ycs6a5gf_0yhwtQrlSzo1OZp3dEeg53SOfL4InOk-x0ngG2GxnhdsMHUg5NnXYV0b83okssnpbm2oIYS0GLzkWqQZapiJL1DgYpQ92Kl6dWns0xCmH/s400/John+Bradley,+Antigo+-+flag+raiser.jpg" /></a><br /><div><div><div><div>This isn't exactly news, but I just watched a two-disc set on the battle at Iwo Jima (February 1945) and was reminded that one of the six soldiers photographed in the iconic image of the men raising the flag on Mt. Suribachi was from Wisconsin.<br /></div><br /><div><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bradley_(Iwo_Jima)">John Bradley </a>was born in Antigo, raised in Appleton, and ultimately died back in Antigo (July 10, 1923 to Jan. 11, 1994). He was wounded in battle after the flag-raising and was pulled from the front to help sell U.S. war bonds. While he was horrified by what he witnessed on the battlefield, particularly as a Navy corpsman, he did portray himself in the 1949 John Wayne classic "Sands of Iwo Jima".</div><br /><div>He suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and was haunted by the torture and death of his friend from Milwaukee, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Ignatowski">Ralph "Iggy" Ignatowski</a>. The two had been holed up during battle on Iwo, when Bradley lit out to assist a fallen Marine. When he returned to where he and Ignatowski had been, his friend was gone and no one seemed to know where he'd gone. It wasn't until days later that Bradley and others discovered Ignatowski's body, which had been dragged down a tunnel by the Japanese. Iggy had been tortured beyond belief, and Bradley never really recovered from the episode.</div><br /><div>Following is his citation for the Navy Cross:</div><div><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">"For extraordinary heroism in action against the enemy at Iwo Jima on </span><a title="February 21" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_21"><span style="font-size:85%;">February 21</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">, </span><a title="1945" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1945"><span style="font-size:85%;">1945</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> as a hospital corpsman attached to a Marine Rifle platoon. During a furious assault by his company upon a strongly defended enemy zone at the base of Mt. Suribachi, Bradley observed a Marine infantryman fall wounded in an open area under a pounding barrage by mortars, interlaced with a merciless crossfire from machine guns."<br />"With complete disregard for his own safety, he ran through the intense fire to the side of the fallen Marine, examined his wounds and ascertained that an immediate administration of </span><a title="Blood plasma" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_plasma"><span style="font-size:85%;">plasma</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> was necessary to save the man's life. Unwilling to subject any of his comrades to the danger to which he had so valiantly exposed himself, he signaled would-be assistants to remain where they were. Placing himself in a position to shield the wounded man, he tied a plasma unit to a rifle planted upright in the sand and continued his life saving mission. The Marine's wounds bandaged and the condition of </span><a title="Shock (circulatory)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_(circulatory)"><span style="font-size:85%;">shock</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> relieved by plasma, Bradley pulled the man thirty yards through intense enemy fire to a position of safety. His indomitable spirit, dauntless initiative, and heroic devotion to duty were an inspiration to those with who he served and were in keeping with the highest tradition of the United States Naval Service."</span></div><br /><div>Bradley's story is recounted by his son James in the 2000 book <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flags_of_Our_Fathers">'Flags of Our Fathers</a>,' which Steven Spielberg and Clint Eastwood turned into a 2006 movie of the same name.</div></div></div></div>ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-22047875211814108962009-04-23T19:39:00.003-06:002009-04-23T19:44:35.921-06:00NCAA champion!Conquered one pool - tops out of 20 - and came in fourth among 300 in another. Woo-hoo!<br />NC beat the hell out of Michigan State in the final, extinguishing any semblance of drama after about ... oh, the opening tip.<br /><br />Now it's on to fantasy baseball, where I'm 2-0 in our head-to-head league. Getting my ass handed to me this week, so it could be a long season. But we're onto Phase 2 of the Triple Crown.ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-49584504711903717532009-03-29T20:59:00.003-06:002009-03-29T21:08:30.335-06:00A title within reachOK, so Lord Bubba's Cup may have eluded me in my fantasy football league last fall. But 2009 is offering hope I can believe in, as I'm holding a narrow lead in my NCAA bracket pool, thanks to my having three of the Final Four correct - Michigan State, UConn, North Carolina, and Villanova upset my pick of Pittsburgh.<br />If UConn beats Mich St and UNC beats 'Nova to meet in the championship game, I can win it outright if UNC beats UConn. But if UConn beats UNC, it'll come down to our total-points tie-breaker.<br />Exciting stuff, even for a lukewarm basketball fan.<br /><br />And since we just drafted for a fantasy baseball league for the summer, it could be the start of an unprecedented Triple Fantasy Crown; the March Madness pool, fantasy baseball, and finally the coup de grace, fantasy football.ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-73404798939986943082009-03-26T20:08:00.002-06:002009-03-26T20:58:51.858-06:00NCAA may be SOL with BHOStomping all over my lofty mood after having gone 26-6 and 13-2 through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, Congress apparently is threatening to examine the anti-trust protection of the NCAA to force it to hold a playoff.<br /><br />Now, I'm as big an advocate of a D-I playoff as you'll find. The BCS honks (as Jim Rome so lovingly calls them) will never convince me their position is the right one, nor that more money can be made off individual bowls than off a tournament format. (The men's basketball tournament entrenches my belief every year when even non-hoops fans scramble to fill out brackets.) But federal intervention is a sign of nothing less than desperation.<br /><br />After passing an $800 billion "stimulus" bill that no one in Congress read - a bill that even the vice president admits has about "a 30 percent chance" of working - after unveiling a budget that will add roughly a trillion dollars to the National Debt EVERY YEAR, and while scratching its collective head over how/what to do over rising unemployment and a housing market that's been circling the drain for almost two years, Congress now wants to debate over how college football should crown its champion.<br /><br />But before we storm the Bastille to lynch those filthy liberal Democrats for daring to bastardize our new national pastime, we need to keep one thing in mind: The College Football Playoff Act of 2009 (<a href="http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-390">HR 390</a>) was introduced by Joe Barton, a REPUBLICAN from Texas. Just when you thought Republicans from Texas were done taking a beating in the national media. ... In this, Barton deserves every snide barb Keith Olbermann and his ilk are likely to hurl his way.ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-37163999894344528722008-11-05T22:08:00.005-06:002008-11-05T22:37:30.012-06:00President-elect Obama<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTgr9oHJXqdrg53P8uhvMaq8AvRut6xCVoqr-knmcmIofI9Cz60QlbW9K1KvabA3gQ30o-BJ8NIK18prVZB_vwN18CAOonj5-NOqwbS8KDXwHiexm6rIb3ntyEAJH6JQTgjZj/s1600-h/untitled.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265397900367176658" style="WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTgr9oHJXqdrg53P8uhvMaq8AvRut6xCVoqr-knmcmIofI9Cz60QlbW9K1KvabA3gQ30o-BJ8NIK18prVZB_vwN18CAOonj5-NOqwbS8KDXwHiexm6rIb3ntyEAJH6JQTgjZj/s320/untitled.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:78%;">Supporters of Barack Obama gather near Grant Park in Chicago to celebrate his victory in Tuesday's presidential election.<br /></span><br /><div>It always sounds weird to hear that phrase, regardless of whose name it includes. We get used to four or eight years of hearing "President So-and-so," and then the new name inserted there hits us with all the oddity of looking at a weather map from another state.</div><br /><div>But there it is; President-elect Barack Obama.</div><br /><div>And so ends the long national nightmare that is ... no, not the Bush presidency - still nearly three months of that - but this seemingly eternal campaign for the presidency. I, for one, am simply glad it's over. It's like a visit from the in-laws; you don't actually hope anyone dies, but you're REALLY glad when they're gone.</div><br /><div>Anyway, my guy didn't win. ... I don't mean McCain, he was never my first choice. Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney were well ahead of him in my eyes.</div><br /><div>Regardless, this offers an interesting opportunity. I suspect many of my Republican buddies will rally around Uncle Rushie as a lonely beacon of hope over the next four years.</div><br /><div>As for me, I'm going to try to take a little different approach this time. Rather than the endless cycle of spin and parsing semantics, I'm going to do my best to give Obama a clean slate. He wasn't my first choice among Dems, and was well down my list in general, but he's there now. So I'm going to try to understand the policies he puts forth. Sometimes I may agree with him. Sometimes I may wholeheartedly disagree. I will be vocal about both.</div><br /><div>But if 52% of voters felt it was time for this mercurial concept of "change," then I think even a traditional conservative such as I could make an attempt to be the change we seek in others.</div><br /><div>I watched on CNN the massive gathering of Obama supporters in Chicago's Grant Park and was simply stunned at the spectacle of it all. I don't know how this guy will govern, but between this and his August DNC speech at a packed Mile High Stadium in Denver ... there's no question this guy knows how to put on a show. It made me wonder what the hell it would look like if Obama would've gone on to lose, but despite that ... even I have to admit it was a pretty awesome sight.</div><br /><div>So now the Dems have a firm grip on the Senate, the House and now the White House, and even on the state level, they now hold the Senate and - for the first time in 14 years - the Assembly. This in addition to the governor's mansion.</div><br /><div>The Dems have no real roadblocks to implement the promises they've made.</div><br /><div>No excuses.</div><br /><div>And that's got to scare more than a few Dems.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>P.S. I found an interesting <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/president/33703659.html">interactive map </a>at JSonline, which shows how each of Wisconsin's 72 counties has voted for president since 1964.</div><br /><br /><div></div></div>ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-81920203490130270792008-11-03T23:14:00.004-06:002008-11-03T23:31:17.923-06:00Countdown to historyWithin 24 hours of this posting America will have indicated its preference for its first African-American president.<br /><a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/maps/obama_vs_mccain/#data">RealClearPolitics shows </a>Obama with a 278-132 lead in electoral votes among states whose polls are outside the margin of error one way or another. When throwing every state to one candidate or another, regardless of margin of error, puts Obama way over the top at 338-200.<br />Obama's election would be a pretty remarkable feat considering it was barely 45 years ago that blacks couldn't even be assured the opportunity to vote in every part of this country.<br />No less than Ward Connerly - he of crusades against racial preferences - even proffers hope at Obama's election, in that it could mean a fundamental change in the definition of Affirmative Action. Connerly seems to think Obama would shift this definition from racial to socio-economic.<br />This is something I've said for years; that one's ethnicity doesn't enable him to inject "diversity" into any setting, but one's socio-economic status does.<br />Consider: Two kids - one black and one white - could grow up next door to each other, go to the same schools and graduate from the same college with the same degree, and some companies would be more likely to hire the black kid just because he represents "diversity."<br />Continuing to focus on race-based diversity ignores the significant gains minorities have made, socially and economically.<br />Shifting that focus to classes of Americans who are struggling with the emasculating effects of joblessness and poverty, however, could be just the change our country needs.ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-88283731831674862312008-10-14T22:02:00.006-06:002008-10-14T22:21:57.375-06:00A Savage election?As McCain continues to slip in the polls, with just one debate and three weeks to go until Election Day, yack-radio host Michael Savage put forth an interesting theory. ("Interesting" in the "watch a marshmallow explode in the microwave" sense.) He seems to think that Mitt Romney was all lined up to be McCain's VP choice but that the tea leaves were not boding well for the economy, which prompted the RNC to push McCain to leave Romney on the sideline for 2012 and pick up Sarah Palin as electoral cannon fodder.<br />I don't buy that for a number of reasons, just one of which being that putting Romney on the ticket would've given him a great opportunity to flex his economic muscle, albeit at the expense of overshadowing McCain.<br />That and McCain hates him.<br />Savage has become an empty can. He echoes the same rhetoric he always has and I'm just tired of him. His show is still pretty strong in the ratings, but I get pretty war-weary of the conservative talkers and the constant barrage of things Dems want to do to destroy our country. Don't get me wrong, I'd get sick of lib-talkers too if there were actually any on the air anywhere.<br /><br />But with The One opening a larger lead nationally - 5 or 6 percentage points in most polls, with more than <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/maps/obama_vs_mccain/?map=10">360 electoral votes </a>at least leaning his way - he would appear to have this thing all but wrapped up. That'll give the Dems the White House, probably a firmer majority in the House and possibly a veto-proof majority in the Senate. Come late January, they'll have no excuses.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the Republicans can cycle out some dead wood.ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-5503241221474471792008-09-21T00:20:00.016-06:002008-09-21T01:04:35.890-06:00McCain-Palin rock Green BayOK, maybe "rock" is a bit strong. But with the long lines and overpriced memorabilia, John McCain's and Sarah Palin's visit to the Resch Center on Thursday had all the makings of a rock concert. ... I'm convinced this is what it would look like if Lawrence Welk were to tour with Hannah Montana.<br /><br />It was a good time, and given what I went through to obtain my "VIP" ticket, it dawned on me the true value of these visits.<br />One could simply walk into a McCain campaign office and pick up a free ticket that would get you into the seats. But if you wanted a VIP ducat, which would allow you on the floor and possibly within reach of a handshake or autograph, you had to make 100 calls at that office's phone bank.<br />So while these visits are an opportunity to generate some free publicity in the local news, it's also a way to spark some local volunteers to get out and make calls or knock on doors (to get the tickets). It's all about energizing the base.<br />So about one hour and countless hang-ups and messages later, I had my VIP pass, and it was off to GB ...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7WCge5s8GmjO4AQMhNQb3G-HO7JS8R0oqdqdemkiufV3JWOmP9hhcvQyTkyhL7oFaGO49ySIorPbzJ9Cty8MyVfgRxTv70CTwPrxYkKIctEKvu95Ei25PZkhKZ4BnyI2tEemN/s1600-h/8+Obama+backers.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248359253957222194" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7WCge5s8GmjO4AQMhNQb3G-HO7JS8R0oqdqdemkiufV3JWOmP9hhcvQyTkyhL7oFaGO49ySIorPbzJ9Cty8MyVfgRxTv70CTwPrxYkKIctEKvu95Ei25PZkhKZ4BnyI2tEemN/s320/8+Obama+backers.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Naturally, there were some Obama backers there. They kept a respectable distance, and at least they were clever. One was wearing a McCain mask (not sure who the other mask-wearer is supposed to be), and the big wooden thing in front of them is a "rubber stamp" that I think actually worked, as they appeared to stamp something on their sign. Let's see the Pro Lifers match that when they crash Obama's next visit.<br /></span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2wDCTgg0XHWhdujsGVmN70sJPmhV4-Vl0V0UqzjimuZj_AT-lw1KCi8kqVnU_6w4ysO6sBhzoAJBLm-u9_WxMsYmVmQeHSLtFoq7v7ZLSaqrewvXq1TX_DWjBYF6nvqvFuIUF/s1600-h/7+Striker+Brigade+mom.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248359191791433170" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2wDCTgg0XHWhdujsGVmN70sJPmhV4-Vl0V0UqzjimuZj_AT-lw1KCi8kqVnU_6w4ysO6sBhzoAJBLm-u9_WxMsYmVmQeHSLtFoq7v7ZLSaqrewvXq1TX_DWjBYF6nvqvFuIUF/s320/7+Striker+Brigade+mom.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div><span style="font-size:78%;">Barb, a woman I spoke with briefly down on the floor wearing a "Republican" print dress, prepares her sign by scrawling "1st S.B.C.T. mom" across the top of it. It turns out her son is in the same unit - Striker Brigade Combat Team - as Palin's son Track and will be deployed with him shortly. While she was made to give up her homemade sign at the door, she was hoping to catch Palin's attention with this one. As it happens, Palin mentioned her by name in her speech.</span><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMX3Pu_igWzwwoE-m-NEq79KhIsBLlulBaLSBBZ1fzPAa2FvYZ0gBPETnbU8bzOf9_YmfKQVB2PLmCcCKQu-uTewTKC6jnQT2WDjVCN8P__QLCuvkNwmywXNIlWEO_AO61QDrZ/s1600-h/6+McCain-Palin+enter+closer.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248359076627850146" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMX3Pu_igWzwwoE-m-NEq79KhIsBLlulBaLSBBZ1fzPAa2FvYZ0gBPETnbU8bzOf9_YmfKQVB2PLmCcCKQu-uTewTKC6jnQT2WDjVCN8P__QLCuvkNwmywXNIlWEO_AO61QDrZ/s320/6+McCain-Palin+enter+closer.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div><span style="font-size:78%;">Palin and McCain enter the arena.<br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXK3VRFlWEIEQZ-Wd946G3swYwNur4e4rb-mSBgnTZbP0ECmLCK20YaUhKyFqkexKek6mwQy4vtUbyPBzOEdW4VLD44-z6yFzy3mg1w8Zw6_5o87clicgP-d1KgL7xda2ZYbrl/s1600-h/5+Palin-McCain.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248358986785385074" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXK3VRFlWEIEQZ-Wd946G3swYwNur4e4rb-mSBgnTZbP0ECmLCK20YaUhKyFqkexKek6mwQy4vtUbyPBzOEdW4VLD44-z6yFzy3mg1w8Zw6_5o87clicgP-d1KgL7xda2ZYbrl/s320/5+Palin-McCain.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Palin kicks off, following introductions by state attorney general J.B. Van Hollen, Republican Party of Wisconsin chairman Reince Priebus and 8th Congressional District candidate John Gard, who is shown at the far right.</span><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXf9-MhEihrC9fnUIp_4nPRwp78wy0ygjbCRTzFzz4tQw1cq7V72MGCFze5pnku2l4l7FRGUeINldOGtczrmfON_WTbEpFQY0ASovWJKlvqI6LU16un-HiA8ZD49kJsGleglFr/s1600-h/4+McCain+speaks.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248358891629222978" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXf9-MhEihrC9fnUIp_4nPRwp78wy0ygjbCRTzFzz4tQw1cq7V72MGCFze5pnku2l4l7FRGUeINldOGtczrmfON_WTbEpFQY0ASovWJKlvqI6LU16un-HiA8ZD49kJsGleglFr/s320/4+McCain+speaks.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div><span style="font-size:78%;">McCain speaks, and a Secret Service agent obscures a direct sightline of Palin's ass.</span></div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkmOIrPBTcswWN3rLKhMKIaxZ_8BYGx3ewZH6P4J7MgZKdmZ4RolWOhMisMsYHb5Y_15cRbSKlNdHjrXYoHzc8K0zNDLr8bhum_ieoMpsMXCQLaueIHS8zhwYNs5lRgebUKd0H/s1600-h/3+McCain+rope+line+I.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248358723518768626" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkmOIrPBTcswWN3rLKhMKIaxZ_8BYGx3ewZH6P4J7MgZKdmZ4RolWOhMisMsYHb5Y_15cRbSKlNdHjrXYoHzc8K0zNDLr8bhum_ieoMpsMXCQLaueIHS8zhwYNs5lRgebUKd0H/s320/3+McCain+rope+line+I.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div><span style="font-size:78%;">McCain works the ropeline after his stirring speech about ... did I mention Palin was standing right behind him? I'm looking over the right shoulder of the lady whose left hand you see here, so if I'd really pushed forward, I might've gotten a handshake with the man ... and then gotten shot.<br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnBcLlCnBo4w4eFgBeILSJBT1AyulvACN-jgJ4M0B4AvXYnNjO0cs8Utxwq_FiJPT7XqEkxn-aFgP2TzzLfs2ccze_rmDUNRJExBbxk1efcAYapJgLRrobDs_dm0D9CSXnoX5/s1600-h/2+McCain+ropeline+II.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248358651954590194" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnBcLlCnBo4w4eFgBeILSJBT1AyulvACN-jgJ4M0B4AvXYnNjO0cs8Utxwq_FiJPT7XqEkxn-aFgP2TzzLfs2ccze_rmDUNRJExBbxk1efcAYapJgLRrobDs_dm0D9CSXnoX5/s320/2+McCain+ropeline+II.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div><span style="font-size:78%;">More ropeline, this with some "ultra VIPs" who got their own little bullpen area. Someone told me they were like wives of state assemblymen or something. ... THAT warrants a personal meet-and-greet!?<br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4e7xKcRArJrWD-x2Rx2Ljm-BIRiKhA7R32cESH41NwS2dC_OdmZnHrf6L1frIOL4XtRfwQaVIr2SDPCtYeJ27L5y1FOip2OCkNszigo_IKKpU_a5-AIHnDI1Z07XQPyPd8kcS/s1600-h/1+McCain-Palin+ropeline.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248358586830033794" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4e7xKcRArJrWD-x2Rx2Ljm-BIRiKhA7R32cESH41NwS2dC_OdmZnHrf6L1frIOL4XtRfwQaVIr2SDPCtYeJ27L5y1FOip2OCkNszigo_IKKpU_a5-AIHnDI1Z07XQPyPd8kcS/s320/1+McCain-Palin+ropeline.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div><span style="font-size:78%;">Palin and McCain work their way down the runway and out of the arena, but not before shaking some more hands and inking some autographs. It wasn't until I'd taken my spot on the floor that I'd realized I hadn't brought a Sharpie with me. I didn't imagine I'd get close enough. But I'll know next time. And they will be back. After all, Wisconsin IS a swing state!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></div><div></div>ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-16438893398085752572008-09-06T08:07:00.004-06:002008-09-06T09:38:55.038-06:00Let the political games begin<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoH4bDKKo8TWmCJdyBzYo_FwhMB-6zb39nYFhGTVMRNXScyzJI82O5JOG7MRaMzUhQ1PiKBC8R2CKERM-_GAkJaG2W98lYxq8Byca2S6z_QoNHytR5F973waYIwxpH-KSlbWB3/s1600-h/Palin+in+Cedarburg+9-5-08.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242916121493214034" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoH4bDKKo8TWmCJdyBzYo_FwhMB-6zb39nYFhGTVMRNXScyzJI82O5JOG7MRaMzUhQ1PiKBC8R2CKERM-_GAkJaG2W98lYxq8Byca2S6z_QoNHytR5F973waYIwxpH-KSlbWB3/s320/Palin+in+Cedarburg+9-5-08.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin cheerfully advising a well-wisher Sept. 5 in Cedarburg, Wis., "If you touch me, this guy here will blow your head off."<br /></span><br />In the wake of the Democrats' and Republicans' national conventions, we have officially entered the final phase of Silly Season; the home stretch of the general election.<br /><br /><br />And silly it is!<br /><br /><br />John McCain deftly announced his VP pick the day after the Dem convention ended, sparing us from the media slobberfest that surely would've ensued. He even recorded an ad graciously congratulating Obama for his acceptance speech, which happened to fall on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "<a href="http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm">I have a dream</a>" speech. McCain's maneuver also thrust the nation's hottest ... ERRRR, most qualified governor, Alaska's <a href="http://www.adn.com/photos/sarah-palin/?gallery">Sarah Palin</a>, into the national spotlight.<br /><br /><br />The Dems responded by congratulating McCain on choosing a woman to get one step closer to the White House than the Dems' own semifinalist, Hillary Clinton. ... Oh wait, no they didn't. Actually, they lambasted and lampooned and have been every bit as dismissive and condescending as one would expect liberal elitists to be. Obama has intentionally mispronounced her small hometown of which she was mayor. Women have decried the choice for assuming that Hillary-backers would vote for her just because Hillary was out. Not to be left out of the liberal hatefest of Palin, Dr. Laura even chimed in about how Palin has no business running for office until her children are adults. So where are the feminists? They're calling leftist talk radio and echoing the National Organization for Women, which not only doesn't defend Palin for being a woman balancing a career and a family, but chastises her for being Pro Life.<br /><br />McCain wasn't my first choice for Republican president, and as far as my list of VP possibles, I didn't have Palin on top. *snicker* But she was on my list, right there with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. I felt both could be great candidates in '12 or '16 and could have benefited from more time in their respective states.<br />If McCain was going to choose a Religious Right conservative, then why not Mike Huckabee? He was a governor and is a pastor, garnered a fair amount of votes as the last Republican standing in the primaries, is a fine speaker and smooth debater, and he's funny. This is important because it makes him a frequent talk-show guest and makes him likable; important for a Republican these days.<br /><br />Anyway, they're not the cards I wanted, but it's what I've been dealt, so the whole game comes down to one futures bet; federal and Supreme Court judges. There are other issues, such as the war on terror, which I believe McCain would prosecute more adeptly than would Obama, but I'm hearing the next president could appoint three SC Justices, and those are appointments that could affect the next 30 years.<br /><br />Bring on <a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4580372320197265409&ei=HqPCSJ2rMJi0-QGtzcm5BQ&vt=lf&hl=en">the debates</a>!<br /><strong>Presidential</strong>:<br />Sept. 26 in Oxford, Miss.; foreign policy, nat'l security; Jim Lehrer moderating<br />Oct. 7 in Nashville, Tenn.; town-hall meeting; Tom Brokaw moderating<br />Oct. 15 in Hempstead, N.Y.; domestic, economic policy; Bob Schieffer moderating<br /><br /><strong>VP debate</strong>:<br />Oct. 2 in St. Louis; Gwen Ifill moderatingReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-48482708515959454052008-08-21T15:06:00.002-06:002008-08-21T16:35:39.283-06:00RIP Gene Upshaw (1945-2008)<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2a/Gene_Upshaw.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2a/Gene_Upshaw.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />No player in National Football League history had as much impact on both offense and defense as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Upshaw">Gene Upshaw</a>; on offense, as the Hall of Fame left guard for the powerful <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakland_Raiders">Oakland Raiders </a>of the 1970s ... then in defense, since 1983, of the best interests of the members of the NFL Players Association.<br /><br /><br />Upshaw died early Thursday morning at the age of 63. He succumbed to pancreatic cancer, which he reportedly didn't even know he had until Sunday. As someone who lost a grandfather to pancreatic cancer in 1993 and visited with him during the bed-ridden last two weeks of his life, I find it unfathomable that anyone could get to within days of death from this disease without knowing something was seriously amiss.<br /><br /><br />Anyway, Upshaw's legacy is mixed. Few will find any fault with his playing career - 11 Pro Bowls in 16 years - though former Broncos linebacker <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Jackson_(American_football)">Tom Jackson </a>came the closest to besmirching Upshaw when he eulogized that Upshaw "never got called for holding."<br /><br /><br /><br />But Upshaw's second career, as the players' union head, drew more criticism. In recent years, retired "old timers" had become distinctly more vocal about what they perceived as a lack of empathy from Upshaw in the struggle that many former players have had with medical bills and health care. Former Buffalo Bills guard <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_DeLamielleure">Joe DeLamielleure </a>may have been the loudest, alleging that Upshaw said he "doesn't represent former players."<br /><br /><br /><br />Upshaw's tenure endured other rough patches, particularly when the owners broke the union - decertified it - in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Football_League_Players%27_Association">1987</a>. The players had struck, canceling one week of the season, and ultimately worked without a collective bargaining agreement until 1989. (Makes one wonder what would've happened if the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usfl">USFL </a>had been able to hold out until this time and capitalize on its rival league's best players suddenly without teams.)<br /><br /><br /><br />But in the end, NFL players are making infinitely more money than they were in Upshaw's day. To Upshaw's credit, though, according to numerous testimonials given by a litany of former teammates - particularly on Sirius NFL Radio all day Thursday - always stressed benefits over salary.<br /><br /><br /><br />Upshaw tributes<br /><a href="http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10941789/rss">CBS Sportsline</a><br /><a href="http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80a2982c&template=with-video&confirm=true">NFL.com</a>ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-59853031660652489832008-08-19T13:36:00.004-06:002012-11-09T00:31:51.259-06:00Obama-lympicsListening to Barack Obama twist and contort around the straightforward questions put to him (parts <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsmAu1UbmPM">one</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p21j-4q_NzE">two</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s1G63zDhxU">three</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3kz5F_PayQ">four</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_Ks7fDSpDo">five</a>) at the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., last Saturday night by Pastor Rick Warren, I'm starting to think debate should be an Olympic sport.<br /><br />It certainly can't be any dumber than some of them that have been included.<br /><br />This is probably as good a time as any to define what is and isn't a sport. While this may sound like a deep intellectual exercise, I think I've developed a pretty good handle on it over the years, as someone who's covered a number of different sports and athletic endeavors.<br /><br />First, there is the differentiation between "athlete" and "sport." Cheerleading; absolutely they're athletes, but don't call it a sport ... Bowling; absolutely a sport, not exactly athletes.<br />The two camps are not mutually inclusive; not all cheerleaders are athletes, not all bowlers aren't.<br />Simply put, anything that REQUIRES a judge, every time the event is held, to let us know who won is NOT a sport. A sport is an event in which two or more contestants (or teams) vie for a common prize which only one can win. Further, a sport is something for which training (or simply practicing) can enhance one's performance. And I suppose the real difference between a "sport" and a "pastime" like <a href="http://www.stoneskipping.com/">stone-skipping </a>or <a href="http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117961028.html?categoryid=14&cs=1">rock-paper-scissors </a>is the widespread base of fans or competitors. Unfortunately that can include silly sports that adults should be embarrassed to compete in, but they're sports nonetheless.<br /><br />So, below is the list of this year's Olympic events being held in Beijing.<br /><br /><span ><strong>Aquatics</strong> - swimming events that require a judge are not sports, though these folks are outstanding athletes.<br /></span><span >-Diving</span><span > (8)<br /></span><span >-Swimming</span><span > (34)<br /></span><span >-Synchronized swimming</span><span > (2) - the Spanish ladies got in trouble for wanting to wear <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news?slug=reu-synchronised_swimminglights&prov=reuters&type=lgns">battery-powered flashing suits </a>... still want to argue that this is a sport?<br /></span><span >-Water polo</span><span > (2)<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Archery</strong></span><span > (4)<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Athletics</strong></span><span > (47) - track and field<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Badminton</strong></span><span > (5)<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Baseball</strong></span><span > (1) - sickens me to think this is going away in, I think, 2012<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Basketball</strong></span><span > (2)<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Boxing</strong></span><span > (11) - actually the trickiets one for me because it does involve judges, which has resulted in substantial screwing over the years (see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Jones_Jr">Roy Jones Jr</a>. in Seoul 1988), but the judging involves primarily the number of punches landed, which is virtually indisputable ... and the possibility of a knockout, as a normal course of the event, is always a very real possibility (if not a likelihood in amateur boxing)<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Canoeing</strong></span><span > (16) - if this is anything like the kayaking, based on navigating gates; no style points involved here<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Cycling</strong></span><span > (18)<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Equestrian</strong></span><span > (6)<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Fencing</strong></span><span > (10)<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Field hockey</strong></span><span > (2) - just as an aside, this sport strikes me as the hockey equivalent to ice fishing; can't wait for the lakes to thaw to fish, can't wait for them to freeze to play hockey ... a silly sport that men shouldn't play, but a sport nonetheless<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Football</strong></span><span > (2) - SOCCER!!!<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Gymnastics</strong></span><span > (18) - perhaps the most sensitive bunch related to this topic, it's important to draw this distinction; easily the best all-around athletes in the world, but don't tell me that an event predicated on how the participants wear their hair and uniform is a sport<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Handball</strong></span><span > (2)<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Judo</strong></span><span > (14) - similar to boxing, but without the likelihood of knockouts ... to me, they should take the pads off and go MMA-style<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Modern pentathlon</strong></span><span > (2) - running, equestrian, swimming, fencing, shooting<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Rowing</strong></span><span > (14)<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Sailing</strong></span><span > (11)<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Shooting</strong></span><span > (15)<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Softball</strong></span><span > (1)<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Table tennis</strong></span><span > (4) - certainly a sport, but a <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/tabletennis/news?slug=reu-tabletennisskirts_pix&prov=reuters&type=lgns">makeover </a>may not be a bad idea<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Taekwondo</strong></span><span > (8) - see Judo and Boxing<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Tennis</strong></span><span > (4)<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Triathlon</strong></span><span > (2)<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Volleyball</strong></span><span > (4)<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Weightlifting</strong></span><span > (15) - similar to boxing, judges exist solely to determine WHETHER a lift has been made, not HOW WELL it's been done<br /></span><span ></span><br /><span ><strong>Wrestling</strong></span><span > (18) - in pure athleticism, second only to gymnasts</span>ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-38433926406898494812008-08-11T21:05:00.004-06:002012-11-09T00:57:09.509-06:00Hats off to Aaron Rodgers in debut<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2kmXYhJX6IC09gk9mf0JhdOVujb3F_tMqUP2LPAgoukBwExMgmwZAgPqvjicFPQ5nf80U2w8IBwnuD3APm77QPZSC2tgk2s_-Wt72YKP-Sj8L52f0reeZYdMIxTBJ8P2YX-u/s1600-h/0811+Jones+no+hat.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233482431736356626" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2kmXYhJX6IC09gk9mf0JhdOVujb3F_tMqUP2LPAgoukBwExMgmwZAgPqvjicFPQ5nf80U2w8IBwnuD3APm77QPZSC2tgk2s_-Wt72YKP-Sj8L52f0reeZYdMIxTBJ8P2YX-u/s320/0811+Jones+no+hat.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />
<div></div><div><span style="font-size:78%;">Green Bay's James Jones loses his helmet on a 30-yard touchdown reception against Cincinnati safety Marvin White in the first half Monday in Green Bay. </span></div><div></div><br />
<div>It's a good thing I didn't play the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/sports/maddennfl09/show_msgs.php?topic_id=m-1-44377132&pid=945504">Brett Favre Drinking Game</a>, or I wouldn't have made it out of the first quarter.</div><br />
<div>If I'd taken a shot every time <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Tirico">Mike Tirico</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Kornheiser">Tony Kornheiser </a>and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Jaworski">Ron Jaworski </a>uttered <a href="http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/F/FavrBr00.htm">Favre</a>'s name, it wouldn't have been long before I would've been tanked like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKD_o4gbcSE">George Jones </a>on an international flight.</div><br />
<div>The <a href="http://packers.com/">Packers </a>opened their preseason with a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monday_night_football">Monday Night Football </a>date at home against the <a href="http://www.bengals.com/">Cincinnati Bengals</a>. It was the first time since 1993 that someone other than Favre took the opening snap, as <a href="http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/RodgAa00.htm">Aaron Rodgers </a>shed the red jersey for some live action.</div><br />
<div>All in all, he looked pretty good. He went <a href="http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter?game_id=29799&displayPage=tab_gamecenter&season=2008&week=PRE1">9-of-15 for 117 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT</a>; at least one of those incompletions was a bobble by <a href="http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DrivDo00.htm">Donald Driver </a>that should've been caught (and, failing that, probably should've been picked), and the INT was not Rodgers' fault, as it was bobbled into the air by <a href="http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/F/FranCh00.htm">Chris Francies</a>. So while it counts in the stat book, it's irrelevant in terms of Rodgers' development.</div><br />
<div>Most importantly, Rodgers displayed much of the elusiveness and discipline - such as throwing the ball away rather than forcing something - that he showed flashes of <a href="http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200711290dal.htm">at Dallas </a>last November.</div><br />
<div>I'm not worried about Rodgers - my primary concern for him is regarding his health - I was more curious to see <a href="http://louisville.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=658&tid=114780720&mid=114780720&sid=923&style=2">Brian Brohm </a>and Matt Flynn.</div><br />
<div>If Brohm's stomach was churning with his first NFL action ... well, then he played like he felt (8-17, INT). He looked lost the whole time he was out there. His INT came on a play where he locked onto his receiver, though the receiver did get hit from behind. It's Brohm's first NFL action, and <a href="http://uoflsports.cstv.com/facilities/lou-facilities-papajohns-cardinal-stadium.html">Papa John's Cardinal Stadium </a>only held about 42,000 fans, so I'll cut him some slack.</div><br />
<div>But Flynn, on the other hand, was impressive. The former <a href="http://www.mattflynnonline.org/">LSU QB </a>appeared decisive, finishing 12-of-21 and guiding the Packers to a late touchdown to pull the team to within 20-17. (Kregg Lumpkin may have played his way off the roster, as the backup RB fumbled in Packer territory while Flynn was driving the team toward a potential game-tying FG.)</div><br />
<div>The best moment of the game came during Rodgers' stint, when he hit <a href="http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/J/JoneJa04.htm">James Jones </a>at the 15 on a 30-yard TD; Jones took a wicked hit and lost his helmet. I believe it was the first Lambeau Leap by a hatless player.</div><br />
<div></div><br />
<div>Regarding the Favre saga, Tirico had the observation of the night; that the Packers' front office made a move toward getting its team back.</div><br />
<div>How true that is, and I would argue that it's taken until now for the team to recover from the <a href="http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/RhodRa00.htm">Ray Rhodes </a>era (OK, year).</div><br />
<div><a href="http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/1999.htm">1999 </a>was the team's first season after the departure of <a href="http://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/HolmMi0.htm">Mike Holmgren</a>. Rhodes was renowned as a "players coach," which in his case meant hands-off and letting them run the asylum. This was the beginning of Favre's presumed "ownership" of the team, I believe.</div><br />
<div>After Rhodes was fired and <a href="http://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/SherMi0.htm">Mike Sherman </a>hired in his place, then subsequently made GM by the departing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Wolf">Ron Wolf</a>, it makes perfect sense to me that Sherman would've had too much on his plate to interfere with Favre's leadership role.</div><br />
<div>So when <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Thompson">Ted Thompson </a>took over as GM in 2005, his personality wouldn't allow for a player to hold as much sway over a team as Favre's did. It was evident through episodes such as Favre's tantrum regarding Thompson's refusal/failure to bring in <a href="http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MossRa00.htm">Randy Moss </a>in 2007, and his no-nonsense approach to handling Favre's retirement this year, that Thompson felt it would be HIS team, or at least NOT a player's team.</div><br />
<div>So far, Thompson has made some fine draft picks and the team - the youngest in the league - appears loaded for ... err, "bear" for some time to come.</div><br />
<div></div><br />
<div>Bring on the season!</div><br />
<div></div>ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-27329879656150441882008-08-10T15:59:00.003-06:002008-09-21T01:21:11.040-06:00Scorpions rock Ft. McCoy<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzLi4PxQndTOZ74ytdk5SGr4QcZj3vzxF0LFY1r-duv9WZ_-Qi9dO0qmFogdURMUOIea4vhOPN5pqzv9T79W3ofjYePNjcfQeAURDjXSIOrWFcV1eDfsI-d-qXGBXwe5gLJCx/s1600-h/Scorps+do+Countdown.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248370595953748402" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzLi4PxQndTOZ74ytdk5SGr4QcZj3vzxF0LFY1r-duv9WZ_-Qi9dO0qmFogdURMUOIea4vhOPN5pqzv9T79W3ofjYePNjcfQeAURDjXSIOrWFcV1eDfsI-d-qXGBXwe5gLJCx/s320/Scorps+do+Countdown.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Scorpions line up for my picture during 'Countdown'. From left are ... Polish guy whose name I'll never be able to remember or pronounce, Rudolf Schenker, Matthias Jabs and Klaus Meine.<br /></span><br />Another half-decade, another <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpions_(band)">Scorpions </a>concert down.<br />After traveling to Green Bay to see these German 'ambassadors of rock' in 2004 - I first saw them April 7, 1991 at the Brown County Arena - a couple of buddies and I journeyed to Fort McCoy, just outside of Sparta, for the Scorps' 2008 visit, which was in support of their <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanity_Hour_1">Humanity: Hour 1 </a>album released last year.<br />I even came away with a guitar pick from the Wisconsin-native guitarist (didn't catch his name) for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Cooper">Alice Cooper</a>, who preceded the Scorpions (and followed opening act <a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=6729345">Hip Kitty</a>). So I'll probably find some small cheapy frame for my ticket stub and guitar pick (which has Alice's picture on it).<br /><br />We were front and center, about five rows back from the barrier, drained a few pitchers, saw a few fights break out around us ... all in all, a pretty good time.<br />Alice Cooper came out on stage in his trademark bloodstained tailed tuxedo with a cane he promptly tossed into the crowd a few feet from us. One my buddies was one of about five guys to get at least one hand on it. He got a good solid grip on it and gave it a good rip ... and got only the small plastic cap off the end of it while the rest of it disappeared into the humanity. Oh well, it's a piece of Alice Cooper memorabilia of which few of us can boast.<br />The guitar pick came flying toward me and bounced around a few sets of hands before dropping toward the ground. I looked down and glimpsed it in the bottom of a folded chair we'd brought, shot for it and gripped the heck out of it. I'd seen what those animals did to people who left drumsticks and other bulky items unguarded; no one was getting my pick.<br /><br />The Scorpions always have been a bit of an escapist, guilty pleasure for me. While I consider myself a big fan, I'll be the first to admit they're about as paint-by-numbers as a major act can be; their performances playing out like some sort of Rock & Roll High School project and their lyrics conveying all the originality of a sophomore lyric-writing assignment in the English-as-a-second-language department.<br />So one needs to be willing to suspend some disbelief to be a Scorpions fan. But a fan I am, and rock they did. Even got to snap some pictures with my new camera phone (which I would post here if I could figure out how to send them to myself).ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14605692.post-59858970850085707952008-08-09T08:29:00.002-06:002008-08-09T08:46:28.330-06:00RIP, Bernie Mac (1957-2008)<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Mac">Bernie Mac </a>is dead at the age of 50.<br />The former standup comedian and more recent star of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Mac_Show">'The Bernie Mac Show' </a>and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._3000">'Mr. 3000' </a>apparently died of complications from pneumonia.<br />I liked Bernie a lot. His standup was sufficiently filthy, and he seemed to have rounded himself into a more complete actor with some of his work, which included the 'Ocean's Eleven' franchise. My affection for 'Mr. 3000' comes from the fact that he played a Milwaukee Brewer, and that much of the movie was filmed in Milwaukee.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Actor and comedian Bernie Mac dies at age 50<br /></strong>By F.N. D'ALESSIO Associated Press Writer<br /><a class="ap-smallphoto-a" href="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/photos/E/efda05ed-4cb9-4827-a932-b61aba19a4a1.html?SITE=WIMIL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT"></a>CHICAGO (AP) -- Bernie Mac, the actor and comedian who teamed up in the casino heist caper "Ocean's Eleven" and gained a prestigious Peabody Award for his sitcom "The Bernie Mac Show," died Saturday at age 50.<br />"Actor/comedian Bernie Mac passed away this morning from complications due to pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital," his publicist, Danica Smith, said in a statement from Los Angeles.<br />She said no other details were available and asked that his family's privacy be respected.<br />The comedian suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs, but had said the condition went into remission in 2005. He recently was hospitalized and treated for pneumonia, which his publicist said was not related to the disease.<br />Recently, Mac's brand of comedy caught him flack when he was heckled during a surprise appearance at a July fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate and fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama.<br />Toward the end of a 10-minute standup routine, Mac joked about menopause, sexual infidelity and promiscuity, and used occasional crude language. The performance earned him a rebuke from Obama's campaign.<br />But despite controversy or difficulties, in his words, Mac was always a performer.<br />"Wherever I am, I have to play," he said in 2002. "I have to put on a good show."<br />Mac worked his way to Hollywood success from an impoverished upbringing on Chicago's South Side. He began doing standup as a child, and his film career started with a small role as a club doorman in the Damon Wayans comedy "Mo' Money" in 1992. In 1996, he appeared in the Spike Lee drama "Get on the Bus."<br />He was one of "The Original Kings of Comedy" in the 2000 documentary of that title that brought a new generation of black standup comedy stars to a wider audience.<br />Mac went on to star in the hugely popular "Ocean's Eleven" franchise with Brad Pitt and George Clooney.<br />His turn with Ashton Kutcher in 2005's "Guess Who" topped the box office. It was a comedy remake of the classic Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn drama "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" - with Mac as the black dad who's shocked that his daughter is marrying a white man.<br />Mac also had starring roles in "Bad Santa," "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and "Transformers."<br />In the late 1990s, he had a recurring role in "Moesha," the UPN network comedy starring pop star Brandy.<br />The comedian drew critical and popular acclaim with his Fox television series "The Bernie Mac Show," which aired more than 100 episodes from 2001 to 2006.<br />The series about a man's adventures raising his sister's three children, won a Peabody Award in 2002. At the time, judges wrote they chose the sitcom for transcending "race and class while lifting viewers with laughter, compassion - and cool."<br />The show garnered Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for Mac.<br />"But television handcuffs you, man," he said in a 2001 Associated Press interview. "Now everyone telling me what I CAN'T do, what I CAN say, what I SHOULD do, and asking, `Are blacks gonna be mad at you? Are whites gonna accept you?'"<br />He also was nominated for a Grammy award for best comedy album in 2001 along with his "The Original Kings of Comedy" co-stars, Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Cedric The Entertainer.<br />In 2007, Mac told David Letterman on CBS' "Late Show" that he planned to retire soon.<br />"I'm going to still do my producing, my films, but I want to enjoy my life a little bit," Mac told Letterman. "I missed a lot of things, you know. I was a street performer for two years. I went into clubs in 1977."<br />Mac was born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough on Oct. 5, 1957, in Chicago. He grew up on the city's South Side, living with his mother and grandparents. His grandfather was the deacon of a Baptist church.<br />In his 2004 memoir, "Maybe You Never Cry Again," Mac wrote about having a poor childhood - eating bologna for dinner - and a strict, no-nonsense upbringing.<br />"I came from a place where there wasn't a lot of joy," Mac told the AP in 2001. "I decided to try to make other people laugh when there wasn't a lot of things to laugh about."<br />Mac's mother died of cancer when he was 16. In his book, Mac said she was a support for him and told him he would surprise everyone when he grew up.<br />"Woman believed in me," he wrote. "She believed in me long before I believed."ReaganKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16660403669301502099noreply@blogger.com0