Battlestar Galactica ...

Battlestar Galactica ...

I resisted Battlestar Galactica (Mark 2) until this weekend. The weather was crappy - as in snowing - so I went to the library to get some movies because I knew that I would be staying in. The selection was thin, given that I am not the only person to use the library as a free version of Netflix. But, there was the Battlestar Galactica miniseries on DVD. I had time. I checked it out.

Crap.

It's good.

I was the exact right age for the original series when it came out and watched every episode; yes, even the 1980 season on Earth. However, I was more of a Buck Rogers fan if forced to choose. That being said, I was sad when it was cancelled and perplexed as to why anyone would want to remake it. It's not like Star Trek where they could jump forward a few decades and exist in the same story. Battlestar Galactica got hosed by the 1980 season on Earth. If a new Battlestar Galactica was to be done, it could not just pick up the storyline a generation later or something. It also had to do some things to differentiate itself from its predecessor. We are fortunate that it is easy to like both the original and the modern version.

I know that some remakes or re-imagings can be good. I didn't expect this to be one of them. Not having cable made it easy to ignore. But now, due to the wonders of DVD's being readily available for entire seasons I can take the next year or two and catch up ...

Too bad we don't have a soccer specific stadium in Seattle ...

Too bad we don't have a soccer specific stadium in Seattle ...

This summer marks the end of the sixth year in which Qwest Field has been open for business ...

In those six years we have seen a huge crowd for the opening event ... a Seattle Sounders soccer game ...

In those six years we have seen a US Men's National Team friendly against Venezuela ...

In those six years we have seen a USL-1 team play home games, playoff games, a championship game, Open Cup games against MLS teams, MLS exhibitions, and internationals against teams from Mexico and the United Kingdom ...

In those six years we have seen the stadium sell out in a few hours for Manchester United to play Celtic ...

In those six years we have seen the stadium sell out for Real Madrid against DC United ...

In those six years we have seen a game with a good crowd for a match between Chelsea and Celtic ...

In those six years we have seen a huge crowd turn out for a friendly between Mexico and China ...

In those six years we have seen the CONCACAF Gold Cup play two double headers in the Group Phase ...

In those six years we have seen a MLS franchise be awarded to play in the facility ...

And from what we read on the internets ... Brazil will be making a stop here shortly ...

Now if only we had a Soccer Specific Stadium in Seattle, maybe this soccer thing might do a little better ...

6 months, 2 years, 5 years, 10 years ...

6 months, 2 years, 5 years, 10 years ...

The biggest question facing the City of Seattle as it battles the NBA over the Seattle Supersonics possible relocation to Oklahoma City is not whether we will have a team in 6 months or in 2 years ... but whether we will have a team in 5 years or in 10 years ...

It is very important to not lose sight of the big picture and win a battle but lose the war ...

David Stern is a stubborn @$$ ... if he gets mad enough he is likely stubborn enough to prevent a new team in Seattle for as long as he rules the roost ...

So ... whatever the outcome of the lease trial, the fan lawsuit, or the breach of contract suit ... the bottom line is that all outcomes must lead to and fascilitate a team to be here 5 or 10 years from now, not simply the next season or two ...

I simply cannot believe that the NBA is willing to risk the outcome of these trials ... the precedents that would be set by the lease win, the Schultz suit, or the fan suit have very severe repercussions for the NBA and other sports leagues ... it really is in the best interest of the NBA to get this settled ... and by settled I mean to find a way to have a Seattle Supersonics playing in Seattle for the long term ...

If it is necessary to take a cash settlement in order to secure a franchise ... even a franchise after a few years of not having a team ... that would be worth it ...

Left Behind

Left Behind

You know ... I had hoped to like this book ... and I almost do ...

For years I have seen this series of books on the shelves and thought about reading them. What I tend to do is read the first book of a series ... not the first 100 pages, but the entire first book ...

I am a huge fan of dystopian or post-apocalyptic literature and film. Not having at least sampled the Left Behind Series seemed silly. Now I have. It is possible that I could read more of the books, but I doubt it will happen soon.

Bear in mind that I do not agree with the particular biblical viewpoint the book espouses ... but that is not what I found lacking ... the writing and dialogue were simply not that good ... the plot and story and characters were potentially interesting, but were too obvious in their roles ... it felt sort of dumbed down when it had the opportunity to be so much more ... as to the controversy that the book is anti everything, I just don't see how that is an issue ... These books are written from a perspective that is trying to use literary forms to flesh out what Revelations might look like were it to come to pass as interpreted by the writers ... it would be really hard for them to then include everyone else's interpretation into their fictional world ... and the word fictional is the key ... Much like the accusations against Dan Brown I do not see the need to vilify the Left Behind writers for taking a particular interpretation of The Bible and flushing out what that might mean as fiction ...

I just thought it would be a little less obvious in its narrative and let the story tell itself ...

Turning down Indiana ...

Turning down Indiana ...

Tony Bennett admitted he spoke to and declined to pursue the head coaching position at Indiana ... he has also not taken the jobs at Marquette, OSU, or LSU and has indicated that he would not change to a job within the conference ... some people are shocked ...

I don't know Tony Bennett. But, as someone who did coach at Wazzu I can tell you that depsite all of the negatives people throw out as examples, it is a good place to live and coach. So, Tony, I cannot speak for you but I think I understand.

Plus, Wazzu returns the starting point guard and center of a Sweet 16 team, along with three obvious starting replacements for the departing senior starters and some young players and new recruits with promise. In a conference that is not only losing seniors but is in fact losing virtually every NBA prospect underclassmen it is possible that the Cougs might not find themselves slipping the way pundits would want to believe.

Is Stanford going to be nearly as good with a coaching change and the loss of the twins?

Only a handful of the All Pac-10 Team (15 players honored) are coming back. The conference will not be nearly as strong as it was this year. On one level that is lame, but with everyone rebuilding, the Cougs bring back starters at two key positions that having veterans at is an advantage.

Good luck Tony, and thanks for sticking around for a while.

FRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For the better part of two years I went to most Sunday nights at The Hen and danced my @$$ off to The Davanos ... I miss that ...

Fred ... you are so the man ...

Mexico vs. China / 4.16.08 / Qwest Field

Mexico 1
China 0
4.16.08
Seattle, WA
Qwest Field

While walking to the M's game the night prior to Mexico vs. China I noted that some bars already had their soccer signs up and that the North Lot of Qwest Field had a giant inflatable Mexico jersey already up and inflated.

While walking back to the bus after the same evening I noticed three Mexican fans all dressed up for a game that was not to happen for 24 hours standing outside the gate like the game was supposed to be that night. They appeared a bit confused disappointed that they were there on the wrong night.

But, I got to hang out in a Qwest Field suite again and stay warm and dry watching the Arch Rival play the Evil Commies ... Who do you root for ??? I just saw the Dalai Lama at the same venue a few days earlier so I can't possibly root for China ... and rooting for Mexico to win would be like rooting for the Timbers; they even wear green ...

As Jorge and I walked around prior to kickoff and enjoyed the Futball Fiesta and then took a little tour of the stadium it was funny to watch the scalpers try and work with the Mexican supporters ... I am so sick of those guys being out front of every venue and every event that the frustration they were clearly feeling was kind of humorous to me ...

As far as the game itself went on Wednesday night ... well ... you know those US games like in 03 when Venezuela came to the stadium and Bruce had Edson Buddle and Kyle Martino on the roster??? The game was sort of disjointed but the opponent was not really strong enough to capitalize on the lack of 11 starters and the dispruptions caused by 5 substitutions??? That sort of sums it up ...

Mexico came out blazing the first ten minutes and showed that the Chinese goalie and defense were in way over their heads ... a ball cleared off the line by a defender saving his reckless goalie ... the offsides flag negating an early goal ... finally Mexico scored in around the 19th minute, the place erupted, and the Chinese settled into an offside trap defense and occassional counter for the rest of the game ... it started to look like Mexico would make a mistake on the defensive end resulting in an embarrassing tie, but that did not happen ... the whistling late in the game towards their own team showed a certain amount of displeasure with beating China 1-0 ...

The crowd was fun and loud and it was as much a party as a game ...

Brazil next at Qwest??? Oh, please yes ...

Free Movie Night ...

Free Movie Night

Free tickets rock. It does not matter if those free tickets are to a play, a movie, a concert, or a ball game; free tickets simply rock. Given the state of my budget, they are actually essential, but that is a story for another time.

So, when I recently got free tickets to see "Under the Same Moon" or "La Misma Luna" I felt compelled to go and enjoy a movie I likely would not have plunked down money I do not have to go and see.

It is odd to find ones self in a distinctive demographic minority. The film is a Spanish language film about a separated mother and son and the US / Mexico border. This was not a dubbed version to appease an English speaking audience, but a Spanish film with subtitles. One must read quickly. And, it is also clear that despite the subtitles many of the jokes and situations do not translate literally or require a specific frame of reference to get on certain levels. A number of times I found myself wondering exactly what the audience was chuckling at. So be it.

This is a good film, not a great film. It is fairly predictable in that the boy faces virtually every possible immigration pitfall in a matter of days. It's a movie, I get it. What it does have is very good performances throughout the cast. It also has the "how do we put a hot band into the movie and make it fit into the story ...?" moment where suddenly .... (spoiler alert - I'll stop here) ...

I don't my friends that it was like a big budget Lifetime movie in Spanish, only better than that ... which probably wasn't fair, but does describe it. Yesterday I saw that it was playing at an art house in the U District. I hope it does well. It actually would be worth paying to see.

Oh, and when the radio station promoting the free showing hands out raffle #s and you are one number off ... that really bites ...

That was one long, cold game ...

Seattle Mariners 11
Kansas City Royals 6

I haven't been that cold at a game since Apple Cup 1998 in Pullman.

It was freezing. 72 hours earlier I was at Qwest Field sweltering and listening to the Dalai Lama. Tuesday evening I was feeling a breeze off the water on a night that felt like it might have reached 38 degrees. There are moments where the Kingdome is missed ... and then you realize how awful that thing was for baseball and the moment passes ... because you look around and see a ball hit to the gap in left center and watch it hit the grass and you become glad that you might have been wrong in 1995 ... which is another story entirely ...

It is well worth it to take a bus in from Northgate, plunk down a whopping eight bucks to get in the ballpark, splurge another buck for a scorecard, and then find a good spot on the rail about the M's bullpen to keep score and watch a game ...

As the game progresses and it becomes clear that you actually know how to score a game a number of things happen. First, people sort of glance at the card. Second, people come over and try and read the card over your shoulder. Third, people flat out ask you about game details.

Bear in mind that if you are going to keep score like I did, that you must be thorough and consistent, else the wheels fall off and you look silly when people ask because you don't know how many strike outs someone has. Trust me on this.

Game notes:

Attendance listed as 17K+ ... no #@(%ing way were there 17 thousand people in the stadium. It looked like a Tuesday crowd from 1987 ...

I didn't realize that grounding into a fielder's choice granted the batter an RBI ...

Lopez had one of those games where he kept flying out, but because Ichiro kept finding himself on third it appears he had a great night at the plate due to the RBIs ...

Richie Sexson's night can be viewed two completely different ways depending on how you use the stats ... he was either 0 for 3 with two strike outs and in need of being benched .... OR, he had an OBP of .400 because he walked twice and came around to score and salvaged his night with patience at the plate when it counted ...

The "Countdown to Cooperstown" display with the number of days until Dave Niehaus' HOF induction is very classy and cool ...

Several players wore "42" in honor of Jackie Robinson; Beltre, Rhodes, Batista, etc ... and there was a large 42 above 2nd base ... very nice and tastefully done ...

Speaking of which, it was nice to see Arther Rhodes pitch in an M's uni at Safeco Field again ...

0 home runs in a game with 17 runs scored makes for a lot of rallies, pitching changes, long innings, and a 3 1/2+ hour game ... when it is cold like last night, that is a long time ... a few years ago I went to a game that lasted 2 hours and 4 minutes ... we weren't through 5 at that point last night ...

The sound of the pitcher warming up with the snapping sound from the catcher is very cool ...

drunk idiots are drunk idiots in any city or ballpark ... heckling the other bullpen does not "get into his head" ...

Hideo Nomo needs to retire ... who knew he was even still in the majors? I had to look it up, he had not pitched in MLB since pitching for Tampa Bay in 2005 ...

Dear New Sonics Ownership Group (part 6)

It turns out you're stupid too.

Dear Clay Clay ...

Maybe you haven't won after all.

How are all of those legal bills coming along?

Let's see ... the City of Seattle is suing you and you will have that trial expense to pay for in June ... a fan group is suing you over false and misleading advertizing so someone has to be working on that case too ... if the NBA does vote to allow relocation you will likely be fighting another suit and injunction to hold off on the actual move pending the outcome of the above mentioned suits ... and it turns out Howard Schultz gives a damn about his PR image enough to sue you for breach ...

Granted, Howard's suit is a heck of a long shot, but it is ingenius in that he is apparently not seeking moentary damages specifically, but only the return of the team ... might not work, but the billable hours ought to be piling up on that one in a hurry too ... and I bet he can afford some pretty good lawyers himself ...

This is what happens when you are stupid.

It is bad enough that you lied to everyone. However, you made the mistake of leaving a trail. Emails can be retrieved and are pretty much like writing things on paper in the sense that they are a "paper trail" ...

Oh, and I know Emperor Stern still says publicly that he supports you, but how excited can the most arrogant man in professional sports be about looking like a sucker? Don't call someone your inspiration in one email when you are lying to them. Women don't like that. David Stern does not like that.

You'd be better off selling the team and using that money to get a different one.

Those billable hours have got to be adding up.

Shout Outs to Retiring History Profs at Wazzu ...

Shout Outs to Retiring History Profs at Wazzu ...

According to the card I received there are several history professors retiring from Wazzu this Spring. I will not be able to make the gala the card grants me an invitation to. But, having had a fair amount of contact with two of the professors on the list I would like to take a moment and give them a warm Shotgun Prose shout out ...

Professor Coon, I enjoyed your class on Revolutionary War America very much. You were clearly fond of your subject and made the class very interesting. The time you functioned as an emergency advisor was likely inconvenient, but you handled it with patience. Also, it was in your class that I learned of my nomination into Phi Alpha Theta. Congratulations, thank you and good luck.

Professor Ashby, your classes were worth attending even if not enrolled in the course. You have won a number of awards for your instruction and legend has it that you blew out the power in Todd Hall with all of the multi-media you used in the days before the term multi-media was actually coined. Did that really happen? You also served as an emergency advisor one semester. Your use of a "Think Piece" as opposed to a "Term Paper" is worth copying into my own social studies classes. Congratulations, thank you and good luck.

I did not have classes with the other professors listed, but I wish them the best as well. History at Wazzu will just not be the same without all of you ...

Suzie

Back in high school I worked my junior year and summer at Jack in the Box ... (which feels like admitting I liked Duran Duran) ...

In an effort to make the best of the learning experience that is one's first real job with FICA taxes I did little things to keep my sanity ...

For instance ... I would utilize all of the huge and obscure words the CP and AP teachers would make us learn in English ... whenever I could I would drop a word into conversations that would make people wonder if I was making it up ... at 1:47AM on a Sunday morning when you are making a Bacon Cheeseburger for a schoolmate that is out having a good time, one does what one can to keep one's sanity short of spitting on a burger ... and sometimes we would go swimming after work at a local lake ... or I would golf before Ballinger opened and pay on my way out ...

Anyways ... I decided I had enough of that at the end of the Summer and took a job bagging groceries for my senior year ... in the world of high school jobs that was a serious step up ...

Before I could go, the burger flipping coworkers were kind enough to throw me a little party and one of the coworkers was nice enough to get me the dictionary ... I remember that Suzie could match me on vocab and it was fun to work with her ... there was a time circa 93ish that I recall running into her on a bus downtown ...

And, last Friday when I hosted SCRABBLE NIGHT I needed to place some sort of a dictionary out for disputes of obscure two and three letter words ... without the ability to have scrabble dot com available I decided that the best thing to do was to utilize the dictionary I still have that was given to me by Suzie ...

Whatever happened to Suzie???

Things I've Learned ...

Things I've Learned ...

Back in February I took a glance at this book at a local chain bookstore. I set it down and noted it on the list of books I would check out from the library. A moment later I was browsing still when someone came up very close to me and stood next to me, I presumed because there was an interesting book there. It took me a moment to realize that this person and I knew each other and that she was trying to get my attention. I was very glad that I was not still flipping through this book at that moment.

Other than that, I really have nothing to add to what is written in the book. Humor from pain can be cathartic. I suppose if asked to I would have had my own stories to tell, but not here and not now ...

Dalai Lama / 4-12-08 / Qwest Field

Dalai Lama / 4-12-08 / Qwest Field

Seeds of Compassion

Sounders Pre-season ...

Sounders Pre-season ...


I was originally planning on not blogging the Hispanic All Star game ... but I jotted down some notes, emailed them to GS-1, and they got posted ... so I decided to put one post together of the notes from the two Seattle Sounders preseason games I attended.

Seattle Sounders 4
Hispanic All Stars 2
Comcast Cup 2008 - March 30, 2008
Pop Keeney Stadium - Bothell, WA

Notes:
Seattle scored 8 minutes in on a a nice goal ... but the 2 starters and 9 subs/trialists gave up a goal a minute later ... nice crack on that HAS goal, but the D left him alone with the ball too long ...

Seattle got one back a while later and should have had a first half third goal but CT tapped a PK softly enough for me to save it from the stands ...

Seattle got a couple other 2nd half goals and the Seattle GK (turned out to be Dragavon) slipped on his @$$ and had a ball simply bounce over his head in the 85th minute ...

Spoke with Puerto Rican International Graham Taylor in line for the Men's Room (weird I know, but I had a serious Q about the whole PR thing and he was gracious enough to answer it) and it turns out he may not be allowed to play for PR in the future due to a protest and the weirdness that is FIFA eligibility ... I still hope he is announced as "Puerto Rican International Graham Taylor" from now on though ...

Hugo showed me something I had never seen from him in Portland and Seattle; he was clearly the best player on the field and controlled the game. Often, I have thought of him as a player that sort of floats in and out and picks his spots, but he was clearly in charge of the field. I liked that.

Oh, and the food was great ... sort of like at the Rose Bowl in 01 when I saw the Galaxy and Earthquakes and ate from the Hispanic concessions ... the roasted corn was nummy ...

http://seattlepitch.tripod.com/matches/2008/mar30.html

Oh, and it was funny to have to hear Mitch do a Comcast Cup promo for the On Demand service after this game.

-----


Seattle Sounders 4
Seattle University Redhawks 2
April 6, 2008
Everett, WA - Goddard Stadium

Notes:

Starting lineup had the look of "Oh crap, the bosses are here, we better play some starters …" (Roth and Hanauer were sitting near me with Henderson)

When Le Toux was on the field for about 35 minutes in the 2nd half, they were a different team, when he left the field SU scored its second goal ...

When Jackson came on in the 2nd half, Puerto Rican International (and he should be introduced that way from now on but was not on this night) Taylor Graham and Jackson clearly were in control of the D and with Merl and Scott on the field were very, solid … it took changing that lineup and the Le Toux exit to allow SU to score #2 ...

When the ref announced 4 minutes of 2nd half stoppage, I have never seen Schmetzer as openly demonstrative about a referee decision; his entire body convulsed in frustration … there should be no stoppage in a game like that …

Doesn't it seem statistically improbable to have two Kenji's on different pro teams in Seattle?

Memo to SU players … when you are hoping to impress the MLS guys in attendance, fouling is a bad idea, play hard, but play smarter than that … and don't kick the ball away like a U12 player when you are angry about getting a red card ...

Blues in the School

Blues in the School

Recently my kids were involved in an after school music program called Blues in the School. For 3 to 4 weeks they were rehearsing daily with professional musicians from what would have to be considered R&B or Classic Rock. They were excited and it sounded like they were having fun.

I wasn't exactly sure what was happening, although their mom gave me a bit of a rundown on it. Sounded good.

So, I went to the assembly where the performance or finale of the project would be the kids involved singing all these songs to their school ...

I get there and there they were lined up with mics facing the toughest audience they will ever face ... their peers ... their entire school and teachers and parents ...

They nailed it ... a live rock band of pros behind them and lined up across the stage they came out and won over that tough audience with the first song.

Thank you, Blues in the School.

http://www.bluesintheschools.org

The NBA Playoffs ... A story to watch ...

In my lifetime only two players have achieved the hoops championship triple … NCAA title ...NBA title … Olympic Gold Medal …

Yes … we are in a different era with players skipping college and pros in the Olympics … but bear me out … think of all of the great players over the past few decades and only two of them have achieved this and two more have an opportunity to join them in 2008:

Grant Hill - Duke - Atlanta 1996 - PHX 08?

Ray Allen - UConn - Sydney 2000 - BOS 08?

Hill and Allen have the opportunity this year to join … Magic and MJ … Bear in mind that Magic only got his because of the 92 Dream Team while MJ got his with 2 golds; even though the 84 team didn’t have to face the Soviets …

Think of all the guys that came close … agonizingly close … over the past 30 years ... Ewing, Hakeem, Drexler, Bird, Laettner, Sam Perkins ...

How is this not a story?

On a related note only 6 women have achieved the same triple in the WNBA's dozen or so years and the Seattle Storm have three of them this year.

Leave the Olympics alone ...

Leave the Olympics alone ...

I can understand the desire to protest against the China over Tibet. I agree with the notion of a free Tibet. The Chinese government is oppressive. It is clear that the upcoming 2008 Olympics and current torch run are opportune times to draw attention to causes ...

The key word is opportunistic.

I am tired of opportunism.

Leave the Olympics alone ...

In 2002 I watched the Salt Lake City opening ceremonies and President Bush sitting with the athletes. The past several Olympics have had that same opportunity to be about the games. It seemed like the over-politicizing of the games had finally passed.

It is clear that we are not learning the lessons of the past boycotts ... that the boycotts do little to bring about change and only serve to taint the accomplishment of the athletes. A cloud follows around the winners. The games are about everyone getting together in spite of differences. Yes, the Olympics are commercialized and can be used for propaganda, but that doesn't make it right. We have five days of the right time and place to go over this in Seattle this month with the Seeds of Compassion. That is where the energy should be directed. Stopping a torch does nothing but make me wish people would think about the context in which they are choosing to protest.

So, leave the politics to the political arena and stop calling for boycotts of opening ceremonies ... Mr. President, I am not a fan of your tendency to go it alone ... but this is one time where I hope you do. Resist the urge and pressure to turn anything about the Olympics into something other than being about the athletes. Tell the world that the Olympics don't need this and that it is just about sport.

I have absolute sympathy for the Tibetan people. This weekend I will have the opportunity to hear the Dalai Lama speak in person. And, yes I know that protests are legal and whatnot. Trust, I am not calling for censorship or arrests. I am simply calling for context and timing. Any bold claims the Chinese government makes during the games can be analyzed, dissected, and countered at the appropriate time and in the appropriate context. If they are opportunistic, they should be called on it.

But, if I was an athlete and was being pressured to skip the opening ceremony ... I would tell people who I sympathize with one simple word. No. The athletes earned the right to enjoy the entire experience. The fact that the Olympics happen to be in Beijing should not keep someone from feeling guilty about the trip and experience. I feel the same about 2012 in London and 2010 in Vancouver.

I also do not intend to protest at the Mexico versus China soccer game here in Seattle next week. These games are supposed to be where we play and get together in spite of those differences.

Everyone, stop being so opportunistic ...

Let the athletes compete without the protests ... that includes the big parties at the beginning and end and the torch run around the world.

Let's keep politics out of this.

Leave the Olympics alone.

Supporting the Blazers will NEVER be acceptable ...

Supporting the Blazers will NEVER be acceptable ...

The other day this kid was wearing a Roy Trailblazers jersey. Popular player with local ties does well and so I could understand that. Then when I asked him about it he told me that it was because the Sonics were leaving so he was rooting for the Blazers as the next local team. I teased him a bit about it being a traitor's jersey and had to explain to him the rivalry element of my comments since it seemed to really upset him. Eventually, he understood that the Sonics/Blazers this was a Cougar/Husky thing to me ...

But ... rooting for the Blazers because the Sonics are likely leaving is simply unacceptable.

No.

No, no, no ...

I cannot and will not do it.

I could not and would not root for the UW if Wazzu gave up football.

I could not and would not have rooted for the Raiders had the Seahawks really left town.

I could not and would not root for the Whitecaps or the Timbers in the Sounders had folded. In 1991 went up to Vancouver and watched a couple games when the Storm folded and could not really bring myself to cheer.

I could not and would not have have started supporting the A's if the M's had left town.

Bill Simmons and his "Fan Rules" will back me on this one. Basically, in the case of the Sonics and Blazers it is better to become an NBA widow or general NBA fan than to root for the Blazers ....

Now, if the kid like Roy because of his Seattle ties and thinks he is a great player, I can live with that ...

But ... supporting the Blazers will NEVER be acceptable ...

Ric Flair

Ric Flair

This past weekend at Wrestlemania 24 Ric Flair retired.

Shawn Michaels whispered the words, "I'm sorry. I love you." Then, Michaels let lose with a Superkick, Flair walked into it, and the career of the greatest Professional Wrestler of all time came to spectacular end. He lost. Yet, to everyone there and those watching around the world, it was yet another victory for The Man.

I saw Ric Flair in 1982 at Mercer Arena defend his NWA World Heavyweight Champion title against Playboy Buddy Rose in a spectacular 20+ minute match from ringside. My brother, a cousin or two, and an aunt and uncle took us down for what would be our first pro wrasslin' experience. Yep. 7th row ringside. Of course, we moved up to the corner by the rope barricade during the main event and when Flair used his belt to knock out Rose and slipped out of the ring I found myself mere feet from his bloody glare. We made eye contact and I was cheering. He looked exhausted but held my stare.

In all the other times I went to wrestling cards, including Wrestlemania XIX, I never got to see Ric Flair wrestle in person again.

When I think of the greatest athletes I have seen in person, Flair is always near the top of the list; a list which includes Pele, Maradona, Magic, Jordan, Palmer, Marino, and Ripken.

I read Flair's book To Be The Man and found it to be as much a textbook on how to be a pro wrestler as an autobiography. It was clear that Flair's view of the business is far, far different than that of Hulk Hogan. See, there really is a split in the wrestling biz over what I think of as the perfect hero approach and the keep people in suspense approaches. Hogan rarely, if ever, lost. It was too important to him and those that promoted him that he ultimately emerge victorious; the perfect hero. Flair on the other hand would lose, sometimes to surprising opponents, and it would keep wrestling fans guessing as to what would really be the outcome of a given card. I prefer Flair's approach.

Ric Flair was the man. No, he still is.

Power Ballads must be stopped this time ...

Power Ballads must be stopped this time ...

Back in the 80s rock music fans and bands were faced with a dilemma ... Power Ballads ...

Power Ballads were those catchy, slow, emotional songs hair metal bands would play to get pop music and MTV airplay and to get the girls to come to their shows. These songs drove the guys nuts and brought bands like Poison and Warrant to a mainstream audience. The previous statement alone should condemn Power Ballads to the ashcan of history ... but no ... every trend eventually comes around again and it appears that so have Power Ballads.

I thought that when Nirvana killed the 80s that eventually some of the 80s would come back ... usually the cream of a particular crop is what comes back around ... not so ...

No. KISW is playing a couple of power ballads.

This is unacceptable.

"Sorry" by Buckcherry is alive and there is another similar song that I have chosen not to learn by name that is also being played in rotation that has a really catchy hook, but is clearly a Power Ballad.

Let me repeat, this is unacceptable.

We must resist the catchy hook and the grinding solo.

No. No. A thousand times no ...

Help us Steve Rock ... you're our only hope.

April Fool's Day is Not New ...

April Fool's Day is Not New ...

Okay ... People are gullible ...

I was listening this morning to The Bob Rivers Show and the discussion centered on whether some LA DJ's should get in trouble for running an April Fool's Day gag centering on a little kid getting a tattoo on the air.

It turns out no one in LA has a calendar and listeners called 911 and CPS and there is a huge controversy now because when these calls were made apparently no one any where thought to maybe check and see if it was a prank ...

Bob posed the simple question, "Should they be fired?"
I say no.

The other question is whether they should they have to pay fines or for the 911 response.

Again, I say no.

Good Lord people, April Fool's Day is not new ...

Okay ... police ... CPS ... 911 operators ... has it ever occurred to any of you that April Fool's Day pranks on radio stations happen every year ... on April 1st??? Or, more simply put, how could any of you really believe that a tattoo artist, parents, or radio station would really allow this to happen??? Shouldn't it somehow be standard procedure to be aware of things like this???

Radio stations do this crap all the time. At some point someone in the police world needs to ... you know ... do some actual police work and notice ... and maybe, just maybe call radio stations and get to know managers so that they can make a quick call and determine whether or not something requires their actual attention ...

... you know ... actual police work ...

If police stations are so gullible and 911 and CPS are this stupid; that they actually believe a radio station would tattoo a child live on the air ... the radio station should not be fined. The DJ's should be rewarded for helping us know which people in the police world, 911, and CPS should be fired for being morons ...

Let's just give up since it's tough ...

WASL

Look, I am not a huge WASL fan ... but we are entrenched in it ... WASL has become a fact of life for students in Washington schools. It has taken a good deal of time and resources to get to the point where the test counts towards graduation .... and now that students are continuing to struggle in the Math section ... come 2014 the math section is apparently on its way out ... there are plans to replace it with grade level tests in 9th and 10th grades, but the specifics apparently have not been finalized.

To many this dumping of the Math WASL will be a victory against the evils of standardized tests ... a perspective to which I am very sympathetic .... but that is another argument entirely for another time ...

See now, because it is hard ... and instead of viewing this as an opportunity to focus resources on math so that US kids can catch up and compete ... we are just dumping it ... kids ... you apparently suck and are not salvageable ...

Here's the thing ... this is actually worse and it diminishes the value of the diploma ...

I do not have the solution. I have to hope that the grade level testing protocol helps, especially since my kids will now have post-Math WASL diplomas ...

Brackets ... (follow up)

Brackets ... (follow up)

I don't enter office pools. I don't like cash bets. And, since I was once a college soccer coach and would not be against being one again in the future I kind of have to be serious about that. And, since I know that people care about as much about my bracket as they do about fantasy sports league teams ... I am going to run this post anyways ...

- Off to a good start when I pick the play in game correctly ...

- For those that are an advocate of the 128 team field ... that means the 32 NIT and 16 CBI teams plus which other 15 teams? I mean, 9 of the PAC 10 Schools were already playing since only 1 of the 10 failed to at least breach .500 ... So much for a regular season if they expand to 128 ... leave it alone ...

- For those that are advocates of reseeding each round like the NFL does ... given that NFL seeding is won and the NCAA seeding is awarded ... I say no, since it would give the committee that much more influence ... leave it alone ...

- Round 1, Day 1 - 13-3 - Cougs win!
- Round 1, Day 2 - 9-7 - Zags lose ... and only 1 of my Sweet 16 is out ...

- Round 2, Day 1 - 6-2 - Cougs win again!
- Round 2, Day 2 - 6-1 - However, that ONE was devastating ... Georgetown!

- Sweet 16 - I have 7 of the 8 teams make the Elite 8, the only one missing? Georgetown! ... Crap! And the Cougs got pounded ... so be it ... Cougs, I tip my cap to you ... My bracket is beautiful ... and useless without ... Georgetown!

- Elite 8 - 1-2 since Georgetown was out ... and for the first time ever all 4 #1 seeds make it ... which I think is actually lame ...

- Final 4 - I have one team in the Final 4 and I do not have them advancing so my bracket was done at the Elite 8 level ...