Saturday, August 31, 2002
Random Thoughts
Monthly Sports Rundown
Well, this was really a no-brainer, and, from the looks of it, something akin to a strategic cave-in on the parts of the players. They were getting most of the bad press, which isn't terribly surprising given that several media outlets own franchises, and the public seemed ready to place the blame squarely on their shoulders this time if there were a strike. Opposing a luxury tax is somewhat reasonable on their part, seeing how it would have a more direct potential effect of keeping total payroll down. Opposing revenue sharing makes little sense for them as I see it, as it doesn't make the big market clubs poor by any stretch of the imagination and, in theory, increases the number of teams that could realistically bid on top free agents, driving top-echelon salaries higher. Net effect on total salaries of this deal? Probably minor, and localized to the minimum salary folk (increased from $200K to $300K).
The best news to come out of the settlement was the delay of any contraction until 2006. Mr. Angelos, prepare to have the D.C. / Northern Virginia area rights purchased from you. You'll come out OK in the end. Mr. Polhad, please sell the team to someone who gives a damn. Thank You. Oh, and Uncle Drayton? Please lock Roy, Wade, and Lance into long term deals ASAP.
AL West race is getting the major coverage, and deservedly so, as Seattle, Oakland, and Anaheim are each very good teams with a serious shot at winning the World Series if they stay healthy, though Oakland's 15-game winning streak has put them firmly in the drivers' seat. Equally interesting is the late-developing race between St. Louis and the 'Stros for the NL Central title, with only a 2.5-game difference between the two, and seven games between them still to play. No real chance for the runner-up to get the WC, so it's all for keeps here. I hate to sound like a homer, but the Astros have really turned into a power the past two months. If the bats reach a level of consistency like the pitchers have, my money is on them to win the Central by 2-3 games, largely due to a sweep of the upcoming 4-game series at MMPUS.
Preseason games are always hard to watch. The lone exception this year has been the American Bowl where we saw the NFL debut of Spurrier's Fun 'n' Gun. I think we can definitively say that Spurrier's a football genius and that his system may very well be a major force in the NFC East this year, even with the poor quality of skills position players the 'Skins have. The man made Danny Wuerffel look good enough for the Heisman.
Texans look as bad as their poor excuse for a team name. I'm sold on the colors and logo, though. Very sharp. Though I still question the selection of David Carr over Joey Harrington, Carr has impressed with a cannon for an arm. Accuracy's not too shabby, as his poise in the pocket, though he seems to hold onto the ball a little too long at times. Carr-Gaffney could become a big pair over the next few years.
| * | North | South | East | West | Wild Cards | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NFC | Green Bay | Tampa Bay | Philadelphia | St. Louis | San Francisco | Washington | |
| AFC | Pittsburgh | Indianapolis | New England | Kansas City | Miami | Tennessee | |
| NFC Championship | Philadelphia over St. Louis | ||||||
| AFC Championship | Pittsburgh over Tennessee | ||||||
| Super Bowl XXXVII | Pittsburgh over Philadelphia, 23-14 | ||||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | PREDICTION |
|---|---|---|
| Aug. 31 | Ohio (MAC) | Pitt 34 - Ohio 10 |
| Sept. 7 | Texas A&M (Big XII) | Pitt 17 - TAMU 14 |
| Sept.14 | at UAB (CUSA) | Pitt 27 - UAB 9 |
| Sept. 21 | Rutgers (Big East) | Pitt 44 - Rutgers 13 |
| Sept. 28 | Toledo (MAC) | Pitt 24 - Toledo 7 |
| Oct. 5 | at Syracuse (Big East) | Syracuse 20 - Pitt 17 |
| Oct. 12 | at Notre Dame (NBC) | Pitt 13 - Notre Dame 3 |
| Oct. 26 | Boston College (Big East) | Pitt 32 - BC 28 |
| Nov. 2 | at Virginia Tech (Big East) | VaTech 30 - Pitt 17 |
| Nov. 9 | Temple (Big East) | Pitt 24 - Temple 0 |
| Nov. 21 | at Miami (Big East) | Miami 26 - Pitt 10 |
| Nov. 30 | West Virginia (Big East) | Pitt 30 - WVU 7 |
| #3 Big East, Insight.com Bowl | ||
| Dec. 26 | UCLA (Pac-10) | Pitt 23 - UCLA 21 |
Thursday, August 29, 2002
Gee, Sorry ... Have a Horse!
Thoroughly disgusting idea here from the Saudis. "Gee, all you 3,000 WTC and Pentagon victims' families, we're sorry that 15 of our people committed the worst-ever act of terrorism against your country full of infidels and boobs who do not understand just how wonderfully peaceful the Q'uran and all Saudis are. Here, have a horse." To add insult to injury, the horse is, of course, War Emblem. No knock on the horse, he kicked Kentucky Derby and Preakness ass, but still ...
The more you look at the problems of Islamic terrorism, the more it all comes back to Saudi Arabia and their Wahabbi buddies, promulgating their hatred through the madrassahs. They decry our support of the only democratic government in the region, Israel. They decry our barbaric, heathen culture. They criticize the very military that kept them from Iraqi invasion in 1990. They refuse to allow us to use the airbases we built to defend them to stamp out al Qaeda and the Husseini menace. They pay the families of suicide bombers thousands of dollars, encouraging the practice. They refuse to allow any modicum of religious tolerance or dissent.
Saudi Arabia is not America's friend, ladies and gentlemen. Saudi Arabia is our enemy.
Do Not Disturb the Sexy
P. Puff Diddly-Dang Doo is back at it again, this time with some party he's throwing after the MTV Video Music Awards. Please, please do yourself a favor and check out the invitation linked above at The Smoking Gun.
Unfortunately, due to the scuffed nature of my black dress shoes and the lack of any "FLY SH*T" in my wardrobe (sorry, P.PD-DD, your "Sean John" ain't quite right for my obviously non-fly self), I will not be in attendance. I am at a loss, however, as to what exactly a "shape up" for guys is, aside from lots of work at the gym. If this is something you can buy in a neat gel form, please let me know. Also, apologies to my several aunts, who will henceforth not be permitted to attend any party to which I am invited, per P.PD-DD's directives.
Oh, and please. Do not disturb me. :-)
Frustration
Mathematical Methods class was supposedly switched (for today only) by the TAs to this afternoon. Not a huge problem ... I get to avoid the early-morning rush hour traffic and sleep in a bit ... though I would appreciate more than two days notice and possibly a class vote before doing any such move. See, they were switching times with the Fluid Transport class, which I (and three others in the class) are not in, already having credit for them.
So anyway, I have to pick up Dad from the airport at 12:30, take him back home, eat lunch, then get ready to go back up to U of H. Figuring I might be able to get some reading done if I get there early, I leave at about 2:45 and get there around 3:30. After awhile, three other guys show up and we start yakkin' about the diagnostic test we had to take and the poor quality of desks in the Engineering Building. Four o'clock comes and goes, and we realize we're still the only people in the room, until this other guy comes along and mumbles something to himself about "oh yeah, it was cancelled." I drove up all the way to UH, dealt with parking, and sat on my ass for an hour for nothing. The TAs cancelled the class for the day after having switched it earlier.
Needless to say, I was a bit pissy. At least the other guys had earlier classes they were going to be there for, anyway. The TAs are just lucky it wasn't 8:30AM. Shit would have hit the proverbial fan.
Ugh!
Musical Windows
Brief moment of oddity this morning, as I went to put a CD in my stereo. Currently in the player was William Shatner's The Transformed Man (yes, the one where he sings "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.") Replacing it would be the "Greatest Hits" of Tears for Fears. Sitting next to the stereo were Led Zeppelin I and Saturday Night Fever.
Yes, boys and girls, I am weird. One's music collection is generally a tiny window into the soul. Or at least the screwed-up workings of the mind.
Wednesday, August 28, 2002
Hello, Boys! I'm Baaaaaack!
Back from a long hiatus. Apologies to anyone who cared ... I will attempt to be more diligent in the future.
