University Of Troy Punter Sports Worlds Greatest Beard

Will Goggans from the University of Troy grew his beard full and dyed it blond so he could play Santa.

BREAKING: Senate ends Don't Ask, Don't Tell

It's about damn time!

WASHINGTON -- The Senate voted 63-33 on Saturday to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell, defeating a 17-year policy of banning gay and lesbian service members from serving openly in the military.

Five Republicans crossed the aisle to vote against the policy: Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Scott Brown (R-Mass.), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and George Voinovich (R-Ohio).

The Senate vote is a vindication of Obama's decision to push for congressional repeal as opposed to unilateral executive action, though activists note he could have done both. The Senate will make a final vote on ending the policy at 3 p.m.

"The important thing today is that 63 senators were on the right side of history," Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, told HuffPost, adding he sees the bill as a "stepping stone to further advances for the gay and lesbian community."

Edit: a few of the freaks at Blogs for Victory (how long has it been since I've written about that place, eh?) aren't too happy about the outcome of DADT.

js02
December 18, 2010 at 4:46 pm
so now what, they pass more legislation requiring the use of tax dollars for the spread of STD’s among sodomites with M-16s?

neocon1
December 18, 2010 at 4:49 pm
I believe we are beyond help in this country.
we will fall in not to many years, GOD who ordained us as a nation will also judge us and it wont be pretty.

Making the Grade: Niners-Chargers, Week 15

Playing on short rest and without TE Antonio Gates and WR's Patrick Crayton and Malcolm Floyd, Phillip Rivers connected with 8 different receivers, including the return of the Vincent Jackson Chargers fans remember, as the pair and the Chargers D steamrolled San Francisco, 34-7 on Thursday night. Here are my grades for the game:

Quaterback: Save for the 28-13 debacle vs. Oakland, Rivers has been dynamite all season long. He may not break Dan Marino's single-season milestone of passing for 5,000 yards and he may not win the MVP this year, but he has become only the 3rd QB in Chargers history to have three consecutive season in which he has thrown for over 4,000 yards (Dan Foust and John Hadl). Rivers completed 19 of 25 passes for 273 yds. and three TD's...all to Vincent Jackson. A

Receivers: No Patrick Crayton, or Malcolm Floyd, or Antonio Gates? Doesn't matter when you're no.1 receiver Jackson returns to pick up the share of the load. The bridges may have been burned for good thanks to the dispute he had with A.J. Smith in wanting a bigger contract and holding out for most of the season, but tonight he shined by doing what he does best: using his height and speed to out maneuver cornerbacks, and he did that 5 times for 112 yrds. The supporting cast - Randy McMichael in for Gates with 5 catches for 55 yds., Darren Sproles with 5 catches for 30 yds., and Kelley Washington with 2 catches for 49 yds. - all contributed. The lesson: anyone who's open for #17 to throw to is a threat. A

Running Backs: We know the Chargers are a pass-happy team - they're ranked no.3 in total passing yards in the NFL - but they've finally found balance in passing and running the ball, something they didn't have last year. Mike Tolbert and rookie Ryan Matthews carried the ball 17 times each and combined for 102 yds. and one rushing TD by Tolbert. Its far and away the running game Charger fans remember, but its doing the job in becoming a complement to the fantastic passing game. B+

O-Line: One of few complaints I have about Thursday Night's game: first half, Rivers was getting constant pressure from the Niners linebackers and front four in the first half, and had issues most of the night trying to create lanes for Tolbert and Matthews. A good game in protecting Rivers and giving him enough time, but opening holes for the running game was a bit of a a disappointment. Then again, you your team wallops on the opposition 34-7, what do you have to complain about? B

I'll have my grades on the Chargers D and the rise of an upcoming star later on in the day.

R.I.P. Blake Edwards

scenes from A Shot in The Dark by far the best movie in the Pink Panther series.

Week 14 Thoughts From the NFL - Part 1

This week, the Patriots assert themselves as the best in the NFL, the Chargers had their best weekend in football after they got manhandled by the Raiders, Minnesota's problems kept getting worse on Sunday and last night, and later i'll describe who's in trouble with three weeks left in the season and who will make it. But first, let me get to the big story of Week 14:



* As if the New York Jets had enough problems to worry about (Mark Sanchez throwing 5 INT's in his last three games, Braylon Edwards dropping catchable balls, the team getting steamrolled by Tom Brady in Week 13 and now getting punked by Chad Penne in Week 14) but now they have 'dirty cheaters' to add to their problems. Sal Alosi was fined and suspended by the League on Tuesday for intentionally tripping over Dolphins player Nolan Carroll. Today, we learned that the trip seen 'round the world wasn't just a coincidence.

Sal Alosi tripped up when he told the New York Jets his side of the story.

Now, the embattled assistant coach could be looking to save his job.

Alosi, New York’s strength and conditioning coach, was suspended indefinitely by the team Wednesday after he acknowledged that he told five inactive players to stand next to each other for a punt return, during which he tripped a Miami Dolphins player.

“As we continued our investigation, we discovered some new information,” general manager Mike Tannenbaum said in a conference call from the NFL owners meetings in Dallas, “and the players at the Miami game were instructed by Sal to stand where they were to force the gunner in the game to run around them.”

Not only did Alosi trip over a player...he asked 5 of his own guys to help him cheat. Of all the bitch moves one can make in the NFL, this is probably as low as you can go. Good on the Jets organization to indefinitely suspend this punk ass.

* After San Diego got the ass-kicked by Oakland a second time last week, last Sunday's divisional match up vs the Kansas City Chiefs was a must-win, do-or-die type game, a game I was sure the Chargers wouldn't win, because KC just doesn't make that many mistakes over the course of the season (credit Todd Haley for getting his boys primed and ready every single week). Then Matt Cassel had an emergency surgery to remove his appendix, and presto!, the Bolts shutout KC 31-0. Two things: 1.) The running game between Darren Sproles, Mike Tolbert, and Ryan Matthews rushed for 207 yards total. Where was this kind of attacks when we were facing the Raiders last week? The Bolts running games was non-existent as they ran for 21 total rushing yards vs. Oak-town. 2.) The Chiefs cannot be this terrible without Cassel leading the way. To put in perspective how bad they played - The Chiefs average in rushing yards per game is 165.4, the most in the NFL. Sunday's game? They rushed the ball for a grand total of 48 yards. Combined total yards that afternoon was 67 and only 5 first downs. If the Chiefs don't get back Cassel vs. the Rams on Sunday, they could be well on the outside looking in for the playoffs.

* Watching New England's embarrassing playoff loss to the Ravens last year, I thought that the Belechick dynasty had come crashing down...finally. I was wrong. Dead wrong. The team everyone is afraid to face in the playoffs is primed and ready to grab one more Lombardi trophy to an already legendary era in their history. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are back, and they've crushed both the Jets 45-3 last Monday Night and the Bears on Sunday 36-7 on a snowy day in Foxbrough. Damn.

Freaking Bots And Ralph

I accidentally erased the post about the Big 10's new logo and division names when I meant to erase a bot comment. Fucking Bots.

2nd Ralph has commented twice about the Metrodome's roof collapsing. Both posts in typical Ralph fashion were saying (I Think) that this is proof that global warming is a hoax. Because lord knows it didn't get cold in Minneapolis before. And call me crazy I am pretty sure the globe is bigger than downtown Minneapolis.

Holy S#$t!!!

You are not going to believe this news story: A man living with HIV has been 'cured' by the use of stem cell research.

An HIV-positive man who received a stem cell transplant for leukemia has been cured of HIV infection, doctors announced recently.

While the case was first reported at the 2008 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston, doctors have now published an updated report in the journal Blood, which affirms extensive testing.

"It is reasonable to conclude that cure of HIV infection has been achieved in this patient," the doctors wrote.

In 2007, Timothy Ray Brown suffered a relapse of leukemia that required a stem cell tranplant. Brown, also known as "Berlin patient," was given stem cells from a donor that lacked the CCR5 receptor, "a condition that is present in less than 1 percent of Caucasians in northern and western Europe," according to London-based AidsMap.

"The man received bone marrow from a donor who had natural resistance to HIV infection; this was due to a genetic profile which led to the CCR5 co-receptor being absent from his cells," they explained. "The most common variety of HIV uses CCR5 as its ‘docking station’, attaching to it in order to enter and infect CD4 cells, and people with this mutation are almost completely protected against infection."

Wow...that is honest to God, an amazing story. I hope the field of science can do more research on this breakthrough, because if we see more tests that lead to positive results like the one I just read, this would be the biggest medical breakthrough since the vaccination of Polio back in the 50's.

Metrodome Roof Collapses

The War On Christmas Stockings

Via Right Wing Watch we are linked to a tale from Calgary, of how the local Salvation Army "Captain," one Pam Goodyear, has summarily banned from the donation barrel anything that she thinks smacks of witchcraft or the occult. Twilight, Harry Potter, ouija boards, even something as simple as a rabbit's foot - all kaput!

Now, the scandal is not that the Salvation Army - aka "Sally Ann" - would not like these things included in the thousands of gift bags they prepare each year. That comes as no surprise. (And, in fact, it's only in Calgary that this applies - by no means is it a nationwide policy of the SA.) What is at issue is the fate of the unwanted donation items:

The toys and stuff Goodyear bans is supposedly given to other agencies. However, there are conflicting reports online that a Calgary Sally Ann staff member told a volunteer to toss wizardry, vampire and werewolf themed stuff and that the Calgary Sally Ann didn’t pass them to other agencies to distribute.

Where it gets really interesting is in the comments on the original story. Apart from one or two posts simply stating that the items SA would prefer not to include should be made absolutely clear up front, so that toys that some not-so-holier-than-thou kids might enjoy will find welcome homes rather than being scrapped, it's become a mini Bible-thumping hoedown that would do Bill War-on-Christmas O'Reilly proud!

Here are a few [sic. throughout] examples:

Its not “what they think” its what God has revealed in scripture and that is that the occult powers are real and we have to in no uncertain terms avoid and abstain from sorcery. And it is not wise to promote this abomination to young impressionable children. You want to impress your kind go ahead but who are you to dictate how Christians are to raise their children? Hey! why dont you go tell a high ranking freemason or another occultist like a Satanist that their majick is fictional. Mark down what happens to you every day after this in your journal, if you think it is wise.

It’s a sad day when someone has to defend her efforts to not be party to the corruption of children through the occult and the giving of toys and literature that confuses evil with good. How far we have fallen! It’s also a sad comment on the strength of the Christian witness in our world when people at large don’t even realize why these things are not appropriate to be given to a Christian organization, any more than say pornography would be!

You all did get that “right”? ” Christmas” and not BlackMass or any other occult ‘holi’day or celebration that Witches and Warlocks celebrate. ‘Salvation’ Army not Hells’ Army (witch by the way incorporates atheism). [Ed. Note - I'm sure that spelling of "which" as "witch" is completely coincidental...]

Witchcraft is a whole different matter – its not just about practicing white, or whatever ‘ colour’ witches, its about ‘wrong spirits’ and you don’t mess with wrong spirits END OF STORY.

Got to put this in the same category with the Oklahoma legislator who wouldn't participate in a state "holiday parade" because the terminology was, shall we say, festival-neutral, daring to acknowledge that, no, it's not just Christmas at this time of year. It's also Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Yule/Solstice, and the other more ancient celebrations they themselves co-opted and built on. All Northern Hemisphere cultures and sects have, and have had, some kind of a "hey, the light is returning after all!" event around this time of the year. Reducing it down to any single creed is, from my point of view, just sloganeering. Also, downright Grinchy.

SA doesn't want to hawk Potter or werewolves? Entirely fair. Want nativity pageants at your church or parochial school? Welcome to it - knock yourselves out. Insist that Wiccans celebrate Black Mass and kowtow to Satan? I'll argue with you from a much more informed perspective, but I'm pretty sure it will be pointless and I'll have to leave you to your blessed ignorance in the end.

But let's agree to live side-by-side with other people who might be different from ourselves, and let's agree that it's OK. Peace on Earth, remember? This is a time of gathering and goodwill for people from all walks of life and all flavors of belief, including no belief in a higher power at all.

Proselytize elsewhere and in another season. Give the thumping a "holiday." Or, if you must insist, a "Christmas."

Also, for the record? My reason for not supporting the SA is that the institution as a whole has a history of anti-homosexual bigotry as well as monetary support in that direction. I don't want my pennies supporting that, despite the other good work I am sure they do.

And if you wonder what I think of this post chronicled at FSTDT recently:

Wiccan [sic.] should have their kids taken away. Anyone who isn’t raising their children in a Christian home should have their children taken away, it is mental, emotional and spiritual abuse.

I invite you to try, Thumpers. Bet you run pretty fast in the other direction the moment you get the notion that I'm "looking at you funny."

The View From My Ass

Congratulations to the President for making a shrewd decision to counter balance Bernie Sanders wonderful 10 hour filibuster. And oh by the way congratulations to all of the other Democrats for standing up with Bernie and really showing your convictions. One thing nobody can accuse you Democratic politicians of is standing up for what you say you believe in. I'll say one thing for the Repukes. Must of their ideas suck ass but by God they stick by and don't abandon their suck ass ideas. Imagine if Democrats stuck by their better ideas. Anyway I digress back to praising President Obama. Today he made one helluva a shrewd move to counter balance Bernie Sanders. He turned to Bill Clinton to sell his policies. You see this was as good a move by the President as last weeks cave in was bad. For just as Sister Sarah of the north couldn't convince me that the Capital of Nebraska was in fact Lincoln (like she would actually know) Bill Clinton could sell me that the Capital of Nebraska was Obert. (Population 40) Bill Clinton is natural born salesman and in his profession that is of course a very good skill to have. Bill could take any piece of shit and polish it up so nice that you would buy it and place it high on your mantel piece. Most people have a set idea on whether or not the President made a wise choice in extending the Bush tax cuts. Personally I think he made one helluva a mistake, however if there are some people out there who are not set in their convictions on the matter Bill Clinton is the man to win them over. He'll even convert a few who are on the other side of the fence. The man is a A+ salesman no doubt. I must however ask one question of both President Obama and the Clinton's. If the President is going to keep turning to a Clinton to sell every tough decision he makes why exactly did they bother running against each other in the first place? Just asking.

I haven't smoked a cigar in a week until last night. Yesterday being the nicest day we've had in these parts in several weeks with the Temperature breaking 50 and the lows even being where the highs normally are I had made up my mind that last night I was going to toke up for better or for worse. The problem is by 2 in the morning I still had not smoked my cigar. Finally about 2:15 against my better judgment I lit up. BAD IDEA. First of all smoking a cigar just before you go to bed guarantees that when you wake up the next day not only is your mouth dry but it contains a taste that can only be describes as Elephant piss dripping off of Jabba The Huts legs. And nothing not tooth paste, not antiseptic, not cough drops nothing can get that taste out of your mouth. And depending on how shitty the cigar is that taste can linger. Since I smoked a C level cigar I have just now lost most of the taste. The second reason smoking a cigar late is a bad idea is common sense. You aren't your sharpest at 2 in the morning as a rule and there for it's not the best time to be messing with a fire hazard...duh! Still knowing this I kept my vow to smoke a cigar last night while listening to my IPOD. Well keep track of your ash is usually a smart idea. When it gets long knock it off in your ashtray. Because if it falls off It can burn whatever it lands on. Last night it was my left hand as I picked the cigar up with my right hand. And yes this was far from the first time this has happened. I came damn close once to burning a body part that most men would tell you was more valuable than a hand with Cigar ash. I've dropped a cigar went to catch it and caught the lit in. Amazingly other than a hole in bedding I have never done any serious damage as of yet with my habit.

Just as I don't profess to be the smartest man in the world I don't believe I am half as stupid as the stupid shit I often do. I mean I know the correct way to spell all of the little errors that will turn up in this little piece of shit rant on planet boob's blog tomorrow and yet i still make the peace of shit errors. (Intentional) Still I am the guy who reads hot surface when light is on and sticks his hand on the stove. On the other hand the Contessa, a very smart woman who rarely does stupid things, once passed a store called the winery and asked me what I thought they sold. Tonight as we drove from a restaurant in Council Bluffs back into Omaha to go downtown to see the lights we drove through Southeast Omaha which or those of you who aren't familiar with Omaha is highly Hispanic and many o the signs in the area are in Spanish as that is who the businesses cater too in that area. We drove by a store with signs in Spanish and the Contessa trying her best recollection of her Marceline, Missouri high school Spanish said "cigarettes and liquorish." After a few seconds of trying to figure out why a store would sell Cigs and Liquorish or how they could even get away with such a combination I said Hon pretty sure that it says "Cigarettes and Liquor"

Speaking of the Contessa I have to fill out her College Football office poll and number the games 1 to 35 with 35 being the game I am most confident in. Pretty sure that will be Oklahoma-UCONN with Nebraska-Washington being 34. I do wonder how confident one can be predicting Florida International and Toledo or Middle Tennessee State and Miami of Ohio. I have already made sure that I wont be thrown out of the house should she not win. And I am pretty sure I won't see a penny should she do so. One bowl game puts me into a bit of an ethical dilemma. The Insight Bowl Iowa vs Missouri. On the one hand you have a fan base filled with an amazing amount of cockiness and self-worth for a program that has very little actual history of being successful and on the other hand you have...Missouri. Sure Iowa fan talks an amazing amount of shit for a team that wins one major bowl every 50 years and sure you could fill what they know about football into Glenn Beck's jock but they are better than Missouri's hideous fan base. For one thing Iowa fan will actually go to the game. For another as shitty as Iowa's football glory is it beats the holy fuck out of Missouri's. So even though it's against almost everything I stand for and it will leave a taste in my mouth that rivals the shit taste of a middlin' cigar that has been building up in your mouth while you sleep SKY HIGH BY THE FOURTH OF JULY IN IOWA! One wonders if Missouri has their usual bowl fan showing of 12 people if even Bill Clinton could sell their program to prospective bowls after this. If anyone could it would be Bill that is if President Obama can spare him.

KTF

Stephen

Song Of The Night.

Not really a fan of the late Jerry Reed (though I love both Smokey And The Bandit and the Waterboy...I know I know...) Anyway He wrote this and both Johnny Cash and Elvis would record it a few years later. Johnny's version would hit the market before Elvis' and be the hit. I prefer this version. Love the song sappy though it maybe.