1st half thoughts: Where do I begin to start with this team!? Rivers has played terribly with two more picks in the first quarter (he has 11 total this season), the running game is non-existent, and there's simply zero pride or fight in this high-powered offense...allegedly. The refs tonight have made some of the dumbest calls i've seen this year, including the pass interference call on Gates that would have been a TD catch.
In Memory Of Eileen Tuuri Friend and Co-Blogger. Thank You Eileen...For Everything.
Monday, October 31, 2011
MNF Thread: Chargers vs. Chiefs
1st half thoughts: Where do I begin to start with this team!? Rivers has played terribly with two more picks in the first quarter (he has 11 total this season), the running game is non-existent, and there's simply zero pride or fight in this high-powered offense...allegedly. The refs tonight have made some of the dumbest calls i've seen this year, including the pass interference call on Gates that would have been a TD catch.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Final Score
If Yogafrog doesn't mind I am going to use his caps of Lourdes Stephen for my reaction pictures because her expressions are perfect.
About the game. Maybe the best Nebraska showing of the Bo Pelini era.
Gameday #8
Well I guess Michigan State's defense is such an impenetrable force that to play this game is really a folly. I guess the good thing is it's at 11 so there isn't much time to waste before watching this game that is such a foregone conclusion. And yet the wiseguys say Nebraska by 4. They know something nobody else does.
Call me crazy, call me a homer, call me a crazy homer, yes Michigan State is good. Yes their defense is really good! Yes they've lost to Notre Dame 31-13. NOTRE DAME! I think Michigan State is in for more of a game than many expect.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Final score
Really not a whole lot to comment about this game. Nebraska had a job to do and they did it. Really nice to see them come out against a weaker opponent and put the game away early. This game was over early in the 2nd quarter. Hell you could argue it was over from the opening kickoff. Nebraska lead 34-0 at halftime and then spent the second half as a glorified scrimmage. That along with lots of backups seeing action kept the score down and allowed Minnesota to brag they outscored Nebraska 14-7 in the second half. Though as the Minneapolis Star Tribune pointed out Nebraska could have scored 70 points had they so chosen.
Weather was about perfect sunny and 65. TCF Bank stadium was built in 2009 and is a great stadium an extremely nice facility. It is not large at 50,000 seats give or take but it has all the bells and whistles of a larger NFL type facility. Also Minnesota does a great job with parking. Park at the State fairgrounds in Minneapolis for $10 and take a bus to and from the stadium. They drop you off right at the front of the stadium. After the game they had several buses waiting to take you back. First class and first rate all the way. Unfortunately the same can;t be said for their football team which is quit frankly God awful. You know you aren't very good when you struggle all day to get the snap back to the Quarterback.
No more freebies left for Nebraska. Michigan State comes to town next week and of course that is FAR from a sure thing. Michigan State is a very very VERY good ball club. Home games against Northwestern and Iowa appear to be the easy games remaining on the schedule and they aren't what you would call easy. Both teams are much better than Minnesota.
All in all a very good weekend for the Big Red.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Week 8 Open Thread
Edit: Chargers looking good so far. turnover battle has the Bolts with two, and none for the Jets. Gates is back and with a vengeance. and the Jets are remembering who they are: getting the run game going to open up the passing game.
Edit from The Count
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Gameday#7
This should SHOULD be a fairly easy victory for Nebraska. Minnesota is either the second worst or worst team in the conference. They had a spirited showing to start the season against USC but after a combination of Injuries, a lack of depth and talent and the health of new coach Jerry Kill have taken there toll. Minnesota has lost to North Dakota State and New Mexico State and were blown out by Purdue. Michigan beat the Gophers 58-0. The fact that game is in Minneapolis shouldn't be a factor. The stadium is likely to be 30 to 60% Nebraska fans. The Count himself is leaving in the wee small hours to attend the game Be back Sunday.
Minnesota does have 1 thing going for them. Quarterback Marquis Grey returns from injuries and he is the kind of mobile QB that gives Nebraska fits. I do think he'll be able to lead his team to some points but not near enough.
One thing I am VERY happy about. The weather up in Minneapolis can start to get a bit nippy this time of year. They are talking a high of near 60 with sunshine and little wind. Really that is as good of weather as you can ask for.
No comments on this thread as the little trollies like to show up after an afternoon of drinking and ogling little teen girls and soil the place. Be back Sunday.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Arguing Politics With Family.
Somehow a wonderful conversation with in-laws turned into a conversation on those evil greedy teachers in Wisconsin who are making too much money because of their evil unions. Just minutes later the same person was telling me how evil the occupy losers are and how great those bankers are. The same person who told me the teachers were greedy told me that he was on the side of the bankers because "this is America and a person should be allowed to make as much money as they can".
First of all I am not entirely on the side of the occupy crowd. I agree with much of what they stand for but not all of it. Let's just say they have great ideals and wonder goals but their entire premise is not grounded in reality. I am 70% 80% in league with Occupy name city here but not 100% It was just assumed I was 100% in agreement because of my politics. Still I kept my cool and pointed out the seeming hypocrisy of saying the teachers making at most $50,000 are greedy and the bankers making millions are capitalist heroes. I asked how one could validate the seemingly contradicting positions. I am sure the answer I was given was great and made total sense to somebody somewhere they sounded like...well complete bullshit to me.
So how did I win the argument with out losing my shit? Ok how did I end the argument with out losing my shit? After I let my wonderful In-law explain his talking points fresh from Fox And Friends I said to him...
Man did the Vikings sure looked God Awful the other night didn't they? It worked.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Any Thoughts On Tonight's Republican Shindig?
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Thoughts on Occupation
The spirit animating the Occupy movement feels to me much like that behind the anti-war and civil rights movements of the 1960s: a shared interest in advancing human justice, around what is shaping up now to be today's central issue - economics and the corporate hostage-taking of what we all used to know as "the common good." These outpourings worldwide are not an astroturfed effort quietly fronted by a well-heeled lobbying organization (yes, Tea Party, I'm looking at you), nor a precisely orchestrated political convention populated by entrenched establishment types. This is a genuine grassroots movement. You can see that in the diversity of those it has attracted to the streets: all ages, all genders, all ethnicities, all occupations (except, perhaps, hedge fund manager). You can see it in the genuine character of all those hand-lettered signs.
And you can certainly see it in the rush by the right wing to de-legitimize Occupy, first with their baffled cries of "What do they want? Where are their concrete suggestions?" (apparently the phrase "economic justice" isn't in their dictionary) and then with the fearmongering by the likes of Glenn Beck to try and cast Occupy as a dangerous, deadly mob of malcontents. All those people in the streets are no longer quietly compliant about the misinformation bomb we've been pushing back at here, on Newshounds, and elsewhere, for years. And no longer are they afraid, of color-coded terror alerts or, frankly, even of police response and arrests. This is a movement with guts, and it makes the wingnut Wurlitzer-operators crazy that they can't either shut them up, or terrify them sufficiently not to call bullshit by its real name when they see it unfolding.
I hear a lot of people, even in my immediate family, making the argument that Occupy's best opportunity is ultimately at the ballot box, and working the system rather than taking to the streets to try and change the rules. I disagree.
The system, for one thing, has been so thoroughly rigged over these past decades to be beholden to the moneyed class and to a corporate-friendly/corporate-funded agenda, it is never going to change from within at this stage. I don't care who you put up for office or how progressive their policy thinking might appear: as long as the American political landscape depends on multi-month or even multi-year campaigns, and the crazy artificiality of pandering to obscure early-primary states like Iowa, any viable candidate will have had to acquire a huge chunk of campaign change just to be able to cut through the noise, much less have a real shot at electoral success. Honest campaign finance reform, previously given lip service to but never truly enforced, has been off the table for a while now, and nobody's going to put it back there anytime soon. The system runs on money, and it's not in the interest of any incumbents to change that for a more egalitarian model.
Second, when there have been seismic shifts in the social landscape before, they have never achieved success by playing the game as written. Look at the French and American Revolutions - how successful would they have been had the disaffected sat politely down with the aristocracy or the British to hammer out a compromise? Look at the rising union movement in the early 1900s - in a 1911 memorial speech following the disastrous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, an activist put it very succinctly when she said, "I can't talk fellowship to you who are gathered here. Too much blood has been spilled. I know from my experience it is up to the working people to save themselves. The only way they can save themselves is by a strong working-class movement." Look at the persistence of the civil rights marchers of the Sixties, making themselves a thorn in the side of segregationists: had they not taken to the streets and stayed there with such tenacity, and spoken out with such fervor, we might well today still be looking at separate drinking fountains and the back of the bus.
No, the genius of Occupy so far is that it operates outside the corridors of power in order to make the point that we're tired of polishing them for the Italian-shod 1%. And, also, that it is finding strategies to be an ongoing rather than a fleeting presence. Rallies, once concluded and off our radar, are like county fairs or one-time concerts: out of sight for long enough, they become out of mind. Occupy by its nature cannot be dismissed because it is there and Not Going Away. And the longer it persists, the more it works to change the dialogue and the agenda, motivating voices otherwise of obstruction to sit up, take notice, and feel a keen motivation to preserve themselves by giving the people what they demonstrably, implacably, want.
Sometimes, it takes even a peaceful, non-violent crowd of peasants with torches to storm the castle. In Occupy, I think that's exactly what we've got...and not a moment too soon.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Saturday College Football And Whatever Else Thread
EDIT Denard Robinson just threw a pick 6 that may have sealed the game for Michigan State. The funny thing is the announce David Pasch had a shit fit. THAT TOUCHDOWN SHOULDN'T COUNT!!! THAT TOUCHDOWN SHOULDN'T COUNT!!!. He's clearly wearing his Maise and Blue. BTW how impressive is Mike Golic? To do Mike and Mike in the morning and be the head coach of Michigan! Impressive!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
I'd Probably Love Univision Even More If I Could Understand Spanish
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
A Rash On My Leg And A Rash On Ohio.
Good news if you live in the 9th district of Ohio this guy is running to be your next congressman
Monday, October 10, 2011
Good To See Iowa Cops Have Their Priorities Straight
Police arrested demonstrators who were camped in about two dozen tents in front of the Iowa Statehouse late Sunday night, after warning them twice that they were trespassing.
Iowa State Patrol officials warned those gathered at the peaceful “Occupy Iowa” event at about 10:30 Sunday that they lacked a permit to camp on state-owned land.
Teams of troopers began hauling the chanting protestors to jail shortly after a final warning at 11 p.m. “We could be here all night, but I hope it doesn’t come to that,” Capt. Mike Winter of the patrol said.
The group, an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street movement that started weeks ago in New York, provided a venue for Iowans to vent about everything from Congress to the Supreme Court to corporate compensation.
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OK I get it they are trespassing but I wonder if the cops would be called if it were the Bachmann panty sniffing brigade. Where are these same cops when suburban conservatives go out scoping out the local Jr Highs with their new pals they just met on line? Or when they're asking their daughters to hook them up with one of their friends? I just hope none of these protesters go looking for a lawyer. Knowing what we know about the fine people from Des Moines they seem to love frivolous law suits.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Week 6 Open Thread.
* Statistically, I knew the Eagles D was terrible, but to watch them play? Good lord. But the story here is Michael Vick and his three INT's in the first half alone.
* Penalties, penalties, and more penalties for the Raiders. Houston looks very impressive, Owens Daniel and that improved D in particular. Janikowski is a beast of a Kicker.
* Vikings are up 28-3 going into the half. How will they screw this one up?
Late Edit: Norv Turner really pissed me off. Sure, we beat the Denver Broncos, but that shouldn't have been close, especially when we were up 26-10. Chargers have to punch the ball in the endzone when it's 1st and Goal, and I blame the team's inability to do so squarely on Turner.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Thoughts from the NFL: Week 5
* Even worse than Philly's meltdown, was Tony Romo's choke job, as the Lions, down 20-3 at halftime, and down 27-3 in the 3rd quarter, had scored 30 unanswered points as Detroit moves to a stunning 4-0 on the season. First, big ups to Lions QB Matthew Stafford who didn't have his best stuff (21-43, for 240 yds and two scores), but maned up when he the team needed him to and brought his team back. Romo, on the other hand, threw three picks - two of them going back for touchdowns - in the 2nd half, and did his best LeBron James impersonation, blowing an-almost guaranteed victory. Dad, a devout Cowboy fan, nicknames #9 "a fucking blockhead". With Sunday's latest disaster, Week One's debacle at the new Medowlands, and Tony's legendary flubs in the postseason, the evidence point to the contrary that, to paraphrase Lucy, of all the Tony Romo's on the world, he's the Tony Romo-iest.
* Here's a shocker: Detroit is unbeaten after 4 games, Buffalo is tied with New England for the AFC East, and Indianapolis is win-less as they continue life without Peyton Manning. Detroit, after four impressive wins and draft picks that have delivered, are the real deal. The only concerns is Matthew Stafford and if he can stay healthy the whole year. Buffalo, I don't trust, especially how the rest of their schedule is stacked. And what else can you say about the Colts, besides the fact they're screwed, with a past his prime Kerry Collins and rookie QB Curtis Painter?
* For a team that's 3-1, the San Diego Chargers may be the most unimpressive team ever to get to 3-1 in the regular season. the opponent's records of the three teams they've beaten (the Vikings, Chiefs and Dolphins)? Just 1-11. Kicker Nate Kaeding and hard-hitting Saftey Bob Sanders are on IR, Antonio Gates is on the sidelines with the same nagging injury that kept him out for a good portion of 2010 (toe injury), Defensive End Luis Castillo could be lost for the year, and the D-Line is spread thin. Rivers has thrown 6 picks in three of the first four games of the year, and the Bolts have issues finishing off drives in the red zone. Yet, for all the setbacks, San Diego is off to their best start under Norv Turner since he took over the team in '07, and the Chargers are in the top 10 in total offense and defense. The wins weren't pretty (hell, most of them were downright ugly), but if the Chargers can go into Investco Field and beat a lifeless Denver Broncos team, they head into their bye week, sitting 4-1, and atop the AFC West.
Final Score
The largest comeback in the history of the program was enough to make this a special night but Bo burning that brain-dead fucker Legacy Dirk Chatelain in the press conference made it even better.
Nebraska Gameday #6
Win or lose Ohio State is going to walk off the field to round of applause a show of courtesy Nebraska fans have given opponents for years as much for genuine sportsman ship as for patting themselves on the ass when the media or another opposing coach talks about how great they are. It's a shame these great fans haven't shown the same courtesy to the team they supposedly root for in well over a decade.
Think about it. If you were an opposing coach and the crowd you just played in front of applauded you and told you how great you were but sat on their hands when they weren't bitching non stop or shouting insults at their own team. Wouldn't you think they were great fans as well? Hell for an opposing coach they are the best kind. I know this is wishful thinking but for once I'd like to see Nebraska fans treat Nebraska the way they treat their opposition.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Thank you, Steve Jobs.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
My Final "Take" On Hank Jr.
Also keep in mind this is not a candidate for MENSA we are talking about. That beard is cosmetic he has to wear it to hide the damage he did to his face when he got drunk and fell of a cliff in Montana. There is a reason he is God to unwashed, uneducated rednecks everywhere.
And yes his politics suck and for the better part of 40 years so has his music but I can't sit here and call him a talentless bum because his politics suck and he is just little bit dimmer than Forest Gump. The fact is before he found his fortune in the mid 1970's screaming redneck country-rock crap I actually think the guy had some good stuff.
So yeah let him scream ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL? That's why God invented the mute button is it not? besides it's not like you can kill his career any more dead at this point than it all ready is right?
Monday, October 3, 2011
Real American Morons: Hank Williams Jr.
- A. keep your mouth shut
- B. bring up some of your grievances in a manner that doesn't make ESPN look bad, or
- C. shoot from the hip like you always do, and compare the President to Hitler on national television?
Here's the video, for those who like watching the stupid in real-time:
Country singer Hank Williams Jr. is being removed from his regular spot on ESPN’s Monday Night Football after comparing President Obama to Adolf Hitler in an interview with Fox & Friends.
In a rambling appearance via satellite on FOX News on Monday morning, Williams said that Speaker John Boehener made a “political mistake” by joining Obama on the links for friendly game, because their meeting was “like Hitler playing golf with Benjamin Netanyahu.” Visibly shocked, the FOX & Friends hosts quickly pushed Williams to clarify his statement.
“I just want to say that we disavow any of those comments or analogies that he’s made, at least I’m going to say that, disavow the analogy between Hitler and the president,” co-anchor Gretchen Carlson said after the segment.
Williams Jr. has opened Monday Night Football with his “Are You Ready For Some Football?” song for years, but ESPN announced they were dropping him from tonight’s program within hours of his remarks. It’s unclear when — or if — he will return.
Side note: I'll let this act as the Monday Night Football thread, if you want to make comments about tonight's match between Indianapolis and Tampa Bay.
Update: Now Hank claims that his comment, comparing Obama to Hitler was taken out of context.
Hank Williams Jr. has just released a statement regarding his controversial statements on Fox News Channel this morning -- claiming he was simply "misunderstood" when he compared Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler . Williams Jr. says, "Some of us have strong opinions and are often misunderstood. My analogy was extreme – but it was to make a point. I was simply trying to explain how stupid it seemed to me - how ludicrous that pairing was." He continues, "They’re polar opposites and it made no sense. They don’t see eye-to-eye and never will. I have always respected the office of the President.” Williams Jr. adds, "Every time the media brings up the tea party it’s painted as racist and extremists – but there’s never a backlash – no outrage to those comparisons… Working class people are hurting – and it doesn’t seem like anybody cares. When both sides are high-fiving it on the ninth hole when everybody else is without a job – it makes a whole lot of us angry. Something has to change. The policies have to change.”Sure it was, Hank.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Gameday #5
As good as Wisconsin is should the game even be played?
Is Wisconsin really that good or have they played a super soft schedule?
If Nebraska loses but is competitive will the Omaha World Herald continue to bash Nebraska even though they picked Wisconsin by 7 or 8 touchdowns?