Below are the 11 most recent journal entries recorded in bradley001's LiveJournal:

Tuesday, January 30th, 2007
2:25 am	The Daily Roundup: Wednesday The BEST ACC Basketball Coverage!!! PHOTO: You can't lose to this Boston College team now, can you? Getting your mind right: NCAA will not expand Confederate flag ban: That's an interesting move..... Deacons a world away from heyday - No. 1 in nation in '04; last in the ACC in '07 Senior guard Michael Drum remembers the increasingly distant Wake Forest glory days in men's basketball as though they happened yesterday. With brilliant point guard Chris Paul leading a breathtaking fast break, the Deacons ascended to No. 1 in The Associated Press' rankings in November 2004. "It was phenomenal," Drum said last week May be time for Skip to pack it up....no reason for that program to go through two straight seasons like this. UNC to visit WFU tonight: "Deacons will try to snap out of slump against No. 4 Tar Heels." Charlie Weis's malpractice lawsuit puts high-risk surgery in spotlight: "Only those closest to Charlie Weis were supposed to know. The Notre Dame football coach, then offensive coordinator for the Patriots, checked into Massachusetts General Hospital in 2002 under an assumed name." QB Leak may face tall order: "To go high in NFL draft, he has to overcome the issue of heightHe has won state championships in high school and a national title in college. Yet, the stage Chris Leak walked onto Monday morning was in front of an unforgiving audience." This kid is a winner and will be on somebodies team, Charlie Batch style, for a long time. A good kid who was completely mistreated by the Gator fans this year. The conference headlines: From our friends at StateFansNation: NC State Placement Stats Vaccaro Backing Away http://www.statefansnation.com/index.php/archives/2007/01/24/november-10-carolina-state/ Still the best at what they do in the game. Get over there!!! Boston College BC 85, FLORIDA ST. 82 Grand Marshall: "Boston College's Sean Marshall beat a pair of defenders to get the jump on Florida State with his winning 3-point shot at the buzzer. The win kept the Eagles in first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference." We're sorry, but that has to be considered a bad loss for the Seminoles. You've GOT TO beat this BC team now if you want to call yourself and upper division ACC club. Eventually, Mr. Hamilton is going to have to account for this teams consistant underachieving. There is no reason at all why FSU should not have better than decent basketball year in and year out. Florida State FSU switches up defense, but to no avail » What can we expect from Florida State? » Virginia Tech Dowdell takes over at Miami: "The Virginia Tech senior scores a career-high 30 points to lead the Hokies to a key road victory." Hokies getting it done....winning the games they ought to and stealing a few along the way. That's how you end up winning the conference. Not saying that they will, but this is a good formula. They've already beaten Duke and UNC........just saying. From the Press Blog: Tech wins . Get over there! Miami Hurricanes dig hole, fall to Hokies :"Desperate times call for desperate measures, so the injury-depleted Miami Hurricanes are trying to survive by playing small ball during the meaty portion of their Atlantic Coast Conference schedule. " Wheels falling off for Haith in Miami? North Carolina UNC's Terry making his point: "When 7 p.m. draws near tonight as the North Carolina men's basketball team gets set to play Wake Forest, Reyshawn Terry will do what he always does. " Kick the ball out of bounds or make a wild drive to the basket? Just kidding....Terry just needs to relax and keep playing team ball like he has for the last 3 games. He's got NBA talent, but does he have an NBA head for the game? He's a Winston-Salem kid so we have to pull for him (even that Dookie Birkel will pull for him......won't you?) Last Time Around: UNC's Terry trying to make most of senior season : "Reyshawn Terry could almost always be found on a basketball court when he was growing up in Winston-Salem, looking for a game with anyone willing to play. " Davis a good sell : "New football coach Butch Davis and a bold advertising campaign have Tar Heels fans snapping up season tickets." Maryland Remembering '01, Williams has hope for Terps:"First Final Four team had early rough patch in ACC schedule, too." One problem......they don't have Blake, Dixon, or Big Lonny. From the Washington Post - Terps Staying Positive: "Maryland is off to its worst start in the ACC since 1993 and its hopes of returning to the NCAA tournament are fading, but Coach Gary Williams remains optimistic." Yow signs extension: "Maryland athletic director guaranteed $350,000 per year through 2013" Terps Q&A with Heather A. Dinich Clemson Tigers working to improve free-throw percentage Purnell adds Duke atmosphere to Tigers' practice North Carolina State Pack looks to upgrade defense: "N.C. State's defensive strategy seemed sound enough for Duke." Georgia Tech Two Tech recruits jump right in :"Steven Threet and Derrick Morgan can't sign with the Yellow Jackets until Feb. 7, but they've already gotten off to a head start by enrolling early. " (Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 27th, 2006
1:18 am	Mid-majors on rise in ‘06 Article from The Badger Herald by Michael Poppy, Associate Sports Editor Wednesday, November 29, 2006 Parity in college basketball is about to hit an all-time high. At his press conference Monday, University of Wisconsin men’s basketball head coach Bo Ryan talked about the added exposure mid-major conference teams are receiving, but soon the likes of the Missouri Valley Conference, the Colonial, Horizon League and such will be on more of an equal playing field with the major conferences. And by soon, I mean very soon. Wisconsin, ranked No. 7 in the country at the time, experienced just how good mid-majors can be first hand this past weekend at the South Padre Island Invitational, losing 66-64 to Missouri State. Yet Ryan didn’t even consider the loss much of an upset. “Upset?” Ryan joked after the game. “You talking about indigestion?” And for Missouri State head coach Barry Hinson, the win over a top-ranked team didn’t mean much either. After all, Hinson has plenty more to be worried about once the MVC schedule tips off. “It doesn’t mean anything right now, maybe it will mean something in March,” Hinson said. “It means absolutely nothing right now, it’s a win, but I will say this: We’re picked fourth in the Valley, fourth.” The MVC is a prime example of mid-major teams taking a step up. Last year, four Valley teams (Bradley, Northern Iowa, Wichita State and Southern Illinois) made the NCAA tournament, with Bradley and Wichita State making some noise by reaching the Sweet 16. This year, the Valley looks primed to get itself on the national scene once again. Wisconsin wasn’t the only one to suffer a loss to the mid-major conference over the weekend as then-No. 6 LSU received a shocker from the Wichita State Shockers. With the win, Wichita State jumped up to No. 17 in the AP polls. Another mid-major team cracked the polls this weekend as the Horizon League’s Butler Bulldogs earned a No. 19 ranking after winning the NIT Season Tip-Off. Butler had already defeated teams from the Big East (Notre Dame), Big Ten (Indiana) and Southeastern Conference (Tennessee), and was then pitted against then-No. 23 Gonzaga in the championship game of the preseason NIT. Quite fitting considering the ‘Zags were the ones who started the whole mid-major craze. Back when Minnesota head coach Dan Monson was at the helm in Spokane, Wash., from 1997 to 1999, Gonzaga became the true definition of a mid-major team. After six years as an assistant for the Bulldogs, Monson quickly put Gonzaga on the map. He became the first coach to win the West Coast Conference regular-season title in his rookie season. Two years later, he cracked the Elite Eight, nearly reaching the Final Four before losing to the eventual champion in Connecticut. Monson’s run in the tournament earned him a job at a bigger school, landing the head coaching spot at Minnesota, a school fresh off of a cheating scandal. At the time, the general assumption was that if Monson could turn around Gonzaga, he could quickly turn around a team in a major conference such as Minnesota. Think again. The Gophers haven’t been too golden since Monson’s arrival, whereas Gonzaga has been constantly ranked in the national polls over the years. Looking back on it now, the smart choice for Monson would’ve been to stay at Gonzaga. It may not sound right saying a coach should stay at a mid-major school, but the way things are shaping out in college basketball lately, it’s definitely the case. Don’t expect Monson’s protégé Mark Few to leave Spokane anytime soon. Top-ranked teams are dropping like flies just a month into the 2006-07 season and mid-major teams are already on the national radar. It’s as if March Madness is here already. Michael is a senior double majoring in journalism and communication arts. One day back in Madison and he’s already thinking he should’ve stayed on South Padre Island for good. You can reach him at mpoppy@badgerherald.com. (Comment on this)
Thursday, November 2nd, 2006
12:50 pm	Political Danger for the GOP in Ohio [link] According to a report this morning in the Columbus Dispatch, Dems in Ohio are making a major push to match Rep GOTV. And Rep volunteers are finding an electorate that is surly, fatigued, and unhappy.This year, the Republicans have the same machinery in place that has delivered victory after victory in Ohio. But, privately, GOP officials worry that some of their most loyal voters might stay home. A Franklin County Republican who has campaigned door-to-door observed, "There is a fatigue among Republicans. It’s going be a real test of our (turnout) ability, let’s put it that way." This could spell danger for Republican office holders in Columbus and in DC. Two years ago, a skilled Democratic get-out-the-vote operation enabled Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry to defeat Bush by a staggering 226,000 votes in Cuyahoga County — usually enough to win the state. But Bush won the state — and the presidency — because Republicans’ "72-hour plan" turned out huge percentages of voters in numerous smaller, more-Republican counties. In some precincts, turnout topped an unheardof 90 percent, and Bush reaped a large majority of those votes. "We recognize that the Republican machine is very good at this," said Lee Fisher, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor. But he said his party’s operation is "better than what we did two years ago, although we did very well two years ago. The difference is that we’re not only going to be turning out in urban areas, we’re turning out in every county in the state." Carlos Todd, a former Butler County GOP chairman who is close to the party’s conservative religious base, acknowledged that many conservatives have been "somewhat complacent and maybe a little disgusted with some of the things that have happened with the (Republican) party." But he predicted religious conservatives will turn out. "They can’t live with the consequences if they don’t," Todd said. Libby Cupp of Allen County, whose husband, Robert, is running for the Ohio Supreme Court, also has sensed a change. When she telephoned likely Republican voters in early October from a phone bank in Lima, people either hung up or tersely said, "Well, if it’s short, I’ll answer a question." During the past two weeks, though, Cupp said she has received a warmer reception and senses a change in GOP attitudes. Still, Democrats and their allies are almost giddy. Of course, as always, the Dems have THEIR source of "volunteer" labor (if you can call paid employees of a tax exempt organization "volunteers"). As Pryce walked through Upper Arlington on Sunday, an organized-labor phone bank just a couple of miles away hummed with activity. Tucked in the basement of the Service Employees International Union local on Dublin Road, it can accommodate 48 callers. Volunteers from unions and Democratic campaigns such as that of Pryce’s opponent, Mary Jo Kilroy, can make thousands of calls daily. Todd Hornyak, a letter carrier and union member from Hilliard who has spent hours in that basement, said about 80 percent of the union members he has telephoned pledged to support union-endorsed candidates — Kilroy, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Ted Strickland, Democratic Senate hopeful Sherrod Brown. "It’s the economy and the war," he said. During the final four days of the campaign, the AFL-CIO will focus on 500,000 Ohio union members who voted in the 2004 election but not in 2002. The labor organization says it will make 1 million telephone calls and knock on 280,000 doors. The Ohio Democratic Party says it will have its own 20,000 volunteers contacting 1.9 million households. Where would the Dems be without organized labor to give them money and a source of people to knock on doors and man the phone banks. Paid for by union dues (including MINE...curse curse). Ohio is a political disaster right now. A few nights ago I got a call from a former office holder asking if I could work door-to-door. I had to say "no" because I am a classified civil servant. We had a long talk anyways. It's nice to know that I still rank high enough to get a call from a former state rep instead of just some ordinary phone bank volunteer. But it was not a happy call. I was glad to hear from Bill, but he did not have much happy news to give me. He said that there would be little joy for Republicans running statewide in Ohio. I guess we will find out in less than a week. (Comment on this)
Friday, September 29th, 2006
7:22 am	James Cleverly for Battersea As a former resident of Lewisham East, I have known James for a few years and had helped him campaign when he was our PPC for the General Election. Naturally I was only too happy to help him in his bid for Battersea, where he down to the final four. There was a great turnout of CF Area Chairmen and members of the Exec (ten of us in total) who seemed quite happy to leaflet Battersea in the Saturday sunshine. We covered a lot of ground and I hope more people will be encouraged to go to the Open Primary, which being hosted by Michael Portillo on Wednesday. I think Open Primaries are an excellent idea. Many people we met in the street were very interested in the process and as I understand over 350 tickets for Wednesday have gone already. http://jamescleverly.blogspot.com/2006/09/out-and-about-in-sunshine.html (Comment on this)
Tuesday, August 29th, 2006
6:17 pm	Final Four Thoughts On Why Peace Is Impossible... 1. To be honest, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, etc... I don't think they want anything to do with Hamas and Hizbullah. Think about it for a second: the Palestinians are not really "displaced people", are they? I mean...they're still in Palestine! And the Israelis/Jews aren't occupiers: they have literally lived in the region for thousands of years. The only thing that happened in 1948 was the recognition of the State of Israel and the carving of the borders from the wasteland that was once Transjordan. AFTER that woldwide recognition did Israel begin taking in Jewish REFUGEES from Europe and the Former Soviet Union. And of course, you can't forget the evacuation of Sudanese Jews from Africa many years ago. Israelis take very good care of their own. 2. That being said: if Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, etc... really cared about the Palestinians: why are there still refugee camps in those countries? Honestly, don't you think if they wanted anything to do with the Palestinians, they would have assimilated them into their societies and gotten them out of the refugee camps? Some of the camps have been there for literally FIFTY YEARS. Moses wandered the desert with slaves released from Egypt for only forty years. Kind of puts things into perspective, doesn't it? The only thing the "plight of the Palestinians" does for the Muslim countries in the region is give them a reason to hate the Israelis/Jews. That's the bottom line. As far as helping the Palestinians...forget about it. If you want to talk about the children paying for the sins of the fathers: the blame rests squarely on the shoulders of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, etc..., not Israeli bombs and bullets. If Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, etc... would have taken in their Palestinian Muslim brothers and assimilated them: we wouldn't even have a conflict. 3. Keep in mind that not all Israelis are Jews. On the contrary, a very large percentage of Israelis are Arabs that happen to be Israeli citizens. Do you think Hizbullah or Hamas cares? To them, they are murdering Israeli citizens. Whether they are armed Soldiers, Women and Children, Jews or Arabs, to them it's all the same. Katyusha rockets don't differentiate one from the other. They just kill. Same goes with suicide bombers. 4. Final thought: one of the two countries supporting Terrorist Hizbullah/Hamas is not even Arabic: it's Persian. Iranians don't even speak Arabic: they speak Farsi. They don't count themselves as Arab. Even during the Soviet/Afghan war, Osama Bin Laden was treated with contempt by the Iranians (they didn't like him), and while the Afghan Muhjadeen called him "The Archer", the Iranians would call him "the Arab". (Not quite a term of respect in the Iran.) (Comment on this)
Friday, August 18th, 2006
11:24 am	Forget #1–Who’s #285? Last week, as I lazily moved from one destination to the next around Northern Vermont, I got to thinking: did Topps create Mickey Mantle, or did The Mick create Topps? (In the public consciousness, I mean). And if the former is true, couldn’t it also be said that Topps either created to help to mold the popularity (and possibly career) swings of every other baseball player since 1951? These questions got me (in a roundabout way) to the idea of the Topps checklist, the meritocracy theory behind each set’s checklist, and whether or not it would be possible—based on a few studious hours with an old Beckett and Microsoft Excel—for me to create a checklist for an ‘average’ Topps set. The more I thought about it, the easier it seemed to be. So this weekend, after I got back from my trip, I started. I decided to create a checklist for an ‘average’ 1960s Topps set: 598 cards complete with 12 multi-player League Leaders, 20 All-Stars, Team Cards, Special Cards and regular cards of most players with cards in three or more sets from the decade. I started with the biggest names first (I naively thought this would be easiest): Mantle, Mays, Aaron, Koufax, Musial, Spahn, Clemente and Frank Robinson. Mays and Aaron were the easiest of these first eight. Mays was a consistent Hero Number (full hundred numbers, like 100, 200, etc.) for most of the decade (only in 1969 was he demoted to #190, a 2nd Tier Number (like 10, 20, 540, etc., though not numbers ending in 50, which are essentially Hero Numbers), with 4 years at a number ending in 50, with two years as 200 and two years in a row as 300. I gave him #150 (Koufax took #200). Aaron was all over the map in the Topps Sixties, with four years as a 2nd Tier, one year as a 3rd Tier (numbers ending in 5) and the remaining five years a Hero Number. It was easy for me to put him at #300. Clemente was also easy. It took Topps quite a while to acknowledge him worthy of a Hero Number (1966, #300), so because the purpose of this exercise is to create an ‘average’ set, Clemente was not given a Hero Number, but instead a 2nd Tier, #160. Spahn and Koufax are interesting, because if you study the checklists from the Topps Sixties, it seems as though Koufax was Spahn’s heir to the Pitcher Hero Number—not Bob Gibson, who was just as deserving. Spahn and Koufax both had three years as a Hero Number, with Koufax ending his career as #100 in the 1966 set (Spahn ended his as #205, a 3rd Tier, in 1965). I gave Koufax #200 because it seems like Topps was positioning him to be the next full-set hero (to take over for the bad-kneed Mantle). Instead, Koufax retired and Topps elevated Gibson and Frank Robinson to take The Mick’s place. Spahn I gave #450. It got interesting with Mantle, Musial and Robinson, and my decision came down to the two central ideas of my take on the Topps Numbering System: statistical superiority and institutional hero worship. Stan Musial was in the twilight of his career in the Sixties: good, not great, he didn’t play every day;,that kind of thing. Happens all the time with players, and had he played in the 1980s and 1990s, he probably would’ve ended up with a career either like Cal Ripken (one team forever with lots of money) or like Eddie Murray: twenty-some odd years with one team and then following the money to a chain of other teams before retirement. But this isn’t the point. The point is that Topps rewarded Musial with two out of his final four years at #250 (including 1963, his last). That is some Hero Worship right there. Did he deserve #250? Probably not statistically, but in the hierarchy of the Topps Numbering System, Hero Worship beats Statistics any day of the week. So then it was obvious for me to slot Musial in at #250. Musial proved to be just a prelude to the biggest idea of them all: should I reward Mickey Mantle Statistically or should I reward him with Hero Worship? What would Topps have done? There’s no question he deserved both, but then so did Frank Robinson, as Robinson won 2 MVPs (one in each league), won a World Series with the O’s in 1966 and was undoubtedly one of the most consistent super stars of the decade. Robinson was a Hero Number five years in the Sixties, and five years a 2nd Tier. Topps gave Mantle a Hero Number every year except 1968 (#280), capping him at #500 in his last year, 1969. Topps featured Mantle on at least 29 different cards during the Sixties, more than any other player. Both deserved Hero Numbers, and the two most logical open slots were #350 and #500. I ended up giving Robinson #350 and Mantle #500 because I reasoned that while #350 is almost the middle of the set, with more exposure during the pack-buying and set-building year, #500 was the Sixties Hero Worship card (like #1 was to Ted Williams in the Topps Fifties). Topps gave it to Mantle in his last year—never before. (Incidentally, Frank Robinson was #500 in 1968, even though perhaps it should have been Carl Yastzremski, winner of the 1967 AL Triple Crown (instead, Yaz got #250, his only Hero Number card in the decade).) Robinson was the statistical powerhouse of the decade, so it followed that he should get the Statistical Hero Number (#350). After these first eight, I had a pretty good handle and could identify most of the rules and quirks of a system like this: Levels of Numbering: 1. Hero Worship (generally one card per set, usually #500) 2. Hero Number (1, 50, 100, 150 , … etc.) 3. 2nd Tier Number (10, 20, 30, 40, 60, … etc.) 4. 3rd Tier Number (5, 15, 25, 35, 45, 55, … etc.) 5. Rookies & Late Bloomers (Common Level numbers of non-established future stars) 6. Common Level Numbers (all the other numbers) Other Things to keep in mind: 1. No players from the same team within 7 numbers of each other 2. No players with less than three years of cards in the decade (there will be notable exceptions) 3. All-Stars based on number of inclusions across the decade 4. No expansion teams (or very few cards of expansion teams) 5. No favoritism (besides Institutional Hero Worship) A good example of ‘No Favoritism’ is the case of Lou Brock. Look at Brock’s number for the decade: 1962 (rookie) #387 1963 #472 1964 # 29 1965 #540 1966 #125 1967 #285 1968 #520 1969 # 85 Generally it took Topps about 3 years to give a worthy player a Tiered Number. Brock was no exception, and I’m not trying to suggest that I think he was worthy of a Hero Number—he most certainly wasn’t. But I gave him #285 (3rd Tier) because of his eight cards, three were 3rd Tier; it was the most accurate thing to do. If it were up to me, I would’ve put him higher up, probably a mid-500 2nd Tier. Now that I get deeper and deeper into this, I’m beginning to realize how long it will take to get even an ‘average’ set like this right. I’ve only just gotten my feet wet, so far as identifying and numbering 27 individual players. I will post updates as I go, finally ending with a complete 598-card checklist. Here’s what I’ve got so far: #20 Ernie Banks, Cubs #30 Eddie Mathews, Braves #65 Nellie Fox, White Sox #70 Harmon Killebrew, Twins #80 Richie Allen, Phillies #90 Luis Aparicio, White Sox #107 Rusty Staub (one of those Late Bloomer/Future Stars), Astros #120 Pete Rose, Reds #150 Willie Mays, Giants #155 Roger Maris, Yankees #160 Roberto Clemente, Pirates #195 Joe Morgan, Astros #200 Sandy Koufax, Dodgers #225 Carl Yastzremski, Red Sox #250 Stan Musial, Cardinals #260 Don Drysdale, Dodgers #285 Lou Brock, Cardinals #300 Hank Aaron, Braves #320 Bob Gibson, Cardinals #330 Rocky Colavito, Indians #350 Frank Robinson, Orioles #410 Al Kaline, Tigers #450 Warren Spahn, Braves #470 Willie McCovey, Giants #480 Yogi Berra, Yankees player/coach #500 Mickey Mantle, Yankees #510 Rod Carew, Twins If anyone has an idea for what the design of this average Topps 1960s set would look like, send it to me by email and I’ll post the best three. I’d like to see fronts and backs, as well as League Leaders and All-Star card designs. If ever you’ve wanted to design a baseball card and have it seen by people who care about baseball cards, this is a chance to show your idea. Just remember, designs should be able to fit well with the other sets from the Topps Sixties. (Comment on this)
Friday, August 11th, 2006
10:37 am	So You Think You Can Dance - Results Show - Final Four Did you people Call In? So After the big Catfight, Here are our So You Think You Can Dance - Final Four! Heidi Groskreutz Travis Wall Donyelle Jones Benji Schwimmer Okay, I'm pretty happy with the results. I wish Natalie were in, instead of Donyelle, only because in the past few weeks I thought Natalie was stronger, but at least Travis and Benji made it. Ivan is great and all but just not quite up to par as the other two boys. And for your Long weekend (in Canada at least) entertainment, here are some more clips with this wicked Mia Michaels choreographed opening number: And here are the boys solos: (Comment on this)
Thursday, August 3rd, 2006
5:46 pm	the sausage, the lapdog & nanna Three rather miserable, tearful, hot, sticky and unceremonious weeks ago, I split up with my boyfriend of two and a half years. This would be all very well, were it not for the fact we live together. I have no money, no job, a committment to an (expenses only) documentary to be shot in Palestine over two weeks in September, and now it seems, nowhere to live. As if in mockery of my situation, the breakup coincided with the fitting of a new kitchen in our apartment. The indignity of it; they finally make this place halfliveable, but slowly, dirtily and painfully during my final four weeks in the shithole. All the pain, fuck all pleasure. My older sister called me up and offered me sanctuary last week. I accepted gladly, and drove up to Wales for four days. Whilst there, we heard my other sister's news, so of course we celebrated with wine, food, more family, and speculation as to what Mimi would present us all with now she had money ('a signed paperback?' mused my brother disinterestedly, whilst browsing homemade soft core porn on the net and scratching his balls...). The kids amused themselves with 'associate fame' rankings: "I s'pose as her twin you might be like second most famous so don't worry about being dumped.... and then maybe Mummy as her other sister... and then, I reckon... US!" And the adults amused themselves with the feature film casting: "Ron... would be... I know! I know! that bald kid offa 'Big Brother'...." And a good time was had by all. The next day we went to the dog shelter to walk some unwanted mutts. I took charge of a small brown hyperactive dachshund by the name of 'Monty', and my niece a big black sleepy middle-aged thing called 'Flash', which I can only presume earned its name by being the biggest streak of misery the shelter had ever seen. Monty took a rather wet liking to my older sister's toes, and Flash illustrated a reluctance to poo anywhere but with its ass aimed halfway up a ditch. A visit to my sick Nanna in Liverpool later that day, solved this little mystery however: "O I'ad a dog jus' like that I did. A bootiful alsatian. Yer know worrit is? He does'n like 'is poo droppin!" THe large slab of chocolate cake that had been on course for M's mouth, wavered slightly as he obviously envisaged the large alsatian dog shitting up a hill. In a gulp he dismissed this thought, and the chocolate cake was consumed whole, python-like, before he wandered off in search of other food treasures. Nanna carried on, words of wisdom dropping from her mouth like precious pearls of canine saliva. "I do like me dogs...but yer know, if yer wanna good BITCH, yer gotta pay forrit." The rest of the family exchanged curious glances. This was topical. "...like dem Chichooarner dogs. Der not cheap yer know. Anyway Cler 'ows yer sister?" With a start, I realised I'd been captivated by the small cocktail sausage nestled cosily beneath Nanna's left foot. "Oh! yeh, she's um.... really good. Didn't Si tell you...?" "Oh yeh 'e said she's makin' a book. Tell me, 'ow did she gerr-into dis 'lap dancin'?" Eight pairs of mirthful, and one pair of searching myopic eyes swivelled towards me. I shrugged lamely, in my best impression of one answering a rather obvious question: "Weeeeell. You know. Lots of these, erm... middle class women do it to.... keep fit!" "Oh. Dat's interesting dat is. Yer know, I bet she's askin 'erself... whats dat sausage doin dere?" A unified snort of rampant laughter came from all corners of the room as Nanna bent down and shakily, with aged liver spotted fingers, extracted the little pork weiner from beneath her heel. Bless 'er. (Comment on this)
Monday, July 31st, 2006
9:41 pm	NCAA 2006 Men's Basketball Final Four - Apologies To Three Teams ... And The World Turned Upside Down – this is allegedly the song the Brits played when they gave up Yorktown and lost the Colonies to Loopy King Georgie. In fact, the Brits were so upset about the defeat of its gentleman army to farmers, Lord Cornholio Wallis could not face the surrender and sent his subordinate to relinquish his sword. And so to must CBS play the same song - really loud! The World Has Turned Upside Down, Mr William Packer, CBS, CNN, ESPN, and all other Big East and ACC (Almost Completely Competitive Conference) media concerns. For the first time since 1981, there is not a #1 seed in the Final Four. And to the selfish delight of myself, there is no ACC or Big East team. Thank God. For those that read this blog, you know of my disdain for anything trendy in the hero worship dept. like recently when all the darlings of the media for the Olympics were sent packing – Kwan, Apollo, that downhill fella, etc. So the sound of silence is deafening from all the blathering band-wagon, Dukie, and BC ninnies… Long Live The Underdogs. Geaux Tigers, Go Gators, Go Patriots! And the World Turned Upside Down! (Comment on this)
Saturday, July 29th, 2006
4:37 pm	Final Four It wasn't much of a game, but it was a great experience. My seats were closer than this picture but still had basically the same view. Congratulations to the 2006 NCAA Champion Florida Gators! (Comment on this)
Thursday, July 27th, 2006
10:26 am	'Big Brother 7: All Stars' - Live Feeds Report - After The Live ... (Comment on this)