So there I was…me and the mountain

Went on a big trip to Lake Tahoe this weekend with 9 other friends.  There wasn’t any big “thing” that we were celebrating, just all 10 of us have our own lives and we don’t get to spend time together as “just guys”, so it was a trip to re-wind the clock about 7-10 years. 

I have two main observations : 1) I take back ever defending AT&T because I totally understand why anyone West of the Rockies hates the services. 2) Talk big all you want to, but we aren’t in college anymore.

So, quick note on AT&T.  How about throwing up another tower or 10 on the West Coast?  I couldn’t make calls or send text messages the entire weekend. It wasn’t just my phone because the other guys that have AT&T had the same issues.   In fact, I did a bit of a ping test when I had service.  You know what tower my cell phone was using for service?  A tower in Seattle, WA.  I was in Lake Tahoe, 100 miles from Sacramento, 45 miles from Reno, but the service tower was IN SEATTLE.  That’s bad planning.

Now, the main point, we’re not young guys anymore.  I knew that, but it takes a weekend like this for me to be reminded.  We all had a lot of fun this weekend, so it isn’t a complaint at all. It was great being with the guys again and cramming 10 of us in a hotel room literally having fart competitions and making a hotel run out of towels.  It was a bit sad when I realized that everyone was down and out by midnight.  You know what, “sad” is totally the wrong word.  It’s eye opening. 

Gone are the days where we could go to the bars till 2 am, come home and after-party till 4 or 5.  Gone are the days where you talk about all your big plans.  Gone are the days where you wonder if you’ll meet your future wife or the next morning’s mistake that night. 

Now, I’m not saying that I miss those things, but the last time the 10 of us were together like this, no one was married, no one had kids, everyone was in school and weighed about 25 pounds less.  When you all get together again, it’s a little funny that a few of us that didn’t ski still spent the day drinking, but instead of “partying”, we were talking about how much fun it’ll be to take our wives up here, 1 guy was most concerned about finding the right gift for his daughter, and 1 guy kept saying that he can’t wait to bring his stepson up here because it would crack him up to see his stepson lose his shit when he saw the snow.  See?  Not bad, just different.   Keep in mind, we had these conversations at the same time one guy stole another guy’s camera and took close up pictures of his ball bag…so, maybe the more things change, the more they stay the same.

When we re-joined as a group, it was to eat dinner. Sure, the plan was to go to the bar and drink, but inevitably, you’d start seeing yawns, which led to more yawns, which led to people dropping off, and then, by midnight, everyone was back in the room and either already asleep or sitting on the balcony.  

I’m not saying that I miss partying, or that I wish we could turn the clock back.  What I am saying is that it doesn’t dawn on you how much time passes and how much you have grown as a person in your own life until you put yourself back in a position that you used to be.  It isn’t a bad thing to grow up, it is a bad thing to wish you were still young, or act like you’re still young.  If you spend the entire time “wishing” you were still a kid, or acting like you are still a 22 year old, then I think it says something about how you aren’t happy with how things are today.  

This weekend was awesome. I say that with no sarcasm or exception. It was fun, and it was a blast to hang out with the guys again.  The fact that I was happiest when I walked into my house and saw my wife and dog tells me that I’ve got the life I dreamt about as a kid.  

See? I told you asses that the “I’m happy” posts aren’t funny and make me sound like a haughty jackass.  Oh, and snow douches are lake douches on ice.

This anti-bullying thing has gone too far.

I’d say talk about this subject has died down, but I don’t know if it really has or not.  Seems like you can’t see a headline on the news now a day without some kid killing themselves over being bullied in school.  Movie, music and television industries came together for an “it gets better” campaign to let kids know that bullying stops and things get better.

Any of this ringing a bell?

Well, given the proliferation of the Gaga and shows like “Glee”, I feel like people have gone a bit overboard on the bullying thing.  (Side note on “Glee”: it’s been on the air for 2 seasons. The show has had 113 songs on the the Billboard Top 100. That breaks Elvis’s record. No original songs. Breaks Elvis Presley’s record. Think about that. Check your blood pressure. Exactly.)

It’s come to a point now that people are hiding behind the word “bully” or “bully-ism” as often as people who use “racist” and “racism” as a defense.  Let’s get one thing straight, there’s a HUGE difference between the two, and anyone who tries to equate them is dealing with an extreme case of one (bully) or eye-rolling case of the other (racism).  I do feel somewhat qualified because I’ve experienced both.  You don’t grow up in a small town in Texas as an Indian guy without hearing some racism and you don’t have greasy hair, coke bottle glasses and a pube-stache for 17 years without getting bullied in school.  Shocking, I know.

You might remember hearing the story of the “fight” between “Glee” creator, Ryan Murphy, and Kings of Leon member…um…King Leon. (Another side note on “Glee”: Ryan Murphy created “Nip/Tuck”, one of the best shows I’ve ever seen that pushed every boundary possible on television. Now he’s doing “Glee”.  Le sigh.)   (Side note on Kings of Leon: I do not like them.)   Anyway, King Leon said that Murphy couldn’t use the song “Use Somebody” on the show, and Murphy unleashed a tirade about how King Leon didn’t support a show that was going to end bullying, which only mean that King Leon was a bully himself.

What?  Isn’t this on par with John Wiley Price screaming “racism” at the term “Black Hole”?  Let’s get a grip people and save the terms for when they actually need to be used.

Look, I get it. Due to the proliferation of the internet and cell phones and the decreasing intelligence of people, kids set themselves up for ridicule and embarrassment.  Thank God, You Tube wasn’t around when we were in school else god knows what shit I’d still be cover my eyes about.  Still, I don’t think that kids teasing and mocking kids has gotten any worse than it ever was.  Maybe I’m wrong, after all I haven’t stepped foot in a school in a long time (insert joke here).   

Cards on the table, I had an idea where this post was going, but it kind of fizzled and died.  I think you can grasp what I’m going for here.  Stop overreacting with the term “bully”.  Kids are generally ass holes, so they’re going to be ass holes to each other.  Glee will be the downfall of our society.  Kings of Leon sucks.  Thank you and God Bless America!

How 15 minutes changed the face of Professional Wrestling

I get it, you think you’re better than me because I watch pro wrestling.  My excuse is, I’ve been watching since I was 7 years old, what’s your sad excuse for watching “The Bachelor”?  Anyway, I’m not here to debate with you why I watch pro wrestling.  I am here to talk about last night and the 15 minutes that changed the face of pro wrestling.

Wrestlemania takes place the first weekend in April.  Normally, the WWE will spend from the beginning of January building the storylines to culminate in Wrestlemania, the WWE’s Super Bowl.  The past few years have mainly seen the usual suspects feuding with each other (Cena, Orton, etc.) and the Undertaker extending his winning streak, most recently having the 2 best matches I’ve seen in 20 years with Shawn Michaels, ultimately ending HBK’s career.

Thing is, storylines have gotten a bit vanilla and complacent. Bad guy vs. Cena, Cena prevails. Done. Sure, you had some great characters like a CM Punk or the Miz who could work a stick and the ring and get heat from the crowd, but the pops came from the new segment, the PG crowd.  Everyone remembers the wrestling boom of the 90’s – the Attitude Era.  Cussing, blood, heavy and overt sexual content – these were the calling cards of the Stone Cold Steve Austin’s, Mankinds and DX.  When the boom ended, the WWE shifted gears into PG programming. Gone were the beer-swilling, middle finger throwing foul-mouthed heroes, in came the clean-cut, all-American, love the troops, hustle, loyalty, respect John Cena.

And it worked.  A new audience was grown.  Wrestling is extremely popular, mainly with kids and not so much with adults – and that’s because that’s the demo they’re going after.  The adult crowd was turned off – like going from watching internet porn to watching Skinemax – you don’t quite get the same response that you got before.  Where were the guys you wanted to hate and the wanted to hate you?  Where were the guys that were so bad that they were actually the good guys?  What happened to the guys that could get you so worked up on the microphone, it didn’t matter that they sucked when it came to actual wrestling?

The game changed last night.  Finally, the Rock came home.

The Rock announced as the official host of Wrestlemania, and in 15 minutes, he kicked off the most exciting speculative set of “what’s going to happen” since WCW Starcade in 1997 (that’d be the one that saw me and Big jumping around a buddy’s living room for a solid 20 minutes because Sting beat Hogan. yes we both had girlfriends, no they weren’t imaginary).

In 15 minutes, the Rock gave heed to the following:

• He will be back in a near-full time capacity.  Does this mean he’s the “anonymous GM”?  Will he stay after Wrestlemania?
• He will not hesitate to fight – will we get a dream match at Wrestlemania?
• He called out the Miz – he basically called the champ a bitch.
• He called out Cena

Ahh, now we have the most intriguing part.  John Cena is the modern day Hulk Hogan.  The eternal good guy.  The role model for kids.  The guy that the WWE pushes in EVERY marketing campaign.  Cena = WWE.  The Rock came out and called Cena out on everything that the older wrestling fans hate…and the ENTIRE crowd love it.  There were no boos.  There were no Cena cheers.  So, it begs the question, is now the time for Vince to deliver the biggest turn since Hogan joined the black and white?   Will Cena turn heel and face the Rock in the mother of all dream matches at Wrestlemania? 

Makes sense – think about it.  HBK goes into the HOF. Seamus wins the Elimination Chamber takes on the Miz for the title.  Orton v. CM Punk.  Del Rio v Edge.  Undertaker retires Triple H. You’ve got your top 9 names players matched up and you biggest star is without opponent.  Enter the Rock.  Vince played his card masterfully.  I think this is Vince’s swan song.  This will be his Wrestlemania to put the WWE back on top for good, and from there he will officially hand the reigns over to Triple H and Stephanie. 

Either way, the WWE has done something that has been lacking for damn near 5 years.  The took predictability and punched it in the nuts.  Every show is a must watch from now through April 2nd.  

Valentine’s Day.

I hope that’s doesn’t constitute underage content

So, today is Valentine’s Day.  I’m more convinced now, as a married man, that Valentine’s Day is something that has been created for single people that are dating.  I tell my wife I love her everyday and do something romantic once a day (I’ll wipe the toilet seat with my sock, put the seat down or spray air freshener…WITHOUT REMINDER!) so the fact that there’s an entire day devoted to that is preposterous. 

So, why do we have Valentine’s Day?  Well, there’s the obvious case that “Hallmark totally created this holiday because it wants to boost sales.  I mean, this day is better known for a massacre and has nothing to do with romance.”  We get it, no one asked you out in high school.  Honestly though, why does this holiday exist and who celebrates it?

Two reasons:

For men: single women hate Valentine’s Day.  Given the ambiance of the day and décor, women are bombarded by the fact they are single and don’t get to “enjoy” the festivities.  Prime. Hunting. Time.  I’d argue more ugly men get laid on this weekend compared to any other time because women are desperate and will look past a gut (OR PERHAPS HE’S PREGNANT!?! BEAR = SOCRATES)  and they’ll end up taking a guy home and getting cupid’s arrow put all up in her valentine.

For women: men who are playing free agency hate valentine’s day (note the difference between this and single. these are guys who are dating a woman, but aren’t really that serious about it. I believe in common vernacular this is “talking” to someone) . it’s like being franchised by an NFL team. The guy doesn’t want to be locked down, but the woman can apply the pressure of a Valentine’s day to lock him down for another solid month or so.  No guy, at least in his right mind, is dickish enough to dump a woman on Valentine’s Day.

Either way, Valentine’s Day is like any other day of the year that’s been designated as a “holiday”.  It’s a simple time for you to look at the person you’re with and remind them what they mean to you. We take for granted how day-to-day our routines become and the people we interact with.  Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be specifically for your significant other. If you step back, look at your daily life and really think about the one or two people who you interact with every day and have a positive impact and make you feel good about something, THAT Is the person you should take a special second and tell them Thank You.  If it’s someone close enough, just tell ‘em you love them, you don’t have to propose…(make sure you know them, don’t tell the coffee barista you love them, they frown on that.) 

Point is, don’t look at the day as some uber-sappy, “make you feel bad for being single” type holiday.  Just find the people that make you happy, let them know what they mean to you and tell em you appreciate them being there. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone.

I don’t understand how women and gay men think

Tell me that’s not the most intriguing title for a post you’ve ever read.

The wife has had to work at the office late this week, so I’ve been getting home, taking care of the dogs and getting a shower out of the way before she gets into the house.  Normally, when I take a shower, it’s a fairly quick ordeal, take shower, dry off, throw on some clothes and bada beep bada boop, I’m done and on the couch.

Yesterday, though, when I stepped out of the shower, I actually took a look at myself in the mirror.  Seriously?  That’s what women and gay men are after?  It looks like I have Gonzo in a leg lock or something…not that I have a blue, furry penis.  I know what you’re thinking a) why the hell are you looking at yourself in the mirror and b) that’s mighty cocky (PUN!) for you to think that women and gay men are attracted to you.  First of all, everyone look at themselves in a mirror, it’s the god damned purpose of having one.  Second, I’m talking generalities, and though I don’t exactly have a memory bank full of other penises to compare to, I’m going to assume that male bodies are the same…except for black guys, “Any Given Sunday” pretty much proved why white guys enslaved black guys: penis envy. (Kizzle just went and Netflixed “Any Given Sunday” and cleared her Saturday)

Anyways, back to the subject.  Maybe that’s the proof that a man is straight, being horribly disgusted by his own penis.  It isn’t some sort of body disillusionment syndrome.  It’s the simply confusion over how women and gay men actually look at one and think, “boy, that’s one good looking penis, I’m going to put that inside my body”.  I mean, how bat shit crazy is that sentence by itself?  

I don’t think the reverse it true, though.  A woman’s vagina is a beautiful thing. (Most of them, let’s just exclude the ones hidden by fupa rolls or the ones that look like someone overstuffed an open faced pastrami reuben.)  I think that’s agreed upon by men and women. No one looks at a vagina and says “yuck”.  Take a look at a penis and you think someone made a miniature model of the worm where they hid the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars. 

It’s just baffling that for millennia people have been attracted to each other and women have evolved themselves enough to make their lady parts attractive all the way around and the best that men have done is decide that the turtleneck hoodie wasn’t working anymore.  Oh, and before some super awesome guy chimes in with a “hey man, I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, my dick is huge and women love my big unit and they’re lucky to see it let alone touch it.”, let me just get out ahead of you and say, okay you’re the anomaly big man, enjoy your fleshlight.

The funniest aspect of Twitter.

I’ve made no secret of my love/hate relationship with Twitter.  Very simply, I like Twitter when I use it, and I hate everyone else that does. See? Simple enough.   Anyway, one of the funniest aspects that I find about Twitter is the obvious misconception people have that since they have the ability to technically communicate with everyone, it doesn’t mean that you can really communicate with everyone.  Lemme splain.

Michelle Beadle is on Twitter.  Michelle Beadle is the new poster child for every man’s fantasy woman.  In the span of a few months she’s dusted every other sports chick and reigns supreme as the queen of sports hot.  She’s to sports what Olivia Munn is to nerd culture.  Apparently, she broke her foot or something last night and posted a picture of herself in the hospital.  You can see for yourself at her feed: http://twitter.com/espn_michelle

Now, here’s the example of the comedy of Twitter.  Read the comments. How far did you get before you rolled your eyes?  Was it is “Love your pretty little feet?” or “be brave Prettiest One” or “even in a hospital your [sic] still beautiful”?

Let me clarify something for all the guys out there. NO WOMAN WILL LOOK AT YOUR TWITTER FEED AND DROP HER PANTIES FOR YOU. YOU’RE NOT THAT GREAT.  I highly doubt women are on twitter waiting for some clever guy in Cleveland whom she’s never met to tell her she looks beautiful and that is going to be her siren song to give up her life to come fuck you.  Maybe I’m wrong, I’ve never used Twitter as a dating medium.

All I’m saying is, the more of these comments you read and one-way interactions you see (God only knows how porn stars and Twitter have yet to combine their forces in the strangest episode of Captain Planet yet), the sadder it gets.  I can only imagine some guy sitting in front of his computer with his Twitter follower list full of women he’s never met as he’s messaging “your beautiful” (grammar error on purpose) hoping he gets one single ping back. 

Actually, I take it all back.  It isn’t funny at all.  Now that I’ve typed it all out, all these guys need is a hug and a hooker.  NEW CHARITY CREATED!

Michael Young wants out…is he wrong to do so?

Peace out, Arlington

So, this has been teased for the past few months now, and I think the acquisition of Beltre pretty much pushed him over the edge.  Michael Young is now saying he wants to be traded away from the Texas Rangers because he no longer trusts management.  Management says that he has simply changed his mind and decided he no longer wants to accept the everyday DH role.

I can see this from both sides, and I can see both sides having at least some ground to stand on. 

Michael Young is the face of the franchise.  For the past 11 years, he’s been here, toiling through the Texas heat, through Hicks, through John Hart, through Buck, you name it.  He’s maintained he wanted to be here, wanted to the the captain, wanted to be the face of the team.  He was active in the local community (as active as Dallas would let him be…remember, no one knew who the Rangers were until about August of 2010?).  He learned under A-Rod, moved for Elvis and never made a peep about being upset.  The club finally turns the corner, makes the historic run, and he’s asked to step further back from the limelight and become a DH.  Michael Young feels that the club has finally become what he hoped it would be, and now the club  no longer wants him. 

It’s like something out of a bad teen movie.  Guys dates girl who isn’t that hot, but is really great to be around. Girl discovers the gym and fashion and makeup. Girl becomes really hot and leaves the guy for greener pastures.  Guy feels heartbroken and left behind.  Michael Young feels jilted and is looking to nip it in the bud and leave early.

The Rangers, however, don’t exactly feel like Young is what he used to be.  He didn’t produce in the WS, and he was a liability at the hot corner.  If the Rangers brass feel like they are going to stay a competitor, they feel like Young is a liability that his 200 hits a season doesn’t really balance out.  It’s why they made the moves for Beltre and Napoli.  Either Mike Young gets on board or they trade him for what he’s worth.  Nolan Ryan and JD have proven that they’ll put the club in front of individual players every time.  It’s why Lee isn’t here.  It’s why CJ making outrageous demands next winter won’t be listened to.  It’s taking a “team first” philosophy and putting it before the “player first” mentality. 

As a fan, the question remains, what do we want to believe and see?  Do we want to see and believe in the players that have been there for US for 11 years?  Do we want to trust management that brought us *this* close to the promised land last year?  Do you trust the man in the laundry or the laundry itself? 

New Nicknames for Aaron Rodgers

A-Rod is stupid and A-Rodg is stupider.  We need some new nicknames for Aaron Rodgers. 

Given that the man’s a wrestling fan, let’s just rob and steal for him, shall we?

1. The Nature Boy, Aaron Rodgers
2. The Cheese Greater
3. The Iron Cheese
4. Aaron Adonis
5. Big Wiggle Rodgers

Other possibilities;

1. Gunslinger 2: Electric Boogaloo
2. Ryan from The Office
3. Aaron “Don’t call me Scott Stapp” Rodgers
4. Aaron Rogders

Add yours in the comments.

So, what’d everyone watch last night?

Besides the obvious.

I watched “Big Fan” when I got home, and this is definitely a movie that I’d recommend to anyone who a) enjoys sports b) understands rabid sports fandom and c) listens to sports radio.   It’s streaming on NetFlix and it’s only about 1.5 hours.  It’s got Patton Oswalt and Michael Rapaport.  Why aren’t you leaving the blog and going to NetFlix to add this to your queue?

Anyway, I’m not going to give a full blown summary here, but Patton Oswalt plays a rabid New York Giants fan who’s favorite player is the team’s star linebacker.  He spends all day listening to the local sports radio station and is an avid caller to the late night show.  He gets his ass kicked by the team’s favorite player and spends the rest of the movie wrestling between whether he should press charges and hurt the Giants by suspending their best player, or if he, in the most literal sense, “take one for the team” and say nothing.

It’s a good movie and I highly recommend it.  If I’m way behind the times here, and everyone has already seen it, then I’m late the party and I want to talk about this and the final season of Lost. 

Oh, and the Super Bowl was last night.  The game was, I thought, great.  I couldn’t really tell what was going on because everyone around felt it was a social hour rather than a football game watching party. That’s not Carl B’s fault, I thought his house and setup was actually pretty ideal for the party and I had fun and enjoyed myself. I can tell you all about being pregnant, fashionable work pants and how awesome one of our friends is because he can totally tell the difference between Grey Goose and Ketel One and you’re totally a fag if you can’t do that…brah.  I can’t tell you of any masterful Joe Buck bon mots or Troy Aikman concussion moments.  I did have a direct view of the tv though, and for that, I thank you, Carl.

If you’ve ever wondered why Big and I watch pro wrestling….

This video from With Leather is all the proof you’ll ever need

 

Why we watch wrestling…

Yes, it’s snowing…I can see that.

It’s snowing outside.  I’m so very happy that you felt the need to tell me that.  Please, update your Facebook wall and your Twitter feeds with messages and pictures, not necessarily informing everyone of what this is doing to your day or how it affects them, please just let me know “it’s snowing outside”. 

I don’t have windows in my house.

I don’t have properly functioning ears that were woken up by sleet at 3 am.

I don’t have a dog who’s afraid of his own shadow that decided to barrel into our bed and wedge himself in between me and my wife so he could sleep when he heard thunder.

Matter of fact, I woke up at 6 am, showered, shaved, put on some clothes and casually walked into the garage.  It was a good thing I check my phone to see people telling me that it snowed outside.  Such wonderfully informant friends I have.

Ahh, I’m just fucking with you.  It’s a snow day, and they’re rare as a three ball elephant (walk him and pitch to the rhino!) down here.  Take pictures and enjoy it. 

Missed it by *that* much…

Where we live today…sports.

The weather this past week and weekend in Dallas was perfect. Low’s in the 40’s/50’s and High’s in the 60’s and even 70’s.  I wore shorts most of Saturday, and it’s still January.  Last weekend would’ve been the perfect week and weekend to have the Super Bowl.  All the north east coast people would rave about Dallas in the winter, and it would be no time flat before the Death Star had another Super Bowl on its hands.

But…that was last week.

Allow me to share the weather report for this week:

Monday: 35/59 – cloudy
Tuesday: 13/33 – Wintry Mix Wind chill down to 0
Wednesday 16/22 – Wind chill down to –0
Thursday 21/34 – Partly Cloudy
Friday – 28/38 – Snow
Saturday – 38/55 – Sunny
Sunday – 38/61 – Cloudy

See that?   When everyone is in town, ESPN had the gall to setup an OUTDOOR SET, the weather turns nasty and shitty.  The weekend, gameday and after the game?  Back into the 60’s.   So, what’s that really mean?  I think it’s fairly obvious.

God hates Jerry Jones.

First, he fires Jimmy and surrounds himself with Yes-men.  He continues to bring in shitty people and shitty talent, all while living under expectations set forth 20 years ago by Jimmy’s team.  He builds a new palace, but does so without properly pleasing the football gods – i.e. sacrificing a Manning child (How do you think Lucas Oil stadium went with the Indy super bowl win, and NJ agreeing to build a new Meadowlands after the Giants win?  Sacrifice a Manning child, and you win a Super Bowl…mark it.) 

If you see frogs in the sky and a red tinge to White Rock Lake, expect Stephen Jones to go into hiding.

Big Links for Friday

get it? big links? GFY, I'm not a funny one.

Links brought to you by the letter C, for Cocaine....

Because Brown had a bad dream or something, I'm going to do something that I used to do on the reg, and something that just about every other blog site does, a day of links! So if you're looking for some interesting reading, probably want to go somewhere else, but if you're looking to waste a little time, check the sites out.

Greatest feud ever: Glee versus Kings of Leon. Someone might be challenging Brown for the most hate filled person on the Internet!

New thunder cats? New thunder cats. - It is done in Japan, so of course Cheetara looks like a 12-year-old now. Fucking Crazy Asians.

This homemade LED Pong clock is legit as shit. Honestly this whole make website is legit as shit. Like this weed flinging catapult

Ever want to be one of the Bob's? Corporation Inc. has you covered. Warning this game is addictive as balls.

This Brett Favre spoof is pretty good, if you haven't seen it yet.

Music: The Black Keys and Big Boi from Outkast got their two records mashed up (free download). The result is surprisingly good, and if you don't have big boi’s Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, his most recent album, go get it now.

And last but not least the second greatest pay-per-view for wrestling is this weekend, The Royal Rumble. Bet your sweet ass, I'm going to be watching it. It's got 40 people now! 40!!!

That's it! Hope I gave you some time killing options this Friday. Have a good weekend and as always #prayformojo.

Yoda Stalin approves

Tiger Returns to the Course Today

For Shizzle

So, today marks the beginning of the 2011 season for Eldrick Woods.  You might remember him from such films as “Greatest Golfer Ever” and “The Night I Cheated on My Supermodel Wife with a Perkins Restaurant Waitress” and “Rachel Uchitel: You Saw Her on Celebrity Rehab…Wouldja?”  Anyway, last year Tiger was basically known for one thing, fucking pornstars and losing golf tournaments.  He tried to return at the Masters, played throughout the year and didn’t win.  He came close, but that mystique of Tiger and championship edge he used to have was gone and young guns like Lee Westood and Graeme McDowell took him down. 

So, what do we expect from Tiger now?  He fired Hank Haney and hired Sean Foley to “fix his swing” again.  He says he spent his (now single) time alone re-grooving his swing, focusing on his short game and re-dedicating himself to mental toughness.  Basically, he says that he has his A game back (he kept saying he was close last year) and now he’s poised to “re-claim his number 1 spot” –- if you didn’t know, this is the first time in 5 years that Tiger has not been the world’s number 1 ranked golfer, it’s Lee Westwood.

Here’s what’s different:

• Tiger isn’t young anymore.  He’s 35 years old.  That’s not old by any means, as you saw guys like Jack winning in his 40’s, but take a look at guys like Phil, and Ernie and Vijay…they’re in their 40’s now and they aren’t really seen as the tour’s best.  Tiger can’t do what he did before because his body isn’t what it used to be. 
• The tour has “caught up” with him.   Guys like McDowell, Westwood, McElroy, Villegas, Watson, Kim…they all grew up watching Tiger Woods and priming their games off of his. Point is, they aren’t afraid of him, they can’t wait for the chance to stand up to the throne and take the spot.  Hell, McDowell and Westwood already did and USGA is already looking at Kim to take the American mantle for golf from Tiger.
• Media scrutiny.  Sure, Tiger was the PGA, and everyone followed golf for Tiger.  That’s nothing new.  Difference now is Tiger has gone from being John Cena to being The Miz.  People don’t love Tiger.  People want to see Tiger lose. People want to see him fail.  People want the king to fall and to see someone take his place.  The media will feed off of that.  I’m not saying you’ll see Feherty switch fields and start being a dick to Tiger, but I am saying you’ll hear more of Johnny Miller and Nick Faldo chipping away. 

So, what do we want to see out of the new TIger?

• Show his personal side. If the transgressions of 2009 and 2010 have proven anything, it’s that Tiger is not the machine that Nike, IMG, and the USGA made him out to be.  We know that Tiger is a man and he has faults. Don’t be the A-Rod machine, show the personal side and try and connect.  For years, golf fans have heard that Tiger is a prankster and, unlike Phil, the entire tour loves Tiger because when the cameras aren’t on him, he’s a genuinely nice and funny guy.  Show that side to the world.  It doesn’t change what you’ve done, but everyone loves a good redemption story – see Bryant, Kobe.
• Drop the Sunday Red routine.  If it doesn’t intimidate anymore, there’s no need to do it.  Jim Duggan looks stupid carrying a 2x4 to the ring, he never gave up.  Wear a different color, or open up your Twitter account (@TigerWoods) and let fans vote on Saturday – highest vote is the color you wear on Sunday. 
• Be smart with the game.  Forget playing Angry Birds off the tee and showing the young guns who you are.  That’s stupid.  Remind us of cerebral Tiger. Play irons only on the links courses.  If you’ve got the lead, play fairways conservatively and hold ground.  Don’t push if you don’t need to, and leave yourself the easy up and downs.
• Embrace being a heel.  How great would it be to start seeing Tiger showing up to tournaments in fur coats, a cigar in hand and local strippers piling out of his car?  Seriously, if the world hates you, and no one will forgive you, then take a cue from the WWE and embrace the hate. Become that figure that everyone hates, but has to watch.  Scream “Noonan” at your playing partners.  Make Happy Gilmore real.

2011 is going to be a make or break year for Tiger.  Torrey Pines is “one of his courses” and he’s primed to start on a good note.   It’ll take one major to get the monkey off his back and remind everyone who he is.  Augusta is practically home to him, so I fully expect him to take another green jacket and return to prominence.  Let’s just hope he does it the right way.

The State of the Blog

Mr. Speaker, the Vice President of The Big & The Brown!

Fellow blog readership.  I first want to say that the state of our blog is strong.  We’ve put out more posts in the past 3 weeks then we did all of 2010 and the end of 2009 combined.  I’d like to thank Big for working with me to find a bi-partisan way to post to this blog without letting our petty, political squabbles get in the way.  (He’s pro-nice, I’m pro-angry…it’s like abortion without the teenagers and hangers)

It is my goal that has been set for this blog that we will average no less than 5 posts per week.  There will be times where this is easier than others.  There will be times where this is impossible because there is no internet available, but it is my commitment to you, the readership, to deliver on the promises that you deserve.

However, this blog is a blog of the people, and it can’t survive and grow without you. If we are to leave this blog in the hands of future generations, we must leave it in better shape than in which we have found it.  This means MORE dick jokes, MORE angry posts and MORE YouTube videos from Big.  We can do our part, but the onus (the anus?) also falls on you, our fair readership. 

We must put aside such petty differences as you not being funny and me being fucking hilarious.  We must put aside our egos and recognize that I am the greatest writer this side of Shakespeare.  We must be willing to accept that if you took those last 2 sentences literally, then you are extremely stupid and shouldn’t read this blog for fear of bruising your brain.  It means that YOU must provide feedback to US and let US, your writers, know what we can do to make this blog better for you.  It means more comments, more emails, and more tweets.  If you have an idea, write it up and send it in.  If it isn’t funny, we’ll send it to Bear, that’s what his blog is for.

Our blog is back and I firmly believe that it is stronger than ever.  Big and I have agreed to put our political differences behind us (until his back is turned, then I’m going to hit him with a chair…REVENGE!) to make our contributions better for you, the reader.  I now charge you to share your thoughts with us, share your dreams with us and share your anus with us…let’s make the biggest Human Centipede that’s ever been!  God Bless America and God Bless The Big & The Brown!

For the record, I was right

About 3 years ago, I wrote this post right here on this blog, and in it, you’ll notice the following line:

“And here's another hot sports opinion about Jessica Simpson: Not. That. Great. If you want to find a large breasted, man-face having girl who can't sing well and has an over bearing father, go to Baylor's campus any day of the week. It had to be said.”

That line of mine (RHYME!) drew this comment from our favorite commenter, Gerry Dorsey:

“disclaimer: this post was written by a bitter cowboys fan who watched his boys lose to an inferior team with home field in the playoffs still on the line. jessica simpson IS in fact smokin' hot and although she got way too much face time, she did deserve at least a little bit of it. please direct your anger at fox as it was not her fault they kept focusing on her sweet, sweet rack. thank you.”

Gerry, I’m going to give you the floor and ask for an apology and retraction from you now that she’s proven that she’s the real-life version of Kendra from “The Cleveland Show”

Things I’m irrationally afraid of…

We’ve all got things we’re afraid of, whether tough guys like Big want to admit it or not.   Most things are traditional types of fears/phobias – heights, enclosed spaces, bugs, snakes, prison, etc.  Others tend to skew on the irrational side of phobias – the number 13, pennies, mustard, etc.

Well, I was joking when I saw the Subway commercials this weekend that I think I need to add Layla Ali to my list of things I’m irrationally afraid of.  Then I got to thinking about it, and I have a couple of things that I’m afraid of that are kind of irrational.  Now, I realize that my friends are complete dicks and will purposely put me in a room of these things, but that’s just what you ass holes do.

So, in no particular order:

1) Layla Ali – Watch a Subway commercial.  Tell me if you don’t think that woman has the capacity to rape you…WITH YOUR OWN PENIS.

2) Whales – Yes, it’s true. I hate whales. They scare the shit out of me. It doesn’t mean that I curl into the fetal position at Sea World, but God help me if I’m on a boat and see a whale.  There’s nothing majestic about a giant animal that, by simply altering its direction under water, can take out the object that is keeping me afloat and everyone in it.  Whales, they’re fucking Lenny from “Of Mice and Men”…stupid enough to swim into Boston Harbor and big enough to take down an armada…yet somehow, succumb to the Japanese…it’s why I buy Sony products.

3) Children singing – Listen to Pink Floyd’s “the Wall”…that’s some fucking scary shit. Now listen to the Red Hot Chili Peppers “Aeroplane'”.  Now listen to the kids choir in “Home Alone'” JUST AS FUCKING SCARY!  Kids are creepy when they sing.  Laugh, play, enjoy all you want to, but the minute a group of kids start singing, hackles get raised on my back.

Okay, this post ran out of steam because I got a phone call and totally lost my train of thought.  So, there you go, I’m afraid of Layla Ali, Whales and Children Singing…so, take me to Sea World when she’s doing an appearance with the Vienna Boys Choir and you might see my explode like the movie Scanners.

Thoughts on the upcoming Super Bowl

• The Packers and Steelers easily had one of the best regular season games this year that was back and forth out of the chute and trading punches the whole way through.  Let’s hope for a repeat
• Why the hell does Lewisville have Super Bowl banners on the street lights?  I mean the official, NFL Super Bowl XV banners with the word “Lewisville”.  Shouldn’t that be restricted to Arlington (stadium), Dallas (NFC), Ft. Worth (AFC) and Irving (Valley Ranch)? Last I checked, the Fighting Farmers stadium isn’t big enough to withstand that magnitude /admiral ackbar’d
• I like Aaron Rodgers. He was my MVP pick last year.  I don’t have a joke, I’m just saying he seems like a decent enough guy, and his celebration is wrestling related.
• Everyone in Dallas bitching because Pittsburgh and Green Bay are playing in the Super Bowl here had damn sure better be in their 50’s. This is hardly the same league as Landry, Noll and Lombardi’s was 40 years ago.  Let’s stop pretending that we care. The same people who are complaining are the same people who stopped watching football when the Cowboys went 1-7 and want to trade Romo because Kitna’s “better”.
• I am in paralyzing fear of what traffic will be like next week in this city.  That being said, all this construction was supposed to be done before the Super Bowl…kind of missed the mark, didn’t we?
• I tweeted this but, The Situation is having a Super Bowl party at Blackfinn in Addison.  I dare say that’s just not douchey enough, right?  Shouldn’t he be at one of the one word places in Uptown? 
• GameDay Final on the NFL Network is easily one of the best shows on television.
• What gets more play: Rodgers potentially displacing Favre’s legacy or Roethlisberger potentially joining Bradshaw, Montana, Aikman, and Brady with 3 super bowls
• If (when) Deion gets in the HOF, does he thank Jesus first or himself?
• If this was the WWE, I’d guarantee you this game would have a Polamalu v Matthews Hair v Hair stipulation.
• My pick : Packers 24, Steelers 21 – game winning drive for Rodgers.
• My secondary pick?  Bear will grow his beard real strong this week as though he’s playing in the game and say that’s what he used to do for the high school playoffs.

The Texas Network

You don’t make $80 MM profit every year without pissing everyone off

Ok, let’s say that I am one of 10 phone makers in the South. Myself and the 9 other companies all represent AT&T.  All of the money we generate, and all of the hype we generate benefits not only ourselves but also AT&T.  If I’m AT&T, it doesn’t really matter who of the 10 of us does well, it just matters that a) AT&T has a representative in the discussion versus Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, Boost, etc. and b) cellular phones, in general, maintain their growth and popularity.

Now, my company happens to make the most money of the 10 companies, and my company gets first pick when it comes to the best talent to be hired: creative people, sales people, technology people, you name it.  The best talent usually chooses to go and work for one of the top 3 companies in the area.

Because my company has the most money, and because my company’s phone is one of the e most widely used phones, to the point that a lot of the nation inside and outside my area has my phone, I am able to broker a deal with the Belo Companies to have my own page in the Dallas Morning News, my own site on DallasNews.com, and a my own spot on WFAA to be run during every show.  It benefits me because I get to promote my product, and it benefits Belo because their relationship with me ties my loyal patrons to them as well.

AT&T benefits because they get high profile.  Cellular phones benefit because they get more promotion.  My company benefits because of the deal that I have struck with a media channel.  In the business world, I would be heralded for smart business sense and I would be lauded for the deal that I have made.  Would my competitors be mad?  Sure, but it isn’t my job to make sure my competition does well.  As long as AT&T has a competitive phone against the other companies, it doesn’t matter because AT&T can still compete.  Other companies can switch allegiances to Verizon and what-not, but AT&T is too recognizable to not be in the “who’s the best cell phone provider in America?” argument. 

So…explain to me again, how is it Texas job to take care of the rest of the conference and why are Oklahoma and A&M screaming foul?

American Idol is back

Who’s the old lady next to Jennifer Lopez?

I don’t watch "American Idol”, per se.  I watch the first few weeks of “American Idol” because, like everyone not named Big, I enjoy watching a train wreck.  The new season started up, and, unless you’ve been living under a bridge, you know that gone are Simon Cowell and Kara DiGiorniolliollioxinfree and coming to the show are Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler. Randy Jackson remains because, well, Journey isn’t making albums and daddy needs to get paid.

So, right out of the gate the first thing I notice is that “American Idol” seems to think that Jennifer Lopez is a bigger music star than Steven Tyler or Jimmy Iovine.  Did I miss something?  Just when the hell did a former Fly Girl become more famous than the front man for Aerosmith or the brain at Interscope?  Did that memo get lost in the mail?  What’s going on here?

Second, where’s the mean-ness?  I’m starting to think maybe we need to promote this blog (at least my posts) in England because being mean (or, as I call it, honest) seems to fly a bit more over there.  I don’t want to see Steven Tyler singing along and drumming the table or Jennifer Lopez being nice, I want a snarky Brit rubbing his man boobs and telling someone they are tah-rri-buhl.

Third. Jennifer Lopez doesn’t look that bad for a 42 year old Mexican mother of two married to Skeletor.

Fourth. Steven Tyler. Oh man, what happened?  I can completely understand why Joe Perry kicked him out of the band. Steven Tyler is slowly morphing into Janice Dickinson, or vice versa.  Is that was Liv Tyler is going to look like in 60 years?  Yeesh. 

Finally, “American Idol” will always dominate rating simply because it was the first out of the gate with the whole singing competition idea (since “Star Search”) and people will flock to it.  I don’t care for the competition itself, but don’t think that you have to tone it down because your snarky Brit is gone.  Come on, Fox, turn it up.  Don’t let “Glee” ruin “American Idol”.  Next time someone can’t sing, have Randy Jackson walk up and slap them. Have Steven Tyler just shoot heroine on screen because he’s so disturbed he’s going back to drugs.  Have Jennifer Lopez…I dunno, let a boob fall out or something.  Regain the Fox attitude.