Are you guys still writing?

The obvious answer here is no.

You probably want to know more, don’t you? 

I can’t speak for Big, but I damn sure can speak for myself, so here’s your answer.

I’m not paid to write on this site, therefore, I don’t have the motivation to do what it takes to promote this blog and deal with people on the internet.

Let me hit those points again .

1) I am not paid to write on this blog.

See, I have a job that pays me money.  This money allows me to live my life.  No money = no food, no rent, no nothing.  Should I spend my time doing something that makes me money or should I spend time doing something that doesn’t.  Also, I’m fucking busy at work.  I don’t even know what’s happening in the world or sports or the world in general. “Well, if you enjoy what you’re doing and it makes you happy, you should spend time doing that.”  Idealistic, but valid. 

2) I don’t like writing for people I know.

Does that shock you?  There’s a reason I write under a pseudonym.  It allows to write stupid drivel about things and take shocking stances on things under the cloak of anonymity.  “What a pussy” is what just ran across your head.  Sure, there’s a point there.  However, I live in corporate America.  I can’t just say whatever the fuck I want and have it comes back to me in a negative light.  So, the fact that the only people that read this god damned site are the people I know personally seem to go completely opposite to that.   Therefore, I just don’t care to write anymore.

3) I don’t want to deal with stupid people on the internet

Life is serious enough as it is.  I have to deal with stupid, over sensitive people on a daily basis. You think I want to put up with that shit on the internet too?   Look at Facebook, what the fuck is it with you people?  Stop taking that thing so seriously.  Pick up the phone and call one of your friends and talk about it, status updates and wall posts are bullshit.   Look at this from the former UniTQM.  The guy makes a joke about someone and their blog, and everyone gets all butt hurt about it.  IT’S A FUCKING BLOG ON THE INTERNET.   He shouldn’t have to apologize for anything he says about anyone, and if you’re blog gets criticized, who the fuck cares?  Blogspot isn’t some time honored journalistic institution.  This is the same hosting service that provides Guess Her Muff and Show Me Your Butt Hole to the world, I’m pretty sure you don’t have to maintain journalistic integrity or mind yourself for libel or people’s feelings.

What I’m trying to say is we’ve swung so much as a society that everyone wants to have their pulpit to speak from.  It’s tiring and annoying and I’m over contributing to it (yes, I understand the irony of this post and that sentence. No need to point that out to me.)   We’ve moved from everyone getting to have their 15 minutes of fame to everyone begging for 15 minutes of privacy.   Rather than being treated to me and Gerry Dorsey mocking each other and going prop bet over tomorrow’s game, you’re stuck with nothing.  Thanks, internet, you’ve killed the internet.

Texas Tech usurps everyone as the stupidest university on the planet

Are you fucking kidding me?  Really?  This is the stupidest god damned thing I’ve ever seen and I’m not even a supporter of this school!?

Mike Leach fired!

I think I speak for everyone when I say…

What. The. Fuck.

Craig James has now destroyed SMU and Texas Tech.  You keep your ass away from Austin, Craig James.  So help me, God, I’ll ruin you if you or your progeny step foot on the 40 acres.

This makes me happy.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

 

Hat tip: Warming Glow

Big's end of the Year Awards - TV

It's the end of the year, and despite our lack of focus on this site, we are still here, and we do still care.

We care so much in fact, that i have once again put together a list of things that you should be excited about, the End of the Year Awards from yours truly, Big.

Today we start with TV

We did this last year as well.

Cable TV. How great are thee. With your channels more than three, and such great picture quality. Its easy to see, that without you I would be, a more contributing person to society.

A poem by Mamma-auk-a-boo-boo-day

It was a so-so year for TV in my book. Had some new stuff that was decent, alot of crap again, but that's to be expected. On to the awards

Best Animated TV Show : The Cleveland Show (Last year, Family Guy)



I understand a lot of people don't like Seth McFarland (Cleveland Show, Family Guy, American Dad), whether it be because his predictable formula for shows (Stupid fat dad, Hot Wife, Kid who is smarter than his age, talking animal), but his humor (which seams to be a mix of pop-culcher references, slap stick, and shock jock) is right up my ally.

Just a quick aside, This season of South Parks was their best in years. Whale Whores, and Go Home Fags, were quick possibly the best stuff they have done in a decade.

Runners up : South Park, Family Guy, Simpsons.

Best Comedy: Tie, Better off Ted and The League. (Last Year: How I Met Your Mother)

Better off Ted


A show that I got into in the early part of this year, about a guy working for a product development big business. There are always 3 or 4 audible laugh moments each week. Glad they brought it back.

The League


Let see, I'm a sports dork with a soft side for Fantasy Football and "Guy" humor. Yea, I liked the league a lot.

Runner Up: Scrubs, Always Sunny, Psych.

Best Drama: Son's of Anarchy(last year SOA)



Might have moved into the top 5 shows of all time in my list with this last season. (Top five right now in no order Simpsons, The Wire, Sports Night, FNL, SOA/Sheild).

Come on, it had Henry freakin' Rollins as a white surprimisest. Greatness.

Runners Up: True Blood, Lie to Me, Friday Night Lights.

Best Reality Show (None)

I will say, the 30 for 30 Docu's on ESPN have been fantastic. As was the WWII in HD the history channel did.

Best New Show I'm sure will get canceled soon. Modern Family (Last year: True Blood)

Modern Family


Its good. The gay guys are funny, Al Bundy is great, and the "hip" dad always steals a segment or two every episode.

runners up: Warehouse 51,

Re-examining the social networking morass

In the immortal words of Val Kilmer’s Doc Holliday, “My hypocrisy knows no bounds.”

If you remember, I was one of the people who denounced and railed against social networking sites like the MySpace, the Facebook and the Twitter.  Now I find myself joining the Facebook and using this little blogsite to join the Twitter.   Again, I’m the first person to admit that I’m a hypocrite in just about every sense of the word…especially on these here interwebs.  I’ve found that having a Facebook account helps me stay in touch with family and close friends and share pictures and maybe share broadcast messages via a status update.  I’ve found that having a Twitter account helps me either a) promote posts on this site b) promote posts on MavsMoneyBall and c) go on Twitter-thons while watching a game, in essence, live blogging for you, the sexy reader.

In my eyes, that’s what these sites were made for, but in the hands on the wrong person, these sites can inherently make me want to shove chopsticks in my ear until I feel something go *pop*. 

For the record,

• I don’t care that you need help in Mafia Wars
• I don’t care how your farm is doing in Farmville
• I don’t care what you baked in your cafe
• I don’t care what your photo of the day is
• I don’t care about your daily routine and if you really need to go to the gym
• I don’t care if you think it’s cold outside
• I don’t care where you are or what you’re doing every minute of the day

Allow me to respond to the biggest arguments against me on this topic

1) If you don’t like it, then just ignore it or don’t read it.

So, let me get this straight.  We’re friends on Facebook because we’re friends and want to know what’s going on and keep in touch, but I’m supposed to ignore your posts?   As for the don’t read it part, well, that’s a bit hard to do when IT’S 75% OF THE GOD DAMNED SCREEN.  If you’re offended by this, go ahead and remove me as a friend, I won’t have my feelings hurt.  It’s Facebook.  Who gives a shit?

2) I’ve got everything linked together on my phone! What can I do?

STOP LINKING SHIT TOGETHER ON YOUR PHONE! These are two different websites with two different purposes.  Twitter can be updated frequently and to your heart’s content because that’s the intent.  Facebook, however, doesn’t need to be updated every two seconds because again all it does is CLUTTER UP 75% OF MY SCREEN.  If you want me to ignore it, please see number 1.  Is it that fucking hard for you to enter something twice if you absolutely, positively have to put it in both locations?   "Whew, I might get carpel tunnel if I enter “I’m eating dinner now” in two places.  Better merge it into one application!”

3) If it bothers you so much, don’t be on the sites.

Read the entire post, dip shit.

Now, I know for sure that I’ve pissed off at least one of you sexy readers because you’re addicted to the social networking thing and you have to update things every minute of every day.  Just know that you shouldn’t take it personally that I find social networking behavior annoying.  Seriously.  It’s the fucking internet. Who cares what I think? 

I actually went to the stadium this time

Yes, I know we don't post here much anymore. Give me a fucking break, I don't see you assholes writing anything or paying me to write. You can have a Coke, put a smile on your face and shut the fuck up.

This man still gives me nightmares, and I was in the stands.

So, the last time I "reviewed" the stadium, it was based on a few text messages and reactions after the opening game against the Giants. I lambasted the idea of the vast stadium and the catering to luxury boxes and the fucked up logistics of parking and prices, etc. I mentioned that somehow college campuses that routinely pack 95K+ every week for games (Texas, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, etc.) managed to do easily, but the Cowboys couldn't because the pro game experience is too different.

I was blasted in the comments section by some anonymous person who said that I was complaining too much because I only wanted a suite with free parking and beer. First off, I've got an extra "kiss my ass" card for anyone doesn't agree with me. I'm always right, don't you know that? Second of all, I actually ventured out to the stadium for a game, the Big XII championship, so allow me to re-review the stadium based on my own experience.

In a word...meh.

I'm sorry, I just wasn't taken aback by the aura of the stadium and game presentation. I'm going to chalk this up to the fact that it was a college game in a pro stadium, and the way to present a game is different, but here's my pro/con run down.

Pros:

• Parking was not as bad or teeth pulling as I expected.
  
• Neither was traffic.
• Line of Sight. We were sitting in the third section, in the corner of the end zone and I was able to see the entire field and not think I was looking at ants.
  
• Bathrooms. I didn't think they were that bad. Maybe that's just a comparison factor to everywhere else.
• The Screen. Sweet Jesus. You hear how big and bad that thing is, but you don't realize it until you see it in person. Almost to a fault, it deceives you as to how big the stadium is because the screen is so mammoth. You have to train yourself to watch the game and not the television, but it's okay if you do.

Cons

• Sound. This didn't work on two levels. This isn't really relevant in a pro game (so not really Jerry's concern), but in the college game, the band is a pretty crucial element to the fans. If you can't hear the band, then it takes away from the college football experience. Similar to the band, it's really difficult for a crowd to really get a good chant going. Check that, it's really hard for certain chants to get going. If the crowd is all doing the same thing, then it works. For example, Nebraska has a "Go! Big! Red!" chant. That works because all the fans are screaming the same thing in unison. However, Texas uses the "Texas! Fight!" chant where half the fans scream "Texas!" and the other screams "Fight!". This works in most stadiums because you can hear what's being said. For the life of me (and the sections around me), every time Texas tried to start that chant, it died immediately because no one could hear "Texas" and no one could hear "Fight".
  
• Presentation. Again, this might pertain mainly to the college game, but if you notice, there isn't a lot of "stuff" happening during the college game. The presentation is usually left in the hands of the fans. Chants and band noise and all that. Every time either side tried to get a chant going, the stadium people decided that was the time to either blare music from the sound system or show a commercial on the big screen. This move effectively killed any fan chanting, so it really hurt both teams' momentum.
  
• Public Address. This was not the usual Cowboy Stadium announcer, Jody Dean, but this falls onto The Ticket's George Dunham. It usually helps to let the people in the stadium know what is going on. We had no idea down and distance. We had no idea when/if there were penalties. We had no idea when things were being reviewed. It was like watching a game with the sound turned off and KISS FM turned way up.
  
• General information. I've heard this before and confirmed it, but there's no information displayed on any of the 2,000 screens in the stadium. I'd like to know some stats and information beyond a small ticker at the bottom of the giganto screen.
  

All in all, the stadium is nice and all, and a majority of the issues I had can be chalked up simply to the fact that this was a college game in a professional stadium, but I just wasn't as impressed or awestruck as I really expected to be when I came to the stadium.

What the hell is wrong with people?

Really? REALLLYY???

H/T: FilmDrunk

Happy Halloween!

If this doesn't put you in the spirit, I don't know what will.



HT : Warming Glow

and if your into the best part of this fantastic holliday, chicks dressing like hookers, Holy Taco has a gallery you check out here . With stuff like this.

What the hell is happening in Redskins land?

As a Cowboy fan, I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t at all giddy at the fact that the Redskins haven’t been a contender for 10 years.  However, there’s only a certain amount of pleasure you can take in a fandom’s plight when they’re on the ground bleeding and keep getting kicked in the head.

Is it safe to say that Dan Snyder is the worst owner in the NFL?  He’s got contention from Al Davis (and to a lesser degree, Jerrah), but no one could be more blinded by his own perceived light than this guy.

Take a look a this from Steinberg's blog…

“…there's a new policy that says no signs of any sort are permitted inside the stadium. Even signs sending best wishes to husbands in Afghanistan.

When and why was this change made? I asked Monday morning, and as of Monday evening, a Redskins spokesman said he still wasn't sure.

…

Now, no signs or banners are permitted whatsoever. A spokesman told me that this policy is meant to protect spectators from getting injured by signs, and also to make sure everyone can see the action. Because obstructed views at that stadium could not possibly be tolerated.”

What. In. The. Fuck.

How far up one’s ass does one’s head need to be to not realize how bad things really are around them?

Bad signings.  Zero patience.  No listening to the advisors around him.

Either Snyder has adopted the Beltway attitude of “things are great on the hill, who cares about off of it” or he’s really just envisioning himself as some kind of dictator who must crush any kind of rebellion against him.  Either way, it’s come to a point where I actually feel sorry for Redskins fans.

 

(Note:  I do not feel sorry for Redskins fans.)

Mavericks Season Preview

Check out the team breakdown at Mavs Money Ball.  Here’s the overview…

So, what are we looking at in the NBA this year?

-Shaq's in Cleveland, making his fourth alliance with "the next big thing" (Hardaway, Bryant, wade, James).
-Boston picked up Sheed
-Orlando brought home Vinsanity
-LAL brought in a pit bull with Artest
-San Antonio got really scary with McDyess and Jefferson
-Oh, and that Blazers team that everyone said a better point guard because Steve Blake wasn't it?  Yeah, they're a year older and got Andre Miller.

Needless to say, the NBA's rich just got richer.  There are a host of other story lines: refs, impending CBA lockout, Von Wafer's hair, Blake Griffin's ACL which I am now referring to as "the Clipper's ticking time bomb", but that's not why you're reading this...you wanna know about your Dallas Mavericks.

Click here to read Brown's preview over at MavsMoneyBall.com

Predictions:

EAST
1) Cleveland (LeBron, Shaq...yeah)
2) Orlando (Lost the Turkish MJ, got Vince Carter...wash)
3) Boston (They're old, but they're the good old)
4) Toronto (Bosh and Hedo, I smell buddy flick!)
5) Atlanta (Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford is gonna be lethal)
6) Chicago (Baby Bulls and Vinny of the Black!)
7) Detroit (New look Pistons with Gordon and Villanueva)
8) Philadelphia (Elton Brand is healthy. Eddie Jordon brings the Princeton offense.)

West
1) Los Angeles (if I need to specify, you're retarded)
2) Portland (I'm telling you, these kids are going to be good)
3) San Antonio (Healthy Manu and Jefferson on the wings? McDyess at the five and Duncan at the four? Yikes.)
4) Utah (Same old)
5) Denver (Melo's hungier than ever)
6) Dallas (I just broke them down)
7) New Orleans (The Paul and Chandler pick and roll was special to watch…how well can it run with Okafor?)
8) Golden State (I really really like Stephen Curry in Nellie-ball)

Finals: San Antonio & Cleveland

Champion: San Antonio

You guys are WHERE??

We’re blogging with big boy pants now.  Just like we’ve moved our wrestling thoughts over to The New PWB, we’ve been asked to contribute to Mavs Money Ball this season on SBNation.  I’m not sure how we were selected, and it’d be a lie to say that we aren’t excited about it.

Quick note to our ass hole commenters, MMB is a big-boy blog and we’d rather you kept it sportsy over there.  I may or may not be posting more TB&TB flavored versions of posts over here, so you can comment your ass off to those. 

Also, we’ve re-instated the twitter page (@bigandthebrown), and I’ve been keeping up on that front.

It’s an internet revolution, mother fuckers, TB&TB style.

College Footbal Weekly Round up - Week 8

Mark Ingram Heisman?

We are starting to reach the point in the season where things really start happening. Most of the pretender team have been washed out, and this is the time where the cream of the crop start to rise to the top. Being a man of size, I'm pretty big fan of cream, and I'm looking around this college football landscape, and I see very little cream. Very. Little. Cream.

Sure there are a few big school still undefeated at the top of the standings, and more than likely two of the big three will ride the course and stay undefeated and play for a national championship, but in my honest opinion, it wouldn't surprise me if all three of them have one loss going into bowl season.

The fun part about this year is the running joke series that is the BCS, and what they will do if two smaller schools are the only two that run into January undefeated. What will the BCS do if, for example, Bamma and Texas drop a game, Bamma then beats Florida in the SEC championship game, and the only undefeated teams are TCU, Boise, and Cincy. One of those guys has to get a shot at the BCS title game, right? How awesome would a Cincy TCU bcs game be? On the rankings

Main Eventers

No. 1 Florida (Win 29-19, Mississippi State) - 13-10 at half time. Against Mississippi State. Sure your defense is good, but you have to do better than 2-12 on third downs if you want to repeat. If State can shut down your passing game, can't wait to see what the Sabin can do.

No. 3 Texas (Win 41-7, Missouri) - I don't understand the voters in either poll. Texas wins a close game, at a neutral site, against what we all thought was a top 5 team in nation at the start of the year, and they drop back to three. Yet when they destroy a former top 25 team on the road and the number 2 team has to block a gimme field goal to win, and they still stay three. I'm pretty sure CBS said "hey, lets just leave Bamma and Florida 1-2, so when they play each other in the SEC title game, we can call it a 1 vs 2 game! Think of the ratings!"

I thought after the Oklahoma game i had seen the best defensive game that Texas would play all year, then they follow it up with this one. Allowing only 174 yards to a good Missouri team is quite impressive. I still have my doubts about the offense (137 yards rushing is good, but 7 guys rushing to do that isn't), but this Texas defense seems good enough to hoist a trophy this year.

No. 2 Alabama (win 12-10, Tennessee) - 2 things I learned walking away from this game. 1. Bama's got some great luck, and one hell of a defensive front. 2. Some point in the next 4 years, Tennessee is going to be the Tits of the SEC. With only 4 games left for the Tide, the LSU game in two weeks should be interesting, but with two weeks to prepare for it shouldn't be too tough, that leaves only Auburn at the end of the year as a game that could be in doubt, but probably won't be. Bama is ripe and ready to go against Florida in the SEC title game.

No. 5 Cincinnati (win 41-10, Louisville) - For the first time Cincy is entering my Main Event status, mainly because I don't know if 2 of the three team above them can go the distance, and even without star Tony Pike, the BearCats put up almost 500 yards and 41 points on Louisville.

Mid Carders

No. 6 Iowa (win 15-13, Michigan State) - Usually an undefeated big 10 team at this point of the year is in my top tier, but not this team. To beat a very average Mich State team, it took a TD pass at the buzzer. If they can beat Ohio State in three weeks, then i will consider them legit.

No. 8 TCU (win 38-7, No. 16 Brigham Young) - Watched this one VS and I must say the presentation was pretty good, but the play by play guy was about as terrible as it gets. Look VS, i know you want to have an "edgy" feel for your station, make it seam like a guys network, but I don't need somebody who is trying to be Gus Johnson. Gus Johnson is greatness, but what makes him great is the idea his super excited calls are genuine and don't feel forced what so ever.

Now, on the TCU, who scored on three of their first 5 drives, and taking a 21-0 lead, in Utah, against a team that beat Oklahoma on a neutral site. This game was over in the third quarter when QB Dalton hit WR Hicks for a 75 yard score.

No. 4 Boise State (win 54-9, Hawaii) - What can you say, Boise dominated every aspect of this game, as they should have. Its just getting hard to remember that win over Oregon at home so long ago. And with nobody on the schedule that is worth a 50 cent steak, i fear I will forget that game before its all said and done completely.

No. 7 USC (win 42-36, Oregon State) - If the BCS apocalypse happens, and we are left with a couple non BCS schools undefeated, and a bunch of one loss powers schools, you can't count out the men of Troy. The one loss on the road, coupled with another pac 10 championship, which would include a win over fellow one loss Oregon, might be enough to have the over hyped Trojans in the title game again. Of course there are a lot of things that must happen for that to take place, and that includes a win this week at Eugene, against a very good Oregon team.

We are going to forsake the Developmental teams this week, due to lack of quality teams at the bottom of the top 25. It just seams that every time you think you know something about a team, they shit the bed and arn't worth talking about. I'm looking at you Texas AM (get rolled by K-State then roll Tech) and Nebraska (Iowa State? Really?)

So instead I'm going to give you your college football schedule for watching on TV coming up on Halloween.

11:00 AM No. 8 Cincinnati at Syracuse - See if Greg Paulus can stop the Bearcat Cinderella season (hint: he can't).

2:30 PM Georgia vs. No. 1 Florida - The Dogs don't have much to play for this year, so this could be a trap game (hint: it won't be)

7:00 PM No. 3 Texas at No. 14 Oklahoma State - Biggest road game for Texas all year.

7:00 PM No. 5 USC at No. 10 Oregon - I would say flip between the two, but they are both on ABC, so enjoy the Texas game. I'm calling for an Oregon upset if you care.

Happy Halloween people.

A product all girls should have.

I remember seeing this awhile ago, but forgot about it till i saw it agian today.

I would totally get my girlfriend one of these, but you as you know, she is in Europe, waiting on a visa, and she doesn't like talking on the phone with people she has never met, but trust me, she is real.

College Footbal Weekly Round up - Week 6

I know I missed last week. I'm a bad person. But very little has really happend in college football. Same as 2 weeks ago there are so far 3 legit teams, Florida, Texas, Alabama, a slew of next tier guys, and a few less BCS busters. Lets get to the rankings

Main Event.

No. 1 Florida (Win 13-3, No. 4 LSU) - Took care of business in what was their biggest test to date in Baton Rouge. Any of the next three could be trap games, home to Arkansas, @Miss State, home Georgia, but I think Bamma vs. Florida in the SEC title game is going to happen.

No. 2 Texas (Win 38-14, Colorado) - Looked like shit for a half, then remembered that Colorado sucked. Here come the "this is only thing that matters anymore" Sooners. Be warned.

No. 3 Alabama (Win 22-3, No. 20 Mississippi) - So much for the Jevon Sneed hype, 11-34, 140 yards, 4 picks.

Mid Carders

No. 5 Virginia Tech (win 48-14, Boston College) - Only loss was to Bamma, and they have wins over Nebraska and Miami. If they can survive Georgia Tech this week, they could not lose again the rest of the year.

No. 9 Ohio State (win 31-13, Wisconsin) - Looks like TP is starting to get it. Ohio State won't be in the national title game this year, but look out for them in a rematch vs USC in the rose bowl, they could take em.

No. 6 USC (idle) - Hope they lose to Notre Dame this week, but I doubt it. Looking forward to USC Oregon on Halloween.

Developmental

No. 16 Kansas (Win 41-36, Iowa State) - Still unbeaten, looks like them and Nebraska will get the right to lose to either Oklahoma or Texas.

No. 13 Oregon (win 24-10, UCLA) - Only team in the Pac 10 that is undefeated in conference. @Washington, then host USC coming up. Time to show me.

I'm going to hold off talking about UNT until next week, as we had another heart breaking last second loss this week. But its Homecoming this week, and I will tell you what happens at homecoming next week.

Giggle

Don't worry the college post will be up later today. This was too funny to pass up.





more like this over at Comicsalliance.com

(I know, i'm a dork)

So, now that they’re done, will you talk about them?

 

Yes.  Now, that they’re done, I’m going to talk about “them”, the Texas Rangers.

What can you say about this season short of it was fantastic?  I understand that the team fell short of the playoffs by petering out and playing a shitty last 20 games.  (I’m assuming the last 6 games aren’t going to be gangbusters and the Red Sox aren’t going to drop 6 straight.)   However, this season was much different than the 80+ win season of a few years ago. 

One reason.  There’s a future.

A couple of years ago, when the Rangers had the nice season no one believed that the next season or seasons were going to be great.  That team wasn’t young, it had guys like Tex who we all knew wasn’t going to stay.  It was an aberration.  

The team this season actually backed up the message that we’ve been hearing from the front office for years. “Wait for 2009, wait for 2010, that’s when we compete.”  Now, the young prospects are paying off, more importantly, it’s the pitching that’s arrived.  The staff is young and promising.  Feldman, Hunter, Nippert, Holland, Feliz, all set for promising futures.  Add in the futures of young guys like Davis, Murphy, Andrus, Borbon and upcoming guys like Smoake and you’ve got a nice core of players to work with.

So why are we still worried as fans? 

Money. 

Tom Hicks ran out of money this year, and the MLB has, for all intents and purposes, taken over the Rangers.  Which means that the other owners have a say in how things are run.  Which means the Rangers can only offer slot values for draft picks, hence not being able to sign their top pick this year. It means not having the capital to sign free agents, which MUST HAPPEN WITH MARLON BYRD AND JOSH HAMILTON.

Tom Hicks has always been the problem with the Rangers.  The front office and the team are finally solid and promising, but the problem begins and ends with the owner.   If Tom Hicks can’t sell his team to a buyer who can afford to grow the Rangers, all the good vibes ad promise that have been built this season are for shit.

College Footbal Weekly Round up - Week 4

Oh JoePa, I'm sorry.

Two things struck me this weekend while watching college football, One, weekend with no "good games" on the schedule almost always become good football watching Saturdays, and two, TB&TB College Round up is starting to gather a Madden/SI like curse for the who i talk about for the first time, and/or put a pic of on top. Sorry Javed Best and JaCory Harris, my bad.

Main Eventers:

No. 1 Florida (Win 41-7, Kentucky) - This one was never close. The end of the first quarter it was 31-0. Tebow ran for 2 more TD's and is like 3 behind the great Hershel Walker for most rushing TD's in SEC history or some such. Something to watch, Tebow took a shot in the third quarter, head got bounced off the turf, took a little ambulance ride to the hospital for a overnight servalence. Insert your own "Tebow rises from the un-opened tomb three days later joke" here.

No. 3 Alabama (Win 35-7, Arkansas) - Yup, I moved Alabama ahead of Texas. Body of work so far. That's the only reason. One of the best analysis of Bamma I have heard all season was said by the play by play guy of their game this week. I'm going to paraphrase it suchly "bamma had one way of beating you last year, pure, over powering brutality. This year they have many ways they can beat you, but they can do none of those things as well as they could just beat you down last year."

Basically he's saying, nobody really knows what kind of team this bamma team is, all we know is that they are good, really good. Like "freaky" good.

No. 2 Texas (win 64-7, UTEP) - Got a text from brown early in this game, "Colt pick six, time to start drinking." While I was pissed he didn't use the "taint" phrase (Touchdown After INT), little did we know, that would be the only points UTEP could muster. At one point late in the game, Texas even put in a white out offense, consisting of all white players. True story. Not even one Mexican.

And to this point in the season, those are the only teams worthy of playing for a national title. Things could change, but when it comes to the big schools, that are still undefeated, that look good enough to be crowned, that's it.

Mid Carders

No. 7 LSU (win 30-26, Mississippi State) - Good things for LSU in this game: they caused 4 turnovers, Bad things: only 263 total yards. Maybe they were looking forward to two weeks when they host Florida, or this week when they go to UGA, but if they can't do a better job of moving to the ball against the gators or the bulldogs for that matter, its going to be a rough couple of weeks.

No. 11 Virginia Tech (Win 31-7, No. 9 Miami (FL)) - It was raining, hard, at VaTech this weekend, so much so that neither team did anything in the air. Combined they had 248 yards passing. The weather, plus a good defense completely took JaCory Harris out of the game. No Harris, no chance for the U to win. So as of right now, VaTech is the best one loss team in the nation, with wins over Nebraska and Miami, and their only loss coming against Alabama.

No. 10 Oklahoma(idel) - Time for the Sooners to prove if they are worthy of being in the hunt with the big boys, they go to Miami this week.

No. 13 Ohio State (win 30-0, Illinois) - Illinois isn't a terrible team, and with Iowa proving that they are somewhat legit, OSU now has one hell of season ending trifecta, @Penn State, home Iowa, @Mich.

No. 14 Cincinnati (win 28-20, Fresno State) - Despite the fact the BearCats only had 57 yards rushing and only had the ball for 16 min, they continue to win. Tony Pike has gone over 300 yards passing in all but one of his games, and has thrown multiply TD's in all of his games thus far, including 300 yards and 3 td's this week. He is your dark horse Heisman, and Cinncy is your dark horse national title game participant. You herd it here first.

Iowa (Win 21-10, No. 5 Penn State) - So sorry Joe Pa, but Iowa has got your number. For the 8th time in 9 years, Iowa has beaten Penn State, this time in happy valley no less. 4 turn overs, a 3.3 yards per carry, and a monsoon was the reason this year. Is Iowa for real? Doubt it, they always beat somebody they shouldn't, but time will tell.

No. 8 Boise State (win 49-14, Bowling Green) There is 0 difficulty on the rest of Boise's schedule this year. Zero.

No. 17 Houston (Win 29-28, Texas Tech) - So they beat Oklahoma lite, now they have knocked off Tech with a TD inside of one min. Time to start the Hype Train. I will say this, Art Briles, now head coach of Baylor, brought most of the guys who are "rocking it" right now, including QB Keenum (38-58 435, 1-1). Says alot about where Baylor might be heading.

Developmental Teams

No. 20 Kansas (win 35-28, Southern Miss) - Another good win for Kansas, and another great game for Todd Reesing (30-41 331 3-1).

No. 15 TCU (win 14-10, Clemson) - another very nice win for TCU, as they knock off a decent ACC school in Clemson. Again they do it with defense, holding the Tigahs to under 200 yards passing.

Auburn (Win 54-30, Ball State) - Don't look now, but Auburn is 4-0 under new head coach (and former fail of Iowa State) Gene Chizic. 560 total yards of Offense will do that for ya most weeks. They get a good little show me game against Tennessee this week.

Big ups to all my haters upset of the week goes to South Carolina proving my theory that No. 4 Mississippi "aint all that great" by beating them 16-10 on Thursday night. When are teams going to stop scheduling road Thursday night games? The road team never wins those. (unless of course you are north Texas"

Speaking of North Texas, I'm afraid we are back to the old Todd Doge ways this week. After a promising win and near win the first two weeks of the season, I thought this team would be different, but alas, the 37-21 loss to Middle Tennessee State Saturday night proved me wrong. You can't let teams rattle off almost 500 yards against you AND Turn the ball over 5 times. Come on now.

Summer is over.

HT : Warming Glow

“The party passes seems like a good idea…on paper”

 

That was the final (sober) test message I received from Bizzle on his visit to the disastrous opening of the Death Star on Sunday night.  (His tale is comedic enough as it is involving him riding his bike to the stadium, getting drunk, losing his friends, avoiding a riot and being too short to see the screen, but I’ll leave that for him to tell one day.)

I’m a Cowboys fan.  However, the idea of going to that cluster fuck of a stadium and seeing a game in that monstrosity is the most unappealing concept on the planet.   Just so we’re clear, you’re asking me to spend a minimum of $100 (ticket, transportation, beer, parking, etc.) to watch television because I can’t see the field.

“But it’s something to see!” 

“It’s the Cowboys!”

“Games are fun!”

All valid points.  But what am I paying for, really?  The chance to see a poorly coached team half-ass it through a game while an ego-maniacal psycho sits in his booth in the sky and lords over legions of fans who turn on a dime and are interested for maybe 10 minutes?   Teams aren’t afraid to play here.  Our fans aren’t intimidating in the least.

“How dare you say that!?  I’m a fan, I cheer all game long!”

Yeah, you and all the other people shuttled off to the cattle class of the “party pass”.   The stadium itself just doesn’t appear as though it’s fan friendly.   The stadium is seemingly turning into the AAC during Mavs games, which isn’t a good thing.  

“You haven’t been!”

Yeah, fuck you, that isn’t my point.  The reviews of the 100,000 people who did go seem to paint a good enough picture.  

I’ll tell you what events you should go to if you really want a fan experience that’ll blow your fucking nuts off.  College Football. 

Go to a big program’s stadium on a game day and buy a ticket.  It isn’t corporate, it’s fans.  Sure, you’ve got alumni that are pompous and quiet, but they’re the minority, not the majority.  DKR Texas Memorial Stadium?  It’s considered quiet by college football standards, but it’ll rock your balls off on game day. Ever been to Kyle Field on game day?  Fucking Cult Mad house.  I can’t imagine the scene in Gainesville, Ann Arbor, Columbus, etc.

My point is, when the “common” fans are given the control of the stadium/arena, then the home field advantage is felt, and it’s a fun atmosphere and it’s worth the money that you pay for it. When you’re trying to impress the corporations and the high dollar customer, you become a laughing stock and the opportunity cost of going versus staying at home is not even a debate.

NFL Rankings, Doing it Big

I tried to do this last year, every week. I wasn't very good at keeping it going. Alas, I'm here again to offer you a slightly modified version from last year. I won't do this every week, but I will try and knock one of these out every once in a while. Its my look at the NFL, and after two weeks, there are some surprises, but that's why they play the game.

NFL Rankings, after week 2

1 New Orleans Saints 2-0 - This was the hardest spot to pick. My first thought was to put Baltimore number one, but looking at everything, the Saints are the most impressive team after 2 weeks. Not only have they put up ridicules offensive numbers, but new DC Jim Johnson(ED. whoops)Greg Williams has turned this defense into "respectable."

2 Baltimore Ravens 2-0 - When you think about Baltimore, you always think about defense, but so far this season, the defense has been the week point. They have allowed 50 points so far in just 2 games. The good thing? Joe Flaco has a 96.1 QB rating, and has thrown for 5 td's in just 2 games.

3 New York Jets 2-0 - Holy crap, the Jets are good. New head coach Rex Ryan has this defense playing like his early 0's Ravens with a league leading 241 yards allowed. You hold teams to field goals like they are doing, and have a QB, rookie or no, that is as efficient as Sanchez is, wins.

4 New York Giants 2-0 - 2-0 already in the hardest division in all of football. Sure you want more than 52 yards per game from Jacobs, but taking this early lead in the division is nice.

5 Indianapolis Colts 2-0 - I would have them higher if they didn't win their first two games by a combined 6 points. Scary stat? They are allowing 176 yards rushing a game. Yeikes.

6 Atlanta Falcons 2-0 - Solid wins over Miami and Carolina. Ryan looks good. So does Turner. Getting Tony Gonzalez in the off season may have added that one piece this team was lacking last year, a go to reviver when you need 4-8 yards.

7 Minnesota Vikings 2-0 - Favre hasn't imploded, AD is running like a freakin' freight train. They have destroyed two very shitty teams. We will find out what this team is made of over the next 2 weeks, when they host San Fran and Green Bay

8 San Francisco 49ers 2-0 - Speaking of San Fran.....They are now also 2-0 in their division. They traveled to Arizona, won, and hosted Seattle, won. Shaun Hill might not blow you away with his numbers, but when you have a back that averages 6.2 yards a carry, and a defense who has held two very good offenses to 16, and 10 points, you don't need to win games with your arm.

9 New England Patriots 1-1 - Yes, they should be 0-2. Yes, Brady has attempted 100 passes in just two games. Yes, Randy Moss has yet to get into the end zone. Yes, trading away their best pass rusher is biting them in the ass. All of those things are true. But this is still New England. This is still Belchick. And they were missing Welker last week.

10 Pittsburgh Steelers 1-1 - If they didn't miss that feild goal, and Tennessee didn't lose to Houston, I would have put them at least in front to New England. They have played the toughest first two games, of any team, and looked good in both for the most part. Troy's injury is proving not only that the madden curse is real, but his presence is being vastly missed on the field.

11 San Diego Chargers 1-1 - Baby Pocket Sproles might be my favorite player in the league right now. He's little, but he's mean. Whats not little is the amount of points the chargers defense has given up in two weeks. 20 points to Oakland? Come on now.

12 Chicago Bears 1-1 - Is Cutlerfucker the saving grace of this once proud franchise? Will Matt Forte do ANYTHING on offense? Is anybody still reading this? I don't really know the answers to any of those questions, but I can tell you that being 1-1 when you play on opening weekend, Sunday night at Green Bay, and host the defending Superbowl champs is pretty good. They go to Seattle, who may not have Hassellquarterback, and then host Detroit. 3-1 is not out of the question.

13 Dallas Cowboys 1-1 - Good things. O Lines has been pretty good, Running game has been pretty good, WR's have been pretty good. Bad Things. Demarcus Ware has 0 sacks. The Defense can't tackle. The Secondary looks as soft as a twinkie. Goodbye wade phillips.

14 Green Bay Packers 1-1 - Looked great against the Bears, held Forte to like 20 yards, then the Bengals and Ced Benson ran all over them. Ryan Grant was supposed to be healthy and ready to take the next step, unless the next step is 107 yards and 3.6 yards per carry, your in trouble.

15 Denver Broncos 2-0 - wouldn't surprise me if they finish 2-14. Fluke win over cincy, and then they beat up on the worst team in the NFL. At some point this season, I'm calling it, we will see Chirs Sims take snaps in Denver. Mark it.

16 Philadelphia Eagles 1-1 - Oh what a diference McNabb makes. Wait, he dosn't play defense. nevermind. Show me Mike Vick!

17 Seattle Seahawks 1-1 - This is a team that I think is due for a bounce back year. Then Hassellquarterback went down. That's not good.

18 Tennessee Titans 0-2 - I'm sure people in Tennessee are freaking out because of their 0-2 start. They lost to 2 good teams, so chill out. Wait, Kerry Collins is still your QB. Continue to freak out.

19 Miami Dolphins 0-2 - After Monday's game, I am openly rooting for Miami. They brought us the WildCat, which everybody thought would be a little bit of fad, team would run in once or twice a game. Not the Dolphins. They love that shit. It's like watching Boise State play Oklahoma every week. Love it.

20 Houston Texans 1-1 - Everybody "watch out for them this year" team got shut down by the Jets, then everybody else who didn't think they were very good said "ha, told ya so." Then they outscored Tennessee and the freakish Chris Johnson last week. Now they are back on the "gonna make the playoffs" kick. Truth is? 8-8.

21 Arizona Cardinals 1-1 - Were they hungover from the Superbowl against San Fran? Not really. San Fran is a decent team. You know who's not? Jacksonville. The offense is still good. Warner is still old. Its going to be dog fight in this division, with the winning team probably having a 9-6 record, and losing to a wild card team.

22 Buffalo Bills 1-1 - MUCH better than I thought they were going to be. The Defense looks pretty good, and Trent Edwards has moved from serviceable QB to a decent one. Big show me something game this week against N.O.

23 Washington Redskins 1-1 - Defense is good. Offense is terrible. They won't win more than 6 games as long as Jason Campbell is their QB. Sam Bradford anyone?

24 Oakland Raiders 1-1 - This team might have something. They have some playmakers on offense (McFadden, Miller, that other WR), and a defense that is very respectable. Problem? JaMarcus Russell looks hideous.

25 Cincinnati Bengals 1-1 - The quintisental "older team trying to make one more run at it." If they don't make the payoffs, look for Marvin Lewis to be gone, Ochocinco to be gone, and another rebuilding process in Cincy.

26 Jacksonville Jaguars 0-2 - People in Jacksonville can't even watch the games on TV because only like 20,000 people are going to the games. Average Team + Shitty attendance = 5-11

27 Carolina Panthers 0-2 - Oh Jake Delhome, what happend? You have a stud running game, good WR's, and a line that is above average, yet you only muster a 45.3 QB rating in your first 2 games. For shame.

28 Kansas City Chiefs 0-2 - I would buy stock in KC if the NFL were the stock market and I had some expendable cash. Will they be very good this year? Probably not. Are they on the uptick though, yes.

29 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0-2 - I kinda feel bad for Byron Leftwhich. He was thought of as one of the can't miss QB just a few short year ago. Now he is given the starting job in Tampa by default, and is blowing it. He just isn't very good. And neither are the Bucs.

30 St. Louis Rams 0-2 - 2 games, 7 points. Nuff Said.

31 Detroit Lions 0-2 - I would like to congratulate the Lions on not being the worst team in the NFL anymore. Not because they don't suck, They suck big harry balls, but its because the Browns take the gravy train every time they go on the field.

32 Cleveland Browns 0-2 - Oh Brady Quinn. You beautiful bastard. 1 TD in 2 games? Maybe if you played from behind more you would get more chances, oh wait.