Thursday, February 16, 2012

More Sports... Less Doofus

I was looking over my last several posts, and noticed I've been spending much more time on pop culture than on sports.  This is unforgivable from the self proclaimed "Sports Doofus".  A title I worked long and hard for.

How can I have a sports blog and not talk sports?  Well, pretty easily actually.  I'm not very fired up about anything right now.

So, some topics of interest in the sports world right now... and my thoughts on them.

Jeremy Lin
I'll admit I don't know most of this story.. but I have the gist of it.  Here's what I think.
1.  Good for him.
2.  If people don't shut up about him soon, I'm going to start to dislike him, because I hate bandwagoners.  (Do you hear me teenagers in Celtics jerseys?)
3. Do NOT compare Jeremy Lin to Tim Tebow under any circumstances.  Here's why:
  • Jeremy Lin went to college at Harvard, a school without athletic scholarships, and is the first NBA player from there in about eleventy years.  (these numbers are approximate)
  • Tim Tebow went to college at Florida, who won two national Championships while he was there (one before he played), and the Heisman trophy.
  • Jeremy Lin went undrafted out of college.
  • Tim Tebow was a first round draft pick of the Denver Broncos.
  • The Knicks colors are orange and blue...
  • The Broncos colors are.. ok, you got me.
Oh yeah, I forgot the main difference... Lin shows some talent at his position... Tebow gets cheered for like a disabled kid when he completes a pass.  (See, he can throw!  he completed a pass!) 

Here's how Lin would be like Tebow, he starts, passes the ball worse than any other point guard in the league ( low completion %), leads the league in air balls (poorly thrown balls) and turnovers (poor decision making), runs around the court yelling "na-na boo-boo, can't catch me" and throws in a game winning shot over his left shoulder while falling down and praying, but only after it bounces off the rim, and touches not one, but two defenders hands before being knocked back into the hoop.

The Big East Conference
This is a segment perfect for Saturday Night Live's Weekend update Really?  bit
Really, Big East Conference?

I mean, I know your are losing members like Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the ACC, but really?

Memphis?  Memphis?  Don't get me wrong, Memphis is a great town and a decent enough school, but Memphis?  Memphis isn't in the Eastern Half of Tennessee, BIG EAST Conference.

And Really, Big East Conference... 2 Texas schools?  Really?  Adding SMU and Houston to the Big East is like....  I can't think of anything.... it's not like anything!  They are SMU and Houston!

As new "Football Only" Members - Navy, Boise State, and San Diego State.  Really?

Because the first thing I think of when I picture San Diego, California, all I can think  is Big East Football. 

Boise State?  Really?  Boise State?  Did you try and eat the blue turf or something?  Boise State, in IDAHO, is in the Big East.

How about changing the name of your conference form the Big East, to what it really is, the Big Mess.  I mean, really.

That's about all I got for now.  Tune in to espnU on Saturday to watch my beloved South Dakota State Jackrabbits take on Buffalo in the espn bracketbusters series.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Florence and the Machine



Rock my face off.


That's all.

But, you should really look at buying some of their music.

Click here for their page on amazon.com

or

Check out the band's official page.

or

Visit their Youtube channel.

I know Adele won a ton of Grammy's and congratulations to her.  But  Florence Welch is my favorite female singer from the UK.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

PJ20: My Thoughts


I don't typically watch many documentaries.  It's not that there aren't good ones out there, surprisingly there are actually some pretty darn interesting films out there (I used to watch more when I had Netflix).  This past fall Cameron Crowe released PJ20, which is a documentary chronicling the first 20 years of the life of the band Pearl Jam.

In all honesty, I must admit that I'm a pretty big Pearl Jam fan.  They came along in the early 90's, right as I was reaching young adulthood.  Something about their music spoke to me, and many people my age.  I certainly don't claim to be the biggest fan of theirs, but they're one of my favorites.  And I suppose they will always be a band that I'll remember fondly.

So anyway, I was pretty excited to see this film.  And now, after watching it about 3-4 times, I thought I should really blog about it.  But I'm not looking to be a "movie reviewer".  And I really had no idea how to go about it?  I've never claimed to be a writer, just a doofus with a keyboard and some thoughts.  So after much internal debate, I decided to break the film down by characters.

Cameron Crowe:  The director.  He introduces us to the band, and discusses the early music scene in Seattle.  Really, no one else should have directed this film.  Cameron has lived in Seattle for a number of years, and he had actually cast members of the band in his film "Singles".  He is the perfect guy to show their story.

Stone Gossard:  Guitarist
Most people tend to gravitate to the lead singer as their favorite member of the band, and I get that, they are up front, usually write the lyrics, they get the spotlight.  So naturally most people seem to be drawn to singer Eddie Vedder.  But for me, Stone is "the man" when it comes to Pearl Jam.  Stone actually seems to take the lead in the documentary too, driving CC around town, showing him certain places from Pearl Jam history, and leading him through his house in search of Pearl Jam memorabilia.  The highlight:  Finding a Grammy sitting in the corner of the basement.  Really enjoyed all the interviews with Stone.  He was so honest, and just a likable guy.

Jeff Ament:  Bass
Along with Stone, Jeff Ament is the "other" founder of Pearl Jam.  Stone and Jeff had been in the band Green River first, and then Mother Love Bone, before Pearl Jam.  They are tied together.  Jeff is a really interesting dude, he grew up in small town Nebraska according to the film (although his Wikipedia page says Big Sandy, Montana) with dreams of moving to a big city and joining a rock band.  Jeff is also very likable and you can see first of all, why he and Stone got along so well, but also with guys like that as the "founder" of the band, how they have been able to last.

One Big Question Never Answered:  What was with the hats?
Jeff Ament loved wearing weird hats, and that is not explained in the film.

Andy Wood:  Lead Singer, Mother Love Bone
The film actually gives quite a bit of back story involving Stone and Jeff and Mother Love Bone, who were "supposed" to be the next big band from Seattle.  Andy Wood was the talented and troubled lead singer of that band.  There's some rare footage in the film of early Mother Love Bone performances, and you could see that Andy had "it".  Whatever "it" is.  Andy died from a heroin overdose, and the dreams of Mother Love Bone died with him.  Probably the saddest point in the film is when Jeff talks about Andy and saying he always wished he had a picture of Andy all hooked up to machines keeping him alive, so he could show it to people who using drugs.



Chris Cornell:  Lead Singer, Soundgarden, and Audioslave
Yes, Chris Cornell was the lead singer in a "rival band" Soundgarden.  That's the funny thing though, those Seattle bands all seemed to like hanging with each other.  A couple quick notes on Chris:
1.  He and Andy Wood were roommates, and they used to "push each other" to become better songwriters.  (funny side note, he originally asked Stone if he wanted to live with him because he was living at home with his parents... Stone was like... no thanks, I'm good)
2.  He wrote the Temple of the Dog album as a tribute to his friend, Andy and played it with the former members of Andy's band... and also asked new singer Eddie Vedder to sing on a couple of tracks.
3.  It was mentioned in the film that when he first arrived in Seattle, Eddie was very quiet and shy and didn't quite fit in.  The Pearl Jam guys mentioned that Chris really went out of his way to be good with Eddie and really "opened him up".



Mike McCready:  Guitarist
Mike had actually gone to junior high with Stone Gossard, and after Mother Love Bone fell apart, Stone had contacted Mike about playing together.  In fact, it was Mike who told Stone he had to get Jeff Ament in the band "that's your guy!".  So it was Stone, Jeff, and Mike who played with Chris Cornell on the Temple of the Dog album, and they were the players in place when Eddie Vedder eventually made his way north from San Diego.  Mike is known in the band as a phenomenal guitarist.

Eddie Vedder:  Vocalist
As I mentioned earlier, when Eddie first joined the band, he wasn't the "Tour De Force" the world now knows.  He was a shy, and quiet kid.  There is some great early footage of a young Eddie introducing himself to the camera.  Much of the remaining story of the film is how Eddie went from the "shy, quiet, kid" to the "leader of the band".  Also much attention was paid to his infamous crowd dives that he would make.  With the addition of Eddie, Pearl Jam was complete.



Neil Young:  Rock Legend
Neil makes an appearance in the film too.  And not just because he recorded the album "Mirror Ball" with the band.  Turns out, the band really needed Neil at that time.  They were questioning themselves, whether they could stay together as a band, whether they could survive while Eddie was becoming the star.  Neil taught them how to deal with success.  Neil is the guy who told them, "come on band, you can keep up with Eddie!".  I knew that the band and Neil had collaborated, and that they had an affection for each other, but I honestly had no idea what a huge role he played in the band right when it was at it's breaking point.



A cast of characters:  Drums
Dave Krusen, Matt Chamberlain, Dave Abbruzzese, Jack Irons, and then Matt Cameron.
-they even show the spoof of spinal tap listing all their drummers.

And that's all I got.

So, if you like Pearl Jam, or you like rock music in general... or if you have teenage children like me and want them to learn some "real" rock and roll... I highly recommend this film.



If you are not a Pearl Jam fan, go ahead and save yourself a few hours.  The movie wasn't intended for you. It wasn't made to convert people into fans.  It was made as a celebration of 20 years of music by the same band.

Rock on Fellas!

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Brilliance from Rick Reilly

Sports fans, READ THIS

He is more right, than you can possibly imagine.

I have no idea how so many people got so delusional in such a hurry, but it's sad.

I can't imagine having a life so devoid of meaning that if my team lost a game, I'd go off the deep end.

It's just a game people.  It's just a game.  I love sports, but sometimes I wonder if it isn't just a bit too much.

My first "barefoot" injury.

Well, it happened.  I came down with an injury.  Nothing too severe, I hope as I have already registered for the Brookings Marathon this coming May.

I started the barefoot running strategy back around the start of December.  I started slowly... a half mile once a week, then a mile, then gradually upping my mileage.  I don't think I've run more than four miles in a "barefoot style".  Which means wearing my Altra Instincts as I run.  I'm pretty sure that I did a nice job of slowly breaking into them.  I hadn't worn them too much, never two days in a row, and never more than four miles.

The one thing I can think may have affected my training, is that I bought of pair of Stem Footwear shoes to wear for everyday use.  My thinking was, "what a great way to prepare" my feet for the rigors of barefoot running, than to wear shoes made with this philosophy in my day to day life.

I think, however this ended up "overdoing it".  I wore them pretty much every day, in all circumstances, teaching PE, going to church, you name it... I was wearing my Stems.

Started to feel some pain on the tops of my feet a few weeks ago, nothing major, but I noticed it.  As time progressed it really started to hurt and was very noticeable.  So I googled it, and found this article online at go barefooting.

Very informative, and sounds exactly like what has happened to me.

Barefoot runners beware: if you are feeling pain on top of your feet it may be tendonitis.  Rest, Ice, Anti-inflammatories, and stretching your calves are the methods used to cure this problem.

So, I'm going cold turkey on the Stems for awhile, at least until the pain subsides.  Just one day in "regular" shoes, and the pain alleviated a little.  Going to take a week or so off of running, at least no running until I'm pain free, and then only regular style...Then I will start over, slowly with the Altras, and when I move back to wearing the Stems, it will be intermittently, on days when I don't run barefoot.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Annoying People

So, I'm just gonna come out and say it.  There's a lot of annoying people in the world. 
I fully realize that I'm not perfect, and I'm also certain that there are many who would also put me in the category of an annoying person.  I guess that's fine.  Probably my difficulties with handling some of these annoying people is my own burden, and I should learn to deal with it.

But since I have a blog, I'm going to vent a little in this space.

1.  People who speed up/slow down on the Highway.
We're all pretty much familiar with this scenario:  You're cruising down the interstate, cruise control set, and a car passes you.  No big deal.  But then, after they pull in front of you, they inexplicably slow down, just a mile or two an hour less than you... so you start gradually gaining on them.  Eventually you just speed up and pass them and resume your normal cruising speed.  Only to have them speed up, pass you again, and then slow down again.  It's unfathomable.  And it happens all the time. If you want to speed up and go faster, by all means... do it!  If you want to slow down and go slower... by all mean... do it!  You are a danger to yourself and others, and you are ridiculous.

2.  People who can't operate an ATM.
Being completely honest here, there are few things more frustrating than being stuck behind the person that can't operate the ATM.  I use the ATM all the time.  I use it for deposits.  I've bought stamps there.  The longest I have ever taken is 5 minutes, and that was a deposit and a withdrawal, and using two different accounts and cards.  Sitting behind these people who take 10 minutes (yes, I have timed them, I have waited 10 minutes for a single customer, many times)... what the heck are you doing at the ATM?  Are you attempting a hostile takeover of RJNabisco through the Automated Teller?  If you can't operate the machine... get a 3rd grader to walk you through it because you are driving the rest of the world crazy.

3.  People who don't move ahead after their transaction (ATM/Fast food) at the drive thru.
Ever get stuck behind this person?  You are in your vehicle waiting in line.  The person in front of you has completed their transaction.  They have gotten their cash and their card back (or their food, and change...if it's fast food).  Next, you sit incredulously and watch, as they put their change or cash in their purse (or wallet).  Sometimes they open up their food bag and start passing out items to other people in their car.  Sometimes they drop change on the floor, and stop to pick it up (you won't believe how often this happens, and how easy it is to recognize what has happened from the car behind).  Listen, I know you need to put away your stuff.  I know you want to have everything organized before you leave the drive thru area.  But do me, and the rest of the world a favor...and pull ahead one car length ahead... and let someone else have access to the window/ATM.  It's common courtesy!  You are holding up the entire line so you can put your things away....and you can easily do this after you have moved your vehicle ahead about 8 feet.  This needs to be taught in Driver's Ed.

4.  People who sit and talk and block traffic.
I live in a small town.  Small enough where we don't even have traffic lights.  So, I don't expect everyone to relate to this experience.  You may think that living in a small town without lights, and without traffic would be nice, and you would be correct for the most part.  However, we have a problem with a small portion of our population.  They seem to think, that since traffic is sparse..that it's perfectly fine to sit in the middle of the road, and chat with someone.  Two cars...heading different directions...see each other, and just stop and talk in the middle of the road.  If someone comes up behind them...they don't care, they just continue their conversation.  If you have the audacity to honk at them and tell them to get out of the way, because they are, you know, blocking traffic to "chat".  They get very upset, and will show you a derogatory digit, or perhaps even yell at you when pass them(assuming they move to the side of the road).   What is the lesson we teach little kids about being in the road?  As a Father of four children I believe it's something like "STAY OUT OF THE ROAD".  This wisdom doesn't end just because you are old enough to drive and in a vehicle.  You want to stop and talk with someone, pull over, meet somewhere, but get out of the road, and stop blocking traffic.  You are NOT more important than everyone else who is driving on that particular road.  Which is basically the statement you are making.

5.  People who do things wrong on purpose, and get upset when they are caught.
As a teacher, I admit I have alot of experience with this.  For example, our school does not allow the students to use their cell phones during school.  They can bring them to school, but they are to be turned off and left in their lockers.  But, if as a teacher I catch a student using their phone...when they all KNOW they are not supposed to, they get mad at me.  Like it's my fault they are using the phone.  Very few are the students who know behave like "Yep, I was wrong".

Well, I was thinking about this concept and it applies to adults too.  It's like people who get pulled over for speeding, and then get upset because they get written up for not wearing a seat belt.  Um, it's the law... you know it, you broke it on purpose... deal with the consequences.  Similar to the people at work who don't follow their responsibilities and when this is pointed out to them at their next evaluation, get upset at their supervisor... like it's the supervisors fault they were shirking their duties.  Ridiculous.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not holier than thou.  I make mistakes.  I mess things up.  I forget to do things.  I've occasionally, not often..but I'm no saint, done something wrong on purpose.  But, here's the deal... if I get caught or told I'm doing something wrong... I admit it. 

Personally, I can't fathom a world, where I didn't do anything wrong, and everything was always someone else's fault.  This is a major problem in our society today, not to mention a major buzz kill.

6.  Fans who immediately call for a coach's firing when a team is struggling.
I know alot of people like this.  Shoot, I'm related to people like this.  Coaches in today's world in our society have an extremely high pressure job, that is backed by people who don't live in reality. 

If you asked most people "Who is the greatest college basketball coach of all time?"  Many would answer back with:  John Wooden.  He is a solid selection.  He won 10 National Championship in 12 years, including 7 in a row.  No one else touches him, to be honest.  Did you know, however that John Wooden took over the UCLA Bruins program in 1948 and did not win his first championship until 1964.  It took "the greatest coach in the history of the sport" 16 years to win his first national championship.  That would never happen today. 

It's almost humorous how people blame the coaches for all the faults of their favorite teams in today's world.  Like they are on the sideline telling people to fumble the ball, or miss those crucial free throws.  Coaches are human, and they make mistakes, but woes and difficulties do not lie at their doorstep only.  To suggest that this is so, is absolutely ridiculous.

7.  People who cheer for politics/politicians like sports teams.
I get it, "your guy" won.  Whatever that means.  The moment I realized that political parties pretty much only exist to get people elected, I lost a lot of interest in politics.  There are not a lot of high and mighty principles at stake here, people.  Just men and women who will do and say almost anything to get elected.  I'm sick and disgusted with our current two party system, and wish a legitimate third party could shake things up, but that won't happen, because THEY won't allow it to happen.  Anyway, it's not a sporting event, and it shouldn't be about "strategies" and "electability".  So go ahead and celebrate like you "won" something.  We've already won the jackpot being born and living in this country.

8.  People who "don't watch" TV and act superior for it.
Goody for you!  I happen to enjoy some television.  I don't watch hours of it a day, but I have some shows I follow, and I enjoy them.  What is wrong with spending a little downtime in front of some entertainment?  Certainly, there is a great deal of poor programming on the airwaves and cable networks, but there's some good stuff too.  Please go be high and might about something else, because the fact you "don't watch TV" doesn't impress me, or really anyone else enjoys it.  We don't care, so just keep that to yourself, OK?

9.  Parents who think "their kid" doesn't lie.
This is probably the teacher in me, because I have to deal with more children and more children's parents than people in most professions.  But, I'm going to use myself as an example here.  I was a good kid.  I grew up a pretty good kid.  I never got a detention, or got kicked out of a class in school.  Shoot, I can only remember a teacher getting mad at me once, and I still remember that incident (Sorry that I was drumming my pencil in Geography, Mr. Borchardt... may he rest in peace, great guy, great teacher, and he was right to correct me).
I lied.  I lied to my parents.  I lied to teachers.  I lied to friends.  I lied to a number of people.  I'm not proud of it.  I try very diligently to be an honest person.
As a parent, I have good children.  I am proud of all of them.  They are wonderful.  Good students, hard workers, all that nice stuff you want to hear about your kids, I hear that stuff.  And my kids lie.  They try to get away with things.  I think it's just human nature.  Try to get out of it, so you don't have to face the consequences.  If you are a person who is delusional enough to think that "your kid doesn't lie", I actually feel sorry for you.  And your child.

10.  People who yearn for "the good old days".
They never existed.  There are no days in the past better than now.  Yes, there are lots of problems now.  The thing is, there always have been.  When do we want to go back to?  The 60's?  The "counter-culture" because that movement sure took hold and changed everything.  How about the 50's?  Go back to the days of the Greasers and the start of rock and roll. Of course, there was communism, and racism, and lack of civil rights, but hey... I know, let's go back to the 40's.... oh yeah, World War II... the holocaust.... the 30's?  the great depression... Well maybe back to the turn of the previous century...that would be better right?  Women couldn't vote.  Racism.  And I've left out a whole bunch of stuff.

Just realize that all people who live in all times have their problems.  All generations feel like things are "going to hell in a hand basket".  Every generation seems to look back at a certain time before they had to deal with the issues that are going on now, and think that before those problems, life was much easier.  It wasn't.  I'm not trying to be a downer here, I'm actually approaching this the other way.  Sure, we've got problems, but we always will.  We should feel encouraged and strengthened that we will deal with our problems just like all other generations have dealt with theirs.  By borrowing money from other countries and relying on our children to pay it off.  Ba-dump-bump.

Have a good one everybody, and enjoy your Super Bowl Weekend.