For the Love of Bean

No, not Mr. Bean!  Although he is quite hilarious.

 (Even though Mrs. Coach, and all four versions of the little coach's disagree with me.  They are wrong.  Mr. Bean is genius.)

No, I'm talking about Kobe Bean Bryant.

Note:  I am not discussing Kobe's Sexual Assault case in Colorado.  All I'm looking at is his body of work as a player.  If you can't overlook that, I understand...but philandering athletes is hardly anything new.  And   no one knows exactly what went on in that Colorado hotel room but the two people involved.  But, I digress.

I'm sure that most people have heard that he tore his Achilles Tendon.  But did you know that AFTER he tore his Achilles tendon, he went to the bench, walked back out to the court...shot (and made) 2 free throws, and then walked off the court under his own power!  Watch for yourself.

In this, his 17th season, Kobe Bryant is finally becoming embraced by fans of other teams as he is by Laker fans.  It's about time.

You see, fans of other teams didn't get it, they hated Kobe.  In fact, until LeBron spurned Cleveland to go to Miami, Kobe was far and away the most hated player in the league.  I wish I would have collected a nickel for every time that I heard Kobe was "overrated"...  Or how "the refs bail him out"...  Or how he was a "bad teammate"... or how he was "a jerk".

When the Lakers decided to part ways with Shaquille O'Neal and keep Kobe, the critics howled.  They said it was a mistake.  When Shaq subsequently won a title with the Miami Heat, they howled even louder.  When the Kobe-led Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics in the 2008 NBA Finals... the critics reached a deafening level.  "Kobe never won anything without Shaq".  And the narrative continued to grow.

The fact the Lakers then won 2 straight titles following that, still did little to quiet Bryant's critics.  Sure he had finally won without Shaq, but he was still considered a jerk, and arrogant, and yes even overrated in some circles.

However, over the past two years, there has been a slight "change" in the tone of the story.  Fans of other teams are starting to understand.  They are beginning to see how Kobe brings it every night.  For 17 seasons now, he gives it everything he has.  He has played through multiple injuries, multiple head coaches, in different systems, and yet he still comes ready to rock every night.

Even noted Celtics fan and Laker Hater Bill Simmons has been converted.  In Simmons career he has made 2 things abundantly clear:  1.  He hates the Lakers (and) 2.  He hates Kobe Bryant.  Or at least he did.  You can go over the archives of his columns and his podcasts, but over the past 2 seasons there has been a remarkable shift in tone from the Editor of Grantland.com.

Maybe it's the fact that the other players of Kobe's time have come and gone.  Do you remember Tracy McGrady?  He was drafted a year after Kobe.  Maybe it's because other players near his age are struggling to stay healthy, with injuries hampering them every season. (see Kevin Garnett who has only played 70 games once in the past 5 years).  But Kobe continued to bring it night after night after night (playing all 58 games last 'strike shortened' year, all 82 games the year previous...and 78 games this year), right up until the point that literally couldn't.  The game before he tore his Achilles he played all 48 minutes.

How many guys in the league could even play 48 minutes of average basketball in their 17th season?  Much less to do it at the level that Kobe has.  He's taken over the point guard role at times this season.  Earlier this season it was announced that Kobe would just go ahead and guard the other team's best offensive perimeter player, if that was a quick little point guard, fine.  If it was a slashing, muscular 2 Guard, fine.  If it was a sweet shooting small forward, fine.  Didn't matter.  Put Kobe on him, he'll handle it.

Why do you think the Laker fans started the "MVP" chant when he went to the free throw line?  (and that started back when they had Shaq).  Why when the whole world was against them when they kept Kobe instead of Shaq...why were the Laker fans happy?  Seriously, did you know a Laker fan who said, "We kept the wrong guy".  Because I've never met one, and although I'm sure they exist...they probably don't brag about it.

Now we are finally hearing from the "haters" and the "fans" of other teams an admiration for how hard Kobe plays, and how he brings it every night.  So much so, that he gets the MVP chant in every arena.  (And yes, the Boston Celtics crowd is on there too)  That would have been unthinkable just 4 years ago.  Now, the respect that has been earned year after year, is finally being shown.

The thing about that is, Laker fans aren't surprised.
We already knew.

(BTW, I can't help but get one, small, itsy bitsy, shot at the Celtics on here.)

Celtics fans....Remember this?

Paul Pierce in a Wheel Chair after rolling his ankle in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

(He'd go on to return in this game, and ... play in the rest of the games in the series).

Once again for Clarity.... Paul Pierce after rolling his ankle (and then returned)

OMG, OMG, OMG....Carry Me!

Kobe Bryant after tearing his Achilles, missing the rest of the season, and having surgery the next day.

I got this.

Addicted to Television

Well, Sunday Nights are toast!

I blame HBO.  I mean, it's really their fault.  They started this whole thing.  The Sopranos debuted on HBO in January of 1999, and the world of television has never been the same.  After the Sopranos, there was Six Feet Under, and Deadwood, and Carnivale, and The Wire, and Boardwalk Empire, and True Blood (In No Particular Order), and now... Game of Thrones.  You get the point.
 
It was really quite ingenious.  How many times have you come out of a movie wishing "I'd like to see more of those characters, I really enjoyed them."  I'm pretty certain that the continuous stream of sequels, and series, and trilogies, and Comic Book movies is based on something pretty fundamentally simple.  People enjoy watching characters that they care about, they already have a relationship with them, so that makes it easy...you have a 'built-in audience'.

This all started with Tony and family.

So HBO took the next step.  They developed television series that were much better than what the broadcast networks were putting out.  They had better stories, better actors, higher production value, and more importantly, since they were on a "pay cable" channel, they could go places that broadcast networks couldn't go.  No such thing as too much blood, or nudity, or cursing, or whatever the story needed.

It wasn't long until other networks followed suit.  Showtime has had a few series that have done pretty well, Weeds and Dexter come to mind, and recently Homeland has become a massive hit for them.  Honestly, I haven't watched any of the Showtime series (except a few episodes of Dexter), but I do want to watch Homeland.

Who is Don Draper?

The next big player in the development of great television was a bit of a surprise.  AMC, a channel that was pretty much ignored (unless you were looking to watch an old movie, when nothing else was on television) threw their hat into the ring with Mad Men in 2007.  They hit what you might call a "home run".  Created by former Sopranos writer Matthew Weiner, Mad Men was not your typical network television fodder.  Can you imagine Weiner trying to sell his story of Advertising Executives set in the 1960's, and the protagonist is a philandering, drinking, smoking, arrogant jerk...who may not be who he seems to be.... to CBS or ABC?

While Mad Men was a runaway success, how could little AMC (who most people couldn't find without the Guide), possibly compete against the big boys?  They couldn't do it again.  Until they did.

Breaking Bad burst onto the scene in 2008, and suddenly there was a competitor with Mad Men for "Best Show on Television".  And they both came from the same tiny little cable network.  Breaking Bad again deals with things that would have never been aired on broadcast television.  AMC continued it's success with the development and production of the television series version of the graphic novels "The Walking Dead".  In fact, although not as highly acclaimed as Breaking Bad or Mad Men, the Walking Dead has higher ratings than either of it's forebears, and last season received the highest ratings ever for a cable network television show.
(In the past two weeks, we've been treated to the season finale of The Walking Dead, and the season premiere of Mad Men)

A show about Russian spies set in 1981?  Sounds interesting...

Recently, FX has become a home to some very good television shows, as well.  The Americans is the best new show on television this year.  In fact, The Americans may be the actual best show on TV.... not just best "new show".  The concept is great, the actors are ferocious (Keri Russel and Matthew Rhys are marvelous as undercover spies, struggling in an arranged marriage), and the story... My Gosh, the writing is phenomenal.  In fact, if you haven't watched The Americans yet, Go Watch the First Five Episodes Now!  You won't be disappointed.

Louie makes you laugh, and think.

FX is not a "one hit wonder" however.  Justified, Sons of Anarchy, and American Horror Story each have passionate fan bases.  In addition to these tremendous dramas, FX is the home to some wildly original comedies as well, headlined by 'Louie'.  Comedian Louis C.K. basically gets to do whatever he wants, he's the writer, director, producer, and star of the show.  Although pigeonholing "Louie" as a comedy is almost a disservice.  It's funny yes, but it's also dark, and deep, and waaay more compelling than any sitcom on the broadcast networks.


Speaking of sitcoms, and broadcast networks....that's about the only thing I watch on the "Big Four" anymore.  I'll watch "How I Met Your Mother", "New Girl", "The Mindy Project" (best 'new' comedy on the air this year), and "The Big Bang Theory"... and that's about it.  And to be completely honest, none of those shows are 'rocking my world' as a TV viewer (although "The Mindy Project" is very good...very surprised with that show).  I really only watch HIMYM any more, because I want to find out who the mother is!

I don't think I watch a single "drama" on the "broadcast networks".  They have all been replaced by the cable shows.  Actually, there's too many of them to keep up with already.  I haven't finished "The Wire" yet, I really want to start "Justified", and "Game of Thrones", and "Homeland"...and... it just never ends!

In conclusion, not only am I addicted to television, I don't see this ending at anytime in the near future.

A glimpse inside my mind...

Down with the Blue Devils

Why it's OK to despise Duke.

"Hate is a strong word, but I really, really, really, don't like you."  - Plain White T's

It's become a passage of Spring, the NCAA tournament begins and whether Duke does well, or Duke does poorly, the "Haters" come out of the woodwork, and you end up seeing articles like "Why We Hate Duke" and "The 12 biggest reasons everybody hates Duke".  Which usually start or end with the argument that basically, "they're really good".  This is true, but it's still ok to "hate Duke".

Normally, I'm not a "hater".  I'm not into that.  I like to cheer for my team(s), and hope for the best, and then (should they fail) pick another team (maybe one with a good story, or an underdog, or something like that) to cheer for.  I don't usually participate in the "hate" that many do.  Which is perfectly fine by the way.  If you can talk yourself into hating the Green Bay Packers and Brett Favre more than life itself, and then turn around and cheer for him when he signs with your team, that's your prerogative.  But that is precisely why I don't do that.  Modern sports (particularly professional sports) lead to people "cheering for the uniforms", the players come and go, the coaches come and go, it really doesn't make much sense to have "hatred" for another pile of laundry.

But Duke is different.  They bring out the disdain in me.  I can't stand them.  This is not an uncommon theme.    There is a book for sale on Amazon.com that is #10 in humor sales (as I write this), that was written over a year ago, titled "Duke Sucks".  It doesn't seem to matter what team's fan base you talk to, either.  Of course North Carolina (Duke's chief rival) fans loathe the Blue Devils, but so do Kentucky fans, and Louisville fans, and UCLA fans, and Michigan State fans, and on and on we go.  

Why is the hatred so widespread?  Well, after scouring the Internet and reading a number of articles, I have a few thoughts.

Duke's fans 

I am not talking about the "Cameron Crazies" here (they get their own section).  I am talking your general, run of the mill, ordinary, 'one guy in the entire office who cheers for Duke' fans.  First of all, at best you are a "bandwagon fan" who chooses to cheer for them because they are good every year.  A very high percentage of Duke fans (I would wager 98-99%) have no affiliation or affinity to the university whatsoever.  They didn't go to school there (Duke has a smaller undergraduate population than my Alma mater, South Dakota State), and they don't know anyone who went to school there, they just cheer for Duke because they are successful.  Or worse, they choose to cheer for Duke to be antagonistic.  

This is priceless, and a great example of why Duke fans are disliked, in general:

1999: Duke alum Jennifer Taylor emails star forward Elton Brand to “express my disgust for your decision to leave the Duke program after only two years,” explaining to Brand that “he will not be considered part of the Duke family, in my mind as well as many others.”

The funniest thing about Duke fans is how "annoyed" they are that they are hated.  They espouse the "Duke is hated because they are good" motto like it's the first "commandment" of being a Duke fan.  You chose to be a fan of a rich, elitist, private school, you're going to have to deal with the consequences.  If you argue that duke is an elitist, rich, school please chew on these facts, directly from the Duke Chronicle.

1. The mean income for U.S. households in 2001 was $58,208, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
2. The mean income for white, Duke freshmen in 2001-2002 was $230,000.

(That's only 4 times the national average).  I could go on, but the fact is you have chosen to cheer for a school whose population is made up of spoiled, rich kids.  Here, read this letter, written by a Duke fan (and former student) about being harassed by cheering for Duke in Miami!  

The Cameron "Crazies"

I know "Dickie V" loves them, and calls them the "best basketball fans in the world", and they are much ballyhooed throughout the college basketball world.  They are beyond ridiculous.  Other teams don't have good fans?  The fact that "Kryzewskiville" is celebrated is a joke.  Those kids are no more standing in line than you and I are.  

In Mike Krzyzewski’s sixth year as head coach, Duke students begin pitching tents in “Krzyzewskiville” before major games at Cameron Indoor Stadium. What started as a simple line has since devolved into a Byzantine three-color classification system with wait lists and line monitors. “At the end of Black Tenting, all remaining Black Tent groups will continue tenting under Blue Tenting rules,” the Krzyzewskiville site explains. Oh, however much fun

The following story got a 'bit' of play during the past season, but not as much as you'd expect.  Some Duke fans chanted "How's your Grandma?" to an NC State player, whose Grandmother had just passed away.  

Also, back in 1988, North Carolina Tar Heel Scott Williams was supposedly greeted with chants of "Orphan!" from the Cameron Crazies.  Williams parents had perished in a tragic murder/suicide the previous summer.  And although many Duke sources deny that this ever happened, I did find this:  
The story about the "orphan" chant was corroborated by several independent sources THE NIGHT OF THE GAME in 1989, including managerial staff, and several people working stats. I heard the story hours after it happened by some people who were upset in the actual sports info dept. - which means it was happening behind our bench. While I have no doubt that Ola Jero was not in a position to hear it, I have no doubt it happened.

Yes, I know it isn't verified, and yes I know it could just be a rumor. However, it's a rumor that still has life 25 years after the fact.  That should tell you something about how the 'Crazies' are perceived, and the "Cameron Crazies" behavior does not lead one to believe them of being "innocent" of such things.

Just a "model" group of Cameron Crazies.

No matter how you slice it, the "Crazies" aren't helping Duke's reputation, and it is quite easy to see why their "antics" and behavior turn people to cheer against the Blue Devils.

Dickie V excluded, for obvious reasons.

What?  Dickie V is biased?  No way!

(An aside on Dickie V, and his fascination with the Dookies.)
What is his deal?  Honestly, one time I was watching an ACC game between Virginia and Maryland (this was back when Maryland was contending, so around 2002, give or take a few years), and in the middle of the 2nd half, of a pretty good game, Dickie V. starts going off about Duke, and how good Duke is, and how great Coach K is, and what a great season they were having in Durham, and how fun the Cameron Crazies are, and I was just like.... Dick, there's another game going on right now, and Duke isn't even in the building?  He did earn the nickname "Dookie V", and I really don't understand why, except for maybe Coach K was the first "reputable" coach to be nice to him?  It's beyond weird.

The Duke Players

Let me go on record...far and away, MOST Duke players are good kids.  They are hard workers, they do well in school, and they are very good (some bordering on great) college basketball players.  However, there is a number of Duke players, who rubbed me the wrong way.  In fact, they rubbed most people the wrong way.  In fact, when Grantland.com held a "Most Hated College Basketball Player of the last 30 years" contest, not only did Christian Laettner (duh?) win, Duke got an entire region to themselves!  Think about that just for a second.  The other three regions were broken down by decades, and then the Duke region.  Clearly there is more than a few Blue Devils who get under people's skin.

Every time you watch the Final Four, or an NCAA tournament game, you see Laettner's historic last second shot, to lift Duke over Kentucky to the Final Four in 1992.  What is not shown, is that earlier in that very game, Laettner actually stomped on the chest of a Kentucky player who had the "audacity" to foul him.  In today's game, he'd have been ejected.  

In addition, as the "National Player of the Year" Laettner was added to the "Dream Team" that summer to play with Magic, Michael, Bird, Barkley, and crew.  You know who else was a college player that year, who didn't get to go, yet was the first overall pick in that summer's draft?  How great would a young and playful Shaq have been with those guys?  We'll never know.  Because career NBA Benchwarmer Laettner needed to go.  It was stupid then, and it's beyond stupid now.

There have been a number of others.  The guy who sits right next to Coach K during the games now?  Assistant Coach Steve Wojciechowski?  Was one of the more hated players (who really wasn't very good) of our era.  Bobby Hurley was a decent college player, who I am convinced has still never committed a foul to this very day.  And I'm not sure if there has been a more overrated college basketball player than Greg Paulus than any other player in history.  It's not that he was terrible, it's just that he was very average at best, but if you turned into a game that Dickie V. was calling it seemed plausible that the next Bob Cousy was on the court, and running the show for the Devils.

This seems to be an ongoing issue with many Duke players.  It's not so much that they are bad, most of them are decent players.  But they are SO HYPED up.  I mean, just this past season... Mason Plumlee was listed as a candidate for Player of the Year award early in the season!  Mason Plumlee?  Really?  Had no one ever watched him play the previous 3 years?  He is what he is.  An above average center in the college game.  Nothing more, nothing less.  To even mention him as a possibility as the National Player of the year is beyond ludicrous.  

This is why the Duke players are hated.  We are so beaten to death with "The Alaskan Assassin" and "Duke hasn't lost with Ryan Kelly starting" that we take pleasure in them losing, and can't wait for them to graduate.

The Hypocrisy of Coach K

Coach Mike Krzyzewski is a fabulous basketball coach.  You won't find me doubting his ability as a teacher of the game, as a strategist, or as a recruiter.  He's one of the best ever, and deserving to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame.  However, he's a big time college basketball coach, and he operates like one.  Don't get sucked into the "Coach K. Aura".

Coach K- doing what he does best.

Remember this little gem?  "I don't look at myself as a basketball coach, I look at myself as a leader who happens to coach basketball".  Okay.  Do leaders normally "inspire" their charges with profanity laced tirades?  The following quote is from a New York Post reporter in 2005, who sat behind the Duke bench:

Krzyzewski himself was an unfiltered Chris Rock concert for much of the day, but one of his assistants was worse. During one timeout, with the starters sitting on the bench, gulping Gatorade, this was his idea of "coaching" them: "You're a bleep, and you're a bleep, and you're a bleeping bleep-bleeper of a bleeper-bleeper. You bleepers don't bleeping deserve to wear the bleeping colors of Duke University! Bleep! Are you bleeping bleeping me? Bleep all of you. Get out of my bleeping faces."

At which point, he was replaced by Krzyzewski, whose assessment was far more succinct: "You bleeping make me bleeping sick."

I understand that it's big time college sports, and that he's dealing with young men, and not little boys.  But the public image of this man and how he actually behaves is quite different.  Here's a quote from an opposing player (and yes, it's a Carolina guy, so take it for what it's worth).

"I guess the thing that surprised me the most was you don't realize how much he curses and how much he's on the refs all the time," says former UNC guard Bobby Frasor. "I remember someone telling me about [former Duke player] Taylor King during his freshman year and how he thought his name was ‘motherfucker,' because that's how Coach K got his attention. I don't know how true it is. I mean, he's a great coach and I'm not going to deny that at all, but the way he handles his players or acts with the refs and media, sometimes it kind of rubs people the wrong way."

This type of behavior isn't just "on the court", reserved for players and referees.  In fact, I found he actually had a run in with Duke's own school newspaper.
1990: After Duke’s student newspaper gives the Blue Devils a B+ at the halfway point of the season, Coach K invites the paper’s sports staff in for a get-together with the team and his assistant coaches. "I'm not looking for puff pieces or anything like that,” Krzyzewski tells the student journalists, “but you're whacked out and you don't appreciate what the [bleep] is going on and it [bleeps] me off.”

There is more to that story, but what's the point of sharing all the curse words he used on his own school's student journalists for "daring" to give his team a B+?  

What word is coming out of his mouth next?

The point is these aren't isolated incidents.  Three Paths to Glory is a book written by Duke grad Barry Jacobs, chronicles the 1993 season following the teams of UNC, Duke, and NC State.   A March to Madness a book by John Feinstein also follows the Blue Devils through a season(1996-1997).  In each book, you will find that the reports of Coach K's language is not being exaggerated.  It's just who he is.

Never forget either, that Coach Krzyzewski quit coaching the team in 1995 season, citing back pain and exhaustion.  Certainly we can all understand that, as back pain is quite debilitating and can certainly affect someone's job performance.  However, one unusual thing about that...
 Long-time assistant Pete Gaudet takes over in Coach K’s stead, guiding the Blue Devils to a 2-14 ACC record. Contrary to the practice at other schools, these wins and losses stay on Gaudet’s permanent record. “I think I should have been credited with all the losses,” Coach K says in 2007. “It must be difficult for Mike Krzyzewski to influence the Duke athletic department,” Deadspin’s Emma Carmichael wrote earlier this season, “because the losses stayed where they were.”

Poor Coach K, he can't even influence the school (in which he is the highest paid person) to give the losses to him for the season that he quit on his team.  I mean if only they had named the BB court after him or something, maybe he'd have some influence.

Well, at least you can say that he runs a clean program.  Duke has never had improprieties of students getting cash or anything like that, while righteous Coach K has ran the program?

2000: After leaving Duke, former star Corey Maggette admits to accepting thousands of dollars from summer-league coach Myron Piggie. Though such payments would presumably have made Maggette ineligible, the NCAA declines to strip Duke of its Final Four appearance. The Blue Devils, in fact, aren’t punished at all. This undoubtedly confuses John Calipari.

2003: An investigation by the New Orleans Times-Picayune reveals that point guard Chris Duhon's mother “landed a job working for a Duke booster; co-workers say the job opening was never posted and that Harper was overpaid and lacked qualifications.” Again, Duke gets absolutely no heat from the NCAA.

Irony of ironies, that very same year, 2003, Duke named it's "Leadership and Ethics Center" after Coach K. 

Many people have mentioned the lack of success that Duke players have had at the NBA level, and used this as an argument for Coach K's greatness and the prominence of the "Duke Program".  I couldn't disagree more.  Most of these guys are McDonald's All-Americans and highly recruited out of high school, it's not like they all of a sudden lose their ability because they played in the "Duke System".  Personally, I think it has a lot to do with the "success" of Duke.  When they get into the NBA, and they don't have Coach K on the sideline intimidating officials, when they aren't on the team with more talent than 95% of the people they play against, the game isn't easy anymore.  It's not surprising that the Duke players who have had good NBA careers, are the hard workers...the Grant Hills, Shane Battiers, Carlos Boozers of the bunch.  The Laettners, Trajon Langdons, Danny Ferrys, and Chris Collins of the world never live up to their hype.

In Conclusion

It's OK to cheer against Duke.  They are an elitist, snobby, private college.  Their players are (consistently) overrated.  Their fan base is obnoxious and borderline irresponsible.  Their team is led by a cursing, intimidating, control freak who carries himself as some sort of Bastion of the Truth.  He's just a coach,  like every other coach out there, trying to win games.  Believe me, if he wasn't winning, I doubt he'd be as revered.  Winning is a wonderful deodorant.

In fact, just to prove this point:

 in 1984, Mike Krzyzewski told reporters the refs had a double standard when working UNC games. Nine years later, Krzyzewski and Smith faced off in a 1993 game inside the Dean Dome. After an argument with the longtime UNC coach, Coach K stormed back to the bench and, according to John Feinstein's A March to Madness, made the following request to his assistants. "If I even for one minute start to act like [Smith], don't ask a single question. Just get a gun and shoot me."

Then, read this article from Mike Lopresti.

Is he a great coach?  Of Course.  Is he "holier than thou", "better than everyone else"?  Of course not.  

And since he, and his program continue to be exalted and lifted up each and every year, it is perfectly fine to take a little pleasure when they fall short.

Happy Birthday Kurt Cobain

He would have been 46 today.

Weird, that he was just a little over 3 years older than I am.

He had such a big impact, in such a short time.

Especially when you read, "Come as You Are" and you realize how difficult his life was growing up.

Here's the little know "You Know You're Right", which was released long after Curt's death.

Free Association - Doofus Style

OK, so I've been really, really slacking in the blogging department the past six months or so.  Well, there are some very valid reasons for this, namely:

1. I started a new job/career, which has kept me very busy...and keeps me on a computer most of the time.  
2. We moved (new job related), and putting things away, getting organized, and household stuff took over.
3. For the first time in two years, I'm coaching BB again, and this has deeply cut into any free time I've had.

Once in a while, I'd have a good idea or two, but then I wouldn't have time, and I'd lose momentum, and then the urge to blog would go away.

So today, I thought I'd just throw down some thoughts and observations about pretty much anything that comes to mind.  

Greetings to my Russian friends!

I went to the "stats" page of my blog, and after Americans...the number of Page views by country...Russia comes in 2nd with 154 page views... (Over 50 ahead of 3rd place, the United Kingdom).  I wonder why Russian people are "stumbling" across my blog.  Or maybe they are American people in Russia... or, whatever, Welcome Comrades!

Podcasts

I painted my son's room today, and while I was working I listened to a couple of different podcasts.  Adam Carolla and Jay Mohr were the two I listened to (they are probably my favorites, along with the BS Report).  The Adam Carolla show is probably the best show in the genre, and honestly there are so many good podcasts out there any more... it's actually quite incredible.  I'd be lying if I didn't mention that I've often thought about doing a podcast myself at some point.  But here's the big catch... I'm boring.  What the hell would I talk about that people would want to listen to?  And who would I talk to?  I don't know many interesting people.  So although it might be something fun to try, it would pretty much only be for me.

Manti Te'o

So the Notre Dame star linebacker was taken in by a "Catfish" scheme, and fell in love with a girl who didn't exist...who then died of cancer.  OK.  Isn't he supposed to be like a very good student, at a very prestigious university?  So far, we've learned that Manti was fooled enough to tell the world that this person he'd never met was in fact, his girlfriend, and that she died the same day as his Grandmother.  I really don't care anymore, at first the story was so incredible I got swept up in it like everyone else.  Although I would like to make special mention of the excellent reporting of Deadspin.com.  They broke the story, and have also done a great job with updates like this.

Rock and Roll T-shirts

Remember that time you got a new job, and weren't allowed to wear PE clothes to work anymore?  And you decided that to "keep it real" you should get some Rock and Roll T-shirts to wear under your sweaters? Oh, that was just me?  OK.  Anyway, waited until I got some Christmas Cash, and ordered 5 classic rock t-shirts.  Looking forward to wearing them. Don't make fun of me.  

Yes, that's a Journey shirt among the Beatles, Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd...deal with it.

Brookings Half Marathon

I've decided to run the Brookings Half Marathon again this year.   I believe this is the 5th time.  Also participated in the Marathon Relay a few times, as well.  Anyways, it's very difficult to find time to get the training in.  If you are looking to run a Marathon, Half Marathon, or participate in a Marathon Relay...I'd give Brookings some serious consideration, it's a great race.

Lance Armstrong

So Lance finally confessed to Oprah.  And people are surprised he came off as arrogant?  Really?  The guy is a giant prick.  I remember first hearing the rumors of doping, and thought "no way".  And every time Lance would come out with a new accusation, and lawsuit, and I'd be all like "you get 'em Lance".  But eventually, too many people kept coming forward, too many teammates turned on him.  And people don't like this guy....the guy who lied to everyone for years and years...and sued people that he knew were telling the truth.  Yes, he's a jerk, he's arrogant, what else did you expect?  The guy only came forward because he had no choice.

Scrubs is fun to watch

Bought the complete collection of all the Scrubs seasons for Christmas, and we've slowly been making our way through them.  I know I've blogged about this before, but it's been really fun to watch, and we've been laughing our butts off around the house.

Twitter is addicting as you've heard

I held out for a long time.  I wouldn't get a twitter account.  Who wanted to hear from me (Judging by my 67 followers...compared to 735 Tweets...not many)?  However, I got tired of reading twitter updates from my favorite sportswriters.. by having to look them up individually, and I broke down and started an account before the NFL draft last spring.  Along the way, I discovered a number of things that are really fun to do while on twitter:  watching the presidential debate, watching the "big game", watching awards shows.  I highly recommend getting one, if you haven't yet.

The Chargers "Start Over"

The Norv Turner/AJ Smith era is over.  After an extensive search, the team ended up hiring Tom Telesco as the General Manager, and Mike McCoy as the newest Head Coach.  I'll reserve judgement until they have had a few seasons to do their job... but the first impressions are really good.  The Press Conference with Coach McCoy was very impressive.  Best wishes to the new guys in charge, and hope they can turn things around.

Hope these guys can lead the Chargers back to respectability.

Zero Dark Thirty

Actually took the wife on a date a few weeks ago, and we attended this film.  I came away very impressed with the movie...it doesn't really take a stance one way or another about the war, the use of terror, or any of those subjects.... it allows you to form your own opinion.

New Year...New Coach...so long, Norv

Yesterday the San Diego Chargers made official what nearly all Chargers fans had known was coming for the past month or so.  They fired Norv Turner as the Head Coach, ending a six year run.

Norv needs some Advil.

So as Team President Dean Spanos and other executives begin the search for his replacement (And the replacement for GM AJ Smith, as well), a quick recap of the Norv Turner era.

He was not an inspired choice.

In fact, if you go back six years, to when the Chargers fired Marty Schottenheimer...they interviewed the following candidates:  Ron Rivera, Rex Ryan, Mike Singletary, and Norv Turner.  I said at the time (and I meant it)  "anyone but Norv".  Most of the members of my favorite Chargers Message Board felt the same way.  In fact one guy started a thread titled, "I'll Punch myself in the Nuts if it's Norv".

So he wasn't exactly a celebrated hire.

Norv was a known quantity.  He was a great Offensive Coordinator, but a poor head coach.  He'd failed in that capacity twice before:  first with the Redskins, and then with the Raiders.  His record as a Head Coach was a woeful 58 wins and 82 losses.

A familiar site for Charger fans the past 6 years.

Norv was a punchline.  The poster boy for the "good coordinator, but can't handle the head job", was handed the keys to a 14-2 team.

Over the past six years there were many highs (Making the AFC Championship game in his first year, beating the Colts twice) and many, many lows (missing the playoffs the past 3 years, and a .500 record in that time).

He ended his run as a Head Coach winning 3 of his last 4 games, to finish his final season with a 7-9 record (his only losing season in SD).  This was not surprising, as Norv's teams in San Diego had a history of "finishing" strong.  In Norv's second season, the team was sitting at 4-8, and dead in the water...and promptly won the last four games....won the division at 8-8, and then won a home playoff game.

That kind of sums up the Norv Turner era.  He wasn't a bad coach.  Not terrible.  Only 1 losing season in 6 years (and that one being 7-9) is not the mark of a poor coach.  However, he wasn't a great coach either.  They lost games they shouldn't have, on multiple occasions...at which point you'd count them out, and then they'd go on a run.

I'm not a gambling man, but I would think placing wagers on the Chargers in the Norv Turner era would have been an exercise in insanity.

And it wasn't always that they lost games...but the way they lost them.

You had the 2010 season in which the Chargers had four blocked punts (and one that was "deflected"), and 3 kickoff returns for touchdowns, and a punt return for a touchdown.  These breakdowns were directly responsible for 3 losses, for a team that finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs.  They could have been 12-4.

You had the 2011 season in which the Chargers, driving for the win late in the game in Kansas City, Phillip Rivers fumbled the snap on a "kneel down" play (the Chargers were just trying to run the clock down before the final snap), the Chiefs recovered, and went on to win in Overtime.  The Chargers finished that season 8-8 and missed the playoffs (9-7 would have won the division).

Norv Turner seemed somewhat like a tortured genius   Somewhat like the "absent minded professor", there were moments of brilliance, but often moments of befuddlement.  It seemed like he was almost too smart for his own good.  That he was so far in the future, setting up plays for the 4th quarter or something, that he forgot where he was...what he was doing.

Throughout 6 seasons of (mostly) ridicule, derision, and (mostly) failed expectations, Norv Turner was able to hold on to the locker room.  I've seen teams quit on coaches before (see last year's Chiefs team, or the Vikings quitting on Chilly in 2010).  In fact, it's fairly common once it's understood in the locker room that the coach won't be back.  It would have been easy for the Chargers to "mail it in" these past two weeks, after losing to the Panthers in week 15.  They didn't.

So an era has ended, and a new one will begin.  Who will they hire?

• A previous NFL HC like Jon Gruden?
• A college HC like Chip Kelly?
• A NFL Coordinator like Mike Zimmer (Defense) or Pete Carmichael (Offense)?

Will Bengals DC Mike Zimmer get a shot in San Diego?

Regardless of who the Chargers hire, Norv Turner will land on his feet.  I expect him to be calling plays on an NFL sideline next season (there are 6 other staffs that will be looking for coaches), and Charger fans will no longer be calling for his head.

NFL: The Doofus Rankings

Since we're nearly a quarter of the season done (for the great majority of teams, anyway), I know what everyone has been clamoring for... the Sports Doofus NFL Rankings.

0-4

Cleveland Browns - not surprising.  They don't have a very good team, and a pretty poor 28 year old rookie qb running the show.  Although one bright spot for the Browns, RB Trent Richardson looks like a stud.  He won't put up great numbers, because face it, the team stinks...but he has the look of a future all pro.

New Orleans Saints - pretty surprising.  I knew losing Sean Payton for the season would be tough on the team, but woah.  The Saints have shown a bit of fight the past few weeks, losing in Overtime, and taking the Packers to the wire, and their offense still looks pretty potent.  Would not be surprising to see them start playing better, and winning games now.

1-3 and looking it.

Detroit Lions - What has happened to the Lions?  They look, well generally, pretty bad.  Matt Stafford has regressed, their defense looks bad, and I'm not sure anyone is scared of their "physicality" any more.  Still think they could make a run, but pretty poor effort so far.

Carolina Panthers - Saw this one coming.  How many times do we have a young team play genuinely frisky one year (against a last place schedule) and then fall back to reality the next season (See the Chiefs from 2 years ago).

Indianapolis Colts (1-2) - Again, not that surprising.  I think people who bought into the Andrew Luck Kool-Aid forgot how bad this team was last season.  Luck is a fine player, but he needs alot of help

Jacksonville Jaguars - This could be the worst team in the League.  QB Blaine Gabbert has not shown much in the way of growth, and the team seems to be lacking an identity.  Not sure how they won a game, but they did.  Fun Fact:  For the life of me, without looking it up, I can't name their head coach.  This is the only team in the League I can say that about.

Tennessee Titans - They are  better than Jacksonville, but barely.  Chris Johnson's struggles have been documented by pretty much everyone.  Jake Locker is turning into a decent, not great QB, though.  I like the way he handles himself out there.

Oakland Raiders - Much like the Jaguars...how did the Raiders beat the Steelers?  It really makes little sense.  They got destroyed by the Dolphins, beat the Steelers, and then get rocked by the Broncos.  Their defense does not look good, and they haven't been able to run the ball well, except the one game.  They had alot of buzz after that Steeler win as a team that could be interesting, and then fell on their face.

Kansas City Chiefs - Not a very good team.  Watched their game with the Chargers last week and I gotta say, aside from Dwayne Bowe and Jamaal Charles, there isn't much there.  And Romeo Crennel is doing his impersonation of the former head coach of the Browns...what was that guy's name?  Oh yeah, Romeo Crennel.

1-3 Losing, but Frisky

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - You may be surprised to see them here, as this isn't a very good team.  But, But, But... this team isn't all that horrible/terrible.  They beat Carolina, and lost to the Giants (in a close one), to the Cowboys (in a close one), and the Redskins...who needed a late drive engineered by RGIII to sneak out the win.  Next 3 games:  Kansas City, New Orleans, and Minnesota.  Don't be surprised if the Bucs turn some things around

Miami Dolphins - Lost to undefeated Houston, pounded the Raiders, lost to the Jets because their kicker missed a potential game winning field goal, and lost to the undefeated Cardinals.  This has the be the most surprising "Frisky" team.  The Cardinals defense has been stopping everyone, Tom Brady included...and Ryan Tannenhill nearly broke the rookie passing record yesterday.  I like what they are building there.

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2) - Not sure what to think of this Steelers team.  They lost to the Broncos, pounded the crap out of the Jets, and then got beat by the Raiders.  Too up and down to get a good idea of this team, but any team with Big Ben has a chance.

2-2 Pretenders

Washington Redskins - RGIII looks to be the real deal, which is a good thing for Mike Shanahan, because this really isn't a great team.  They'll win some, and they'll lose some, but they aren't going anywhere.

St. Louis Rams - the return of Jeff Fisher and his team of cheap shot artists.  What a surprise to see Courtland Finnegan on this team.  I'll be honest, does it surprise anyone that Gregg Williams and Jim Schwartz coach "dirty" defensive play?  Who were they DC's for again?  So I can't cheer for the Rams.  But I like Sam Bradford.

Seattle Seahawks - Russell Wilson this, Russell Wilson that... blah, blah, blah.  Pete Carroll is still the head coach of this team, and they are a travesty of officiating away from being 1-3.  How do you beat the Packers like that...with everyone saying it was a crime, and a farce, and then go out and lose like that to the Rams?

New York Jets - Tebocolypse alert!  I love every minute of this.  I love seeing big and brash Rex getting his arse handed to him.  And they are a missed FG from the Dolphins away from being 1-3 and on a 3 game losing streak.  With Revis out for the season, their best corner is now Antonio Cromartie.... enjoy your season Jets fans.

Buffalo Bills - Not sure what to make of the Bills.  They aren't terrible.  But you don't get rocked by the Jets like that on opening weekend, and then once you gain some momentum, get shellacked by the Patriots once people think you are contenders.

Dallas Cowboys - if they had won tonight, it would be a different story.  But Bad Romo showed up again, throwing 5 interceptions, and they looked pretty poor.  I'm not counting the Cowboys out, yet.  But I'm close.  Too up and down.  Similar to the Bills.  They aren't terrible, but they need to be more consistent to believe in their chances.

2-2 Contenders

New York Giants - lost a close game to Dallas on opening night, and a very close game to the Eagles last night.  They are fine.  In fact, if you look at their last two Super Bowl wins... the Giants are right where they want to be.

Green Bay Packers - certainly the loss to the 49ers was a surprise.  They then, in turn looked Great against the Bears, pretty bad against the Seahawks (even though they got jobbed), and barely hung on to win yesterday against the rudderless Saints.  Still think this team could go all the way.

New England Patriots - I don't like their defense, and I don't like how they have been playing.  But still here they sit at the top of their division after a poor start.  The Patriots are like Jason Voorhies, they just don't die.

Denver Broncos - not sure what to think of the Broncos.  I don't think their defense is all that great, it's OK, but nothing special.  Their running game is nothing to write home about, and Peyton Manning isn't all the way back (will he ever be?), but nonetheless, they are 2-2 and pounded the Raiders pretty well, and beat the Steelers.  But both of those teams have losing records?  They fell behind by 20 in both games against good teams.  I could see them win the division, or go 8-8.  It wouldn't surprise me.

3-1 Winning, but something smells wrong

Philadelphia Eagles - They barely won two games in which they had 8 turnovers, got pounded by the Cardinals, and then turned in a pretty solid performance last night.  The Eagles have some talented players, but I'm not sure Michael Vick is going to survive the pounding he has taken so far this season.

Minnesota Vikings - Possibly the most surprising team of the year.  Many pundits predicted them to be one of the bottom 5 teams of the year?  Well, let's look at the Vikings shall we?  

They beat the possibly worst team in the league, Jacksonville in Overtime.  Then, they turn around and lose to the Colts (the only game they've won).  So, they were actually pretty poor.  

But then, they shock the San Francisco 49ers, just pounded them... who saw that coming?  And they beat the struggling Lions last week.  But only by 7, and had a kick return and a punt return to win the game.  (The Titans scored 44 points on this Lions team the week before... the Vikings scored 20, and 14 of them were on special teams returns.

Basically, I'm not sure what to make of this team...they played great against a very good team, and pretty poorly to be honest, against 3 not very good teams.  (Don't buy into the "they played a solid game" against the Lions ploy.... special teams TD's do count, but you can't count on them every week).

Christian Ponder does seem to be a great fit for their West Coast offense though, and I gotta admit I enjoy Leslie Frazier as a coach.  He's like Lovie Smith 2.0.  The Vikings are playing well, my suggestion is that Vikings fans should enjoy it... it probably won't last that long.  But they are making strides, and seem to be on the right track...I just don't see them keeping this pace and going 12-4 for the season.

3-1 Winning under the Radar

San Diego Chargers - Quick Question!  What team played a division rival on the road, won by 3 scores, and were up by 20 at halftime?  Let's check the headlines from the NFL page at espn.com and NFL.com shall we... that should shed some light on the subject.

espn's NFL headlines

NFL. com Headlines

Hmmmm.... no mention of the San Diego Chargers?  Do you think if another team won a division game, on the road, in dominating fashion, they might get some attention?

Homer alert:  Yes, I'm a chargers fan.  And yes, I know they've beaten Oakland, Tennessee, and Kansas City.  And yes, the Falcons absolutely schooled them.  I just find it interesting that no one is talking about this team at all.

I'm not saying they are a great team, but they could turn into one...they are certainly better than most people think.

3-1 and Under, Under the Radar (shhhhhhh.)

Cincinatti Bengals - so far under the radar, I left them out of the first version of this post!

I kind of like this Bengals team.  I like the Red Rifle, I love AJ Green, and count me a huge fan of DC Mike Zimmer.

Seriously, every year when the chargers make their annual swoon, I start looking at HC candidates from other teams, and Mike Zimmer always looks good to me.

This is a pretty good team, and they are going to be in the race.

3-1 Winning, and could make a habit of it.

Baltimore Ravens - This is a pretty darn good team.  But, despite what Joe Flacco says and thinks about himself, he has to continue to prove it week after week.  No more laying eggs like you did against the Eagles, and no more barely holding on to beat a win less Cleveland team at home.  I think they will win a lot of games, but I'm not sure if that will translate to post season success.

Chicago Bears - My favorite part of the Chicago Bears?  Lovie Smith.  Dude is unflappable.  Jay Cutler goes out and has a horrible game against Green Bay?  Who cares.  The next week, beat the Rams convincingly with Cutler still not playing good.  The Bears reflect the mentality of their coach, not their temperamental but talented QB.  The reason the Bears can survive with personality like Cutler at QB is because of Lovie Smith.  Seriously, does he get any credit?  Most underrated coach in the League in my opinion. 

San Francisco 49ers - Would probably be the top team in the league if not for their hiccup against the Vikings.  But that hiccup exists.  If you can take the lead on the 49ers, and force them away from the run the ball, control the clock, offense... you can beat them.  Absolutely loved the pounding they put down on the Jets yesterday.  Very good team.

4-0 What could be wrong?

Atlanta Falcons - The Falcons have a really good team, especially since they added Mike Nolan as their Defensive Coordinator.  Seriously, if they make a late post season push, or possibly a Super Bowl appearance, I don't want to hear about Matt Ryan growth and Maturity.  He's a good QB, but their defense is the BIG difference between this year's team and previous versions.  I watched the entire game when they dismantled the Chargers, and yes...Ryan and the offense looked good, but their defense was surreal.  They just execute.

Arizona Cardinals - Raise your hand if you had the Falcons at 4-0 when the season started?  What no one?  Me either.  I don't think their run can last, but their defense is also really, really good.  Patrick Peterson and Calais Campbell are both top 10 defensive players in this league.  Don't count this team out as a flash in the pan.  If they can continue to play Defense like this...they play in the NFC West... Seattle, St. Louis, San Francisco... not offensive juggernauts there.  They are a definite threat to make the playoffs.

Houston Texans - So far, Hands Down, bar none, the Best Team in the NFL.  They can run the ball, their backup running back can run the ball, they have a dominant WR, they have a couple nice 2nd and 3rd option receivers... Their QB plays smart, and can throw the deep ball.  Their defense is tough against the run, and can get after the other team's passer.  Now, what does this mean?  Does being the best team in September mean you are going to be the best team in December?  Recent seasons say no... the Packers two years ago, and the Giants last year, BARELY made the playoffs, but got on a roll, and won the Championship. 

However, with that said, the Texans are the class of the League.  So far.

Thanks for reading.