What Happens When You Combine

Long john silvers and a taco bell? Fish shrimp and clams and a taco
supreme. Awesomely bad ideas.

Sent via mobile phone.

Are.You.Kidding.Me?

Truly shocked today.

Why? Well two things.

1) The NBA is playing GEICO. Yeah, G-E-I-C-O. Not H-O-R-S-E during All Star Weekend.

As that contest joins dunking and three-point shooting contests as part of TNT's NBA All-Star Weekend coverage, the as-yet unnamed three contestants — who'll be overseen by an NBA ref — will play G-E-I-C-O. As in the insurance company that will be the event's unavoidable sponsor. (Suggestion: The winner then takes on the famous ad lizard to really drive home the brand awareness.)

For its G-E-I-C-O game, TNT will pull up a truck — which it uses for NASCAR coverage — to put announcers on a set that can rise 14 feet and swivel 360 degrees. As part of the dunk coverage, TNT will get NBA stars such as Dwight Howard or Vince Carter to imagine futuristic dunks, with videogame-maker (and NBA sponsor) EA Sports showing video simulations of their visions.

And following Fox's production of 3-D coverage of college football's BCS title game, shown in about 80 theaters last month, TNT will offer the Feb. 14 events, including the G-E-I-C-O game, in theaters. Tickets will cost $18-$22.

Oh almighty dollar, the NBA worships THEE! As Jim just said, "that just killed it for me."

via USA Today

2) D-Bag Joe Buck replaces the other D-Bag, Bob Costas over at HBO.

Costas this week left HBO for the MLB Network. He was interested in appearing on both, but HBO insisted on continuing to be his sole employer on cable TV. Enter Buck, the Fox NFL and MLB play-by-play announcer, for a yet-to-be-named 90-minute show starting in May.

HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg says Buck is "downright funny, although I don't know if the American public is aware of that."

Ummm, sure. I've never, ever, ever laughed at anything Joe Buck has said, unless he said something stupid, in which case, I laughed at him and not with him. Apparently everyone other than the HBO Sports President agrees with me.

Buck shot a Saturday late-night comedy show pilot for Fox that wasn't picked up — "it was a little different and not what a broadcast network was looking for," he says — and had been talking to HBO for months before Costas' exit. Greenburg, saying Buck shows "incredible brilliance" in his play-by-play calls, says HBO gives him "an opportunity to get done what he can't do in the world of network TV. Cable and network are two different worlds."

Or Buck just isn't funny. Which would explain why he can't get into comedy. But alas, Money and D-Bags 1, me ZERO.

via the same article as I listed above.

Us Kids Know....

...no cars go. I'm dedicating this next week or so to whatever I feel like blogging (or not blogging) about. And you thought I was going to say I was dedicating the next week to the Arcade Fire. HA! Or maybe you just thought I was rambling as usual. Anyway, the video for "No Cars Go," an absolutely amazing song.



And to think, I hated this band when I first heard them many years back. I think they're phenomenal. Cheers.

Today We Remember a Great

And lose in a close one. At home. To the Jazz.

But the bigger news? Chris Webber's jersey was retired tonight.

Man I miss that era of King's basketball. We were actually good. Now?

We're like 11-40...or 11-41. or whatever. might as well lose them all. wins are few and far between.

But for now? for now we can reminisce about the good times.



oh, and Lebron's triple double got taken back. That puts a smile on my face.

Goodbye Life

Hello hell. These papers (amongst other school things) will dominate
the coming months. I just told my friend Ciro it's kind if like dying
and not being ready for it. Competitions galore. New job and more
responsibility than ever. And here I am intestate (google it).

Sent via mobile phone.

Fusing UFC and Football

James Harrison. Defensive Player of the Year. With moves like that, it's no wonder.

In other news, one lucky Steelers fan / friend was rewarded with this while another was rewarded with this

I Confess...

I haven't felt like writing much. Just dragging along through January. It was good being "home," but now I'm home. Make sense? This is the place where I've decided to settle, for better or for worse. It's hard to get readjusted to life in "The H." Balancing work, school, a relationship, friendships. And in the end a lot of people are pissed off for one reason or another. So I spend most of my time at the house in my room. TV, internet, reading text books, and sleeping. Although, in all sincerity, there isn't much time spent at the house. It feels like jumping from one place to another. One month into 2009 and I'm just kind of tired. Removed from it all. Just grinding out the second-half of school. It feels weird knowing that in a year-and-a-half, I'll be taking the biggest test of my life. And yet that year-and-a-half seems so far away.

Who knows what's next. The economy is definitely not looking favorably on lawyers right now, and understandably so. Pray it turns around. Pray I start feeling better. Pray that I maintain some semblance of sanity. It's the calm before a hell of a semester.

The 50 Worst Sports Announcers

I cannot agree more. Except that they didn't put Mike Tirico on there. In my opinion, he at least makes it somewhere in the top 15. However, grumblings aside, this list is right on point.

1. Billy Packer: The man who annually managed to turn the most exciting three weeks in sports, the NCAA tournament, into a visit to your cranky grandfather's house. Griped and moaned about everything from women in sports to mid-major invitations (this, just before George Mason reached the Final Four). All credit goes to coaches; all blame goes to players. Thankfully put out to pasture with Bobby Knight. Boy, there's a joyful combo, huh?

2. Chris Berman: The first of the truly cartoonish sports announcers, and still the worst. Has completely lost sight of the fact that he's the mouthpiece, not the attraction. His nicknaming habit, his "back-back-back," his chummy "look! I'm hanging with jocks!" repartee on set -- it all went stale in the ‘90s, and yet he still trots it out, week after numbing week. Go, Berman, and take Leather with you.

3. Joe Morgan: Stubbornly refuses to admit that there's anything to the game of baseball more important than "heart." Laughs off statistics as irrelevant. Still carries grudges from his playing days. Like Bill Walton and other ex-jocks, views every player in comparison to his era -- and strangely enough, nobody ever comes close. Inspired one of the great sports blogs of this decade, but has unfortunately outlasted it.

4. Tony Kornheiser: His schtick is that he's a regular joe in the booth there with Mike Tirico and Ron "Na-tion-al Foot-ball Leeeeague" Jaworski. And that schtick, frankly, stinks. I could hear schlubs talking about, say, how well their fantasy teams are doing if I go to the local sports bar. I like "Monday Night Football" when there's a real possibility the announcers might get into an on-air fistfight, and I can't see that ever happening -- or lasting very long -- when Kornheiser's involved.

5. Dick Vitale: A cartoon character, but less credible -- and more annoying -- than Spongebob Squarepants. Never saw a recruiting violation he couldn't ignore. Shameless Duke homer; the evidence is indisputable.

6. Bill Walton: Alternates between gooey praises of his era and unhinged criticism ("That's HOOOORRIBLE") of anyone who doesn't, in his mind, measure up to Magic and Bird -- in other words, everybody. Carries a lot of bitterness around for an ex-hippie Deadhead.

7. Mike Patrick: A hyperbolic announcer who occasionally veers from praising or burying a team -- there's no middle ground -- to veer off on an unconnected rant. The most famous of these, of course, is his absentminded musing on Britney Spears during overtime of a Georgia-Alabama game. Tip for you, Mike: when even the dog can tell you've written your "off-the-cuff" one-liners days before, it's time to switch up your flow.

8. Tim McCarver: This is an entry on a list about the worst announcers in sports. See, when you're making a list, you break it down into different categories and put spaces between the entries, so people can tell it's a list. Like this entry about Tim McCarver, Fox baseball analyst. McCarver analyzes baseball for Fox. And while he's analyzing baseball for the Fox network, he offers stunning behind-the-scenes insight, just like you're getting in this entry here. Which is part of a larger list.

9. Joe Buck: Alternating between dull and sanctimonious, Buck is a crotchety curmudgeon trapped in a younger man's body. When he's not draining the life out of the greatest moments in modern sports, he's lecturing us on the sad state of the NFL. Summed up in this fine moment of offense at Randy Moss:

10. Bob Costas, post-2000: A once-brilliant announcer who has devolved into caricature. Like Buck and the tweedy Bryant Gumbel, apparently sees it has his sworn duty to protect the sanctity of sport from the filthy tide of 21st century progress -- including, you know, those nasty sports blogs. One of those announcers who would love sports so much more if there were no unruly fans, surly athletes or double-dealing owners to muck it all up.

And the rest of the bunch:

11. Stuart Scott: Tired as this side of the pillow.
12. Tony Siragusa: A burly, sweaty, mouthy ex-jock? Why, who wouldn't want to hear from him?
13. Gus Johnson: Only when he's screaming five minutes into an ordinary game.
14. Paul Maguire: Always sounds like he's about to ask you to buy the next round, and he'll "get ya back next time."
15. Stephen A. Smith: Wants so, so badly to be the story, not cover it.
16. Troy Aikman: Like Robin Williams, you don't notice until later that he didn't actually say anything.
17. John Sterling Catch-phrases flop to the ground like beached marlin; "Thaaaaaa Yankees win!" is the worst victory cry ever.
18. Thom Brennaman Loves him some Tebow.
19. John Madden Only when he's in worship-Favre mode.
20. Emmitt Smith: Is thoroughly masticated to receive this honor.
21. Johnny Miller
22. Lee Corso
23. Jim Gray
24. Merril Hoge
25. Digger Phelps
26. Tiki Barber
27. Darren Pang
28. Dick Stockton
29. Dick Enberg
30. Darrell Waltrip
31. Kelly Tilghman
32. Mike Francesa
33. Steve Phillips
34. Pam Ward
35. Shannon Sharpe
36. Skip Bayless
37. Warren Sapp
38. Lamar Thomas
39. Paul Allen
40. Ken Harrelson
41. Magic Johnson
42. Chip Caray
43. Dave Mishkin
44. Joe Theismann
45. Dan Dierdorf
46. John Kruk
47. Jenn Sterger
48. Larry Merchant
49. Michael Kay
50. Lou Holtz

Note: I stole this directly from the original post. Yeah, I'm lazy. Suck it.

via Yahoo!

The Google Analogy

Thanks Brookie!

I Probably Need to Get This

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10147564-2.html

Trying to get work done is tough if you have an Internet connection. The constant urge to take a peek at a video on YouTube or check your personal e-mail is a siren song that for many simply cannot be ignored. Luckily, there are several sites and browser add-ons that can help keep us in line, be it with basic productivity or making sure we do not stumble in moments of weakness

yeah, I probably need to get one of those things...But it's not just dealing with work and productivity issues. It can also serve as a life coach for you.

Don't drink and e-mail.

Want to send that e-mail at 4 a.m.? Unless you're up early, and getting a jump start on the work day, Google's Gmail thinks you're drunk and will wisely make you do the math problems to prove you're not. Of course, if you really want to outsmart the machine you can simply turn this Gmail labs add-on off from the settings menu, which requires no math whatsoever.

Hilarious.

check it out if you need some disciplinary help.