Buckeye Thoughts

Not much new to say here. I am so pumped for the season, all I can say is "here we go a GINN!" Take it from there Teddy...

Lunch Reading - 8/6/08

A turkey sandwich, chips and...

Finally, a candidate to get excited about!
Have you seen this yet? A classic Funny or Die post that responds to John McCain's Britney/Paris ad. Turn up the volume and enjoy!

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

Go Bucks!

I am geared up for the season, it can't get here soon enough. Here is SI's preseason poll and the Bucks are #2. I'll take it! Here is the Buckeye preview. Enjoy!

Back to work!

Morning Coffee - 8/5/08

Get Well Morgan Freeman
One of my favorite actors has been in a bad car accident and could be in the hospital for a while. If I were to write a movie, I would definitely write a part for Morgan Freeman. Here are two good clips from one of my favorite movies, "The Shawshank Redemption".

"Hope"


"Red Gets Paroled"



Kung-Fu Pander


Well, I couldn't find a picture of Obama doing Kung Fu so this will have to do! I am getting really sick of all the pandering going on in this election, and Obama is doing more than his fair share. First he changes his stance on the war (remove the troops in 16 months for the entire primary to considering leaving them there now) and now he says that offshore drilling is ok when he has been 100% against it from the get go. Please, PLEASE Americans see through this!

Morning Coffee - 8/2/08

"So what was that you said about the island of Lesbos?"
As referenced in an earlier post, the island of Lesbos could be a nice recruiting tool for Greek basketball teams. The latest rumor...that LeBron James could be their next target. No offense to Josh Childress, but if this actually happens this move would send shockwaves thru the NBA.

Let the fat rejoice!
Who needs the food pyramid and healthy food groups when fat Americans can now eat healthy potato chips! Good for you California, I think your intent was correct with this lawsuit but I think the outcome could just wind up being the obese endulging themselves even more.


Obama, Moses. Moses, Obama.
No matter who you are for, the lates McCain ad is kind of funny. Calling Obama "The One" is rather hilarious, he is quite full of himself now isn't he? If you have a minute take a look at the following. Note - I am NOT endorsing McCain with this post!

Morning Coffee - 7/31/08

I'd be smiling too...
According to this story, the Packers have offered Favre upwards of $20 million to stay retired. By a show of hands, how many of you would take $20 million to retire?!?!?!? My guess is he still reports. He has so much money it is not about that, it is about playing the game.

Manny on the move?
If this trade happens, you would have a very unique outcome. Manny by himself would make more money this year than the rest of his Florida Marlins teammates COMBINED. It makes you wonder why the Marlins think they need him? They are one of the most efficient teams in baseball and appear to have a good clubhouse, throwing Manny into the mix could jeopardize all of that.

Lunch Reading - 7/30/08

A chicken sandwich, Wheat Thins and...

For only $300 you get a $50 Gas Card and...
I actually read this in a direct marketing magazine this morning. Apparently the price of gas is so bad that even brothels are now offering free gas cards as an incentive for customers. Let me get this right: some very hard up loser is sitting in his house, wants sex so bad he can taste it, hears that there is a FREE GAS CARD with every "purchase" at the Shady Lady Ranch so he jumps in his car and pays for a hooker!?!?!? The sad thing is this offer is probably working.

Here is a cat fight to go along with the cat ranch
Apparently Annika Sorenstam and Paula Creamer don't like the fact that Michelle Wie is playing in a PGA Tour event this week. Welcome to the club ladies! She should atleast have to beat the WOMEN in an official event before playing in another MEN'S event. In my humble opinion Michelle Wie could wind up being the most mismanaged athlete of our time. She showed so much promise, yet she has failed to deliver even once.

This commercial requires no witty commentary

Lunch Reading - 7/29/08

A Chicken Taco Salad from Taco Bell and...

The Economy stinks, we are at war...and now slavery?
Lets clear this up right away - I am not a racist! That had to be said so I could then question what our government is working on RIGHT NOW. Seriously, people are out of work, the cost of gas is preventing people from doing all kinds of things, the price of food is thru the roof, people are losing their homes, we are at war...so why is Congress taking time to apologize for slavery right now? Seriously, is this the time to be doing this? This must be taking hours and days of people's work in the District. Don't get me wrong, slavery should be apologized for but is there anyone out there who still thinks that the government is for such a practice? I would gather that many people would say, "haven't we already apologized for slavery?" Oh well, Washington continues to amaze me.

We are sorry for slavery, now get out of your house!
See the story above as well as this one. The price of homes continue to drop and more are being foreclosed. Yes, Congress did pass a housing rescue bill but is it addressing the cause of the problem or just slapping a band-aid on the wound?


Excuse me sir, would you like to dance?
Is Obama getting close to naming a running mate? I wonder how the Hillary supporters would feel about this?

Back to work!

Lunch Reading - 7/28/08

PB&J, Wheat Thins and this...


Move over Google! Did I just say that?
My lunch reading today really focused on just one news item. According to this article the first serious threat to Google Search is on the horizon. Cuil will start to accept search requests on Monday and promises to be an intriguing alternative to Google. It has been created by former Google engineers and promises to have a search index three times the size of Google! That's 120 billion web pages...crazy. I love it when someone challenges the Big Gorilla in any industry. I wish Quil well, you can't find a bigger Gorilla than Google. To find out more about Quil go here.

Back to work!

Lunch Reading - 7/25/08

A leftover hamburger, wheat thins and....


Randy Pausch Dead at 47
I was saddened to read that Randy Pausch died today at the age of 47. For those of you who don't know who he was, you really missed out. He gave "The Last Lecture" and inspried millions of people with his message. I was very touched by the way he handled his diagnosis and chose to live the last year of his life.

If you have the time and want to be inspired, you can watch the entire lecture by clicking here. If you don't have the time you can watch this 5 minute piece on him:


Everything else today pales in comparison to Randy, but here are some other things that caught my eye:

THIS is why he is a minor league pitcher
I won't post the video but did you see this? A complete minor league brawl but the key piece is the pitcher who riffled a ball into the stands, hitting a fan and sending that person to the hospital. The pitcher has been arrested and will be prosecuted. If there is anything funny here at all it is the fact that he meant to throw the ball into the opposing teams dugout and missed badly, hitting the fan. HE COULDN'T HIT THE FREAKING DUGOUT WITH A PITCH! Minor league pitcher, yes. Future felon, maybe.


I can't wait to watch Terrelle Pryor!
The Buckeyes are making another run at a National Championship and I have a very strong feeling that Terrelle Pryor will be the reason they make it or the reason they don't. I don't care about the risk, PLAY HIM!

Back to work!

Lunch Viewing - 7/24/08

What I did over a chicken sandwich and cup of soup...


"Settle down youngsters, I'll figure out what the internet is"
I have to agree with this article as I am having a hard time accepting McCain as the nominee. He has a chance to excite the youth of America with his VP selection but people don't vote for #2, they vote for the top of the ticket. I have a suggestion for him, go on MTV and freestyle rap! Or head to Comic-Con and talk about "Heroes" and "Lost". Remember what Bill Clinton did when he was running to connect with the youth of America? Here you go...



Directv + Internet = No Need For My Brain
All I have to say about DirecTV is that I would be lost without it! When you tie it to the internet, even better. I realized I hadn't set my DVR for "Mad Men" which premieres on Sunday night so I logged on to directv.com at work and told my DVR to record it. Problem solved! How did people live without tv or the internet? I love it!

90210 is back...and the Devil has bought a winter coat
I never would have imagined that 90210 would be revived. I am ashamed to admit that I watched it during my silly youth. I refuse to watch the new one, I swear! That being said, this post is for my brother and his wife. Here is an old school 90210 trivia quiz. Enjoy!

Back to work!

Lunch Reading - 7/23/08

Here is what caught my eye today...


"I am not from Lesbos!"
According to this story a Greek court has ruled that residents of the island of Lesbos do not own exclusive rights to the name "Lesbian". After reading this story I fear that every group of active college fraternity brothers will immediately book their spring break trips to Lesbos to hang with the natives.


Already on a plane to Lesbos...
This story is humiliating if you are an Atlanta Hawks fan. Josh Childress, one of their better players, has left the Hawks to sign with Greek club Olympiakos. Seriously, who would leave the NBA for a Greek team? It is like falling off the basketball radar. Was playing for the Hawks really that bad? No word on if he is looking to "get his freak on" with a visit to Lesbos.

And Mother of the Year goes to...
Brittany Spears! Oh wait a second, we take that back. It goes to this deadbeat mom who left her kids in a running car outside of a bar for 3 hours while she drank and then hooked up. Bar employees found the kids sleeping in the running car outside of the bar at 1:30am. The police took it from there, since the mom had left with a guy from the bar, and managed to track her down at the guys house at 9am. Are you serious? How does she not lose her kids? Way to go mom, I hope getting your itch scratched was worth it.

Back to work!

Morning Coffee - 7/23/08

Today's morning coffee comes with a slight, check that, major taste of alcohol.



Question - What is .491 Percent?
Answer, the blood alcohol level of a man arrested in Rhode Island on Tuesday. Contrary to popular belief he is not a Kennedy. This guy was .009 percent away from having a fatal blood alcohol level according to the health department...and he was driving a car. One word - idiot.

Wall Street Got Drunk
According to President Bush, "Wall Street got drunk. The question is, how long will it take to sober up?" Not really a big deal but you don't really expect to hear the President using analogies like this. Well, maybe you do...

Lunch Viewing - 7/22/08

Joe Cocker Knows What He Is Talking About
But do you know what he is talking about? This put me in tears, enjoy!



Now back to work!

Lunch Reading - 7/21/08

Hello Beijing!
The beautiful image above is not from my beloved Cleveland, Ohio, but rather from Beijing which hosts the Summer Olypics starting on August 8th. The air quality in Beijing is so poor that endurance events over 1-hour may be postponed and one of the greatest marathoners on the planet refuses to run there. Way to go China! Nothing like inviting the world into your country and making it the equivalent of the smokers only room at a cheap Vegas casino. The Chinese government waited until today to ban 50% of all vehicles from the roads to try and clear up the skies. Best of luck with that! The eyes of the world will be on you in a couple of weeks...if they can see you thru all of the smog.

Weekend at Bernie's - Italian Version?
This story is disgusting and repulsive. Italian sun bathers laid out right next to two dead gypsy girls and simply enjoyed themselves. Are you serious?

Smells Like Fish, Tastes Like Toe Jam
Nothing spells hygiene more than letting fish chew on your feet! Does anyone feel like having a fish pedicure? Apparently it is THE hot thing right now. For only $50 it can happen to you too!


Redskins Fans, Meet Your New Starting Defensive End!
This story makes complete sense. Jason Taylor is now partnered up with 'Skins owner Dan Snyder, who now owns Dick Clark Productions and can help Jason launch his Hollywood career. Oh, and he is also now playing for a playoff contender again. Did I mention Jason Taylor plays football?

Back to work!

I Love Jib Jab!

First off, sorry for the lack of posts lately. I have been swamped at work. Here is a quick one for you today. I love the people at Jib Jab. I think their political satire is spot on perfect, which means I think their newest clip is hilarious. I hope you like it too. I especially like the Obama/Change portion of the clip, too funny!

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

Goodfella's & Gangsta's, The FBI and the NFL

As I was reading the news before heading to bed I found these two stories which are oddly similar yet very, very far apart.


FBI = FuggedaBoudIt
The F.B.I. is approaching their 100-year anniversary so they are in the process of making lists of their accomplishments. Apparently they feel their accomplishments against the Mafia rank right up there.

The funny part is that their dogged pursuit of the Mafia turned the Mafie into movie stars. What once were low lifes became became romanticized heroes in the newspapers, on television and in movies. On that note, I would like to thank the FBI for giving us The Sopranos, The Godfather, Goodfellas, Donny Brasco, and Scarface. These are some of the best shows and movies of all-time, hands-down. And to think it would not have been possible without the involvement of the U.S. Government!

Personally I respect and love The Godfather but Goodfellas has a special place in my heart. I couldn't find my favorite scene in the movie online (the scene in the bar where all of the gangsters are introduced)but here is one of the best scenes in the film. It is one long tracking shot, one camera from start to finish with no cuts or editing. You don't see this very often anymore.



The NFL Comes Out Against Sign Language
Deaf people everywhere are outraged and vow to boycot NFL halftime shows until this issue is resolved. Kiding of course! In a somewhat related story to the mafia notes above, gang members (some of whom may be deaf) are now more outraged than ever before! This is a very strange read. Why is this making the news? Why is the NFL wasting time on this? I guess I could understand their concern but don't they have better things to worry about? Like Nate Newton being busted with 213 pounds of marijuana in his van or trying to figure out what Michael Irvin or PacMan Jones are doing at this very moment? Maybe it is just me but I would take all of the resources that are assigned to this gang issue and funnel them towards the Cincinnati Bengals organization which I believe leads the league in arrests over the last 2 years. Sure, gangs may play a role, but how does a player making a gang sign during the game cause poor behavior off the field? This is a case of poor prioritization on the NFL's part.

Giving is Good

Today is the 4th Annual Don't Give Up V Foundation Auction that is presented by ESPN. It is a great cause that also pays tribute to a wonderful man. If you have the means I urge you to donate to the cause. Click here to read more about Jimmy V and the V Foundation. If you have no idea who or what I am talking about, take 10 minutes and watch the famous Jimmy V speech at the 1993 ESPY Awards below. It is very moving and gives me chills every time I watch it.

Lunch Reading - 7/15/08

Today is one of the slowest sports days of the season so it gives us all time to look forward to the Fall...

It's Time...Buckeye Football is almost here!
I'll admit it, The Ohio State University can do no wrong in my eyes. The expectations are once again very high for the Buckeyes but they are being tempered with a bit of doubt from the last two BCS Championship Game loses.

My take on this? It is hard being so damn good. There are a lot of people out there, a lot of beat writers out there, who would kill to have their teams lose one national championship game in their lifetime let alone in back-to-back years. Jealousy leads to lots of animosity and that is what is happening to Ohio State. The Bucks need to perform if they don't want to be the Buffalo Bills of the NCAA but you can't argue with the sustained excellence of the Bucks under Tressel.
Here is an update from Tressel on the team.

Following is one man's take on the Buckeye's offense:

PD's Doug Lesmerises talks about OSU football.

Don't worry fans, we have new uniforms!

I won't spend much time on this so let me be succint - Michigan stinks. Are they even relevant right now? At any rate, they are attempting to take the focus off of the players in their uniforms by giving them fancy new uni's! Yay! It's kind of like putting the New York Knicks in new uniforms next season, there is only so much lipstick you can put on a pig before you realize it is still just a pig.

Back to work!

Lunch Reading - 7/14/08

Today's sports news and notes...

Boxing - Does Anyone Care Anymore?
Pop Quiz - who is the heavyweight champion of the world?
Pop Quiz - when was his last fight?
If you can answer those questions then I give you credit. The only fight that I was aware of last weekend was Jose Canseco vs. Vai Sikahema. Seriously, if there were only two sporting events on tv last weekend for sports fans to choose from which do you think they would have picked? Canseco vs. Sikahema or Wladimir Klitschko vs. Tony Thompson? That is one fight Canseco would actually win, guaranteed.


Packer Out (no, not Favre)
I was suprised to read this at lunch. I was not a huge Billy Packer fan but he was the Final Four. You have to appreciate what he has done for NCAA hoops, which happens to be my favorite sport. As much as "One Shining Moment" defines the end of the tournament, Billy defined the actual games. He has seen 34 in a row and we have been lucky to have him. Best of luck Billy!


Death, Taxes, and The Yankees
I am not a big fan of any of the above subjects. Being from Cleveland, I really can't stand anything Yankee. However, being a sports fan, you have to appreciate the fact that this is the last year of Yankee Stadium and this week is the last All-Star game there. ESPN.com has a really cool tour of the stadium up, click here. For now I pay tribute to Yankee Stadium, ask me again after the All-Star break.

Morning Coffee - 7/14/08

Some things to read with your morning coffee...


Bud Is Done
Thanks Becks. Can you believe Budweiser, one of the all-time great American brands, will now be owned by the Belgians? I lean right as you may know and believe in a global economy but this just feels plain wrong. I read somewhere that it would be like Toyota buying GM, something nobody could fathom. As you know, beer drinkers can be stubborn and I have a feeling this sale is not going to go over well at your local bar.

In honor of one of my favorite beers:


Batman is Back!
My wife thinks I am a nerd but I am VERY excited to see the new Batman movie. All of the clips I see of Heath Ledger as The Joker as amazing. Now if I can only line up a baby sitter this weekend...


The World's Oldest Blogger Dead at 108
She was born in 1899 and she had a freakin' blog! I give her credit, I sure hope I am not doing this at that age. Can you imagine what her blog would hold if she had been blogging since she was 10? That is what our grandkids have to look forward to, a web full of amazing time capsules. Pretty cool if you think about it.

Weekend Sports News

It's the dog days of summer so the pickings are a bit light...


This is better than working at Burger King!
How sad is it that this is the highlight of a sports summer in Cleveland? According to a writer for the Arena Football League, it doesn't get any bigger than this? Seriously? Maybe he is talking about the players...not having to work at BK this weekend. Oh what the hell, Go Gladiators!

"Smell my shoe, smell my pits!"
This guy went crazy...if you were on his team what would you think of him today?


This Week's Most Obscure World Record Goes To...
We are in Olympic season, so there will be a lot of these coming in the next two months. This week's master of the obscure is Yelena Isinbayeva, owner of the women's world record in the pole vault. Does anyone know who the previous record holder was? Sorry, Paris Hilton is not the answer. How obscure are you when more people know the name of the person who won the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest than you, a proud world record holder?

"Excuse me, Big Brown, have you seen Floyd Landis?"
Shocker, another rider has been thrown out of the Tour de France because of performance enhancing drugs. That brings to mind this question - is Viagra considered a performance enhancing drug? If so then maybe Travis Henry should be taking notes...

"Has anyone seen my bag of Doritos?"
Well, he finally may have passed Shawn Kemp as the most stupid professional athlete of all time. Travis Henry has tested positive for marijuana...again. Maybe his frequent bong hits finally caused permanent short term memory loss? Perhaps he had forgotten that his career was on the line? Maybe that is why he always forgets to wear a condom? That is the only way I can explain the fact that he has fathered 9 children with 9 different women. Maybe he likes getting presents on Father's Day?

Lunch Reading - 7/11/08

Some things I read over a leftover chicken sandwich today:

- Obama Loves Nascar Fan!
Does Obama really think that Nascar fan is going to appreciate this? Seriously, his campaign has too much money if this is what they are deciding to do with it.

- Glenn Beck, "What's right with America?"
This could be one of my favorites from him in a while, click here. Some of my favorite points that he makes are:

With no help from our government, Americans gave a record $306 billion to charities last year alone. We give twice as much as the next closest country and, relative to the size of our economies, we give 1,000 percent more than the French.

It's not just the wealthy who are generous. Two-thirds of American families making under $100,000 a year give to charity. Compassion is ingrained in our culture like no other.

We love our country. World Values Survey found that 77 percent of Americans are very proud of their nationality. That puts us in a first place tie with the Irish. Australia was next and no one else was really even close.

Enough politics, lets have some fun on a Friday afternoon. Here are some of my favorite commercials ever!

- MJ, the King of All Ad Men


- A close second is Tiger Woods. Tiger Trap Rocks!


- Tiger Juggling (this is real, no CGI!)


- Whassup!


Back to work!

T. Boone Pickens Saves America?

As I was watching CNN the other night a commercial really caught my attention. Have you seen it? It looks like a political ad, an ad about saving our country from the grips of foreign oil.

Well, I logged on to take a look and I have to admit that I am fascinated by what I saw. Until now the only thing I knew of T. Boone Pickens was that he tried to woo Bill Self away from Kansas with all of his money after Self won the NCAA Hoops title in April. Come to find out the guy has made a fortune in the oil business and now has some serious thoughts on how to help this country out of its current oil crisis. You have to take 5 minutes and watch this video:



For more information on the Pickens Plan, CLICK HERE.

He makes a compelling argument on how to save this country $300 billion PER YEAR on foreign oil. An argument like this will get a lot of people's attention. Some things to consider here:

- I find it odd that this plan is more than either presidential candidate has put forth. His tv ad is compelling and his solution is tangible. I hope McCain and Obama are paying attention.

- I am not naive, T. Boone stands to make a lot of money off of this solution but atleast he is proposing a solution!

- The best part is the very end. A sound clip rolls and T. Boone says this is not the end all be all to the problem. He recognizes it is only a bridge to the more permanent solution that is needed. That being said, it is a 20-30 year bridge which is more than anyone else has presented.

There is too much here to discuss in one post so I am going to think some more on it and revisit this again in the near future. In the meantime, I am a T. Boone supporter!

Morning Coffee

Here are some things to browse while you drink your morning coffee:

- Jesse wants to cut Barack's nuts off!



As if Obama isn't going to have a hard enough time getting people who are undecided to sway his way, Jesse Jackson has now said he wants to cut his nuts off and he is one of Barack's biggest supporters! Hot mike or not, caught by suprise or not, Jesse felt this way and said it so it makes me wonder what else he thinks about "The Chosen One".

- McCain Highlights His Differences with President Bush
John McCain is attempting to walk the tightrope here. He needs to perform a delicate dance in order to win all of the GOP votes plus the majority of undecideds. He needs people to know he is not going to give them a third term of George Bush as Obama so often says but he also needs them to know he is a staunch Republican who agrees with W from time to time. It will be interesting to watch it play out.

- Battle of the -Ism's: Ageism vs. Racism
According to this new poll age is the bigger issue in this election as of today than race. I have to tell you, even though I lean GOP I am very proud of our country here. It is nice to know that the color of ones skin is not as large an issue in the publics eye as the age of that skin! All of the years of racial tension, all of the hard work done by so many African-Americans to fight for equality, it appears to have paid off. Age should be a more important factor in this race for the White House, it speaks to how someone can effectively do their job while the color of the candidates skin does not. Either way it is an -ism of some kind, but I think this poll is 100% correct.

Now back to work!

Lunch Reading - 7/9/08

Here is what I read at lunch today:


- Celebrity Homes For Sale, Will Accept Offers
As most regular Americans know, the economy stinks and there is a housing slump. You know we are in trouble when rich celebrities are feeling the pain and are having a hard time making payments on and selling their mansions. Do you feel sorry for them? I don't, they made their excessive beds and they need to sleep in them!

I don't know if this is connected to the above story, but Phil Mickleson's house is for sale as well. Here is the listing and as you can see he is accepting offers. In care you are REALLY interested, here are some more pictures of his mansion.

- No More Smoking Jokes Sen. McCain
Attention John McCain, Iran has lots of missles and they aren't scared to use them. I read the following on CNN.com from Gen. Hossein Salami, commander of the Revolutionary Guard ground forces, "We want to tell the world that those who conduct their foreign policy by using the language of threat against Iran have to know that our finger is always on the trigger and we have hundreds and even thousands of missiles ready to be fired against predetermined targets." John, you are trying to sell yourself as the SAFE candidate, the one who will protect us from crazy nations like Iran. Please be careful making jokes at their expense!

On that happy note, back to work!

Sports Shorts

A very full morning of sports stories today:

- This is a landmark moment that will effect both college basketball and the NBA. One of the most talented high school seniors in the country will officially skip his freshman year of college and play in Europe for one year, then opt for the NBA Draft. The NBA has attempted to force high school players to attend college for one year and nobody had really challenged it until now. This new route will be difficult, leaving the USA as an 18-year old to play abroad for a year, but it could lead to many more top shelf prospects considering the same thing. This will be interesting to watch.

- You have to respect someone who wants to work for himself and that is what Tony Stewart is about to do. This is huge news in the world of Nascar and a move that could be hard for other stars to duplicate.

- Finally, I really feel for the L.A. Clippers. If anyone knows what it feels like to be a sports organization from Cleveland it would be them. If any group of fans has the same level of disappointment as Cleveland fans, it is Clippers fan.

Back to work!

Morning Coffee

Some quick morning reading for you today:


- The Olympics isn't just about the games this year, it's also about the power of the internet. This is a quick but fascinating read for anyone who is addicted to the web. Who would have thought the games would wind up being a "billion dollar research lab" for NBC.

- How'd you like to be paid $.14 per day to use the toilet? I know it sounds funny but it really is sad that this has to happen.

- Professional athletes are not all selfish millionaires, they can actually do good deeds and even save lives from time to time.

That's it for now, back to work!