Ramblings of an Extreme Moderate

BP Oil Spill: More required reading and useful links

2010-05-31T09:31:00.000-07:00

As you well know by now, if you follow this blog, I am one of the many people that are incredibly angry over the BP Oil Spill, and I'll be damned if I ever refer to it as "Gulf Oil Spill," because that is too generic and semantically removes BP's accountability.

Anyway, if you want to help out or donate to organizations that are trying to do something, or would like some useful insights, then feed your mind a little with the following:

HealthyGulf.org - This is the leading Web-site for all things Gulf of Mexico. Pretty much anything you would ever want to know, need to know and so forth can be found there.

Daily KO's: DKo's Booming School - This is a very interesting insight on the process of booming oil, and why the cleanup thus far has been an enormous mess, and done incredibly wrong. However, I will warn you that DKo uses a lot of very strong language, so be warned.

Mobile Bay National Estuary Program - another useful resource, centered around the continuing preservation and upkeep of the world's (yes, the WORLD) second largest estuary, right here in Alabama.

Louisiana Gulf Coast Response - Need information on where to volunteer or send money to help Louisiana? This is the place for it.

National Wildlife Federation - Yet another all-around, valuable resource. Lots of good information to be found, and more ways to help.

True Majority - Political activism Web site that provides up to date news and information relative to BP's mess. They also provide links and information to help you locate and write to your representatives in the Senate.

Alternatively...

BP Care t-shirts - The shirts are $25 a piece, but all proceeds go to HealthyGulf.org. The shirts are satirical in nature, if you couldn't tell.

So knock yourself out. Read up. Feed your mind. And most importantly? If there is even the slightest, most unlikely chance that anything we can do can stick it to BP and make them totally accountable for their carelessness and wanton destruction, then it is a chance worth taking.

Have a happy Memorial Day!

Dumb clichés: Why I can't stand them

2010-05-29T07:54:00.000-07:00

You know you have heard them. Idiotic phrases or tag lines that people used because they are trying to sound witty, or to feign real-life experience by assigning color to a subject. First off, let us examine the meaning of the word, from Merriam-Webster:

"Etymology: French, literally, printer's stereotype, from past participle of clicher to stereotype, of imitative origin

Date: 1892

1 : a trite phrase or expression; also : the idea expressed by it 2 : a hackneyed theme, characterization, or situation 3 : something (as a menu item) that has become overly familiar or commonplace

— cliché adjective"

The all-time, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe world champions of using clichés are probably athletic coaches, and television talking heads who usually have little, to no idea what they are talking about to begin with. More often than not, when a phrase becomes cliché, it basically loses its meaning and becomes somewhat grating to listen to or read.

This is Tim Brewster, Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach, and public enemy #1 in using corny puns and clichés in his press conferences. So bad, I used a cliché to describe his status in this category.

One example that especially annoys me is "Give it 110%." Right off the bat, you, as a person, are the sum of what you are, and nothing more. Sorry if you feel special, but that's the grim reality of life. That being said, if you are demanding that everyone give more than 100%, and lets assume this is possible, then wouldn't the law of averages make "giving it 110%" average? It would. Furthermore, imagine if you went into the bathroom and filled your tub up with 110% of water, better yet, go try that out. Then have fun cleaning up the enormous mess you just made. It's really a nonsense statement, and ought to be avoided. The only time "110%" should ever be described in any way is when you are discussing interest on a loan, profits, degrees of angles and breast augmentations. That's it.

Another cliché I can't stand is "It's just like [insert noun], ON STEROIDS!" This one, in my experience, is probably the most annoying. Perhaps it's on account of my experience in the fitness industry, but nevertheless, it really is a ridiculous statement. Culturally, steroids are pretty widely regarded as a bad thing. So when you exclaim that your product, idea or concept is just like something else, only "on steroids," it denotes a positive connotation. Uh oh! Now we have a double standard. So if the idea of steroids is such a terrible thing, why would you compliment something by describing it as being on steroids? For example, if I described former Pittsburgh Steeler Jerome Bettis as, "He's just like John Riggins, on steroids!" The intention of the statement is positive, because I am indicating he is better than John Riggins. However, taken literally, I have indicated that Bettis is better than Riggins because he is on steroids. The meaning becomes debased and I have slandered Mr. Bettis. For the record, I am not indicating in any way whatsoever Bettis took anything other than other people's pride when he ran over them. Even when describing a product or concept, what are you really saying? A more effective way of saying the same thing is, "We took the concept of the cheeseburger, and made it better than it was before!" Now you have made a more poignant literal statement, and managed to sneak in a very subtle 6-Million Dollar Man reference.

Now these are just two clichés that I really dislike. There are many more just like them, and equally silly. The real danger in a cliché as a writer, is that if you are not careful, one really bad usage of a cliché or idiom can ruin your artistic effort, or in business setting, just make you seem disingenuous or uncreative. So be on the lookout for bad writing in the form of tired and worn out phrases.

This will probably end up being a series as I think of more items I can rant about. That being said, I am going to go give 100% on my thesis introduction in its third revision, and try to make it like the older one, only improved in key areas.

The Bleeding Gulf

2010-05-26T16:35:00.000-07:00

Unless you have been living in a cave, or have had your blinders on, you are probably aware of the massive oil spill infecting the Gulf of Mexico.

This tragedy has effected me on a very deep, and personal level. I was born and raised on the Alabama Gulf Coast, and I am very proud of that. I started life in Bayou La Batre, before moving to Dauphin Island. My roots, and the very fabric of my existence run adrift in the peaceful Gulf. My grandfather was a fisherman, and my family made its living from shrimping, before switching to the business of operating offshore oilfield service vessels.

My experiences growing up almost entirely took place right on the water's edge. It was a charmed upbringing in many respects.

And then on April 20, 2010, a nightmare came to life. The DeepWater Horizon oil drilling rig exploded, and for over a month has been dumping millions of gallons of crude oil into my beloved Gulf.

From day-to-day, minute-to-minute, I cannot decide whether to be enraged, or to weep.

Every day is another message from the collective horses' asses of British Petroleum (BP) and Transocean trying to pass the blame. They assure us they are at least trying to do something to stop the hemorrhaging oil. In that time, I have awakened to a non-stop stream of images of a rotting and decrepit coastline. Wetlands are dying. Industries are dying. However, all I see are more and more images of my home being killed; slowly suffocating.

Honestly, I think I worry the most about Louisiana. When Hurricane Katrina struck in August of 2005, Louisiana was arguably the hardest hit. Interestingly, they did not take the worst of the wind gusts, but the storm surge did untold billions of dollars worth of damage. I'm sure if you're reading this, you feel like you have heard all of this before. The reason Katrina, as a Category 3 storm was able to cause damage where other storms failed, was because at the time it hit, the Louisiana wetlands had been depleted to their lowest level as long as anyone has been taking records. The wetlands are eroding and losing an amount of land approximately equal to a football field every single day.

Now you are probably wondering what the devastated wetlands have to do with this oil spill. Well it is simple, the oil is annihilating everything that is left. The marshes, the swamps; all of it. The wetlands are the only barrier protecting millions of people from catastrophe in the face of a natural disaster, and now the wetlands are being killed off, wholesale, by circumstances that were completely avoidable. An entire ecosystem, and even a culture that thrives along the wetlands are being ruined. And nobody is really doing anything about it.

Has BP really done everything they possibly can? I don't think so. The amount of money they have spent in the cleanup is hardly a drop in their financial bucket. Has Transocean done everything they could? Obviously not. I truly believe that they failed to do their due diligence on the job which caused this problem in the first place.

So who is doing anything? Apparently, nobody. Worse yet, the ones that are doing everything that they can do not have the resources to do remotely enough. The federal government has not been proactive about the situation. Some politicians have even defended BP and are trying to protect their liability.

So those of us from along the Coast are left out to dry. When the Exxon-Valdez tipped over, spilling an entire ship full of oil off of Alaska's coast, I thought it was the awakening everyone needed to realize that oil dependence was a dangerous gambit, and that strict regulation was required to make sure those mistakes were not repeated. Yet here we are again. I guess with enough lobbying dollars, you can get just about anything you want.

With Hurricane Season on the horizon, due to begin next month, we can only hope and pray that another major storm does not enter the Gulf. If it does? You just think New Orleans' Ninth Ward was bad after Katrina. Well, as much as I hate clichés, you ain't seen nothing yet. A hurricane in the Gulf this year could send all those billions and billions of barrels of crude onto land, and cause an amount of damage that a Hollywood movie could never portray. The number of peoples' deaths, livestock and pets, not to mention the amount of damage to local industries. If the oil slick keeps growing at its current rate, absolutely no parcel of land on the coast is safe from being drowned in oil if a hurricane hits. So just because you are reading this from Texas, Mississippi, Alabama or Florida does not mean you are in the clear.

I could go on all day and night about how bad this oil spill and all of it's implications are. If you are reading this, I urge you to write to your senators, write to your congressmen, do anything and everything you can. Even if you think it is pointless, do it anyway. Be proactive. Try to make a difference!

The Gulf Coast, it's inhabitants, the wildlife, the ecology... they are all at stake. We need you. Please help in any way you can.

As you can tell, I am very distressed over the whole issue. So here are some worthwhile articles you can read, from across the political spectrum to make up your own mind.

Required Reading:

BP Oil Spill, 7 Secrets BP doesn't want you to know (with Photos)

Why doesn't Obama 'take charge' of the oil spill?

Florida beaches being forced out of Top 10 lists (Christian Science Monitor)

Of Politics and Oil (Wall Street Journal)

There are many other articles and blogs you can read about the BP Oil Spill. I only hope that my two cents on this issue have sparked something inside of you. Anything, so that you go out and do anything you can to help in the recovery.

Gym etiquette: The final entry!

2010-05-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

I had an ambitious plan to write a series of small articles highlighting behavior that you should avoid in a gym. I created one entry talking about how cell phones can ruin just about any fitness environment. After that, I thought of many more things that people should not do. The only problem is that none of them merited their own update, even if it would have kept a stream of activity. So I decided that I am just going to do a Top-4 of bad behaviors, and call it a day on gym etiquette. Without further ado, I give you 4 behaviors you should consciously avoid (not including cell phones obviously).

4. Standing in between people and the mirror: Some people probably think that staring into the mirror during an exercise is narcissistic, and many times it is just that. On the other hand, the majority of the time people use the mirror to watch themselves to make sure they are performing an exercise correctly so that they do not injure themselves, or more importantly, so they do not waste their time. So you want to know what's incredibly annoying? When you stand around blocking someone's view. Mentally, it can ruin someone else's rhythm and is discourteous. It's not the worst thing you can do, but it definitely rates as something you should avoid if possible.

3. Absurd rest periods. First of all, there is absolutely nothing wrong with resting for short periods of time during a workout. Where a problem occurs is when that rest period ends up becoming an endless chat session of people congregated around a single piece of equipment, occupying it indefinitely and then copping an attitude when someone asks to work in. If you want to take a 5 minute break in between your rigorous forearm workout in the squat rack (something else you should never do), oblige others by letting them take turns until you or them are finished. This is especially bad among high school kids and college underclassmen. Few things are worse than having 3 or 4 tools standing around the only bench press, and watching them never lift any weight while they talk and talk and talk and talk. This becomes exponentially worse if an attractive girl is anywhere nearby to disturb their brainwaves.

2. Dropping weights. I am referring to the jerk who just finished doing their twelfth set of curls, and to show off how awesome they think they are, throw the weight to the ground when they could have otherwise set it back gently. This really drives me crazy because there is no point to it, and it only ever succeeds in breaking dumbbells, snapping cables or bending barbells. Unless you are a serious powerlifter, bodybuilder or athlete, and have to consistently attempt enormous feats of strength, you really have no business dropping weights. Remember: If you can't control it, don't lift it.

1. Screaming during sets. Have you ever watched "My New Haircut" (warning: very NSFW) on YouTube? Well, fast forward to the 1:55 mark and watch him. Obviously, the video is satire, but people really do that. What I'm telling you, is never do that. It makes you look idiotic, and really upsets everyone around you. There are a few exceptions as to when it's okay to let out a yell or a grunt, but to make as much as noise as possible to create an illusion of effort? You deserve the worst.

This list is based on my observations of more than 10 years of being a gym rat, and more than half of that having worked as a personal trainer. Of course, this is purely my opinion. If you know of something worse than what I listed, or disagree with me, leave a comment. I am interested to see how others feel on this.

The latest holdups

2010-05-22T12:15:00.000-07:00

"A man does what he must - in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers - and this is the basis of all human morality." - JFK

So lately, I have been absent. Again.

Where have I been you ask? Well it's not a very long story, just an incredibly frustrating one.

I have been bogged down with thesis research and preparation, trying to gain approval to study the organizational structure of communications in a Division I football program. The school I am studying has been on board for about 8 months, yet I have not even started my research. The reason I cannot begin is because there are miles of red tape one must get through before being allowed to study something. I have to get cleared by the Institutional Review Board first. Then I have to orally defend my proposal in front of my research committee to earn clearance by department. Only none of this can occur until I finish an ungodly amount of edits and revisions on my work.

In the meantime, when I am not working on this beast, I have been job hunting. Now let me tell you how much fun I have trying to find work as a communications expert right now. According to some pie chart I saw in the Birmingham News while I was at Starbucks, only about 2.9% of all new hires among college graduates are in communications. Most of the new hires are people with a medical background, particularly nurses. So relative to a job, where does it leave me? Well, I'll be 27 in June, with exceptional experience in fitness club sales and customer service. However, I don't have the giant portfolio of communication work that many 22 year old undergraduates are graduating with. Not to mention, I'm only a master's candidate, and at the rate I am going with this nonsensical tap-dance of futility, it is yet to be determined if I ever finish. I know I'm good. I can be the best. Unfortunately, no matter how good you are, or think you are, you have to have something to validate it. I would be thrilled to have a chance to just earn any experience to prove my worth. I have even started applying jobs in the middle of nowhere, hoping for a bite.

Then in between these two daunting headaches, I decided to take one last class. I was never required to take it, but I did anyway. I am taking a basic design class to learn Adobe InDesign and Photoshop. It is actually a fun class. I enjoy it, and I have been sharpening up my skills. Plus, I get to at least have a tiny portfolio of one of my projects finally. So it will be one more bullet in the clip for me when I go into an interview. At least this is something I look forward to on a daily basis.

Oh, and my car is starting to get dementia, the car version of osteoporosis, or something in its old age. After 10 and a half years, it seems like everything on it is just taking turns tearing up and breaking. In 17 months, I have replaced the $730 heater core twice, and am about to be stuck replacing the $1300 AC compressor. At the very least, my gas guzzling Mustang GT is still pretty damn fast. It still has that going for it.

So isn't life just peachy? Man-oh-man. Maybe all this mess is my repayment for seeing my two favorite football teams win championships in the same year, and set a personal best on bench press (320-pounds, suck on that!).

It looks like collections have begun on whatever Faustian deal I failed to realize I entered.

On the plus side, I have an amazing girlfriend that puts up with me, my health, friends who care about me, the family and relatives that I continue to claim and big arms. These are the things that keep me sane.

Nevertheless, I do have some blog entries upcoming. I started writing my ideas down as they come up.

NFL Draft and Twitter: Who I'm following

2010-04-23T10:46:00.001-07:00

If you use Twitter (and you can follow me @jhesfellerIV), you may be interested in following some people or organizations for some additional draft perspective, so here are a few I think are worth following, for various reasons.

Want some fantastic perspective from someone who plays the game, has a father who is an NFL executive for a very high profile team and is incredibly intelligent? Then you have to add Greg McElroy, Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback. He is pretty unbiased and will teach you a lot of neat little things and anecdotes along the way. Follow: GVMcElroy

If you want perspective and commentary from industry professionals: Brian McCarthy (@NFLPRguy), Bruce Feldman of ESPN (@BFeldmanESPN)

However, if you just want a comedic, hilarious perspective, my two favorites this year: LSUFreek, and Ole Miss defensive end Kentrell Lockett (@OleForty).

So that is who I'm following for the draft. Just thought I would pass that along.

NFL Draft, Day 2

2010-04-23T08:43:00.000-07:00

So I have to eat some crow less than 24 hours later. I am willing to own up to when I am wrong. Especially with how wrong I was with the draft thoughts I published on here yesterday.

With that said, time to update how I feel.

I still think the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should have taken Eric Berry. Either way, they still really needed a defensive tackle desperately so they answered a need and took, arguably, best player available depending on how you graded McCoy.
So I was dead wrong about Oakland making a terrible pick. They truly surprised me by taking Alabama's middle linebacker Rolando McClain. They not only scooped up a legitimate Top 10 talent, it answers a major need with their recent switch to the 3-4 defense.
Finally, I am actually happy with New Orleans' selection of Florida State's cornerback Patrick Robinson. He has great measurables, and is a veteran player for the now retired defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews, whose track record of producing great NFL talent is unquestionable. This is a very low risk, high upside pick for the Saints. I still wanted Jerry Hughes, but I guess the Colts just had to mess that up.

As for individual franchises...

Denver, have you lost your collective minds? They began the night looking like geniuses by trading down repeatedly. I even remarked, "looks like they are going for the Bill Walsh method." And then what did they do? Take a wide receiver that "reminds them of Brandon Marshall," their franchise wide receiver they just traded to Miami, and drafted Tim Tebow in one of the biggest non-Oakland-related first round reaches of the past decade. I had a feeling Tebow would sneak into the first, but not that soon. So I hope head coach Josh McDaniel has a brilliant press release ready to go.
Way to go San Francisco! You needed some offensive linemen, and hit a home run. Great picks with one of the top rated tackles and guards to lead off their draft. They had the best draft of the first round, to Denver's worst .

I really do not have a lot to say about Round 1. Honestly, it went really smoothly and there were not all that many big surprises other than Tim Tebow getting selected where he did. Other than Denver, I do not think you can rationally label any team with a first round selection a "loser" since all but one team probably helped themselves.

The NFL Draft continues with Rounds 2-4 tonight from Radio City Music Hall, with coverage beginning at 7:30 pm EST on NFL Network and ESPN.

Thoughts on the 2010 draft

2010-04-22T13:18:00.000-07:00

The 2010 National Football League Draft is upon us. In this momentous annual event, each of the 32 franchises that participate in the league will select players that are expected to be the future of their respective teams.

That being said, I have been keeping up with the draft with renewed interest this year. The Alabama Crimson Tide is predicted to have its most first round prospects since 1999, and the New Orleans Saints are in uncharted territory by picking last in the first round. Coverage begins today at 7:30 pm EST, and here are my thoughts and observations for some of the teams:

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may as well trade down as far as possible and amass more picks. The team is a shell of what it was under Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden, and I really don't know how anyone is going to be successful there within the next few years. This is made more severe by the ownership's recent financial issues. Either way, assuming they stick with their current pick, they would be foolish to pass up Eric Berry. That guy is the real deal.
The Rams, who will be picking first, are going to need a whole lot more than a quarterback. Especially a quarterback that has not taken a meaningful amount of snaps since the 2008 season thanks to a shoulder injury. Today it was announced that they agree who they will select. However, if they are only just now figuring out who they are going to pick after being on the clock since December, then they must have been shopping their pick to trade down. In recent years, the No.1 pick signs prior to the draft. I have a feeling the Rams, regardless of who they select, are going to be dealing with a holdout.
The New Orleans Saints really need to use their No.32 pick the best linebacker available. They have made noise picking up some good defensive ends to shore up the D-line, but they need serious help at linebacker and there will be some top-notch guys available late. My hopes are for Jerry Hughes from TCU.
I would bet a lot of money right now that the Oakland Raiders are going to make a stupid pick again. I don't think this is any stretch, but they are doomed to the NFL cellar until Al Davis moves on. Who wants to bet they are going to take someone with some freakish measurables irregardless of whether or not they can actually play?

"What's his 40 time?" Al Davis prepares to select LSU's Trindon Holliday at No.8

No matter what the New York Jets do tonight, there is no reason on this planet that they should not win 12-14 games in 2010. There really is no bad pick for them because they are loaded.

Now those are my thoughts about a few franchises and how I think they will do. As for a few individual players...

Ndamakong Suh, in my opinion, is an incredible specimen. I think the Rams would be unwise to pass on him for Sam Bradford.
You know how many Big XII quarterbacks are starting in the NFL? 1. Josh Freeman of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That's it. You know why only one guy gets to play? Because Big XII QBs almost entirely play in gimmicky spread offenses and most commonly transition poorly to the NFL. I think Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy, or any other QB from their conference is a wasted pick anywhere in the first 3 rounds. I think Bradford is a huge risk, and McCoy, well if one single hit from a Southeastern Conference player took him out of a game, how is going to withstand abuse at the next level? Let the buyer beware.
There is a lot of hate towards Terrence Cody for one reason or another, but go ahead and prepare to watch him get drafted way ahead of where he should be. He's the most specialized, specific type of player in the draft. He can only play nose tackle in the 3-4. That's all; but he is very good at it and chews up blockers to open up things for blitzers. I have a sneaky feeling he may wind up with the Jets in the first round. Nose tackle is the only thing they need, and guess what defense they run? I think Cody sneaks into the first.

I honestly do not have a lot of other thoughts for franchises or individual players. I am going to write something up about Tim Tebow after he is selected, and depending on how LSU fares in the draft this year, I have a lengthy inquisition for their program and its trajectory based on how their players are being viewed by the NFL.

Gym etiquette part 1: cell phones...

2010-04-01T08:49:00.001-07:00

Normally, I tend to write about sports. On other occasions I like to talk about advertising and public relations stuff since it is what I am in school to study.

However, today I want to discuss another matter entirely. I want to talk about how you should behave at a gym so other people's blood will not boil over in anger towards you.

First of all, I have been working out consistently, mostly bodybuilding and powerlifting related activities, for 10 years. I have also worked in gyms conducting sales and as a personal trainer, and I am a pretty awesome personal trainer, for your information.

Through all this time, I have observed some of the most idiotic behavior that a person can endeavor to engage in as they pursue some means of fitness.
How you behave, the norms and mores of a gym is usually referred to as "gym etiquette." So what I am going to do is conduct a series of blog entries, as I think of them, describing bad gym habits and behaviors that you should avoid unless you want some cranky gym rat like myself to get ugly with you.

I begin this series with a diatribe against bringing your cell phone to the gym.

I will be perfectly honest; seeing people texting away and having lengthy conversations on their phone in the middle of a workout area pisses me off to no end. It's aggravating and distracting.

Just imagine some obvious frat boy is sitting on the bench press, with about 115-pounds loaded on the bar, just jawing on and on endlessly about the all the girls he talked to last night and that he was too drunk to remember their names. This goes on for 5 to 10 minutes, all the while you wait because it's the only bench in the gym and you have not begun your workout. Alternatively, you could be on a treadmill next to a very loud woman discussing her kids, work, her oversized SUV, how she hates her husband and all sorts of inane topics while you are just trying to get to the end of your cardio session. In both cases, it is distracting and annoying.

Another thing I think people should consider is that cell phones have cameras. As time goes on, the average camera built into a cell phone becomes more and more advanced, with higher resolutions. Now if you are a woman, just remember, you are going to have to bend over from time to time to pick up weights, adjust a machine or perform an exercise. How secure do you really feel knowing some creep might be lurking around "texting," when in fact they are trying to get a snapshot of you in a compromising position? And guys, don't think for a second someone might not try and snap a lewd photo of you in the locker room if you aren't careful. I have had to kick people out of the gym for that in the past. So the typical cell phone with its camera can be a very creepy thing to have in a workout area, or especially a locker room.

The irony; girl in a compromising position, being photographed by a cell phone while on her phone.

Either way, when you go to a gym, just lock your cell phone in the glove box or center console of your car and leave it. Do not bring it in, it has no place in the gym. And the next time you go to workout and see someone with their phone out, just think about some of the issues I brought up. Eventually you will become as much of a Nazi about it as I am.

Need a new name...

2010-03-27T11:50:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone. Again, I have been a little absent with seemingly no new content. However, I have still been busy taking road trips, writing for the Crimson White and job hunting for after I finish my master's.

One recent little project I undertook was helping Lizette Fisher with her latest article at Pearls and Bourbon. She's an LSU fan (and alumni!) so her point of view on Alabama's resurrection in football is interesting, and I was asked to contribute towards the timeline of events that caused the program to dwindle and whither under the weight of NCAA sanctions. So go check it out.

That being said, I decided that I hate the name of my blog. It's wordy, and incredibly not-catchy. So I implore you to take a moment and suggest a name for this thing.

The only name I came up with is "Freakishly Slow: (insert a subtitle)." Being freakishly slow is a reference to just how slow I run the 40 yard dash, and I will never put in print on any medium how slow I am. But I can confidently state that I am indeed faster than Rich Eisen.

So leave a comment, suggest something! Thanks.

Big things on the way...

2010-03-09T21:16:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

In case you have been wondering why I have not updated very often since the Saints won the Super Bowl, it is because I have been tremendously busy.

Right now, working on my thesis and searching for jobs and internships to build experience towards a career in public relations and marketing has been very taxing on my mind and body.

However, never fear, I will have some content on the horizon in the near future. I am also working hard to generate ideas for things to write about relative to sports, pop culture or general interest subjects. I may even branch out and start writing about some other sports for my blog finally.

So stay tuned folks! More content is coming sooner than later.

Super Saints - More than a championship

2010-02-16T19:08:00.000-08:00

This video was created by "Gulfcoasttiger" of the SaintsReport.com forums. This video is by far his best work, and I felt like I should share it on my blog. Sums up the Saints history leading to the recent Super Bowl win beautifully.

Drew Brees: 2 time savior

2010-02-09T19:16:00.001-08:00

In 2006, Drew Brees was a free agent quarterback who had recently had his throwing shoulder rebuilt after an injury suffered in the San Diego Charger's season finale against the Denver Broncos. Only two teams seriously pursued the veteran QB; the Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints. Nick Saban, the Dolphins' head coach, wanted to acquire the free agent, but the medical staff told him that Brees would not recover in time to play in the upcoming season. Saban decided it was not worth the risk, and passed. However, it was a gamble that the New Orleans Saints and rookie head coach Sean Payton were willing to take.

On March 15, 2006, Drew Brees signed with the New Orleans Saints. There is no way that Brees, or anyone else, could possibly guess that he would single-handedly be the savior of two beleaguered football programs.

Since the ides of March that year, Drew Brees has gone on to become one of the NFL's elite passers. In 2006, he was able to earn a berth in the NFC Championship Game for the first time in the Saints' history. In the meantime, Nick Saban's Miami Dolphins had a terrible season and never came close to playoff contention. Their season went down the tubes when it was realized that the decision to forgo the chance to sign Drew Brees was ill-advised. As a result of his failings, Saban became disenchanted with the NFL, regretted his decision to ever leave college football and took an opportunity to get back into the Southeastern Conference.

On January 4, 2007, it was announced that Saban would be the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, his former SEC rival during his days as the LSU Tigers' head coach.

The 2007 and 2008 seasons for the Crimson Tide and Saints were bittersweet. For Alabama, 2007 was marked by a promising start, and some downright embarrassing losses. 2008 appeared as though Alabama would turn the corner towards greatness again, following 12 consecutive wins in the regular season. However, Tim Tebow destroyed Alabama's national title dreams, and destroyed their competitive spirit, which led to embarrassing bowl loss to Utah.

In spite of setbacks in 2007 and 2008, Nick Saban has returned Alabama to the prominence that it was accustomed to from the days of Paul "Bear" Bryant and Gene Stallings. In just three years, Saban turned the Tide, and recorded a season for the ages in 2009. Alabama went undefeated at 14-0, became the BCS National Champions and earned a Heisman Trophy for the first time in school history with Mark Ingram.

Saban celebrating the 2009 BCS victory over Texas

The Saints, in the meantime, stumbled through mediocrity in both 2007 and 2008 after their spectacular 2006 season. The Saints' offense scored plenty of points, but the defense was among the league's worst, and it seemed like the team was poised to maintain their status as lovable losers, with a penchant for snatching defeat from the clutches of victory.

Nevertheless, Drew Brees remained committed to excellence, and has done great things in New Orleans. Brees has captured nearly every Saints' passing record, and helped the city of New Orleans in the continuing recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

But there was something contagious in the air in 2009. The Saints had their winningest season in history, putting together a 13-3 regular season record. In the playoffs, the Saints began their march to greatness by mauling the Arizona Cardinals so bad physically, and on the scoreboard, that it caused Kurt Warner to retire from football.

After defeating the Cardinals, the Saints' were tasked with playing the formidable Minnesota Vikings, led by the grizzled veteran quarterback Brett Favre, a certified Hall of Famer, and their all-star defensive line, anchored by defensive end Jared Allen, who hunts deer with a spear. The Vikings looked like they would win the game at times, but had a meltdown of turnovers down the stretch that gave the Saints an overtime victory, and an opportunity at Super Bowl immortality.

Drew Brees showing off the NFC Championship

On February 7, 2010, the only thing standing in between the New Orleans Saints and the unthinkable, a Super Bowl victory, was Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts were a team that was heralded by some experts as too tough for the Saints. Well, I hope those experts aren't gamblers. The Saints stunned the sports world when they beat the Colts 31-17, asserting themselves as unquestionably, the best team in the National Football League for 2009.

How sweet it is, Brees celebrates a Super Bowl win

Pretty amazing isn't it? Just think where the Saints and the Crimson Tide would be right now if the Dolphins had just signed Brees. His injury turned out to be the catalyst to unparalleled fortunes for the Alabama Crimson Tide and the New Orleans Saints.

Maybe one day Drew Brees will get an award for being a 2-time savior.

This is all you need to know

2010-02-08T09:50:00.001-08:00

Godspeed Drew.

Also, if you are one of the few people that reads this blog, I actually removed my article about Drew Brees last week, because I got a weird feeling that it wasn't "finished enough" and really got an eerie feeling that the story had not reached its conclusion. Apparently, this instinct proved correct, and I re-released the Drew Brees piece.

WHO DAT?! Geaux Saints!

Also, LSUFreek (of the Sporting Blog and EDSBS, among other places) turned in this gem that sums up the game nicely.

Recruiting Hysteria

2010-02-01T08:56:00.000-08:00

In the crisp, wintry morning of the first Wednesday of February, thousands of high school senior football players across the country are going to make their college destination official. They are going to sign their national letter of intent, and send one fax that might be the biggest decision they make in their life.

Thanks to the internet, the saga leading up to this momentous day in the lives of many teenagers has become an absolute free-for-all of madness. It seems rather insane that grown men and women pay hundreds of dollars per year, simply to obsess over, and discuss the merits of 17 and 18 year old boys as to how they may fit the football program at their favorite school, and get an early start bragging over national championships they may never win.

But what drives people to this madness?

About a decade ago, I remember that very few people paid attention to football recruiting. Unless there was a very prominent high school player in-state, very few people really cared. You might have glanced at the back pages of the Athlon Sports college football publication to see who some of the top guys were, but that was it. Then at some point in time, I would guess around 2002 or 2003, Rivals and Scouts' Web sites, which had been around for a while, suddenly had a boom in activity. Progressively, more and more people began to sign up at these recruiting coverage services. This correlated with an increasing amount of college sports coverage. Presently, ESPN, the "Worldwide Leader in Sports" is featuring wall-to-wall coverage of National Signing Day. Tune in bright and early and watch 18year old kids sign papers and fax them! Oh, but there may be some fireworks when a kid pulls a hat-tick, faking like he is going to pick one school, only to throw that tawdry hat to the ground and place his school of choice on his head.

It truly is a testament to how sports media coverage has permeated the fabric of American society, that anyone could find this interesting. The drama and the build up to signing day can be somewhat exciting. It is interesting to hear, and read about some of the dirty tactics and recruiting drama that goes on between rival schools. But how on God's green Earth can watching kids fax paperwork be interesting, no matter how zany their hat ceremony is?

Then again, thanks to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, I have been noticing that more people have begun practically stalking these high school athletes, trying to find out everything they can about them. The player's recruitment that stood out the most in my mind, was that of current Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Julio Jones. It was a macabre display of human emotion that was part Waiting on Godot, and part Wall Street (the movie). I think that it would be an honest assessment that many among the Crimson Tide fan base were as excited over Jones signing with Alabama in 2008, as they were with the recent 2009 BCS National Championship.

The irony of recruiting is that as much as people stress themselves over getting the highest "star average" for the class, it is often times that the lower profile players in the group manage to shine the brightest. I distinctly recall LSU fans cursing Nick Saban's name for signing the likes of Jacob Hester, as he was only rated 2 stars. Alabama fans were somewhat wary of bringing in some 3 star nobody from Michigan named Mark Ingram. Everyone ignored this kid named Randall Cobb, who went to Kentucky and is currently the most dynamic athlete in the Southeastern Conference.

The moral of this story is that nobody should lose sleep over recruiting. Sure, it's fun to follow, but these coaches makes millions of dollars to evaluate talent, and you know what? They know more than you and I. That is why they are piloting these multi-million dollar college franchises in their respective quests for BCS glory.

UPDATE: SEC Officials

2009-11-14T04:53:00.000-08:00

If you are following along, you may have read my last post about the inadequate officiating in the Southeastern Conference. Since that time, it appears that the head of SEC officiating has confirmed some of what I had to say about the whole system. Check out this excerpt from al.com:

"The replay system freezes often enough that Redding established a process for the referee to announce when the equipment is down.

Parry said the lack of high-definition television sets in replay booths is a growing concern around the country. The Pac-10 has asked Parry to place the issues of monitors on the agenda for a national meeting of officials in January.

The SEC does not use high-definition TVs. Redding said the current equipment is fine, but he wouldn't oppose an upgrade."

So there you have it. It is much easier in this day and age of hi-definition televisions and DVRs to hyperanalyze each and every call. The sad thing in all of this is that fans at home arguably have a much better perspective on a play than the officials calling the game. It is hard to believe, but it is true. To me, this explains a great deal of the terrible officiating this year, and I can only hope that the SEC does something in the offseason to amend this problem.

So before sounded the alarm of conspiracy, take a moment to let this sink in.

SEC Officials? Conspiracy or incompetence?

2009-11-09T15:14:00.000-08:00

Through the 2009 football season, there is one topic that has been stirring up controversy on a weekly basis. The referees of the Southeastern Conference.

At the root of all the controversy are a plethora of horrendously blown calls during football games that may, or may not have impacted the outcome of several games.

The first big incident came during Week 5 when the LSU Tigers visited Athens, Ga. for a game against the Georgia Bulldogs. The Bulldogs drove down the field late in the game and scored a go-ahead touchdown that gave UGA the lead late in the 4th quarter. But wait, A.J. Green was flagged for "unsportsmanlike conduct" for celebrating briefly with his teammates. The result of the call was that the 15 yard penalty was assessed on the ensuing kickoff, giving LSU perfect field position to make a quick score and reclaim the lead. LSU won the game. The SEC later admitted their gaffe and confirmed that the call was erroneous.

Fast forward to the game against the Florida Gators and Arkansas Razorbacks. Late in the game, Tim Tebow rolls out on a pass, and an Arkansas player is called for "roughing the passer." The Gators were given 15 yards on the play, and scored a touchdown on the next play. This caused Florida to have enough time to get another defensive stop and drive the ball downfield for a game winning field goal as time expired. There was one problem; there never was any roughing of the passer and the SEC, once again, had to admit their officials' failure.

Another glaring example was in the recent matchup between LSU and Alabama. Only this time, LSU was on the receiving end of a terrible call. In the fourth quarter, trailing by 6 points and Alabama driving down the field, LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson jumped a route and appeared to intercept a pass from quarterback Greg McElroy. However, after an official's review, Peterson was ruled out of bounds and the pass was incomplete. Nevermind the fact that a huge gash was in the field from where Peterson dragged his foot. Again, there is no doubt that the officials made a mistake.

Naturally, talking heads in the sports media, fans and even some coaches are on the war path and criticizing the officiating.

Probably the most asinine and absurd thing to come from all of this is the notion that the SEC has a conspiracy to encourage officials to call games in certain way to prop up its front runners Alabama and Florida.

There is just one problem, there is no real basis for it aside from selective memory and conjecture.

Lets consider some other official blunders and look at more evidence.

Lets go back to that LSU and Alabama game. Early in the first half, Alabama had a catch ruled out of bounds that was clearly in bounds, which could have given the Tide an opportunity for a touchdown. Unfortunately, the play was never reviewed and Alabama had to settle for a field goal because the replay booth was having technical difficulties. How would that have changed the game? Nobody will ever know. The officials made horrible calls (and non-calls) the entire game, but all anyone is going to remember is the Patrick Peterson non-interception call, because it came at a critical moment in the game and gave Alabama the chance to make it a two possession game. Naturally, it was under much more scrutiny. However, I am not going to sit here and pretend that Alabama did not come out very favorably as a whole throughout the game. That would be blatant homerism.

When Georgia and Florida faced off, Georgia committed a heinous "roughing the passer" when Tim Tebow was leveled well after he released the ball. The officials? Never called it. The only reason anyone ever noticed it was because Urban Meyer was fined $30,000 for criticizing the non-call. Aside from that, there have been dozens of non-calls on seemingly obvious calls that have gone various directions that people tend to forget about.

I have provided several examples, but I could literally go on for hours writing about various screw ups in games all year long. At different points in time, each team has benefited in one way or another, whether they won or lost.

The trend I have noticed is that referees in the SEC tend to lean in favor of the team with either the higher ranking, or better record. I think there is more than enough evidence to substantiate that claim. Erroneous penalties tend to go in favor of whichever team has the most to lose from a bad outcome to the game.

You can go all the way back through the BCS era (1998-present) and you will see that the front runner of the conference tends to get more calls go their way than not. In the late 1990's, Tennessee could do no wrong. At other times, particularly in the Saban era, LSU received plenty of favorable calls. More recently, Alabama and Florida seem to be catching most of the breaks from officials. Once again, I really think that these teams are simply getting the benefit of the doubt by lazy officials who are performing their jobs poorly.

Does that mean that the SEC is conspiring to hold down most of the conference in order to bolster its best teams? Good luck proving it. There just is not enough evidence, much less proof, to provide anything other than a biased bunch of conjecture.

The evidence points to the fact the SEC officials are incompetent, and obviously not doing their jobs. Based on several instances of technical difficulties with replay technology, they may also be poorly equipped to do their jobs.

Tthere needs to be some sort of reform in the ranks of SEC officiating. Human error may be part of the game, but obviously there is something amiss with SEC officials. Is it the training and preparation of the officials? Is it the selection and hiring process? I don't think there is any clear answer, but progress needs to be made, because in the end, the fans are being cheated.

Sorry I've been absent

2009-10-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

So I haven't been updating much lately. I have been caught up in developing my thesis, which is going quite well I might add, and writing freelance for the Crimson White student newspaper at the University of Alabama.

So if you would like to see some things I have written, follow these links...

Hamrick leads by example

This is a little piece I did about Crimson Tide men's golf team member Hunter Hamrick. He's a very good player with a bright future, so I was proud I had the opportunity to profile him.

Big Al embodies Alabama spirit and tradition

This piece ran today. I was extremely excited to get to write a feature on Big Al, the Crimson Tide's mascot. It was very interesting getting to interview the people that were instrumental in bringing the mascot to life, and making it a part of Alabama's tradition. The idea for this story came from the fact that the original mascot suit was moved from the Ferguson Center, which is sort of a student union on campus, to the Paul W. Bryant Museum to assume a place among the historical collections. I actually gathered a great deal of data that I was unable to put into that article, so I may just blog about it or use it as a follow up story for the paper.

Anyway, that's what I've been up to. I aim to begin writing up more stories for the blog, and offering more thoughts and opinions an football, public relations and advertising.

On that note, Roll Tide! I hope we beat Tennessee worse than ever this weekend.

SEC Football: What I'm seeing 3 weeks in

2009-09-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been 3 weeks of football in the nation's greatest conference. So what have we learned so far?

Here are some brief synopses of all 12 teams...

Alabama Crimson Tide: Well, aside from some inconsistency in the kicking game and kickoff coverage, this is one complete team. The offense has been diverse, scored plenty of points and the defense is simply dominant. They have launched into 2009 with a 3-0 record, and appear to be improving tremendously each week. Next game: Arkansas.

Auburn Tigers: So far, the only thing we've realized is that their offense is the most improved in the conference. They have been scoring points in bunches. They are also 3-0, including a win over the West Virginia Mountaineers. It will be interesting to see how this team can overcome depth issues when the injuries start mounting throughout the year. Next game: Ball State

Arkansas Razorbacks: Well, their offense is probably just as improved as Auburn's. Their QB has been good, and they have scored plenty of points. But their defense is terrible and seemingly incapable of preventing deep passes. Next game: @Alabama

LSU Fighting Tigers: Well, the best way I have heard LSU described is "they're an okay team." And that's about it. Offensively, they have been very vanilla and have not done anything spectacular. Defensively, the John Chavis experiment continues on with mixed feelings from fans. Personally, I feel like LSU is playing well below their capability. I want to see what they can do when they are motivated to try harder. Next game: @Mississippi State

Ole Miss Rebels: Ole Miss' schedule makes me sick. Unless you count a trip to Memphis (approximately 35 feet away) a road trip, then this weekend is the farthest they are going to travel, all the way to Columbia, South Carolina. Anyway, at 2-0 the Rebels have been inconsistent and sloppy and much less dominant than the score of either of their opening cupcakes would have you believe. Considering they have failed to play anyone legitimate, this weekend will be our first opportunity to really figure out what they are made of. Next game: @South Carolina

Florida Gators: So, are they not as good as advertised? Or was Tennessee just that much better than expected? Florida did not run up the score on Tennessee last season, and they certainly did not this year. At 3-0, with the Vols being their toughest opponent to date, the Gators looked very one dimensional and offensively challenged. Defenses have begun to learn how to stop Tebow, and with the total absence of strong wide receivers, the Gators may actually cough up a game or two this year. If Tennessee had a remotely competent quarterback, Tennessee may well have been "singing Rocky Top all night long." Florida better tighten up and work on their execution if their national title expectations are going to happen. Next game: @Kentucky

Georgia Bulldogs: Well, it's official, their defense is godawful. That's all there is to say about that. Offensively, they are actually pretty good. Joe Cox seems to have learned how to throw downfield, and this offense has been scoring a ton of points. This team reminds me a lot of the 1998 version, led by Quincy Carter. I expect about the same results by season's end. 8-9 wins is about the best they're going to get with that defense. But are UGA's fans going to put up with another above average season from Mark Richt? I think by now they should be expecting frequent SEC title game trips. Next game: Arizona State

Kentucky Wildcats: Well, they've beaten everyone on their schedule so far. They've looked pretty decent in the process. But I don't know enough about the level of their opponents, and not sure about how to evaluate their 2-0 start. Lets see how they handle a visit from the Gators this weekend. Next game: Florida

Mississippi State Bulldogs: Well, they're 2-1! Good for them. Not sure what to say considering their wins are against a pathetic Vanderbilt team, and FCS Jackson State. In their loss to Auburn, they played a close game until Auburn finally started running away with it. They are hosting LSU this weekend. If they can exploit LSU's struggles to stop teams on 3rd down, and generate some points they might have a snowball's chance in the Sahara to make that game interesting. Next game: LSU

South Carolina Gamecocks: So who are the Gamecocks? In week 1, their offense looked unbelievably inept. Then in Week 2, they scored a lot of points on UGA's defense (which is really not hard to do). Then they bulldozed Florida Atlantic. One thing is for sure, they have improved since Week 1. I think seeing how they handle a visit from the Rebels is going to add a lot more pieces to this puzzle and telling us what the Gamecocks can really accomplish. Next game: Ole Miss

Tennessee Volunteers: Well, they are off to a 1-2 start on the season, losing to UCLA and Florida. Offensively, their QB completely kills any momentum their incredible stable of running backs can generate. Defensively, they are legit. They held Florida in check in every aspect of the game and made Tim Tebow earn every inch of yardage he gained. I would have to say that the Vols are moderately better than most people expected. I am a little bit intrigued to see what the Vols would be like if they had anything resmbling a QB. It's sad when their best quarterback talent is starting at safety. Oh, and Eric Berry deserves the Heisman. Seriously. Next game: Ohio

Vanderbilt Commodores: Looks like this little program came back to earth after their bowl game. Their offense has been unable to score points, and they couldn't even muster any production against Mississippi State. It's going to be a long season for the 'Dores. Next game: @Rice

That's all I got for now. I am willing to say that based on the first 3 weeks, I think Alabama and Florida are by far and away the best overall teams in the conference. I also believe that Vanderbilt and Mississippi State are the bottom two teams. This upcoming week is going to be huge in learning who the contenders and pretenders are.

I love Burger King ads

2009-09-17T11:15:00.001-07:00

Chances are, you watch television. That being said, if you happen to be watching a program that Burger King bought air time from for advertising, then I only hope you have been as entertained as I have. The Burger King empire has never managed to reign supreme over its arch-nemesis McDonald's, but it seems that they are determined to lock up as much of the Generation Y market as they can.

BK's switch to ironic, humorous ads have taken an approach that is attention getting, memorable and fun to watch. What made me think to write about their advertising is because I saw their latest ad featuring Tony Stewart explaining to various D-list celebrities how they should chose products to endorse. I thought it was very smart. People tend to be suspicious about celebrity endorsements anyway, so this ad turned those suspicions on their head. Actually, just watch it...

See? I think that is a good ad. It's funny, it has characters that we remember (or wish we could chose to forget, yes I'm talking about you Carrot Top) and actually makes a good point. It does all this while reminding me why a Whopper, or something from Burger King would be enjoyable.

They also took the opportunity to reprise the role of their original mascot, The Burger King, in 2003. He is still scaring people in their sleep, dancing and appearing in other off the wall promotions. Most people I talk to claim they hate him because "he's creepy," while many others seem to just love The King (I wish he would show up at my apartment with burgers, so I love him too).

"I will haunt your nightmares. Eat more Burger King!"

The King has become an icon among mascots. There are three video games (offered at $3 each when you bought BK meals in 2006), and he has become an internet meme that people do not despise en masse, which is impressive. The most impressive item is that a feature length movie is in the works about the iconic character. Mostly, I am impressed with how much endurance The King has had. Jack in the Box comes and goes, but The King has been reimagined and featured doing different things for 6 years now.

I have been really impressed with Burger King's advertising. I think they owe their Miami based ad agency some bonuses, because they have done a good job. They are not trying to set the market for "health conscious" fast food consumers (eg - KFC, Subway, etc..), they are just trying to get BK back in the conversation and to compete with McDonald's domestically. I like the direction they are heading, and I cannot wait to see where they take it.

Oh, and remember how I said The King was an internet meme? Well, I am providing a link to a collection of different things the fine folks at ytmnd.com put together. It's absolutely NSFW (language), so watch at your own risk: The King vs. Ronald McDonald Collection

SEC Week 1: What we learned

2009-09-07T07:52:00.000-07:00

I am just going to go team by team. I may go further in depth into Alabama later, but for now, here were my initial impressions of everyone...

Alabama: The defense is amazing. Simply put. Va Tech was expected to be a decent offensive team this year, with a lot of returning starters and their entire offensive line from last year in tact. But the Bama defense kept them totally in check with only two real hiccups when Marquis Johnson made two consecutive mistakes to allow a TD, and Rolando McClain's huge penalties putting the Hokies in scoring range. Offensively, the game started out so bad that I was genuinely worried about this season as a whole. But suddenly in the fourth quarter, the Crimson Tide exploded and absolutely dominated the game and showed some authority as they rode a 10 point lead to victory. The special teams still have a lot of work to do, but Leigh Tiffin was solid. Overall, Alabama fired another shot across the proverbial bow of the conference, and the nation just like last year. Next up: Florida-International

Auburn: I didn't see much of this game except for the first 45 minutes. When Louisiana Tech was fresh, they gave Auburn everything they could handle. Once the Bulldogs wore down, Auburn exploded offensively. In my pre-season predictions I noted that Gus Mahlzahn was going to make a lot of improvement on that offense, and it seems I may have been right. Defensively, Auburn is a shell of what it was just last season. Their depth is noticeably shallow. I will be curious to see how they perform next week against Mississippi State in their SEC opener.

Arkansas: I did not see their game against Missouri State. I checked the box score and it seems like Boddy Petrino has his offense clicking. They racked up nearly 600 yards of offense. Defensively, they let a FCS team get 17 points. Not sure what to say about the Hogs really and they have their BYE week next week. So we'll see what they're made of against Georgia in Week 3.

LSU: I did watch this game. Offensively, the Tigers showed very little. Jordan Jefferson did appear to be impressive and showed some accuracy. The real story of LSU's offense was Terrence Tolliver's emergence as a legit wide receiver. He was a 5 star recruit coming out of high school and played like it finally. But where was the running game? It was non-existent. Defensively, LSU better hope that it was a time zone difference or first game jitters, because they did not look much better than last year. Their third down defense was atrocious and the pass rush was not there. I think we will see LSU open up a little more against Vanderbilt next week and I'll have a better opinion. Otherwise, I am not impressed.

Mississippi State: I watched most of their game against Jackson State. However, I don't have much to say because the Bulldogs struggled early, but out-talented the Tigers to win. Mullen's new offense and defensive schemes were not on display to their fullest yet. Auburn is next week, so after next week, once again, there will be more of an opinion.

Ole Miss: They dominated Memphis. But it's Memphis. Ole Miss' secondary showed signs of being as porous as last season, and their offensive line isn't nearly as good as last year without Michael Oher. Jevan Snead was just as inconsistent as last year. So after one game, I am comfortable in saying that Ole Miss is basically the same team from last year, with slightly less of an offensive line. They are on their BYE next week, which will be good for them because Greg Hardy banged up his knee against the Tigers.

Florida: What do you say? They played Charleston-Southern. They dominated them. Oh! They didn't cover the spread. Florida plays Troy next week, so look out for more domination. The end.

Georgia: Their defense looked very good. Their offense looked godawful. I never really appreciated what former quarterback Matthew Stafford did for the Bulldogs until I saw the alternative. A kid with a very weak arm who can't move the ball down the field. Their running game was not impressive. Even their offensive line was less than impressive, and their left tackle is out for the year, again. This might be one long season for the Bulldogs unless they figure some things out quickly. Next up for them, South Carolina.

Kentucky: I watched most of this one. Kentucky took it to Miami of Ohio. Miami offered no resistance. I only halfway paid attention to the game, but I don't think I learned enough about the Wildcats to make any meaningful observation, so I am just going to say that their 45-0 victory was impressive, and that I am anxious to see how they do against Louisville in Week 3 since they have their BYE this week.

South Carolina: I watched this game from start to finish. I was terribly underwhelmed with the Gamecocks. They looked hopeless and lost offensively. I don't know what is going on with Steve Spurrier, but this team does not look anything like what you would expect from a Spurrier coached team. Defensively, they better pray they do not have a single injury because they have no depth. I can't wait to see how they perform against Georgia.

Tennessee: Eh, not much to say, once again. They played Western Kentucky, but they looked terrible in the first quarter. I am pretty sure that after all the off-season controversy surrounding head coach Lane Kiffin, he wanted his team to run it up on someone. As a result, we learned nothing about Tennessee other than their ability to run up the score mightily on an inferior football team. Next week we'll see how they do against UCLA, who beat them last season.

Vanderbilt: They beat Western Carolina 45-0. I am saving this opinion for next week after they play LSU.

So that was my first impressions of the SEC as a whole. Everyone played, the conference went 11-1 in all their games, which is awesome. That's all I got for now, I'll write something up more in depth about Alabama later this week to talk about the Va Tech game and that includes some foreshadowing to the Florida-International game.

Ode to Joy: Alabama Football Is Here Again!

2009-08-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

Here we are again. It's 2009, and college football is upon us. As an Alabama fan, the past decade has been rough. 10 years ago, Alabama was the SEC Champion after blowing Florida out in Atlanta. Shortly thereafter, the Crimson Tide suffered a crippling probation following the 2001 season. Head coach Dennis Franchione left the team to escape to Texas A&M, the coach that took his place ran up the school's credit card on a night with strippers and was fired, which left us with Mike Shula as head coach. Back in 2003, I was not sure if things could get much worse. Recruiting came to a standstill. The team's talent level was diminished, and worst of all, the Auburn Tigers ran up a 6 game winning streak on the Tide. Seriously, things could not get much worse.

Then in 2007, unhappy with his job in Miami, Nick Saban came back to the SEC, and took the Alabama job. 2007 was lackluster, the only highlight being the 41-17 domination of Tennessee. But in 2008? Everything finally appeared to be back on track. Alabama finished the regular season 12-0. The highlights of the season were the domination of Georgia, devastating Tennesse, breaking a 5 game losing streak to LSU and most importantly, breaking that obnoxious losing streak to Auburn. Unfortunately, the season ended with a devastating loss in the SEC championship game to Tim Tebow and those other guys on his team. Following that, Alabama was upset by the Utah Utes in the Sugar Bowl amid a perfect storm of terrible circumstances.

There has been some controversey in the off-season, such as Lance Thompson's decision to leave the team for the rival Tennessee Volunteers, Kevin Steele leaving for Clemson and Andre Smith being kicked off the team after allegations of inapropriate contact with an agent (which goes back to those awful circumstances leading to the Sugar Bowl).

However, there is a great deal for Alabama fans to look forward too. This is the first season in a long time where there are no losing streaks to worry about. Recruiting proved successful again after Alabama hauled in another elite recruiting class (#1 on Rivals, #2 on ESPN). Most importantly, Nick Saban inked a contract extension that aims to keep him here through the 2017 season.

More to look forward to is that the majority of the defensive starters are back, notably Terrance Cody, Rolando McClain and Don'ta Hightower. Offensively, Julio Jones is back, along with new QB Greg McElroy who is drawing praise from coaches and projects to be better than John Parker Wilson.

Throughout the week, I am going to make more posts and share more of my views on the upcoming season. I'll post my game by game preseason picks for the Crimson Tide, and give general overviews on how I feel the SEC East and West will finish up. I may even try and tackle some programs nationally like Michigan, USC, Oklahoma and so forth.

ROLL TIDE!

Ron Mexico is BACK!

2009-08-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

So if you have not heard, Michael Vick, the kingpin of illegal dog fighting in the state of Virginia is back in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles. Naturally, people are divided in their opinion of whether or not Michael Vick deserves the privilege of playing in the NFL again. Some people, such as animal rights activists, feel that Vick being allowed back in the NFL is an outrage to animal rights and moral decency. Others seem to be excited to see Vick return, wondering how someone that has been in jail this long can return to the league.

Personally, I think Vick deserves another chance. Vick was tried in a court of law, convicted, served his time and in the process lost millions of dollars in endorsements and contract money. What more does Michael Vick have to do to participate in his career of being a professional football player? Hasn't he paid enough of a price already?

I understand that what Michael Vick did was terrible. Abusing animals for sport is a heinous act that offends human sensibilities. However, Vick has paid infinitely more of a price for his crime than any other NFL player had ever had to face. For example, remember back in 2000 when Ray Lewis and his two friends murdered two guys in Atlanta after a Super Bowl party? Think back to that, and then try to recall the punishment Lewis faced from the legal system or the NFL. Well, let me refresh your memory. Lewis was acquitted of all the charges and very quickly reached undisclosed, out-of-court settlements with the victims' families to avoid further lawsuits. Even better was that Ray Lewis was NFL defensive player of the year, and Super Bowl MVP in the season immediately following the killings. Only in America folks! The only known consequence of Lewis' transgressions were that following the Super Bowl victory, Lewis did not get to say, "I'm going to Disney World!" Instead, quarterback Trent Dilfer was given that honor and the complimentary trip to Orlando. Seven years later, Michael Vick and his friends are responsible for gambling and animal abuse, and he actually goes to jail, loses millions of dollars in endorsements, is out of the league for 2 entire years as a result and to add insult to injury, is still suspended indefinitely when he returns.

I will reiterate that Michael Vick did a bad thing. But when you look at some precedent cases, how on earth is Michael Vick being punished so much more harshly than a known murderer? Not to mention, Donte Stallworth of the Cleveland Browns committed a DUI manslaughter in March. His penalty? less than 30 days in jail and a one year suspension. Once again, another player is paying less of a price after he killed someone.

I am not sure if there is a lesson in any of this other than the fact that the justice system is lopsided and nonsensical at times. Everyone already knew that the justice system is flawed, so this case proved nothing in that regards. Perhaps we can see that the NFL is toughening up on its player conduct policies, because in a span of 7 years the league went from casting a blind eye to cold blooded murderers and rapists (yes, people have written books detailing the criminal nature of many NFL players), to punishing players indefinitely for animal abuse.

Whether the justice system's or the NFL's rulings are fair is not for me to say. Personally, I think that killing people ought to be considered more serious than animal abuse. Call me crazy, but that is how I feel. As a result, I think that Michael Vick has served more than an adequate punishment for his crime, and the time for him to return to society and participate in his career has come. So I am looking forward to see how far he can make it after all he has gone through.

Oh, and Tony Dungy is vouching for Vick, and that carries a lot of weight with me. You cannot ask for a better human being to vouch for someone that former Buccaneers and Colts coach Tony Dungy.

One last note, if you don't understand the title where I refer to "Ron Mexico" then read this lawsuit from back in 2005. Now you will understand the legend of Ron Mexico.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Twitter: The Latest in Getting Way Too Much Info

2009-08-06T15:12:00.000-07:00

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a football team that I have admired for most of my life. I was raised by my parents to be a New Orleans Saints fan, but ended up becoming a fan of both teams over time. That was a nice arrangement until the NFL realigned in 2002, which put the Bucs and Saints in the same division. I do not feel like explaining why I love both teams so much, so I may save that story for a separate blog entry when I feel like traveling down memory lane.

However, over the years I had to find any way I that I could to get news and information on the Bucs. In the 1990's before the internet was in every home, and the Bucs were an absolutely terrible team, there were not many options to get information. There were only two options. You could subscribe to the Buccaneer's fan club magazine (which was printed like a newspaper), or you could keep your fingers crossed that ESPN might bother itself to mention the team on SportsCenter. Towards the turn of the millennium, ESPN's Web site evolved and started covering the team more in depth, and the local Tampa area newspapers began to feature online coverage that fans could access for free. At about the same time, the Buccaneers launched their own official Web site. Finally, with the power of the internet, a fan of the Buccaneers living 8 hours away in Mobile, Ala. could stay up to date on the team.

Since the halcyon days of the early 2000's, the newspaper industry has virtually disappeared, and the Tampa Tribune and St. Pete Times' coverage of the team has waned in recent years. During the same period, ESPN has become such an enormous monster of sports coverage that it began charging people monthly subscription fees for their news coverage of NFL teams (and just about every team from every sport). So how were the disenfranchised fans who do not live nearby supposed to get the most up to date information?

Well the answer was simple. The Buccaneers organization started a Twitter account and began tweeting up to the minute updates. In one fell swoop, the average fan went from having to wait for their chosen news outlet to collect enough news to report, to being able to receive minute-by-minute, play-by-play updates on the team's practices, personnel moves and virtually every other aspect of the franchise. So now, I never have to wonder "Gee, I wonder how Gaines Adams is coming along in this year's camp?" I do not have to wonder because I will get probably 3 or 4 updates from the team, sent right to my computer from practice every day while it is happening. This is truly a new level in fan interactivity with professional sports franchises. The thing that I find most interesting is that if you tweet something at the Buccaneers, whoever is giving updates that day may actually answer your questions or comment back at you. Although I am a little disappointed that I was not recognized for my well thought out suggestions on who should be next in the Buccaneers' Ring Of Honor being unveiled this season at Raymond-James Stadium after the team asked. Oh well, I forgive you.

The only question I have for this sort of outlet for fans is "Does anyone need this much info?" As a fan, I really have no idea why anyone really cares if Jeff Faine is a little "dinged up" today. Much less why myself, or anyone else, would really need to know who is getting their ankles taped up. It seems like an information overload, and I really wonder who really obsesses over the team enough to really spend any amount of time in their day thinking, "Oh no I hope Derrick Ward is okay he sure got a lot of tape on his ankle!" On the other hand, I do appreciate getting commentary and opinion on players that are standing out during practices. For this upcoming season, I really had no reason to care much about the third round pick out of New Mexico from 2008: Quincy Black. According to the Twitter updates from TBBuccaneers, he is pretty awesome and really showing out at camp this year.

Apparently, this guy is really awesome. Who knew? Thanks Twitter!

Overall, I think this is great for NFL franchises. It might be too much information for any normal fan, but it is nice to have this level of interactivity with a professional football organization. Now, if only the Saints would get on the ball and do something similar...

UPDATE: Lebron James footage released

2009-07-23T22:31:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately, this was a huge letdown. Shot from a camera phone and it's not even that exciting. Oh well, but here it is!

Starbucks to test market beer in stores.

2009-07-21T11:14:00.000-07:00

I have been following the movement of Starbucks for almost a year now. It all began with a class project, and I kept it up out of morbid curiosity over the past few months. I wanted to see how the coffee magnate would respond to increased competition in the market to stimulate their flat stock prices. First McDonald's decided to enter the business with its own brand of fancy coffee drinks, then Wendy's with their new breakfast offering to counter Starbucks' breakfast menu, then Dunkin' Donuts has expanded like wildfire lately and is suceeding.

So things have looked dim for Starbucks. Everything they seem to try either backfires, or does not do anything to boost their stangnant stock prices. As a result, they have plans to close more than 600 more locations this year to lower their operating costs.

So their latest and greatest idea? Emulate European coffee shops and serve beer! I really do not know what to make of this. Everything else they have tried has failed to work as they hoped, so why should this be any better? On the one hand, serving beer is probably the one thing Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds will never introduce on account of the fact they try and market to children and families, especially McDonalds. So on the one hand, Starbucks can proceed with very little fear of having a competitor try to copy what they are doing at a lower price. However, Starbucks also wants to offer their beer and wine for $4-$7. As a consumer, I know that $4-$7 is a lot of money to pay for a beer. On the other hand, it is one cheap glass of wine. So are they going to offer really fancy craft beers and lousy wines? I'll be on the lookout to see how they proceed with their latest gambit.

Nevertheless, I just do not think that this measure will work in most markets. The overwhelming majority of beer sales in the United States are domestic light pilsners. Typically, craft beers (which are microbrewed and tend to exceed 6 percent alcohol by volume) are of limited supply and do not tend to sell in great numbers. When faced with the option of a $3 Bud Light, or a $8 Grimbergen Double Weisse, the average American consumer is always going to chose the cheaper and easier to drink variety.

Furthermore, most Starbucks have drive-thru windows and most of the customers are just in and out real quick on the go. If you have to sit and finish your beverage, or cannot purchase the beer through the drive-thru, then most people are going to abstain and wait until they get home, or go to a bar with their friends like most everyone else. Why risk violating an open container law or getting pulled over on a suspected DUI? Even for the people that do actually sit in coffee shops for hours at a time, for example, students studying for class and bloggers, how smart is it to try and study or write decent material while you are intoxicated?

Nothing about this really seems like it was well thought out. Starbucks seems to just want to try to import an obscure aspect of European culture, and try and get American consumers to buy into it. Ultimately, I will go ahead and forecast more stagnation in Starbucks' stock.

Lebron James dunked on? Nike's big coverup!

2009-07-17T11:36:00.001-07:00

So according to the casual observer who does not follow the NBA closely, Lebron James is the greatest thing since sliced bread, air and the iPod put together. Sure, even I agree that he is really great and is light years beyond his age relative to his playing ability. However, there have been reports that Lebron got showed up at his own skills camp. Now isn't that something? The first player to come along draw legitimate comparisons to Michael Jordan got dunked on by some kid from Xavier University? Now that is something I would love to see!

There is just one big problem. Nobody can see that footage. There were two cameras, but Nike immediately seized the footage to avoid a leak. So what does this say about Nike's endorsement of athletes? Were they worried that Jordan Crawford might land his own shoe deal if anyone saw him dunk on Lebron? If that's the case, they should confiscate the footage of the 2009 NBA Eastern Championship series so nobody can see that either. I will not sit here and try to say Lebron is any less of an athlete, but it would be interesting to see in the sports world if a college kid was able to dunk on the biggest name in professional basketball.

I think this is an interesting move by Nike's PR and marketing department. To me, this is a very odd move to make in protecting their athlete's image. I've looked, and this seems to be a first for the shoe giant. Well, at least it is the first time they were exposed in an effort to bury something that makes their athletes seem less than godly. However, if Nike is burying this sort of stuff about Lebron, then what might they be hiding about other athletes? Now I have this National Treasure curiosity that they are hiding things. Could there be footage of some random attorney dominating Tiger Woods on the links? What if a high school athlete took out Serena Williams on the tennis court? Now I sort of wonder if they may have hidden stuff about Michael Jordan. The problem with this can of worms, in my mind, is where it may have began. Therefore, I believe it calls to question Nike's efforts to sponsor certain athletes for the last 25 years.

In the end though, if Lebron did get dunked on by a college player, or if any of my hypothetical situations actually happened, would it make you think any less of those athletes? Honestly, I certainly hope it would not. Lets be realistic, the likelihood of Jordan Crawford dunking on Lebron more than once are pretty slim. In a roundabout way, I think Nike dropped the ball on this one. Because ultimately, their products are marketed under the auspices of making people better athletes. So what does this tell the aspiring athlete? "Just do it, except when it might make our endorsed athletes look bad."

I really think Nike should have seized the opportunity and used it as a feel good story to market about the duality of amateurism and professionalism, and how sometimes dedication, hard work and possibly the right shoes can bridge the talent gap. But they did not, and are going to continue to market totally unrealistic images to the public to buy their shoes. Or is this a sign that Nike might lack confidence in Lebron to overcome this sort of publicity on his own merit? It's something to think about, and definitely should have a negative impact on their marketing of "King James."

Oh here is a dramatic reenactment of the event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smqgBn377OY

Dos Equis' "most interesting man in the world" is a success!

2009-07-16T11:09:00.000-07:00

You may have seen this man... He is the most interesting man in the world! And apparently he is an excellent beer salesman according to an article from Advertising Age . The first time I saw an ad featuring this man was probably 2007, while I was watching HD Net's prime time show Three Sheets, hosted by Zane Lamprey. Smart advertising placement, especially considering the whole premise of the show is showing off various drinking customs around the world. At first, I thought that it was a cool character, but that it was a silly ad. However, according to the latest sales data, Heinekein USA's Mexican offering has seen a boom in sales; 17 percent sales increase since 2007 to be precise. That is simply incredible.

Well my first question was, "who would be the most likely candidates to purchase imported Mexican beer that averages approximately $7.50 per six-pack?" More than likely, it's going to be people that are 21 years of age, or older, with steady jobs and can afford a higher price for beer. Obviously, these same people enjoy good beer and drink it with more or less frequency. I am doing this off the top of my head without any research, because considering I see this man on TV everywhere I turn, and in every magazine I read, I am going to go ahead and assume I am a member of its target audience. For the record, I am a 26 year old graduate student who enjoys good beer (not cheap junk).

Since I established that I am apparently a target for such an advertising campaign, why is this guy so appealing? Well first of all, let me get this out of my system... I was a big fan of the show Dynasty growing up in the 80's. And guess who starred in that show? That's right, the most interesting man in the world, Mr. Jonathan Goldsmith. However, that fact is 100 percent irrelevant, I just thought it was interesting. Anyway, this character combines features of rugged, manly-men that just about any guy aspires to emulate. He seems to be a combination of Sean Connery, Earnest Hemingway and Charlton Heston with a little bit of Hugh Hefner for good measure. So in other words, a bunch of the coolest attributes of men that guys think are awesome make up this character and tailor-made for SpikeTV. Fortunately for me, and Dos Equis, I already loved that brand of beer so I did not require any further convincing. But obviously the Most Interesting Man is inspiring the 21-35 year olds of America and Europe to be bold, daring and individualistic. I must admit, sometimes I even make off-hand references to this character, and most of my friends also have been really impressed with the latest ads. Undoubtedly my non-scientific observations have some basis in fact because the numbers are in, and the ad agency that created this monster have hit a grand slam home run.

Ultimately, I may not always drink Dos Equis, but I sure do ask for it where beer is served more often than I used to. I guess I've been struck by the Most Interesting Man in the World.

My 2 cents on the BCS.

2009-06-22T17:59:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago, the Bowl Championship Series was new and exciting. It promised a postseason bowl game between the number one and two teams every year to give us a true national champion. At the time, this appeared to be a step in the right direction and seemed like a wonderful idea. Fast-forward eleven years to 2009, and the non-stop whining over needing a playoff. What happened to cause this change of opinion? Is the BCS all of a sudden a bad idea?

The answer is no. The BCS has done what it was devised to do, which is to ensure that the top two teams play for the national championship every year. Has everyone forgotten how rare it was for such a game to occur prior to 1998? The top two teams played each other in a bowl game three times in ten seasons from 1988 to 1997. As a result, the national title was split four times. Now, suddenly, the BCS is a bad idea? Correct me if I am wrong, but the top two teams have played one another in each of the eleven seasons the system has been in place, and there has only been one split title. There is no question that there are some flaws in the present system, but it delivers the results that it promised over a decade ago.

In spite of the fact that the BCS has made progress, you cannot pick up a newspaper, magazine, watch SportsCenter or listen to politicians these days without having the idea of playoffs shoved down your throat. Somehow, we are supposed to embrace the idea of a playoff without a single proposal of how it could work. Comparatively, if I am going to put a better engine in my Mustang, my mechanic better tell me how it is going to fit. Due to the way the idea has been presented, playoffs have come across as wanting something new, simply for the sake of wanting something new.

Kyle Whittingham, the head coach of the Utah Utes, was outspoken about the unfairness of the BCS after defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2009 Sugar Bowl. How is the system not fair? Are you telling me your team should be rewarded for playing in a weak conference and playing relatively weak out-of-conference opponents? Prior to the game against Alabama, what did Utah really do? Don’t get me wrong; the Utes were undefeated in the regular season, which is hard to do regardless of your conference. They beat Alabama senseless, and shocked the almighty SEC, which was impressive. But no matter how you slice it, the Mountain West is not a very good conference. Brigham Young, Texas Christian and Air Force are the only other headliners in the conference. TCU won the only other bowl for the Mountain West in 2008. Utah’s out-of-conference schedule was equally lackluster, with their best victories coming against the Oregon State Beavers and Michigan Wolverines. Therefore, the best argument Utah could muster to make their case for a national title was defeating the second best team in the horrible Pac 10 conference, and a team that had its worst season in 130 years of football, respectively. Sorry, but beating two mediocre out-of-conference teams, in mediocre conferences, is not a convincing argument.

So far, the only team with a legitimate gripe against the BCS would be the Auburn Tigers after the 2004 season; they went undefeated in the SEC but were left out of the national title in favor of Southern Cal and Oklahoma. To compare schedules between the three teams that season would require too much nit picking. However, in the aftermath of the bowl season, Tommy Tuberville proposed the only reasonable way to reform the system we have right now without making any major changes. Honestly, I can get behind a reform of the current system much easier than a complete departure from the system. At least a basic reform plan has been proposed, which helps. Tuberville proposed a “Plus One” game and the elimination of preseason polling. That makes perfect sense to me. The Plus-One game allows for the preservation of the bowl system and gives everyone their playoff. The regular season might earn more significance since the top teams would vie for a Top 4 placement. Naturally, people will complain about the lowly number five team, but has the number five team ever been a factor in the national title argument? Good luck finding an example of that ever happening.

The elimination of preseason polls just needs to happen. It does not make sense that teams can be ranked officially before they have played a single game. Back to the case of Auburn in 2004, they began the season at seventeenth, while Oklahoma and USC were both in the Top 5. This created a barrier that Auburn could not hurdle, even though they were dominant in the regular season. The elimination of preseason rankings would allow for the possibility of a truer representation of the best teams by the end of the season. Let the teams play for five or six weeks, and release a poll that is based on actual games played, instead of preseason hype.

The BCS is a step in the right direction. The top two teams have played for the title every season it has existed. There are flaws in the system, but there are some very simple fixes that would placate everyone. So is there any reason to abandon the BCS completely and jump on the playoff bandwagon? The answer is no. There needs to be a serious attempt to optimize the system that is in place before trying to introduce a radical departure from tradition. Keep the BCS, and preserve the tradition of bowl games that help make college football so great.