Gooses Mega Super Bowl Post

Well it mid week and to get everyone over the hump in a slow blog week its time for the annual Super Bowl Post

Lets 1st start by setting the stage.




Miami. We should start off a good betting week by asking for an over/under for Eugene Robinson/Prostitute references. Im putting the number at 5. There is an ongoing push in the media to start a three city rotation of super bowls, thus eliminating the AZ/Det/Hou Super Bowls. Thus sticking with Miami, New Orleans and San Diego. I like the idea. I bet thousands of Hawk Fans agree after spending last February in Detroit Rock city.
Maxim and Playboy are both hosting parties. Rumor has it the Playboy Party will have the guiness book record for Worlds Largest Pillow Fight. No Im not kidding. Tickets are going for more than tickets to the Game. Train has made 300 bids on eBay for tickets, and even asked MCP if he could borrow a few bucks…like 7 grand. (Side note. If MCP had 7 grand, what is the over/under number of days before he is beaten up for his money.)

This week and last, NFL Network has been replaying super bowls complete with the original broadcast. I was watching the Pitt/Dallas game from 1978. I read Hollywood Hendersons book “Out of control” where he admitted to doing coke in the middle of that game. What amazed me is how well he played in that game. Big tackles on defense and special teams. Had the cowboys won he may have been the MVP. He did this all while Coked up. Sad….


The Hall of Fame will be revealing its list of inductees this week. The finalists are Paul Tagliabue, Thurman Thomas, Michael Irvin, and Bruce Matthews Cleveland Browns guard Gene Hickerson and Detroit Lions tight end Charlie Sanders. Defensive ends Fred Dean and Richard Dent; guards Russ Grimm and Bob Kuechenberg; punter Ray Guy; wide receivers Art Monk and Andre Reed; linebackers Derrick Thomas and Andre Tippett; cornerback Roger Wehrli; and tackle Gary Zimmerman.
My votes are for Ray Guy, Tags, Derrick Thomas, and Bruce Matthews and Charlie Sanders for the senior committee. Also my boycott of ever returning to Canton will continue until Art Monk is enshrined.





So that brings us to the game itself.


Lets start with who Goose is rooting for and who I think will win.
I always seem to root for the team that has they longtime player who has never made it. John Elway, Reggie White etc. This year really lacks that player on either roster. So my next level of rooting (Being a defensive minded coach) is to root for the defensive team. However. I hate Rex. Seriously hate Rex. While I love the Bears defense Im having a hard time rooting for the Bears.
So for the 1st time I am really only rooting for a good game and don’t really care who wins.

Now my prediction



Indy 31 Chicago 21
MVP Peyton Manning
Real MVP Joseph Addai
Gooses Take on the Game
My prediction is Indy will win. They have to do a few things
1) Put 8 in the Box and force Rex to Beat you. I know this sounds easy but you have to control Chicago’s run game. Neither Seattle or ‘Nawlens did this and it opened up Rex on some play action passes.
2) Control Turnovers. Chicago gets a lot of TD’s off Short fields. Punt when needed and make Rex drive the Length of the field
3) Send Clark Deep in the 1st quarter. Chicago likes to have the LB’s drop deep into the zone. This will open up the run game and I think Addai could have a big day. Look for P-E-Yton to also use more Play action Passes. Indy has played a good defense in Baltimore. They are prepared.
4) Weather in Miami favors Indy. No home field advantage. No snow at soldier field. The Bears are who we thought they were.



For the Bears to win.
1) Its pretty easy. The Bears need to control the lines of scrimmage. Run the ball and get good pressure with their front 4 on Manning
2) Use the play action pass to Berrian. He will play a big part on Sunday (See Prop Bets)
3) Force turnovers. Give Rex a short field and momentum. Get up 14-17 points and attack the colts pass game



Now for my favorite part.


Prop Bets.

Post your answers and predictions in the comments
I went back to last years prop bets and found some interesting things
Joe predicted that Hines Ward would score the last TD
Goose, Seatown Dude and Jimbo Predicted that Randle-El would throw a pass
Train nailed #37’s rushing yards


Final Score
End of 1st Quarter Score
Halftime Score
End of 3rd Quarter Score

Super Bowl MVP
Who Goes to Disneyland?

What Team will Score 1st?
What Team will Score last?
Player to score the 1st touchdown?
Player to score the 1st points?
Will the team that scores first win?
What Team will get the 1st 1st Down
Will the 1st 1st down be a pass, run or penalty?
What Team will draw the 1st penalty
What will the Penalty be?
Which Team will have the 1st turnover?
Total turnovers by Indy? Chi?
Which player will get that 1st turnover (INT ot Fumble Recovery)
Who wins the coin Toss?
Which team gets in the red Zone 1st?
What team record the 1st Sack
What player/players will get that sack
Total sacks for the game by Indy? Chi?
Total Rushing yards Chicago
Total Passing Yards Indy
Total Yds for Indy
Total Yds for Chi
Will there be a safety?
Will there be a successful two-point conversion?
What player will get that 2point Conversion?
Will Indy convert a fourth-down attempt?

Predict the Total Yards by
Cedric Benson Rushing Yds
Bernard Berrian Receiving Yds
Rex Grossman Passing Yds

Peyton Manning Passing
Marvin Harrison Receiving Yds
Reggie Wayne Receiving Yds
Joseph Addai Rushing Yds
Dallas Clark Receiving Yds

Which player catches more passes?
Berrian/Wayne
Muhammed/Harrison
Addai/Desmond Clark


Will either team score a defensive TD?
What player will score that TD?

What player completes the 1st pass?
What player gets the 1st rushing attempt?
What player Catches the 1st pass?

Number of references in game to 85 Bears Over/Under 5
Number of Shots of Jim Obrien kicking a FG to Beat the cowboys on 1971, the Colts last title Over Under 2

MISC Props

Commercials
What company will have the Best commercial?
How many comercials will it take to get to a commercial that makes the group laugh their ass off?
What company will have the commercial that makes someone say "I cant believe they paid 3 million for that"

The Party
“Dude get off the Dewback” comments +/- 2
Will there be a moment of nudity that prompts Train to say "This is the best super bowl EVER!!!"?
How many times will something be said that causes a comment of "That will be in the blog on Monday
MCP and Train Playing with RJ & Andrew Star Wars Figures Over/Under 2:30pm



Camera Shots
1st Celebrity sighting after the kickoff
Over/under Manning Family Shots +/- 4
# of Shots of "South Beach” +/- 5
# of time Will Smith “Miami” is played
Will Rex Grossman thank his Lord and Savior Steve Spurrier ala Kurt Warner?


Wild Cards
Add 5 Predictions that are not in this list
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

To end my Super bowl post, you cannot talk about the city of Chicago, Football, or the Super bowl without paying tribute to Gooses hero, favorite football player in history, and the man with the biggest heart the NFL has ever seen.

#34. Sweetness. Walter Payton. Never Die Easy

Blast From The Past

Was talking to an old friend from EarthLink, Kelly Heitt, and she past along this video (also embedded below) from our old hood. I'm not sure I really wanted to see some of those people again. But it was pretty funny to see 2 guys that I fired in the video. Ahh... those were the days. None of us are in it. I'm pretty sure almost everyone in the video would've loved this song.

A Special Train-O-Death Segment: Barbaro 2003-2007

The world lost another champion this morning as Racing Stud Barbaro was euthanized following complications from surgery to fix his ailing foot from the Preakness last summer.

I'll admit that I don't quite understand the appeal of Horse Racing other than the gambling, but Americans have apparently taken this issue hard so I figured I could spend a Monday morning typing up a little memorial. Don't worry America, you'll find another animal to put your hopes and dreams behind.

Unfortunatley my eulogy skills are no where near Train level so I'm just going to leave it be. If your interested in more information, tune into Outside the Lines with Bob Ley today at Noon and tonight sometime after Sportcenter, NFL Live and NBA whatever they call it.

Touché

So I'm reading this past week's ESPN The Magazine on the bus to work, and opposite the SG's article on Pistol Pete is an ad for Pro vs. Joes 2. Now, normally I'd think to myself, "wow, another stupid Spike TV Show"... but who do I see in the Pros lineup: Michael Irvin, Jose "Juiced" Canseco, Darryl Strawberry, Wade Boggs, Roy Jones Jr, Eric Dickerson and many more. In the ad, Irvin is front and center.


I mean, does Mike realize he's a borderline HOF candidate... or did he see that there were 5 people with ego's almost as big as his and decide that his ego could out-talk them all. Amazing. The amount of crazy in that lineup makes the Cincinnati Bengals look like alter-boys. Are all the former Cowboys having a collective mid-life crisis or what? At least former Redskins don't go on TV and make asses of themselves. Oh, wait... nevermind.

Then we learn that the Mariners are interested in signing Jeff Weaver. What? I mean, signing a left-hander in Rhodes is understandable, since you can't have too many lefties in a bullpen. Umm... are they going to let Weaver take the 5th spot in the "rotation" over Cha Seung Baek, the Korean kid who went 4-1 with a 3.67 ERA in six starts down the stretch? Crazy talk. Opponents batted .208 off Baek. While batters averaged .297 off of Weaver. This would not be a good signing. Bavasi, just when we thought you couldn't go lower. Well, you show us it can be done. Touché.

Rage is Back!!!

Remember when Rage Against the Machine was one of the great rock bands around? I still think some of their music is still great!

Well I just got an email from The End about the Coachella Festival. One of the headliners is Rage Against the Machine. Zach De la Rocha is coming out of hiding to join the band again!

If I could swing a trip down there, I'm sure it will be an unforgettable performance.

You are awesome

Apparently someone out there has a wookie crush on our boy Chewbacca. Even going so far as to write poems about the big guy. There might be a 50/50 chance that Train has written similar poems about Jawas... but I'll let him come clean on any languishing literary longings.

Dude, get off the Dewback!

Before I head out of the office (because of a 7AM PST meeting the past 2 days thanks to some Amazon employees in Luxembourg), I just wanted to post this pic and thank the A-Team for assembling on Sunday night. Kudos to Jimbo for starting the Lodge & I'm looking forward to SuperBowl Sunday at the Nest. Always worth the trip down to the 253.

Cafe Sexay

Steamed Milk? Sexpresso anyone? So there are hot girls at barista stands we know. Yet, little do few know besides truckers and some locals that there are lingerie clad barista stands!?! Some of you may have reason to circumvent your normal commute and go to a few choice locations for your morning coffee. The Times actually covered this topic well.

Cowgirls Espresso

Bikini Espresso (link unavail)

Best Friend Espresso

Saran Wrap Saturdays? We can only hope that the suggestion box gets more of these creative theme days.

All-Star Midweek?

This Tuesday (1/23) and Wednesday (1/24) is the mid-season break for the National Hockey League. This year's festivities take place in Dallas at the American Airlines Arena. Both teams vary in age and nationality.

The East Squad consists of ten Olympians and and five different countries, with Canada leading the way with 13 participants. There are 10 first time all-stars and the group is highlighted by Brodeur's 9th All-Star selection and Shannahan's 8th selection.

The West Squad features 15 Olympians and six different countries are represented with 14 players being from Canada. There is also 10 first time all-stars and this group's elder statesmen are Sakic with 12 All-Star appearances, Selanne with 10 and Lidstrom with 9 appearances.

In addition to the All Star Game, on Tuesday they have a skills competition and young stars game.





6:30 - 9:00 p.m. NHL YoungStars Game, presented by Upper DeckDodge Nitro/NHL SuperSkills American Airlines Center. The League's brightest young players will take center stage at the NHL YoungStars Game, presented by Upper Deck. The NHL All-Stars show off their skating, puck-handling and shooting skills in the Dodge Nitro/NHL SuperSkills (Thanks NHL.com).

The young stars game features some of the up and coming players in the league. Especially Evgini Malkin, who is one of the leaders on a young Pittsburgh Penguins team.

The East has 4 rookies, one Olympian (Messaros), and six countries represented. Canada leading the charge with 5 players. The West has 5 rookies, one Olympian (Budaj), and eight countries with representation, with Canada having 3 players on the team. Both teams have about the average age of 21.5.



I know a lot of you Lodge members are not a fan of hockey but this would be a great chance for you to see the stars of the league over a two night period. The festivities will be seen on both Versus and CBC. Check their sites for times and schedules.

For a complete run down of the All Star events click here!


Also to see the stars in the game click on roster to see who is playing on the West/East teams.

One last thing! I wanted to send a shout out to Luc Robitaille who got his number retired by the Kings before the All-Star break! A great career.

Friday Recap

I wanted to tie up some loose ends before I lounge around my house watching “Becker” re-runs for the rest of the day.

1-Sunday, the Lodge is holding an informal gathering for both Conference Championships + one mammoth EPL battle discussed earlier in the week in a post involving hot Brasilian women and butt-chins. The event will begin at noon with a delayed showing of Manchester United on the road to Arsenal and followed by a delayed showing of the NFC Championship where we will only be subjected to a 1000 “Our Country” commercials instead of Chevy’s mandatory 10,000 for any Fox covered sporting event. All are welcome, even Dutch Futbol supporters, hmmm, speaking of which:

2-News out of UEFA today that Dutch semi-power Feyenoord FC has been kicked out of the Champions League’s little step-brother: The UEFA Cup after crowd disturbances from their 3-0 November 30th loss at French Club, Nancy. Yes, that’s right Feyenoord supporters; you lost to a club that shares the first name with a former First Lady. I would smash a window or two if that happened to my club. Here’s to the Feyenoord supporters continuing to give a black eye to Futbol on the continent and terrorizing the good people of France.(I know 2.0 has used the photo on previous occasions, but I figured this is a good example of the Feyenoord Fan Base)

3-From France to Florida and the good people at NASCAR who apparently find really good karaoke singers to be a good marketing tool and I can’t say I blame them. In a competition and league that can be loosely defined as a “sport”, doesn’t it make sense to have a singer that can loosely be defined as an “artist”? Seems like a match made in the middle lawn on top of an RV to me.

Not to go on a NASCAR rant, but when my two favorite NASCAR moments involve Cole Trickle facing his demons and returning to Daytona a year after an almost fatal crash and Ricky Bobby running almost naked on a race track…well, I guess that means you have more memories for me than the NHL.

4-Cigarrettes are still addicting, (although now they burn longer and have more nicotine!

5-Finally, in a minor UK Futbol related story, on loan to Portsmouth from Chelsea footballer: Glenn Johnson apparently needs a new contract to pay for lids to the head.

I really just want to use this story to post the following comment from an employee at the B&Q:

“We all recognised Johnson. No one could quite believe a bloke like him, with all that money, would be moronic enough to nick a toilet seat. They were spotted by one of our security guards, a chap of 74, and cops arrived as they were trying to leave.”

In the immortal words of a Great American Poet: "It's funny because it's true"

Consigliere

The big guy has really been finding himself lately. Here Chewbacca is recently seen recording his new album, set to release sometime this summer on the Jay-Z led legendary hip-hop Def Jam music label. As Def Jam's new president and CEO, Jay-Z has signed some of hip-hops biggest acts, from The Roots to Nas. "That I'm the president of the company may take some getting used to for some artists," Jigga said. "But I don't want to say I'm their boss. I'd rather say I'm their consigliere." Nice. Chewy's consigliere.


This a little over a month after LL Cool J announced he wouldn't renew his contract with Def Jam if Jay-Z is still in charge. "How am I gonna re-sign with competition? I'm not an idiot. I can't depend on that man to promote my record while he's somewhere writing rhymes. I'm L.L. Cool J." Wait... LL Cool J still makes records? I thought he was just chillin.

Urban Ninjas Beware

You know you wanted it. You know you need it.

You ask and you shall receive on Jan 30th, 2007

A fusion of Gymnastics and Ka-rate + mullets and a kicking 80's sound track gives you..

GYMKATA

Bleak Past, Dark Future

This season has produced great films that show us the darkness and hopes of humanity, from Letters From Iwo Jima to the wonderfully sad Children of Men. But unfortunately a lesser known production has yet to garner the attention or the respect of the aformentioned films.

Laser Cats 2


(sorry I have not been participating on the blog lately. new position at work requires more cubicle intensity and less blogging.)

And the off season begins.....

Here is the list of Seattles restricted and Unresricted Free Agens for this year, and my own opinion on what to do with them.

Unrestricted free agents

TE Jerramy Stevens; Should be resigned. There are few TE's on the free agent market that have his talent or potential, even with the drops.
S Ken Hamlin; Cut
WR Bobby Engram; (See DJ Hackett)
K Josh Brown; Franchise him. It will only cost you 2.5 mill a year, and he is worth it
OG Chris Gray; Needs to be top prioity. he will resign or retire. He has a year or 2 left of good play. Could get a hometown discount
KR-RB Josh Scobey; He should be resigned. Valuable special teamer. However Keep Nate on KO and Punt
FB Josh Parry; Cut
TE-FB Will Heller; Keep. He has 2 years in holmgrens system and provides solid depth
DE Joe Tafoya; Keep. Solid special teamer
OG Floyd Womack; I like chop. however he hasnt played a full season EVER. Check the Market before resigning
LB D.D. Lewis; Solid backup, however will he stay healty. He could be cut
CB Jimmy Williams; Cut. Sign a Veteren CB. They are always out there.
CB Pete Hunter; Keep. He's a bargain and imagine how well he would play if he had a camp to learn what to do
LS J.P. Darche; Keep. You cant have too many valuable special teamers
LS Derek Rackley; Cut
DE Kemp Rasmussen; Cut
LB Lance Laury.Cut

Restricted free agents

WR D.J. Hackett; If you can keep both hackett and Engram then sign both. If you can only keep one, I'd resign DJ. He has impoved every year
DB Jordan Babineaux; Depends on what he is offered on the market, since he is restricted you have the right to match any offer
RT Sean Locklear; Keep. Solid RT. He may be valued on the market. See what he is offered
DT Craig Terrill; Keep. Good depth on the Dline especially with tubbs injury
LB Niko Koutouvides; I saw him miss 3 blocks on Punt team. I think his days are numbers. He provides no Depth, and litte help on the special teams...cut
S Oliver Celestin. Cut

Might this be the Egde the Pawtuckets need?

Jumping around the WWW this morning looking for something to put up to get this holy day of Hump Day going and came across this little piece of eye-candy. Yes, this is Brasilian Super Model Gisele Bundchen and recent arm-candy to one Thomas Brady III, butt chin and all (that is pure un-adulterated jealousy).

I've been having a hard time breaking down the Ponies/Pawtucket Pat matchup for Sunday, but I think I might have found the edge here unless the Peyton (P-E-Y)Manning Face busts out Alba or something (I know, I know, but I had to leave the door open to change my mind).

However, this might turn against the butted one, because as we all know (or may not know) she was a long-time accessory to one Leo D., who made a Lodge (although not Poohbah favorite) classic, The Departed, following a much reported (if you read US) breakup.

Another factor that needs to be presented is the: Futbol vs. Football situation. As we are all aware of Football is not the national sport of Brasil, could her predisposed affection for the Beautiful Game wreak havoc on the karmatic energy of the Greater New England Area?

So I ask the Lodge: is the Brasilian a + or - for the Pawtucket Pats and the Butted One? and predictions for a big Sunday, including a huge matchup at Emirates Stadium with the Gunners of Arsenal facing the Devils of Manchester, which Bundchen will no doubtingly be watching.

Cheers!

The Mother of all Super bowl Parties Part VII

Yes its that time of year. If you cant attend either the Maxim or Playboy Super Bowl Party, then you must attend Gooses annual Super Bowl Bash.

The Nest is open to all Lodge members and as always there will be good food and good times. Let me know if you will be attending and if your spouse will be attending with you. RSVP here in the Lodge. I dont do E-vites.

The wound is fresh...now for my L.M.V.P

I know everyone is still licking their wound from the Hawks 27-24 loss to the Bears. I spend Sunday afternoon yelling at my TV. Yelling at my Least Most Valuable Player


Was it at D-Jack for dropping 2 passes?
Was it to Jeremy Stevens for being MIA in the passing game (However making two HUGE Trap Blocks on Alexander TD runs)
Was it at Pete Hunter?
Matty H?



No...I yelled the whole damn day at Ken Hamlin. Then I realized that I yelled at Ken Hamlin all season long. Since the Minnesota game when his poor angle tackle cut loose Chester Taylor for a 95yd run.

The chicago game was icing on the Cake. I was yelling at Hamlin all day

Chicagos Fist TD run. Hamlin Came into the middle of the field with a horrable angle and flailed at air.

The Berrian 68yd TD pass. Hamlin had deep middle responsibilty. He was so far out of position that Babs came over from the other corner position and had a better play on the ball.

4th quarter. Hamlin makes two sideline tackles against Jones and Benson by sticking his shoulder down. No Wrap up. No actual attempts at a tackle. Classic "Hammer" trying to get on Sportcenter.

Overtime. Hamlin again has deep middle on the Rasheed Davis 30yd catch. The corners depend of Safety help. Hamlin is faked by a Rex Grossman Look-off. There was no tight end and 2WR's to the Strong Side. He was WAY out of position.




I hear he is a big voice in the Locker room. Well I have news for your Hammer. Leaders in the Locker roon need to translate words to plays on the field. Take some tips from the Bears Safeties, who made tackle after tackle in the run game, and did not give up but one long pass play. Mike Green is coming back, and I hope he unseats Hamlin next year. Im a little weary of a Saftey who cant tackle, who is out of position, and yet is the 1st one to talk trash on the defense

Note to John Marshall. Goose has a lot of respect for you and your defense. However. If you would like some help teaching your DB's Angle Tackling and Wrap up, you can find me in the Black Lodge.


Honerable Mention LMVP
Jordan Babineaux, D-Jack,

Ending on a good note. Julian Peterson cemented his value to this team and Gooses purchace of a JP #59 Jersey during the offseason. Well played game and a great 2006 playoff

This one is through the five hole!

Like all sports, defense wins championships. So I'm going to break down the top 5 best goal keepers and the five worse goal keepers in the league.

First the worst...

5. Martin Gerber - OTT G: 19 7-9-1 GAA: 3.15 SV% .895
4. Alexander Auld - FLA G: 25 7-12-5 GAA: 3.25 SV% .83
3. Tim Thomas - BOS G: 34 18-11-3 GAA: 3.28 SV% .90
2. Antero Nittymaki - PHI G: 34 6-22-4 GAA: 3.39 SV% .89
1. Dan Cloutier - LAK G: 24 6-14-2 GAA: 3.98 SV% .86

From Auld to Cloutier, these goalies are part of last place teams in their respective division. Only Martin Gerber is part of a winning team. However, from his record it isn't because of him. Whenever Gerber isn't between the pipes, the Sens are 18-10-2. I don't see Gerber getting the starting job anytime soon. The Bruin's Thomas is the only one with a winning record among this group. Boston is 2-6-1 when Thomas isn't playing.

Now for the best keepers!

5. Vesa Toskala - SJS G: 25 18-6-0 GAA: 2.32 SV% .912
4. Mikka Kiprusoff - CGY G: 38 21-14-3 GAA: 2.32 SV% .921
3. Jean Giguere - ANA G: 34 23-4-5 GAA: 2.17 SV% .924
2. Martin Brodeur - NJD G: 41 25-13-3 GAA: 2.09 SV% .926
1. Dominik Hasek - DET G: 34 23-7-3 GAA: 2.03 SV% .911

Four of the five on this list (Toskala) have their team in first place. It may not be just the goalies but their defensive line should also get some credit.

I also wanted to give a shout out to two great hockey players that have had their jersey's retired. Brett Hull - STL, got his jersey retired earlier this year from the Blues. In 2000, Hull got his name on the Cup with Dallas and will be one of the most respected Blues. Hull had a 19 year career. He was the 117th pick (6th Round) in the 1984 draft. Brett played for the Flames, Blues, Red Wings and Coyotes. Also in January, Steve Yzerman got his number retired by Detroit, AKA Hockeytown. Yzerman was the 4th overall pick in 1983 and won several Stanley Cups as he played his whole career with the Red Wings. Stevie Y played 23 seasons and is one of 6 Red Wings to have his jersey retired. So I salute you both. Both of your names will be forever admired on Lord Stanley's Cup. Congrats and good luck on your future endeavors.

Hockey Scores from Friday:

NJD: 2 ATL: 1 - Devils score 2 to comeback and beat the Thrashers.
CLB: 0 NSV: 2
MIN: 4 EDM: 2 - Wild get a big division win in the Great White North.

Four Games on Saturday and Two on Monday:

Sat:

CBC: 11am - Montreal at Ottawa
4pm - Vancouver at Toronto
7pm - Edmonton at Calgary
NBC: 11am - LA at StL

Monday on Versus
4pm - Montreal at Detroit
7pm - Colorado at San Jose

Enjoy the Hockey!

The A. Is For What Now?

While searching the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for see if Earl Boykins was going to play tonight after being traded to the Bucks by the Nuggets (so Denver could avoid the luxury tax at the end of the season, in case you were wondering since no one follows the NBA anymore), I found a quick blurb that Stephen A. Smith's show "Quite Frankly" was cancelled by ESPN.

Say what you want about Stephen A., and if you don't, Stephen A. himself surely will... but the guy, although extremely loud and half of the time yelling for no reason (to the point where when I'm watching his segments, Jenny will walk through the room and question why he is yelling about a sport topic), does know his stuff. Smith especially knows the NBA, which I personally appreciate. Stephen A. has worked as a sports reporter in Philly for years and probably started yelling just to literally get heard in the volatile city, rather than a gimmick.

But I'd like to give an appropriate "shout out" to Stephen A. for consistently scheduling black guests and co-hosts and championing black culture in general. There are few black anchors in a lot of media arenas, easily seen by the startlingly few black head coaches in professional sports, and Smith had his own show and represented. The aforementioned blurb stated Stephen A. Smith will remain at ESPN and is to be featured regularly on ESPN's many outlets. Oh, and nice timing ESPN... only three days before January 15, 2007, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Classy.

Who Wants A Pickle?

It's Lynch...so it's gotta go on the Lodge.

You smell like Aftershave and Taco Meat

So the Trailer for the new Will Ferrell flick just got released on the internet this morning.

Check it out Here.

The flicks called "Blades of Glory" and stars Ferrell, Jon Heder & Craig T Nelson. When I first heard about this flick I actually thought it sounded kinda stupid. But I just about busted a gut watching this trailer, so it may be worth checking out.

Chewy the Commentator?

Looks like Chewbacca seem to be giving it a try as a soccer announcer. Here, Chewy is seen breaking down a match with Dutch legend Johan Cruijff. Good to see the big guy taking the the new year by the horns. One thing is for sure... Chewbacca would probably be better than Marcelo Balboa during the World Cup.

LA to Bend it like Beckham

David Beckham has or maybe it was Posh that decided that it was time for a change of scenary.

The LA Galaxy have ponyed up 250$ Million to the former England captain. Beckham and Real Madrid have parted ways which left the door open for a MLS team to swoop in and pickup there first major star in a struggling leauge.

Might this be the first of many aging stars to hit the US? Might this be NASL redux?

iLove the iPhone

The coolest device to be released so far this decade was announced by Steve Jobs at Macworld 2007. Below is a transcript of the keynote address as well as interviews and product demo. It's just... heavenly. Apple is going to get everybody using iSomething.

9:42am - "Well today, we're introducing THREE revolutionary new products. The first one is a widescreen ipod with touch controls" The crowd goes wild. "The second is a revolutionary new mobile phone."

9:43am - "And the third is a breakthrough internet communications device." Tepid response on that last one, but he almost got a standing ovation on the phone. '

"An iPod, a phone, an internet mobile communicator. An iPod, a phone, an internet mobile communicator.... these are NOT three separate devices!"

"And we are calling it iPhone!"

9:48am - "So let's not use a stylus, we're going to use the best pointing device in the world -- our fingers. We have invented a new technology called multi-touch. It works like magic, you don't need a stylus, far more accurate than any interface ever shipped, it ignores touches, mutli-finger gestures, and BOY have we patented it!

10:42am - Accessories: stereo headphones with a tiny dongle, mic and a switch. Push it together to answer or hang up on a call.

Bluetooth accessory: headset, black and thin "incredibly small" one button on the top, automatically pairs, "It's really simple."

"It's the coolest one we've ever seen."

Battery life: "A lot of these phones have low battery life. We've managed to get 5 hours of battery of talk time, video, and browsing. 16 hours of audio playback."

10:47am -

So how much more than $499 should we price it? We thought long and hard about it... it does so much stuff..." He's stalling for the drama. Enough Steve!

"What should we price it at? For a 4GB model we're pricing it at $499 -- no premium whatsoever.

"We're going to have an 8GB model for just $599."

This is going to be released through Cingular only at this time. They are right on the ball with Apple on this release. I can see myself holding it soon...

Thanks to the engadget site for the transcript content. More details on functionality can be found there or in the embed videos above.

Where does evil come from?

I have to admit. I have loved the Hannibal Lecter Saga. I have read all the books. Seen all the movies. I was skeptical when they anounced that they would be making a Prequel (Hannibal rising) to the Prequel (Red Dragon). I liked some movies more than others. I have debated the merits of Manhunter vs Red Dragon. I hated the end of Hannibal (the book) and have read Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon 4 or 5 times. For some reason I find myself enthralled with the saga so for Xmas I took on reading Hannibal Rising



I just finished the new Thomas Harris Novel and I have to say I am pretty stoked for the Febuary release. The book was dark and ominious. I was facinated with how a brilliant man becomes a monster. Im not sure how well the movie will translate. The books was obviously written for a Screenplay but you never know how it will turn out. Im anxious to see this on the big screen.

Here is the trailer. The movie will be out just in time for Valentines Day. A great movie to see with your loved one. Maybe a Bite to eat afterwards?

Geek News You Can Use

Do You Think There’s A Hellmouth in Scranton?

Word has come down that two back to back episodes of the Office will have special guest directors.

The first episode will be directed by J.J. Abram’s (Lost, Alias, Mission Impossible 3). Following that will be an episode directed by Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly).

No word yet on the plots of these episodes, but it does look like they are set to air in the spring.

I know I’ll probably take crap for even posting this, but I think it’ll be really interesting to see such different directors tackle this type of material.

Y: The “Lost” Man

The TV show “Lost” is continuing it’s tradition of keeping comic book writers on staff, by hiring writer Brian K Vaughan onto the show.

Vaughan is most well known for his Award winning series “Y: The Last Man”, “Ex Machina” and “Runaways” as well as the critically acclaimed graphic novel “The Pride of Baghdad”.

Previous comic book writers, include:

Season 1: Paul Dini, who is currently writing Detective Comics (Batman) and was also the show runner for the “Batman Animated Series” and is the man who created the character “Harley Quinn”.

Season 2: Jeff Loeb, who’s more famous Comic Credits include: Batman: The Long Halloween (One of the books that influenced “Batman Begins”, Daredevil: Yellow, and Superman: For All Seasons (Inspiration for the show “Smallville”). Currently Loeb is a writer/producer for the show “Heroes” and is currently writing the next installment of “The Ultimates”.

I’m really excited to see what Brian K Vaughan is going to bring to the table in the world of “Lost”. I know that most of you don’t really read comics, but I’ve exposed Train to a lot of this guys work, and he can attest that this guy is one of the best writers out there. If you’re at all interested in checking out his work, I recommend you start with “Y: The Last Man” or “Ex Machina”. Neither is really in the superhero vein, and they are great stories.

Best Commercial Ever!!!!

You probably saw this if you watched either of the playoff games on Sunday, but I had to post it:

Click here for Bruce Campbell’s “Old Spice” ad!

This pretty much sums up why Bruce Campbell’s the man.

Sci Fi-ah-ah! Savior of the Universe!

After the success of “Battlestar Galactica”, the Sci-Fi network is looking at reviving another Sci-Fi series: Flash f’n Gordon! The network hasn’t even hired a show runner yet, so we don’t know anything else...

Still, if it’s half as good as Galactica, then it may be half decent.

The Comedians of Comic Books

Brian Posehn, of "Mr. Show" and "Comedians of Comedy" fame, has just been added to the list of guests at this years "Emerald City Comic-Con", which runs March 31-April 1. He's there promoting his comic "Last Christmas" as well as his newest comedy album "Nerd Rage" (The artist of the albums cover art, comic artist Michael Oeming will also be there).

Hiro vs. T-Rex pt. 1: Get that mother@#$%in' sword!

I don't know if anyone else in the Lodge watches "Heroes". If you're not than you should. Anyway...if you are, I came across this pic from a future episode...pretty sweet stuff.