I really hate reality shows.  Most are pretty very lame, with constant back biting, lying, and non-existant-but-dammit-we're-gonna-tell-you-anyhow storylines.  Considering a show like Stupidvivor, they take over 100 hours of footage of multiple contestants, and edit down to a 46-minute story.  That is NOT reality.  That is a serial protrayed by underpaid, non-union actors.

But I digress.

When pre-My-Sugar-Na and I were dating (Side note, I guess that would have made her Nobody's-Sugar-Na), she insisted that I watch The Amazing Race 4.  What I really liked about it was that nobody voted anybody off, and although the producers continue to edit-in various nasty comments about one racer to another, or focus on an event that has no bearing on the race, the bottom line is that the last team to the Pit Stop is eliminated.  Many of the racers - both male and female - are reasonably good looking and intelligent (as opposed to the snarks on Stupidvivor), and though the cast tends to include middle-aged and woefully out of shape racers, they tend to get weeded out and the strongest players are generally around at the end.

With that said, I bring you the excitement of the James household on this particular Sunday evening as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of Phil Koeghan...

6:00 PM - 60 Minutes is supposed to start, because 60 minutes later, The Amazing Race begins.  Except when it succeeds football.  (For entertainment purposes only,) I was interested in the Pittsburgh v. San Diego outcome.  The Steelers were favored by 5 points, and at this point they were losing 10-8.  Sensing that The Amazing Race wasn't going to start on time, My-Sugar-Na ordered me to eat Sunday dinner.  The football game was paused on the DVR.

6:30 PM - The football game is now unpaused, and I watch Pittsburgh kick a field goal to take an 11-10 lead with second remaining.  San Diego receives the kickoff, and on the final play they attempt a series of laterals to try for the winning score.  During this play, a Pittsburgh defender scoops up an errant lateral and carries it into the end zone for an apparent 17-10 final score.  The James family patriarch lets out a "Woo-hoo" that lasted until they began reviewing the play. 

6:40 PM - With a knife to my wrist, I await the referee's decision.  He stated that there was a flag for an illegal forward pass by San Diego, which would be declined by Pittsburgh and the touchdown would stand.  "Woo-hoo?"  Then CBS does the outcue, showing an 11-10 final on the screen, and Jim Nantz yammering about the play being dead.  So what really happened?  Read this and this and this.  The bottom line is that my entertainment cost me because the referee later admitted that the touchdown should have stood.  My entertainment director (which some people call a bookie) says he feels my pain, but hopes I was entertained.

6:45 PM through 7:30 PM - Instead of trying to take the knife away from my wrists, My-Sugar-Na watches 60 Minutes.  Compassionate, eh?

7:30 PM - The Amazing Race starts.

7:36 PM - The first team to arrive at the Pit Stop in the last episode, brother/sister team Nick and Starr Spangler (who seem to enjoy each other a little too much) open their clue envelope and are told to fly to Almaty, Kazakhstan.  Before the camera cuts away, they count the money they are told that they have (US$103).  Apparently they are concerned CBS will screw them.

7:38 PM - Mother/son team Toni and Dallas Imbimbo leave ten minutes later.  Both Nick/Starr and Toni/Dallas go to a local travel agent to arrange for their flight to Kazakhstan.  We see a budding romance between Starr and Dallas, with that sickly sweet music playing in the background.  There is no truth to the rumor that Nick and Toni hook-up out of jealousy.  I do think that it would be weird if the youngins' get married... she would become Starr Imbimbo.

7:40 PM - The Airport Shuffle begins.  Three teams (Nick/Starr, Toni/Dallas and former NFLer Ken Greene and his wife Tina) end up on the "first" flight, which arrives in Almaty at 11:50 PM.  Dating couple Terence Gerchberg and Sarah Leshner get a flight that arrives at 1:20 AM, and Frat brothers Andrew Lappitt and Dan Honig tell us in a cutaway that their flight will arrive "significantly later".  For those Amazing Race watching veterens know, a ten minute Airport Shuffle, combined with a team that gets a bad break equals.... A Bunching Point!!! I had that one called when the lovebirds were at the travel agency!

7:42 PM - Sure enough, the teams from the first two planes arrive at a chicken farm in the middle of the night, only to find the farm opening at 7:30 AM.

7:43 PM - Well, whaddya know.  The Frat brothers (heretofore known as Dandrew) arrive minutes before the chicken farm opens.  Because of bunching points, all teams are now even (thereby rendering the entire Airport Shuffle as meaningless).

7:45 PM - Once the chicken farm opens, the teams get their clue, which is a Roadblock ("A Roadblock is a task that only one team member may perform", reminds Phil.)  One team member has to search the farm among 30,000 chickens to find one of seven golden eggs.  Also in the clue is a Fast Forward (one of only two on the race) in which the team has to go to a restaurant, and each team member has to eat a bowl of a local delicacy, sheep's butt fat.  The team that completes their meal first gets the Fast Forward, which means they can go right to the Pit Stop.  Clearly, winning a Fast Forward is a major advantage.  It is also a gamble, because if you go for the Fast Forward and DON'T win it, you have to go back to the Roadblock and complete the task.

7:48 PM - Both Nick/Starr and Terrance/Sarah go for the Fast Forward.  Only one will win.  The other three teams find their eggs and go onto the next clue, which requires taking a designated crane truck to the next location to meet a Mongol warrior.  Why a crane truck instead of a cab, bicycle, tuk-tuk or llama?  We are never told.

7:50 PM - Terrance is a vegetarian.  The entertainment value of that discounted TD in the Pittsburgh game is paid back by watching Terrance try to eat this stew of sheep fat. 

7:53 PM - Starr especially is enjoying her meal.  Seeing her figure, I don't think Nick lets her eat much.  Nick isn't eating as quickly, but he is putting it down.  Sarah is also getting it down without much problem, but Terrance the Drama Queen can't even swollow the food.  They stay at the restaurant way, way, WAY too long, then decide to cut bait and head back to the chicken farm. 

7:57 PM - Toni/Dallas arrive at the Mongol Warrior and await for an eagle to bring their clue.  It is a Detour ("In this detour, teams have to choose between two local customs..." says Phil.  Phil says this every week, and I highly doubt that the rank and file of each small town do some of the stuff these teams have to do.)  In this Detour, teams can learn a musical instrument that is not worth describing because no team chose to do it, or they can walk to a children's theater, put on a two-person cow costume, walk through the town to a milk stand, drink a glass of milk (with their next clue on the bottom of the glass) which has them go to a local butcher while still in costume to get their next clue.  Ken/Tina follow behind Toni/Dallas.  Dandrew are lost in their crane truck and are asking for directions.  In each Amazing Race series, at least one team acts like Ugly Americans when they can't accept that natives of a particular city or country don't understand English.  Dandrew is not happy that nobody will help them, and they mutter comments under their breath.  Of course, Dan is wearing a Star of David around his neck... maybe that has something to do with the citizens of this predominatly Muslim country to not want to help.

8:00 PM - Nick/Starr complete their meal and head to the Pit Stop.

8:01 PM - Terrance/Sarah get to the chicken farm.  Drama boy can't man-up and eat sheep fat, and apparently he can't put on a Tyvek suit and walk through chicken crap, either.  Sarah, who did eat about half the meal, gets "selected" to do this Roadblock.  So Terrance is a whiner and a sissy.  What does Sarah see in him?

8:06 PM - Nick/Starr get to the Pit Stop and win their fifth leg of the seven episodes.  There is nothing to dislike about the team.  They are good looking, athletic, don't trash other racers, they do their tasks efficiently and correctly, and they are genuinely having a great time on the race.  No way they'll win the million bucks.  None possible.  Bet the under (for entertainment purposes, only).  Meanwhile, Toni/Dallas get the cow costume on and go to get the milk.  At one point, Toni calls Dallas "Baby".  Scary, in a reverse-Oedipus sort of way.

8:08 PM - Ken and Tina are separated in real life, and are on the race to see if they can reconcile.  Ken, leave her in Kazakhstan and go after Toni.  Seriously.  Tina is a bossy lady who doesn't care whose toes she steps on.  It is not necessarily a good trait, and it doesn't make her very likable.  Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.  Meanwhile, the whipped Ken just puts up with it.  Now, Tina (who had a botched facelift and whose face is tighter than the cow costume she put on) is telling Ken what to do, how to put the costume on, hurry up, etc.  She has a voice and mannerism that could cut diamonds.

8:09 PM - Tina, the head of the cow costume, walks past the milk stand.  They realize their error and go back and drink the milk.  Tina complains about the taste, and asks for the clue.  The milk stand operator gives her a blank stare.  She tells Ken they should look around for another milk stand.  Soon, Tina decides that maybe the clue was on the glass (like, you know, the previous clue said it would be).  They decide to walk back to the costume shop and return the cow. 

8:11 PM - Ken says "Are you sure we are supposed to return the costume?"  Tina says "I think so".  Cue the dramatic music.  Sigh.  Never "think" on the race.  When in doubt re-read the clue.

8:12 PM - Toni/Dallas get the clue from the butcher and head to the Pit Stop.  They pass Ken/Tina and tell them they need the costume.  Of course, Tina dismisses it and they walk sans-costume to the butcher shop.  He refuses to give the clue, so they have to go back and put the costume on.  Somehow, Ken will pay for this.  He will pay for it with his soul.  Meanwhile, Dandrew get their costume, and Terrance/Sarah are edited to look close behind... but they find a local to lead them to the milk stand.

8:15 PM - Toni/Dallas get to the Pit Stop in second place.  Ken/Tina get the clue from the butcher and Tina says "we should get a cab".  Ken, growing the manhood that he once had in the NFL (and that Terrance needs), finally speaks up and tells Tina that they need to go on foot, as the clue stated.  They get to the Pit Stop in third place.

8:17 PM - Completing the cow task, Dandrew take a cab to the Pit Stop (where, oh-where is their Ken?)  They get to the Pit Stop, but Phil looks sternly into the camera and tell them to go back to the end of the Detour and complete it properly.

8:21 PM - Now the final editing challenge, er, I mean race to the finish ensues... edited to look like both teams get to the end of the Detour about the same time...  Terrance/Sarah, Dandrew.... both stressing, both worried, could be a two hour difference, could be 30 seconds, we don't know, can you feel the excitement?, hand held cameras running overtime and landing on the mat is........... Dandrew, now officially in fourth place.

8:25 PM - Terrance/Sarah get to the Pit Stop and are Philiminated.  Their last cutaway has them making googley-eyes at each other, saying how much they love each other.  Privately, is Sarah wishing she had a boyfriend that could sack-up and eat some meat for a million shmoleans?

8:28 PM - Next week on The Amazing Race, Nick/Starr are in trouble (Side note; I TOLD YOU!)

The singular, A-number-1, positively, absolutely most important time in a young man's life is upon us.  For that reason, I can't blog for awhile.

My fantasy football draft is this Wednesday, September 3rd.  Blogging will resume on Thursday.  Other than rib night tonight, nothing else matters. 

Not the kids first day of school tomorrow (not including (Sponsor's Name Here)'s Official Son Mitten who started two weeks ago).  Not the 20 hour commercial for Jerry's kids.  Not my work.  Not even My-Sugar-Na (well, except maybe later tonight!) will come between me and drafting 18 professional football players on Wednesday.  18 men whom I will treat better than my own children, until one gets hurt or a better one comes along.  And if they behave really well and produce above my expectations, those 18 men will consume the Christmas Season.

Accompanying me to the draft Wednesday will be charts, graphs and printouts from on-line sources (inlcuding the one in which I bought a $27 subscription).  Some hope Devine Intervention gets them a good draft.  I prefer mind-numming preparation.  My-Sugar-Na doesn't really mind.  It means she gets the remote control for a few days.

With any luck, My-Sugar-Na will reintroduce me to all four children on Monday, December 29th.  God Bless the people who invented Fantasy Football.

A record setting day in the mobile child delivery system industry.  22 cars parked beat the record (of 21 cars set yesterday).  However to be fair, My-Sugar-Na and I made more money yesterday, as the "Demand is more than supply" theory set the pricing.  And to prove the free market works, today "Supply was more than demand", so pricing needed to be adjusted accordingly.  However as of tonight, we are 60% of what we made last year, with a full week to go.  My theory that more folks are taking local vacations seems to be bearing out. 

However, I did park two cars with Illinois plates today.  They were both good sports, however, none agreed to pay the "The Cubs can *** my *** tax.  They also wouldn't pay the $20 exit fee to leave my driveway.  Typical Cubs fans.

So my lovely bride and I park 22 cars (with a yard capacity of 12) from 11:00 AM through 6:00 PM, and I fire up the ol' grill for dinner.  We eat, I shower, then flop exhaustedly onto the couch with the intent of flipping mindlessly through the channels, while thinking of how I can get to a craps game with my parking take (before My-Sugar-Na blows it all on bills and school supplies).  The plan was to fall asleep on the couch around 8:00 PM, wake up when the missus goes to bed, then get on-line and make this blog entry. 

I start flipping the channels at 4.  Then 5.  Then 6.  Then I drop my remote control.  There is a camera pointed at some clouds in Green Bay, and within seconds, a private plane lands at Apple Struedel airport.  Brett Favre has made it to terra firma in Wisconsin.  But why in the hell are we now watching his car drive to his house?  Why is the camera in the helicopter (why is there a helicopter?) following Favre's SUV OJ-style until he pulls into his garage.  Did Favre kill his former wife and her current lover?  Does he have a gun to his head?  Does this mean the Houston Rockets are about to win the NBA title this week?

No.  It means three things.  It means that (1) it is raining in Green Bay and they are delaying the start of the Packers Family Night exhibition (which in it self is a reason to be upset... we are missing a Simpsons rerun); (2) that some TV station in Green Bay is justifying the use of their station helicopter, and (3) Brett Favre is God... actually bigger than God, as I don't ever recall a helicopter following God around as he puts the Virgin Mary's face on a tortilla in Mexico.

On Steve's blog, I joked that lots of people are currently better QBs that Favre.  In reality, I contend that CURRENTLY, he barely cracks the Top 10.  Whatever the case may be, I got sick of this drama a month ago while I first saw it while in a hotel room in Albuquerque watching My-Sugar-Na sleep.  Favre is a legend, check.  The Packers believe that Aaron Rodgers in 2008 is a better option than Favre, check.  Favre (whether coerced or not) retired, check.  Favre didn't make it through one off-season before unretiring, check.  Favre will be reinstated into the NFL tomorrow (Monday) morning, check.  Favre either will play the 2008 season for the Packers or not-the-Packers, check.

Everything else is garbage and speculation.

Yesterday, the NFL Network announced that Favre would accept the Packers $20,000,000 bribe personal services contract.  At the same time, ESPN's Ed Werder said that Favre would play again this season.

When the NFL's own mouthpiece can't get it right, you know that nobody knows what the F-bomb is going on.  Now its time to watch Law & Order: Criminal Intent.  Too bad its not a Mike Logan one.

Aimless, middle-of-the-night surfing has led me to some classic broadcast NFL openings.

First, I found an early-70s opening to ABC Monday Night Football (warning, only watch this if tripping on acid).

Next is the late-70s opening to CBS NFL Today.  This is from right about the time I started watching football.

Then I found an early-80s CBS "NFL Today".  More hi-techhie, no?

Later in the 80s, ABC's Monday Night Football opening looked like this.

In the early 90s, ABC produced the ultimate opening for their 25th season. 

Unfortunatly in the 15 or so years since this, ABC (and now ESPN) has bastardized this to where it is almost unrecognizable.  Overproduced, too many sounds, words that sound made-up along the way all helped to screw up a good thing.

Bed time.  Catch ya later for MLB and NBA openings!

(Side note:  I can't help it.  "You'll see the best in basketball, when you watch the NBA... when you watch the NBA on CBS!"  I started singing it in my head before I even found the clip.  Now I am going to be humming it in my head, and I'll never get to sleep!)

The category is - FEBRUARY

The answer is - Bingo Long's Travelling All-Stars and Motor Kings, The Blues Brothers, The Savages and War Games.

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The question - "What movies did Michael James watch to kill a weekend day in that barren time between the end of the NFL season and the beginning of baseball's Spring Training".

Yes, I know the Super Bowl (Side note - The MVP selection was a crock.  David Tyree caught one of the two TDs, and made the catch that saved the game for the Giants, and instead a marketing machine was named MVP) was just played yesterday, but on Saturday, I went to Long's Wong and attended a viewing of Game 4 of the 1957 World Series (the "Nippy Jones" game).

The Ken Keltner chapter of SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) and the Milwaukee Braves Historical Association are both very heavy into the history of the Milwaukee Braves.  Overall, the groups do a lot of research projects pertaining to baseball and the Milwaukee Braves.

Last February, I was unable to attend the showing of Game 7 of the 1957 series.  But knowing that Game 4 was the most exciting game, when I heard that it was to be shown, I made sure I scheduled my life around it.

While the game progressed, (Sponsor's Name Here)'s Official Son, Mitten, myself, my good friend - I'll call him John from New Berlin, and others within ear shot all delivered commentary, trivia and other noticements.  For example...

• WTMJ-TV had provided the cameramen and technicians for the NBC broadcast, and Game 4 was only the second game (with Game 3 being the first) that had the centerfield camera that has become the standard for watching each pitch.  WTMJ-TV had also placed a camera in the first row of seats behind home plate at County Stadium that offered a phenomenal view of Perini's Woods.  Though I wasn't crazy about the camera angle for baseball reasons, it did offer a perspective that you don't often see these days.
• The televised broadcast featured no replays, and the only graphics were big, block letters across the screen as a player came up to bat.  Replays are nice when done in moderation.  Believe it or not, I did miss the "Fox Box", giving the score, inning, and count.
• About three pitches all day were in the dirt.  Curve balls started shoulder high and crossed the plate between the knees and waist.
• In the top of the 9th inning, the Braves were leading 4-1 and Warren Spahn was still in the game.  Spahn had two runners on and the tying run at the plate.  NBC showed Ernie Johnson up in the bullpen, and Mel Allen stated "Johnson is throwing again, in case Spahn gets into trouble".  Maybe this is easy to say 51 years later, but if your starting pitcher laboring in the 9th inning with the tying run at the plate in the World Series isn't considered trouble, I am not sure what is.
• The play in which Vernal "Nippy" Jones got hit by the pitch in the 10th inning was Jones' last major league plate appearance.
• As opposed to baseball broadcasts these days, the parabolic microphones did not pick up the CD spinner playing snippets of "We Will Rock You", or "Centerfield", or "Car Wash" or a Briggs and Stratton lawn mower sound extorting the fans to make noise.  (What?  Those didn't exist in 1957?  And yet, the Braves were still able to win a game in extra innings?  And the crowd got excited on their own?  Sheesh, I didn't think that was possible.  Well if the crowds in 1957 were smart enough to know when to cheer, and the players were smart enough to know that a clutch base hit was needed, why aren't crowds and players in 2007 able to do that?)
• There were a couple of commericals that were shown.  Once was of a very un-camera-friendly Henry Aaron talking about how the new Gilette razor gave him a comfortable shave.  Way, way cool.  Another was Art Linkletter pitching hair spray, complete with a pretty model spraying her hair, and combing it into style.  Then (and this must have been a problem in 1957) she mussed up her hair, and with a little water and a comb, she was able to re-style her hair.  The problem is that I don't remember the product name.  My-Sugar-Na has told me that if you don't remember the brand in a commercial, then it wasn't meant for you.  Quite true in this instance.
• Who were the only two Braves players to have a home run in 17 consecutive seasons?  For clarification, this is not specifically a Milwaukee Braves question, as the Braves did not play here for 17 seasons.  (Take a guess in the comment section.  John, Bob, and Rick and Mitten aren't allowed to post the answer). 
• As long as we are at it, Sports Illustrated's first issue featured the Braves' Eddie Mathews and Milwaukee County Stadium on the cover.  What pitcher gave up that home run to Mathews?

I can't wait to see what game they come up with next February.

In my third-ever post back in March 2007 (a brilliant post, by the way) I detailed how the NFL is vigorously defending its marks, and mentioned that the NFL had previously sent letters to Las Vegas casinos stating that the Super Bowl cannot be shown in “public on screens that, according to federal law, are larger than those 'commonly used in private homes'."

Over the past couple of years, My-Sugar-Na and I have become fond of watching Packer games (and a couple of Brewers games, too) from the Northern Lights Theater at Potowatomi.  That appears to be coming to an end with the NFL sending "cease and desist" letters to Potowatomi, the Rosebud Cinema and the Majestic Theater (of course, I am sure this didn't help).  To his credit, Don Walker (the MJS Sports Business writer) did a way better job of detailing this than I could have.  I have tried to find time for days to blog about it, but life is really got me chasing my tail. 

Walker does mention that the Fox Bay Cinema Grill once got one of these letters, challenged the league, and hasn't heard a word since.  They will be showing the game, and I will be down there this weekend, and I hope that Steve "The Homer" True can be there and to find a way to bring the cache of prizes that they normally had at Potowatomi.

But I have good news.  A major point of my blog entry from last March was that the NFL was trying to trademark the words "The Big Game" (used by many advertisers as a euphamism for the Super Bowl, which is trademarked).  As of June 25, 2007, the NFL had abandoned its trademark request.  So go ahead Bartz Display, Best Buy and Karl's Rental... advertise The Big Game on February 3rd all you want to.  Just don't show the game on a big screen in a tent.

Maybe a check into some of the lists (lower right of this page, but conveniently linked in this post) would give us an idea...

Al's Ramblings - This is my favorite Brewers info blog.  The updates are quick and an easy read, and usually the links contained within do the talking.  I like this blog even though I am in complete disagreement about the Brewers rise and fall of last season (Al says that the 24-10 start, or the slide in August are small cross-sections of a season, and the final record is almost always what it deserves to be.  I say that the 24-10 start shows how good the team can be, and the slide in August was a red flag that needed immediate attention.)

Professional Bowlers Association (specifically, the Message Boards) - These can be a lot of fun, like the discussion about the olden days, they can be serious, like discussion of the PBA Experience leagues, or (like 90% of the discussions), they can be a mystifying arguement where everybody will argue and contradict each other.  These are the most entertaining.

Pro Football Weekly - Simply, in my opinion, the best source of football news.  Not much hype, very few puff pieces, just football talk.  Quite a departure from ESPN.com, where they get off on being silly (Side note, great thing ESPN does, though, by publishing an ombudsman.  Too bad they don't pay attention to her.)

Wizard of Odds - Some people think I talk about gambling too much.  But I do it for two reasons; (A) I enjoy it, and (B) so do billions of other people.  Why are casinos going up and expanding faster than anything else?  With that said, if I am going to gamble my precious money, I want to go into a casino armed with as much information as possible.  The Wizard of Odds has more info on any game than any one can hope to digest (you've got to try to read the optimum Final Jeopardy strategy), but spend a couple of hours surfing this site and you are bound to find something to give you an edge the next time you go out to gamble.

Las Vegas Casino Death Watch - Just that... fans of "Old Vegas" won't be able to get enough of this.  Do a complete read.

Cheapo Vegas (and the related Cheapo Reno) - Even if you have only been to Las Vegas or Reno once or twice, it is fun reading these reviews of hotels, casinos and restaurants.

Big Soccer (specifically MISL and Indoor Forum) - For better or worse, the Milwaukee Wave and the MISL are hurting for media attention, and the best way to read up on the teams, players and the league are through the keyboards of othe fans.

Our Sports Central (specifically the Soccer portion) - Our Sports Central focuses on minor league sports, and links easily to the leagues and their websites, as well as linking to any and all related newspaper articles.  This comes in handy when the Wave plays a game out of town.  We might get a few sentences in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, but this site handily links me to the opposing team's more complete game article.

Czabe.com - Steve Czaban has a morning show on Fox Sports Radio, does a 30-minute sports segment on the Bob and Brian show on 102.9 "The Hog", writes a weekly column on OnMilwaukee.com and has a daily sports blog which is a nice five-minute way to start each morning.

UniWatch - C'mon, what do you expect?  The subtitle for this site is "The obsessive study of athletics aesthetics".  For a small fee, you can join the club as someone who "Get's It".  I "Get It".

The Amazing Race Sucks - Actually, I quite enjoy the show.  So much so, that there are three sets of required reading each week.  First is the interview with that week's Philiminated contestants.  Then during the week, a "regular" contributor posts a comical (often hilarious) review of the previous show.  Then before the next show, a very thoughtful discussion of the racer's edits... and trying to gleen clues as to who might be elminated next.

The Baby Name Wizard - Great fun to type in name after name after name after name after name to see the rise in fall in poularity (try William, Mortimer, Dakota and Conner.)

The Transport Company - Why-oh-why am I fascinated with busses?  Trust me, I ain't a green freak.  I believe it was because my parents would send me on bus trips around town to get rid of me (and I had to walk to the bus stop, barefoot, uphill - both ways).  That got me used to them to the point where, if possible, I would take the bus to the next door neighbor's house to borrow a cup of sugar.  But really, who can resist looking at photos of busses over the last 40 years?  It is like a window to the past.  Quick, without cheating... where was this picture taken?  This one is a gold mine.  I am getting giddy just looking at the photos!

Game Show Convention Center - Game show news!  Granted, a recent site revamp made it more clumsy than it used to be, where where else can you learn that 1 vs. 100 is coming back soon, or that Regis Philbin has been signed on to host Million Dollar Password?

Industrious clock - More accurate than your watch, I assure you.

Adomiable Penguin Fungo - How far can you hit the penguin?  Keep trying.  My record is about 325.

Roadside Peek - This is along the lines as reading about old Vegas or old busses.  When I first found this site, I spent hours looking at old road signs of bowling alleys, motels, restaurants, gas stations, etc.

Keep checking the side links, as I add more as I find them.

You must be kidding.  There is no way I would try to squeeze myself into a Speedo, much less get a photo taken of such an event, much less post it.

So why did you look?

My guess is that you also slow down on the freeway to look at a serious car accident on the other side. 

I also hope that this entry doesn't get a lot of hits.  I would be disappointed if it got more hits than one of my better recent entries.  Or one of my older ones.

It's very simple.  Take the modern helmet from the players and give them a leather helmet to protect from hair pulling and cuts.

What are some of the recent head injuries in pro football?  How about the Miami Dolphins QB Trent Green's recent concussion... Do you think that there was any way on God's Green Earth that Green would have attempted that block if he was wearing a leather helmet?  What about Buffalo Bills lineman Kevin Everett's spinal injury?  Would he have attemted to tackle the ball carrier by leading with his helmet if his head weren't protected?

Simply put, the NFL allows players to wear missles on their heads, and then appears to be surprised when the long range effect of concussions and head injuries were attributed to the deaths of former NFL players.  Leather helmets = safer players.

Of course, if you follow the money, there is no way the NFL can let that happen.  The sport thrives because of the speed and violent nature.  Take away the helmets, and players move a lot slower, they don't hit as hard, and the overall gameplay would suffer.  Gameplay suffers, and you don't have a 30-year waiting list for Packers season tickets, or men forking over $229 for the NFL Sunday Ticket packages on DirecTV, and so on, and so on.

Follow the money some more, and one of the biggest reasons that pro football is so popluar is because it is so condusive to gambling.  Sure, you have the obvious ways to bet (either legally in a Nevada casino, or illegally with an offshore account or with a bookie) by using point spreads, over/under totals and money lines.  Also, just about everybody is in an office pool... also illegal.  Fantasy leagues?  That $100 entry fee you pay, which results in prizes determined by the skill of professional athletes (and is not taxed) isn't legal either.  But betting, pools and fantasy leagues sure are fun.

Despite Norman Chad's point of view on Fantasy Football - and also now espoused by (Sponsor's Name Here)'s Official Father - if you are a fantasy footbal team owner (Side note, I am 4-2, and I've had over 100 points in three of my four wins), or if you do bet on games (I was locked in on Kansas City beating Cincinnati all week, and getting 3-1/2 points was a bonus), or if you have a square in the office pool (6 for the Packers and 8 for Washington won me squat), or even if you are in a 33 pot (I had a BYE this week?  How can my team score 33 points of I didn't have a team?) - don't tell me that watching an otherwise meaningless Titans at Bucaneers game trumps watching the Packers barely hold onto their lead.  Using that particular game as an example, why would anybody outside of Tampa and Nashville watch that game unless there was a little coin action going?  How many fans in, say, Death Valley watched the Rams at Ravens game on their Sunday Ticket package?  Answer... those with some sort of illegal bet on the game.

The NFL and their owners may say that they don't want concussions or spinal cord injuries, but eliminating them would be akin to killing the golden goose.  So those injuries are just a necessary byproduct of making more money than they did last year.  And with every nickel we spend to watch football, we are complicit in this.