"The Naughty List", 2010 Edition

Hi!

Remember me?

I'm the guy who used to post new entries to this blog everyday......and then a funny thing happened. It's called "Christmas". From Thanksgiving until about 9PM last night (Happy Belated "Festivus", BTW) I've been running a 30 day sprint, trying to get things done before The Big Day. And finally, when I got up this morning, I looked around....and EVERYTHING IS FINALLY DONE!

Free at last! Now I know many of my fellow bloggers have been keeping up with current events, politics, and pop culture while I was making myself hysterical for the past three weeks. So why go through a rehash of everything that's been said already? Those guys know what they're talking about....I'm just a wise guy from Jersey.....no, not THAT kind of "wise guy".....maybe I should say "smart ass" instead.


But I will touch upon some of the people who deserve coal in they're stocking this Christmas.....there is a list, you know. Trust me. It does exist. I found this video on the internet that proves it.

Elf - Naughty List | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

Walter Hobbs is not alone, Buddy.....and as for New York, we'll I'll talk about that later.

But first.....here's a list of those who've made Santa's Naughty List. Some should remain on it for years.

(1). Senator Mitch McConnell- The Republican minority leader from Kentucky has earned this description from MSNBC's Chris Matthews; ".....a character from Charles Dickens.". It's hard to tell what he's for, and much easier to talk about those things he's against, like the START treaty, the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", The Dream Act, the bill for medical aid for the 9/11 first responders.....oh yeah, he is FOR the giving of billions of dollars in tax breaks to billionaires when the money could be used to aid municipalities around the nation on the brink of default.

(2). Senator John McCain- probably the biggest political sellout of the early 21st century. The Republican who ran for the presidency on the motto "Country First" opposes START, was a leading voice to kill the repeal of DADT, has swung way right on immigration issues, and called the Zadroga 9/11 First Responder's bill "fooling around" in a speech on the floor of the US Senate. The once proud maverick has morphed into The Angry Old Man of the Senate

3). Governor Chris Christie- the guy blows a $400 million government grant to education, then tries to blame the Obama Administration for the New Jersey delegation's error, and when that doesn't work he throws his education chief under the bus. His personal war on the teacher's union has led to referring to New Jersey students as "drug mules", carrying information from teacher union leadership home with them, and his allying himself with conservative gonzo filmmaker James O'Keefe. There's a lot more to say about this guy, but time is limited. The governor, who's personal style reminds me of Billy Martin at his worst, is finally starting to have some veneer wear off of his once somewhat (by GOP standards in New Jersey) lofty status. Recent polls have shown his job approval dropping 5% in the past month, while disapproval in New Jersey shot up to 48%.

4). Sarah Palin- much can be said why she belongs on the naughty list. But this year it's because Santa is afraid the former half term governor of Alaska will shoot one of his reindeer.

5). BP- It's not cool to pollute our waters....and even worse when some of our political leaders, like Texas Congressman Joe Barton apologized to BP's CEO when President Obama took the company to task for the Gulf Oil Spill of 2010.

6). Oh yeah....Joe Barton. You're on the list, too.

7). The New York Giants. You guys were beating the Eagles by 21 points (31-10) with less than eight minutes to play.....and lost 38-31! C'mon, man! All of you belong on the list after that one.

8). The NCAA- the governing body of college sports has decided to punish five Ohio State football players for selling personal items, trophies, and awards by suspending them for the first five games of the 2011 season. OK, the "student athletes" bypassed the rules laid down by the NCAA. But all five players remain eligible to play in next week's Sugar Bowl game. So when is a suspension not a suspension? When it impacts the showcase of a BCS bowl, and the big bucks a BCS game generates. Shame on you, NCAA.

9). LeBron James- to paraphrase Michael in GODFATHER II, "You broke our hearts, Fredo......I mean, LeBron". So speaketh the hurting sports fans of the city of Cleveland. But this video says it better than I ever could.


And finally.....

10). Rex and Michelle Ryan- the head coach of the New York Jets and his wife have been making some news lately......is it naughty?


Actually...it's not THAT naughty. Maybe even kind of nice.

That is, if you're into that kind of stuff.

I wonder if they exchange argle socks for Christmas?

3,106 People Have Checked My Blogger Profile; Was It Something I Said?

Out of the clear blue I checked my BLOGGER profile to check just what what kind of revealing stuff I posted  way back when.....and I noticed that 3,106 people have checked my profile.

I only have two questions.... (1).How many of you guys are pissed off about something I said?

And (2). Do you live within a 100 mile radius of Central New Jersey? I just want to know if I should be nervous answering the door late at night.


Anyway...my weekly retreat for watching football continues for a few hours more. I was present in Piscataway as my RU Scarlet Knights dropped a 13-10 heartbreaker to Syracuse yesterday, and watched the Jets' OT win against the Browns this afternoon.....I refuse any comment about the Giants-Cowboys; the lights went out in that game before they went out for real in the new and improved $1.5 billion New Meadowlands Stadium.

I'll be back tomorrow with a little piece I'm putting together about America and some of the crazy and erroneous things that too many Americans believe.

Believe it.....or not!

Quick Hits- Stream of Consciousness Edition

It's been a couple of days since my last post, and it's really time for me to say something to my legion(?) of followers....however, I really don't think I want to talk politics (at least not exclusively) or deal with anything of earth shaking substance, unless it concerns the National Football League. So I'll do what I always do in situations like this...I'll revert to QUICK HITS, a "Stream of Consciousness Edition"

(1) As I type this a monument is being unveiled in Monument Park in Yankee Stadium to the late George Steinbrenner. George's family is there, as are many dignitaries, and Joe Torre and Don Mattingly have flown in from Los Angeles. There was only one George...and for every crazy and irrational thing he did there were a dozen wonderful things he did anonymously for others. God bless...and part of him will always live on in Yankee lore.

(2). Lindsay Lohan has a warrant out for her arrest (for drug use while on probation) and Paris Hilton was sentenced today for possession of cocaine. Why am I not shocked by these two events?

(3). Back to the the Yankees and the Steinbrenner Monument....and it is spectacular, a large plaque rather than a free standing monument, a brass bas-relief. with George on the left, and a list of his accomplishments on the right. An awe inspiring ceremony. Kind of adrenaline flowing for the Yankee team, with the Tampa Bay Rays in for possession of first pace in the AL East. The ceremony closes with a recording of Frank Sinatra singing "My Way"....a song that sums up George better than any obituary could.

(4). The recession is OVER...so say the experts. I'll talk more about this in a day or so. You'd think Obama would get more credit for keeping the bus from falling completely off the proverbial cliff....but people want magical solutions to problems large and small. Maybe they should have Criss Angel as president.

(5). Head Coach of Michigan State Mark D'Antonio calls the college football play of the season (so far) with the fake field goal that was a touchdown pass in OT with the Spartans beating Notre Dame 34-31 on Saturday night. On Sunday morning, D'Antonio has a mild heart attack...he was treated, and will be OK. But are you still going to try to tell me that God isn't a Notre Dame fan?

(6). How about those Jets beating the Patriots? What a difference a week makes.

(7). How about those Giants stinking the place up against the Colts? What a difference a week makes.

(8). The one good thing about the Giants being blown out is that I had a chance to watch Boardwalk Empire with a clear conscience to change the channel. I'm sure the folks at HBO were happy for the blowout as well. "BE" was a must see....and watching it you had to ask....what were people in this country thinking by voting in prohibition? All that was accomplished was the setting in motion of the structure of organized crime in America for the next 60 years- Chicago was in the grips of rival gangs in the North and South sides (as was alluded to in the show), and New York had more than a few pockets of government corruption as well. Nucky Thompson was a fictionalized version of Atlantic City boss Nucky Johnson, but Arnold Rothstein, Charlie "Lucky" Luciano, Big Jim Colosimo, Johnny Torrio, and of course, Al Capone were real life gangsters of the era. And Torrio did order the hit on his own boss, Colosimo.....no one was ever prosecuted for Colosimo's murder.

(9).Madmen- Don and Faye are now an item....Joan and Roger had a relapse into a night of full throttle lust....Peggy and super lefty Abe hit it off, but it fizzles out quickly. Joyce seems to be getting close to Peggy. And I'm just wondering if Peggy, who is slowly turning into a Child of The Sixties, will "get adventurous" with gal pal Joyce? Also....poor Miss Blankenship! Roger hit it on the nose- her obituary should read "She Died At Her Post Taking Other People's Phone Calls". Her death on the job gave the episode a dark comic backdrop....with her body being taken out while the clients at the meeting had no idea what was going on.

(10). Is there any truth that Christine O'Donnell's campaign is dropping "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey as a musical theme for Season of the Witch?

Not even for Halloween?

Really?

Seeya later!

Bob Sheppard, "The Voice of Yankee Stadium"; 1910-2010

I was saddened to hear the news earlier today of the passing of Yankee Stadium public address announcer Bob Sheppard, age 99, who for nearly 60 years graced The Stadium with his velvet tones and precise, concise pronunciation and articulation. There was no shouting, no grandstanding, no lunacy....just a distinguished voice that seemed to come from another realm.

He began his career in 1951, when a young rookie named Mantle joined the Yankees; also on the roster were Rizzuto, Berra, and DiMaggio. When he called his final Yankee Stadium game on September 5, 2007 names like Joba Chamberlain and Robinson Cano, as well as "The Core Four"- Jorge Posada, Andy Petitte, Mariano Rivera, and Derek Jeter- were in pinstripes.

I saw many games at Yankee Stadium over the years, and heard Bob Sheppard's voice announce each at bat and pitching change. But there was one very out of the ordinary game Sheppard worked that only about 6,000 people ever saw; there was no TV, and only a small radio audience.

About six years ago on a Saturday night at Waterfront Park in Trenton, I was in the stands watching the Thunder play an Eastern League opponent (I don't remember who), when over the PA system came the familiar Voice of Yankee Stadium...or was it?

"Nice Bob Sheppard impression", I thought. After all he had been at Yankee Stadium calling the day game that ended after 4 PM. He's over 90 years old, he would have to literally fly from the Bronx to Trenton in less than three hours. And besides, why would he be here, doing the public address of a Trenton Thunder game?

The regular announcer did the breaks between innings, with the contests and dizzy bat races, and Chase the Golden Retriever acting as "bat dog", and "Boomer" the mascot leading the cheering kids.....but player intros were done by "The Guy Who Sounded Like Bob Sheppard".

However.... in the eighth inning an announcement was made by the regular announcer regarding that night's "special guest announcer".

The Voice was indeed the real Bob Sheppard, bringing just a little bit of Yankee Stadium's magic and ambiance to Trenton and the Double A Eastern League. Who woulda thunk it?

Mr. Sheppard also worked New York Giants home games for many years, from Yankee Stadium to the Yale Bowl to old Giants Stadium. He gave that job up in 2005.

Below, a video tribute from a fan, featuring the words of Joe Torre, Whitey Ford, Tino Martinez, Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Graig Nettles, Willie Randolph, and Reggie Jackson.

NFL Draft 2010; Just Call Me A Football Geek

I'll fess up- I'm one of those (slightly) overweight middle aged guys who lives for the NFL Draft. Part of this passion comes from following the local NFL teams (Jets and Giants), and also seeing how my brother's teams (Browns and Eagles- he's a Jersey transplant now living in Ohio) make out in this big bucks crap shoot.

The 2010 NFL Draft has really become a creature of television- the first round was broadcast last night, live from Radio City Music Hall (minus The Rockettes) with a slew of potential first round picks on hand to hear their names called- hopefully. In addition, a who's who of NFL greats were on hand, including many Hall of Famers. The place was packed with loud and rowdy fans, and being held in New York there was a heavy presence of Giant and Jets fans...and nobody does loud and rowdy better than Jet fans, with the possible exception of "Agle" fans from "The City of Brotherly Love".

Was it over the top? To borrow a line from a certain former governor, you betcha.

But its a big event and a celebration of America's game. The season never really ends in the NFL. It goes from pre-season to regular season to playoffs to Super Bowl to NFL Draft mock drafts to the REAL NFL Draft to hanging out at the shore in the summer, drinking beer and eating shrimp, and counting the days until NFL training camps open.

And a second reason for watching the draft is to see where my beloved Rutgers Scarlet Knights will end up....and a couple of guys made history yesterday. But I'll talk about that later.

Rounds two and three start at 6 PM today (Friday) and the final four rounds will take place on Saturday. What was once a one day closed door affair in the 1970's is now a three day extravaganza; kind of a Woodstock for football fans.....we must be in heaven man.

Without further ado, here's a few comments about the 2010 NFL Draft.

Sam Bradford- I felt good for the former Oklahoma quarterback and former Heisman trophy winner for his #1 overall pick to the St. Louis Rams. Most people were saying "good for you" when he decided to come back for his senior year, and then many of the same people said "What did I tellya?...he should have come out early" when Sam was injured in 2009, shortening his season and seeing the Sooners fall short of expectations. He'll be tested in St Louis, which should be improved but are a long way from being a contender.

Tim Tebow- There are two trains of thought in the NFL draft. One is you draft your needs, the other is you draft the best player available. Many consider Tim Tebow to be the greatest college football player of all time. There are questions about his footwork and delivery; when he was drafted by the Denver Broncos at #25 overall as the second quarterback taken, many asked why. The Broncos have Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn as their two quarterbacks. Most observers say this....the reason Tebow was drafted is because head coach Josh McDaniels LOVES Tim Tebow. Maybe a guy of Tebow's character and with his leadership skills is just what is needed to finally escape from the large shadow of John Elway's legend. Tebow's a hard kid not to like; call him the "anti Rothlisberger".

Jimmy Clausen and Colt McCoy The question here is why these two quarterbacks were not first round picks, particularly the former Notre Dame signal caller Clausen. Some have said there are personal issues with Clausen; he has been called "a brat" by some, while his former Irish teammates think he's a great leader and love the guy. As for former Texas quarterback McCoy, some question his size....the last time I checked Drew Brees of the world champion New Orleans Saints is about McCoy's size. He seemed to work out, didn't he? Both Clausen and McCoy will be drafted early tonight in the second round.

A Whole Lot of Oklahoma Sooners - DT Gerald McCoy (Bucs), OT Trent Williams (Redskins), and Bradford- that's three of the first five picks from Oklahoma. Add to that TE Jermaine Gresham (Bengals) as #21 overall and that's four Sooners in the top 21. How did those guys ever lose a game?

The Big 12 In the Draft In addition to the four former Oklahoma Sooners, five other Big 12 players taken in the first round, the most notable being Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh going to the Detroit Lions as the second overall pick. For all the deserved hoopla about the SEC being the greatest conference in college football, the SEC landed seven, only second best in the first round. Still, to have half of the first round dominated by these two conferences was pretty impressive. And there will be many more to come over the next two days.

RU Rah-Rah! Two Rutgers players taken in the first round. I've been a season ticket holder since 1990. It wasn't that long ago that Rutgers only had five guys in the NFL. OT Anthony Davis (#11) went to the 49'ers and DB Devin McCourty (#27) was drafted by the Patriots (much to the anger of the Jet fans in attendance). Rutgers had a first round pick for the first time in its history last year with Kenny Britt....and they've doubled it in a year. Watch out Oklahoma....we're making our move.

Jets and Giants The Giants picked DE Jason Pierre-Paul (15) from South Florida, who played only one year of Division 1 football- his first two years were at two junior colleges. He is athletic, and has a huge upside...but could be a gamble. The Jets took Jersey guy DB Kyle Wilson (29) who played at Boise State. Wilson is from Piscataway...and the question was, how did he get away from Rutgers. Today on WFAN Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said that during a recruiting visit Wilson indicated that he preferred to go to college out of state. He seems like a solid pick for the defensively minded Jets and head coach Rex Ryan.

Piscataway High School, New Jersey Yesterday two alums were first round picks, Anthony Davis and Kyle Wilson. And last year fellow alum Malcolm Jenkins (Ohio State) was the first round pick of the Saints. Forget these Heartland and Florida and Sunbelt high schools....the "Home Office" of America's High School Football is in Central New Jersey, USA.

Well that's about it....I'm going to take a break, then watch some more draft. And when I'm not doing that, I'll be in my usual spot tomorrow watching Rutgers Spring Game.

Just a football junkie I suppose.

O'Hara endows Rutgers scholarship - Big East Blog - ESPN

Above, Shaun and Amy O'Hara

You hear, see, and read so many negative stories involving professional athletes...and its good to see some very positive press about one of the NFL's good guys.

Shaun O'Hara of the New York Giants is endowing a scholarship at his alma mater, Rutgers University.

The story is by ESPN's Brian Bennett.

READ MORE....from Big East Blog - ESPN

Even more from scarletknights.com.

12 Hours Later (plus).....Thoughts On A Football Couch Potato Weekend (And It Ain't Over Yet)

This is part of my weekly series following the Rutgers 2009 football season. RU had a bye this weekend, and will resume action on Thursday night at Rutgers Stadium vs the University of South Florida.

I decided to get really lazy and watch football non-stop since about noon on Saturday- so any of you regulars who drop into this quasi-political blog looking for some words of wisdom (every once in awhile I say something smart), well check back in on Monday. I'll be back with that stuff tomorrow.

Oh The Pain In Giantland!

Just a few minutes ago I finished watching the Giants blow a game to the San Diego Chargers, to extend their losing streak to four games after starting the season 5-0. New York had a 17-14 lead with a first down on the four yard line of San Diego after an interception return. A holding call moved the ball back to the 14 yard line. The Giants couldn't get it into the end zone so they kicked a field goal, making it 20-14. There was a little more than two minutes in the game and the Chargers had one time out.

Philip Rivers then led San Diego on a an 80 yard drive, capped by an 18 yard game winning touchdown to Vincent Jackson with 21 ticks left on the clock. The final- Chargers win 22-21.

Shocking....let the second guessing begin. WFAN's switchboard is going to burning up on Monday.

About six weeks ago I said the Giants would win the first five, and split the next four. Its not quite an official free fall, but its getting darn close.

Here's the box score for all who want to see a post mortem

Next up- Eagles and Cowboys. Is there any way both can loose?

The other game I watched today was the Bengals and Ravens, mainly to see former Rutgers guys Ray Rice (Ravens) and Brian Leonard (Bengals). That game was won by Cincinnati 17-7, a score that wasn't as indicative as to how dominant the Bengals were in this game. They played great defense, were able to contain Rice for most of the game, and scored just enough with 17 points in the first half to get the win. I had forgotten that former Rutgers tight end Clark Harris is now the long snapper for Cincinnati.

Bearcats Keep Winning

And speaking of Cincinnati....and college football for that matter....last night's University of Cincinnati Bearcats game against the snake bit UCONN Huskies was a nail biter, and one that tells you that some times statistics don't tell the whole story. How about a Cincy offense that ran up 711 yards of offense, had a 20 point lead at the half (30-10), but when the smoke cleared it was a shootout after a furious comeback by UCONN, only to see Cincinnati hang on to win 47-45. This really was like watching two separate games, with UCONN showing a lot of heart to nearly steal this one from undefeated #5 Cincinnati (9-0). This two point loss for UCONN added to a season of unbelievable setbacks for the Huskies, this following identical 28-24 losses to West Virginia and Rutgers in consecutive weeks, a last second game winning field goal to Pitt, and a safety at the end of their game against North Carolina to give them a two point loss. All told, this makes five losses by a grand total of 15 points. Unbelievable, and it dropped the Huskies to 4-5. And of course, there is the greatest tragedy of their season, the murder of defensive back Jasper Howard. The losses to WVU, Rutgers, and Cincinnati have all come in consecutive weeks since Howard's death.

This game will be remembered as the coming out party on network TV for Cincinnati's backup quarterback Zach Collaros, who threw for 480 yards and and one touchdown, and rushed for another 75 yards and two TD's. He's the backup for starter Tony Pike, last years first team Big East quarterback....and he might be doing a Lou Gehrig-Wally Pipp thing- Pike is recovering from an injury, and who knows when- or if- he can reclaim his job. Tony Pike was getting some buzz as a potential Heisman candidate...and now he can't get back on the field .

The Big East's two best quarterbacks might be on the same team, the Cincinnati Bearcats.

How about Those Middies"

The last time an unranked Navy team beat a ranked Notre Dame was 1936. And it happened again on Saturday when the Irish (#22) fell to the Midshipmen in South Bend, 23-21. It was the second win in three years for Navy over ND, and the first time Navy has won in back to back trips to Notre Dame since the Roger Staubach era (1961 and 1963). Jimmy Clausen passed for 452 yards for ND and had two touchdowns, but also a costly interception and was taken down in his own end zone for a safety that ultimately won the game for Navy. With Navy leading 21-7 late in the fourth quarter, Clausen connected with Michael Floyd with 4:46 left in the game to make it 21-14 Navy. After a scoreless Navy possession resulted in a punt deep into Irish territory , Clausen was tackled in the end zone by Navy's Craig Schaefer for the safety, making the score 23-14 Navy with only 1:00 left in the game.

The ensuing free quick by Notre Dame was a onside, recovered by Notre Dame, who took it down field quickly and into the end zone, Clausen to Golden Tate for seven with 24 seconds in the game. The Irish tried another onside kick, but this time it was recovered by Navy, who took a knee and ended the game.

The final- Navy 23, Notre Dame 21.

The Irish turned the ball over three times to none for Navy, and couldn't contain the vaunted Navy rushing attack, the Middies racked up 348 yards on the ground.

The win for Navy made them bowl eligible at 7-3, the loss dropped ND to 6-3 and more or less eliminated them from any hope of a BCS bowl bid, and took them out of both the AP and USA TODAY Top 25's.

Orange Crushed By Pitt

If you hadn't noticed, I'm doing this in reverse order....call it The Olbermann Syndrome.

The first game I watched yesterday (Saturday) was Syracuse and Pitt from Heinz Field, at the confluence of the Allegheny and the Monongahela rivers. The final was Pitt 37, 'Cuse 10, but it wasn't that close. Both teams traded field goals for the only scoring in the first quarter (with Syracuse scoring first). Then Pitt's Greg Williams returned an interception for a 51 yard score, giving Pitt a 10-3 halftime score. After the half, the Panthers scored many and often, racking up 27 points in the second half. All told Pitt scored 37 unanswered points between Syracuse's first and last scores, the final being an Orange TD with 1:03 left in the game. Super freshman Dion Lewis ran for 110 yards and one TD for Pitt, tight end Dorin Dickerson went for 118 yards and a touchdown, steady Pitt QB Bill Stull was 16/23 for 225 yards and a TD. The Panthers (8-1) have crept into the AP and USA TODAY Top 10 (at #8 and #9 respectively) while Syracuse falls to 3-6, one loss from bowl elimination.

Those were the games I watched in their entirety...yes, the whole games. Hey, I deserve it. I did see some parts of Georgia Tech- Wake Forest, Ohio State- Penn State, and Louisville-West Virginia, but not enough to get a feel for the games.

What can I say?

I really like football.