I just couldn't stay away. There's too much stuff going on and I have too much time on my hands. So I'm back from retirement for a second time (which leaves me, what, 3 short of Mr. Favre?), and this time, I mean it. You know, that is, until I don't.
After 20 years of futility, the Bengals found a new way to lose:
Ladies and gentlemen, the longest game-winning play from scrimmage in the final minute of the fourth quarter in NFL history. I guess its fitting that the Bengals would be on the wrong side of a dubious record such as that. I mean, who knows who had the record was before Sunday, but everyone's going to remember that the Bengals have it now. Doesn't hurt that Gus Johnson was on the call. This might be a top 5 all-time "Gus Johnson loses his mind on the mic" moment, and if you're a fan of Gus Johnson (which I am), you know that's saying something.
I don't see anymore than 6 wins for the Bengals this year. Which, considering we're talking about the Bengals, isn't half bad. And its 6 more wins than I think my Virginia Cavaliers will win this year:
The ACC's bad, and Virginia's the worst team in the ACC. If this were the English Premier League, they'd be demoted to CAA (where they'd struggle against in-state rival Richmond, James Madison, and William and Mary, who's already beaten the Hoos this year). Its just pathetic. Shocking how having a marching band and making the students wear orange doesn't automatically translate into having a winning program. I know going 0-12 (or, by some miracle, 1-11) won't be cause for ditching the marching band (though we can always hope), but at the very least I hope all the students burn their "Sea of Orange" shirts and return to wearing ties and sun dresses on game day. I don't think Virginia's in the business of firing coaches mid-season, regardless of how bad it gets, so the impending winless season will be all Al Groh's to bear. Couldn't happen to a more deserving guy.
Been to a couple of local amateur MMA fights (ICF events) with PreView and Puddin' recently. Interesting, to say the least. The 7-sided octagon (which, I guess, is technically a heptagon, but that's not as fun to say as "7-sided octagon") threw me a bit at first, but the events are fun and the people watching is outstanding (both in a good way and a bad way). Quick shout out to the guys at Fight Ribbon; good people with a great product.
Apparently, Kanye West did something outrageous at the VMAs last night. My first thought? "They still hold the VMAs?" Who knew? I wasn't watching. I was busy watching Jay Cutler rack up points for the Green Bay defense by consistently hitting the open Packer defender. Good for my fantasy team. One of them, at least. What wasn't good for my fantasy teams? Orton's BS touchdown (see above), Drew Brees throwing against a high school defense, Joe Flacco sitting on my bench, and the lack of scoring by Matt Forte, Roddy White, and Donald Driver. Not a good start of the fantasy football season. But hey, I'm currently winning my baseball league!
Speaking of baseball, are the Reds still playing? Can't recall the last game where I watched more than two innings. 82-80, huh? Might be a little off on that prediction. Thank God they're in the same division as the Pirates or else there'd be a lot more last place finishes.
The new TV season is about to start up. This, plus football, is why fall is the best time of the year. Already hooked on Glee- cheesy and hokey on the outside, subversive and sardonic on the inside. Will be definitely be checking out Flash Forward (read the book, and I think the show has a chance to be better) and will probably check out V and Community. Can't wait to see how Fringe comes back from their season finale. Wondering if Heroes can come back and just be better than "suck." And there are probably a half dozen more shows (at least) that I'll be watching as well.
So much television, so little time. Its a wonder I that I ever get anything done (which is probably why I never do).
Showing posts with label mma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mma. Show all posts
Monday, September 14, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Weekly TV Thoughts: 01/25 - 01/31
This is going up ass early on Sunday because I just got back from watching the Penn-St. Pierre fight at Puddin's house and decided to try and stay up and watch the Australian Open Men's Final between Nadal and Federer live. Its never not a good match when those two meet, especially for a grand slam title, so I figure it'd be worth staying up for. Plus, it would allow me too sleep through the morning/afternoon and thereby miss the 9+ hours of Super Bowl pregame crap. Anyway, to the week that was in TV:
-24, Monday: American lives versus Sangalan lives; which would you choose? As I watched this episode, I couldn't help but be reminded of an epsisode of The West Wing. Working with a similar plot, minus the domestic terrorist threat, President Bartlet is contemplating US involvment in a civil war that is tearing apart the country of Equitorial Kundu (think Rwanda circa 1994). Its on the eve of his second inaurgural, and while working on the speech, Bartlet asks Will Bailey, "Why is a Kudanese life worth less to me than an American life?” The question was rhetorical, but Will responded anyway with, “I don’t know, but it is.” This leads Bartlet to introduce what becomes known as "The Bartlet Doctrine", which states that American forces will intervene wherever there are humanitarian interests at stake. I think it would have been awesome if President Taylor had dropped the “Bartlet Doctrine” in her reasoning for sending troops to Sangala; afterall, it wouldn’t have been the first time these two shows have referenced each other. Once, during a crisis, President Bartlet gave the order to “mobilize CTU”, and at the beginning of this season, a suspect’s lawyers were from the law firm of Gage Whitney Pace, which was is a fictional firm used on The West Wing (and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, for that matter; Aaron Sorkin likes to reuse things). Yeah, that's the kind of junk I just know.
-Fringe, Tuesday: For I second there, I thought I was watching The Ring. Watch creepy video, see hallucinations, die. Seriously folks, how many times do you need to hear it- DON'T CLICK ON POP-UPS!! Sheesh.
-Lost, Wednesday: Man, where to begin? So Charles Widmore was once on the island. That explains A LOT. His knowledge about the island and his desire to find it again... its all starting to make sense. I guess the next big question with Widmore is why he left the island in the first place. Was it his choice or was he forced to do so? We get some answers on Charles Widmore and all it does it create more questions. Well done, Lost. Next, I loved the connection they made with Locke and Richard Alpert, explaining why Alpert came to see Locke as a child. I guess it was the compass that Locke was expected to pick during Alpert's little test. Now, the H-bomb. I've read that its supposed to play a big role in the story this season, so I wonder what that is. One theory out there is that the bomb gets buried in the location that would eventually become the Dharma Swan Station. Did pushing the button every 108 minutes keep the bomb from exploding? No idea, but stranger coincidences have happened. Which brings me to the last major point of the episode- the introduction of a new character named Ellie. Lots of chatter on the interwebs about her. Check it- Faraday says that she reminds him of someone he knew. The obvious choice given in this episode as to whom he is refering to is Theresa, the girl Faraday incapaticated by messing with her brain. But that, like communism, was just a red herring. So who was Faraday refering to? The rumor de jour is that Faraday was talking about his mother, who has already been rumored to be Mrs. Hawking, the lady Desmond met in the jewelry story and Ben met in the church. Her full name is Eloise Hawking. Ellie, Eloise.... its just too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence, thus I'm thinking its probably true. It would also explain why Mrs. Hawking knows so much about the island; she, like Charles Widmore, was also once living on the island. Nothing is ever incidental on Lost; everything has a meaning, everything is tied to something. I've just come to assume that everything on Lost is a Chekhov Gun.
-Psych, Friday: Just one quick note- I love that they name-checked The Mentalist this week. It reminded me of when Scrubs name-dropped Grey's Anatomy in an episode ("Its like they took our lives and put them on TV!"). The Mentalist is basically Psych plus serious.
-Battlestar Galactica, Friday: Has any character fallen as far as Feliz Gaeta? No on on the show as taking a larger fall from grace than Gaeta; at one time, he was one of the most virtuous members of the crew, always, in the end, doing what was right. But then came Baltar's trial, where he purjured himself on the stand to try and enact some revenge on Baltar. It was a low, despicable move by Gaeta, but little did we know then that it wouldn't be the worst thing he was capable of; he can now add mutiny and treason to his list of wrongs. The guy lost a leg during the last mutiny attempt- we're supposed to feel sympathy torward him; and yet I doubt there's a single BSG fan who doesn't want to see Gaeta die a slow, horrible, painful death. At this point, that's all he deserves. Loved seeing Adama and Tigh go all Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid at the end of the episode. From next week's promo, its clear that Adama lives, but you hear Zarek say that Tigh was killed. Again, like communism, I think this another red herring; he's just trying to convice the Cylons and Roslin that Tigh's dead. I think my favorite part of this episode was Starbuck's reaction to the mutiny. She's all business- no talk, no discussion, you're either with Adama or a traitor, and if you're a traitor, you die. Plain, simple, to the point. I hope its Starbuck that eventally takes down Gaeta. That would be fitting.
Final note- while I've been writing this, I've been listening to the 90's Music Choice channel, which is easily the greatest music channel available. A small sample of the songs I've heard while writing this post: Losing My Religion, REM, Free Fallin', Tom Petty (which, oddly enough, came out in 1989), Baby Got Back, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Black Velvet, Alannah Myles, Linger, The Cranberries, One Week, Barenaked Ladies... I should watch/listen to this channel more often.
-24, Monday: American lives versus Sangalan lives; which would you choose? As I watched this episode, I couldn't help but be reminded of an epsisode of The West Wing. Working with a similar plot, minus the domestic terrorist threat, President Bartlet is contemplating US involvment in a civil war that is tearing apart the country of Equitorial Kundu (think Rwanda circa 1994). Its on the eve of his second inaurgural, and while working on the speech, Bartlet asks Will Bailey, "Why is a Kudanese life worth less to me than an American life?” The question was rhetorical, but Will responded anyway with, “I don’t know, but it is.” This leads Bartlet to introduce what becomes known as "The Bartlet Doctrine", which states that American forces will intervene wherever there are humanitarian interests at stake. I think it would have been awesome if President Taylor had dropped the “Bartlet Doctrine” in her reasoning for sending troops to Sangala; afterall, it wouldn’t have been the first time these two shows have referenced each other. Once, during a crisis, President Bartlet gave the order to “mobilize CTU”, and at the beginning of this season, a suspect’s lawyers were from the law firm of Gage Whitney Pace, which was is a fictional firm used on The West Wing (and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, for that matter; Aaron Sorkin likes to reuse things). Yeah, that's the kind of junk I just know.
-Fringe, Tuesday: For I second there, I thought I was watching The Ring. Watch creepy video, see hallucinations, die. Seriously folks, how many times do you need to hear it- DON'T CLICK ON POP-UPS!! Sheesh.
-Lost, Wednesday: Man, where to begin? So Charles Widmore was once on the island. That explains A LOT. His knowledge about the island and his desire to find it again... its all starting to make sense. I guess the next big question with Widmore is why he left the island in the first place. Was it his choice or was he forced to do so? We get some answers on Charles Widmore and all it does it create more questions. Well done, Lost. Next, I loved the connection they made with Locke and Richard Alpert, explaining why Alpert came to see Locke as a child. I guess it was the compass that Locke was expected to pick during Alpert's little test. Now, the H-bomb. I've read that its supposed to play a big role in the story this season, so I wonder what that is. One theory out there is that the bomb gets buried in the location that would eventually become the Dharma Swan Station. Did pushing the button every 108 minutes keep the bomb from exploding? No idea, but stranger coincidences have happened. Which brings me to the last major point of the episode- the introduction of a new character named Ellie. Lots of chatter on the interwebs about her. Check it- Faraday says that she reminds him of someone he knew. The obvious choice given in this episode as to whom he is refering to is Theresa, the girl Faraday incapaticated by messing with her brain. But that, like communism, was just a red herring. So who was Faraday refering to? The rumor de jour is that Faraday was talking about his mother, who has already been rumored to be Mrs. Hawking, the lady Desmond met in the jewelry story and Ben met in the church. Her full name is Eloise Hawking. Ellie, Eloise.... its just too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence, thus I'm thinking its probably true. It would also explain why Mrs. Hawking knows so much about the island; she, like Charles Widmore, was also once living on the island. Nothing is ever incidental on Lost; everything has a meaning, everything is tied to something. I've just come to assume that everything on Lost is a Chekhov Gun.
-Psych, Friday: Just one quick note- I love that they name-checked The Mentalist this week. It reminded me of when Scrubs name-dropped Grey's Anatomy in an episode ("Its like they took our lives and put them on TV!"). The Mentalist is basically Psych plus serious.
-Battlestar Galactica, Friday: Has any character fallen as far as Feliz Gaeta? No on on the show as taking a larger fall from grace than Gaeta; at one time, he was one of the most virtuous members of the crew, always, in the end, doing what was right. But then came Baltar's trial, where he purjured himself on the stand to try and enact some revenge on Baltar. It was a low, despicable move by Gaeta, but little did we know then that it wouldn't be the worst thing he was capable of; he can now add mutiny and treason to his list of wrongs. The guy lost a leg during the last mutiny attempt- we're supposed to feel sympathy torward him; and yet I doubt there's a single BSG fan who doesn't want to see Gaeta die a slow, horrible, painful death. At this point, that's all he deserves. Loved seeing Adama and Tigh go all Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid at the end of the episode. From next week's promo, its clear that Adama lives, but you hear Zarek say that Tigh was killed. Again, like communism, I think this another red herring; he's just trying to convice the Cylons and Roslin that Tigh's dead. I think my favorite part of this episode was Starbuck's reaction to the mutiny. She's all business- no talk, no discussion, you're either with Adama or a traitor, and if you're a traitor, you die. Plain, simple, to the point. I hope its Starbuck that eventally takes down Gaeta. That would be fitting.
Final note- while I've been writing this, I've been listening to the 90's Music Choice channel, which is easily the greatest music channel available. A small sample of the songs I've heard while writing this post: Losing My Religion, REM, Free Fallin', Tom Petty (which, oddly enough, came out in 1989), Baby Got Back, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Black Velvet, Alannah Myles, Linger, The Cranberries, One Week, Barenaked Ladies... I should watch/listen to this channel more often.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Random Thoughts From A Weekend Of Sports Television
-The Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics were insane. There's no other country in the world that could have put on a show like that; no one else has either a)the discipline or b)the man power the Chinese have. Favorite part: the tai chi segment. As someone who's tried (and failed) to get 75 people to line up and create coherent formations, seeing 2,008 people do it near flawlessly was crazy impressive. Least favorite part (aside from hearing Bob Costas and Matt Lauer give ridiculous factoids about countries no one can find on a map): the torch lighting. I know, I know, it was pretty cool to see the guy get hoisted up to the top of the stadium and all, but did he really have to run around the whole damn thing? By the time he got all the way around, the actual lighting was kind of anticlimactic.
-The Reds suck.
-Fuck the French. The men's 4X100 meter freestyle relay final was absolutely incredible. If Michael Phelps goes on and wins 8 gold medals and gets that million dollar check from Visa, I hope he sends a good chunk of it to Jason Lezak. For about 375 meters, I was looking pretty good on my call that one of the relays would end Phelps's quest for 8 golds. And I'm glad I was wrong (at least on this one), especially after hearing the smack talk from the French (specifically from the guy that choked away the race at the end). Haven't there been enough examples, particularly in sports, of guys having to eat crow because they couldn't back it up when the time came? Fuck Alain Bernard. He deserved to lose that race, in that way, with him being the goat.
-I really like watching volleyball. Sure, everyone loves (women's) beach volleyball, but I've been getting into the indoor game as well (and if you watching for the, uh, talent- Puddin', I'm looking at you- check out Logan Tom; the camera loves her, and with good reason). I knew a guy back in Virginia, who we'll call Game Genie, that always sang the praises of volleyball (only guy I knew that played in volleyball rec leagues and such); I think I'm beginning to catch on. Love the beach volleyball, but I'm going to try and catch some more of indoor as well.
-Brock Lesner impressed me a little. I don't think he was great, but he was better than I expected. Granted, I wasn't expecting much, given how he lost his first match, but he fared better against Herring than I thought he would (in that he won the match by decision). Also thought GSP would've ended the fight before it went the distance. But I'm still learning the MMA world.
-Koreans are good at shooting things, particularly arrows. If there's such as thing as an archery powerhouse, South Korea is it.
-Speaking of Koreans, big ups to Park Taehwan for winning the country's first ever swimming medal, and for it to be gold. Dude's like 18 or 19 and he'll never have to pay for anything ever again back in Korea. I know he's young, but he needs to retire NOW and open up a swimming academy in Seoul. In terms of competition, there's no where to go but down for this kid; this is one case where I say quit while you're ahead and rest on these laurels for the rest of your life.
-The Reds suck big time.
-Melissa Stark, still hot. I think people forget that she was Erin Andrews before Erin Andrews was Erin Andrews (I'll leave it to Puddin' for the side-by-side picture analysis). And when it comes down to it, I'll take the fellow Wahoo (Stark) over the Florida Gator (Andrews). [Edit: Puddin' comes through, as I knew he would. Head over to Dollar Hot Dogs and cast your vote for history!]
-What the fuck is Cris Collinsworth doing in Beijing?
-Favorite Bob Costas moment thus far: after Mary Carillo showed a piece on a Chinese acrobat school, Bob said something to the effect of: [facing Mary] "Great story, Mary, thanks for stopping by... [turns to face camera]... as if she just dropped in to, 'Hi.'"
-I don't like gymnastics, but I will watch the still rings (men) and the balance beam (women) because no matter how many times I see them, it still amazes me that any human could perform those tricks. I know that to be an elite gymnast you have to have an incredible amount of strength and athleticism, but in my mind, these two events are just beyond the realm human ability.
-Tiger who? What a finish to the PGA Championship. I hope people don't end up labeling Padrig Harrington the "Houston Rockets of golf" because these last two majors have come with Woods on the sidelines; remember, he won the '07 Open Championship with Tiger in the field, so he's beaten him. The putts he made on 16, 17, and 18 were crazy. Tiger-esque, if you will. He's easily the favorite going into Augusta next year. As for Sergio ("You know Sergio?!"), I do think he'll eventually win a major. Step one is flat out not playing well in majors, step two is gut-wrenching loses (see: Mickelson, Phil). With this loss and last year's Open Championship, Sergio's only on step two.
-And speaking of Phil, he had a great line of commercials for Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts during the PGA, best of which was this one:
That just about covers the weekend. Still got 2 weeks of Olympic coverage- great way to distract me from the epic fail that is the Reds. And from preseason football. Hate preseason football.
-The Reds suck.
-Fuck the French. The men's 4X100 meter freestyle relay final was absolutely incredible. If Michael Phelps goes on and wins 8 gold medals and gets that million dollar check from Visa, I hope he sends a good chunk of it to Jason Lezak. For about 375 meters, I was looking pretty good on my call that one of the relays would end Phelps's quest for 8 golds. And I'm glad I was wrong (at least on this one), especially after hearing the smack talk from the French (specifically from the guy that choked away the race at the end). Haven't there been enough examples, particularly in sports, of guys having to eat crow because they couldn't back it up when the time came? Fuck Alain Bernard. He deserved to lose that race, in that way, with him being the goat.
-I really like watching volleyball. Sure, everyone loves (women's) beach volleyball, but I've been getting into the indoor game as well (and if you watching for the, uh, talent- Puddin', I'm looking at you- check out Logan Tom; the camera loves her, and with good reason). I knew a guy back in Virginia, who we'll call Game Genie, that always sang the praises of volleyball (only guy I knew that played in volleyball rec leagues and such); I think I'm beginning to catch on. Love the beach volleyball, but I'm going to try and catch some more of indoor as well.
-Brock Lesner impressed me a little. I don't think he was great, but he was better than I expected. Granted, I wasn't expecting much, given how he lost his first match, but he fared better against Herring than I thought he would (in that he won the match by decision). Also thought GSP would've ended the fight before it went the distance. But I'm still learning the MMA world.
-Koreans are good at shooting things, particularly arrows. If there's such as thing as an archery powerhouse, South Korea is it.
-Speaking of Koreans, big ups to Park Taehwan for winning the country's first ever swimming medal, and for it to be gold. Dude's like 18 or 19 and he'll never have to pay for anything ever again back in Korea. I know he's young, but he needs to retire NOW and open up a swimming academy in Seoul. In terms of competition, there's no where to go but down for this kid; this is one case where I say quit while you're ahead and rest on these laurels for the rest of your life.
-The Reds suck big time.
-Melissa Stark, still hot. I think people forget that she was Erin Andrews before Erin Andrews was Erin Andrews (I'll leave it to Puddin' for the side-by-side picture analysis). And when it comes down to it, I'll take the fellow Wahoo (Stark) over the Florida Gator (Andrews). [Edit: Puddin' comes through, as I knew he would. Head over to Dollar Hot Dogs and cast your vote for history!]
-What the fuck is Cris Collinsworth doing in Beijing?
-Favorite Bob Costas moment thus far: after Mary Carillo showed a piece on a Chinese acrobat school, Bob said something to the effect of: [facing Mary] "Great story, Mary, thanks for stopping by... [turns to face camera]... as if she just dropped in to, 'Hi.'"
-I don't like gymnastics, but I will watch the still rings (men) and the balance beam (women) because no matter how many times I see them, it still amazes me that any human could perform those tricks. I know that to be an elite gymnast you have to have an incredible amount of strength and athleticism, but in my mind, these two events are just beyond the realm human ability.
-Tiger who? What a finish to the PGA Championship. I hope people don't end up labeling Padrig Harrington the "Houston Rockets of golf" because these last two majors have come with Woods on the sidelines; remember, he won the '07 Open Championship with Tiger in the field, so he's beaten him. The putts he made on 16, 17, and 18 were crazy. Tiger-esque, if you will. He's easily the favorite going into Augusta next year. As for Sergio ("You know Sergio?!"), I do think he'll eventually win a major. Step one is flat out not playing well in majors, step two is gut-wrenching loses (see: Mickelson, Phil). With this loss and last year's Open Championship, Sergio's only on step two.
-And speaking of Phil, he had a great line of commercials for Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts during the PGA, best of which was this one:
That just about covers the weekend. Still got 2 weeks of Olympic coverage- great way to distract me from the epic fail that is the Reds. And from preseason football. Hate preseason football.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)