Welcome to the MarlinBlog - unvarnished, unedited and uncensored comments from your host on just about any topic you can imagine. Fishing, sports, celebrity, politics, religion - all those topics they tell you to stay away from in polite conversation. Not here, baby! I make you no promise but this - we may agree, we may disagree, but you'll always get the truth - as I see it ...
Wednesday, January 31st
But Does He Get A Discount If He Decides To Buy Her?
The rent-to-own concept is all the rage for people who can't afford that 60-inch plasma screen they really want. One guy in China, however, has taken the idea to its illogical extreme ...
The physics student, who gave his name as Zhu Lijie, posted a notice on a bulletin board at Peking University offering 1,000 yuan ($130) to a woman who would pose as his girlfriend for the trip home for the holiday, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Zhu had told his parents, who were pressuring him to get a girlfriend, that he had been studying too hard and had no time to meet a potential partner.
Somehow, I think all that time buried in a physics book has made him miss the point ...
Building a satellite is a tricky deal. You spent years in design and assembly of an incredibly complex system, and then wrap it up and stick it on top of a rocket for launch - the worst possible place to put such a fragile package. But that's the only way to get it where it's gotta go, and you take the risk and pray for the best.
Most of the time, things go just fine. The satellite arrives on orbit, unfolds itself and starts its mission. Sometimes, though, it doesn't work out. Back when I first started in the satellite business, we launched a communications satellite using a Chinese Long March rocket. It made it up eleven miles before the launcher exploded, raining parts over the Chinese countryside. Hughes paid the locals for the parts so they could try and reconstruct the satellite - just to prove to the Chinese it wasn't our fault. I still have a wing hinge from that satellite on my desk - bent but functional.
One of the most successful launch systems in recent years has been the multi-national Sea Launch effort. Using ships based in Long Beach and a Russian Zenit-3SL launcher, many satellites have been successfully launched from the South Pacific near the equator. The last satellite I worked on in my factory days, Spaceway 1, was successfully launched by Sea Launch early last year. That was a good day.
Today, however, was not. Another of our satellites, New Skies 8, was onboard the Sea Launch Odyssey awaiting an opportunity for launch. This afternoon the launch was finally attempted, but it didn't get far. The booster seemed to rise slightly before dropping back onto the platform and exploding. The good news is that no one is on the launch platform during the liftoff, with all personnel evacuated to the control ship Sea Launch Commander. But there's not much left of New Skies 8.
Now starts the fact finding and finger pointing. Sea Launch cut off their broadcast seconds after the picture you see here and posted a cryptic message on their website:
A Sea launch Zenit-3SL vehicle, carrying the NSS-8 satellite, experienced an anomaly today during launch operations. All personnel at the launch site are safe and accounted for.
I suspect tomorrow will be an interesting day around the Satellite Factory ...
Spent most of the weekend rebuilding my back yard after a tough winter, but still had time to watch some sports:
- It looks like the Tiger Woods of 2007 looks damned similar to the 2006 model, and that's bad news for the rest of the PGA. Playing in his first event of the year at Torrey Pines, Tiger waited until the front side of the final round before calmly passing the leaders. For those of you counting, that's seven straight stroke-victories on the PGA Tour - 5 short of the incredible Byron Nelson record. There'll be lots of time to debate whether he'll challenge the record (and adjust his schedule so that the Masters is the record breaking event ...). What I find amazing is the impact he continues to have on his competitors. When they see Tiger in their rear view mirrors, they react as we do to a fire engine - they pull to the side of the fairway and let him pass. Certainly much of that is the psych-out effect, but I think there's another factor. Over the last 10 years, Tiger has won 55 events. That's not only 55 trophies on Woods' shelf, but 55 that aren't in the trophy rooms of the other guys. There's an entire generation of Tour players now that have no real experience at closing out events, because Tiger wins them all. And the scary part? History has shown that pro golfers shoot their best in their thirties ...
- Serena Williams - unranked after a long year of injuries - finished off an amazing run in the Australian Open by absolutely dismantling #1 ranked Maria Sharapova. Perhaps even more amazing is the fact that she was clearly out of shape (for her) and out of practice. Playing on instinct and raw power, she pummeled the field. A lot is made of Serena and her body type, but the fact is she could probably kick your ass - and could certainly take out anyone on tour. If she ever gets her mind fully in the game and stays healthy for a full season, I think she could give Federer and Nadal a real run for their money - and that's one match I'd pay to watch!
- Is it just me, or has the runup to the Super Bowl been remarkably low-keyed? I know it's still a week off, and we'll certainly see more hype this week, but it's almost as if people are worried about getting burned by the build-up followed by a stink bowl like the BCS Championship. So far, the only thing I've seen is a lot of talk about Britney's ex K-FED (or F-KED, as they're calling him now - think about it ... ) and his SB commercial. Strange ...
- One of the more compelling sports stories of the last year ended today as 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was put down after a long fight to recover from injuries suffered during last year's Preakness. At the time, Barbaro's handlers admitted they were going into uncharted territory as they tried to treat an injury that would have seen a less prized mount euthanized on track. I'm not much of an animal person, but it's clear even to me that this horse caught the attention and emotions of many. In the end, they did what was right for the horse and not their business bottom line, and for that they should be applauded. Hopefully, veterinary science will be able to use the lessons learned from Barbaro to save more horses in the future.
Say what you want about cop dramas or reality shows - when it comes to great TV, give me some quality sci-fi. From Flash Gordon to Star Trek to today's shows, nothing gets you away from the problems of the current day like watching a bunch of aliens fight in a galaxy far, far away.
One of the most popular of today's current crop of science fiction shows is actually a remake of a "classic" of sorts. Battlestar Galactica ran in the late 70s and told the story of a rag-tag fleet of distant relatives of humans forced to fleet from a race of killer robots. With a cast filled with familiar faces like Lorne Greene, Dirk Benedict and Richard Hatch, sometimes it seemed more like "The Love Boat". But the special effects - rumored to cost over $1 million per episode - were cutting edge.
Fast forward to today, and a new generation of BSG. Grittier, edgier, and much more realistic. Sexier, too - both the good and bad sides have their share of worthy babes. Leading the list is the new Cylon model known only as "Number 6", portrayed in her many copies by Tricia Helfer. From the first time we saw her spine glow red as she seduced her way to the destruction of the colonies, we knew she was special. Thanks to a pictorial in the February issue of Playboy, we get to see just how special. And, courtesy of the MB, so can you ...
Oh, and if you want to catch her doing the Cylon thing, watch Battlestar Galactica Sunday nights at 10pm on the Sci-Fi Channel.
A molecular scientist in Durham, NC, has developed a way to add caffeine into baked goods and is looking for a vendor willing to produce the pastries.
“I had the idea for caffeinated pastries several years ago, but the bitter taste of the caffeine would always overwhelm the flavor,” says Dr. Robert Bohannon, who is president of Onasco, Inc. “I eventually worked with some flavoring experts and designed a method to mask the bitterness, which led to successfully adding the caffeine equivalent of one to two cups of coffee to the food item.
Some people get their caffeine buzz from soda, chocolate and other sources besides coffee,” continues Dr. Bohannon. “The Buzz Donut and the Buzzed Bagel lets them get the caffeine buzz by simply eating a delicious pastry item.”
He's already hit up the big three - Dunkin' Donuts, Krispy Kreme and Starbucks - about mass producing these little bombs. I can see it now - a venti mocha latte' with extra shots paired with a couple of Buzz Donuts - they'll be peeling me off the ceiling. The blood will be moving so fast through my arteries the donuts won't have time to clog them ...
Yes, it's Cold and Flu Season here at the Home Office. I was complaining about how cold my house was, and all the things I was going to do in the future to fix it, but the ol' Cold Virus didn't want to wait.
They say that the average common cold lasts about a week; mild ones fade after a couple of days while the nasty guys can hang on for two weeks or longer. I'm on Day Eight now, and it still has a pretty good grip. The runny nose - fuzzy head stage is gone, but the damned thing has taken residence in my lungs and is looking to homestead. Let's just say that between my croaky voice and tubercular cough, no one misses the fact that something's wrong with Stan.
I have one of those jobs where the progress of the project is closely linked to the progress of Stan. I'd just love to spend a week on the couch with chicken soup and lemon tea, but that's just not gonna happen. A lot of people would drag themselves into work out of a sense of inflated importance or a fear that their job is at risk. They even have a name for it - "presenteeism". Fortunately, I'm a pretty mobile guy - give me a data port for my laptop and ready access to coffee and I'm good to go. I took a recovery day Monday, but since then I've been moving from location to location using the virtual office facilites Boeing so conveniently offers. This way, I can get in my work without infecting my team. Of course, the others in the Hoteling Center are less than happy ...
The worst part of being sick is that it cuts down what you can get done in a day, and the biggest impact has been here at the MB. You just don't feel very creative when you're under the weather. A quiet weekend and lots of fluids should have me back to my prolific self by Monday!
Time for a new feature here at the ol' MB: STFU! Most of you know what that stands for; if you don't, just Google it for a better understanding. Once you return, it'll be no surprise to see who the first target it: Dallas Cowboys wide receiver and resident loose cannon Terrell Owens ...
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Boy, the seat hadn't cooled in Bill Parcells' office and you're already mouthing off about how great it is for the future of the organization. You apparently didn't have the stones to say it while he was there and could respond, but as soon as he's out the door, your mouth starts flappin':
“I was underutilized in the offense ... I wasn’t used as a No. 1 receiver. If you don’t involve a guy, that person is not going to be as productive as he can be. That’s how I felt.”
Let's see - you were underutilized, but led the league in touchdown receptions? Maybe you are confusing "underutilized" with "underachieved", which is understandable considering you also led the league in dropped passes ...
“This past year was a big letdown. On paper we were as good as anybody we played against every week. The end result didn’t show that. Our play was not indicative of what we could have done. What we should have done. Hopefully, the owner will hire a coach to take the team to the next level.”
Let me explain something to you, TO ... the difference between performance "on paper" and "in reality" isn't the coaching - it's the guys on the field. The general manager brings in the players, the coach makes the game plan, and then they turn it over to you guys in the uniforms to execute. If you suck in reality and not on paper, you might want to check out that guy looking back at you in the mirror.
And just how, exactly, do you expect that coach to "take you to the next level"? By throwing all the passes your way? By picking a new holder for placekicks? By hiring you a new publicist before your next prima donna attack?
Last time I checked, pal, the only guys who can impact the score are those on the field - and that means you. Here's a suggestion - focus less on press releases and more on crisp routes.
Leave it to a Briton to come up with this one. A researcher at Cardiff University has used mathematical equations to determine that today is the most depressing day of the year, dubbing it "Blue Monday".
Psychologist Cliff Arnall said he was driven to designate Jan. 22 as Blue Monday by mathematical equations that accounted for bad weather, debts from Christmas overspending and failure to keep New Year resolutions, The Independent reported Monday. Other experts expressed agreement with Arnall's assessment.
Maybe it's my cold medicine talking, but I'm betting if we hang Dr. Arnall up and beat him like a pinata, we'll all feel a little better ...
I was sick as a dawg this weekend (still am ... ), so my sports viewing was 1) skewed 90° by lying on the couch and 2) in and out between naps. But I still saw some interesting things ...
- We knew that the Chicago - New Orleans game would come down to whether Drew Brees could win it or Rex Grossman could not lose it. Give props to Rex for doing just enough to get the job done. He was essentially invisible save the one drive immediately after Brees' incredibly dumb safety. The Bears' D stepped it up, and Deuce McAllister apparently got lost on his way to the stadium. Except for one more entry on the Reggie Bush Highlight Reel, it was a blowout. The Bears have a mighty big challenge coming, though ...
- Unfortunately, the aforementioned Mr. Bush chose the biggest stage of his professional career to pull a stunt that was, frankly, bush. His extended taunt/somersault/dance exhibition was the kind of crap I'd expect to see from some of the ghetto punks that come out of Miami, not USC. If he'd have stayed in school another year, I'd like to have seen him pull that stunt in the Rose Bowl against Michigan. Pete Carroll would have kicked his sorry ass. Let's hope he got the earful he richly deserved from Sean Payton.
- Speaking of USC, the Raiders dipped into Carroll's staff to name their new head coach. Lane Kiffin, who was the playcaller for the Trojan offense, will be the youngest head coach in recent NFL history when he takes over the Silver and Black in the fall. This is an interesting selection on a lot of levels. We know that Al Davis likes young offensive minds, and took a run at SC Assistant Head Coach Steve Sarkisian, who they presumed would bring along Kiffin. When Sark took his name out of the running, they settles for Kiffin. Lane would seem to have a mighty large task ahead, taking over the worst team in the league that has been essentially adrift for two decades. At 31, he's younger than some of his players, and is only 10 separated from his time as the quarterback for Fresno State. It's a pretty big leap from college assistant coach to pro head coach, and it could get ugly. But he has no where to go but up, I suppose, and will probably be welcomed back into the USC family when he gets the boot in 18 months. Good luck, Kiff - you'll need it ...
- If you turned in a script that looked like the Colts - Patriots game, you'd get tossed out of the producers office. And yet, that's exactly what happened - right down to the Hollywood finish. Hell - when's the last time you saw three offensive linemen score touchdowns? Lots will be said about this one, and I'll leave it to others to dissect. One thing stands out, though. When the Colts scored early in the third to pull within 2 points at 21-19, the commentators all decried the decision to go for two. They made it, of course. Think of this, though - let's say they kick instead to make it 21-20. That means after the Colts' late TD the score is 37-34. Think Tom Brady's decision to try and squeeze in that last pass would have been colored had he been going for a tying field goal instead of a touchdown? Damn right ...
If you had to make a list of "Luckiest Bastards in America," I'm guessing Patriots QB Tom Brady would probably be near the top.
Let's see ... he's a three-time Super Bowl champion, financially set for life, and is a good looking guy. Everywhere he goes, women flock to him, and he's dated his share of hotties and starlets - most recently, actress Bridgett Moynihan.
In fact, I'm going to go so far as to say he's exceeded his share. Here's why: this weekend, after the Colts dropkick the Pats out of the playoffs, he'll shuffle off to the shower and training room to pull himself together. When he's ready to leave, who do you think will be waiting at the door? Supermodel Gisele Bundchen - Brady's latest squeeze and one of the hottest women on the planet. She was a guest in the owner's box at last week's game and has been seen out and about with Brady recently. It's not the same as hefting the Lombardi Trophy, but as runner-up prizes go, it ain't bad.
You'd think the ass-kicking Microsoft got when they tried to take on the iPod with their Zune mp3 Player would have woke up the brain-trust in Redmond ...
Microsoft has basically been sitting on their hands watching the rest of the world innovate the computer for most of the decade since they released Windows XP in 2001. Now they're ready to "save the world" with the release of Windows Vista later this year.
Never mind that this won't catch up with Apple's MacOX 10.4 - much less 10.5 due in a couple of months. We'll wait to comment on features. Let's just talk about pricing.
Traditionally, you can only get Windows pre-installed on a new computer, or by buying a disk in a box. One of the advantages to Apple - which blatantly stole their Software Update concept from Windows - is the ability to upgrade software over the Internet. I own 4 Macintoshs, each of which came packaged with the latest software available at the time. As updates to each version became available, I was able to download and install the updates just like Windows. But when OSX 10.2 became 10.3 and then 10.4, I was able to pay a small upgrade fee and download the new version for each machine.
Microsoft has apparently taken notice of this, and are including the ability to download Vista via the Internet as part of the upcoming release (God knows where you can find a broadband pipe big enough to download a product that will doubtless be bloated in the Microsoft tradition, but that's another story). This might lead you to think that the folks at MS had finally seen the light ... but then the other shoe drops.
Vista comes at four levels - Home Basic ($199), Home Premium ($239) Business ($299) and Ultimate ($399). When you buy Vista - by whatever method - you getthe entire product. However, you only get the keys to unlock the part of the product you pay for. Want to upgrade? No problem. Pay the fee online - Home Basic to Home Premium for another $79, Home Basic to Ultimate ($199), Home Premium to Ultimate ($159), or Business to Ultimate ($139) - and you get the appropriate keys.
We're down to the Final Four ... oops - that's some other sports' copyrighted name ...
We're down to the last three games of the NFL season, and this weekend we'll find out who makes it to the final weekend. The Saints-Bears game will be interesting, if only to see which team melts down first. Rex Grossman has looked like a quarterback again for the last few weeks, but you just know he's got at least one stinker left in him, and frankly, if I'm a Bears fan, I'd rather he do it now rather than embarass the club in the SB. A lot of talk has focused on the Saints' coming from the Dome to the semi-frozen tundra, but remember - Drew Brees came from Purdue, which is in the same general region. One sniff of the cold and he'll be fine.
But the real Must-See-TV ... oops, there goes that copyright infringement thing again ... will be the Peyton-Vs-Tom Show. There was a time not so long ago when it didn't matter how great a season Manning and the Colts had, how quick their start had been, or how many victories they'd rolled off in a row - their dreams would come crashing down to Earth when they faced the Patriots. It was clear that as Tom Brady's star rose, so too did his presence inside the skulls of Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy. The sight of Manning cursing himself after watching another ill-advised pass fall into the arms of a Patriot linebacker became as much a part of the holiday TV schedule as "A Peanuts Christmas".
But that was the old Peyton Manning and, frankly, the Old Patriots. That Manning was uptight, introverted and quick to blame his teammates when things went wrong. Today's Peyton understands the value of teammates, and has loosened up to the point that he can poke fun at himself in a series of successful TV commercials. At the same time, the exodus of talent - both on and off the field - from the Patriots organization has taken its toll. Every football program in the country seems to have plucked their own souvenir from the Patriots, and the closet is pretty bare. It's to the credit of Bill Belichick and the Patriots management that they're back in the AFC Championship, but it's really a case of the other teams fading first and the Pats simply being the last men standing.
After years of failure against New England, the Colts have won the last two meeting against the Patriots and seem to have figured out a way around the roadblock they've represented in the past. They shored up a significant weakness by signing a new kicker - no less than the Pats post-season hero Adam Vinitieri - and have won two games in the playoffs in spite of less than sterling performances by Manning. They really look like a team of destiny.
If there's one constant in LA, it's change. All you have to do is watch old episodes of Dragnet, Adam-12 or Emergency! to see how the landscape has changed in this city in my lifetime. Now it looks like another long-time landmark, the Trader Vic's restaraunt is about to fade into oblivion. The new owner of the Beverly Hilton hotel, of which TV's is part, intends to replace the restaraunt, a parking garage and a few other outbulidings with a new Waldorf Astoria hotel.
“Bringing two legendary hotel brands together in Beverly Hills will create a new legacy of luxury for The Beverly Hilton property,” said Beny Alagem, chairman of Oasis West and owner of The Beverly Hilton. “In the future the entire property will have a whole new look transforming its urban setting into a garden environment. Together, The Waldorf-Astoria Beverly Hills and The Beverly Hilton will create a one-of-a-kind hotel property that is unmatched in its diverse offerings, services and amenities for guests and residents of Beverly Hills.”
Man - don't you just love PR speak?
TV's has been on the corner of Wilshire and Santa Monica Blvds since 1955, and in its day was quite a hangout for the movers and shakers of Beverly Hills and Hollywood. Yeah, it's past its prime, but you just hate to see landmark after landmark ground under in the name of "progress". The Brown Derby ... the Ambassador Hotel ... Trader Vic's. Where does it end?
The pundits like to say that we don't have weather here in SoCal. Technically, though, we do have weather ... it's just very limited. Our highs are lower than most, and our lows are higher than most. We spent most of the year in that cozy belt between 55 and 85 degrees, so the severe weather that others deal with is just something we see on TV.
Until now.
I woke up this morning, and was blowing smoke trails across the bedroom. My bathroom heater has a thermometer built in, and told me that it was 45 degrees - in the house! The Arctic Express has definitely made a stop in California.
Of course, there's much worse news than just the tip of my nose getting numb. California's farm crops - which make up as much as a quarter of the nation - are getting hit hard. As much as half of the citrus, strawberry and avocado crop may have been ruined by sub-freezing temperatures. I even had frost damage to a Mexican sage in my backyard - a mile from the beach!
My house is your basic beach house - no insulation or central heating - and I'm really missing a thick layer of R-22 right about now ...
History has a funny way of treating the past. Once memory fades, history tends to remember the best in a person, and let die their weaknesses. That's probably a good thing, particularly if the memory of the person were to threaten the message they brought.
I was nine years old whem Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated; I have no memory of the man or the times. I think for many who do remember him, their perceptions are colored by their upbringing - whites over here, blacks over there. Right or wrong, it's understandable. He was a very polarizing figure. But as time moves forward, the memory is less about the man and more about the message - and that's just how it should be.
Today we celebrate the national holiday that commemorates Dr. King's birthday. For many, today will be a day of service - a day on, rather than off - and I think that's a very positive thing. Another positive action is to go back and revisit Dr. King's incredible "I Have A Dream" speech; to me, it ranks right with Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" as the great pieces of American oratory. One line always sticks out to me as the ultimate message:
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
Dr. King didn't want preferential or special treatment. He didn't want a handout for his people - just a hand. Given an equal opportunity, King had faith that his people could do the rest. Unfortunately, the hand isn't always there, and those who do receive it don't always use it wisely.
Remember the moment:
Progress has been made, but we still have far to go.
It was so cold in LA this weekend, I thought I might have to burn the TV for warmth. Fortunately, I found I could just bearhug it and stay warm while enjoying the weekend's sports up close and personal ...
- A full slate of NFL playoff games went down this weekend, and it was definitely a tale of two days. Saturday saw the Colts pull out a win in a mighty hostile environment (the Colts returning to Baltimore in a win-or-go-home game hostile? Say it ain't so ... ) against the best defense in the league. The Ravens D kept Peyton and Co out of the end zone, but 5 Adam Vinatieri field goals reminded everyone why his signing might have been the biggest of the off season. Seeing Tony Dungy mouth "money" after the winning kick was a huge contrast to last year, when Mike Vanderjagt's shank against Pittsburgh ended the Colts' season.
- We learned two things watching the Saints top the Eagles. First, they're for real - we can officially stop thinking of them as the "feel-good story" of the year. Second, Reggie Bush is going to be just fine in the NFL. People said he wasn't big enough or tough enough to survive against the real men of the league, but after taking the biggest hit I've ever seen - one that left him on all fours for a few seconds - he came back to combine with Deuce McAllister to run all over Philly. His touchdown run that started being piled up in the middle and ended up in the corner of the endzone after a turn-on-a-dime cut was classic Bush.
- Good news, Chicago fans ... Rex didn't lose the game for you. For once, he recognized his own limitations and did just enough to propel the Bears over the amazingly tough Seahawks. He's still the biggest liability in the playoffs, though - a live hand grenade just looking to go off at the worst possible moment.
- The Chargers got a valuable lesson yesterday: Playoff experience counts. Coming into this game, all everyone wanted to talk about was LT and Philip Rivers and their 14-2 record. The Patriots limped into the playoffs and had to an extra game on Wild Card Weekend. No one gave them much chance against the Bolts in San Diego. Big mistake. Here's the number you should have really been looking at: 11-1. That's the record for Tom Brady in the post-season coming into this game. Brady isn't the greatest QB the game has ever seen - he just figures out how to win, and he did it again yesterday. The Chargers will hopefully take a valuable lesson from this bitter experience; meanwhile, the Patriots get another date with the Colts in the Dome ...
- Breaking News: Hawaiian teenager plays all four days in the Sony Open! I know what you thinking, but no - it wasn't Michelle Wie. It was 16-yr amateur Tadd Fujikawa, all 5-1 of him. Not only did he make the cut, but a birdie on the 72nd hole gave him a T-20 finish and an amazing walk up the 18th green. Oh, and Wie? Yeah, she was there - again - and she went 78-76 to miss the cut - again. Someone please stop her before she hurts herself ...
- You probably thought the biggest war of words right now is between Rosie O and The Donald. That's nothing compared to the animosity developing between David Beckham and his soon-to-be-ex-team Real Madrid. RM has relegated Becks to the bench for much of the season, but after his signing with the Galaxy of the MLS last week, Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello declared that Beckham would never again play for his squad. He'll practice with the team, but can watch from the owner's box. Becks' people are trying to take the high road, but the Spanish press are running with this like it was a shot of a pantyless Britney Spears. The Galaxy would love to see Beckham released early from his contract to join the LA squad before August, but don't hold your breath. Meanwhile, Posh is in town searching for homes and schools. Paparazzi, start your shutters ...
When I make entries in the MarlinBlog, sometimes I get comments posted against them. More often, though, I'll get emails - usually when I've said something controversial - or stupid - and someone wants to either question my remarks or call me out on them in a less public manner. I'm fine with that - this is an interactive blog.
Last week, one of my entries generated a few comments but a flurry of emails. They weren't combative, though. They were about the picture of the mysterious brunette from the Febi Bilstein calendar, and they all went something like this: "You said it was a calendar - that means there's more, right?"
You are correct, sir! Twelve shots (duh), but only two girls, so I've included number 2 for your enjoyment. Meet our mystery blonde. Again, if you have any idea who she is, pass it along!
Oh, and you might see them pop up again later this year - after all, there's ten more months ...
It's been a long time since I've been able to talk about good news when it comes to professional football in Los Angeles. Of course, this news doesn't include the NFL ...
In a move that transcends sports and will make front page headlines around the world, David Beckham - recent captain of the English national soccer team, Spice Girl husband and possibly the most famous athlete in the world - has signed a five-year contract to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy of the Major League Soccer league. If all elements of the contract are met, the total worth can be as much as $250 million.
The next few days will see the impact of this deal debated in many ways. How will it impact Beckham the athlete and Beckham the celebrity. What can Beckham bring to the Galaxy and soccer in America, and how will his signing be seen by other premier league players who might also be looking to cross the pond?
The obvious comparison is to the effort by the New York Cosmos of the old NASL to bring Pele', Franz Beckenbauer and others to America in the late '70s. In that case, the results were mixed - much initial publicity, but the financial drag of the contracts bankrupted the team and ultimately the league. Also, some of the stars - Pele' in particular - were well beyond their prime when they arrived in New York.
Beckham is as big a name as there is in the sport, but he's only 31 and less than a year removed from the captaincy of his national team. While clearly not the player he was at 25, his style - that of a playmaker rather than a breakaway threat - should let his competitive career last longer than flashier players. And his freekick - deadly enough to inspire the movie "Bend It Like Beckham" is as dangerous as ever.
In a lot of ways, the best comparison is really to the decision by Wayne Gretzky to leave the Edmonton Oilers to come and play for the Los Angeles Kings. While still a premier player, Gretzky's best scoring seasons were behind him when he arrived in town. And, like Beckham, Gretzky's trophy wife had a desire to chase the bright lights in Hollywood. While Janet Jones might have never become a household name, everyone knows Victoria Beckham - the former Posh Spice - and you just know the celebrity couple will garner their share of ink.
I don't know how it will all pan out. Will we see this trade in the future as the watershed moment for soccer in America? Will it have the same impact for the MLS as the Gretzky trade in legitimizing hockey in the West? Or will we look back on this the way we do the great Lakers experiment of a few years ago when Gary Payton and Karl Malone were brought in to join Kobe and Shaq as an uber-team that ultimately self-destructed. Only time will tell, but it should be an interesting ride ...
UPDATE (1-12): Think it's no big deal that Becks and Posh are relocating to LA? Consider the following:
Point #1 - The Galaxy sold 1000 season tickets yesterday afternoon - and Beckham won't even come over until the 2/3 point in the season!
Point #2 - LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's office issued a press release on the subject. The first word in the release? “G o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o a l ! !”
Love 'em or hate 'em, no one has done more to improve the average person's ability to access technology than Apple Computer's Steve Jobs. Apple didn't invent the computer, but they introduced the Graphical User Interface that opened up computing to the non-programmer. They didn't invent the portable music player, but they introduced the first one that kept the hardware out of the way of the music - a little thing called the iPod. They don't invent the products - they just make the products better than the rest.
In the last decade, different technology streams have converged on your pocket. Music players, PDAs, cell phones ... all this technology available at your fingertips. Each device type has grown in complexity as they try to be the do-all end-all product - the one that ends up as the only one you carry. Some have come close, like the BlackBerry, but none have managed to get it right - until now.
It was inevitable, and the day has come - meet the iPhone, Apple's first entry into the cellphone market. But to call this a phone is a crime. Yeah, it makes calls, but it includes a fully-functional video iPod, full-screen web browsing (no more cut-down versions of sites like this!), the easiest text messaging I've ever seen, and a 2-megapixel camera. Oh, and did I mention it removed the single biggest pain in the ass on all it's competitors - the buttons! The iPhone is totally touchscreen - very cool.
Now, there are certainly downsides. It could have a bigger hard drive and more megapixels, and the touchscreen looks like you'll spend a lot of time wiping it clean. But hell - it's the first one! Imagine if this goes through the development improvements over the next couple of years that the iPod did - wow!
They're not cheap - the price starts at $499 - but it's less than the cost of a smartphone and an iPod. And this one runs on MacOSX - no more of that half-assed Windows Mobile crap.
Every year at MacWorld, the high point is when Steve Jobs dons the black turtleneck and introduces the new products. This time, he said that Apple was introducing three new products - a touchscreen video iPod, a revolutionary new phone, and a 1-of-a-kind internet access device. After pumping up the crowd, he told them that all three products were actually combined into one device. "And here it is," he said, as a giant picture of the new device appeared on the video screen behind him - a first-generation iPod with a rotary phone dial! The guy still has it ...
Oh, and they're renaming the company "Apple Inc." - from "Apple Computer Inc." to reflect the new direction. In addition to the iPhone, they released a device called "AppleTV" that serves to merge the digital media on your computer with your television and entertainment system - just like Microsoft keeps trying to do without success.
Yeah, I know there was other sports to watch, but did you? Me neither ...
- I don't know if Tony Romo's butterfingers will be remembered alongside Leon Lett and Bill Buckner, but he'll definitely have a long offseason. I'll bet even Carrie Underwood's stopped taking his calls. It really is amazing how quickly Romo-mania became Romo-blamia. To be fair, though, if he were still the backup QB and his only time on the field yesterday was for kicks, he'd be a goat. Now that he's the starter, he'll have many more opportunities to screw up far worse than this ...
- Was T.O. even in the stadium yesterday? Two catches for twenty-something yards. He's proved again that his up-side can't make up for the down. Three teams he was supposed to take to the top, and this is the third to go home early. It still goes back to that first time we saw him on the big stage, catching a TD for the 49ers to win a playoff game in the late '90s. He came off the field crying like a baby, and I can remember thinking, "there's something wrong with that guy ..."
- It was sad to see Tiki Barber's career come to an end with a loss to the Eagles yesterday, but the big grin on his face as he walked around the field after the game should be all you need to know about how he feels about facing retirement ...
- Look, I hate the Patriots top to bottom, but is there a better team come playoff time? Watching them find another gear for the second season is a lot like watching the Lakers in years past - limping through the regular schedule only to dominate the playoffs. Admittedly, this isn't the best Pats team of the decade, and they have a massive challenge next week heading into San Diego. But I wouldn't count them out.
- Our long national nightmare is over. Tonight is the last bowl game of the 2006 college football season. Hell, I can't even remember the first, it was so long ago. The BCS folks will tell you they got it right, but not matter who wins, I'm sure there will be people at Boise State or USC who'd beg to differ. Ohio State is the big favorite, but in my mind it all comes down to Florida QB Chris Leak. He's been up and down his entire career as he's tried to match the potential everyone saw in him. If he has the game he's capable of, it will be close; otherwise it's a Buckeye blowout.
Back in the day, male-oriented businesses - you know ... cars, guns, beer - would gather a bevy of scantily-clad girls, take their pictures holding the product and trying to look natural, and produce a calendar for men to hang on the wall in their garage, den or whatever space their wives let them have as their own. Sometimes the girls wore tops ... sometimes not ... and many of the calendars made stars of unknowns like Marilyn Monroe.
Technology marches on, and today the wall calendar has given way to the screensaver as the advertising device of choice. Now, for me, the screensaver became passe' the day I bought my first LCD monitor, but I still get emails from different companies with a link to let me download their latest screensaver. I'd have deleted the one from German car parts haus Febi Bilstein as well if they hadn't included the sample you see here. Holy Cheese and Rice! I have no idea who she is but ... wow! I have a sudden urge to buy German shocks ... at least I think that's what the urge is ...
Click on our mystery girl to see more, and if you figure out who she is, let me know! I'm not too old to have children ... or to date them ...
Today, the body of Gerald R. Ford, 38th President of the United States, reached its final resting place in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This marks the end of a week-long state funeral that began in Palm Springs and had a stop in Washington, DC. It was a simple yet dignified process that was much like the man it honored.
I was fifteen when Ford became president, and I can vividly recall the uncertainty of the times. The twin disgraces of Nixon and Agnew were replaced by Ford and Rockefeller, and no one really knew what would happen next. Saigon fell, and we all watched the parade of desparate refugees climbing to the rool of the US Embassy, hoping to catch a ride on one of the final evacuation helicopters. The Cold War was still going strong, and no one knew how this sense of American weakness might be perceived in the Kremlin - a first attack? Unemployment was high, and inflation higher. It was a difficult time.
Into this crucible came Gerald Ford. Never elected to office higher than the House of Representatives, he suddenly was the most powerful man in the world. He surrounded himself with good, young assistants, rolled up his sleeves, and got to work rebuilding the nation. The fruits of many of his labors wouldn't be born until long after he left office, but it was his efforts that laid the foundation for much of the success found by Ronald Reagan four years later. But that was fine with Gerry - he sought no recognition for his efforts.
Very early in his tenure as president, he made the decision that ultimately defined his administration and sealed his political fate. Correctly recognizing the distraction that would be caused by a Democratic congress demanding detailed hearings over the Watergate scandal, and understanding that no worse punishment could possibly be done to Richard Nixon than he had already received in his disgraceful resignation, Ford chose to pardon Nixon for all crimes he may have committed. Rather than have the Congress bog itself down at a time when its full attention was needed to rebuild the country, Ford took the personal abuse that came with the pardon. In many ways, his decision to pardon Nixon - a decision that history has shown to be correct - was much like the Marine who dives on the grenade to save his fellow soldiers. Ford, the WWII sailor, fell on this political grenade to save his country and start the essential healing process.
In many ways, the political climate today is similar to the one that met Ford when he first moved into th White House. Never in my life has there been so clear, so large a divide between the political parties. The partisianship and personal attacks are so great that the business of governing this country has ground to a halt. With a new Democratic-led Congress set to begin later this week, we may see a level of animosity and bickering unmatched in our history.
I think we could use a man like Gerry Ford right about now ...
Nothing says college football like New Year's Day. Yeah, the BCS BS has diluted things by stretching bowl season halfway into January, but the first day of the year always has its share of great games.
2007 was to be the same. In the Rose Bowl, Michigan - still carrying a chip on their collective shoulder from a tough loss to Ohio State - would take out their frustrations on a sub-par USC squad unable to recover from an embarassing loss to UCLA. Following that, football powerhouse Oklahoma would pound upstart Boise State into the turf in the Fiesta Bowl.
As if.
I don't know what they fed USC's D-line for breakfast, but I'll take a case. Desparaged all year and humiliated in their last two trips to Pasadena, the Trojan defense sacked Michigan QB Chad Henne five times in the first half and matched Michigan blow for blow. Halftime saw the teams tied at 3, and you knew that was bad news for Michigan. Pete Carroll is well-known as the best at making halftime adjustments, and in spite of the miscue against the Bruins, you just knew he'd find some way to get the SC offense on track after the break. He did - by removing the run from the plan. After an ineffective first possession, USC didn't run the ball for the next 30 plays - and scored four touchdowns to seal the Wolverines' fate. As Coach Carroll said after the game, "We showed that right now, we can play with anyone" ... and if they'd have played even half this good against their last opponent, they'd have gotten the chance.
I'll admit it - I was one of those who was pulling for Boise State to pull the upset against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. But even though they were listed as only a single touchdown underdog, I knew that it would be like watching a puppy dodge traffic - lots of luck and lots of grit right up to the moment they get flattened. So imagine my surprise when the Broncos scored the first 14 points and took a 28-10 lead into halftime. Admittedly, this isn't the best Oklahoma squad ever - the QB played wide receiver last year - but it's still the Sooners. And in the second half, they reminded everyone as they staged the inevitable comeback. When Boise State quarterback Jared Zabransky's ill-advised pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown to give Oklahoma a 7-point lead with little over a minute remaining, the game appeared to be over. If you thought so, and opted to change the channel at that point, boy do I feel sorry for you!
The end of the game has been well-documented everywhere, and will be talked about for many years. I'll just focus on the last few plays: a hook-and-ladder pass and pitch play for the tying touchdown, a classic off-tackle run by Adrian Peterson to score in overtime, and a halfback option pass by Boise State to pull within one point. David had gone toe-to-toe with Goliath, but it couldn't last. Knowing that, Boise State coach Chris Petersen made the bold call - we go for two. But it's not that they went for two that made the Broncos folk heroes - it's how they went for it.
Zabransky took the snap and after a short drop did a little pump fake to the right flat. But he didn't have the ball in his passing hand - it was held behind his back in the other. Running back Ian Johnson - who as the play developed stood looking bored with hands on hips - slid to his left behind Zabransky and grabbed the ball ... it's the Statue of Liberty! It might as well have been Thornton Mellon doing the Triple Lindy - Oklahoma was caught flat-footed as Johnson sprinted into the end zone to win the game. If that wasn't enough, he found his cheerleader girlfriend and proposed to her on the spot! As Stuart Scott would say, "as cool as the back side of your pillow."
Pundits will argue if the Boise State win supports or detracts from those who would call for a playoff. They're 13 and 0, and if Ohio State loses next Monday will be the only undefeated Division I program in the country. It would be great to see the Broncos take on the winner of next week's game. At the same time, a relatively small program like Boise might be able to step it up for a single game, but can they do it week after week against bigger, tougher opponents? Probably not. The playoff might diminish the glory gained on the field last night.
No matter how you feel, it was some mighty good football ...
Ron Fineman passed away on December 30th, ending a three-year battle with colon cancer. Both the LA Times and LARadio.com ran nice obituaries; the following is from the former:
"As far as I'm concerned, I'm leaving this world having contributed something important, and I hope people remember me for that," Fineman said in a telephone interview Dec. 21, shortly after he was removed from a respirator at the hospital. "Some people were angry with what I wrote; some people took it in stride, and professionally. The real pros looked at the content of what I wrote and realized there was merit to what I was saying."
The picture at right (from LARadio.com) showsRon and his wife Christy celebrating the day UCLA beat USC (note Ron's Bruin tie). It's amazing how quickly the end can come once cancer takes hold.
I hope someone steps up to take on Ron's role as media watchdog; it's doubtful anyone will have his combination of insider's knowledge and bulldog tenacity. In the meantime, I think we should all make time to have that colonoscopy we've been putting off ...
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), so my sports viewing was 1) skewed 90° by lying on the couch and 2) in and out between naps. But I still saw some interesting things ...)
) against the best defense in the league. The Ravens D kept Peyton and Co out of the end zone, but 5 Adam Vinatieri field goals reminded everyone why his signing might have been the biggest of the off season. Seeing Tony Dungy mouth "money" after the winning kick was a huge contrast to last year, when Mike Vanderjagt's shank against Pittsburgh ended the Colts' season.)
It was inevitable, and )
Ron Fineman passed away on December 30th, ending a three-year battle with colon cancer. Both the 
