Friday 6 Pack

1-Ozzie Guillen opened his mouth, and well stuff came out of it about respecting Fidel Castro thus having the Marlins punish and suspend him for 5 games.  Was the punishment harsh enough?  Should the Marlins have fired him?

Matt – Everyone has a right to their own opinion, but what we’ve learned in the past is that in this day of media is you can’t say anything that sheds positiveness on a dictator or compare someone to a dictator (Hank Williams Jr).  He also needs to know his environment of when and where he is saying what.  Should he have been fired…no, I don’t think so.  More than 5 games maybe so.  But also where was the protest for him returning?  It’s already in the back burner

Wendt – Miami knew what they were getting with Ozzie when they hired him, if they think he'll change they are fools

Painter – Ozzie is a citizen of the US and should have been protected by the First Amendment.  Unfortunately there is no such thing as freedom of speech anymore.   Any one of us ca get disciplined by our employer for anything we may say that is recorded or written down in any form.  I honestly think the punishment was not warranted but Miami had to do it to save face somewhat

Blake – Of course that was enough.  I'm not sure when this country returned to McCarthyism.  Even if he was serious about a political opinion, how the hell does that effect his ability to manage?  Good thing I don't have a blog anymore, I would have gone off on this topic a couple times

Majors – That is a tough question. Ozzie has a way of saying exactly what is on his mind, yet it was still pretty harsh of a statement. I think the Marlins went all in on him, so they are stuck with him in a sense. The suspension was enough, but I am sure he is on a tight leash now

BSox – Part of me really doesn’t think he should have been suspended, and here are the two reasons why. You can make the argument of free speech in this country, and while he is stupid for saying such things, he does have the right. But I think we all know that freedom of speech and the work force don’t exactly go hand in hand. Second, I don’t really think he was sorry. I think it was a matter of the marlins were pissed, and were going to lose money, so you’re going to apologize whether you want to or not!

2-The Stanley Cup Playoffs have their first round underway.  The New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks are the top seeds in their respective conferences.  Who’s your pick for the NHL Finals and to hoist the Stanley Cup?

Matt – Well Vancouver may right again this year not making it out of the first round.  Do the top seeds ever make it to match up in the NHL, it seems more upsets happen in hockey.  I’m going to go with Nashville over Boston in the finals.  Why…I have no clue. 

Wendt – I don't watch the NHL

Painter – If I can keep myself from watching NY Rangers games they should represent the East and I'm thinking the Blues or Predators will come out of the West. I really want NY to win it all

Blake – Um...is that Bombay fella still coaching the Sharks?  He seems pretty good

Majors – Well, since my Avalanche are out, I am not sure anymore. Let's go Rangers & Blackhawks, with the Blackhawks winning it. Hopefully Hossa is ok, or I am in trouble

BSox – The rangers….i guess? I don’t follow hockey all that much.

3-Pat Summit retired this week after 38 years…is she a TOP 5 coach of all time across all sports?  Who’s your top 5 all time?

Matt – She is by far the top women’s coach ever, sorry Geno but without Pat there’s no Geno.  It’s kind of hard though to get into that Mt Rushmore+1 of coaching.  Wooden, Lombardi, Bryant, Gable is prob my Mt Rushmore with Knight in the on deck circle. 

Wendt – An absolute legend and no question a top living coach currently

Painter – Not top 5 but maybe top 10:  Dan Gable, Vince Lombardi, Dean Smith, Pat Riley, Phil Jackson (not necessarily in that order)

Blake – Ha, just put this out on Twitter.  Again, Wooden, Lombardi, Auerbach, Bear Bryant, Coach K.  My 4th thru 12 coaches are practically interchangeable.  I had Summitt 8th

Majors – I think she is. She revolutionized and made women's BBall relevant. Let's see, top 5? Red Auerbach - Coach K – Dean Smith – Larry Brown – Pat Summitt

BSox – I think she should be up there. I’m writing quick tonight, but dan gable should be up there, coach k, and of course my dad, he was a great soccer coach even though he yelled at me a lot!

4-ESPN is taking 3 hours to release the NFL Schedule this week.  Overkill, are we getting to much NFL where they are spending 3 hours on the schedule release?  And any games make you salivate already for football to kick off?

Matt – Football is KING.  It prob got better ratings then some baseball games.  Really no game got me salivating, the start of the season just does that in general.  I think the Peyton Manning/Broncos bit is over rated, I don’t think they make the playoffs.  Don’t like all the Thursday night games either.   I looked first at the Bears schedule and if healthy I think they can come out of the gate 7-2.

Wendt – I was interested to see the Bears schedule but thankfully I've got baseball/basketball to tide me over till football season

Painter – ESPN is bored right now and the NFL is the #1 spectator sport in the US so of course they'll go overboard with the coverage

Blake – Can we get through the NBA playoffs before we start thinking Football?  Too much of a good thing...

Majors – Yeah, a little on the TMI side. I am looking forward to the Pittsburgh @ Oakland game, since I will be going to that one, as well as the Oakland @ Atalnta game, be there too. There are actually a lot of good games, but not sure about the Bears being on MNF 3 times

BSox – Its too far off to get really excited, and I can see what they are doing with it. To us it seems like a lot, but you know what, you can always change the channel lol

5-The Stanley Cup has been mentioned as one of the greatest trophies in all of sports; 2 weeks ago the Green Jacket was awarded to Bubba Watson.  What is your favorite trophy in all of sports?

Matt – I’m going straight to college football and the rivalry trophies.  They have the most character.  My favorite is of course Floyd of Rosedale!  Love that PIG!  He’s coming home this fall.  I also like Paul Bunyan’s Ax, the Old Oaken Bucket and the Little Brown Jug.  Big Ten Baby!

Wendt – Any trophy that the Hawkeyes, Bears, Lakers or Cubs win is my favorite.  :-)

Painter – The Stanley Cup is tops for me, with the Claret Jug (British Open) at #2.  The Cup has the name of every player, coach, manager, and club staff who was associated with the championship winning team and then each player on that team gets the cup for 24 hours during the off season and gets to do whatever they want with it.  It's also the only trophy awarded by the major North American professional sports leagues that is not made each year, meaning there is one and only one

Blake – Anything you can drink out of.  I guess you could soak your Green Jacket in booze and wring it out

Majors – The Stanley Cup, no doubt

BSox – WWE championship belt ;-)

6-With baseball in the air….do you go brats or hotdogs at the ball park?  And what’s condiments?

Matt – Gotta go brat with kraut, onions and mustard.  Accompanied by a beer.

Wendt – Brats with mustard is a winning combination!

Painter – If you are holding a gun to my head I'll go with a brat and bbq sauce (ketchup if bbq isn't available) and maybe a little mustard.  Otherwise it's nachos over brats/dogs

Blake – Normally brats, but if it's a huge ass Dog, I'd go with that.  I go with just Ketchup and Mustard, and even the Mustard is a relatively new development

Majors – Hotdogs, mustard, onions, relish. Followed by a brat, with beer, of course! We have a new AA baseball team in Pcola this year, the Blue Wahoos, so it has been fun going to the games, seeing the new waterfront stadium, etc

BSox – Foot long hot dogs, you can trust them a little more than brats, although, principle park makes a damn good brat!

Handful of Movies

Mr. Poppers Penguins – A kids flick that I when I saw the previews thought, “really Jim Carrey?” but watching it the kids loved it and it wasn’t as bad as I thought from the previews.  2.5 / 5 Stars

 

The Rum Diary – I had expectations for this film though I’ve never read the book but what the heck?  It seemed like a bunch of story arcs crammed in to a short movie, I didn’t really care for it.  1.5 / 5 Stars

 

In Time – Justin Timberlake as an action guy…um I’ll give him a pass.  The concept is interesting too, but I still don’t get how our arms become cyborgish and we transfer time by a hand shake.  2 / 5 Stars

 

Happy Feet Two – Really did this sequel have to be made?  This sequel felt forced too, and a money grab with the kids.  The first one was a really good flick.  This one I don’t think does the first one justice, and please don’t make a 3^rd one.  That being said…the kids like it.  1 / 5 Stars

 

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Gary Oldman did really good and I can see why he was nominated but I’m still trying to figure it out.  It was slow at times and sometimes hard to follow.  It seemed like there were multiple times of silence too which when watching at night can make one sleepy.  I may have to watch it again.  2 / 5 Stars

 

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Really good and sad flick.  Shows a kid suffering to understand why his dad was taken away from him during the 9/11 attacks.  The kid should have been nominated for some awards he was really good in this as the movie focused a lot on him and less Bullock or Hanks.  In the end its good to finally see him smile.  3.5 / 5 stars

Friday 6 Pack

1-Bubba Watson out dueled Louis Ousthiezen in two sudden death holes to win the green jacket in a wild weekend at Augusta.  Phil, Kuchar, Freddie and a couple others had shares of the lead this weekend before Bubba won.   Final thoughts on this year’s Masters?  And should Bubba be a favorite heading into the US Open?

Matt – Saturday was great with 7 different leaders.  I wish Freddie would have been there Sunday, but the last 9 holes were amazing with Phil, Kuchar, Hanson Louis and Bubba all making shots.  I was rooting for Kuchar, his shot on 16 hurt.  Glad Bubba got it in the playoff and it was a great scene afterwards too when he won.

Wendt – I'll be honest, I watched a few holes but that was it. I guess I'm all about USA USA USA when it comes to golf tournaments

Painter – I love that guys like Bubba, Louis, Rory, Keegan, and the other youngsters are winning these major tournaments.  I've said for a while that it's good for the young guns to win tournaments while Tiger and Phil struggle.  It shows the sport has a future.  In no way should Bubba be the favorite for a tournament that's over a month away, but a Master's win sure doesn't hurt his chances

Blake – I'm glad that Bubba was able to pull it out.  I don't know how you could root against him knowing his recent adoption and going for his first major.  That second shot out of the woods and onto the green was one of the most amazing golf shots I've seen.  And no, he is not the favorite, just because there are no favorites in golf anymore.  It'll be someone else, just like the last, what, 14 major's have been

Majors – Bubba! Bubba! Bubba!!! You guys need to listen to me more often, haha! That was a crazy shot ont he 2nd hole of the playoff. I thought the Masters was great this year. I think golf has some great young players, there can be some great rivalries in the near future. As for the Open, I think Bubba could do it. Lots of competition, though...

Silker – I didnt watch it, but i saw the highlights. It looks like a great last round. From Phil to Bubba, to Tiger falling all apart. No Bubba is not the favorite. I dont think  you can really call anyone in the top 10 a favorite at any match anymore.  There is no dominate Tiger of the early 2000s that would win at all costs

2-Bobby Petrino crashed a motorcycle with a 25 year old female friend that he “forgot” about when telling his boss, is now on paid leave from Arkansas.  Will he be coaching next season for Arkansas, and if you were the AD what would you do?

Matt – First off, is anyone surprised?  If you are…WAKE UP.  He will end up being retained I think…why, 21-5. If he was 13-13 he’d be gone.  If I was AD…I’d probably can him, as with Tressel and the Saints, the cover up is worse than the crime.

Wendt – He'll be coaching and honestly, do we know if he and this 25yr old were bumping uglies or not?

Painter – Well we all know that Petrino is no longer employed by Arkansas which was the right decision

Blake – I think I fire him.  It's not the crime, it's the cover up, and this one is brutal.  There was no reason for him to even hold a press conference if there were circumstances that hadn't come out yet.  That means not only is he a filthy liar, he's a stupid one too.  Not the type of person I want leading my program

Majors – See, what ha-ha-had happened was...  and yes, he should be fired. Wonder what her fiancée thinks about all of this? 

Silker – Time shows NO! I would do the same thing. He lied and he deserved to get fired. However he will probably be the Saints coach for 6 games next year

3-I’m going to steal this from the Dan Patrick Show….you can choose to change one of the two, what do you do.  The BCS/College Football Post Season or College Basketball’s One and Done rule?

Matt – Since I love college football more it’d be college football and get a 16 team playoff and then also cut the bowls by 10 and get rid of the 6-6 bowl teams.

Wendt – College Football needs a playoff, so I'd change that in a heartbeat

Painter – I'd change both but the most pressing to me is the football bowl system.  The BCS is horrible and there is no reason a playoff would hurt the game and the students

Blake – I fix the BCS and the football playoff.  I don't mind the One and Done rule from the NBA point of view, it makes for better basketball at that level

Majors – That's easy, College Football. Rotate the bowl games as playoff games, it will be fine. The basketball rule doesn't bug me as much

Silker – BCS. Make it a playoff! One and Done is fine! WE NEED A PLAYOFF!

4-Saturday is Iowa’s spring practice; should Kirk go back to actually having a Spring Game or continue this practice that will still pack thousands of fans into Kinnick Stadium and fans in the parking lot to tailgate?

Matt – I have a lot of memories with my dad going to the spring game and took my kids to the spring practice a few years ago.  I like the game part but hell with the Iowa running backs going down like crazy I’m ready for them to not even be on the field at all.  Give me the game though.

Wendt – I guess if he chooses not to hold a "game" and instead a practice that's his opinion. We really don't need another reason to have a running back get hurt I guess. 

Painter – A game would be more fun for the fans but it's more important to build continuity in your units.  A game would most likely require splitting the players up in some form.  Don't mess with it unless people stop coming

Blake – Does it really matter?  Both are really just practices and pretty vanilla at that

Majors – The Spring Game would be cool. I don't mind the practice, but the game would be fun. The fans will show either way

Silker – Really Iowa Fans, you tailgate for a practice? That is like tailgating for a T-Ball game. Kirk give us a game! show us what you have or don’t have. It’s not like you will be closing the season out with your starting running back anyways so it wouldn’t matter if he got hurt

5-Spring and Summer are around the corner…as a kid what are some of the sports/games you played a lot?

Matt – My buddies and I played a game we called Tennis ball.  It was baseball in the tennis courts so we had a fence, but it also had dodge ball in it where you could chuck the tennis ball at the players too to get them out.  Lotta hours spent playing that. 

Wendt – Baseball, tennis ball (same thing except a tennis ball to hit instead) basketball, tag, hide and go seek, Ghosts in the Graveyard. We were outside doing stuff from sun up till sun down

Painter – We played a lot of home run derby, we're talking from 10 am until 5 or 6 pm Monday through Friday.  In the evenings we'd get back together for video games of some sort

Blake – Baseball!

Majors – Baseball, Wall Ball...

Silker – Loved baseball, it was always fun to go out and play. Other than that, Kick the can and such was always fun as a smaller kid

6-Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw are selling out stadiums this summer with their Brothers Under the Sun tour…best concert(or most fun you’ve had) at and also who do you wanna go see that you haven’t?

Matt – My favorite concert because of most fun was probably Kenny Chesney with Montgomery Gentry at the Mark in the Quad Cities in 2003.  It was on my birthday and a blast just hanging out there and then hitting the district later.  I’d love to go to the Tim & Kenny concert and have friends who are going.  I think an Aldean and a Eric Church show would be a party too! 

Wendt – We saw Garth Brooks in 1997, that was alot of fun. No real concert I "want" to see

Painter – Nine Inch Nails in Minneapolis in 2008 was a great show.  Some of the visual effects were bad ass.  I'm looking forward to LAZERFest this year and getting to see Chevelle, Shinedown, POD, Volbeat, Adelita's Way, and Theory of a Deadman.  Beside those bands I'd love to see Disturbed, Breaking Benjamin, and Smashing Pumpkins

Blake – Most fun is probably when Dave Matthews played Principal Park.  I want to see Jimmy Buffett, but, yeah, I'm not rich

Majors – I am pretty lucky, we have tons of concerts around here. I have seen Kenny 5 times now, Godsmack 4, plus many, many others. I would love to check out Zac Brown Band, Jason Aldean, Three Days Grace..

Silker – Best Concert I have been to is a tie between Garth Brooks in 1999 and Neil Diamond. Both were great performers that kept the crowd in it the whole show! I want to see Coldplay, but I have tickets for them this fall, so I would have to say U2 and Zac Brown Band

2012 Summer Movies

Well it’s close to that time…the Summer Blockbuster Movie Watch list.  Last year it started before May with Fast and Furious opening in April and it got started this past weekend, In my opinion with American Reunion.

With that here are the Summer Movies that are on my radar:

American Reunion

The Avengers

Battleship

Men In Black 3

GI Joe Retaliation

The Amazing Spiderman

The Dark Knight Rises

The Bourne Legacy

Total Recall

The Expendables 2

 

A lot of super hero flare again as has become par for the summer with the blockbuster popcorn flicks. 

And as always I will have my 4^th Annual Summer Movie Awards in late August.

I’m sure there may be a Ice Age: Continental Drift or Brave thrown into that listing too because of kids but that’s it, that’s the list for Summer 2012. 

A Tradition Unlike Any Other……Your Friday 6 Pack.

1-Kentucky cut down the nets Monday…final thoughts on the 2012 NCAA Basketball Season?

Matt – I liked the resurgence of the Big Ten teams, Iowa getting better is always nice, and Indiana seems to be back.  But this season I don’t think was memorable, I wish players would have to stay 3-4 years if they go to college.  College bball is too much of a tease, you get a taste of these players and then they are gone on NBA benches or NBAD League teams.

Wendt – I have to be honest, I didn't watch a minute of the game Monday night. Can't stand Kentucky and their fans and really don't care a whole lot about Kans.

Painter – Another Kentucky team stacked with potential pros? Anyone wonder why they were the best in the land?  It was good to see the excitement come back to the state of Iowa during the winter

Blake – Better, more entertaining season than the past few, and probably benefited from the NBA lockout with players sticking around for a second season.  Entertaining final game, and the best team won the championship

BSox – Kentucky is GOOD…well was GOOD…you know since the team is moving to the NBA. Otherwise, I thought it was a great season, and a lot of interesting games through. I mean who would have thought duke, and mizzou would go out in the first round? Good times though all the way around

Majors – The right team won. It is rare when a team that offensively talented can also be that unselfish as well as that defensively talented. They were good

Silker – Typical season of freshman kicking ass and the occasional sophomore sticking around for another year. It was alright with some good games. I wish you could see teams for three years not just one.
Zach - Realistically, Kentucky was king throughout and Calipari is right by saying he has the best job in all of basketball.

2-Hello friends….its Masters week in Augusta….who puts on the Green Jacket Sunday afternoon?

Matt – Tiger will be in the top 5 when it’s all said and done.  I don’t know if we’ll see Rory, after Norman’s epic collapse he wasn’t the same at Augusta.  I hope in the final 2 groups we get Tiger, Rory and Phil, that would be epic.  I’ll take a tip from Faherty and say Sergio breaks through and wins it. 

Wendt – It won't be Tiger and it won't be Rory, probably some no name again

Painter – I'd love to see Rory McIlroy redeem himself from last year and if he can't Zach Johnson would be my next pick

Blake – I'm so freaking excited for the Masters for some reason.  I want a Tiger-Rory showdown on Sunday.  I'll take Rory, making up for his collapse last year

BSox – Tiger Woods…otherwise no one cares. Serious, when tiger doesn’t win, the vast majority of the country doesn’t care, only the golf nuts care

Majors – I am pulling for local boy Bubba Watson. He and Boo Weekley both live by me. I actually dated Boo's wife a while ago, but I was not country club material, lol

Silker – Does Zach Johnson get his second? I think this year is Rory vs Tiger with Rory showing he is the new big thing winning his first green jacket
Zach - Louis Oosthuizen. Why? No idea.

3-Baseball first pitch is upon us….who’s your NL Champ, AL Champ and World Series Champ?

Matt – I’ve picked Philadelphia the past 4 years as NL Champ, that’s changing this year, I think they are too banged up and getting old.  My pick is the Yankees over the Dodgers in 6, Jeter walks off after game 6 in to the Yankee Sunset.  But wouldn’t it be great to get the Pirates vs the Royals?

Wendt – Philadelphia vs Detroit with Detroit winning in 6 games

Painter – I don't follow baseball closely enough to make a real intelligent prediction so I'll say the Astros will beat the White Sox in the World Series just because they are the teams I follow the closest.

Blake – The NL is wide open.  Phillies are getting old, the Cards lost Prince Albert, the Brewers lost Prince, the Marlins are insane.  Could leave the door open for the Giants.  In the AL, I'll take the Tigers, and they win the Series

BSox – No idea, I’ve heard the rangers could be up there again. I’ve heard good things about the Yankees, and Detroit, but way too early for me to pin anything down. Sorry folks

Majors – NL- Phillies, but not 100% sold on that. Utley is a shell of himself, Howard is recovering from Achilles. AL- I would love to say the Rays, but the Tigers are scary. Go Indians!!!  WS- The Tigers

Silker – NL will be the Phillies AL will be the Yankees and the world series champ as much as I hate it will be the damn Yanks
Zach - AL: Angels, NL: Cardinals, Pujols gets season and WS MVP as Halos win in 6 with home-field.

4-Which season has the best opening day/weekend?  NFL, MLB, College Football, NBA, NCAA BB, NASCAR?

Matt – I really like what the NFL has done on the Thursday night making it a party and celebration with the previous super bowl champ.  College football opens with too many cupcake games.  NASCAR is fun too with the Daytona 500.  MLB has a lot of buzz too but really only about 10 teams have a chance to win it all opening day.  NFL gets the nod.

Wendt – I love college football but there is something about MLB's opening day that will always be special to me

Painter – All of those opening days/weekends have seemed to lose their luster in the last few years.  I'd like to offer a different one: opening weekend for golf's major championships, aka The Masters

Blake – I hate the trickled out starts.  Baseball started last week.  The NFL plays on a Wednesday this year, nobody notices when the NBA or College Hoops starts.  I guess I still have a place in my heart for Baseball's opening day

BSox – For me, I like college football’s the best. But the nfl doesn’t hold anything back either. Ncaa bball is fun just because of all the early tournaments and the midnight hoops

Majors – I would love to say the NFL or College Football, but Baseball and the tradition win out

Silker – I am not a NASCAR fan but if you like a party it is NASCAR. However who can take anything away from college football weekends? It is a party and a good kickoff to an awesome year
Zach - Damn, I hate to say this but football does the best job marketing itself. I wish baseball would do the same way. Instead, they want to start the season in another country.

5-American Reunion opens this week – what “PIE” character are you most like?

Matt – I’m definitely like Jim. 

Wendt – I'm probably a mix between Stiffler and Jim

Painter – I think Jim with a little Kevin and a little Stiffler would be the closest match

Blake – I'm stoked for this movie.  I graduated with those guys.  I'm most like Kevin, aka Rookie of the Year

BSox – I think if you mixed jim and stifler together, you’d get something close to me

Majors – Hmmm...The Sherminator? I am kidding! Jim I guess, kinda end up in some crazy situations from time to time...

Silker – I would say Jim because I am a stupid awkward. However have all these guys careers really hit this low that they have to make another?
Zach - I'll go with Jim.

6-James Cameron did a dive in a solo sub to one of the deepest trenches in the world….what one thing on your (non sports game/event) bucket list do you want to do the most and cross of in 2012?

Matt – I’d love to hit the boundary waters or white water rafting but doubt that happens this year.  A day or so on Ragbrai as it goes to Garwin would be cool too!

Wendt – I'd love to ride a day on RAGBRAI

Painter – There are a few things I'd like to do this year but doubt will happen:  Go to the Summer Olympics, visit Lambeau field for a Green Bay game, go to a NASCAR Sprint Cup race, and go to a Stanley Cup Finals game.

Blake – I'm wanting to do some sort of race or triathlon

BSox – Get through this whole marriage thing alive :-)

Majors – Hmmm...swim with sharks? Oh wait, I do that everytime I am at the beach. How about... climb a mountain. Fo sho

Silker – I want to skydive since I am already learning to fly and so on. So skydive
Zach - Go on vacation to Hawaii.

Wide Right Hall of Fame – Inaugural Class

So I thought about doing this for a while, and did it back like a long time ago when no one ever looked at a website hardly or blog.  Figured I’d revive it here, the Wide Right Hall of Fame.  Something I’d probably do every quarter or 3 times a year.  Some of the options I may create a poll as to who/what gets to get more interaction and stuff of the blog.  I’ll probably also stick to a Place, Movie, Song, Person, and an “other”  or 2 that gets in every class.  There’s no plaque or bust or even certificate, just the honor of being in the WIDE RIGHT HALL OF FAME on the internet.  Hope y’all like the idea.

So with that, here is the prestigious and infamous inaugural class.

Wrigley Field -- Shawshank Redemption -- Harry Carey -- Born In The USA -- The General Lee -- Grainbelt

Wrigley Field - One of my 2 favorite places in the world.  I’ve only been there 4 times and have great memories of all the trips (though not all wins)  heck, I got my daughter’s name from the street it sits on (Addison) and when the ivy is in bloom you can’t go wrong with a day game there.

Shawshank Redemption  - Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying….the movie may be 3 hours or so but it hooks me every time I flip past it no matter where it is in the movie. 

Harry Carey – Getting the nod since it is close to the baseball season’s first pitch.  He (and WGN) are the reason I’m a cubs fan.  I remember running home after school during day games so I could see the 7^th inning stretch.  Got to sing it there in Wrigley with Harry twice.  “You know Steve, Alou spelled backwards is Uola….sounds like a first name”

Born in the USA – Harder to pick the song than I thought.  Went with the one that I first remembered singing the words too.  Even dressed up as the Boss to sing it when I was a kid.

The General Lee – My Dream Car!  A ’69 Dodge Charger.  Damn I loved seeing that thing jump a bridge or creek.  The Dukes is probably my all time favorite tv show.  Watched them a lot with my grandma too every Friday night.  My dream is to own one of these too someday.

Grainbelt – It’s the friendly beer!  Introduced to it by my cousin Ryan during Iowa tailgating in 2002 (BIG TEN CHAMPS!) it’s been my beer of choice since then.  My favorite local establishments in Des Moines carry it too and just got a sweet Grainbelt lid from my buddy Scott. 

Best and Worst of the Weekend

This is a day late…don’t sue me. 

– Best of the weekend –

Unofficially 1-0 as a soccer coach.  We don’t keep score but yea, it was over in the first 8 minutes. 

AmandaJoy’s & Osky’s going away party, just wish I got there earlier and stayed later but was tired and worn out. 

– Worst of the weekend –

The end of the NASCAR race.  The #10 car just missing the pits and causing the Green-White-Checkered that had Gordon-Johnson-Dale JR 1-2-3 and then caused a wreck and then Ryan Newman winning after the second Green-White-Checkered.

2012 MLB Predictions

AL East – New York Yankees

AL Central – Detroit Tigers

AL West – LA Angels

AL Wild Card – Texas Rangers

AL Wild Card – Tampa Bay Rays

AL Champ – New York Yankees

NL East – Atlanta Braves

NL Central – Cincinnati Reds

NL West – LA Dodgers

NL Wild Card – Miami Marlins

NL Wild Card – San Francisco Giants

NL Champ – LA Dodgers

World Series – Yankees over Dodgers in 6