The Hammer's College Football Review: Week 7, Ventricular Arrhythmias Edition

So, sitting in my three thousand dollar leather lounge chair (with the matching ottoman), sipping on a 15 year old Macallan single malt scotch, waiting for the Michigan/Mich St. game to conclude so they can put on the LSU/Flawda game (which was cooking!)...and, well the rest is history. What can I say, tough day in Ann Arbor. Big Blue played well enough to win, and should have won, but shit happens. These are kids and college kids screw up. Plus, it's just a game. This ain't your buddy stepping on a mine in a rice paddy or catching an IUD in Iraq. This is supposed to be fun even when your team screws the pooch. This was a GREAT game with a GREAT finish played by two GREAT teams. It was football porn! Just relax and enjoy it.

Ok, on to further action. Let's go ahead and get this one out of the way, CW's Wahoos played a helluva game yesterday finally putting away a stubborn Syracuse squad in 3 overtimes. I saw not one second of this game but reading the box score it looks like it was a barnburner. UVA scored 10 points in the 4th quarter and hung in during extra time. Looks like they showed a little toughness (for a change). Anyway, well done CW. Shame you weren't at the game being as THEY FINALLY WON ONE! 

While we're on the subject in other ACC action Clemson kicked BC ass in Death Valley remaining undefeated just like FSU which outmanned Lewisville in Doak Campbell. Can't wait for that matchup (11/7). The winner could, might, possibly be in the playoff (hey, it's POSSIBLE!). 

Ga. Tech has been a disappointment at 2-5 and no league wins, the Big East bastard child Pitt is looking good with one loss and Carolina is 5-1 with their only loss being South Carolina first game. I'll bet they wish they had that one back. 

Speaking of South Carolina the "Old Ball Coach" Steve Spurrier hung it up this week. I think he just had had enough. This year's team sucked and the prospect of rebuilding was just too much to contemplate. He got the Cocks competitive but he never could get 'em over the hump. The whole Spurrier South Carolina thing never did make a lot of sense anyway. Why? He had a good thing going in Gainesville. Good location, a top tier football school, he's a Florida guy through and through (Heisman 1966) so just WTF was he doing in Columbia, South Carolina? 

Ok let's move on. #18 UCLA is about to be #41 UCLA losing to #15 Stanford, which seems to be the cream of the West. Houston is undefeated and moving up, they killed Tulane which of course don't mean shit. Ohio State is still winning but that two quarterback thing rarely works. They've got Michigan State in the Shoe and Michigan in the Big House their last two games so we'll see. Utah is still rolling, LSU got past Flawda at home with a nice trick play and Ole Miss lost to Memphis (Good Grief!). Iowa is looking REAL good, they thumped Northwestern 40-10. Baylor and TCU are rolling along.  

In Ivy action (I know, I know, stop laughing) the undefeated Princeton Tigers ruined their perfect record losing to the mighty Brown Bears (Bears uh? Never knew that) in that hotbed of college football Providence, Rhode Island (Why is it an "island"? It's not a island! Goddamn Yankees, whatta ya gonna do? What it is is a shit-hole thank you very much.). Anyway a guy named Johnny Pena (sounds like a Cuban lounge singer) scored with 57 seconds on the clock to pull out the win at Brown (of course) Stadium. Tough break Princeton. Dartmouth and Haaaarvard both currently undefeated top the league standings and Princeton gets Haaaarvard next week in Cambridge and Dartmouth (somewhere in New Hampshire) last game, you know, before it's all over and the bowl bids go out. Ha Haaaaaaaa! Just kidding. Those Ivy League pussies couldn't beat Fayetteville 71st High School on their best day, and I ain't even kidding. There it is.

Well that's all I got now hit the bricks, I'm sick of looking at you. 

  

A Quick Sunday Morning Hit from the Hotel...

I had to hurry through the last post (sorry for the typos), as I had to get a shower and meet Dan and
his Dad to go to breakfast.  We've been off to that and to some souvenir shopping, and we've got a brief thirty minutes at the hotel before we leave for the day.  Dan and his father are hoping that whatever crawled in me and died is finally expelled during this time, but I fear they will suffer for a good bit more of this day.

I want to describe The Hartland Inn a bit more, where we had dinner on Friday night.  One of Dan's sisters (Liz, frequent reader of this blog and a solid Republican) asked me when we were finished dinner and on the way out what my observations were.  As I craned around to do a final omindirectional scan, I concluded one thing.  With the exception of a sole flat screen TV, there was no other physical evidence that the past 50 years had even happened.  Truth be told, it could be more like 75.  It was the place that time forgot.  I am told many of these supper clubs are just like it.

After the Hartland Inn experience, we met up with Dad (Tim) and Linda, who couldn't be with us at dinner because he was committed to his men's golf group banquet dinner, where he is apparently a big cheese(head) and an avid golfer.  Across the street from where they were meeting was a little dive bar that reminded me of the bar where a good bit of the action in the movie "The Deer Hunter" occurs, except again for the five or six flat screens.  We were there for a few hours, and members of Tim's men's club young and old would come forward to greet Dan, the conquering Hartland hero.  Hartland is a place where it seems to me, unless you have a damn good reason to leave, the wise move is to stay.  Dan obviously had good reasons to leave, but it is clear this place tugs at him...as it should.

We headed back to Tim and Linda's place some time after 11, where Dan and I had a set of twin beds for the night. Having warned Dan that I would not be available for spooning, we headed off to sleep, or at least that was the plan. I put my earplugs deeply into my ears and my mask on, and headed off to slumberland, only to be awakened by both aural and seismic activity ushering forth from Dan's respiratory system, as he metronomically snored with a passion and volume that I had never heard before. Remember, I had ear plugs in.  There was no hope that I would be able to sleep there, so I grabbed my blankets and decamped to the couch in the den, where I was able to grab a few hours of shuteye.

We spent much of Saturday morning sitting in the kitchen meeting discussing the news of the world as various elements of Dan's family passed through. One vignette is worth sharing.  Have you ever seen the movie "Tin Men" with Danny Devito and Richard Dreyfuss?  It is one of the all time funny, great movies--about aluminum siding salesmen in Baltimore in the early 60's/late 50's--complete with some spot-on Baltimore accents.  Well, Dan's dad spent a career in dental supply sales, and Dan's brother in law Steve is in a similar business today. Listening to the two of them swap stories about trade shows and sales calls and great triumphs of marketing and the personalities in the business and ... well you get it...I found myself thinking that I had been dropped into the Tin Men movie--except these were "Tooth Men".  It was really interesting and fun to listen to--Tim Karbler has great stories full of mythical midwestern heroes of the dental business, including the man with the patent on the pneumatic lift for the chair, and the guy who filled a helium balloon full of fifty one-dollar bills and exploded it over his booth at a trade show.

After a bit, we packed up for Green Bay, about two hours north, but first we would lunch with an old shipmate of mine from the THOMAS S. GATES--Steve Hampton. Hambone was my boss on that ship and we have remained fast friends ever since. He lives here now, having spent his first fifteen years growing up essentially down the street from where Dan grew up.  They went to rival high schools, but their knowledge of the area maps closely.  We met at an Applebees (mistake, my steak was a weak effort), but the conversation was good and it was great to see Steve again.  He's with GE healthcare, and he and his bride have downsized apparently after his two girls have moved out onto their own into a place twice the size of what he left in Virginia.

Lunch ended, we began the trek to Green Bay, which included the stop discussed in the last post in Theresa (terr-essa) and the Widmer Cheese works.  Autumn is in full bloom here, and the colors are astounding.  Lots of rolling hills, lots of geese and ducks, a hunting and fishing paradise wherever you look.

I could really like living here....if it weren't for the winters.  More later.

Dispatch from the Road: Wisconsin Wonderland

Professional football is one of my least favorite sports to watch in person. The couch is always more comfortable than one's seat. the replays and angles guarantee you don't miss anything, and there are very rarely drunk people vomiting in the ManCave as I watch the game. Yet I have always wanted to come to the Sistine Chapel of football stadiums--Lambeau Field--to take in a Packers game.  Over the summer, General Dan and I both turned 50.  He wasn't able to make it to my 50th Birthday Party because of his travel schedule, so instead we dreamed up this little Boy's Weekend to his ancestral homeland--Mighty Wisconsin--to take in a game.  This explains the title of today's post.

We left Friday from BWI with opposing aisle seats on the way to Milwaukee. Of note, a blind passenger sat behind me, an elderly man accompanied by two older women. As he approached their row, one of the women asked him if he wanted to window seat. I almost chuckled out loud, and Dan texted me in seconds his own joy at the statement.

We arrived in Milwaukee to an airport that was clogged with people already wearing their Packers gear for the game two days later.  We grabbed our rental and were on our way, a thirty minute drive to the town of Hartland (I kid you not--you simply can't get more midwestern stereotyped), where Dan grew up and where his Dad and two of three sisters still live (the third sister lives a few towns over, Mom has passed away, and Dad has remarried the lovely Linda).  Dan claimed to have a "special lunch" planned for us, and while I am always happy for special things, my hunger was driving me to suggest pulling into the first fast food joint we saw.  Instead, we pulled up to what looked to be a small, independent coffee shop in Hartland. Having no clue why were were there, I got out of the car and walked to the door, assuming that Dan understood the requirement to feed the beast, and to do so with some alacrity.

As soon as I walked in the door and saw the proprietress, it all came to me. A high school classmate and Facebook pal Joan had come to live in Hartland and opened a coffee shop some nine years ago. The magic of Facebook brought she and Dan together and they conspired to bring us together for lunch. It was great to see Joan, as her last reunion (5) was the only one I've missed since we graduated high school 32 years ago.

Joan was a classic high school story. Tall--or at least taller than I (not saying much), she was painfully shy and quiet, ridiculously smart, and almost invisible--to me. That is until senior year, when all the cosmic tumblers clicked into place and she came back to school looking mighty fetching, though I had grown no more and so pursuing her was largely out of the question.  We were in a ton of classes together in school, but her shyness and my obliviousness kept there from being much interaction between us.

The years have been good to Joan--she's married with a few kids, and whatever shyness there was in high school has been replaced by a bright and warm sociability, the kind that one wants from one's coffee shop owner.  I had a superb turkey sandwich that she made herself, and we had a very nice visit.  Then it was off to Dan's Dad (Tim) and Linda's place.

Tim and Linda lived very near the coffee shop in a low-slung rancher on a large plot of land in a subdivision of similarly sized houses and plots, though there was an attractive diversity to the houses themselves.  I'd met Dan's dad a few years ago, and at least one of his sisters, but in the course of the next few hours, I would meet them again, along with in some cases, their spouses and children.

In addition to this being Dan and Bryan's Packers Weekend, this is Major General Dan Karbler's first visit back to his hometown in nearly a year and a half, and let me just tell you, General Dan is kind of a big deal in Hartland, Wisconsin.  He comes from a close-knit, supportive family and from all available evidence, he was "raised right".  He idolizes his father and his sisters, and the feeling is returned.  Everywhere we went on Friday night, he was hugged and lauded by old family friends and old high school friends. More on that in a second.

We've all heard that the kernel of many stereotypes contains some truth. Well, every stereotype you've ever conjured about the folks from Wisconsin is spot on.  They are known as "cheese-heads", as many of you know. But I have to tell you, I have spoken of and heard spoken more about cheese in the past two days than I have in the previous two decades.  Additionally, on the way up to Green Bay from Hartland yesterday, we stopped in Theresa  (pronounced "Ter-essa") Wisconsin at this small, craft cheese-making establishment (Widmers) so that Dan could have some of his favorites shipped back to him in Maryland.

The next stereotype is friendliness. My GOD--these people are the most pleasant and friendly I have ever met. I find myself downright shamed in my curmudgeonliness, and even my brother Tom would seem socially shy among these folks.  It's like being surrounded by hundreds of Bill Clintons, and I mean this in a good way.  Clinton was always a master at making the person he was talking with the center of the universe for that conversation. Everyone here does that to you, except here I don't find myself wondering if they are genuinely interested.  They really are.

The third stereotype worth discussing is the ability to drink and the centrality of bar-life. It gets awful cold up here, and winter last a long time. To get through it, Badgers have taken up the practice of including prodigious amounts of alcohol with all social gatherings. Add the alcohol to the natural friendliness of these folks, and you have a recipe for great conversations and new found friendships. For instance, last night, we were at a bar in Green Bay (Krolls). Across the way was a fellow wearing an Ohio State sweater--Dan's dad is an OSU grad, and so this then was the entree to across the bar chatter for an extended period. Dan would chirp in enthusiastically. I sat and marveled at the capacity of these people to instantly bring strangers into their orbits.

Friday night's big event was a Karbler sibling dinner at The Hartland Inn, an example of the phenomenon of the "Wisconsin Supper Club", something I had never heard of before this trip but about which I am now a big, big fan.  Generally family owned, and often with the family living on the premises, these are great "joints", with a plethora of good food and a lively bar scene (although calling the bar scene at the Hartland "lively" may be a bit of a stretch, as I think the youngest person at the bar was 80).  Dan's three sisters and two of their husbands joined us and it was a wonderful evening of chat and gluttony.  After a weekend in New Orleans and a weekend in Wisconsin, I am doing great violence to my diet.

I've gone on too long and need to get going for the day. When I get back tonight, I'll bring you up to date on what we did Saturday and Sunday. Cheers!

Big Fat Friday Free For All

What's eating you, Shipmate? Are you bummed your candidate didn't raise enough money last quarter? Were you hoping Bernie Sanders might do better in the debate? Share your pain!

Weighed in at 155.6 today, some of the New Orleans damage having been mitigated.

That said, new damage is on the horizon. I am headed off on six days of travel today, beginning with a trip to Wisconsin with longtime blog reader General Dan to take in the splendor of his home state and Sunday afternoon's Packers game. Then it's up to Newport on a little bidness.

No Tell California

I wish OUR establishment were half as good as the opposition's establishment. They actually put some thought into their corruption and once again the Great State of California is leading the way! A case directly on point is the Golden State's new voter fraud scheme.

Here's how it works. As of this January any swinging Dick who shows up at a California DMV will be issued a driver's license. Presumably they must first pass a competency test given in their chosen language (Spanish speakers are up to around 40% last I heard) but I wouldn't bet on it. Then, just a few days ago Governor Jerry Brown signed a law which will AUTOMATICALLY register said licensees to vote. So, any and every holder of a California license does not have to lift a finger to be registered to vote. It will then be up to the bureaucracy to separate the wheat from the chaff and of course I have every confidence in their commitment and ability to weed out the illegals. I'm sure you do as well.

Do you see? This requires no effort on the part of an illegal. It exposes no illegal to some rogue prosecutor for illegally registering. It exposes no organization for registering illegals and saves them tons of money in their efforts to register illegals to vote. It's all done automatically, and if the inevitable widespread corruption is ever exposed then Brown can just say the poor California bureaucracy was just overwhelmed and by golly we need more money to hire more people to pay more union dues which are then kicked back to we politicians all funded by the taxpayers of the Great State of California. It's all good and it's absolutely brilliant. Corrupt as hell but brilliant.

Ok ok, I can hear you now. "Fine. Hammer, but so what? We've known California is lost since Prop 187. Give us some news why dontcha?" Well here's the news. Why don't we start thinking this way? Why was Obamacare passed with 51 votes but everything we do requires a two thirds majority? Why? Our Country club brethren tell us over and over and over again how weak and helpless we are and how the rules say this and the rules say that and we can't do a thing. Yeah, right. Jerry Brown is not bound by "rules". Jerry Brown finds a way to get the job done. Jerry Brown is laughing in your face.

Rules, what rules? There are only winners and losers and so far we are the Goddamn losers. Let the umpire call the game NOT the manager. When they look at the scoreboard they don't ask how, they ask how many. Look, I'm a believer in the law. I respect the Constitution. But you can bet your sweet ass the opposition does NOT! You want to win? Then you had better start bringing a howitzer to a gun fight because right now we're just waving our wedding tackle at people who couldn't give two craps for "process" or "the law". Jerry Brown is right because Jerry Brown wins.

What Happened to Carly?

Let's see if I've got this straight. Carly kicked butt and took names at the last Republican debate and immediately jumped up into the twenties right beside Trump. A star on the rise she was. Then the rains came. A week later she's around 12-15% then 7-8%. Now according to the RCP averages she's burning it up as a very Jeb like 5%. WTF happened she must be wondering?

Well as you may have guessed I'm gonna tell you what happened. But first let's lay a little groundwork ('bout the only thing I lay these days). Since about mid-summer the outsiders (Trump, Carson, Fiorina and Cruz) have been trading about 60% back and forth in the polls. It's a zero-sum game, if one went up somebody else went down. It's much the same with the establishment candidates who have been fighting over a much smaller piece of the pie at 20-25%. Since about July neither side has taken much of anything from the other side.

Now, it's my contention THE issue this election is immigration. Not so much to the jet-set, yachting class like CW (it's Wednesday, this must be Caan), but to the 60% po-ass, ditch digger types...like ME. So, as an "outsider" candidate what's Fiorina policy? Now I know, everybody is for "securing the border". Who isn't? But that doesn't tell us a whole lot, let's get more specific. Take the issue of so-called birthright citizenship for example.

Trump: "This remains the biggest magnet for illegal immigration."
Carson: "Anchor babies ...It doesn't make sense to me that people can come here (illegally) and have a baby and that baby becomes an American citizen."
Cruz: "Well as a matter of policy it doesn't make sense that people who are here illegally, that their children would have automatic citizenship."
Fiorina: "It would take passing a Constitutional Amendment to get it changed. It's part of the 14th Amendment."

Ok let's review. 60% of Americans want immigration reform and 60% of Republicans want an "outsider" candidate. But Carly is taking the radical, batshit crazy William "pass the Bushmill's" Brennan's position on the 14th Amendment? A position that has never been litigated on an Amendment the meaning of which wasn't even questioned since it was ratified 120+ years previous. So now she's down to 5% and sinking fast. Golly Gee, I wonder why?

How could one not conclude that immigration is the key issue this election? It's not the only issue and being on the right side will not guarantee success, but being on the WRONG side is a sure disqualifier. Evidently Carly didn't get the memo and consequently her window of opportunity is closing fast. She had better get with the program or a year from now we'll be mentioning her in the same sentence as Marco, Jeb and Lindsey Graham.  

The Last Nail in the Coffin: Paul Ryan

I would like, no I demand access to your bank account. I will not take everything as I want you to survive so as to work and be productive (a sheep can be sheered many times but skinned only once). I also demand access to your credit. I would like to consume things you will eventually have to pay for. I'll fix it where the bill doesn't come due for a long while but eventually you (or your children) will be on the hook, not me. I do not ask you for these things, I demand them, and if you refuse I will use all means possible to force your compliance. You are not in control here, I am.
So, who am I?
1) I am organized crime
2) I am your government
3) I am an illegal alien
4) All of the above

I'll bet you thought we lived in a Democracy. You would be wrong. We (ostensibly) live in a Republic with representative government. Pure democracy is seen as unjust, too unforgiving and susceptible to a "tyranny of the majority", a view in which I don't necessarily disagree. Minority rights must be protected, however MAJORITY RULES!
As old whathisname said, you know, the redheaded dude with the house in the mountains with the weird inventions and stuff? Come on man, you know who I mean. Help me out here CW. Anyway, he said...

All . . . will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect and to violate would be oppression. 

But what happens when special interest (minority power) is concentrated and used to corrupt government? Well we're seeing what happens. By the way, what famous historical figure wrote the book on leveraging minority power to subvert legitimate, democratically elected government? Quiz on Friday.

Let me give you a number or two on just the immigration question.
A consistent 60 plus percent disapprove of Obama's handling of immigration.
A recent Rasmussen poll said 62% believe Obama's executive amnesty is illegal and 60% are dissatisfied with current levels of immigration.
Poll after poll after poll of Americans show that we want less across the board immigration, not just illegal, and we believe Obama has acted illegally when it comes to immigration policy.

Paul Ryan has not been a friend to the majority of Americans who want common sense immigration reform. In fact NumbersUSA gives him a miserable 18% positive rating. But if that number isn't enough to disqualify him for Speaker of the House then maybe his Heritage Foundation conservative score of 55% will be. Jeez, that looks like my typical high school algebra test grade and you will note I am NOT a science guy.

My opinion is this. Paul Ryan is a budget geek, handy to have around but in no way is he leadership material. His positions stink, his voting record stinks and he's as weak as water on the most important issue this election IMMIGRATION. CW thinks he's a rising star and taking the Speaker's job will do his career harm. Maybe so, but that pales in comparison to the harm he'd do to we the American people and our democratic republic. Paul Ryan has been and will continue to be an Obama enabler. He helped make "All of the above" a reality. No WAY, he stays where he is.

On the Matter of the Speaker of the House

I don't want Paul Ryan to take the job. Not because I think he's unqualified, unable, or unworthy, but
because I don't want to watch a great man diminished by an office that will set him up to fail.  I want Paul Ryan at the Chair of Ways and Means, ready to work with a Republican President to pass pro-growth tax reform and to reform our programs for the truly needy in order to ensure that is who they serve.  No Republican in DC is as policy savvy as Ryan, and while he obviously has a lot of fans in the House, it is because of his ideas and his stewardship of them that he has this support.  It is not because of his ability to make deals, forge consensus, or broadly speaking, play the political game.

My dream Speaker is one of these folks from the Hammer-wing of the Party.  You know, the ones who brought John Boehner down.  I want one of these guys.  I want one of them to try and get the things done that they have been talking about for five years, you know, the kind of things that they believe everyone promised them, the kind of things they thought could be done with a Democratic President and a Senate where the Democrats can still filibuster.

And then I want them to do one of two things.  First, succeed wildly and prove me wrong.  And if not, fail miserably and prove me right.  Anything in the middle is not acceptable.

But I don't want Paul Ryan to be a casualty of this process.  I want him to team up with President Rubio in January of 2017 to get this country moving in a positive direction.

Stay firm, Paul.  Don't do it.

Post New Orleans Trip Report

In her early 20's, The Kitten had a job teaching teenagers to sail in the Caribbean. It was where she met her late husband, and where she met an incredible bunch of people who would grow up to be the core of her friend group today.  They've accepted me into their circle, and I have developed close friendships of my own among them.

One of these folks actually attended UVA with me, though our paths never crossed.  He met his wife there, and the two of them ran the UVA sailing club, which led to their teaching sailing in the Caribbean, which led to meeting The Kitten....

He had his 50th Birthday this weekend, and it was quite the bash.  Held in New Orleans, a group of about thirty total consisting of friends and family got together at a gorgeous old hotel for a continuous, three day bacchanal in a city known for such things.  A few take-aways?

First, New Orleans is a wonderful place to destroy one's dietary discipline.  I ate like a swine, and it is only due to my having eschewed alcohol a long time ago that I did not add 10 lbs this weekend.  Also, a prodigious amount of the food I ate consisted of raw oysters, which are pretty low calorie.  The birthday boy had raw oysters for lunch on Saturday, hours before his party.  Mistake.  He had the trots all day and evening, though he certainly rose to the occasion.

Second, New Orleans--especially at night--can be a smelly place.  A hint of the mixture of horse manure and human vomit was in the air as we roamed the streets.  Not pretty.

Third, I have less and less patience for drunken buffoonery as I age, but realize such a view is silly to hold when one visits Ground Zero for the practice.  The prevalence of pork-pie wearing fools with little chinny fuzz and skinny jeans has perhaps ruined the wearing of this hat for me for a lifetime.

Finally, and back to the diet, is there any food as perfect as the beignet?  Fried, sugary dough.  I could eat them all day, and so too for their cousin, the funnel cake.

The Hammer's College Football Roundup: Week 6

OK, this is a good time in the season to access who is doing better than expected, worse than expected, who is back and who is in 'Elvis has left the building' territory.

My two big "they're back" teams are undoubtedly Michigan and Flawda. Just like a hound dog smelling a bitch in heat, we all know when a team has its shit together and when they just had a good game. Tennessee had a good game yesterday, but Florida kick the hell outta Missouri and Michigan wore Northwestern's ass out! The Wolverines and Gators are POWERS, and anybody who takes them lightly will pay the price.

My better than expected list would have to be topped by Clemson. The Tigers look for real, but the jury is still out as they have Miami in a couple of weeks, FSU in November and what will likely be a very dangerous South Carolina squad their last game. If the Tigers run the table they're a shoe-in for the playoff (obviously). Time will tell. My other overachiever is Iowa (6-0, 2-0 Big Ten). They've got a pretty light schedule in Big Ten terms not having to play OSU, Michigan or Michigan State but next week they've got an embarrassed (and talented) Northwestern on the road. Could be tough.

My underachievers would be pre-season top 10 Arkansas (2-4, 1-2 SEC), Georgia with a few so-so wins and two straight losses to Alabama and Tennessee, Auburn again with a so-so win or three against inferior teams but two straight losses to LSU and Miss State. Va Tech has been disappointing at 3-3, Georgia Tech at 2-4 and Texas (2-4) although they did get a nice win against Oklahoma yesterday during the Texas State Fair (I wonder is ZZ TOP played Austin last night?).

My "woe is me" teams are, well just one.... The QUACK ATTACK! That's right Oregon is Oregone. The (dead) Ducks are 3-3 having lost to everyone worth a crap. Their last loss was to a mediocre Washington State team in double overtime. They are currently 5 out of 6 in the Pac 10 NORTH. From pre-season #6 to next to last in the Pac 10 in one short season. In a word, the Ducks SUCK!

In local action my WolfPack sucks worse. Next week we've got Wake Forest on the road which we traditionally lose, after that Clemson at home which we traditionally lose, BC on the road which we traditionally lose, FSU on the road where (surprise surprise) we usually play well, Syracuse at home and finally Carolina at home. The only one I really care about is Carolina. We MUST beat the Heels! CW's Cavaliers look like shit (wanna piss off a UVA fan? Just call Virginia the Cavaliers. They HATE that!). Unfortunately for them they don't play the Pack this year. Currently they're 1-4 and it would not be impossible for them to not win another game. Regardless, when they're done they'll fire London and hire the Toledo coach (or somebody) and begin again. Such is the lot of we second tier schools.

That's it, now hit the road. Your presence here is no longer appropriate.

History Can Be an Ugly Thing

I am so tired! No, I am sick and tired of this MYTH perpetuated by the likes of Tigerhawk that Boehner and McConnell's Congress has done all it could do considering the President we have. Yes friends, according to our country club colleagues everything that could be done has been done and that's all you need to know. Pardon me but I have to say, that is a crock of shit!

Now don't get me wrong, I like Tigerhawk well enough, even though, well he IS an attorney. Plus I take into consideration he lives Austin, Texas; a Prius driving, latte drinking university town where seven year olds are encouraged to explore their sexual identity, devoutly Catholic undocumented Mexican entrepreneurs (gangbangers) are welcomed with open arms to their "sanctuary city" and "micro-aggressive" words like "we are devoutly Catholic" are in no way tolerated (when uttered by Caucasians). I also am not offended that he went to Princeton, which as everyone knows has a dual mission. First to ensure the monied elite's idiot children receive a prestigious degree (and job placement) all the while limiting the damage to the institution's reputation and/or endowment due to the first (James Madison class of 1771, Brooks Shields '87 says it all).

No the fact is I admire and respect Tigerhawk, I just think his judgement needs a little work. Google Boehner/McConnell and "no government shutdown" and among the 457k results you'll see stuff like this.

Congress avoids government shutdown - CNNPolitics.com

www.cnn.com/.../government-shutdown-2015-funding-vote-senate-...

CNN

Sep 30, 2015 - Boehner: 2013 shutdown strategy 'never had a chance' ... McConnellsaid he had "no earthly idea" how much work would be completed before ...

Congress approves funding bill to avert government shutdown

www.usatoday.com/...government-shutdown/73032366/

USA Today

Sep 30, 2015 - 11 and avert a government shutdown at midnight. ... Boehner'sdecision made an immediate government shutdown less likely since the speaker nolonger feels ... McConnell told reporters Tuesday that he and Boehner have ...

Mitch McConnell amid Planned Parenthood uproar: No ...

hotair.com/.../mitch-mcconnell-amid-planned-parenthood-uproar...

Hot Air

Aug 5, 2015 - the shutdown is avoided, and all's well for Beltway Republicans apart ... leave McConnell and Boehner with no choice but to go to the mat this time: ... and they want Obama to shut the government down over the issue, and ...

It seems THE LAST THING our leadership wants is a standoff with the Democrats over, well ANYTHING! I wonder why that is? Of course in any dispute the drive-by media will blame the Republicans, that goes without saying. If a shutdown were to occur we can count on them to trot out bogus polls, rant and rave on their editorial pages and turn over their networks to all the "retirees and military veterans" who are being ruined by the reckless and irresponsible Republicans. Funny how welfare mamas are never showcased and the fact that 80% of the government is deemed "essential" and is still up and running (with the checks still going out) never seems to get mentioned.

So, we know who the media will blame, but who will the voters blame is the question. Surprisingly they aren't as stupid as some would suggest. Let's look at a little history.

• January 3, 1995: Republicans gained control of both houses for the first time since 1954.

• November 14–19, 1995: U.S. government shutdown
• December 16, 1995 – January 6, 1996: U.S. government shutdown
• March 12, 1996: Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (Libertad) Act of 1996 (Helms-Burton Act)
• April 24, 1996: Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act
• July 30, 1996: Taxpayer Bill of Rights
• August 20, 1996: Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996
• August 22, 1996: Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act (Welfare Reform Act)
• September 21, 1996: Defense of Marriage Act

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. In November 1996 Bill Clinton was reelected, the Republicans lost 8 House members and GAINED 2 Senate seats retaining control of Congress. A VERY productive Congress it was I might add, especially from the conservative perspective and all done with a very popular Democrat President.

The idea that Boehner and McConnell have done their jobs, the jobs they were elected to do, the jobs they PROMISED they would do is both asinine and insulting. They have done nothing but appease the President. They have had a hand in weakening us as a nation and making us less safe in our homes and the world less safe from tyrants and lunatics. They are the antithesis of leadership and deserve to be removed in shame and infamy. To suggest otherwise is to ignore history.

So Tigerhawk I urge you to look at the record. To conclude otherwise would be, well, just like a Princeton grad.

House GOP: Bullet points for your consideration

A few items to consider:

Because of the vast expansion of executive power under President Obama, which expansion you correctly deplore, the presidency is the entire ball game. Nothing else matters.

Because of the tough electoral college map, fed by the "Big Sort" of conservative voters in to a few states, the Republicans need to wage a nearly perfect campaign to win the White House.

In order for that to happen, we need for American voters to be comfortable that the GOP will govern "responsibly" -- meaning in a broadly center-right way rather than a broadly center-left way -- if it controls all branches of the federal government. Why? Because we need the squishy voters -- the small group of true swing voters, and the occasional Democratic voters who often don't give a shit and stay home -- to vote GOP and, well, stay home, respectively.

Right now, the House GOP is persuading the squishy voters, fed by a gleeful media, that the Republicans cannot govern responsibly.

For some reason, the House GOP's "Freedom Caucus" never got the memo that politics in a democratic republic are transactional. The old cant about politicians acting on their "principles" is just propaganda. If politicians actually were to do that, we would quickly become a dictatorship because only the "permanent government" would be able to make anything happen, and then without any effective oversight. The Freedom Caucus conservatives in Congress who purport to stick to their principles are in fact creating a power vacuum that is being filled by Barack Obama's administrative state.

Ironically, therefore, the Freedom Caucus is actually increasing the power of the executive branch by weakening the legislative branch.

None of this means that conservatives cannot get their way on important issues, but they cannot expect to win on everything. We know from the progressive fight for Prohibition (for example) that advocates of allegedly "extreme" positions can win their way in American politics if they focus on a single issue. The secret of the Anti-Saloon League and Wayne Wheeler was its single-minded focus. It would support any politician who supported Prohibition, even if other positions offended its members. If, as many say, reducing immigration is -- or ought to be -- the most important issue for conservatives, then the GOP needs to make that its top priority, and be willing to trade in order to get it. Sadly, the Freedom Caucus seems unwilling to compromise on any topic in order to win the long game on its top priority, probably because it has not reached internal agreement as to its top priority.

The House GOP needs to start supporting the image of the Republican Party among the squishies, and pronto.

Otherwise, start fitting out the Lincoln Bedroom for Huma Abedin and Anthony Weiner, because they will be staying there a lot.

Not WAR, Not Yet!

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Cornell's new president defends free speech, and loudly

Trigger warning: This will irritate campus authoritarians and other victims.

When a university president stands up for ancient rights rather than runs from them, we applaud. So it is with Cornell's new president, Elizabeth Garrett, who took a moment to lead, rather than retreat, in the defense of academic freedom and its sibling, free speech on campus.

Cornell University president Elizabeth Garrett is “an avid supporter of freedom on speech,” carries a copy of the U.S. Constitution with her “at all times,” and “would never” require professors to include trigger warnings for sensitive course material, she said Thursday morning.

“With respect to trigger warnings, first and foremost I am an absolute defender of academic freedom. And what a professor chooses to do in his or her class has my absolute support, even if I don’t agree with them,” she said at a breakfast with several reporters at the Cornell Club....

“A university is about the fullest and freest expression of ideas and arguments,” she said. “There isn’t any idea that ought not to be tested and questioned. Because that’s how we get closer to the truth.”...

“I don’t believe there’s a ‘free speech zone’ on campus. The entire university is a ‘free speech zone,’” she said.

Hey, when she's right, she's right.

I've had a few lively debates with Beth Garrett, including at a wedding in which she was maid of honor and I was best man a long time ago, so this does not surprise me at all!

Make Sure it Helps

The fine art of Machiavellian politics, and trust me ALL politics is Machiavellian regardless of ideology, requires one (among other things) to almost constantly lie about one's motives. A Democrat proclaims Planned Parenthood a "women's health" organization knowing full well it's a very profitable abortion conglomerate with a very generous (and influential) political arm, therefore to be defended at all costs. A Republican declares that the latest trade mega-deal will "create jobs" and be "good" for the American worker when they probably have no idea what it will do but understand all too well it's on their big business contributor's "must have" list and have no choice but to support it.

Also politics is relative. It's relative to what is, what can be and who one can count on AT THE MOMENT. Friends today, enemies tomorrow. American politics is a blood sport more akin to a reality show like Big Brother or Survivor than anything written by Locke, Hume, Hobbs or Montesquieu. The rules are simple, whatever the hell you can get away without looking like a damn fool. In service of this rule, the number 1 rule is you never NEVER reveal your true motivation. The politician who speaks unfiltered truth is the one who gets in trouble (and as often as not everybody else).

Look at it this way, politics is like a movie. The great Stanley Kubrick once told Jack Nicholson that a film is not a picture of reality, it's a picture of a picture of reality. In other words it's reality twice removed. It's peeking through the keyhole into a telescope, that's how belief is suspended by the viewer thereby allowing oneself to be entertained. Politics is the same way. We suspend our common sense and believe what we're told because he's our candidate or belongs to our political party or supports our issue. We even spread the lies and support this unreal construct created by people who we know want to manipulate us. We do this when we all know in our heart of hearts it's all theater and everyone is a phony.

Incredibly many of us even admire the most successful liars and cheats. The Clintons are the best example of this fact (although there are tons of others). Everyone knows Bill Clinton, everyone knows Hillary Clinton, everyone knows they are liars and cheats and 35% of the voters don't care what she did or didn't do with her emails. What the difference? They'll all liars. But Hillary is OUR liar and the Clintons are GREAT at keeping the con.

Our liars not so much. Only last week Kevin McCarthy handed Hillary a gift when he suggested the Benghazi investigation was politically motivated, which is probably true. In doing so he committed the ultimate sin, he revealed motivation and made a fool of himself. He hurt his party. That in itself is enough to disqualify this man from consideration as Speaker regardless of his politics (and I don't care how much cash he generates from Silicon Valley). There are rules, and to be effective one must live by these rules. Kevin McCarthy cannot do the job as Speaker because he broke the NUMBER 1 RULE before he even got started. Now revealing motivation is one thing, but if you MUST tell the truth, at least make sure it HELPS.  

ADDENDUM: Events have made this post old news but I would like to give a shout out to North Carolina's own Mark Meadows, Walter Jones and even the carpetbagger Renee Ellmers (God knows she helped). Just like when we saved Ronald Reagan's political career in the '76 primary, we once again saved the conservative movement from "conservatives".

On Inter-Party Love

Mary Katharine Ham and Jake Brewer from the Washington Post

For those of you not under the bubble of the Washington media, there was a story here a few weeks ago that had a great deal of interest.  A young man who worked in the Obama White House and was of the progressive strain of the Democratic Party, died in a bicycle race.  He happened to be married to a Conservative political pundit, which created a modern-day Carville and Matilin story, only with the very sad outcome.

The whole tragedy got me thinking; could I be married to a woman with whom I had such stark political differences?  The answer turns out to be a resounding "NO", but what is behind it is worth a little discussion and introspection.

I have dated liberal women.  I have dated liberal women for brief periods of time and enjoyed it.  But I have never (to my knowledge)  been in a long romantic relationship with anyone left of center.  Either I tire of them, or they tire of me.  Mostly the latter.  I thought a lot about Jake Brewer, and I thought about what it takes to love someone with whom one disagrees.  I thought that perhaps Jake, and others who are able to love those of vastly different ideologies, was a better person than I.  That goes for Mary Katharine Ham also.

But then I began to think about what I believe.  My political ideology stems from very fundamental and foundational views of the human condition and man's relationship to others and to the government.  In other words, my political ideology is not unimportant or ephemeral.  It is part of who I am, and because it is so dearly held, I have a basic prejudice against those who disagree with it.  And that prejudice boils down to this:  if I cannot trust their judgment on issues as transcendent as these, why would I trust their judgment on matters more trivial?  If my political bent sounds religious to you, you're onto something--because I'm thinking that as I read what I have written. I could find a woman with whom I am in complete agreement about how to raise children, division of labor in the house, finances, and what to watch on TV, who captivates me physically and intellectually, who shares my love of travel and of sitting around reading--but if she belittles free markets, if she embraces socialized medicine, if she fetishizes redistribution of income, if she believes in MORE government in our lives rather than LESS--I would have to look elsewhere.

To be blunt, I cannot fathom the life that these two accomplished young people had together.  I could not do what they did.  Don't get me wrong--there is not political harmony in my house.  We disagree on certain things--but on the big political questions, we are generally in accord.

Perhaps I put too much stake in politics.  That there are far more important things in life.  Perhaps these two discovered that in each other, and I have so very much to learn.  Such is likely.  But in the meantime, I stay mired in the muck of my own making.

Advertising advertising

'Nuff said.

A classic caption contest from the old days

Any discussion of Hillary Clinton's toughness, or whatever, is incomplete without reference to this photo from 2007:

Propose a caption in the comments.

Sunset over Texas

Last night, over the Austin City Limits Music Festival.

The Hammer's College Football Roundup: Woche Funf

Did you catch Clemson and those papist bastards playing down in Death Valley last evening? What a frustrating game to watch. I'm not a Clemson fan but as you know my hierarchy of being (in descending order) is WolfPack, God, country, sports bar, family, ACC, vehicle. Come to think of it move 'vehicle' up a couple of spots. Anyway I'm a fan of just about anybody who's playing Notre Dame and last night I was crapping in high cotton (for three quarters anyway). Then Clemson lost their nerve. They tightened up and started playing NOT TO LOSE. We've all seen it a million times. The Tiger offense went from a balanced, slashing, yardage machine to a run left, run right and then try up the middle, predictable three and out machine. It was ridiculous. Notre Dame was down 21-3 going into the fourth quarter then the Tiger defense starting giving the Irish the two things a good offense needs, time and space, and the Roman scum took advantage. If not for a couple of late mistakes by the Irish, Clemson would have lost by ten. Note to Dabo, run your damn offense. Sitting on the ball with a quarter to go almost never works. It's boring, the kids aren't having fun and things can go to shit REAL QUICK. Clemson is DAMN lucky they won.

I think we can now say Flawda and Michigan are back. The Gators looked so good against #3 Ole Miss it was scary. UF quarterback Will Grier looked great, throwing for 270 yards and 4 touchdowns. In my humble opinion the only thing keeping these guys from being top five is their running game. Put it this way, Florida TEAM rushing after five games is 703, LSU back Leonard Fournette has 864 yards after FOUR games. There you go.

How 'bout them Wolverines! Jim Harbaugh has got Big Blue cranking! Check this out, Mary-land had 76 passing yards with three picks and 29 yards on the ground. This is like the gold standard of offensive suck. If NCSU had played Mary-Land yesterday it woulda been a good game...unfortunately. Anyway I am really looking forward to Michigan/Michigan State!

But the week's suckiest suckfest was not in College Park, oh no, it was in Illinois somewhere (not a clue where U of I is, Urbana maybe?). Nebraska had the ball leading 13-7 and Illinois has no timeouts. All the Cornhuskers need do is take a knee a couple of times and game over. But what do they do? Why pass the ball of course...TWICE. The Illini get the ball back on downs and score winning 14-13. Well done coach. You want to know what's wrong with Nebraska? Sports management that's what. Those idiots took a league like the Big 8 with great football and great basketball and fuqed it all up. No more Oklahoma v Nebraska. The thing is Nebraska is NOT a Big Ten school and they know it. They are lost. They have no identity now. Oh well, they still got those hot farm girls LOL!

Ohio State won and Michigan State won, both ugly. TCU beat Texas like a drum (lots of problems in Austin), Baylor took no chances with Texas Tech and jumped on them early (well done coach), UCLA went down to Arizona State and what about poor Georgia? They were favorites over Alabama between the hedgerows but just could not overcome these disadvantages! The Tide killed them. Northwestern rolled and is undefeated along with the Iowa Hawkeyes who beat a pretty good Wisconsin team on the road.

In local action (local to me of course, who gives a shit where you are) my WolfPack, after putting up big numbers against chump competition played a bruised and batter (but talented) Lewis-ville squad and got their ass kicked. We came in ranked 16th nationwide in rushing offense, we got 45 yards yesterday. Add in a couple of big turnovers which resulted in at least a 14 point swing and, well we stunk. That is all.

UNC came back against Ga. Tech. I heard a bit of this game on the radio and I though Tech had it. Very disappointed in this game. The U lost to friggin' Cincinnati for Pete's sake! So long perfect record. Duke won, Va. Tech lost and UVA took a personal day (they needed one).


That's it. I wish it would stop raining but it's a good day for hanging around watching football and gettin' jiggy with mama. Now...don't you have somewhere you can go?

CW Marco Rubio for President Fund: $5400.00!!!!

Third quarter fund raising stats should be coming in from all of the candidates over the next few days, and we'll start to see some separation of the men and women from the boys and girls.  Running and winning takes some cash, friends, so think about digging deep and laying a little cash out there for Marco Rubio!  Use the form provided to the right on the blog or print the picture that I've included here.  I will soon post a link so that you can do all of this online, but I'd like to test it out first.

Big Fat Friday Free For All

Awww.....sorry to hear things haven't been going your way. Life can be tough like that. Why not take a few minutes so share with the people that care?

No weigh in today. I've been a little naughty this week.

Trump's Leading, So Why Wont He Quit?

Trump 23, Carson 13, Fiorina 13, Rubio 9, Bush 8, Cruz 6, Kasich 2, Huckabee 2, Christie 1, Paul 2, Jindal 1, Santorum 0, Walker, Pataki 0, Graham 1

Talk about spoiled, arrogant, entitled, self-centered and stupid, the GOP establishment takes the cake (you know, apart from the DEMOCRAT establishment). Have a look at the latest poll. Now I would describe Bush, Rubio, Kasich, Christie and Graham as establishment candidates. Trump, Carson, Fiorina, Cruz and Huckabee would be "outsiders" in my view. So, let's do a little math. The "outsiders" account for 57%, the establishment 21% (Jindal and Paul defy categorization but they account for only 3%). These numbers sound about right to me.

So who makes up that 21% I wonder, or more to the point who is Washington working FOR? Who is for open immigration and sweeping trade bills? Who is for outsourcing American jobs like at Disney, half of Silicon Valley and (just today) Toys R Us? Who thinks the GOP is just fine the way it is and wants to change nothing? Well the donor class of course. The quid pro quo, mega-wealthy who are getting wealthier by the minute along along with their sycophantic "professional" Republicans who are loyal to party rather than ideals.

These people (along with the Democrat establishment) are attacking Trump on a daily basic. Incredibly they constantly call for Trump to withdraw from the race. Now Jeb is a different story. He has cratered since early summer losing about two thirds of his support but gee, somehow for him "the polls don't matter". You see he's bankrolled by the fat-cats and unless something better comes along he'll will be around to the bitter end (Rubio and Kasich are desperately trying to be that "something better"). If money can fix it, it ain't a problem and believe me, the establishment have no qualms about buying an election. Hell, that's what they do. Jeb said recently we've only started our television ads so let's wait and see how those play out. Yes of course, that makes perfect sense, the voters in New Hampshire have no idea who Jeb Bush is so let's introduce our candidate and watch those numbers go through the roof. You just can't beat those party consultants...absolutely brilliant!

At this point in time I'd say the dolts haven't figured out yet they aren't running against the outsiders, they're running against each other. Same goes for the outsiders. If Trump loses support either Carson or Fiorina pick it up, it doesn't go to Jeb or Rubio. So I have to conclude that unless there's some secret weapon waiting in the wings the establishment is in deep, deep do do.

Here's the problem. Sixty plus percent of Republicans say the Republican Party has "betrayed" them, 45% say they are "afraid" of their government. These kinds of numbers do not bode well for an insider from either party. People are pissed. People are sick and tired of being sick and tired. I think it's clear 2016 will be a year of throwing the bastards out, so my question is... why won't Jeb quit?

A "Good Man" Gone Bad

I'm getting a little sick of this "who me" attitude by the establishment. After Boehner's announcement that he's resigning, rather than being contrite they're doubling down. We've done all we could do they say. Everything possible to stop the Obama agenda was done and no one could have done more. All this is just a huge overreaction by the "crazies" and Speaker Boehner, being the "good man" that he is, is falling on his sword "for the good of the party". By the way, isn't it a shame we've lost this "true conservative" based on no more than the hysterical howls of "false prophets"?

What a crock! This is a lie from beginning to end. The fact is Boehner never had a plan. He never had an agenda for stopping Obama. It's simply wasn't a priority for him. Furthermore I'll even go so far to say if the opportunity to repeal Obamacare had been handed to the Republican leadership on a silver platter, they wouldn't have taken it. Some would argue it indeed was.

Maggie Thatcher once said you have to win the argument before you win the vote. What she meant was it's the job of every politician to educate and persuade. That's what leadership is. But just like GWB before, Boehner and McConnell ignore and ignored this vital function of leadership. For example, right now at this very moment our party leaders should be hitting Planned Parenthood with everything they've got. There is NO WAY funding for this criminal organization should even be an issue. But it is. Why? Because our "leaders" are intimidated by Obama. They are absolutely paralyzed with fear of a government shutdown for which they will be blamed (as they see it) and OMG they could, just might, lose their positions.

In our system of checks and balances if Congress doesn't protect its turf and push back against an out of control President, then what we end up with is an all powerful executive with near dictatorial powers. And so it has been with Obama. The idea Boehner "did all he could do" is true, but not for conservatives.

The Hammer's Just Super, Superficial Analysis of This Week's College Football Action: Week 4

Well... I think I'll take a shot at who the early Heisman pick might possibly be: LSU's sophomore running back Leonard Fournettte. This guy is 6-1, 230 pounds and has excellent quickness and great open field speed. He's burning up yards like the Road Runner averaging damn near 9 yards per carry. Two hundred yard games are becoming a habit with this guy. If he's not on your short list you need a new list. Anyway LSU is 3-0 with two of those wins on the road. Looks like they're back in the hunt after last year's disappointing record, 8-5 (4-4 in league).

But the game of the week was TCU at Texas Tech. Last week the Red Raiders went to Fayetteville and hung one on the Razorbacks (and talking a little smack in the post-game news conference). At 3-0 they were definitely on my "must keep an eye on" list. I really thought they had a chance against TCU in Lubbock (the armpit of Texas). But let's face it, neither of these teams play a lot of defense when just a small, tiny, minuscule, atom of a defensive effort would have won the game. Both racked up more yards than '68 Ohio State against Hampden-Sydney on PlayStation 3 and finally TCU got a lucky tip in the endzone to win. Great game to watch, unless you're the defensive coordinator.

You think Flawda might be back? They're 4-0 and 2-0 in conference. Now granted they haven't played anyone that great but ECU is no slouch and Kentucky surprised Misery yesterday so they ain't too bad. The Gators have done what's been asked, and that's all you can ask. But coming back in the fourth quarter 13 points down against Tennessee shows a lot of character. I don't know, I don't think they're there yet but the trajectory is good. Not a fan necessarily but I do miss The Vols and Gators being competitive. Did I ever tell you I almost went to Florida? It's true, the Hammer was almost a Gator. Of course I was almost a Clemson Tiger, a Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket and a Tulane Green Wave(er) as well. Can't remember the details but as I recall something about in-state tuition swayed my choice. $300 a semester vs $5k, yeah that was it I'm pretty sure.

Anyway speaking of teams I miss being good the Michigan Wolverines absolutely destroyed the BYU Men in Black on bicycles 31-0. I'd say they're a season away but Harbaugh has Big Blue back on track. They lost to a dynamite Utah squad first game in a competitive matchup and in two weeks have (presently) undefeated Michigan State in Ann Arbor. I like the Spartans as well but an upset wouldn't be surprising. In fact I'll stick my neck out and predict a Michigan win. This is a "statement" game and Harbaugh wants this one badly.

Since I brought up Utah did you see what the Utes did to Oregon? 62-20 in Eugene! Man this is some embarrassing shit for the Quack Attack! Phil Knight probably put some extra phytoceramides in his '55 Glenfarclas. That's the worst defeat for a duck since Phil Robertson got his first shotgun.

Also out West UCLA is looking DAMN GOOD. Jim Mora has a hotshot freshman quarterback and they owned a good Arizona team. It didn't help that Arizona's ball security was about as good as the federal govt's internet security, but hey, that's the way the ball fumbles.

Ole Miss is picking up where they left off last year. The Georgia Bulldogs are looking awesome and may actually be favorites against "Bama next week. Baylor is ringing the cash register, just like last year. There are a ton of undefeateds out there including our own Clemson, FSU and NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY (but that could change). CW's Virginia lost to Boise State and is 1-3, but of the three ACC teams I just mentioned, what would their record be against Notre Dame, UCLA (on the road) and Boise State?

Well that's it, enjoy your rainy Sunday.