New Addition

Is it weird that I am posting again, but the post gives it away. The Wife and I now have a son. To be referred to as G-MAC on the blog. The real point of this post is to organize my thoughts about my fandom and how I pass it on. I am thinking of throwing myself into following nothing but Chicago teams to make it easier for G-MAC. Of course we will only follow one college program in this house regardless of where we live, but I think it would be easier for all parties for me to follow Cubs, Bulls, Bears, Fire and Blackhawks. Not sure feel free to advise and if I see you in person expect to have this conversation.

Simply The Best

I think #15 is the best sketch ever done on TV. The title is a link to the 50 best sketches ever done as compiled by nerve.com and the IFC.

The Odds

Whit: 6 to 1
Akira: 3 to 1
Bjorn: 12 to 1
CBR: 8 to 1
TBR: 5 to 1
Baby vs Field: 2 to 1

If you can't figure it out you don't understand what thirty-somethings do when they go out for liters of beer and then go out to a bar afterwards. They stay out way too late and betting ensues. Currently all the action is on akira and cbr.

Bad Parents

Who knew that Marla, ("the monster") a 120lbs dog could be allergic to red meat and chicken.  I mean she really got screwed on the whole genetic lottery, it is like having a fish allergy and being of Filipino descent. (Sorry Mrs. EA).  Also, who knew such an allergy would manifest in unilateral ear infection, scratchy face and paw biting.  Oh well, she now feeds on fish and sweet potato or some nonsense.  First come first serve on a big box of her old chicken fat infused treats.

Top Five

Below are the five most expensive college football tickets as of August 10th:

1 Penn State vs. Notre Dame September 8 State College, Pa. $1,100
2 Michigan vs. Ohio State November 17 Ann Arbor, Mich. $1,000
3 Notre Dame vs. USC October 20 South Bend, Ind. $950
4 Michigan vs. Notre Dame September 15 Ann Arbor, Mich. $696
5 Notre Dame vs. Boston College October 13 South Bend, Ind. $661

Now I don't mean to beat a dead horse (leprechaun), but I am both amazed and (after a great deal of soul searching) envious of a team that can manage this kind of following despite having not won a bowl game since 1994.

A couple of points:
1)I am an avowed Irish basher. Some because of living in Chicago, some because I have a number of friends that are alumnae(Great route runner) and some because I hate bandwagon fans. (A full disclosure of fandom below).
a)I do not mind ND fans that did their undergrad in south bend.(Law school only fans are the worst, particularly if they gave up allegiance to another school).
2)The Ty Willingham termination. I am not saying this had anything to do with race, but I am looking for an adequate explanation why Charlie Weis is not on the coaching hot seat for essentially the same performance as ty.(Burke or Urda looking at you).
3)The we graduate more players and that is why we don't get better recruits argument. Serious pet peeve. Several points:
a)The graduation rate percentage at ND is significantly higher then other BCS schools(except Northwestern and Duke). True, but the percentage is lower then the total student body.
b)At Ohio State, for example, the football graduation rate is much lower then the same stat at ND, however it is right in line with the normal graduation rate(53% and 55% respectively)((Using a six year limit and no one graduates OSU in less then 5 years)) . This percentage when broken into race demographics shows african-american football players are 20% more likely to graduate then the non-athelete african-american student population.
c)Thus, stats can prove anything you damn want as long as you can argue and (shockingly) the schools have different missions. Private school vs land grant, etc. d)Finally, really the school recruits on academics. Really! Yet, ND still gets top 5 recruiting classes.

I am hoping nothing said here keeps from the Burke household in Ann Arbor on November 17th.

Fan Affiliation:
College: The Ohio State University (I made it a goal to see a game, match or meet of every varsity sport at OSU, yes I went to rifle match).
NFL: AFC:Bengals NFC: Bears (If the two were playing Bengals)
NBA: Eastern: Bulls Western:Spurs(I almost went to the USNA, loved Mr. Robinson and now the big fundamental)
MLB: Reds (I'll go to cubs games).
MLS: Fire
EPL: Liverpool (You'll never walk alone).
Rugby: All-blacks and London Harlequins
Cricket: Pakistan(Thanks to the GAME).

Glasgow Rangers above everything if you don't understand(and can't figure out in a couple of google searches, well you don't know me).

Curmudgeon

AY quoting John Winkour in order to describe the essence of my personality. I don't know, I kind of like it...

"A curmudgeon's reputation for malevolence is undeserved. They're neither warped nor evil at heart. They don't hate mankind, just mankind's absurdities. They're just as sensitive and soft-hearted as the next guy, but they hide their vulnerability beneath a crust of misanthropy. They ease the pain by turning hurt into humor. . . . . . They attack maudlinism because it devalues genuine sentiment. . . . . . Nature, having failed to equip them with a servicable denial mechanism, has endowed them with astute perception and sly wit.

Curmudgeons are mockers and debunkers whose bitterness is a symptom rather than a disease. They can't compromise their standards and can't manage the suspension of disbelief necessary for feigned cheerfulness. Their awareness is a curse.

Perhaps curmudgeons have gotten a bad rap in the same way that the messenger is blamed for the message: They have the temerity to comment on the human condition without apology. They not only refuse to applaud mediocrity, they howl it down with morose glee. Their versions of the truth unsettle us, and we hold it against them, even though they soften it with humor."

Now I Understand "Contact" by Carl Sagan

From The Scoop Section (Guilty Pleasure) of MSNBC.Com: (As always snarky parenthetical comments are mine)

Kirsten Dunst thinks America would be a better place if people would smoke a little more weed. (Uh gee uh....) “I drink moderately, I've tried drugs. I do like weed. I have a different outlook on marijuana than America does,” (Uhhhmmm!!!) the “Spider-Man” star said, reports WENN. “My best friend Sasha's dad was Carl Sagan(What the....), the astronomer. He was the biggest pot-smoker in the world and he was a genius.(Reaalllyyy!!!) I've never been a major smoker, but I think America’s view on weed is ridiculous. I mean — are you kidding me? If everyone smoked weed, the world would be a better place.”(UhhhMMM!)