Passin' by the liquor store, throw my money down...

Brett Favre
All I can say is that it's about damn time. Brett ended his somewhat anticipated return to the NFL by declaring that he was gonna stay retired this time around. This is probably my favorite Favre moment of all time which is pretty sad considering all of the amazing he did on the football field. But it just goes to show you how sick that I/America became of his diva act. I'm pretty sure I outlined my feelings for his run-around on this blog before so to make a long point short: I am sick of Favre. It's funny because he claimed that he just glad that all of this was behind him. Really? You mean, all of the stuff that you brought about for the umpteenth time, right? This was, afterall, idea to come back. It was your idea to get shoulder surgery so you could play again. It was your idea to string along the Minnesota Vikings to the point where players were practically begging you to finally make up your mind. Seriously, Brett, do us all a favor and fade away gracefully into the shadows. If you really feel the need to get back involved with the game, then you should volunteer to coach at your local high school or go back to your alma mater (Southern Miss.) and coach there. I guaran-fucking-tee that you won't be rejected for either position. Just leave the NFL alone for a while.

More like Bitch of the Year. And shouldn't it be pronounced Fav-ray instead of Farve?

Lebron Dunked On Video
WOW. LEBRON WAS TOTALLY POSTERIZED IN THIS VIDEO. I MEAN, OMFG, HE WAS PUNKED BY THAT COLLEGE KID!!!!11!!!1!

Yeah. That's not true at all, but that's what every 15 year old is probably writing on their Myspace at this very moment. The fact of the matter is that, yes, Lebron was dunked on by some scrawny college kid. But he was out of position, defending the baseline pass and the only person to step up. Like Jordan Crawford said later, "It wasn't that big of a deal." Well, yeah - We see that now. Too bad Lebron and Nike screwed this all up by confiscating any and all video of the event for two + weeks as if some double secret government code had been revealed making Lebron look like a prima donna who loves it for people to watch him dunking on people, but can't stand it when someone dunks on him. It's like when a 5-year old challenges you to a race. You let him/her win, becuase you know, they're 5. Who cares. But then they taunt you. They remind you about it. They make commercials about it. Then you race them again and decide, FUCK IT - THIS IS MY RACE. You beat them by a mile and they cry. They deny that you ever beat them to the point that they embarrass themselves in the process, but they just don't realize it. Nike, Lebron, grow up.

See, he cried after I beat him in a foot race.

Some Quick Hits

- The Dodgers are on a 4 game losing streak. Damn. I guess we couldn't be all-worldly for the whole season. However, our pitching has been suspect and I hope against all hope that we somehow strike a deal for Toronto ace Roy "Doc" Halladay. We're gonna need to shore up our defense when our hitting goes south and this would be the only way to do it.
- Lance Armstrong came in 3rd at the Tour de France. That's cool. Actually, that's a lot better than anyone expected (except for him, of course) and he's looking to come back stronger next year. Teammate, and winner, Al Contador said he wasn't a big fan of Lance for "personal reasons". Maybe he's just jealous because he's never gonna win 7 in a row? Or maybe he's just jealous because he's not from Texas? Who knows, both theories are appropriate in my mind.
- Big XII media days were held the past 3 days. Baylor coach Art Briles gave some good responses as did quarterback Rovert Griffin III. Although most of it was coach-speak, it's unmistakable that football season needs to get here fast. This also reminds me that I need to come out with my Big XII preview... soon.

Robert Griffin III - The best thing to happen to Baylor since dancing.

Some Random Thoughts
- Man, something is seriously wrong with Esther. In case you've been under a rock, the movie trailers/posters for Orphan have all said "There's something wrong with Esther". OHHH BOY were they right. Talk about disgusting. Talk about depraved. Talk about a twist that noone saw coming! Seriously, crazy.
- I got a new tennis racket the other day. It's pretty sweet.
- OK, I'll start this off by saying that I enjoy watching Conan O'Brien because he's hilarious, but I have to admit that his interview the other night with Steve Zahn was by far the funniest thing ever on his show. Ever. Here is the link. Check it out. I've always been a fan of Steve Zahn because he usually plays pretty quirky guys, but I was more than happy to find out that that's just how he is in real life. Awesome. Also, I'm pretty sure he was high.

Quirky or a serial killer? You be the judge.

- Today's title comes from the song Ain't Life Grand by the band Widespread Panic. A great band from Georgia and one of my favorites.



37 days until that first Saturday.

Say it ain't so...

Tom Watson
Well, Tommie Wat or T-Dub as I prefer, was not able to win the British Open. He played so well throughout the 4 days only to have his second shot on the last hole go over the green - causing him to bogey and go into a playoff, subsequently losing it. It was heartbreaking. It was painfully obvious that he was gonna lose the playoff to Stewart Cink. And it was painfully obvious that not a single person was cheering for Cink, the poor guy. Here he was, doing what he had to do to win, but he had to beat a legend in order to do it. The cheers and claps were subdued, but maybe in time we can come to appreciate what Cink did. Do I think that Watson's play is still one of the greatest achievements in sport? Yes. For a man at 59 to play at the highest level of sport and almost succeed in mind-boggling. You gotta understand, golfers peak in their early to mid-thirties. It's amazing if a guy in his mid-40's is competing at a high level. Sure, you can keep playing golf when you're older, but you're body breaks down. You don't swing the club as hard as you used to, you can't turn your back as much, you can't seem to get out of the rough... you get the idea. Congrats Tommie-boy on the great tournament you played - we just wish you would've won.

A villain in victory. It ain't easy being green.

Chelsea - Inter
The Chelsea - Inter match occurred a couple days ago at the Rose Bowl. My friend Randy and I got there at about 2 - the game started at 8. So we did what men do best; we tailgated. Busted out a couple chairs, beers, and chips. It was pretty hot, but we got a spot underneath a tree, so it was a good summer day. We met some Newcastle United fans who had made the trek from up in NorCal. They were pretty cool guys who let us in on the state of affairs of Newcastle football - to sum it up, it's basically a trainwreck. By the time the game rolled around, the Rose Bowl was pretty packed - 82,000 strong. It was a pretty good game. Actually, it was a great game for us Chelsea fans who witnessed Chelsea dominate Inter Milan at every facet of the game. Inter played like it was a pre-season game - not connecting on passes, playing slow, and not really playing with any creativity. On the other hand, Chelsea did everything Inter did not. Playing in mid-season form, Chelsea impressed by keeping possession and constantly keeping pressure on Inter's mid-field and defense. Although they played well, there is still room for improvement around the box - overall though, a great performance.

This is where we were sitting. Pretty good, eh? Chelsea is in blue, Inter in white.


Me after the game. Everyone else is a loser.

Some Quick Hits
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic (what a name!) is transferring to Barcelona from Inter Milan in exchange for Eto'o and Aleksandr Hleb + $56 million. I think Barca is getting the better deal as Ibra is a better player than Eto'o, but I'm pissed off because this only means that Barca is getting better. And I hate it when Barca is good.
- So Brett "I'm a bitch" Favre is supposed to announce whether or not he's coming back to the NFL today. Seriously, who gives a shit. This guy is such a diva.
- Mark Beurhle threw a perfect game for the White Sox yesterday - only the 18th perfect game in MLB history. Pretty damn impressive. Congrats Mark, you damn White Sock.
- There was some controversy at the recent SEC Media Days about pre-season voting. One coach, out of 12, didn't vote Tim Tebow as the best qb in the league. Seriously? Who cares! Turns out it was Steve Spurrier of South Carolina, but again, who cares! People are so caught up in the pre-season that they've forgotten that it's the end of the season that matters.
- On related news, Tebow announced that he's a virgin and waiting for marriage. He also feels that his passion on the field will relate to success at the next level. He also said that the national championship doesn't matter as long as he gives it his all on the field and does his teammates proud. Bullshit. His all-American act makes me wanna puke.

Tim Tebow wears jorts.

Some Random Thoughts
- The new Harry Potter film recently debuted. Cool, I guess. I haven't seen it and I probably won't see it unless I'm forced to or when it comes out on TV. I don't even like Harry Potter, but I feel like I need to watch it because I've seen the other films. What a crappy position to be in.
- I've been working on my tennis serve lately. I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty sure that I'm just about ready to take on Federer.
- Back to the Chelsea - Inter game, Charlize Theron opened the game by talking about her efforts in South Africa to bring soccer to the poor. I'm not gonna lie, I absolutely LOVE Charlize Theron. She is pretty damn sexy. But more than that, she's elegant and just downright gorgeous. However, I found out that she refuses to get married until same-sex marriage is allowed. What the fuck. Not only that, but other notable actors (like Brad Pitt) have taken this stance. Really? Is this stance gonna all of sudden change people's minds about same-sex marriage because their favorite stars can't get married? "Oh my gosh! Brad Pitt can't get married until those gays down the street can... This has to change!" Is this marriage strike supposed to be equivalent to Ghandi's hunger strike? Charlize, I love you, but get over it. In fact, I make a plea to every Hollywood star out there - shut up about politics. We all understand that every person is entitled to their own opinions, but stop acting like yours is the end all to all opinions. Just because your soap box is bigger than ours doesn't mean that you have to use it to annoy us. Please, please, please just focus on your acting career and looking good at red carpet events. You know what I appreciate? When famous people support charities to make the world better - like Charlize's efforts in South Africa.

Let's not let politics get in the way of our relationship, baby.

- Today's title is from the Weezer song of the same name... I thought it was appropriate for 'ol Tom.

42 days until we beat Wake Forest.

Crazy story time

So I just had this convo with my friend Randy. I guarantee your night wasn't as crazy as his.

ClawMotion4Me (8:47:47 PM): what happened?

ClawMotion4Me (8:47:52 PM): and howd ur midterm go?

CHOI Man Speaks (8:57:49 PM): midterm was alright

CHOI Man Speaks (8:57:53 PM): should've studied more

CHOI Man Speaks (8:58:21 PM): csula friends wanted to hang out last night ath teh comedy club in old pasadena which ended around 12ish

CHOI Man Speaks (8:59:05 PM): and they want to go to a bar so we went to bar called dullahan's, the scene was night cause it had like very big outside patio area and inside was good too

CHOI Man Speaks (8:59:26 PM): as soon as i got out othe patio area, i saw these two girls fighting....i was like wtf?!!?!?!

CHOI Man Speaks (8:59:34 PM): and they were two asian crazy girls....

CHOI Man Speaks (8:59:58 PM): so i moved away go deeper into the patio area where they had beer pong tables set up, and i was watching ppl play beer pong

CHOI Man Speaks (9:00:28 PM): 20 mins later another fight broke out, this time it wasl ike between two asian guys, the bouncer came and stufff to break it off..

CHOI Man Speaks (9:00:42 PM): by this time, i thought we should leave cause i had a bad feeling about this...

CHOI Man Speaks (9:00:53 PM): but my friends just got their drinks...so i was like fine we'll stay

CHOI Man Speaks (9:01:26 PM): the bar started to close at 1.15ish, so we all started to head towards the parking structure....and i was about to pay my parking ticket

CHOI Man Speaks (9:01:41 PM): i heard this guy#1 talking trash to this guy #2....

CHOI Man Speaks (9:01:58 PM): and my friend was like, i think we should get out of here, and i was like why, what' sup???

CHOI Man Speaks (9:02:31 PM): as we were walking out, the guy#2 said to the guy#1, what did you say. and just socked in the face, and the guy#1 just dropped was knocked out cold...

CHOI Man Speaks (9:02:36 PM): guy

CHOI Man Speaks (9:03:30 PM): guy#2's friend were like yeh ya, where you frrom...and the guy#2 came back and said that's what's up, and like literally kicked his face and stomped it to the floor

CHOI Man Speaks (9:03:42 PM): and i was like wtF is going on here?!?!?!

CHOI Man Speaks (9:04:04 PM): the guy#2 and his friends ran up the stairs and guy#1's friends were coming and intending to the guy#1....

CHOI Man Speaks (9:04:32 PM): guy#1's crowd came along from outside to get this guy#2

CHOI Man Speaks (9:05:20 PM): and all the guy#2's friends were all out waiting to get out of the parking structure and they heard about their friend's getting into a fight.. so they all came out of the car and starting attacking ppl

CHOI Man Speaks (9:05:30 PM): it was like mass of 50 ppl brawl in the structure.

CHOI Man Speaks (9:05:56 PM): knowing that i was lil buzzed and i knew the cops were coming...i didn't want to get dui or be in the crowd where things will just get messed up

CHOI Man Speaks (9:06:01 PM): cause they were all asian....

CHOI Man Speaks (9:06:24 PM): so me and my friends went to a restaurant and chilled out for an hr or so just that the cops and paramedics cleared up...

CHOI Man Speaks (9:06:43 PM): total of 8 cop cars and 6 paramedics were there

CHOI Man Speaks (9:07:16 PM): so it was about 2.15, and everything cleared up...some of my friends left cause they live around pasadena area....so i had jess and abby wiht me

CHOI Man Speaks (9:07:38 PM): as i goes towards the structure....i saw that all the structure gates were closed

CHOI Man Speaks (9:07:44 PM): so i was like no way...

CHOI Man Speaks (9:08:05 PM): so i went back around the corner and there were security guards trying to fix the gate that broke...

CHOI Man Speaks (9:08:37 PM): so i started to ask if i can get my car out of the structure

CHOI Man Speaks (9:08:44 PM): they were like no you can't cause the structure is closed...

CHOI Man Speaks (9:08:54 PM): and i told them the situation of what happen and why i went away

CHOI Man Speaks (9:09:08 PM): they were like well, if you didn't do anything wrong, why would you run away....

CHOI Man Speaks (9:09:26 PM): so i told them that i didn't want to get in the mix cause it was all asian ppl in this fight and i odnt' want to be mistaken for this....

CHOI Man Speaks (9:09:36 PM): they were like well you should've stayed in the car and locked ur doors...

CHOI Man Speaks (9:09:47 PM): but the thing is i couldn't get to my car cause that's where the fight was....

CHOI Man Speaks (9:09:53 PM): so i had no choice to walk out of the place

CHOI Man Speaks (9:10:12 PM): they were like all we can do is call a cab for you or you can go to hotel marriot and stay in the lobby and drink coffeee

CHOI Man Speaks (9:10:42 PM): the thing is abby had a midterm the next day and she didn't study that much....so she needed to go home....so i called my friend ot take jess and abby back ot my place so they can go home

CHOI Man Speaks (9:11:01 PM): while i stay at the hotel marriot till 5 am in the morning when thye reopen the structure

CHOI Man Speaks (9:11:16 PM): which was stupid cause it was hour wait or somethign like that...

CHOI Man Speaks (9:11:34 PM): so basicaly i spend my night in old town pasadena cause i was at a wrong place at a wrong time

CHOI Man Speaks (9:11:55 PM): i got home at 5.45 and got total of 4 hrs of sleep

CHOI Man Speaks (9:12:12 PM): cause i couldn't sleep since i drank like 5 cups of coffee

CHOI Man Speaks (9:12:19 PM): so that's my thurs night story

CHOI Man Speaks (9:12:23 PM): good exp, huh?

ClawMotion4Me (9:12:30 PM): dude

ClawMotion4Me (9:12:36 PM): that is so crazy.

Do you remember when you were young?

The British Open
I meant to post a preview to the Open on Wednesday, but I'm actually really happy I didn't because of everything that has gone on in the first two days. Massive favorite Tiger Woods won't be playing on the weekend after missing the cut for his first time ever at an Open. In case you don't know what a cut is, it's when the tournament field is essentially cut in half for the weekend. So let's say a tournament has 144 participants at the start (which is the norm), then only the top 72 plus ties will go on to play the next two days. This also means that since Tiger missed the cut, he won't be getting paid. Not that he needs the extra paycheck considering that he'll be the first athlete ever to reach one billion dollars in career earnings. Well, at least he'll be able to spend this weekend with his wife. Did I mention that she was once a Swedish supermodel?

"Have you seen my wife? Yeah, definitely hotter than yours. Did I mention that I'm also the greatest player to have ever played the game? Well, I am."

Oh, and she has a twin. Damn you, Tiger. Anyway, back to drama at the Open. Two familiar faces are at the top of the leaderboard - Mark Calcaveccia and Tom Watson. However, these guys have been familiar faces since the 70's. They're both over 50 and way past the twilight of their careers, but here they are kicking ass. During any other year, the Calc would be the crowd favorite, but Watson is by far pulling at the heart-strings of the golfing world. While the Calc's career was by no means less than good, Watson is one of the best players ever who made his career at this very venue. Back in 1977 (ten years before I was born!), Watson beat out the great Jack Nicklaus at this very course (Turnberry) in what would be dubbed "The Duel in the Sun". Holy shit, you know something is epic when it's given a nickname - "The Thrilla in Manila" - "The Rumble in the Jungle" - "The Memorial Day Massacre" - "World War II" - you get the idea. I'm glad that Watson is back in form for what could very well be his last shot ever to win a major tournament at the place where he arguably made his name. I hope he can keep it up, but I have my doubts. I doubt that he came in here thinking he could win so him being in the lead must be as much a shock to him as it is to us, but let's hope his mindset has changed for this weekend.

Look at how young I used to be! But look at how old I am now.

- I really have no random thoughts or whatever today because I'm too lazy to put 'em down.

- Today's title comes from the song "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" from Pink Floyd. I thought it was appropriate for 'ol Tommie.


49 days until Wake Forest.

I'm too afraid I'd never let you go...

Ron Artest
So Ronnie-boy is now a Laker which is good news for us. My friend Jackie's (who is a big Rockets fan) reaction to this? "That bitch". Ron realizes that his first priority is to win a ring and even took a pay cut to come to the Lakers, stating that the money doesn't matter anymore. He brings a much-needed attitude change on defense and overall toughness. I'm not saying that we're not tough because we can certainly be tough when we want to be, but that's the problem. We're only tough when we want to be instead of being tough all the time. Lord knows we can duke it out with just about any team in the league, so I'm happy we now have someone who'll make sure we do just that on a nightly basis. In related news, getting Artest meant that we had to give up Trevor Ariza (who went to the Rockets, kinda like a trade). I'm kinda bummed about this. I don't think it'll hurt us next year or the season after that, but it will hurt in the long run. He's a good player with tremendous upside who could've led our offense 5 years down the road. Oh, well.

This is how you play defense, right? By choking people?

Curtis Jerrells, Henry Dugat, & Kevin Rogers
All three of these players were instrumental in leading Baylor men's basketball from the depths of shit to something respectable. In the past 4 years, they've helped us to become a threat to make it to the NCAA tournament on a yearly basis and have raised the expectations of the fanbase exponentially. What they've done is on par with the feeling you have when you have that first Sam Adams Boston Lager after you've been drinking Keystone Lite you're whole life. All of a sudden, there's a whole new world of victories and tastey-goodness! All of a sudden, we realize that we don't have to be held hostage by the terrorist that is Keystone Lite/losing.
Anyway, all three of these players were picked up by NBA teams for their summer league rosters. CJ and Dugat were both signed by the Dallas Mavericks and Rogers signed by the Boston Celtics. Currently, CJ is playing in Vegas with the team while Dugat is watching from the bench. CJ's stats have been pretty good considering that he's only been averaging about 9-10 minutes a game. Rogers, on the other hand, was averaging a pretty good 20-25 minutes with the Celtics and playing well, especially on the defensive end. After all the games are done, I'm not sure that any of these guys will be picked up by their respective teams. They'll probably end up in Europe or in the developmental league which is fine. It'll be good for them to spend a couple years honing their games in the hopes that they can make it in the league. I have no doubt that CJ and Rogers can do this easily. Dugat? I'm not so sure.

Thanks for the memories. Especially this one, where we kicked some Aggie ass.

Lance Armstrong
So Lance is currently kicking some ass at the Tour De France, again. What makes this even more impressive is that he retired in 2005 after winning a record seven in a row. He retired 4 years ago at the time stating that he was "tired of kicking so much Frenchie ass". OK, so maybe he didn't say that, but he should have. People in the sporting world didn't really take Lance seriously when he said he was gonna ride again and people in the cycling world thought it was a joke until they actually saw him on the starting line. But now, here he is in the tenth stage in third place. It's not like Lance is 30 years old or something, he's 40! He's a freaking old man. And to top it all off, you better bet your ass that French officials are testing him at every corner since they've been accusing him of doping for years now like their lives depended on it. Well, even though I don't follow cycling at all, I do enjoy it when an American is kicking ass at it's premier race.

Even more impressive is that he wins while drinking! What a man.

Some Quick Hits
- In golf, the British Open is gonna be going on this week. It returns to Turnberry for the first time since 1994 and the favorite is Tiger Woods, of course. The world #1 has won the Open at Turnberry in the three previous times it was held there, so Tiger definitely has something to look forward to/live up to.
- I believe the Beckham experiment is a bust. Here is a guy who was supposed to raise the profile of American soccer, only to want to leave us for the Italian league. As much as the MLS wants to, it will never be able to compete with Europe for a top soccer league. I believe that the best it can hope for is to increase player-wages, sponorship deals and interest in the game in order to lure young prospects out of South America to eventually compete with the best teams from Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. American soccer doesn't lie in picking up old European cast-offs, but in investing in the future.
- I just watched a replay of the USC-UCLA football game from 1990 and wham bam hot damn that was a good game. SC ended throwing a touchdown pass with 20 seconds left to win the game 45-42.
- Prince Fielder won the Homerun Derby yesterday. Cool. It's always great to see a big fat guy winning things in the sports world especially when he's going balls-to-the-wall to do it.

"THEY CALL ME PRINCE! Ah NOM NOM NOM."

Some Random Thoughts
- My friend Randy was kind enough to share the Robo Geisha movie trailer with me. You can find it here. Yes, it is a real movie. And yes, it is hilarious/fucked up. Seriously, the Japanese are some messed up people. But they all fit perfectly with my motto: Never trust a people whose average height is below 5'5". That means you, Asia.
- I recently started watching the show Better Off Ted and boy oh boy, it's a great show. Is it a coincidence that my new favorite show has Portia de Rossi in it? No, not at all. If you're keeping track, I've now mentioned a total of three shows on this blog and Portia has been in two of them. If you have a chance, check it out on Hulu.
- I recently read the Batman graphic novels, The Killing Joke and Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth. Why, you ask? Because I watched The Dark Knight the other day and became interested with the stories that Heath Ledger had read both of these in order to prepare for his role as the Joker. So I figured why not. It's not like I had any pressing matters to attend to. Lemme tell you, "graphic novel" is a grown-up word for a longer-than-usual comic book with death and blood in it. So I committed a couple nights to reading them and I must say I was impressed. This, coming from a guy whose never read or had that urge to read a comic book. The "novels" were dark and brooding and less beat-em-up superhero-y than I expected. The Killing Joke really showed the Joker at his twisted best where his insane plan to show that all it takes is one day for someone to turn out like him strangely makes sense on some primeval level. Arkham Asylum played out even more like a psychological look into Batman that turned out like something taken from the Silence of the Lambs locker. Seriously, I would recommend reading either novel to anyone. Just download them online (like I did) and read them from the comfort of your own home so you don't have to look like a total nerd at Barnes and Noble.

Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth

The Killing Joke

- Today's title comes from the song "Dreamin' Alone" by the band Hightide Blues. Great song, great band.


52 days until that Saturday.

I'm gonna take you to the muddy river...

Man, it's been a long week of stuff going on in the sports world. At first, I wanted to wait until the end of last week to post so I could consolidate things, but just like procrastinating for a test everything came together in a flood. Anyway... here is what I find important...

Steve "Air " McNair 1973-2009
The past two weeks have seen the deaths of 5 well-known celebrities with McNair's most recent death probably resonating more with sports fans than the other ones. He's probably most remembered for being the star quarterback of the Houston Oilers who then became the Tennessee Titans... taking the Titans to a super bowl appearance in 2000. Known for his superman like ability to take hard hits and keep playing over multiple games, he was a man who fellow players and coaches call a true leader. Unfortunately, he was murdered last week in a case that goes unsolved. Details at this point are murky, but it has been concluded that he had a 20 year old girlfriend who owned the gun that shot him (she was found dead too). Sometimes, with a person's death, you find out things you don't wanna know (McNair was a married man with two children). Oh, well... I guess everyone has skeletons in their closet. Let's just hope this murder is solved.

Wimbledon
This past weekend, Wimbledon concluded it's famous tennis tournament. Serena beat her sister Venus for the women's title on Saturday. Good for her. Personally, I can't really tell them apart, but who cares! America is back on top world! Well, the Wimbledon world. And only on the women's side because that "next great American" failure Roddick lost to Federer. I'll give it to Roddick, that was an epic match that lasted over 4 hours and went over 5 sets, but he still lost (just like the previous 10 matches or something he's played against Federer). When the hell are we gonna have to stop rooting for whoever plays Federer? We, as Americans, deserve to be able to have a top-notch tennis player who regularly competes and wins major titles, damnit. Come on America, let's get it together.

Here's how we can weed out the weak competitors. Losers get thrown off the side.

Miss Texas 2009
My friend DaNae Couch competed in her first Miss Texas over the weekend. This is even more impressive when you realize that she's only competed in a couple pagaents prior and has only been doing pagaents for a year. But wait, the impressiveness does not end there - she not only made the top 10 (out of 40 girls or something like that), but proceeded to make the top 5 and finish 2nd! I'll tell you the truth, I've never cared for pagaents before. I've always found them somewhat boring except for the fact, that you know, beautiful girls are in dresses, leotards, and bathing suits. I watched a webcast and was enthralled with what was going on. Even though the webcast was horrible due to the fact it would buffer every freaking 2 minutes, I stayed with it for a good two hours. It's different when you have a friend you have a friend who is competing in something, whether it's a pagaent, sporting event, or for a job. You want them to succeed, you try to will them to victory, and the very fact that they're doing well makes you happy for them. It's like working for a soup kitchen, but the homeless people are not dirty and they're all your friends who for some reason cannot afford a meal.

By the way, her twirling was amazing on Saturday.


Oh shit! That's THREE batons!


Oh, and her swimsuit part wasn't half-bad either.

Manny Ramirez Returns
Manny officially returned to the Dodgers last week against the hated Padres. His first game wasn't great, going 0-4 at the plate, but he did hit a homerun in the second game. Joe Torre gave Manny the day off for the third game probably realizing that he wasn't quite ready to return. That's cool. I don't want Manny getting dehydrated or something. During his return, he got his fair share of boo's and cheers which is to be expected. I still don't have a definitive stance on how people should react to his return since he was suspended for cheating. I think, as a Dodgers fan, we have more reason to cheer because we want to win and realize that Manny back in the lineup only strengthens our chances to do so. We aren't really cheering for him because he is a cheater, but we're cheering because he makes our great team all that much better. Right?

"Karate CHOP!"

Some Quick Hits
- Oft-injured soccer forward Michael Owen has moved from the newly relegated Newcastle United to Manchester United. This really isn't a bad move for Man U because they essentially have nothing to lose by picking up Owen who was once considered the savior of English football. As for Owen, I hope he can get back to his winning form (and so does Man U).

- Congress is still wasting time talking about the BCS and how it's a "monopoly" or something like that. Like an organization can be a board game. Silly Congress. But seriously, if Congress really wants to fix something in the college sporting world, why don't they focus on one-and-done players in college basketball? These players don't get an education and instead see college basketball as a mere stepping stone to the NBA. Of course, any good player goes into college with this mindset, but they should at least get an education while they're in school.

- Golfer Phil Mickelson found out his mom has breast cancer. Man, first his wife and now his mom. What's next?

- More soccer/football news, Cristiano Ronaldo was presented to Real Madrid the other day. A presentation is simply a way for a club to say "Hey, here's our new signing in our threads, check him out". Well, 80,000+ came to "check him out" in a massive gathering at the Santiago Bernabeu - Madrilenos are truly expecting him to return them to greatness. With that much pressure, I hope he has his bar stocked.

This is what the Bernabeu would look like if I was presented to Real Madrid.

Some Random Thoughts
- I watched Public Enemies starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale the other night. Man, what a disappointment. I still can't believe how Michael Mann screwed up a movie about a depression-era gangster. Seriously, that was the Golden Age of bank robberies/tomfoolery and yet he managed to blow it. The action was stale, the dialogue disconnected, and there was too much emphasis on the shitty relationship between Depp's character, John Dillinger, and his girlfriend. Bale was good, but I feel like there wasn't enough emphasis put on his character. At the end of the movie I felt like Mann wanted us to feel sympathy for Dillinger. Yeah, I'm not gonna feel sympathy for a man whose gang murdered dozens of law-men.

- I picked up my tickets for the Chelsea-Inter Milan match at the Rose Bowl yesterday. Fuck yes. They're gonna have a beer garden outside the stadium. A beer garden! Can it get any better??

- Gas prices suck. This isn't news or anything, but damn, they suck.

- Today's title comes from the song Down Home Girl by the Rolling Stones. Old Crow Medicine Show does a pretty damn good cover of it, too.


59 days until the Wake Forest game.