The Rise of Un-News.

After the nonsense regarding Anthony Smith's conditional guarantee last week and the breaking news on Les Miles not doing anything, ESPN has probably reached a new low. Please read the following sentence from espn.com, regarding T.O. and Keyshawn:

"Terrell Owens reacts to comments that Keyshawn Johnson made about T.O. disrespecting Bill Parcells -- then Keyshawn reacts to what T.O. had to say about him."

A reaction of a reaction? You have got to be kidding me! I intentionally did not include the link, because I don't want to promote any more trafficking of their website. Until further notice, I am done with SportsCenter and espn.com. If anyone knows of a more readily updated sports news source, I would gladly like to hear it.

in_rainbows

Since I have such an interest in novel ways of marketing CDs, I had to make a brief comment about Radiohead’s new album, “In Rainbows.” First, I should say that I have no loyalty or interest in Radiohead for the most part, but that may change now. Radiohead announced yesterday that their new album will be available for download on October 10th, and a special CD box set will be available later in the year. What makes this insanely unique is that Radiohead is letting YOU CHOOSE THE PRICE! This is phenomenal! I am so impressed with their self-confidence and trust in fans, that I will undoubtedly purchase these MP3s. I haven’t decided what I will pay, but it will probably be in the 5 to 7 dollar range; since I believe that purely digital music should be about half the price of a physical CD.
I’ve seen this technique work first hand during my undergrad entrepreneurship class. For one class, we were sent out on the streets of State College with $40 per group and were asked to make as much money as possible in an hour… any way possible. Our group decided to buy roses to sell for $2 or $3 each. After some time of being frustrated and shot down, we decided to approach people with the roses and just ask for a donation. The response was much better and on average we probably received about $3 per rose… with some people giving only a buck and others $5. The latter method was less aggressive and people were more willing to participate. This is essentially the same idea that Radiohead is doing and I am very interested and excited to see how it turns out for them.

Seattle Escapade (and what not)

So… it’s been three weeks since my last post and looking at that post (“flying salmon action!!!”), I suppose I WAS quite excited about this year's fantasy football season. However, the picture to the right is more symbolic as to what is really happening to my fantasy team this year. But, I digress… so… yeah… I went to Seattle last week for a conference. Really good times. I was very impressed with all of the nice folks in the town. I met some really great people and drank some exceptional beer. Unfortunately, when I arrived in town, Ohio State just defeated Washington. Therefore, I had to deal with some cocky Buckeyes, but my Gator/PSU allegiance put me on the good side of Husky fans. On Sunday, I got to watch the Steelers’ game at 10:00AM… pretty sweet. I didn’t know what to do with myself the rest of the day. But probably the highlight of the trip was going out with some British guys I met at the conference. They were absolutely ridiculous. We had a few beers at this reception for the conference, but then it spilled out into downtown UDub. The beer selection was really fabulous. Every bar had only one light beer on tap (like Miller Lite or whatever), then the rest were a local selection. I drank far too much beer in the few days I was there. But luckily I had the state of mind to document my experience. Below is a list of all of the brews I tried while I was there. The most notable was the nitrogenated Hale’s Cream Ale and the Maritime Pacific Imperial IPA. I also put a few pictures online if you feel like checking those out.

Besides the trip… as usual I have a few comments about other items I’ve come across… so here they are:

- Don’t be cop hatin’ because of UF’s “don’t tase me, bro” idiot. He’s a Tom Green wannabe and has done stunts like this in the past. He even has his own web site, but I’m not including the link to promote his stupid, attention-grabbing, annoying ass.

- I found this outstanding web site documenting pretty much every football helmet design ever used. It has historic NFL, college, XFL, Canadian… whatever. It’s extremely impressive and worth checking out.

- I thought the story about the Oklahoma State coach going off on a sports writer to be mildly amusing and barely news-worthy. However, the first 11 seconds of this interview with the writer and editor are priceless. The editor inexplicably continues to stare at the camera doing his best Rock impression for about 7 seconds after the interview got rolling.

- It seems that more and more people I know are getting some sweet HDTVs, which makes me exceedingly jealous. But I did some research a while ago about getting HDTV over-the-air for on my laptop... but I backed down. However, I found a few sights that can help you get over-the-air HDTV for FREE (1, 2). I know that most of you who have a freakin' sweet ass TV can probably afford a good digital/satellite package... but I still think it's good information.
On a side note... how shitty is TNT HD?! Since when is like Tombstone, Mr. Deeds or Something's Gotta Give in HD? I suppose NBA games will be... but that's it! I think it's false advertising and there should be a daily quota of HD content to be called "HD"... and so does Mark Cuban.

- Speaking of Mark (and don't worry I'm not going to start discussing Dancing with the Stars), but he (and others) might have finally convinced me to go Apple. But not quite yet.

flying salmon action!!!

Even after the blistering start of my QB Drew Brees (yawn), I am still greatly excited about 2007 Fantasy Football League. And who couldn’t be in my position?... I am the proud owner of LDT (keep in mind this was an auction-style draft, so I wasn’t just blessed with the #1 pick). Am I guaranteed a trip to the playoffs? Am totally stoked to see if Edge and Ahman (sans Green Bay) Green have huge years? Am I looking forward to using all of Jeff Reed’s drunken antics to rip on his performance every week? Yes… I am.
Without further ado, I present to you…. FLYING SALMON ACTION!!!

He's out there...

The long lost Smars.

Devastatin' Album Covers

I recently found a couple lists of the worst album covers of all-time (1, 2). Looking through these lists will no doubt cause you to run a gamut of emotions, from laughs to tears to horror. Most of these wonderful examples were either low budget, made in the 80’s, or both. However, has album art ever caused you to buy an album or not? For example, I was severely letdown when AFI posted the artwork for their most recent album, but I still bought the album. I suppose I just miss the Art of Drowning days. And I recently chose not to buy a Tiger Army CD because it was cheaply packaged in one of those basic cardboard cases with no frills. But I must say that some album covers have always drawn me to them to buy it. I can think of Trivium - Ascendancy or Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon, just off the top of my head. I love the artwork for both, but only purchased the classic Floyd album. More so, I appreciate extra goodies with CDs or unique packaging. For example, I am addicted to buying albums from this website that always offers autographed covers with CDs. Or if there is a DVD with the album, then that is extra incentive. However, some album’s covers are so uniquely presented that it makes you appreciate the album more. Such as, Thrice – The Artist in the Ambulance came with a postcard for each song on the album. Similarly, Prize Fighter Inferno – My Brother’s Blood Machine had cards for each track resembling the different cards in a deck. Also, Zao’s latest had two layers to each page, which overlapped different parts of letters to make a whole when combined. Nine Inch Nail’s Year Zero has thermo-chrome heat-sensitive paint on the disc that causes it to change appearance when heated by the CD player. I applaud such innovative efforts, but rarely do I know of these presentation details before opening the case.
Anyway… I’m curious if any aspects of a CD (beyond the music) made you want an album (or made you decide against it), and if so what was it?

Rapid Blog Assault!

WOW… How has it been this long since my last post? I have plenty of good excuses, but none of them are good enough. This is unacceptable. This won’t happen again. I will be bombarding you with buffoonery just to make up for it. First, I’m back in Gainesville, FL, USA. It’s good to be back to the comfortable life with a car, cell phone, and the same time zone as pretty much everyone I know. It was an excellent experience in France and I’m very glad that I was able to see my top two places to visit: Rome and Paris. There are a few final pictures posted (if you’re so inclined).

OK… enough French crap… let’s get on with some random thoughts.

- I flew home last weekend to spend some time with the fam and go to Zoo Brew and Kennywood. Zoo Brew was excellent on several levels. Not only were we drink beer at the zoo at night, but there were astonishing creatures like a Komodo dragon and gorilla lurking about. Creepy and fantastic. And it even went to a good cause (Mitochondrial disease). Kennywood was same ol', same ol'. Phantom’s Revenge was faster than I remembered and Danny Rea won me a sweet PSU #1 plush finger.

- On the flight home I had a layover in Filthadelphia. I thought that my disgust towards Eagles fans had long since dissipated from my State College years, however it was all renewed with an idiot wearing an Eagles cap in front of me on the plane. He was mid-30’s and wore a sleeveless shirt to show off his hairy, Philly cheese steak-lovin’ biceps. He kept wowing this grandma sitting next to him with the plethora of electronics he brought for his flight. It was like showing fire to a caveman. Grandma was amazed with ring tones and iPods. There was a ton of “Oh my! Oh my gosh! What will they think of next?” type of responses that only fueled his desire to impress. Of course he doesn’t turn off the keypad volume on his phone, just to notify everyone sitting around him when he was flipping through pictures. And thanks for shaking in your seat the whole time and torturing my knees all 130 minutes of the flight. What an ass. You suck and so do the EAGLES!!! (end rant.)

- I finally got my CD pre-order (and autographed booklet!!!) of Davey and Jade’s Blaqk Audio. Davey is at a homoerotic-Santa Claus level for me, so needless to say I am pleased. But seriously though, it is catchy, beautiful electronica. My personal favorite is Snuff on Digital, which goes through the mindset of a porn actress’ desire to be loved and immortalized, even at the cost of her life. (Machine sold separately.)

- I went to Steelers training camp with my lil’ sis, and it was pretty nice. Willie Parker is fast. James “Silverback” Harrison is colossal. Santonio Holmes looks much better on the field in person. I got St. Pierre and Sepulveda’s autographs. Also, Ryan Clark is a super nice guy. He signed autographs, posed for pictures with kids, and gave away his gloves by letting kids pull them off his hands. Too bad they all aren’t like him.

- Carey Davis is a freight train.

- Fantasy football is coming soon and I’m ill-prepared and ill-tempered.

France Pt. III – Saint-Etienne: Returning to the dorm life

During my stay in St. Etienne, the university was kind enough to toss me into one of their cozy dorms. Surprisingly, I embraced this idea since I have been cooped up in my own one bedroom apartment by myself for far too long. At any rate, here I am… and it isn’t too painful. Below I listed a few more comments and observations regarding my stay in France, and I also posted a few pictures of the mountainous terrain that is: St. Etienne.

1. The dorm has its own bar. It is called the Cercle. It opens every night and has 50 cent beer. Fascinating how this works. Can you imagine such things at Perry Hall in Erie?

2. I walk to work each day, uphill both ways. Well… it's a bitch anyway… it takes about 25 mins and it’s no flat Florida, I tell you that! These are some bitchin’ hills. I swear that if I were to take a spill, I would go down like Chris Farley in Black Sheep.

3. Everything closes by 8:30PM in this town and on Sunday they close at noon. Well… at least my end of town (and that includes the buses). I really don’t know what these people are thinking. If there economy is in the dumpster, they really should consider some part-time work. And hey… try a 7-11 or something 24hrs, for God’s sake! By the way, I’m running for mayor.

4. Converse All Stars are super trendy here… and they also cost at least 3 times as much as they do in the States. Can you imagine paying $90+ for some Chuck Taylor’s? Believe it. And… 30 dollar Levis go for well over a hundred here too. Hence why I had to buy cheap, tight, European, “I’m never going to have kids” jeans.

5. Burping. I was warned of this phenomenon before I left from a French co-worker. Apparently this is just as offensive as farting in France. I was sitting in on a French stats class and kid let out a barely audible belch, and the class erupted in laughter. Given, maturity is not one of their attributes, but this was abnormal.

6. French know fast food. The name of the establishment is Quick, which is ironic, because both of my experiences there have been the exact opposite. French customer service is incredibly lacking… however the French do have excellent cheese, and they put it on their burgers. So yes… Quick is Quite good Quality.

7. During one of the weeks of my stay… I had the privilege of sharing the same floor as 3 visiting Romanian girls. During this week, I got almost no sleep. They were here to party and were amazingly annoying. Now, I’m not a “stick in the mud” but one of these girls had a laugh like you wouldn’t believe.

8. This doesn’t directly have to do with France, but while I was in Rome I bought a bottle of the traditional Italian liquor: Grappa. This is without a doubt the worst tasting and smelling alcohol on the planet. I didn’t even skimp… bought a moderate-level brand in a fancy bottle. However, I would rather gargle Banker’s Club than drink this crap!

InstruMETAL

Here is a countdown of the 10 best instrumental metal songs I’ve ever heard. The only reason I post this list is because it was the easiest music list I’ve ever tried to construct. This order is not open to much discussion as far as I’m concerned… however if there is a worthy contender I am not familiar with, please inform me. (I should note that I feel guilty and inaccurate since no Black Sabbath is on the list, but I'm not familiar enough with their work to do so.)

10. In Flames (Subterranean) – Timeless – This track is in the bottom spot only because of its duration. This is two minutes of the most delicately played guitar I’ve ever heard.

9. Darkest Hour (Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation) – Veritas, Aequitas – Not regarded as a band of great musicianship, but coming in at just under 13 minutes, this instrumental doesn’t give you moment to consider skipping to the next song.

8. In Flames (Whoracle) – Dialogue with the Stars – Another In Flames masterpiece that runs the gamut of emotions and techniques.

7. Dark Tranquillity (The Gallery) – Mine is the Grandeur – In the same vein as Timeless, Dark Tranquillity shows off their Gothenburg, sentimental side.

6. Metallica (Ride the Lightning) – The Call of Ktulu – Metallica had to be on the list, right? And though I don’t regard instrumental songs as their strong point, this dynamic tune entrances you throughout.

5. Iron Maiden (Killers) – Genghis Khan – I personally love the sound of the Killers album more than even Powerslave or Number of the Beast, and this instrumental rolls along nicely.

4. In Flames (Colony) – Man Made God – I know In Flames is dominating the list, but they just bring more instrumentals to the table at a higher quality than anyone else. Man Made God is unique in that it effortlessly combines all of the riffs and hooks of the entire album into one, making it a beautiful collage. I don’t know that any other band has attempted this, but the results are absolutely phenomenal.

3. Trivium (The Crusade) – The Crusade – I suppose it may be a bit early to reward this band with such a high ranking, however one should keep in mind that the title track of this album is an instrumental, so that should give you an idea of the intent of this record. The entire album is filled with breathtaking musicianship and is tainted only by sub-par lyrics, which don’t exist in this song.

2. In Flames (The Jester Race) – The Jester’s Dance – In Flames comes in at #2 with probably my favorite song of theirs. A fantastic mixture of clean and heavy guitar work from Jesper makes this the most enjoyable 2 minutes and 10 seconds of metal that I’ve experienced.

1. Van Halen (Van Halen) – Eruption – Seriously… how can the single best guitar solo EVER produced NOT be number one. Eddie has claimed not to be pleased with the result, however I am quite satisfied.

The Gator Empire Crumbling?...... NO!

Redact it!!!

Music on the Brain

I know that everyone has songs that remind them of things… first love, last day of high school, playing Nascar98 at 3:00AM, movies, people, series finale of Seinfeld, Steelers kickoffs, etc. However, I’ve noticed that there are certain entire albums that make me think of specific events in my life. I’ll spare you all of the heartbreak/mushy stuff, but here are some albums that subconsciously make me think of these moments… for better or worse.

Metallica – Black album – Every damn song is super played-out for me since I listened to it for the majority of 7th and 8th grade, doing all of my homework on my bed with that album in this Discman (above).

The Offspring – Smash – Playing Final Fantasy VII on mute for however many hundreds of hours it took for me to beat that damn game. I was just getting into punk at that time and just recently saw The Offspring for the first time. Luckily for me, the best RPG of all time has one of the most boring soundtracks ever. And you can read the conversations on the screen, so there is no need to have the volume on. I’m sure you can imagine me alone in my room going at it with Sephiroth and chanting along “You stupid dumbshit goddamn motherfucker!” Also, for anyone who loves FFVII and hasn’t seen this… do it!

The Living End – s/t – National honor society field trip to NYC during Jr. year (HS). Listened to a lot of tunes on the long bus ride. I need to experience NYC again… that was too long ago.

Papa Roach – Infest – Driving around with Danny, Billy Joe, and Jimmy B during the summer of 2000. This album was a group fave to play in the Subsmarine along with Blink-182, Weezer, NWA, and DMX (if my memory serves me correctly). There was a lot of traveling between grad parties, playing basketball, performing various heists, mall trips, SNS, and much more. Great memories… some of the best.

Saves The Day – Through Being Cool – I listened (and sang along) to this CD for almost every combination of trips between NHT-Erie-Bradford. That was a lot of quality time in the Neon! The first time I made it to Bradford to see my ex’s folks, I lost my voice from singing along on the drive up. Embarrassing, but I guess I never had a 4 hour-long performance before.

Let's talk about this...

The Gator Empire Crumbling?

Today, Billy Donovan will announce that he is making the best decision, that I didn’t want him to make. This is really a no-brainer decision, considering that his stock will never be as high as it is right now and he only has a 90 minute commute to work. At the Gators championship celebration, Donovan announced that he wasn’t taking the Kentucky job, saying “Money can’t buy happiness, and I’m happy in Gainesville.” Well now he can pretty much have both… good for him.

After dominating the college sports world for the last 18 to 24 months, the University of Florida will take a serious blow… but not as big as you might think. I’m not saying we are at Duke’s level of invincibility, but the momentum generated by winning back-to-back national titles will not be hurt that much by Donovan leaving. All 5 of our starters (and sixth man) will be gone this year, so it would take at least a year to build a team worthy of being nationally ranked anyway. But all it takes to get back to elite status is one Greg Oden or Kevin Durant to decide to spend a year of college in sunny Florida before making the big bucks in the NBA.

The tandem of Billy Donovan and Urban Meyer at the same university is one of the best college sports coaching duos ever. However, when looking at their coaching styles, you can understand why Donovan would be foolish for not going the NBA, and why Meyer would be a fool for going to the NFL. Donovan improved the state of Gator basketball so much that UF owes him nothing less than to name the court after him. However, this magical team over the past two years was not created by Billy, as much as it was exploited. Like the NBA slogan “These guys are good,” so were the champion Gators. Donovan had the perfectly balanced team… and then some. He used every player appropriately on offense and defense. He even had the luxury of allowing a Lee Humphrey pull up a seat outside the 3-point arc and let the other 4 guys develop plays. Plus, these kids were so self-motivated, that they turned down entering the NBA last year, just to repeat. It’s not like he had to discipline them or motivate these kids… just like he’s not going to have to in the NBA. In professional leagues, these guys don’t always give their all, don’t like practice, and even skip voluntary training camps. And really… I think Donovan will handle this well and just focus on optimizing the potential of his team. Whereas, Meyer is way too much of an old-fashioned disciplinarian to ever be able to deal with the egos and money of the NFL. And I think he knows this… as does JoePa, who would never be able to use his old school tactics (such as damning the whole team to clean-up duty the day after home games).

Billy will be missed at UF, but this just gives me more of a reason to closely follow the Magic in the increasingly exciting National Basketball Association.

Rome Debriefing

Last weekend I was in Rome. One of the most amazing experiences of my life. Rome is a super heavy tourism city, but not much of a functioning city beyond that. Almost everyone spoke English, and I probably met more Americans than Italians. As I did with Paris, I’ll just make some random comments about Rome and you can check out my photos if you like.

1. While I was in Rome for 3 days, I wound up taking about 450 pictures. I was amazed at this feat. And I probably need to get a better camera in the future, since my “No Flash” setting always comes out blurred. Only 2 things I didn’t take pictures of: the Sistine Chapel (since it’s forbidden) and tombs (because I just think that’s disrespectful).

2. Rome is closer to Disney World than a real city (and that’s not to take away from its 3000 years of history). All of the historical sites are gorgeous, but everything in between is pretty trashy. The metro is inconvenient at best, and there are guys selling fake Rolex’s and miniature Colosseums everywhere.

3. I break Rome into two categories: ruins and art/churches. To my amazement, I was more impressed with the art than Roman ruins. Michelangelo was freaking brilliant and had his hand in everything done in Rome during the Renaissance. But with the ruins… you really had to use your imagination to know what those rocks used to look like.

4. I met so many fun people in Rome. It was such a friendly, warm environment there. I’ve never met nearly as many people on vacations in the US as I did there.

5. Some of my favorite people I met while I was there was a crazy Scottish couple in an Irish pub. Tony bought me a few drinks, including some Highland Park 16yr… good man!

6. My favorite thing I ate in Italy was not pasta or wine… but gelati! Those things are so addicting… I had about 2 per day.

7. I am about 90% certain that I passed the keyboardist of Dark Tranquillity on the street near Circus Maximus.

8. I had dinner one night in Piazza Navona and there was a street performer who busted out a boom box and sang some stuff Three Tenor style! He was super impressive… very Italian.

9. My last night there, I had dinner with a couple of friends and we had this outstanding, cartoonish Italian waiter. Whatever stereotyped image you have in your head right now… he served me dinner. (that's not him.)

Preventing Pirating with Reverse Psychology

I recently saw in the NIN blog that Reznor does not condone the price of his latest CD at certain places around the world. I personally haven’t bought the new album because I’ve been in France and it’s about $27 here, and I wasn’t sure that I was going to buy it at all, until I read his blog. I respect when an artist speaks out against their label or music stores. I realize his comments aren’t too aggressive, and it’s not like he doesn’t like money in his pocket, however I doubt that any artist really cares if music stores make money off of their product.

Other artists have made me feel a similar way in the past. Such as, Thursday, who advises their audiences to get their hands on the music anyway possible; via downloading, burning, ripping, sharing, etc. Or, AFI, when they wrote a statement saying that they did not approve of Nitro Records re-releasing a greatest hits album. I find that I respect artists much more when they don’t saturate their discography money-making special editions, re-releases, live albums, and greatest hits. As I type this, I remembered that NIN has more halos than Heaven, but I digress.

The bottom line is that illegal downloading is absolutely necessary for bands to get exposure and build a fan base. But if you gain respect for a band, then go buy their next release, or support them by going to shows or buying merch. Besides, Yu Quan thinks it’s OK! …I’ll get off of my soapbox now.

Steelers Draft 2007 - Smars' Review

Let me start off by saying that the NFL draft is one of my two favorite events of the year in sports, in close competition with the first weekend of the NCAA tourney. Both completely consume my life during that time and should be celebrated with BBQ's and beer. Unfortunately, this year I was obviously in France for the NFL draft, but I had to keep tradition going on my own. I bought a case of Kronenbourg, a block of cheese, and 3 feet of French bread, then glued myself to ESPN's draftcast and radio. It was a great time! It allowed me to analyze each pick more and have a Pittsburgh-free, untainted view of the draft.

First, I think that the draft should be graded somewhere between a "B+" and a "?". But I think Steeler fans are being especially harsh this year regarding the draft. Since there are so many questions regarding the team and coach, they are looking for a young savior from the draft to bring some positive excitement to alleviate some of the negative apprehension. People forget how drafts work... I would say around 3 (maybe 4 tops) actually remain on the roster for several years. (If you need a reminder of previous drafts, this guy has an outstanding site with historical Steelers draft analysis.) So don't grade too harshly just because everyone was looking for a "new" team all together. It won't work like that... and I can spot definitely 2 (and as many as 4) players from this draft that will have playing time (or are starters) for at least 3 years.

OK... I will go through my impressions on each pick in a minute, but here is a summary of my thoughts: I think that there's a very good chance (considering the defense style transition) that Timmons and/or Woodley will become impact starters, rather quickly. If Michael Bush becomes a star and Spaeth is a flop, then that's a bad pick. Sepulveda... OLB/P... my favorite pick (even with trading up). And to top it off... WE GOT A NATIONAL CHAMPION GATOR in Dallas Baker, "The Touchdown Maker"! But overall, I am intrigued by even the lesser picks, mainly because our team average height sky-rocketed on draft day! 6'7 TE, 6'3 P, 6'4 DT, and 6'3 WR... "you can't teach speed (or height)", and at these kids all have at least one of those.

Here is my pick-by-pick analysis:

1 - 1st Rd. Timmons, OLB, FSU - Alright... this pick I'm not that crazy about, but I really don't know too much about the guy. The only defensive end that I did like was Carriker, who went two spots before us. Then the Jets swooped in and took Revis (who I believe the Steelers would have chosen instead of Timmons). I don't know that I believe that Revis will be an all-star, but he would have been exciting to see. But we have Timmons and I'm not going to make any decisions on him until I see him in the preseason. All I know is that he is from FSU, who has an extremely high success rate in the NFL (and don't say what about Alonzo Jackson, because that's an anomoly). Plus, Bryant McFadden in an interview before the draft was singing Timmon's praises since they played together at FSU. So knowing that at least one person on the defense wanted him says something. I really think there were only a handful of players that were worth 1st round billing, so I'm not upset about Timmons, and I'm hopeful he learns well and brings some passion to the field.

2 - 2nd Rd. Woodley, DE, Michigan - Woodley is the classic case of being a college football legend (12 sacks last year, all-time leader at Michigan) and falling short from NFL scouts. I don't know what he lacks, besides maybe being a "tweener" OLB/DE. Plus he might be a little small, but as I said before, you don't have all of the answers during the draft, but I like the chances that at least one of Timmons and Woodley will become starters. Finally, I have seen some video compilations of him on youtube, and not that he did anything that spectacular on the field, but he carries a lot of attitude and passion... which means a lot in my eyes. Look at Tyrone Carter... I'm pretty sure that him flapping his lips and shaking his head is the only reason he has seen increased playing time recently.

3 - 3rd Rd. Spaeth, TE, Minnesota - This is a pretty puzzling pick. However, he is 6'7". That pretty much eliminates any questions I have about this pick. I am curious to see how he works out in the red zone and how Arians plans on using him. I am willing to let Arians try some crazy 3 TE sets, as I am willing to let Timmons go to a 4-3 Tampa 2. The only problem with this pick is that I might have enjoyed Michael Bush here. However, there was absolutely no need to force-address the running back situation given the selection to choose from. There were only 6 out of 32 RBs on predraft list that were listed at over 220lbs. And that's very small. There were only 3 RBs that I would have wanted out of those 32: Adrian Peterson (because he's Adrian Peterson), Michael Bush (whom we still have to see has recovered from his knee), and Gary Russel (who we wound up picking up in the rookie free agents afterwards). Even Tony Hunt from PSU and DeShawn Wynn from UF wouldn't have been more than 3rd down backs for us. I would much rather stick with Willie (who for some reason still hasn't convinced Pittsburgh fans that he "can handle it") and pick up some veteran or use Davenport. The moral of the story is that we didn't have to force that pick to address a RB when there were barely any available in the first place, when we are playing in a RB-saturated league.

4 - 4th Rd. Sepulveda, P, Baylor - This is my favorite pick and the most frustrating one to hear fans and sports writers talk about. He is (by far) the best punter in college over the last 3 years. He won the Ray Guy Award twice, which has never been done and he won it the second time this past year after tearing his ACL the previous Spring. He holds the NCAA record for average punt distance at over 45yds. Apparently there is a nice video of him floating around that shows him crushing someone on a punt return. That's fun... and does a lot for team energy. The argument is "Why trade up for a punter, who is in only a handful of plays?" First, they traded up because Jacksonville took a punter from Maryland 11 picks before us. So one of the two top punters was off the board, and if we are crazy for picking Sepulveda, what about Jacksonville for NOT taking him and going with the other one? He is only in the game a handful of plays, but by drafting him, we will probably have no punter worries and lower average opponent starting field position for the next decade! Since we had such awful starting field position last year, it's easier to remember how disheartening it was to always have to go the length of the field and watch Coclough "try" to field a punt.
The stat people look at that is misleading is average yards per punt. So if adding an extra 5yds per punt isn't enough for you (Gardocki 41.3avg, Sepulveda 46.5avg), then think about pinning the opponent deep. Gardocki only put 11 of 65 punts last year inside the 20, Sepulveda had 26 of 66. I think a 4th round pick is WELL worth it. Additionally, he is a freakin' 6'3 an ex-linebacker. This means that probably no punts will sail over his head and he will be an 11th guy on the field to tackle, instead of just being a speed bump. Plus, he seems to be a bit of a nut and will probably have some morning radio show or whatever. I think it's great... this is the ONLY draft pick that I can say with absolute confidence that he will start and be adequate/excellent for years to come.

5 - 4th Rd. McBean, DT, Okla St. - I don't have much to say about him, other than he's 6'4 and if he puts on about 20lbs he might have a chance to be a decent takle. May be be good on special teams with blocking kicks.

6 - 5th Rd. Stephenson, G, Rutgers - I don't know much about him either, but Rutgers had a prolific running game this year, so that means he was a big part of that. I don't mind seeing if he develops, which is generally the path that offensive linemen take.

7 - 5th Rd. Gay, CB, Louisville - This is the worst pick. If we were going to take a CB at all, we should have done this 2 picks earlier instead of taking this bum. They say he resembles Deshea Townsend. Am I the only one that doesn't find this a compliment?

8 - 7th Rd. Baker, WR, UF - Come on... of course I love this pick. This was the only pick during the draft that I let out and audible "YEAH!". He's a solid 6'3 WR who played on a championship team that was stacked at the position. Don't look at stats, because the Gators spread the ball around like crazy. He will be an excellent option in the red zone and some tough 3rd down plays. He's not that quick, but he runs excellent routes and has great hands.

I think some of these players will be great for the team. So cool your jets, and let’s see how they do this summer!

France Pt. II – Paris and random comments on French (and such)

Paris is absolutely gorgeous. I went into this experience with somewhat low expectations, so I was pleasantly surprised to see this beautiful, historic, impressive city. Everything (including the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, etc.) is much larger and more magnificent than I previously believed. I'd rather comment on specific places in Paris with pictures, so if anyone is interested, please see my album.

I will just finish this post by rambling off some random thoughts regarding France:

1. Not knowing French in France is an adventure. People really can’t (or are too bashful) to speak English. However, if you realize that YOU are the asshole and aren’t afraid to embarrass yourself, then it’s not so bad.

2. French drivers are absolutely out of their mind. The traffic systems are illogical and the drivers are kamikaze. I compare roundabout to being like a fight sequence out of a Chinese movie, but with cars. Where the combatants are ferociously flailing limbs, but barely miss each other. I have to pass through roundabout/automobile buzz saw when I walk to work everyday. It definitely keeps you on your tows!

3. What kind of European crackheads design the toys in Kinder Eggs? (see icon)

4. You can’t walk anywhere in Paris without seeing people wasting away the day at outdoor cafes.

5. How do some people stink so bad? Honestly, it’s inhuman! BBO!

6. I bought a pair of jeans while I was here. I cannot get my hands in my pockets.

7. I’ve been consuming unhealthy amounts of cheese, wine, and chocolate. The selection of cheese at the grocery store is ridiculous and impractical. The wine is usually around 4 bucks a bottle. yum!

8. French coffee. Delicious. I didn’t believe it would be the case, but my god it’s fantastic. Though small in portions, it packs a wallop, and smooth enough to drink black. Plus they generally enjoy it with some fine chocolate… which is definitely a custom I plan on continuing when I leave.

9. French people march home in hordes from bakeries with enormous French bread baguettes like they’re going to battle.

10. Every French person I’ve met has been exceedingly nice to me, and I’ve even made some friends along the way… but I’ll save that for another post.

France Pt. I - Newark: The Black Hole

I embark on my journey in as painful of a way as possible. I decided to be nice and save my boss a few bucks by choosing an itinerary with 2 layovers and an Air India flight from Newark to Paris... Air India... AIR India... 7 hours... to Paris, not India (at least I hope).

With promise of a fiasco in sight, I take-off from GRC (which should be the airport code for Gainesville Rock City). And HEY!... look who it is, UF president, Bernie Machen! Three consecutive, major, collegiate sports championships you'd think this guy would not be flying coach, but perhaps a jet in the shape of a flying Gator with the 3 championship trophies in his teeth (for bling). Anyway... seeing him made me feel good about this flight, so I knew I would make it to Charlotte.

And I did... I even made it to Newark. But a minor delay on the previous flight made me miss my Air India connection to Paris... bummer. Lucky for me, Air India ONLY services to Paris from Newark ONLY once a day, at 9:00PM. Therefore, I realize at this point I am going to have 24 hours to kill.

So me, some French dude, and an Indian dude are stuck in Arm Pit, USA - New Jersey talking to Air India, whose ticketing desk is down in the basement (no joke). These guys are arguing with Air India in a vicious, incoherent form of English that was endlessly entertaining. I just sat back and enjoyed the show. After they exhausted themselves with their rants, Air India displays some discrimination and only gives a hotel voucher to the Indian guy. Fair enough. They direct me and the French guy to speak to USAir whose flight delay is what caused our difficulties. Air India was "kind" enough to put us on STAND-BY for the flight tomorrow since it was also booked. We make our way over to USAir...

While trying find a hotel in lovely Newark, USAir gets swarmed with a plane full of angry customers displaced by a canceled flight to Pittsburgh. They did not like Pittsburgh that night. Finally, we get hooked up with in a crap dump Travelodge, where I remained until the following evening. I will spare you the rest of the details and suspense, and move on to Paris by saying I was fortunate enough to get on standby and rather in-flight enjoyed the Indian cuisine.

From all of this, not much harm was done other than I missed a day in Paris. One serious word of advice to learn from all of this: stick to main airlines for complicated itineraries (regardless of spending a few extra bucks) and factor in how many flights go to your destination per day, especially for international trips. For example, AirFRANCE would have been a wise choice for this trip (my mistake).

Welcomes & Warnings

I am venturing into the world of blogging. I really don't get excited about new online trends, such as myspace, youtube, lastfm, and whatever else I don't know about. However, in this case, i feel this is a worthwhile experiment to stay in touch with people more and openly spur conversation. Plus, now that I am going to be in the wonderful country of France (cough! ghat!) I am going to need to vent and expel some good old-fashioned rants, as well as document my awkward and amusing experiences... so why not blog-it. This will include pretty much anything that enters my head on a daily basis... and I strongly encourage discussion and arguments.

DISCLAIMER: This blog is meant for pure enjoyment. Rants, jokes, stereotypes, and sarcasm galore. Don't be offended. Don't whine. Just don't read. Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I have only good intentions.
Enough of this crap... let's enter my dementia.