Off to Arizona

I'll be in Arizona for a few days, see you on Monday.

One is a bad number

Well damn. The margin for error by the Braves is down to one. One more loss by the Braves or win by the Padres and the Braves are done. Well there is always next year!

Go Dodgers, Giants and then Nationals!

Oh yeah, go Braves as well. Two games out with five to play. Should be an interesting few days.

Four Months Later

And what a painful four months it was. I do like me some Heroes and having it go away for the summer wasn't any fun. I'm guilty of wanting more out of the premier than was delivered last night. It wasn't bad, I was just expecting more, which is typically your own fault. I've found with movies and sometimes TV that keeping your expectations in check will really change if you like or dislike something.

To go from saving NYC from the brain eating, evil guy who was going to nuke it to dealing with bad paper store managers and the in-crown cheerleards, a little bit of a let down for the Bennets.

So far I'm not a fan of the Wonder Twin storyline.

I do like that Hiro was read stories about himself.

I think the British Kensei is going to be a fun character.

I'm really shocked that someone hasn't commented on the impeding addition of Kritsen Bell. More hot blondes can never hurt a show.

I wish I would have remained spoiler free. When they kept spoiling that an older Hero would die I just knew it was Sulu. I wish it was Lady McBeth instead.

The virus storyline, I haven't read an X-Men book in a bit so this isn't old news for me. The virus storyline happens every other month in X-books but on Heroes I'm sure it will be refreshing.

Repeat powers, you knew it had to happen sooner or later.

So when you blow up you end up in a container in Ireland? I would say you get $10 if you guessed the end of the show reveal but you should have guessed the end of the show reveal.

I know it sounds like I really didn't like the episode but I did. It is almost the perfect geek show, this episode just didn't live up to expectations is all.

The Race Card

Eagle's Quarterback Donovan McNabb was quoted a few times last week, all from HBO Inside the NFL (which is the one show that makes me miss having HBO) saying basically that black QBs face tougher criticisms than white QBs. Um...duh?

I would think it is painfully obviously that black QBs face tougher criticism than white QBs. An NFL Quarterback is the face of the of multi-billion dollar corporation that is owned by a white man. That corporation relies on millions upon millions of dollars in sponsorship money from other corporations that are run by white men. Those 32 corporations and its parent corporation really need the mega-billion TV deal by TV networks run by white men. The money to pay that mega deal comes from advertising dollars paid by, you guessed it, corporations owned and run by white men. This just in, most of the wealth in the US is controlled by white men which means all of those people list want to appeal to those dollars and those white men. People tend to gravitate towards things that are familiar and the same and that makes it easier to appeal to other white men by promoting your star white players. That means teams would prefer not to have a black QB if they can avoid it. They'd obviously want to win more than anything else but all things being equal would take a white QB over a black QB.

The media is no different. The sportswriters are white men, their news directors are white men, the station manager/editor are white men, and their owned by the same above corporations. It is easier to attack something that is different than something that is familiar. Tom Brady gets a pass because he knocked up a super model. Everyone above wouldn't mind knocking up a super model so they sympathize with Tom Brady. Shawn Kemp doesn't get a pass because none of the above people understand having seven children with six different women, nor would they probably want to.

Brett Favre is passing all-time QB records. When Dononvan McNabb or Vince Young does something it is the first time a black QB has done something. We make sure to get that point out to us. Warren Moon is the all-time best black QB, Steve Young, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, Johnny Unitas are just all time great QB. Doug Williams was the first everything for a black QB in the Super Bowl, nevermind he played an incredible game by any standard. The week New England upset Pittsburgh (Kordell Stewart) and St. Louis beat Philadelphia (McNabb) there was significant talk about the first match up of black QBs in the Super Bowl. Steve McNair was the second black QB in the Super Bowl, not the first QB for a storied franchise.

Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders, Stephen A. Smith, all jump to Jevon Walker's defense when he is playing for a less than ideal contract. Chris Mortensen, Peter King, Brett Favre, and Steve Young all tear into Jevon Walker. Asante Samual, Michael Strahan, and Lance Briggs should shut up and get to camp or their teams should pay them the long term money they are owed, just depending your side of the fence. Tony Romo is playing in a less the ideal contract and his owner/GM said they will just franchise him if they don't work out a deal. Len Pasquarelli and Peter King wrote how bad that is, John Madden commented on it last night. Tony Romo should be paid his money!

It is dumb that I can't write a certain word in my blog because I'd be a racist. It can be played on the radio just as long as it is someone like 50-Cent shouting out the lyrics and not someone like Sting, that would be racist. Having Sting sing some gansta rap would be funny. There are many things that both sides of the race card complain about that are absolutely silly. But to pretend there isn't a race divide is absolutely dumb.

3-0

Not much better than starting the season 3-0. The Steelers didn't look incredibly good but they still demolished the 49ers. I take that back, their defense looks incredible. The offense needs to be a little better for the Steelers to be an elite team. Right now they're offense is making too many mistakes for them to be as viewed as good as the Colts or Patriots. I'm really enjoying the season so far. Bring on the Cardinals.

49ers Come to Town

This is week three of five in the Steelers incredibly easy early season schedule. They actually don't have a tough schedule the entire year but the first five games are very easy. The 49ers are 2-0 but they don't seem like they've figured everything out yet. The Steelers other than converting a few more TDs in the endzone as opposed to field goals have figured most of it out, at least so far. The Steelers should win this game, hopefully they aren't overlooking the 49ers too much. A 3-0 start would sure make getting into the playoffs much easier.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Little One. Having an eight year old sure feels weird. I mean I still play games at work, I'm supposed to be responsible?

Enough about me, she loves her birthday. Every year she is so happy about it that Pretty Bird and I get a kick out of it. Her joy and excitement probably makes us spend too much money on her birthday but hey who can blame us, she is such a great child. This year is a slumber party tomorrow and a bunch of her friends coming over. It should be a great time.

TiVo Cleanup

With the new season starting up it is time to make sure your TiVo has enough room so you catch all the shows you want to watch. I know we're already here at the TMac household.

60-10

That is the Steelers and their opponents combined point total for the first two games. Most NFL games end within 7 points so the Steelers defeating their opponents by an average of 25 points is pretty good. Here are some more numbers that make me feel good.

392.5 Total Yards Per Game (#6 in NFL)
195.0 Rushing Yards Per Game (#2)
197.5 Passing Yards Per Game (#22, okay not so good but not bad since they throw like 5 times a game in the second half)
30 Points Per Game (#5)

222.0 Yards Allowed Per Game (#3)
74.o Yards Rushing Per Game (#5)
148.0 Yards Passing Per Game (#3)
5 Points Per Game (#1)

That are some good numbers. This mixed with the 6-2 finish has things looking up for Steel Town. Three bad things though. One and most important is that last year doesn't count for shit. Second is that even if you could last year, the 8-2 record only has them beating one team with a winning record. Third is that the Browns and Bills are probably two of the five worst teams in football, you're supposed to beat them.

The Steelers however don't make the schedule, they only get to play who is on it. This week is the 49ers who are 2-0 but have the worst offense yardage wise in the NFL. They are averaging less than 100 yards a game passing which is really not good. Since they switched to the 3-4 zone blitz I've only ever worried about the passing game. The scheme requires them to have physical corners over cover corners. That hurts them against either a great line or short, quick passing games if the QB is really on. It appears the 49ers don't have that passing thing down yet. Hopefully the Steelers can stay on and the 49ers can stay off for one more week.

The return of Heroes

I'd just like to remind everyone that a week from today is the return of Heroes. I know Pretty Bird and I can't wait.

Thanks but no thanks

After I put The Little One in the Mustang and walked around to the driver's side.

Some woman in the parking lot- "I like your car"
TMac - "Thanks"
SWITPL - "It's real pretty"
TMac - "Thanks"
SWITPL - "I'd really like to ride in a car like that"
TMac - "Well, good luck"

I obviously bought the Mustang to pick up chicks. Too bad I couldn't have it when I was 16.

Screw Carson Palmer

Cleveland beating Cincy is great. Carson Palmer having like 5458923 yards and 60 TDs in the game isn't. Of course I'm playing two people who have Carson Palmer this week, so sad.

Bring on the Bills

It is very hard to keep expectations manageable. The Steelers have a very winnable first part of the schedule. It isn't hard to believe they will be at their bye in week six at 4-1 or even 5-0. Sure the NFC West is improved but they are still in the NFC. They play the 49ers and Seahawks at Heinz Field. Heinz Field hasn't exactly been a home field advantage the last two years, at least not to the level of something like the Broncos or Chiefs. Hopefully this year they can change that and get a nice 6-2 or 7-1 record at home. Then you have today's game with the Bills. The Bills look to be on the right path rebuilding and I'm sure they'll play fired up but the Steelers are just a better team.

Like I said, hard to keep expectations manageable but the Steelers will probably be favorites in every game leading up to the Denver game in week seven. I wouldn't be upset with a 3-2 start but a 4-1 or 5-0 start would go a long way towards making the playoffs.

Radio Disney

It is a very bittersweet feeling that my soon to be eight year old little girl is now into the tweener stuff. She has been since around March or so but it got much worse when the new school year started. She still wants to like the cartoons and what not but the High School Musical/Hannah Montana things are now more popular. With HS Musical being the highest rated show in cable TV history, including things like Monday Night Football and Bowl games, and Miley Cyrus selling out in a matter of hours all over the country, The Little One isn't the only one.

My only request is that pop stations and Radio Disney up their rotation. You listen for an hour and you've heard only five songs about three times each.

Checks

The Little One and I went to the grocery store today. We only had to pick up two items so it should have been a quick trip. We got our stuff and headed to check out. There were five lanes open plus the girl at the service area was checking someone out. All five lanes only had at most two people in line, it should have been real easy. All three of the self check out lanes were buying alcohol and needed the person at the service area. The two other lanes were writing a check. The person at the service area was buying money orders so it took a little bit of time, oh yeah, she was also using a check. I only know this because we were at the grocery store for at least fifteen minutes extra minutes. I was able to walk to all five lines. Who the hell writes checks anymore? I haven't used a check outside of paying a bill in years.

Cheating

I'm not going to try and justify cheating. Actually I think cheating really stinks. But I do believe the media is dramatically overreacting to the Patriots sign stealing story. I would not surprised to find out the entire NFL tries to steal signs. I'm sure the Patriots are better at it than some but I'm sure everyone of the 32 teams tries. I think the NFL did the right thing if they are trying to curb it, losing draft picks really stings. My problem is the media however, they are just making a huge deal of it, like the Patriots are the only ones that do it. They just got caught.

Would someone please tell me again why I should buy shoes Shawne Merriman is pimping? He is also a cheater, uses something that really can hurt a teenager trying to play football, and now Nike wants him to pimp their shoes. Nice.

TV Time Yet?

Is it the new season yet? I'm ready for some new shows, new Heroes, new Earl, new Robin Sprinkles. Hell I'll even try some of the newer shows for an episode or two unless their good, then I'll watch them more. Well a little over a week isn't too much to wait.

34-7

There are two good things that can happen every week in the NFL. First and foremost is the Steelers winning. A distant second but second nonetheless is a Browns loss. When the Steelers beat the Browns both things happen at once.

The Steelers looked pretty good. The defense was awesome, special teams (which was a huge issue last year) looked good, and the offense outside of the second quarter was great. Not a bad start to the season. They say you need 10 wins to make the playoffs so the Steelers just need 9 more.

Kevin Millar Night

Since KO and I are in Baltimore we figured we'd take advantage of some connections and see an Orioles game. This is step seven in my quest to visit all of the stadiums (Turner Field, Fenway, Phillies, DBacks, Padres, Rangers, and now the House that Cal Built). Yeah I know I'm not that close but it is fun to knock a few off every now and then. This also brings me only to only needing to see the Royals, Mariners, and A's till I see all of major league teams.

As you can see we got great seats. Nice 8th row on the third base side. Here is future Hall of Famer Vlad Guerrero.














We miss you Leo!














Oh yeah, I caught it mid pitch baby!

Coolest Plane EVER

Yes that is the coolest plane ever.

Live from Baltimore

Or should I say Old Cleveland. I do love visiting the inner harbor area in Baltimore every year. What great food, so many places to eat. It is weird to watch a Ravens MNF game in Baltimore, lots of fans for the Ravens. I just wonder if both teams playing tonight can get a loss.

Good for the Steelers to get a win in the first game. Other than the offense in the second quarter they looked really good.

Game Time!

Today is Mike Tomlin's debut as the third Steelers coach since the Lyndon Johnson era. Hopefully he starts his career the same as his two predecessors did, with a win. The Steelers are still fielding essentially the same team that went 15-1 and then 11-5 with a Super Bowl win. Out of 24 starters from the Super Bowl team they will start 17 of them and two of the others are still on the team but got beat out. They had a little bit of bad luck last year, mixed with a ton of bad execution, and only finished 8-8. They did finish in the top 10 in offense and defense and finished the year 6-2.

I think in 2007 they will pass a little more, blitz a little bit less, and rebound from an 'off' year. How long have you been winning when 8-8 is an 'off' year. Some NFL teams would view an 8-8 year as a huge improvement. Not in Steeltown.

Here's to a good year. Go Steelers.

Are you ready for some football?

I know I sure am. Three hours until the Steelers kickoff the '07 season. Man I love me some Steelers football!

Three in a Row

Three in a row, four out of five, is a good start. There is still plenty of work to do but it is a good start.

Baseball Gods

The Baseball Gods allow you to talk about a no-no after the 7th inning. Anything before that and you aren't allowed to talk about it. Today Smotlz had a no-no through 7 and I talked about it to Pretty Bird. Sure enough he loses the no-no with the first batter in the 8th. I think it isn't because of talking about it but more because the Baseball Gods are mad that I talk about the Football Gods more often. Either that or there really isn't a Braves fan amongst the Baseball Gods. Who knows, either way, well pitched John.

Football Baby!

Man I love me some NFL. I actually have my picks for the year and I will write them up and post them. Tonight's game should be a lot of fun, hopefully high scoring and entertaining. Are you ready for some football?

Another reason not to fly Southwest

Sure they are cheap but they aren't the most on-time airline in the world. They don't have a good frequent flier program, which is key to a business traveler and they don't have free First Class upgrades, another key business traveler requirement. There is also their stupid first come, first serve seating, wtf. Now there is this.

What the hell? If they stocked their planes with more girls that looked like her and wearing the same outfits then maybe I'd fly Southwest more often.

Inbred

I really think our new cat is inbred. She is the dumbest living thing I've ever had to deal with on a regular basis. Tonight she did something I've never heard of a cat doing, she jumped into the bath tub with the Little One. She is like all other cats, she hates water. It is really funny to see her run around all wet like an idiot, other than her getting everything in the house wet. Stupid animal.

College Football

A few of my friends are incredibly excited about college football, I however am not. The college I went to didn't have a football team, I kept up with teams from where I lived and who most of my friends rooted for. I think my main problem is that it has been a long time since I lived where there was a big college football push. In Florida, Atlanta, and Athens there was a ton of college football push, in Virgina Beach and here in Charlotte, not so much.

Let's face it, without the excitement college football isn't that much fun. Oh sure there is usually a good game every week but not involving the same team. Most of the good teams just destroy the other teams every week. It is hard to be a casual fan of a specific team, the games aren't entertaining. You have to be hardcore fan to put up with those boring games. I guess I live college football the game, just not the specific teams anymore.

Over

It is all over for the Braves. They have been so awful for the past three weeks or so, I should have stopped having hope a little while ago. The pitching has been so bad and you can't win in baseball with at least some pitching. I guess there is always next year.