Overdraft

I'm about to lay some serious sandpaper against the grain of the sports world. All week, whenever I tune into sports talk radio, Fox, ESPN, etc. all I hear about is the precious NFL draft. I think the draft has become the most over hyped, unnecessary "sports" event of the year. How could I say such a thing?! I understand the reasons for the draft being popular; the drama of teams trading up or down, watching players loose millions as they slide down the draft board, the marriage of the college and the pro game... its all gravy to me.

However, the draft is a symptom of what bugs me about our country right now. We're always looking for the next big thing and not appreciating what we have. All hype, no substance. 50% of all #1 QB picks in the modern era have been busts. Should I really give a hoot about who the next Ryan Leaf is? Call me once these players prove something in the NFL. Then I'll go back and see how they were drafted. As busy as most of us are, why do we care to know all about a bunch of no-name players that we'll hardly ever hear of again? Beats me.

Hardly anyone is watching after the first two rounds, but how many great players come from the later rounds of the draft that no one is watching? Terrel Davis? Tom Brady? These guys went late, proved themselves and became worthy of the nation's time and attention. You earn respect, rather than have it thrust upon you by ESPN and sponsors. Teams overpay for hype and potential that have not been proven. It sounds a great deal like our financial markets and the joke that is executive compensation. We seem to have no problem paying losers and failures millions. I don't care if some QB is the second coming of a franchise to restore them to glory. The only second coming I want to hear about is the biblical one.

Last point of angst - why must all other sports coverage suffer for what is the equivalent of a reality show? The producers that hype the draft should go work for MTV, VH1 and the E channel if that's their bag. At least its all over after today and we can get back to "sports" as players prove themselves in competition, not interviews and combines.

Filthy Food

I've been to a few heart-attack inducing clubs lately that must be shared.

While in the great state of Kansas, I decided it was time to experience the only thing Kansas is good for: BBQ. The web was searched and all signs pointed to: Hog Wild Pit BBQ. Many would chastise me for eating so much grease, but the following clip explains why I could not resist:

http://us.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK//video/hulu/vi2603483161/

I arrived to find the place near capacity. Random country music serenaded my decision making process, setting me in a mellow mood. Wanting to be sure I tasted as much of the menu as possible, I ordered the 3 meat plate: Hot Links, Brisket and Ribs, accompanied by Texas Toast, Cole Slaw and Mashed Potatoes. [Monty Python holy grail ahhhhs sing in the background]

Within minutes the food was ready. Fast, Filthy & Fabulous. The "F" trifiecta. The hot sauce was phenomenal, not too sweet, some tang and a little heat to the tongue. The hot links were sensational when combined with the extra sauce. The sauce... I could drink a gallon of it or just dip the Texas Toast in it. I'm convinced the only toast they serve in heaven is Texas Toast. The brisket was so tender and smokey it fell apart on the fork. The ribs were outstanding. I embraced the experience of getting totally filthy. Good thing they had a roll of paper towels at the table. I went through 2 or 3 sheets.

The only shortcoming of this place? The instant mashed potatoes. The gravy was nothing special either. However, the slaw was excellent. I recall President Murphy telling me the best way to judge a BBQ joint is by their Cole slaw and this was some of the best I've ever had. If you are ever in Wichita, look this place up and fire up the treadmill. It will be worth it.

As I child, my brothers and I had a horrible sacrilegious practice of raising the pitch of our voices while praying for "the good times" as we knelt around the dinner table. My father got to the point where he censored it from our prayers, but it was still in our hearts. Recently, Jay and I discovered the "Good Times" in the form of such a named restaurant.

Normally I'd say fast food is OK at best, but the sirloin BBQ bacon burger I ordered there rivaled anything I've ever had from Red Robin. Throw in a drink and the surprisingly good Wild Fries and I'm getting a quality burger experience for half the cost. Good Times was born in Boulder and is all over Colorado so go get your filth on.

My final moment of filth comes from Pat's #1 diner, near the Target off Arapahoe near I-25. where they make authentic Philly Cheese steak. I took one Bob Frost, who had recently lost 200 lbs and gave up soda. He had a coke and gained back 100 lbs by the time we were done. No salad could undo the damage of Pat's. The bread was phenomenal. East coast good. To round out the Philly persona, this place offered Tasty Cakes and had a huge poster of Rocky. We rejoiced in the spoil, and you will too.

I think I'm due for 1,000 crunches and sit-ups now. But it was well worth it. STAY FILTHY PEOPLE!

What Adam Should be Singing

I'm going off the deep end. I sort of watched American Idol for a second week in a row. I should qualify that by saying I skipped through all of the performances, except for Adam Lambert and only watched Simon's comments. Yes, that is the show for me.

I unfortunately caught Paula giving yet another 'guru' somber and self-important line to Adam: "You dare to walk the path of greatness." Please. I'm convinced she has a comment coach that she works with or just practices in the mirror. So bad its almost entertaining.

After watching yet another great performance by Mr. Lambert, I've decided he was born in the wrong era. He should have been born in the early 70s so he could have capitalized on his talent as the greatest hair metal singer EVER. Just think about it. Here are a few guys of a similar style that he would blow out of the arena:

Rob Halford - Judas Priest

Bruce Dickenson - Iron Maiden (he also had a great SNL sketch with the Cowbell)

Joel DuBay - Powermad

Meatloaf - Meatloaf (Maybe he has a real name, but I don't care)

Skid Row - Sebastian Bach

Now that I've named a few stars imagine A-Lamb singing some of their greatest hits. They are on the left if you care to hear the old inferior versions.

Turbo Lover

Run to the Hills

Slaughterhouse

I would do Anything for Love

18 and Life

Too bad AI is so obsessed with pop music to stop this guy from finding his true calling as the world's greatest metal singer of all times.

Adam if you or the secret spies of AI are reading this, give up the pop, its time to rock. Perform these five songs for the rest of the season and you will become immortal.

Best Karakoe Performace of All Times

I don't watch American Idol or more appropirately "American Karaoke." But his has to be the finest moment in the show's history:

Ring Of Fire - Adam Lambert


My hair metal roots sang along in joy to this unusual but welcome arrangement to a Johnny Cash classic.

Annual Renewal Thoughts

"Oh Abe... you've aged terribly." - Grandma Simpson

• Yes, I'm now '38' and feeling my years. When I play basketball, people no longer laugh because of my shot selection or motion, its the sight of an ox lumbering to the hole or a man sticking out his chest to take a charge, only to have the offender run right around him for a lay-up.


• April fool's day always involves pranks. A good one I pulled on my mission was during my time in the office. We called two zone leaders at the same time on a conference call, hit the mute button and hoped they'd pick-up at the same time. Here is what ensued: "Hello / ...Hey! / How are you? / Gooooood... / And you? / Good / [5 second pause] So, what can I do ya for? / Me? / Yeah / You called me / No... you called me / What? / Look. The phone rang, I picked the phone, you were on the other end... WHAT DO YOU WANT!? / Dude. You called me. / I did not! - At that point we unmuted our laughter. Good times.


• When I was a senior in High School seminary, I made a Freshman drink eight cups of water on a dare that he couldn't do it in under 10 seconds (4 oz cups). We lined up the cups and he started chugging. He wound up puking after the third cup. The teacher ran into the kitchen furious with me and made me sit right in front of her with no one allowed to sit around me for the rest of the semester.


• Jay Culter is a whiny spoiled brat and I say good riddance. Josh McDaniels clearly has no sense of tact and will ruin our franchise. Buzz (the agent) is pond scum and deserves to have all his players taken from him Jerry McGuire style, minus finding the Quan and should be left to live in a van, down by the river.


• The Denver Sports media are the most asinine, repetitive and unbalanced bunch in the country. 4 hours a day talking about Jay with his panties in a bind and who said this and who said that... blah, blah, blah. The NUGGETS ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THEIR BEST SEASON LIKE EVER!!! TALK ABOUT THEM YOU IDIOTS!!! Maybe they can't because the don't know anything about basketball, match ups, playoff implications, injuries, trades, the coach, strategy... NOOOOO. That would be too useful and entertaining. Yes, this is a Football town, always will be, but let's enjoy a good thing while its here rather than completely ignore it.

OK. I'm done. Hope you all feel special today like I do. Because in the end, we're all special and we are all unique. I'm gonna go get my cake on. MOSIT. YEAH!!

The Meaning of Life

Welcome to the Hotel California. This phrase from an Eagles song evokes thoughts of the desert, a classic melody and unusual lyrics. But I’ve never caught the warm smell of Colitas rising up through the air. And why can’t that guy ever leave the hotel? Is this song about drug use, prostitutes, greed/wealth or all the above? With Tommy Boy I say, ‘What kind of hotel is this??”

My answer: I don’t know. I enjoy the song and each time the lyrics mean something a bit different to me (when I actually think about them). Is there a modern lyrical mystery on par with the Hotel California? I think there is and it contains the phrase, “But that was when I ruled the world.”

In a prior post I reviewed Coldplay’s Viva la Vida album and mentioned I would make no attempt to break down the lyrics. Now that speculation has matured, I think its time to give my take.

The song appears to be the thoughts of a fallen dictator or ruler. The question is - who is the subject of the lyrics? Coldplay offers no official interpretation, likely because to do so would ruin the song and make it politics rather than art. Here are some of my favorite answers from various blogs and discussion threads.

Napoleon Bonaparte
Tiberius
Julius Caesar
Jesus Christ (see the answer in the first link below - I'm not being disrespectful)
Barry Bonds
Dick Cheney

Here are links discussing these ideas.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080603184655AAA18zW

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_meaning_of_Coldplay

I think the question of exactly who is off course. This song appears to be about ideas rather than one person. Nearly every self-improvement book or speaker I’ve ever heard centers around control, particularly self-control. We hold the idea of being in control of our lives as a high ideal, only achieved by the greatest of humanity. Each of us would like to rule the world, at least our own sphere of influence.

“Never an honest word, but that was when I ruled the world…” If we think we control our own sphere of life we are lying to ourselves. Sure we always have our will to choose our actions and reactions, but no one has ever successfully controlled everyone one and everything around them. Perhaps the secret of achieving Viva la Vida – the joy of life lies in giving up the illusion or dream of control. Enjoy the journey and its bumps.

Despite the regretful meaning of the lyrics, the song is upbeat and playful. I see this as the soul of the dictator or control freak that realized life is for living and to enjoy the moments. I don’t mean we should give up discipline, goals or hard work, but rather enjoy the journey and each moment in it. A wise Apostle, Elder Wirthlin recently said “Come what may and love it.” Perhaps we need to quit obsessing over every little thing that isn't essential. The Lord himself said, "Their heart are set so much upon the things of this world... Hence many are called, but few are chosen."

So on my 38th birthday [wink], I'll wish for the joy of the Watermelons (Frida's painting) to overpower my life and I'll enjoy the journey, rather than obsess controling things I cannot control. Ciao baby.