In memoriam - 2010

Potpourri

• 49ers fire Mike Singletary. 
• I quite enjoy Candace Swanepoel in Christmas garb.
• HitFix rates the Worst 10 movies of 2010. 
• RIP Teena Marie.
• Sarah Palin's favorability ratings are not too hot in Alaska.
• NFL Pro-Bowl rosters announced.
• Brett Favre fined, not suspended, for sexting his penis. 
• Chuck Liddell retires, it's about time.
• Elisabetta Canalis in a bikini again, no complaints here.
• Say a prayer for Harmon Killebrew.
  

The Pacific

I just finished watching "The Pacific" on DVD.  What another great mini-series from HBO, I'd rate it maybe a bit below "Band of Brothers" but right up there with "Generation Kill".  I highly recommend all 3 series, they all give a good perspective on some very historic military actions.  I hope they keep on making similar series going forward, they've still got WWI, Korea, Viet Nam and Afghanistan to cover if they so choose.  Well done HBO.

Random Hot Girl Dancing

Vikings 24, Eagles 14

WTF?  The 14 point underdog Minnesota Vikings knocked off the Philadelphia Eagles 24-14 tonight, I wasn't expecting that.  The Eagles just did not look like they showed up to play tonight, they looked lethargic from the get go, that can't happen in the NFL.  This win moves the Vikings to 6-9 on the year, as nice as the win was, a loss would have probably helped the Vikings out more long term (in that they'd get a higher draft pick).  Other observations?  1) This win could have sewn up the head coaching job for Leslie Frazier, he had them ready to play tonight, the stability of keeping mostly the same coaching staff together would probably give them a head start on next season (given how many coaches seem in line to be fired shortly and given what appears to be upcoming labor strife).  2) Joe Webb is a freak, he also looked pretty good tonight, I'm not ready to crown him the QB of the future quite yet, but I was impressed, he looked very poised, very athletic, he didn't turn the ball over, he has a chance to be a good one.  3) Antoine Winfield is without a doubt the best CB the Vikings have ever had, the guy is tough as nails, they need more like him.  4) Adrian Peterson had another nice game, they really need to get him locked up long term soon.  5) Next week, in Detroit to take on the Lions to close the season.

Lucky SOB's

Potpourri

• This just in, Emanuela De Paula is hot. 
• Snowball Gate is the epitome of everything that is wrong with this country. 
• RIP Bud Greenspan.
• Hugh Hefner engaged again.
• Newsweek Magazines Top 10 Movies of 2010. 
• Vikings vs Eagles snowed out, moved to Tuesday night. 
• Could the Vikings play outdoors in 2011?
• Check out the most intriguing Arizonans of 2010 here.
• Marisa Miller gets naked for skin cancer.
• Brandon Webb signs with the Texas Rangers.
  

Cardinals 27, Cowboys 26

Cards win 27-26 tonight on a late FG by Jay Feeley.  As hard as they tried to give it away (they were up 21-3 at one point), they somehow managed to pull it out.  They really got pretty lucky in this one though, they returned 2 INT's for TD and John Skelton hit Andre Roberts on a 74 yard TD after the CB fell down.  Outside of those 3 plays they for the most part weren't too impressive.  Other observations?  1) They probably would have been better off with a lose, the higher draft pick would have been more beneficial than a meaningless win.  2) Calais Campbell had another good game, I think he is set at DE for quite some time to come.  3) I'm still uncertain about John Skelton, he didn't make any glaring mistakes tonight and his game winning scoring drive was impressive but I honestly wasn't blown away either.  Still, he's a better long term option than Max Hall or Derek Anderson.  4) Andre Roberts had a decent game, he may push injury prone Early Doucet for playing time next year.  5) O'Brien Scofield looks like he may have a chance to be a decent DE/OLB also, I be interested to see him next year when he's completely healthy and has gone through a full off season of workouts.  6) The season wraps up next week in San Francisco against the 49ers, as much as I dislike the 49ers I wouldn't mind seeing them knock off the Cards in a close game (hey, the higher the draft pick the better right?). 

Merry Christmas and ......

Happy Festivus!

Best Christmas Movies

1. A Christmas Story - 1983 - Peter Billingsly
2. It's a Wonderful Life - 1946 - Jimmy Stewart
3. Christmas Vacation - 1989 - Chevy Chase
4. Elf - 2003 - Will Ferrell
5. A Christmas Carol - 1951 - Alistair Sim
6. Scrooged - 1988 - Bill Murray
7. Bad Santa - 2003 - Billy Bob Thornton
8. Home Alone - 1990 - Macaulay Culkin
9. The Santa Clause - 1994 - Tim Allen
10. The Polar Express - 2004

Potpourri

• 'Austerity' is name the 2010 Word of  the Year. 
• Count me as a fan of chicks with washboard abs.
• RIP Steve Landesberg.
• UConn women basketball team breaks consecutive wins record.
• Oregon's Chip Kelly named AP NCAA football Coach of the Year.
• Popeaters best Christmas movies of all time. 
• The hammer drops on the Ohio St University.
• Rex Ryan apparently has a bit of a foot fetish. 
• Barack Obama had a quite impressive lame duck session. 
• You've got to like the NHL Ice Girls. 
  

Megan Fox

Just because......

Tru Grit

The Coen brother's remake of 'True Grit' opens today, given the track record of the Coen brothers I'm guessing this will be a good movie.  Anyways, here's my list of the Top 10 Western movies:

1. Unforgiven - 1992  - Clint Eastwood
2. Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid - 1969 - Robert Redford & Paul Newman
3. The Outlaw Josey Wales - 1976 - Clint Eastwood
4. Pale Rider - 1985  - Clint Eastwood
5. Jeremiah Johnson -1972 - Robert Redford
6. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - 1966 - Clint Eastwood
7. Dances With Wolves - 1990 - Kevin Costner
8. Tombstone - 1992 - Kurt Russell & Val Kilmer
9. 3:10 to Yuma - 2007 -  Russell Crow & Christian Bale
10. Wyatt Earp - 1994 - Kevin Costner

Black Swan

I really need to see "Black Swan" with Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis.

Bears 40, Vikings 14

It really is amazing how far the Vikings have fallen this year, they are just not a good football team, the Bears kicked them all over the field again tonight, 40-14.  It was a pretty disgusting performance, I saw very little effort out anyone in purple.  Other observations?   1) It was good to see the Vikings playing outside for the first time in 29 years, that was about the only good thing about the game.  It'll be interesting to see if they consider an outdoor stadium if/when they build a new stadium for the Vikings.  The positives would be that it would be much cheaper to build, the upkeep would be cheaper too (no heating or A/C required), the main negative being that it would only be used 10-15 times a year (a dome could be put to use year round).  2) It was a valiant effort on the part of Brett Favre to play today, but he should have just stayed on the sidelines, he has nothing to prove to anyone at this point.  3) The Vikings secondary is just horrendous, outside of Antoine Winfield, none of them has shown me anything, they really need an upgrade or 3 here.  4) The Vikings offensive line is also just horrendous, especially with Steve Hutchinson out with an injury (not to mention Anthony Herrera), they really need an upgrade or 2 here too.  5) Joe Webb is not the answer at QB, with his athletic ability they need to get him back to WR next year.  6) My feelings about bringing back Leslie Frazier as head coach are slowly eroding, I've seen almost no effort out of anybody the last 2 weeks, that's not a good sign.  Bill Cowher has said he's open to a return to coaching, Zygy Wilf needs to empty the vault to bring him to Minnesota.  7) Next week, in Philadelphia to take on the Eagles, bet the house on the Eagles.

Potpourri

• I miss "My Name is Earl", especially Nadine Velazquez.  
• Study finds FOX News viewers the most 'misinformed'.   
• Diamondbacks sign Xavier Nady & Henry Blanco. 
• Zack Greinke traded to the Brewers.
• Gilbert Arenas traded to the Magic.
• Roger Ebert names his 10 Best Movies of 2010.
• I love it when pictures of Megan Fox in a bikini hit the web!
• LA Times calls out FOX News on their biased news coverage.
• Lindsey Vonn named AP's 2010 Female Athlete of the Year.
• The 50 Greatest Minnesota Vikings of all time. 
  

Greatest Kick Return Ever....

Panthers 19, Cardinals 12

Another loss for the Cardinals, this time to the 1-12 Carolina Panthers, yes, they had won just 1 game this year.  I guess it's for the best though, the playoffs are out of the question (well not mathematically in the anemic NFC West, just realistically) and they are better off with a higher draft pick.  Weird how they can kick the Broncos all over the field last week then struggle against the hapless Panthers this week.  Other observations?  1) I liked some of the things I saw out of John Skelton at QB but nothing really made me think he is the clear future at QB either.  He seemed to struggle some when needing to get the ball down field, arm strength didn't seem to be the issue, just finding the open receiver and hitting him (I'm guessing experience and work with his receivers can solve some of that).  Still, I don't think he's ready just yet, finding a stop gap QB (Donovan McNabb?) may be required whether Skelton is their future QB or whether they draft someone this spring.   2) Some of the young defensive players are becoming more and more noticeable, Dan Williams & Darryl Washington specifically, I think they will just get better and better as time goes on.  3) Was Early Doucet hurt again?  Yikes, they need him healthy.  4) Next week, the Cowboys at home, the Cowboys have played much better since Jason Garrett took over, I'd put my money on them. 

Potpourri

• RIP Blake Edwards.
• Find PolitiFact's '2010 Lie of the Year' here. 
• Kyle Singler is the 2010 Sporting News College Athlete of the Year.
• Twins sign Tsuyoshi Nishioka.
• Candace Swanepoel is looking good. 
• Yao Ming out for the remainder of the season.  
• UMD wins NCAA Division II football championship.  
• UW-Whitewater wins NCAA Division III football championship.
• Mike Leach lands at Maryland?
• "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repealed. 
  

Suns/Magic trade

Reportedly, the Suns have agreed to a 6 player trade with the Orlando Magic to bring Vince Carter to the Suns.  Coming to the Suns are Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat, Mickael Pietrus & a 2011 first round draft pick, going to the Magic are Hedu Turkoglu, Jason Richardson & Earl Clark.  At first glance, I like it, Turkoglu was never a good fit in Alvin Adam's offense, Richardson for Carter is basically a wash, Gortat gives them another big that they really need with Robin Lopez's history of injury, Pietrus is a solid veteran, Earl Clark never fit in and just may benefit from a fresh start someplace else, plus getting a number 1 draft pick is an added bonus.  The Suns were 12-13 so far this year, their roster is really flawed (from Robert Sarver playing GM), changes really needed to take place.  It wouldn't surprise me if they aren't done yet either, they seem a bit heavy at the wing positions, they could really use a true PF (Anthony Randolph?).  Anyways, as of now, the Suns depth chart will look like this:  PG-Steve Nash & Goran Dragic; OG-Vince Carter & Josh Childress; SF-Grant Hill, Jared Dudley & Mickael Pietrus; PF-Hakim Warrick & Gani Lawal; C-Robin Lopez, Marcin Gortat & Channing Frye (others=Earl Barron & Garret Siler).

Little Fockers....

....with Ben Stiller & Robert DeNiro opens 12/22/10.   I loved the first two movies in this series ("Meet the Parents" & "Meet the Fockers"), I fully expect that I'll enjoy this movie too.  Anyways, it got me thinking, what are the best Ben Stillers movies?  So here's my Top 10 list:

1. There's Something About Mary
2. Zoolander
3. Meet the Parents
4. Meet the Fockers
5. Tropic Thunder
6. The Heartbreak Kid
7. Flirting with Disaster
8. Dodgeball:  A True Underdog Story
9. Starsky & Hutch
10. Greenberg

Potpourri

• Mark Zuckerberg is Time Magazine's Person of the Year. 
• Golden Globe nominee's announced. 
• Is something finally going on to stop the taxi kickbacks in Vegas?
• Count me in favor of Pole Dancing becoming an Olympic sport.
• Roy Halladay is named Sporting News Pro Athlete of the Year.
• Nicole Scherzinger looks good in a bikini. 
• Matt Guerrier signs with the LA Dodgers.
• Jesse Crain signs with the Chicago White Sox. 
• RIP Bob Feller. 
• School Board shooting caught on tape. 
  

Conan O'Brien.....

......cracks me up!

Heather Vandeven ......

......is my December flavor of the month.  She's got a website too, check it out.

Potpourri

• Cam Newton wins the Heisman Trophy. 
• Florida hires Will Muschamp to replace Urban Meyer.
• Miami hires Al Golden to replace Randy Shannon. 
• Brett Favre's streak ends at 297. 
• Shocking news, John Travolta allegedly swings both ways. 
• RIP Richard Holbrooke. 
• Cliff Lee spurns the Yankee's and signs with the Phillies.  
• Adrianne Curry is fucking hot!!
• Big Ten reveals conference names. 
• John Boehner:  "Weeper of the house".
  

Giants 21, Vikings 3

I didn't get a chance to watch the Vikings game tonight, it wasn't on local TV, but from the sounds of it that's not such a bad thing because they apparently really stunk up the place in losing to the Giants 21-3.  It really shouldn't surprise anybody though, they played without Brett Favre, Percy Harvin, Steve Hutchinson & Ray Edwards.  This loss drops the Vikings to 5-8 on the season, they've got 3 games left, the best they could finish is now 8-8, that pretty much eliminates them from any chance at the playoffs (although they may still have a statistical shot). Other observations?  1) Tarvaris Jackson struggled, I'm not sure if that was due to having no line and being thin at WR or due to the fact that he's just not that good.   Either way, I don't think he's the long term answer at QB, he makes a solid back up though.  2) As mentioned above Percy Harvin missed another game due to his migraine problems, this is starting to become a problem, the guy has got unbelievable talent but he needs to be on the field not on the sidelines.  3) I'm guessing that this game certainly didn't do much to convince Vikings owners Zygy Wilf to keep Leslie Frazier around as head coach next year.  I still wouldn't be opposed to it though, unless they could somehow convince Bill Cowher to take the job that is.  4) Next week is the Bears on Monday night, in Minneapolis (maybe, depending upon how they resolve their issues at the Metrodome, sounds like they could also be playing at TCF Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus). 

Cardinals 43, Broncos 13

I'm  not quite sure what got into the Cardinals today, I haven't seen that team show up in quite some time, 43-13 Cardinals over the Broncos.  That win moves the Cardinals to 4-9 on the season, they've got 3 left, best case scenario would be 7-9, believe it or not they still have a statistical chance to win the NFC West, don't count on it though.  Other observations?   1) Gutsy call to have Jay Feeley run in a fake FG attempt for a TD, it was only the 4th time in the last 40 years that a kicker had run a fake field goal for a TD.  2) John Skelton started at QB and looked presentable, at least much more so than Derek Anderson and Max Hall have looked thus far this year.  I think he's got a future in the league, he's a big, strong kid with a cannon of an arm, I'm not sure if it's as a starter though.  3) Nice game for Tim Hightower, 148 yards on 18 carries plus 2 TD's, he averaged 8.2 yards per carry.  He needs to hold on to the ball though as he fumbled yet again.  4) The Broncos are bad, I didn't realize how bad until this week, but they've got lots of problems.  5) Next week they are in Carolina to take on the Panthers, the Panthers are 1-12 on the season, they are a bad football team, there's no reason the Cardinals can't win that game.  

Metrodome Collapses

Yikes!  Maybe now the Vikings will get their new stadium.

Potpourri

• There's no question that Tila Tequilla is nuts, also no question that she is hot!
• Twins deal JJ Hardy to the Orioles for a couple middling minor league relievers. 
• Carl Crawford signs with the Red Sox.  What happened to competitive balance?
• The 10 Most Overrated Things of the Decade.
• Senate rejects "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".
• Howard Stern signs new contract with SiriusXM. 
• Oprah proclaims "I am not even kind of a lesbian". 
• Jim Morrison pardoned of indecent exposure charges.
• Nothing like a December shot of Alessandra Ambrosio in a bikini. 
• More from nutcase Michelle Bachman. 
  

The Fighter....

......with Mark Wahlberg opens in theaters today.  I love boxing movies.  It got me to thinking, what are the best boxing movies?   Here's my Top 10 list: 

1. Rocky - Sylvester Stallone
2. Raging Bull - Robert DeNiro
3. Cinderella Man -Russell Crowe
4. Million Dollar Baby - Clint Eastwood
5. Rocky II - Sylvester Stallone
6. The Hurricane - Denzel Washington
7. Ali - Will Smith
8. Rocky Balboa - Sylvester Stallone
9. Play it to the Bone - Woody Harrelson, Antonio Bandaras
10. Rocky III - Sylvester Stallon, Mr T

Potpourri

• RIP Elizabeth Edwards.
• WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrested.
• Investigator recommends disbarment for Andrew Thomas.  I concur. 
• Tax cut deal reached.
• John Sickel's Top 20 Arizona Diamondback prospects for 2011.
• John Sickel's Top 20 Minnesota Twins prospects for 2011.
• Urban Meyer steps down at the University of Florida.
• Further proof that Michelle Bachman is a hypocritical nutcase. 
• It's already been 30 years since John Lennon was murdered.
• Have I mentioned that I'm a big fan of 'The Hi-Liter' in Phoenix?

Random Hot Girl Dancing

Ok, she's not really a random girl, it's Carmen from CamWithHer.

Potpourri

• BCS Championship game set, Auburn vs Oregon. 
• 2010-2011 Bowl match ups set.
• Diamondbacks trade Mark Reyonlds and acquire JJ Putz. 
• Padres trade Adrian Gonzales to the Red Sox. 
• Tax cut myths.
• Gisele Bundchen looks damn good in "V" Magazine.
• RIP "Dandy" Don Meridith. 
• Denver Broncos fire Josh McDaniel. 
• Aspirin found to reduce cancer deaths.
• Heisman Trophy finalists named.
  

Victoria's Secret 2010 Holiday Commerical

Very effective!

Rams 19, Cardinals 6

Oh how fast the Cardinals have fallen, they stunk it up yet again today in their 19-6 loss to the Rams.  This loss drops them to 3-9 on the season and pretty much eliminates any hope of them making the playoffs (even in a weak NFC West).  I'm not quite sure what to say that I haven't already said.   At this point a loss may just be the best thing for them so that they can get a higher draft pick (hello Andrew Luck or Ryan Mallett).  Other observations?  1) The QB play was just abysmal once again, it is by far the biggest factor in the teams horrid start.  Put Kurt Warner back on the team and I'm pretty sure they'd have a least another couple wins.  2) I'm much higher on the potential of John Skelton than Max Hall, if they are giving time to one of them it should be Skelton.  3) I don't care how many intangibles Max Hall has, he hasn't looked good at all, his arm is too weak, he's too small, he's too slow, I just don't see him as the future QB of this team.  4) They had better not bring Derek Anderson back next year, if they need a stop gap type QB to fill in while they develop a young guy there should be many better candidates than Derek Anderson out there (examples:  Charlie Batch, Kyle Orton, Byron Leftwich, Tarvaris Jackson, David Carr, Alex Smith, Shaun Hill)  5) The defense did play better today than it has played in quite some time, still, that's not saying much.  6)  Next week they've got the Broncos in Glendale, the Broncos are struggling this year too but I fully expect that they'll be able to beat the Cards. 

Vikings 38, Bills 14

The Vikings blasted the Bills 38-14 today at the Metrodome.  I was expecting a much more competitive game but the Bills flat out stink.  They did it with Brett Favre on the bench for most of the game too, he was injured on the second offensive play of the game.  This win moves the Vikings to 5-7 on the year, they've got 4 more games to go, best case scenario is still 9-7, they've still got a slim shot at a playoff spot but I wouldn't bet on it.  Other observations?  1) The Vikings are now 2-0 under Leslie Frazier, they seem like a much looser bunch, they are not playing quite some tight, at this point I'd be all in favor of Frazier getting the interim removed from his title, they may as well keep him and the coaching staff together (that includes Darrell Bevell as OC and Fred Pagac as DC).  2) I really wish they'd keep Favre on the bench for the last 4 games, they really need to take a good look at Tarvaris Jackson at QB so that they can decide if he is their future QB, he had his good and bad moments today, for the most part I was happy, he just needs to be a bit smarter with the ball and not try to force it in (he had 3 INT's, I wasn't really his fault, the other 2 were ill advised).  3) I really like the way the defense plays with Fred Pagac calling the defensive signals, he seems much more aggressive than Frazier was and it's working, at least to this point.  4) Adrian Peterson looked great once again, he did it on an injured ankle too, the guy is a stud.  5) Sidney Rice had a nice game, it is becoming more and more evident just how missed he was over the first half of the season when he was out with an injury.  6) Next week, the NY Giants at the Metrodome, that'll be a tougher one. 

University of Minnesota hires Jerry Kill

The University of Minnesota officially announced the hiring of Jerry Kill (from Northern Illinois) as their head football coach today.  He's not exactly my first choice, actually he's not even one of my first dozen choices, he is a solid, experienced football coach though.  I'm finding myself a little disappointed with this hire.  Expectations were set much higher, the implication from Athletic Director Joel Maturi was that they'd be able to get a big name coach, he even referenced a "Tubby Smith like hire", they also implied that they were willing to pay big time money to bring in a big time coach, they also implied that they needed to make a splash, to generate some excitement and buzz around the program.  Jerry Kill doesn't do any of that.  How do they hire him without even talking to somebody like Mike Leach who actively campaigned for the job and who would have created a great deal of excitement and buzz?  I can only assume that there was less interest in the position than Joel Maturi had anticipated and they wound up with the best they could find.  Now, all that being said, I'm willing to give him a chance, while he may not be the sexy hire, he has won everywhere he's been, he does run an offense that is entertaining to watch, he really is a good football coach, perhaps things will work out for him at Minnesota, and I love the name, it's very marketable. 

GOP Senators Reject Tax Cut Plan

The GOP apparently is willing to put the upper 2% above the bottom 98%.  Nice priorities. 

Bernie Sanders sums it up nicely:

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., called out Republicans for pushing tax breaks for the wealthy after "time and time again coming down to the floor of the Senate and saying, 'We have a huge deficit! We have a huge national debt!'

"And today what they want to do is drive that national debt up by $700 billion over the next ten years.

"Isn’t it enough for you that the top one percent earns more income than the bottom 50%?" Sanders said. "Isn’t it enough for you that in the last 25 years almost all new income has gone to the top one percent? Do you really think that the CEOs of Wall Street who will make hundreds of millions of dollars a year really need a tax break?"

"Let’s not give tax breaks to millionaires who in many ways have never had it so good," he said.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/12/04/politics/main7116715.shtml

Tom Harkins on Tax Cut debate

He makes some good points doesn't he?

Potpourri

• Will higher taxes on the wealthy really kill jobs?
• Grammy nominee's announced.
• Irina Shayk looking exceptional in GQ Spain. 
• Top 10 dates that lead to the bedroom.
• LeBron drops 38 on the Cavs in his return to Cleveland.
• Russia & Qatar to host 2018 & 2022 World Cups.
• NASA discovers new life form.
• Count me as a fan of Christie's Cabaret in Phoenix, AZ.
• Arizona State knocks off Arizona to win the Territorial Cup.
• RIP Ron Santo.
  

Ms TPSG on Conan

Potpourri

• Drew Brees named SI's Sportsman of the Year for 2010.  
• NBADraft.net is a great place to look for early 2011 NBA Mock Drafts. 
• The Black Eye Peas score Super Bowl halftime show. 
• I'm conflicted about Paris Hilton, sometimes she looks hot, other times not so much.
• TCU set to join the Big East.
• Ann Hathaway & James Franco to co-host the 2011 Academy Awards.  Huh?
• Jake & Taylor, Hollywoods new "it couple".
• Howard Fineman on GOP obstruction. 
• Dems to vote on middle class tax cuts.  
• The World's 10 best economically performing cities.