Christmas '08

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Las Vegas Trip - December 08

Boston / Styx Concert photos

Pics from Chicago Doobies concert

Chicago, Doobies and some dude

Tami and I went to the Doobie Brothers / Chicago concert on Sunday evening. And I have to tell you guys, it was a blast!

These were by far the best seats I've ever had at a concert. It was hot outside, but not overwhelming seeing as we were in the shade most of the time.

First, there was some dude from Italy that opened up for them. Tami and I looked at each other and thought it was a joke, but it wasn't. This dude was a bad, bad early round American Idol ripoff, you couldn't understand him and his "theatrics" were laughable.

Doobies, minus the great Michael McDonald (You don't know me but I'm your bruuuuutha), put on a fairly pedestrian show to start off. They did play my favorite song, South City Midnight Lady, and most of their hits but there was more to come later from the band. Like I said earlier, the seats we had were awesome and we could see the bass player Skylark's (his real name) sweat flying off him. Also they have two drummers for some reason. No dueling drums or anything and they played the exact same. I'm not sure what drummer #2 has over the band, but congrats to him for pulling off something unique.

Chicago was really good and the band I was looking forward to the most. Something about a horn section that gets me excited. The bouncers let us "rush the stage" so we were able to get very close. This may sound dumb, but it was cool because the trombone player would come over every once and a while and you could here the actual trombone, not just the mic version of it. Now for the weird part of the night:

For some reason, and Tami certainly has her ideas, the lead guitar player for Chicago kept staring at me. I noticed it early on, but didn't say anything until Tami was like "that guitar player keeps staring at you." All night, after a guitar solo, he would look my way for approval. After singing lead on a couple songs, the look or a smile. Most times I would give him the fist in the air appreciation. The times I was looking at something else, Tami would tell me he was still looking at me, and was well, disappointed. Pretty weird. A friend of Tami's knows one of the band members, and after a day of gossip, we discovered he was married, but that everyone was still unsure. Tami pointed out no ring. We'll leave it at that. I did unbutton my top button, but only because it was hot being that close to the stage.

After Chicago finished their set, both bands came out and played together. This was pretty cool. Three drummers, four guitar players, three keyboards, two bass players and four horn players and about nine singers. That's when they played their real hits. Very cool! The best concert I've seen in a long time. Both Tami and I were really rocking out. And yes the guitar player was still looking at me.

Where is Bill?

- Washing my hair
- Crying like a schoolgirl
- At the gym (yeah right)
- Developing new theory for quantum physics
- Punching an eighth-grader
- Sleeping
- Reorganizing CD collection
- Quilting
- Picking up dog poop
- Doing something better

theCarr Hall of Fame - Texas Rangers baseball

This year - 12-18 (.400) Worst in the AL. This is after a three game winning streak

Overall - 3,503-3,994 (.467)

Bad enough to always stink, but never good enough to do anything else.

Facts:

The Rangers (when combined with the Senators (1961-1971) are the oldest franchise that has yet to appear in a World Series; in fact, they have yet to win any playoff series (0-3).

They are the oldest franchise in the 4 major pro sports to never win a championship.

In their history, the team has only one playoff victory (1-9, .100); Nine straight playoff losses; they have never won a home playoff game. By comparison, the Yankees are 202-137 (.596) in the playoffs with 26 world championships, 44-21 in playoff series.

The Rangers have had 16 winning seasons in 36 years finishing in last place 14 times and next to last eight more times.

Ranger "great" Rafael Palmeiro played 2,831 games in his career never going to a World Series (MLB record).

Ranger great Bubby Bell played 2,405 games while never reaching the postseason.

0 Cy Young awards

2007 ERA leader: Kevin Millwood (5.16). He was the only starter to qualify because he was the only pitcher to pitch more than 162 innings that year (172 2/3 IP)

Baseball reference has a list of the most popular teams of all time (according to site views). The 2001 Rangers are 132 out of 200 on the list. That's it. That team was loaded with talent. IRod, ARod, Palmeiro, Michael Young, Ruben Sierra. But there pitching was Rick Helling, Doug Davis and Darren Oliver (Team ERA - 5.71). They finished last.

Boy do you guys suck.

Could be my all-time favorite commercial

Go ahead...You know the words

Some links

I Love Bacon
Mental Floss
Inappropriately Named Sports Teams (Maxim)

Summer Concert Series

In what Tim is now calling the Summer of Rock, I put together a nice little stretch of Van Halen on Thursday, followed by the Wedding Singer musical and Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefers on Saturday.

I'm going to skip talking about the Wedding Singer because it was lame and not worth it. On to Jimmy Buffett!

What a gorgeous night for a concert. Temps were moderate and there was supposed to be heavy storms, but they held off and allowed us to enjoy a concert that has to be held outdoors.

I've never been to a Buffett concert, and let me be cliche' and say it was quite the concert. I knew about half of the songs (Tami knew more). The seats were fantastic! Very close to the stage. The thing that blew me away the most was the crowd. Parrotheads are a devoted and fun bunch. There must have been hundreds of beach balls being bounced around the stadium and there was also no shortage of beverages in the house.

The true experience was to be in the parking lot before the show tailgating. We arrived too late to get the full experience (who knew there were two stadiums in Frisco? Oh, everybody? well, I'm sorry that I didn't know there was a difference between Dr. Pepper and Pizza Hut Parks), but the couple behind us started at noon and knew people who had gotten there at 8am. The only fun part about leaving the concert was watching severely inebriated parrotheads stumbling to their cars.

I truly enjoyed myself tonight and over the whole weekend.

A Van Halen review that is too in-depth for the readers of this blog

Finally, after 25 years of listening to Van Halen, after seeing Van Hagar five times and after waiting through a six week cancellation, I finally got to see the original Van Halen. Well, except for no Michael Anthony.

Here are some pictures from the concert.

First rant - The bass parts on Van Halen songs are not difficult. I have a hard time defending Michael Anthony's bass playing ability when it comes up in conversation, but he made his mark with two things:


Wolfgang Van Halen is a talented bass player, but there was definitely something missing from the show, and that was the showman, Michael Anthony. Wolf was technically very sound, but stood there like a tree. Zero stage presence. I know he's only 17, and I get that, but if Mad Mike was there, the energy level at the show would have been much higher. You always need a guy to chug a bottle of Jack to make the concert better. The good news was there was no need for a bass solo.

I told Tim, I can't believe (Van Halen) replaced their mediocre, fat bass player with a mediocre fat bass player.

Second rant - Who spends $150 on tickets (each) and then brings an eight-year-old girl to a Van Halen concert? I had four girls sitting behind me, giggling every time DLR said a cuss word, screaming at a pitch that only Buckley could hear, and generally just killing the vibe at the concert. Some concerts are family friendly and some are not. This was one that was not. So thank you guy who brought your eight-year-old, the adults really appreciate it.

Now some good times

Wow, what a show! For a hardcore VH fan, it had everything I could ask for. I truly believe that this is as close I'm ever going to get to a religious experience. I was absolutely giddy at times and jumping and shouting like...well, an eight-year-old girl. But I knew all the words, and could appreciate the music. I did that devil horns thing with my hands, which to my knowledge, may have been the first time for a concert. It might be entertaining to see an iso-cam on me during the concert.

When you look at the set list, they played all of their hits (Jump, Running With the Devil, Pretty Woman, etc.), but they also went deeper with Somebody Get Me a Doctor, So This is Love?, Romeo's Delight and Little Guitars. The only clunker song was Little Dreamer, which isn't popular and pretty much sucks.

A surprisingly cut and flamboyant David Lee Roth was exactly what I expected. Several years ago, Eddie Van Halen mentioned that he didn't want DLR to tour because he couldn't hit high notes anymore. That's true, but you know what? That's OK because you couldn't really hear him to begin with. And he's ancient. But he still had enough to carry the show and be the guy that runs around the stage having fun. He surprised me with a mini-guitar solo leading into Ice Cream Man.

Alex Van Halen really brought it. His solo was incredible, and as always, didn't overplay.

Eddie Van Halen moved off of my death list, but not by much. Technically, he played a flawless show. He looked engaged and glad to play. He had a couple of exchanges with DLR where they challenged each other with singing/guitar riffs. That was pretty cool. His guitar solo was also really, really good but it seemed short. He didn't move much around the stage, but that really didn't bother me. His overall grade for me would be a B.

Overall, I'm so glad I went. I would have regretted not seeing David Lee Roth and the chance to catch Van Halen one more time (probably). The seats were good, but I could have sat closer. It wasn't sold out, but the place definitely was full. You'll be happy to know that this will be my last VH post for awhile.

Here's the set list they played:

01. You Really Got Me
02. I'm the One
03. Runnin' With the Devil
04. Romeo Delight
05. Somebody Get Me a Doctor
06. Beautiful Girls
07. Dance the Night Away
08. Atomic Punk
09. Everybody Wants Some
10. So This Is Love?
11. Mean Street
12. Pretty Woman
13. Drum Solo
14. Unchained
15. I'll Wait
16. And the Cradle Will Rock
17. Hot for Teacher
18. Little Dreamer
19. Little Guitars
20. Jamie's Cryin'
21. Ice Cream Man
22. Panama
23. Guitar Solo
24. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
25. 1984
26. Jump

Van Halen is back on tour

The logo above is a special logo I built for Tim's website VeryCarr

Van Halen played their first gig of their postponed tour in Reno last Thursday. Here are some pictures from that show.

They then played a show on Saturday in Las Vegas for a Tiger Woods event. Here is video from that event.

One more show on Tuesday in Cincinnati before their Thursday show in Dallas. Despite what the poll says, I would bet on them playing at the AAC on Thursday. Thankfully, the Dallas show is early on in the rescheduled tour. If the show was in late May or June, I'd be extremely worried.

More Puerto Vallarta pictures

These photos are courtesy of our friends Chuck and Barbie (their real names, at least that's what they told us). Click to see larger pictures.



Possibly a drunk person took this picture



Four happy folks (at least one hungover)



Shot in the pool



The swim-up bar



The island in the pool



Puerto Vallarta skyline



Shot from the beach



Same columns from the other side



View of pool from the room



Shot of resort at sunset

Ron Washington is a fraud

Ron is a teacher and winner who brings a great deal of integrity to our organization," said Daniels. "He is a straight-forward, energetic baseball man who we're excited to have lead the Rangers." - Jon Daniels, Texas Rangers GM

During his time with the A's, he helped Oakland lead the league in the fielding percentage in 2004 and 2005. Over the last five seasons Oakland posted the third-best fielding percentage in the league. - Texas Rangers press release, October 2006

Washington was supposed to bring the "Moneyball" philosophy to the Rangers, working pitch counts, moving runners over, strong defense, all of the small things that make a small market team competitive. Forget the fact that the Rangers are in the 5th largest market.

The Rangers lead the league in errors. Worst in the league in fielding percentage. Worst in the league with runners in scoring position. You get the idea.

The guy never once managed in the Major League, which is fine, except that he admits to learning the job on the fly. As did our 27-year-old GM. The franchise is a joke and will always be a joke. The greatest Ranger (Nolan) played for the team for five years, at the tail end of his career, which is 2 years less than two other teams. His fourth team he won a World Series with.

The Rangers are once again in last place, no direction, 21st highest payroll. Great to be a fan.

Mexico

(Careful, there are topless photos of Bill included)



We got back from Mexico on Thursday, and thank god we were not flying American. We looked into staying an extra day, but it just was not in the cards.


Funniest line of the trip goes to Tami at the airport. The maximum weight for the luggage is 50 lbs (or a $50 fine). Our suitcase weighed 52 lbs until Tami goes "Towel rack Homer". This is in reference to an old Simpsons episode:


The luggage actually weighed 48 lbs once I pulled my fat stomach off of it.



The resort was fantastic. Best place we've stayed in bar none. The restaurants at the resort all had great food, except there was little actual Mexican food. Great Italian food for some reason. The booze was plentiful and free...not a good combination. We took a trip to a Mexican water park where we got to hang with two sea lions, Pepe and Lulu. The swimming with dolphins is so played out. We were the only two hanging with the lions. Did I mention the booze was free?


Wish we could have stayed longer.

Off until at least Friday

I'm flying to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico until Thursday. When I get back, I'll post pictures of the trip. Until then, enjoys these links:

Cousins of Ron Mexico
Ron Mexico
"The Mexican"
James Taylor in Concert - Mexico
The Night of the Iguana (this is where we are staying)
Van Halen
The White House

Bill's Book Corner

Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas by Chuck Klosterman

Chuck Klosterman is a generally considered a pop culture writer, who writes about sports, television and sex, was born in Minnesota and once wrote a book about hair bands from the 80s (Fargo Rock City), so I figured his books would be up my alley. After reading this book, I was not disappointed. 90% of the book was fantastic, and we'll focus on that for now.

The title is in reference to the fourth Led Zepplin album (Untitled but generally called Led Zepplin IV). The book is a collection of articles that he wrote for Spin, GQ and Esquire. He highlighted many of his chapters with introductions that posed hypothetical situations that got you thinking. The highlights of the book for me included the week he ate nothing but McDonalds chicken nuggets (a few years before Morgan Spurlock, and with much less drama) and the 24-hour marathon of VH1 Classic (when they were commercial-free and 95% videos) ***Book critic alert*** His knowledge of pop culture is spot-on and delivers an acerbic view of the world around us. ***Alert over***

Now the painful 10% part. For the last part of his book, that seemed to be a semi-autobiographical recant of some of his heavily drugged early years. It ends with a woman falling from the sky and crashing into his car, then having his psuedo-girlfriend come and pick him up.

Overall it was a very interesting read and I would recommend it.

Grade - B+

Mark Cuban hates Irish bloggers

That's the only reason I could come up with as to why I was not invited to the Golden State/Dallas game last night. With Dirk coming back early from his high ankle sprain/knee sprain, it seemed like destiny for me to cover the game.

However, it was not meant to be. I never expected to go, but it would have been nice to get some kind of response from the Mavericks.

The win last night put Dallas in 7th place and a two game lead over 9th place Golden State (with the tiebreaker going to Dallas). Dallas has seven games remaining, so it seems more plausible that the Mavericks will sneak into the playoffs.

If you know you can't bowl, don't.

Now, I don't bowl very well, but I'm not running for president either. This is just plain embarrassing.

Barack Obama bowled a 37. Really... a 37? Yikes. I can't in good faith vote for someone who bowls a 37.

"My economic plan is better than my bowling," Obama told fellow bowlers Saturday.

"It has to be," a man called out.

Here's the video

Kareem vs. Bruce Lee

Kareem vs. Bruce Lee from 1978's Game of Death

Pros vs Joes again? No it's more Mavericks

So, I assume Cuban was inundated with multiple requests for credentials. (hey, I thought I was the only one!)

So instead of anyone applying for credentials, Cuban is asking the blogger to send in writing samples. It's a little disappointing that Cuban backed off of his promise to open the locker room up to all bloggers, but I suppose he is opening it up to mavericks bloggers instead. As of March 30th, there's been about 30 responses, including thebiglead. Funny how he mentioned its Pros vs. Joes. Perhaps he is reading my blog now.

I linked to a couple of the Mavericks post on this site regarding the Jason Kidd trade, but it does not look optimistic.

Maybe the title will go back to screw you Craig

Well it took me a while, but I see now that my comments sections have expanded. Glad to see nothing has changed. Perhaps an email exchange is in order to debate what is good and bad in music, television and movies. Just because normal people like it doesn't mean it sucks.

No books, though. They suck. Magazines maybe. Or maybe we can talk NBA basketball. My franchise may suck, but at least they will be back next year.

Letter I sent to the Mavericks regarding media credentials

theCarr.com
xxxx xxxxxxxxxx Lane Irving, TX xxxxx
http://thecarr.blogspot.com

March 29, 2008

Kristy Cotten
Coaches Assistant
Dallas Mavericks

RE: Request for Single Game Media Credentials

I am interested in acquiring one single game media credential for the Wednesday, April 2^nd game versus the Golden State Warriors.

The credential should read:

Bill Carr
theCarr.com

Although I am not a large website (96 visits in the last two weeks), I appreciate Mr. Cuban not discriminating against bloggers to gain access to the locker room. I also respect other media has deadlines. I would be willing in to come in as a group with other bloggers after the “mainstream” media has conducted their interviews.

I am also interested in a one-on-one interview with Mr. Cuban. I would be willing to do this on another day and I would work with his schedule.

I can be reached by email at xxxxxxxxx@xxxxx.com or by phone at (xxx) xxx-xxxx.

Thank you,

Bill Carr
(xxx) xxx-xxxx
http://thecarr.blogspot.com
xxxxxxxxx@xxxxx.com

theCarr.com is a website devoted to pop culture, television, movies, books and dallas sports. It can be reached via the world wide web at http://thecarr.blogspot.com

Mavericks and bloggers

On March 10th, Mark Cuban put out a memo stating that he would not allow any bloggers into the Mavericks locker room. This was allegedly in response to one blogger, Tim McMahon of the Dallas Morning News, who was refused because he talked about a website, Fire Avery Johnson. Cuban's reasoning was that there was not enough room in the Mavericks locker room to accommodate all bloggers. Now there are legitimate bloggers such as ESPN's True Hoop and NBA FanHouse which cover the NBA thoroughly, just in a new medium. Even Cuban has his popular blog, blog maverick.

Yesterday, the NBA stepped in and told the Mavericks they must allow bloggers. Cuban agreed, but he isn't going down without a fight. Cuban said the Mavericks will open their locker room to all credentialed bloggers, regardless of affiliation. Mavericks credentials are issued by the team. Cuban believes bloggers should be treated equally, regardless of affiliation.

"Which means we will encourage all bloggers to apply, whether they be someone on blogspot who has been posting for a couple weeks, kids blogging for their middle school Web site or those that work for big companies," wrote Cuban, a blogger himself. "We won't discriminate at all."

Hey, I'm a new blogger on Blogspot! So, I'm going to try and get credentialed through theCarr's blog. I checked the Mavericks Media guide, and the only hurdle I can see is that the credential request must come on an official letterhead. Perhaps if I had Photoshop or something (hint, Tim) I could create that letterhead.

We'll see where it goes from there.

Random television reviews

Pros vs Joes (Spike TV)

This reality show pits former professional athletes against normal "Joes", usually former high school or college athletes. The 35-40 year old contestants are pathetic enough, with their "Terminator" nicknames and trying to recapture their glorious high school days 20 years later. But I'd rather focus on the "Pros".

It could be anyone from Jerry Rice or Randall Cunningham to Kendall Gill or Kurt Angle. What is truly pathetic is retired athletes trying to maintain some kind of glory by performing on a reality show on Spike. These athletes punish the Joes and genuinely seem to be going full speed. You sure are cool WBC, WBA, IBF, IBO, NBA, WBF, and IBA light heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr., on pounding some ordinary dude in the ring.

Futurama (Comedy Central)

Futurama is the second show from Matt Groening (The Simpsons) about a pizza delivery guy who was frozen in the year 2000 and revived 1000 years later. I'm a big fan of the animation shows like Simpsons, Family Guy, King of the Hill, etc. Two of my favorite bits in Futurama are Santa Claus is now a killing robot and the Harlem Globetrotters are math and science geniuses.

After running on FOX from 1999-2003, it was cancelled and reruns were shown on Adult Swim. The show was then picked up by Comedy Central. Four films were made that will be shown in 16 episodes on the network. I suggest you check it out.

Oh Hillary...

I usually leave the politics talk to Tim, mainly because I could care less, but one thing that does bug me is Hillary Clinton overstating her political experience.

She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000, basically on name recognition, and as a carpetbagger. Before that, she was first lady from 1992-2000. (She actually held both positions concurrently for a brief time). Clinton is widely regarded as the most politically influential first ladies (along with Elanor Roosevelt) but it was a position which she was not elected.

Being in the White House as first lady does count for something, but I think if people knew at the time that Hillary had that much influence on the presidency, they would have been disappointed in the political system and the idea of Co-Presidents.

Barack Obama's political experience is a little shady as well. He was a state senator. He gave a speech at the 2004 DNC, and based on that became a U.S. Senator. The difference between the two is that Obama is not touting his experience the way Clinton does.

Official Experience

Hillary Clinton: Eight years as U.S. Senator
Barack Obama: Eight years as an Illinois State Senator, Four years as a U.S. Senator

The issue that made me bring this up is Hillary's statement regarding her trip to Bosnia. In a speech in Washington on March 17 Clinton said of the Bosnia trip: "I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base." CBS News was kind enough to pull the video of this trip and its now on YouTube.

She claims to have made a mistake and mis-remembered this. However, if I was under sniper fire, I think I might remember that.

It is another case of Hillary overstating her experience, especially her foreign policy experience.

P.S. - John McCain's political experience: Four years as a U.S. Representative, 22 years as a U.S. Senator. In addition, Captain John McCain was in the Navy for 23 years, and was a POW from 1967-1973.

Disturbing article concerning beer

In case you missed it, and you did

SFA was dismissed from the NIT in the first round, 80-60 by UMass. ESPN thought so much of this game that they put it on ESPNU, or as I call it, ESPN 6. The 7th seeded Lumberjacks cut the lead to one in the second half, but then summarily gave up a 12-0 run to put them away for good.

Congrats on being the 93rd...no 92nd best team in the country.

Memories of childhood Easter

*Warning to Molly* You may be offended, and I may end up going to hell.

Easter is such a weird holiday. I'm not very religious, but growing up catholic it was quite the experience for the Carrs.

First there was Ash Wednesday. I never understood why they put ashes on your forehead. And later in life, it was always awkward to have the one guy at work with the ashes on, and not everybody knows why.

Lent - I never was able to give up anything for forty days. Unless it was something I didn't like to do in the first place. Then it was easier.

Stations of the Cross - This would actually be a good name for a band. I had to double-check, but we did this on Fridays during lent. I thought it was multiple times. I'm not sure why we did that either. You would think all my time in catholic school, I would remember something. We also couldn't eat meat on Fridays.

Palm Sunday - The Sunday before Easter. We got a palm then put it behind a crucifix. Was this the really long mass? I think it went on for almost two hours.

Holy Thursday - This was always fun when I was an altar boy. The priest washed your feet, in remembrance of the Last Supper.

Good Friday - Always a holiday from school, but it was a solemn day in the Carr house. It was highlighted by walking to the church for Mass. About three miles. Dad wouldn't let us talk, and I also remember one year him getting pissed when we played a Prince tape later in the day.

Easter Sunday - You know for the life of me, I can't remember what we would do for Easter. I guess we searched for eggs, but I only remember that because we would find candy later in the year. I'm positive we went to church, but can't remember that either. Plus, Dad died on Easter, so all of those memories are associated with Easter as well.

I'd like to enjoy Easter more, but I prefer Thanksgiving.

Alright, I'll wrap up the Lost talk

Sweet Sixteen

(1) Ben vs (4) Walt
(2) Kate vs (6) Christian

(1) Jack vs (4) Sayid
(2) Sawyer vs (6) Penny

(1) Jacob vs (5) Sun
(2) Desmond vs (3) Widmore

(1) Locke vs (4) Michael
(2) Hurley vs (6) Richard

Elite Eight

(1) Ben vs (6) Christian
(2) Sawyer vs (4) Sayid
(1) Jacob vs (3) Widmore
(1) Locke vs (2) Hurley

Final Four
(1) Ben vs (2) Sawyer
(3) Widmore vs (1) Locke

(1) Locke vs (1) Ben

Overall Winner - Benjamin Linus (who else?)

Lost tournament - 1st round results / 2nd Round matchups

Play in game: Yemi

DHARMA Bracket

(1) Ben vs (16) Yemi: Ben
(8) Mr. Eko vs (9) Bernard: Bernard
(5) Claire vs (12) Shannon: Claire, but close
(4) Walt vs (13) Karl: Walt
(6) Christian vs (11) Dave: Christian
(3) Smokie vs (14) DeGroots: Smokie
(7) Charlie vs (10) Mikael: Charlie
(2) Kate vs (15) Ed Mars: Kate

Losties Bracket

(1) Jack vs (16) Nikki and Paulo: Jack
(8) Rose vs (9) Ms. Hawking: Rose
(5) Aaron vs (12) Beatrice: Aaron
(4) Sayid vs (13) Arzt: Sayid
(6) Penelope vs (11) Goodwin: Penelope
(3) Juliet vs (14) Nadia: Juliet
(7) Annie vs (10) Daniel: Daniel. Annie's potential is not quite there. Maybe next year.
(2) Sawyer vs (15) Cassidy: Sawyer

Others Bracket

(1) Jacob vs (16) Diane Jannsen: Jacob
(8) Alvar Hanso vs (9) Frank Lupidus: Frank
(5) Sun vs (12) Ana Lucia: Sun
(4) Vincent vs. (13) Boone: Vincent
(6) Abaddon vs (11) Ethan Rom: Abaddon
(3) Widmore vs (14) Helen: Widmore
(7) Libby vs (10) Miles: Libby
(2) Desmond vs (15) Kelvin: Desmond

Freighter Bracket

(1) Locke vs (16) Greta and Bonnie: Locke
(8) Candle vs (9) Charlotte: Charlotte
(5) Jin vs (12) Minkowski: Jin
(4) Michael vs (13) Cooper: Michael
(6) Richard vs (11) Tom: Richard
(3) Danielle vs (14) Sarah: Danielle
(7) Alex vs (10) Naomi: Naomi - She may be dead, but she can fight
(2) Hurley vs (15) Cindy: Hurley

2nd ROUND

DHARMA Bracket
(1) Ben vs (9) Bernard
(4) Walt vs (5) Claire
(3) Smokie vs (6) Christian
(2) Kate vs (7) Charlie

Losties Bracket
(1) Jack vs (8) Rose
(4) Sayid vs (5) Aaron
(3) Juliet vs (6) Penny
(2) Sawyer vs (10) Daniel

Others Bracket
(1) Jacob vs (9) Frank
(4) Vincent vs (5) Sun
(3) Widmore vs (6) Abaddon
(2) Desmond vs (7) Libby

Freighter Bracket
(1) Locke vs (9) Charlotte
(4) Michael vs (5) Jin
(3) Danielle vs (6) Richard
(2) Hurley vs (10) Naomi

Lost Tournament bracket

CLICK ON BRACKET TO SEE FULL SCREEN. CHANGE LAYOUT TO LANDSCAPE TO PRINT.

The Washington Post put together a lost bracket earlier this month, but I didn't think the seedings were fair. This is a little more even based on how the show plays out. Matchups are below.

Check back on Wednesday to see first round winners and matchups going into the sweet sixteen.

MATCHUPS

Play-in Game

Yemi vs. Elsa: Eko's brother vs. Sayid's future girlfriend. The fact that both are dead clearly gives nobody an advantage, but Yemi was discovered on the island.

DHARMA Bracket

(1) Ben vs (16) Yemi/Elsa: Ben calls the shots in the past, present and future while the play-in winner struggles to compete (mainly because they're dead)
(8) Mr. Eko vs (9) Bernard: Eko couldn't stand up to the Smoke Monster and Bernard can't stand up to Rose, but Bernard may have a slight edge because Eko is buried in the ground
(5) Claire vs (12) Shannon: The battle of the island hotties again could come down to one of them being dead, but because Claire is with child, that could make Shannon a more attractive pick
(4) Walt vs (13) Karl: Alex may like the hot Karl, but Walt is now taller and more ghost-like.
(6) Christian vs (11) Dave: Are they dead or alive? Does Dave even exist? Was that Christian in Jacob's chair or did Hurley make that up as well?
(3) Smokie vs (14) DeGroots: We don't know much about either of these folks except Smokie can kick a little ass, and Gerald DeGroot has a sweet beard.
(7) Charlie vs (10) Mikael: Mikael killed Charlie, but killed himself in the process; Charlie has a one-hit wonder
(2) Kate vs (15) Ed Mars: Kate smacked Mars in the face, plus Mars couldn't even last a full season. However, when we met them, Mars had Kate in handcuffs!

Losties Bracket

(1) Jack vs (16) Nikki and Paulo: Jack whines to get off the island, then whines to get back to the island, while the despised Nikki/Paulo belong in their dirt resting place.
(8) Rose vs (9) Ms. Hawking: Rose beat cancer on the island and while boring, she's still alive. Ms. Hawking can travel through time and can see the future.
(5) Aaron vs (12) Beatrice: Aaron is an O6 with a new mommy and Bea was killed by her own people, but she did watch over a taller Walt.
(4) Sayid vs (13) Arzt: The island's MacGyver vs the island's scientist. Sayid appears to be a little more careful.
(6) Penelope vs (11) Goodwin: Penny knows there are survivors and is really loaded, but Goodwin was sleeping with Juliet and Tommy Gavin's wife from Rescue Me. Tough call.
(3) Juliet vs (14) Nadia: The baby doctor that can't save any babies or Sayid's woman who is also linked to Charlie and Locke?
(7) Annie vs (10) Daniel: There is more to Annie than has been let on...Daniel is a basketcase, but also a genius, but Desmond as a constant?
(2) Sawyer vs (15) Cassidy: Sawyer pulled the wool over Cassidy for a cool $600,000, but Sawyer also ended up in jail because of her.

Others Bracket

(1) Jacob vs (16) Diane Jannsen: Jacob is the leader of the Others, is supernatural and can be seen only by Ben, Locke and Hurley. Diane sold out her own daughter (although Kate killed her husband)
(8) Alvar Hanso vs (9) Frank Lupidus: We don't know much about the mysterious Hanso, but he takes a pretty picture. Frank could have been the pilot of 815 and might be on the bottom of the ocean.
(5) Sun vs (12) Ana Lucia: Sun revealed as an O6 makes her standing a little stronger. Ana Lucia should have had a bigger part in the story, but people just didn't like her. So now she's dead.
(4) Vincent vs. (13) Boone: It just seems like there is more to Vincent than meets the eye. Why is he around. Boone goes down as the first major character to die.
(6) Abaddon vs (11) Ethan Rom: Abaddon may be taking orders from Widmore, or is he a product of Smokie? Ethan was the first creepy bad guy, but periodically still shows up...
(3) Widmore vs (14) Helen: Ole' Helen broke Locke's heart that sent him to crazytown. Widmore seems to be in competition with Ben over the island, but what are his real motives?
(7) Libby vs (10) Miles: Libby is connected to Desmond and Hurley, two of the big boys in the show. Is Miles working with Ben, Widmore or on his own? Does he possess supernatural powers?
(2) Desmond vs (15) Kelvin: Desmond killed Kelvin, who was a military man to begin with. Who do you think is winning this matchup, brotha?

Freighter Bracket

(1) Locke vs (16) Greta and Bonnie: Locke currently leads a section of the losties, but he himself seems a little lost without Ben. Greta and Bonnie put a hurting on Charlie, but dead=dead.
(8) Candle vs (9) Charlotte: Why does Candle's arm not work and why does he use aliases? Charlotte has beat up on Kate and Juliet, so she's got that going for her.
(5) Jin vs (12) Minkowski: Is Jin dead or alive? He gets bonus points for learning English. Minkowski should have been a bigger character, but alas only lasted one episode.
(4) Michael vs (13) Cooper: Former Phoenix Sun Kevin Johnson has a lot of explaining to do as to where he was for the last year. Cooper screwed over Sawyer as a kid and Locke as an adult, but he got his due in the end
(6) Richard vs (11) Tom: How old is Richard? Is the island a fountain of youth or is it just the time travel thing. Mr. Friendly was a "good" bad guy and took one in the gut from Sawyer
(3) Danielle vs (14) Sarah: How has Danielle lived on the island for16 years alone? Are those the same clothes? Sarah screwed up Jack pretty good, and may be hooling up with Ben.
(7) Alex vs (10) Naomi: Danielle's daughter is 19 in real life, so it's ok to think unusual thoughts about her. Naomi leads the team of rescuers but she's killed by Locke so again the dead thing is working against her.
(2) Hurley vs (15) Cindy: Hurley in my opinion is the key to the entire story. Cindy has been in 10 episodes, but do you remember her at all?

Enjoy!

Why must my teams disappoint?

So on top of the Cowboys losing the last two years in their first playoff game, the Mavericks losing horribly in their last two playoffs, the Rangers constantly stinking, I now have the SFA Lumberjacks to be disappointed in.

After finishing 25-4 and in first place in the Southland Conference, they were poised to go to the NCAA tournament for the first itme ever. After Lamar, the #2 seed, was knocked out, it seemed enevitable. Well, I forgot it was a team that I rooted for, so they promptly went out and lost to the fifth seeded team, 15-18 Northwestern State. The Jacks were up by 17 in the first half, but managed to throw it away. And of course, the final would have been SFA vs. the seventh seed, UT-Arlington, who they would have killed and gone to the tournament. Instead, UT-Arlington beat NW State.

P.S. The Jacks do have an automatic bid to the NIT Tournament because they won the regular season. Whoopee!

theCarr Hall of Fame

Inductee #2 - Eddie Van Halen

When David Lee Roth left Van Halen in 1985, it was assumed that it was because of Roth's flamboyant behavior and stage persona, as well as wanting to pursue a solo career. Well since then, the changes in the band include:

Lead Singer
1985-1996: Sammy Hagar
1996: Mitch Malloy
1996: David Lee Roth
1996-1999: Gary Cherone
1999-2003: Nothing
2003-2005: Sammy Hagar
2006-present: David Lee Roth

Bass
1985-2005: Michael Anthony
2006-present: Wolfgang Van Halen

So there were seven lineup changes since DLR left originally, including six lead singers. Methinks the problem isn't with the lead singer, but someone else in the band. That leaves two original members. Alex Van Halen has never played a gig without his brother, so it's probably not him. That leaves our poster child for dysfunction, Eddie Van Halen, as the cancer in the band.

I watched him in an interview with Howard Stern and I think the guy is just straight up nuts. Throw in 35 years of drinking and drugs, a hip replacement and mouth cancer and the train wreck ensues.

So congrats, EVH, you're straight up batty, berserk, bonkers, cracked, crazed, cuckoo, daft, delirious, demented, deranged, dingy, dippy, erratic, flaky, flipped, flipped out, freaked out, fruity, haywire, idiotic, insane, kooky, lunatic, mad, maniacal, mental, moonstruck, nuts, nutty, potty, psycho, screw loose, screwball, screwy, silly, touched, unbalanced, unglued, unhinged, unzipped, wacky, whacko (thanks Thesaurus.com)

Mom?

Police say former "Gilligan's Island" actress, Dawn Wells, had 4 half-smoked joints in car

The greatest debate of all time

I think it is the most important question that has not been relevant for 1000 years.

What year will we start calling it "Twenty-...", instead of "Two Thousand-..."??

For instance, we say "two-thousand eight" instead of "twenty oh eight"? Why?

In 1999, a friend and I had a great debate as to what year we would change over, and secondly, why we said "two-thousand" and two-thousand one" to begin with. We literally debated this topic for days.

He contended that in two or three years people would naturally shorten it because that was how we called every year up until then.

I felt that because of the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey", people would pronounce it "two thousand one". In addition, it is the same amount of syllables in "two thousand one" and twenty oh one". You can't say "twenty one" because it sounds like, well, 21.

For me, the critical year is 2010 for the exact same reasons. The movie "2010" was pronounced "Twenty ten" and because you can lose a syllable if you say "twenty ten" instead of two thousand ten". People are lazy and will shorten a sentence if they can.

Now that we are much closer, I hear it both ways. Will the Super Bowl be in Dallas in "twenty eleven" or two thousand eleven"? Maybe it lasts until 2013. "Two thousand thirteen" is a mouthful. "Twenty thirteen" comes off much smoother.

I'd like to hear your opinions. This is what keeps me up at night.

Van Halen tour postponed

After postponing a handful of dates last week in order for guitarist Eddie Van Halen to undergo tests for an unspecified medical condition, Van Halen is postponing all tour activity until April 19.

Well, who knows now. The tour was supposed to start up again on the 11th. Rumor has it that Eddie was drinking again. Wolfgang got pissed about it during a concert and wouldn't talk to him, causing Eddie to destroy his guitar and amps. Here's the video. Towards the end of the video you can see it.

Dallas is now the third of three dates actually scheduled, with the tour starting again in Las Vegas. On the right tab is a poll as to whether or not VH will play.

3-3-08 RIP

"The Van Halen concerts in Dallas, Cincinnati, Raleigh, and Baltimore have been postponed. According to Eddie Van Halen's physician, he is undergoing a battery of comprehensive medical tests to determine a defined diagnosis and recommended medical procedures.

Boy, that sounds encouraging. Is he out with a hip? face cancer? Bertinellitis?

The last time I went to a VH concert was in 1995, so needless to say, I was looking forward to this one. The concert is rescheduled for April 24th. This is the final date of the tour. This means they will need to play 19 more dates before they get to Dallas. The chances of that happening are, how they say, less than 100%. It's frustrating to me on so many levels, but when, err...if this show gets cancelled, I lose Ticketmaster's wonderful processing fees.

On the upside, if the concert does happen, it's probably the last time these guys will ever play together, so I got that going for me.

Thanks to Tim, who helped me drown my sorrows and let me beat him at 9-ball.

theCarr Hall of Fame

For a blog with 44 posts, this may be quite a leap, but what the hell. I'll post a HoF nominee every so often.

tCHoF Nominee #1 - Emmitt Smith (the Wordsmith)

Walterfootball.com did the dirty work for me, but Emmitt Smith is a first ballot HOF. Congratulations, Emmitt, you've successfully removed all of my images of you as a football player and replaced them with this. Can you even remember when Emmitt played football?

Like Ruth or Chamberlain, Emmitt the Wordsmith achieved legendary status in my mind. It could be:

Grammatical - "He turn around and go deep on Dre' Bly"

Factual - Attempting to quote Jimmy V's "Don't give up. Don't ever give up." "Don't quit. Don't ever quit."

Biting analysis - "The leadership definitely have to come from the leaders."

!$)%# - "Eli Manning has been given the rice of passage."

HOF worthy -

"Don't worry about the game you just won or the team that we just blew out... uhhh... blown... blown out... Let's think about what we need to do going forward, and they had... blown out. "

"You cannot change the stripes of a leopard."

"...Go to Arizona, sharp as a whistle, and do some finishing touches, so we can go down in the Super Bowl and play our best football of the whole entire season."

"The strength of the Patriots, their offense, got... DEBACLED."

Congratulations Emmitt, you set the bar high

Living in the now

Got this from Cliff, and it meant a lot to me.

I forget how important karma is and being happy and enjoying life. This video takes about 10 minutes, but it's worth it.

Dr. Randy Pausch

I am a guitar god

Tami and I have a rule in the house that if we see something on TV, we can buy it, no questions asked. It's a weird rule, but it works for us.

Anyway, I've wanted a guitar for a long time, so I bought one off of HSN. It showed up yesterday, and I broke it out.

I've successfully tuned it, however my left fingers are actually sore from playing. I can play two chords so far, so I got that going for me. Lets hope that my miniscule musical ability will come in handy at some point.

Fox 4 News

It is amazing to me the job that I do and the amount of people that watch the show that I work on.

1.) On Sunday, Feb. 17, 177,799 households watched FOX 4 News at 9. That is households and not people. The average household is 2.5 people. I understand that not everyone in a household is watching, but its possible that as many as 445,000 people could be watching my newscast.

When American Idol is on, 224,075 HH (560,187 total) watched our News at 9. Half of a million people. I can't imagine what the total was for Super Bowl Sunday.

2.) Ed Bark is a former DMN writer who has a website, Uncle Barky, that chronicles DFW television. He also interviewed Tami's anchors, Megan Henderson and Tim Ryan, on Saturday at Stratos Greek Taverna in Dallas. So, this guy has a website that only TV junkies go to, yet, there was a decent crowd of people there. It's hard for me to remember that TV people are celebrities. Hell, even Tami was a celeb in Lufkin when she was a reporter.

Anyway, I'm rambling. Here's why TV sucks though. There is a NASCAR race that was supposed to start at 1:30pm. It started at 5:30pm, followed by two hours of prime time, then our newscast. So our newscast will get done around 1am, instead of 10:30pm.

Yeah TV

Bill's Book Corner

God Save the Fan: How Preening Sportscasters, Athletes Who Speak in the Third Person, and the Occasional Convicted Quarterback Have Taken the Fun Out of Sports (And How We Can Get It Back) by Will Leitch

(phew)

Those who know me understand that my life is TV and I just do not have the patience enough to read a book. When I do read it's generally non-fiction or sports related.

So Bill's Book corner will be sporadic at best. (or it will never run again)

About 2 years ago, I basically gave up on ESPN.com as my resource for sports after I discovered several blogs. Specifically deadspin.com and thebiglead.com. There are others, but these two really captured a lighter side of sports and entertainment that Page 2 of espn.com lost several years ago. Bill Simmons, the Sports Guy, was a must read for me, but not so much anymore. He got too big and full of himself.

Will Leitch is the editor of Deadspin and is an accomplished writer in is own right. "God Save the Fan" is an extension of Deadspin and it cracked me up in several places. Its light reading and can be used for trips to the "office".

Enjoy

Mavericks trades

OK, the Nowitzki-Traylor trade gets a little more interesting. It turns out that Don Nelson traded Tractor Traylor for Nowitski and Pat Garrity (19th pick).

Nelson turned around and traded Garrity, along with Martin Muursepp, Bubba Wells and a 1st rd pick for Steve Nash. Well, that 1st round pick turned out to be Shawn Marion. Who was traded for Shaq. So basically:

DALLAS - No one
MIAMI - Shawn Marion
PHOENIX - Shaquille O(ld)'Neal

Checklist:

Nowitzki - good
Nash - bad

Worst trades in history

With the idea that the Mavs will end up getting Jason Kidd for the entire franchise, $3 million cash and two 1st Round draft picks, I thought I would remind you that the Rangers corner the market on bad trades. Thanks Jon Daniels!

1989 - Sammy Sosa, Wilson Alvarez and Scott Fletcher for Harold Baines and Fred Manrique
We all know about Sosa, but Wilson Alvarez pitched a no hitter for the Sox and went 15-8, 2.55 ERA

1992 - Ruben Sierra, Bobby Witt and Jeff Russell for Jose Canseco
Canseco missed most of 1993 after blowing out his elbow pitching (!) and knocking a HR off his head, but he did introduce steroids to the Rangers, allowing them to win 3 divisional titles.

2002 - Travis Hafner and Aaron Mayette for Einar Diaz and Ryan Drese
Who is the one player you've heard of?

2005 - Alfonso Soriano for Brad Wilkerson, Armando Galarraga and Terrmel Sledge
Soriano had 40 HR, 40 steals and 40 doubles and led the league in outfield assists in 2006 while Brad Wilkerson hit .222 and .234.

2006 - Chris Young, Adrian Gonzalez and Terrmel for Adam Eaton, Akinora Otsuka and Billy Killian
So basically, Jon Daniels traded Soriano, Young and Gonzalez (three all-Stars) for Otsuka

The Mavericks get a one-time pass for the Nowitzki for Tractor Traylor deal.

The Cowboys get an all-time pass for the Hershel Walker deal.

Baseball

I sure wish I could get excited about baseball season starting. The Rangers officially opened spring training today in very fitting Surprise, AZ. Although, there is no surprise where the Rangers will finish this year, last place. Surprise, the biggest issue is pitching. For 37 years its been pitching. What was done in the off-season to address this? The most significant signing in the off season just turned 61. 2nd biggest news this offseason was John Rocker admitting he used roids as a Ranger. He joined Canseco, Pudge, Juan Gone, Palmeiro as the cream (and the clear) of our crop.

Here are some Rangers highlights:


1972-1993 - Nolan Ryan beats up Robin Ventura

1994 - Rangers win first division title. They were 52-62 that year. . So embarrassed MLB, they cancelled the World Series.

1996-1999 - Rangers win three division titles in four years. Postseason record: 1-9, with a nine game losing streak to the Yankees.

2000-2007 - Rangers finish (in a division of four) 4th, 4th, 4th, 4th, 3rd, 3rd, 3rd, 4th

The Rangers are the oldest franchise that has yet to appear in a World Series; in fact, they have yet to win any playoff series. They are the oldest franchise in the 4 major pro sports to never win a championship. They have never won a home playoff game.

The Rangers list five Hall of Famers:

Ted Williams - Really? What did he contribute as a Ranger? He managed the '72 team that went 54-100
Ferguson Jenkins - In a 19-year career he pitched six years for the Rangers
Gaylord Perry - 22-year career, three years for the Rangers
Nolan Ryan - 27-year career, five years for the Rangers
Rich Gossage - 22-year career, one year for the Rangers

One Ranger hat in the Hall, Nolan. Mets: 5 years, Angels: 8 years, Astros: 9 years, Texas: 5 years. He wears the T because he worked for the Rangers at the time. It should be an Astros cap.

Let's look at retired numbers:

42 - Jackie Robinson
34 - Nolan Ryan, franchise savior
26 - Johnny Oates, dead manager

So, I know your thinking, Bill, there's always next year. OK, lets look at the Strangers starting lineup:

C: Gerald Laird - 2007 average: .224
1B: Ben Broussard - typically the power corner, 2007 HR: 7
2B: Ian Kinsler - Baseball Reference compares him closest to Bill Salkeld
SS: Michael Young - Centerpiece of franchise. Actually, decent so he'll be traded midseason
3B: Hank Blalock - Power corner, 2007 HR: 10
LF: Marlon Byrd - Percentage owned in ESPN fantasy league: 2.3%
CF: Josh Hamilton - He's owned in 6.1% Congrats! You're the star in the outfield!
RF: Milton Bradley - He's got some game
DH: Frank Catalanotsupposedtostarto: 2007 - 44 RBI

Rotation:
"Ace"(hole) - Kevin Millwood: 10-14, 5.16 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, .301 BAA, 172 IP, 123 K
Salary: 9.8 million
Vincente Padilla: 6-10, 5.76, 1.63, .299, 120 IP, 71 K - Salary: 9 million
Jason Jennings: 2-9, 6.45, 1.55, .301, 99 IP, 71 K - Salary: 5.5 million (This was the Rangers signing to bolster the staff)
Brandon McCarthy: 5-10, 4.87(congrats for being the only Ranger under 5.00), 1.56, .278, 101 IP, 59K
Kason Gabbard:
Stats with Boston: 4-0, 3.73 ERA
Stats with Texas: 2-1, 5.58 ERA

In the fantasy world, most drafts run 25 rounds, 10-12 teams. That is 250-300 players. ESPN projects the Rangers will have 1 pitcher that would be drafted, C.J. Wilson, in the 25th round. And only because he collects saves.

As the great Ron Jackson says: GO RANGERS!

Congrats to Evan!

Tim, Molly, Tami and myself were all lifeguards and good swimmers, but Evan takes the cake. As a sophomore, he has qualified for the Regional Finals in the 100 Fly. He swam it in under 59 seconds. To put that in perspective, if this were 1960, he would hold the world record.

Way to go!

Couple of new links

Jimmy Kimmel is my hero. I thought he was hilarious on the Man Show, he dumped his long-time wife for a celebrity and he gives us these comic gems:

I'm F$#*ing Matt Damon

Unnecessary Censorship

More Emmitt and Berman

Here is the L Cool JJ reference.

I liked Chris Berman 15 years ago but he's doing the same schtick over and over again quoting 70's music and giving dumbass nicknames. But here is a monumental meltdown. It is NSFW.

Thanks to Awful Annoucing for the treats!

Mama said knock you up by L Cool JJ

Those who know me, know how much I despise Emmitt as a commentator. Jimmy Kimmel put together a best of.

Click Here

Random thoughts

Why are there so many judge shows? I don't know anyone who watches them. Judge Judy makes $25 million a year. I make considerably less, but I'm more entertaining.

It bothers me that there are celebrities that don't or haven't ever done anything. Of course, Paris Hilton is the queen, but there are many more.

Can we reduced the time in between the NFL Championship games and the Super Bowl? I watch a lot of sports and I'm so sick of seeing Tom Brady. He's pretty, but please stop. Then we can have the Super Bowl on my birthday again.

Why can't I grow a beard? Dad could grow one overnight.

Speaking of shaving, if you have that chin divot, how do you shave that? Or does hair grow in there at all?

Why is there a comment on one of my blogs from someone I don't know. It's on the 70 article. What possesses someone to randomly search for personal blogs and insult me? Very bizarre.

Here's what he wrote:

Bill, As a non-guitarist, this would explain your opinion of EVH. I can probably name 170 better guitarists. There were some major omissions on that list - I have the issue at home. I have never been a VH fan for one reason - Van Halen 1 was great - and then they kept remaking it over and over again. Nothing original until the shitty keyboards on 1984. I saw them live and thought the whole concert was very contrived and way too rehearsed - I don't mean the music, I mean the bantering with the crowd and it looked like they had "blocked" where they were going to stand for every song. No spontaneity(sp?) whatsoever. I like going to a show not knowing what to expect. I will grant that they put out an occasional decent song after the 1st album, but for the most part, the later releases sounded like outtakes from that same one. Jimi Hendrix was rightfully selected as #1. He did things on the guitar that people still can't replicate today (40 years later) because no one is really sure how he did it. There are 1000s of guitarists who can play everything EVH did flawlessly. There are maybe a handful who can match Jimi (RIP SRV). Sorry for the long answer, we can discuss at more length why VH sucks over a beer sometime.Chris

Hey jerk, get your own blog and let me rip your posts!

"Lost" starts tonight and I can't wait.

Buckley is a booze hound

Buckley likes alcohol. I'm not proud of it (wink, wink) but he will follow around a glass of wine or a bottle of beer like he's in a trance. Don't leave your glass around him. Atali took these pictures of him.

Once again, Shelby is in the background not paying attention to anything or anybody.

New Orleans

There are no pictures of the trip (probably a good thing) because I had the battery backwards in the camera. That's my college degree hard at work...

Highlights:


Cat's Meow (It never disappoints)

Another bar that played great soul music (the white boy sax player was awesome)

The fact you could walk down Bourbon and listen to 8-10 live bands playing within a 5 block area.

Walking to Cafe Du Monde to get Tami beignets

The incredible food down there. I could live on red beans and rice, gumbo and shrimp

For some reason, every time I go to a casino, I am convinced that this is the time I make a killing. I'm sure everybody feels that way, but I really thought this was the time. 20 minutes later I'm down $60 and I want to cry.

Tami feeling sick that we thought a hospital visit was in order, than five minutes later she was fine and back on track.

The relatively easy flight (except I didn't know you had to take out your toiletries in your carry-on). Props to Tami for convincing me not to check baggage and carry everything on.

Overall, a great trip and I can't wait to get back!

Defeated

Why did I add this picture? Tim was soooo proud about how many chips he had, he had to take a picture. Well, he didn't take a picture at the end of the night because all of Evan's and Tim's chips were at my end of the table.

More later....

Victory is mine!

P.S. Tim still owes me $20.

Devil Dog

Atali took this picture a while back, but I swear he is not possessed. Click on it to see it bigger.

70.....

Rolling Stone put out an article in 2003 regarding the 100 Greatest Guitarists of all time.

Man, do I have issue with this. In my mind, Eddie is #1. Really. He's the greatest. Rolling Stone seems to think he is #70. Wow. You may be able to make an argument for these guitarists:

Jimi Hendrix
Eric Clapton
Jimmy Paige
Robert Johnson
B.B. King

That's it.

You want to know who they think is better? Here's some names:

2. Duane Allman (really, the second greatest guitar player of all time)
8. Ry Cooder
11. Kirk Hammett
12. Kurt Cobain
17. Jack White
..........
You know what, there's too many. Look at the link above and be outraged yourself. Note there is no Steve Vai, Pete Townshend is 50 and Angus Young is 96. What a frickin joke.

Ranking Van Halen members

The albums are out of the way, so here are the members in my order of greatness:

1.) Eddie Van Halen - He revolutionized the way the guitar is played. The soul of Van Halen, he is not matched. You know where Rolling Stone Magazine placed him in the 100 greatest guitarists of all time? 70. Yes 70. You saw that right. 70. You know what, that's getting its own post.

2.) David Lee Roth - The debate between Sammy and Dave is really not a debate at all. DLR is the king. Great front man, but the problem was he knew it.

3.) Alex Van Halen - My greatest concert memory is his drum solo from the ou812 tour. He played the drums and made it sound like a freaking motorcycle. I'll never forget that.

4.) Sammy Hagar - Who knew that VH could be successful after Roth left the band. It changed their sound and they became very commercial, but man I loved that first album. He could play guitar, so that allowed for Eddie to play keyboards, but I'll forgive him for that.

5.) Michael Anthony - Much maligned member of the group. At least by my family. He never did anything to hurt the band. He played bass for god sake. What could he do? He was very cool in concert. He pulled a Belushi on a bottle of Jack. Jack Daniels was my drink of choice in high school.

6.) Wolfgang Van Halen - Unknown, but come on, Wolfgang?

7,000,000.) Gary Cherone - I mentioned this earlier, but I really liked him in Extreme. Great voice, but did not do well with this band. Actually, very embarrassing.

8. & 9.) Mark Stone, Mitch Malloy - Look 'em up.