Two things swirling around in my head:
Had a great talk with Heather yesterday about being a leader in the household, etc. Very informative conversation. It just occurred to me...I never knew that most of the time that she wasn't emotionally invested in the "small things". She never said, I never asked, I just always assumed that they were a big deal to her. Instead of saying "Hey baby, do you REALLY care if we go to Applebee's or Chili's?" "No, I mean, REALLY care." "No, really." I just assumed that it was a huge deal and threw off the leadership robe in order to "please" when pleasing just wasn't necessary. In fact, I would have been "pleasing" if I had just stepped in and made the call so we could move on with our lives. Dang I'm stupid!
Less important, but still a little frustrating...
I didn't pick the Giants so they could run easy-to-defend and obviously-not-going-to-work running plays on 4th down that would be topped off with pathetic direct snaps. I mistakenly assumed that they would play like they did last year. Yeah, Reason #1 why I don't gamble on sports. Vegas is fickle, but professional athletes are even more fickle. Doh!!! Just imagine how good it felt when I actually got the Arizona pick right yesterday! Oh well, there goes 4-0 this weekend.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Memory Verse 1.0
So here's the scoop. Since we wanted more accountability on being in the Word we were commissioned to our first Memory Verse....verse....verse....verse(can't you hear the echo of importance?) Now, I know I can memorize music..."This one time, at Band Camp, I memorized all my show music the night before in like, 2 hours." Memorizing words on the other hand, yeah. Not so sure if I can do that, and I KNOW that memory verses are good for you and da da da, but dang, I'm not sure if I can do that. Anywho....
I used Bible Gateway to pull up the exact passage (very cool feature) and I had left it up on the laptop. This was especially important since I didn't have it ready for small group this past Thursday, but I was saved by....wait for it.....the BCS title game. What can I say, Pastor's like football too. I figured I should bang it out or I'll be the bad student in the group, and if anyone who's known me for a long time is reading, they know I'm totally NOT the bad student.
Here it is:
2 Peter 1:5-10
I used Bible Gateway to pull up the exact passage (very cool feature) and I had left it up on the laptop. This was especially important since I didn't have it ready for small group this past Thursday, but I was saved by....wait for it.....the BCS title game. What can I say, Pastor's like football too. I figured I should bang it out or I'll be the bad student in the group, and if anyone who's known me for a long time is reading, they know I'm totally NOT the bad student.
Here it is:
2 Peter 1:5-10
5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
10Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, (NIV)
I am happy to report that, not only, is it good advice, but that I memorized it in about 20 minutes. Yay me!!!
Things That Bug Me (about Bass Clarinetists, Teachers, and Band Directors) 1.0
I'm a Bass Clarinetist, a really serious Bass Clarinetist. I've got 3 of them for goodness sakes! Basically, that's like saying "Yeah, I'm a total freak."
There have always been things that bug me about the way people approach MY instrument (I know I didn't invent it, but it's mine). I've heard everything from "I need harder reeds....no you need really hard reeds." to "This (name the brand) doesn't play well in so and so register" blah,blah, blah. I've also heard, "You can't do this and that, this doesn't "lay well" on a bigger instrument" and my personal favorite "Why would you do that on THAT ?!" Anyways, Things That Bug Me is dedicated to my rantings about how the Bass Clarinet is, generally, poorly taught, misunderstood, and poorly received.
My biggest gripes about my equipment are always about reeds. Most kids start in school using soft reeds, a 2.5 typically. Well, at some point they run into a Band Director whose whole mission in life, it seems, is to get them to play on harder reeds. It never fails, you always hear from someone "You need harder reeds so you can sound better and play in tune." Woo hoo! You mean all I have to do to play in tune is use harder reeds? How hard? 3, 3.5? Ok! I can do that Mr. Whoseewhatzit!
Now that the kid has the harder reeds they spend the next few weeks wondering why their instrument isn't responding like it did. Then they either A) realize it must be the reeds, but they brush that off because their Director told them they HAAAAAADDDDD to have those harder reeds, yet they don't sound better and they aren't really learning because they spend all their time paying a setup that is not tenable, or B) assume their instrument is broken (which is probably partially true, but if their setup didn't suck they'd be able to play throgh the 5000 micro-leaks on ther horn.)
Now the kid is in a quandry, do I stick with reeds that aren't working, beg my Director to get my instrument to the shop, or do I go back to the softer ones that I could play on? Hmmm. They're stuck and they don't know why. I do. (Just one aside here: It's a rare day when you find a teacher who's more insterested in how you sound and how comfortable you are than they are in the "way to do things." I had teachers of the former persuasion. They didn't care what I was doing as long as I could play well. Let's all take a note, because that's the only reason I got to where I am now.)
That Director looked at the Bass Clarinet and said (insert heavy hillbilly accent)(and yes, I can say that because I'm actually from the South. It's like when people pick on your siblings....they can't do that, that's YOUR job!) "That's just like a regular Clarinet." True, except for one thing...it ain't as high! Soprano(Regular) Clarinet players tend to need to change reed strengths relatively early on to help support to strength in their embouchure. It's a necessity, you can't play Soprano Clarinet but one way, and that dropped chin does all the work for you. A Soprano Clarinet embouchure is POWERFUL! You start running into intonation issues on OPEN NOTES!!!, and it only gets worse the higher you go, so you need the POWER!
Hooooowwwever, on the Bass Clarinet, you don't start having major intonation issues until you get much higher on the instrument. Well, if that's the case, using a harder reed to account for like 4 notes makes no sense, and those 4 notes aren't THAT hard to play........ And we all wonder why alot of kids who play Bass Clarinet can't play high notes very well and we have these never ending conversations from, of all people, ADULTS!, about which instruments "play high notes better." WOW!!!!! If you're a non-band nerd and you're confused, you should be, cuz this ain't hard.
The Bass Clarinet is rivaled only by the Saxophone in its ease. Ever walk down the hall of an Elementary School with a Bass Clarinet in your hand? I have. All the kids say the same thing "Wow, that's a big Saxophone!" (Except for that one kid who paid attention when you told them it's actually a Bass Clarinet and they go around correcting everyone.) I digress. From the mouths of babes to our ears. It's a big stinking Saxophone!!!!!!! Armed with this knowledge the instrument got a wholeheckuvalot easier.
Every Saxophone player I've ever met is always referencing the "embouchure wheel" from Larry Teal's The Art of Saxophone Playing. The embouchure wheel implies that no one point of your mouth is holding a majority of tension. Hmmmmmmm....that ain't like the "regular" Clarinet. All of their tension is held in the wrinkled upper lip (which flattens your chin).
Ever notice how a Saxophone, even with the clearest tone, has the slightest hint of breathiness, raspiness, reediness (I like to call it syrup)? Ever notice Soprano Clarinets just don't unless it's intentional? Hmmmmm........ I think we're on to something. The reediness comes from a reed/mouthpiece combination that is generally freer than that of the Clarinet. Saxophone players tend to play softer reeds because the instrument is quite responsive and you don't want to kill that responsiveness with insanely hard reeds, unless you're, you know, insane. Now, I'm not saying this is universal, or that no sax player uses hard reeds, or that all Clarinet players use hard reeds, but this is a good generalization.
Approach the Bass like a Saxophone. A little softer reed than you might think. 2.5's are fine! I played them from my Sophomore Year of High School to my Junior Year of College. I was first chair in every ensemble I played in during that time (I know, I'm a show off, but you get the point, I didn't suck.) Use a reed that isn't wearing you out after 5 minutes. Don't feed so much tension into the instrument, I doesn't like that and it doesn't need that to play in tune. Because the instrument is so low it settles into pitch better than a higher instrument. Open up a little bit, don't be shy. The instrument likes LOTS of air. I mean, I love me some Dr. Pepper, and air is the Bass Clarinet's Dr. Pepper..... can't get enough. Don't be afraid of some syrup. If you sound reedy, COOL!, it's probably a neat sound. The Bass Clarinet is not supposed to sound EXCLUSIVELY like a big Soprano Clarinet.
Now I know what you're thinking. "Yeah, if you're so good, post some sound clips or something and prove how great you are, dude!" Ok, I promise to figure that out so at least you'll have some entertainment to go along with me ranting like a maniac.
Now we have Alpha and Omega. Two different instruments that are very simlar. A(Clarinet) = B(Bass Clarinet. B = C(Saxophone), BUT, A does not equal C. A and C are related by marriage though. That marriage spawned my instrument, the Bass Clarinet.
There have always been things that bug me about the way people approach MY instrument (I know I didn't invent it, but it's mine). I've heard everything from "I need harder reeds....no you need really hard reeds." to "This (name the brand) doesn't play well in so and so register" blah,blah, blah. I've also heard, "You can't do this and that, this doesn't "lay well" on a bigger instrument" and my personal favorite "Why would you do that on THAT ?!" Anyways, Things That Bug Me is dedicated to my rantings about how the Bass Clarinet is, generally, poorly taught, misunderstood, and poorly received.
My biggest gripes about my equipment are always about reeds. Most kids start in school using soft reeds, a 2.5 typically. Well, at some point they run into a Band Director whose whole mission in life, it seems, is to get them to play on harder reeds. It never fails, you always hear from someone "You need harder reeds so you can sound better and play in tune." Woo hoo! You mean all I have to do to play in tune is use harder reeds? How hard? 3, 3.5? Ok! I can do that Mr. Whoseewhatzit!
Now that the kid has the harder reeds they spend the next few weeks wondering why their instrument isn't responding like it did. Then they either A) realize it must be the reeds, but they brush that off because their Director told them they HAAAAAADDDDD to have those harder reeds, yet they don't sound better and they aren't really learning because they spend all their time paying a setup that is not tenable, or B) assume their instrument is broken (which is probably partially true, but if their setup didn't suck they'd be able to play throgh the 5000 micro-leaks on ther horn.)
Now the kid is in a quandry, do I stick with reeds that aren't working, beg my Director to get my instrument to the shop, or do I go back to the softer ones that I could play on? Hmmm. They're stuck and they don't know why. I do. (Just one aside here: It's a rare day when you find a teacher who's more insterested in how you sound and how comfortable you are than they are in the "way to do things." I had teachers of the former persuasion. They didn't care what I was doing as long as I could play well. Let's all take a note, because that's the only reason I got to where I am now.)
That Director looked at the Bass Clarinet and said (insert heavy hillbilly accent)(and yes, I can say that because I'm actually from the South. It's like when people pick on your siblings....they can't do that, that's YOUR job!) "That's just like a regular Clarinet." True, except for one thing...it ain't as high! Soprano(Regular) Clarinet players tend to need to change reed strengths relatively early on to help support to strength in their embouchure. It's a necessity, you can't play Soprano Clarinet but one way, and that dropped chin does all the work for you. A Soprano Clarinet embouchure is POWERFUL! You start running into intonation issues on OPEN NOTES!!!, and it only gets worse the higher you go, so you need the POWER!
Hooooowwwever, on the Bass Clarinet, you don't start having major intonation issues until you get much higher on the instrument. Well, if that's the case, using a harder reed to account for like 4 notes makes no sense, and those 4 notes aren't THAT hard to play........ And we all wonder why alot of kids who play Bass Clarinet can't play high notes very well and we have these never ending conversations from, of all people, ADULTS!, about which instruments "play high notes better." WOW!!!!! If you're a non-band nerd and you're confused, you should be, cuz this ain't hard.
The Bass Clarinet is rivaled only by the Saxophone in its ease. Ever walk down the hall of an Elementary School with a Bass Clarinet in your hand? I have. All the kids say the same thing "Wow, that's a big Saxophone!" (Except for that one kid who paid attention when you told them it's actually a Bass Clarinet and they go around correcting everyone.) I digress. From the mouths of babes to our ears. It's a big stinking Saxophone!!!!!!! Armed with this knowledge the instrument got a wholeheckuvalot easier.
Every Saxophone player I've ever met is always referencing the "embouchure wheel" from Larry Teal's The Art of Saxophone Playing. The embouchure wheel implies that no one point of your mouth is holding a majority of tension. Hmmmmmmm....that ain't like the "regular" Clarinet. All of their tension is held in the wrinkled upper lip (which flattens your chin).
Ever notice how a Saxophone, even with the clearest tone, has the slightest hint of breathiness, raspiness, reediness (I like to call it syrup)? Ever notice Soprano Clarinets just don't unless it's intentional? Hmmmmm........ I think we're on to something. The reediness comes from a reed/mouthpiece combination that is generally freer than that of the Clarinet. Saxophone players tend to play softer reeds because the instrument is quite responsive and you don't want to kill that responsiveness with insanely hard reeds, unless you're, you know, insane. Now, I'm not saying this is universal, or that no sax player uses hard reeds, or that all Clarinet players use hard reeds, but this is a good generalization.
Approach the Bass like a Saxophone. A little softer reed than you might think. 2.5's are fine! I played them from my Sophomore Year of High School to my Junior Year of College. I was first chair in every ensemble I played in during that time (I know, I'm a show off, but you get the point, I didn't suck.) Use a reed that isn't wearing you out after 5 minutes. Don't feed so much tension into the instrument, I doesn't like that and it doesn't need that to play in tune. Because the instrument is so low it settles into pitch better than a higher instrument. Open up a little bit, don't be shy. The instrument likes LOTS of air. I mean, I love me some Dr. Pepper, and air is the Bass Clarinet's Dr. Pepper..... can't get enough. Don't be afraid of some syrup. If you sound reedy, COOL!, it's probably a neat sound. The Bass Clarinet is not supposed to sound EXCLUSIVELY like a big Soprano Clarinet.
Now I know what you're thinking. "Yeah, if you're so good, post some sound clips or something and prove how great you are, dude!" Ok, I promise to figure that out so at least you'll have some entertainment to go along with me ranting like a maniac.
Now we have Alpha and Omega. Two different instruments that are very simlar. A(Clarinet) = B(Bass Clarinet. B = C(Saxophone), BUT, A does not equal C. A and C are related by marriage though. That marriage spawned my instrument, the Bass Clarinet.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Superior Performances
So, I was spurred to do some kind of "musical awakening" post every week, but I didn't know what to do, then I thought of Superior Performances. Basically, it's something that I thought was just great. Following is the very first superior performance.
This is Spring High School's 1993 BOA Finals performance. At the time, they set the scoring record, were revolutionary, and were the first band from Texas to win a championship(to date, only 3 bands from Texas in 30 years have won, hmm, are we trying to say something here?)
They played the Hindemith "Symphony in Bb" and close with the "March from the Symphonic Metamorphosis" (which is in my top 10 all-time favorite musical works), also Hindemith. People don't do stuff like this anymore, mostly because playing difficult music isn't in vogue(which is code for "actual teaching isn't in vogue, but trying to win is.") I've played these pieces multiple times sitting down. Now imagine them...playing it backwards in high heels in 7th position.....or that's how it must've felt.
This is the first show I ever saw another band do and I went "Dang, they're good." Back then props were considered kitschy garbage that was a complete freaking waste of resources, hence there aren't any of note here. Nowadays this show would make Finals only because the playing is so incredible. Otherwise, they'd be blown away by some band that's playing music this group could have learned in a day and who has some stupid green balls rolling around the field or some crap like that.......because apparently props=general effect. Can you tell I have issues? {Note to non-bandlike people: I only rant because I hate when people underserve their students and get rewarded for it.) The demand that this show places on the performer would not be appreciated today by alot of people who are into band. That's an absolute shame and it shows how little some people understand the term "Marching BAND". You know...band...playing...but moving too. Yeah, playing.
This show is hard, you can tell, and if you ever meet someone who was in this group you need to shake their hand and give them a "Well done, Bravo!" They deserve it.
Spring H.S. Band, you may take the field in Grand National Finals Competition! (Thanks Chuck)
This is Spring High School's 1993 BOA Finals performance. At the time, they set the scoring record, were revolutionary, and were the first band from Texas to win a championship(to date, only 3 bands from Texas in 30 years have won, hmm, are we trying to say something here?)
They played the Hindemith "Symphony in Bb" and close with the "March from the Symphonic Metamorphosis" (which is in my top 10 all-time favorite musical works), also Hindemith. People don't do stuff like this anymore, mostly because playing difficult music isn't in vogue(which is code for "actual teaching isn't in vogue, but trying to win is.") I've played these pieces multiple times sitting down. Now imagine them...playing it backwards in high heels in 7th position.....or that's how it must've felt.
This is the first show I ever saw another band do and I went "Dang, they're good." Back then props were considered kitschy garbage that was a complete freaking waste of resources, hence there aren't any of note here. Nowadays this show would make Finals only because the playing is so incredible. Otherwise, they'd be blown away by some band that's playing music this group could have learned in a day and who has some stupid green balls rolling around the field or some crap like that.......because apparently props=general effect. Can you tell I have issues? {Note to non-bandlike people: I only rant because I hate when people underserve their students and get rewarded for it.) The demand that this show places on the performer would not be appreciated today by alot of people who are into band. That's an absolute shame and it shows how little some people understand the term "Marching BAND". You know...band...playing...but moving too. Yeah, playing.
This show is hard, you can tell, and if you ever meet someone who was in this group you need to shake their hand and give them a "Well done, Bravo!" They deserve it.
Spring H.S. Band, you may take the field in Grand National Finals Competition! (Thanks Chuck)
Football Night in Georgia
Florida won, big surprise. I saw the first half of the game last night and I have to say that I was bored stiff. I got SO tired of Sam Bradford looking to the sideline for a play change on EVERY down. It was so pervasive that Fox almost instantly had a graphic up listing how long it took between snaps. When you're constantly approaching 40 seconds on every single play you've got to get moving. I know Sam Bradford is the Heisman trophy winner, but is he simply a product of his system? He can't read defenses at all? That's how it looked. It seemed as if the coaching staff at OU doesn't trust him to read defenses. It was odd...and annoying. Oklahoma, obviously, ran out of gas at some point. The Florida defense looked fantastic during the game, but one player stood out over all the others.
#21 Major Wright, is a Sophomore Safety for Florida and he is a ball hog. Given the way Ed Reed is playing in the NFL, I'd say this kid is the Ed Reed of college football, and could be the new Ed Reed on Sundays. I felt like everytime I turned around the Florida defense was making a play and #21 was in the picture. He was cleaning peoples clocks, breaking up plays, and generally causing mayhem in the Secondary. I was beyond being impressed. It's not everyday that you see the SAME player in on EVERY single play, but that's how it looked. Everybody gives Tim Tebow props left and right for being a high energy guy and having a motor that never stops. That's great (he deserves it). But.... Can we get some love for #21. He's an animal, and I love it. So, count me in, my new favorite college football player is Major Wright. What a show he put on last night!
OK, official NFL playoff picks.
SATURDAY
Tennessee is a 3.5 point favorite over the Ravens. I see the game going this way...Kerry Collins vs. Ed Reed. Ed Reed is the Major Wright of the NFL... ;o)... and he will make life difficult all day for Kerry Collins. The longer Kerry Collins stands in the pocket, the longer the Baltimore DLine has time to get to him. Maybe the Ravens are a team of destiny.
PICK: Baltimore 21 Tennessee 7
The Carolina spread got a little bigger! The Panthers are 10.5 point favorites over Arizona. As much as I'd like to see Kurt Warner keep winning I just don't know if the Cards can keep up with Carolina, who is a very hot team right now. Hoooooooowever, Carolina's defense isn't this stellar-all-world unit. To the tangent. Vegas is hating on Kurt Warner like you wouldn't believe. Let's face it, he's the show in Arizona, and that's fine. We must be forgetting what he is CAPABLE of. I'm not saying he was his 1999-2001 self all these years since, but he WAS that and IS playing like that right now. When Joe Montana went to the Chiefs (which should've been a cold day in hell) everyone jumped all over him like he forgot to play football, he didn't win a Super Bowl in KC, but he didn't all of the sudden start sucking.
Steve Young became the heir apparent to Joe Montana in San Francisco and I bet all kinds of people were jumping up and down saying "Ewwwwww, he played in Tampa." Come on people. Give credit where it's due. Ok, let's say Kurt Warner throws for 350 yards. That's good for at least 4 touchdowns. Throw in one on the ground. Oh, and they have one of the best kickers in the league. Since we see where this is going let's just add to the manifesto. Reason #2 I don't gamble on sports. Taking the underdog and sweating it out on gameday is like getting that menacing Charlie Horse in the middle of the night. You can't scream or you'll wake up the whole house and you can't wake up your wife because she'll be too groggy to know that you're writhing in pain and trying to not scream. If you win the pick no one will believe you made it...if you lose it no one will understand how bad that Charlie Horse hurt.
PICK: Arizona 44 Carolina 31
SUNDAY
The Giants are 4.5 point faves over Philly. Simple math. New York + Eli Manning - Tiki Barber = Super Bowl. Philly + Andy Reid - TO = No Super Bowl. Super Bowl * No Super Bowl/Eagles away from home = Eagle frustration all day. Enough said.
PICK: Giants 24 Eagles 7
Sooooooooooooo, Pittsburgh is getting 6.5 points on the Bolts. I don't have a fancy equation for this one, but suffice it to say that Pittsburgh is like, really good. San Diego's on a roll, but apparently LDT has ripped a groin muscle from the bone. (This reminds me of that scene in "Clue" where Madeleine Kahn {Mrs. White} is explaining to everyone how one of her husbands died, "He was always a rather stupidly optimistic man. I mean, I'm afraid it came as a great shock to him when he died. But he was found dead at home. His head had been cut off and so had his . . . you know . . ." and then all the guys in the room cross their legs at the same time! Yeah, that was me when I found out about this injury. Now, if you're San Diego your best player is walking around with his legs crossed, your coach is a much better coordinator than he is a coach, and you have an angry Quarterback. At least they have Darren Sproles and Quentin Jammer...that ain't enough. To oppose you, the Steelers have the Defensive Player of the Year (James Harrison), one of the top two defensive backs in football (Troy Polamalu), the player with the best hair in football (Troy Polamalu) and a whole defense filled with angry monsters who want to run you over and stomp on your still beating heart. Yep, I'm going with the Steelers.
PICK: Pittsburgh 24 San Diego 3
Enjoy the show!
BTW - Check out this article about a High School football coach who doesn't punt on 4th down. You heard right...he don't punt! The kicker is....he won a state title doing it.
#21 Major Wright, is a Sophomore Safety for Florida and he is a ball hog. Given the way Ed Reed is playing in the NFL, I'd say this kid is the Ed Reed of college football, and could be the new Ed Reed on Sundays. I felt like everytime I turned around the Florida defense was making a play and #21 was in the picture. He was cleaning peoples clocks, breaking up plays, and generally causing mayhem in the Secondary. I was beyond being impressed. It's not everyday that you see the SAME player in on EVERY single play, but that's how it looked. Everybody gives Tim Tebow props left and right for being a high energy guy and having a motor that never stops. That's great (he deserves it). But.... Can we get some love for #21. He's an animal, and I love it. So, count me in, my new favorite college football player is Major Wright. What a show he put on last night!
OK, official NFL playoff picks.
SATURDAY
Tennessee is a 3.5 point favorite over the Ravens. I see the game going this way...Kerry Collins vs. Ed Reed. Ed Reed is the Major Wright of the NFL... ;o)... and he will make life difficult all day for Kerry Collins. The longer Kerry Collins stands in the pocket, the longer the Baltimore DLine has time to get to him. Maybe the Ravens are a team of destiny.
PICK: Baltimore 21 Tennessee 7
The Carolina spread got a little bigger! The Panthers are 10.5 point favorites over Arizona. As much as I'd like to see Kurt Warner keep winning I just don't know if the Cards can keep up with Carolina, who is a very hot team right now. Hoooooooowever, Carolina's defense isn't this stellar-all-world unit. To the tangent. Vegas is hating on Kurt Warner like you wouldn't believe. Let's face it, he's the show in Arizona, and that's fine. We must be forgetting what he is CAPABLE of. I'm not saying he was his 1999-2001 self all these years since, but he WAS that and IS playing like that right now. When Joe Montana went to the Chiefs (which should've been a cold day in hell) everyone jumped all over him like he forgot to play football, he didn't win a Super Bowl in KC, but he didn't all of the sudden start sucking.
Steve Young became the heir apparent to Joe Montana in San Francisco and I bet all kinds of people were jumping up and down saying "Ewwwwww, he played in Tampa." Come on people. Give credit where it's due. Ok, let's say Kurt Warner throws for 350 yards. That's good for at least 4 touchdowns. Throw in one on the ground. Oh, and they have one of the best kickers in the league. Since we see where this is going let's just add to the manifesto. Reason #2 I don't gamble on sports. Taking the underdog and sweating it out on gameday is like getting that menacing Charlie Horse in the middle of the night. You can't scream or you'll wake up the whole house and you can't wake up your wife because she'll be too groggy to know that you're writhing in pain and trying to not scream. If you win the pick no one will believe you made it...if you lose it no one will understand how bad that Charlie Horse hurt.
PICK: Arizona 44 Carolina 31
SUNDAY
The Giants are 4.5 point faves over Philly. Simple math. New York + Eli Manning - Tiki Barber = Super Bowl. Philly + Andy Reid - TO = No Super Bowl. Super Bowl * No Super Bowl/Eagles away from home = Eagle frustration all day. Enough said.
PICK: Giants 24 Eagles 7
Sooooooooooooo, Pittsburgh is getting 6.5 points on the Bolts. I don't have a fancy equation for this one, but suffice it to say that Pittsburgh is like, really good. San Diego's on a roll, but apparently LDT has ripped a groin muscle from the bone. (This reminds me of that scene in "Clue" where Madeleine Kahn {Mrs. White} is explaining to everyone how one of her husbands died, "He was always a rather stupidly optimistic man. I mean, I'm afraid it came as a great shock to him when he died. But he was found dead at home. His head had been cut off and so had his . . . you know . . ." and then all the guys in the room cross their legs at the same time! Yeah, that was me when I found out about this injury. Now, if you're San Diego your best player is walking around with his legs crossed, your coach is a much better coordinator than he is a coach, and you have an angry Quarterback. At least they have Darren Sproles and Quentin Jammer...that ain't enough. To oppose you, the Steelers have the Defensive Player of the Year (James Harrison), one of the top two defensive backs in football (Troy Polamalu), the player with the best hair in football (Troy Polamalu) and a whole defense filled with angry monsters who want to run you over and stomp on your still beating heart. Yep, I'm going with the Steelers.
PICK: Pittsburgh 24 San Diego 3
Enjoy the show!
BTW - Check out this article about a High School football coach who doesn't punt on 4th down. You heard right...he don't punt! The kicker is....he won a state title doing it.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
John Smoltz to the Red Sox
Alrighty, I'm a Braves fan. Always have been. I remember when they beat the Indians in '95, a triumphant day in this city. It almost felt like getting the Olympics. "The Games of the 26th Olympiad are awarded to...the city of...Atlanta." I remember watching that on TV and I remember Marquis Grissom catching the fly ball that ended the '95 World Series. I remember Sid Bream limping to home plate in '92 "Braves win, Braves win!" God bless you Skip...
John Smoltz was instrumental in giving this city some respectability in terms of sporting achievement. He was there for all of it. Worst to first, a title, he won a Cy Young in '96, became a near Hall of Fame closer when he was needed in the bullpen, all of it! You can tell how little we've done ANYTHING by who my teams are...The Lakers, The 49ers, and The Braves. I don't know why I didn't cast them out with the Hawks and the Falcons, but I stuck with them. Probably my Dad. "You gotta root for the ome team son" For the record, I have stuck with the 49ers (who suck right now) and the Lakers (even when Kurt Rambus was the coach) (Although, I did take great pleasure in hearing some Pacers fans tell me they were going to kill us in the Finals, only to see their cute little Pacers get torched by my beloved Lakers.) (And, for the record, yes, I hate the Celtics. It's a requirement. What can I say.)
So, John Smoltz, a surefire Hall of Famer and beloved Brave wo ahs the most wins in the postseason in the history of Baseball, finally had to go. I can't blame him for taking a 1 year contract that has a total worth of $10 million (w/incentives). Plus, I can't blame Frank Wren for saying no to that when John's 42 and has a bad shoulder. But come on. Couldn't he have just retired. That's what I wish. Heather even said so. Coming from a fan of another club (the Reds) that says alot.
Now, we move on. Apparently, Derek Lowe's in town looking for a 4th year on his current contract offer. If the Braves give it to him he'll be a great addition, but he's not John Smoltz. It's almost like Smoltzy belongs to Atlanta...*sigh*
Since I'll be watching the BCS "title" game I should comment on it. This is pretty simple stuff. Oklahoma has 1 loss. Florida has 1 loss. Utah has none. Boom! Your National Champions are the 13-0 Utah Utes. Records don't lie. No amount of arguing about who plays in what conference and blah, blah negates the fact that Utah didn't lose any games. Period. Plus, this is the 2nd time this has happened to THIS program under this system. They went 13-0 under, yep, Urban Meyer...who coaches Florida. What a tangled web they weave! So, enjoy the game if you're gonna watch it. I have this to say to you...don't be surprised if some AP writers get a brain and vote Utah #1. That would make my college football year. Seriously, just one person smart enough to give them a first place vote.
Oh, Florida 35 Oklahoma 13, Florida will cover the spread, but make no mistake, that does not make Florida the National Champ. Runner-up for sure.
John Smoltz was instrumental in giving this city some respectability in terms of sporting achievement. He was there for all of it. Worst to first, a title, he won a Cy Young in '96, became a near Hall of Fame closer when he was needed in the bullpen, all of it! You can tell how little we've done ANYTHING by who my teams are...The Lakers, The 49ers, and The Braves. I don't know why I didn't cast them out with the Hawks and the Falcons, but I stuck with them. Probably my Dad. "You gotta root for the ome team son" For the record, I have stuck with the 49ers (who suck right now) and the Lakers (even when Kurt Rambus was the coach) (Although, I did take great pleasure in hearing some Pacers fans tell me they were going to kill us in the Finals, only to see their cute little Pacers get torched by my beloved Lakers.) (And, for the record, yes, I hate the Celtics. It's a requirement. What can I say.)
So, John Smoltz, a surefire Hall of Famer and beloved Brave wo ahs the most wins in the postseason in the history of Baseball, finally had to go. I can't blame him for taking a 1 year contract that has a total worth of $10 million (w/incentives). Plus, I can't blame Frank Wren for saying no to that when John's 42 and has a bad shoulder. But come on. Couldn't he have just retired. That's what I wish. Heather even said so. Coming from a fan of another club (the Reds) that says alot.
Now, we move on. Apparently, Derek Lowe's in town looking for a 4th year on his current contract offer. If the Braves give it to him he'll be a great addition, but he's not John Smoltz. It's almost like Smoltzy belongs to Atlanta...*sigh*
Since I'll be watching the BCS "title" game I should comment on it. This is pretty simple stuff. Oklahoma has 1 loss. Florida has 1 loss. Utah has none. Boom! Your National Champions are the 13-0 Utah Utes. Records don't lie. No amount of arguing about who plays in what conference and blah, blah negates the fact that Utah didn't lose any games. Period. Plus, this is the 2nd time this has happened to THIS program under this system. They went 13-0 under, yep, Urban Meyer...who coaches Florida. What a tangled web they weave! So, enjoy the game if you're gonna watch it. I have this to say to you...don't be surprised if some AP writers get a brain and vote Utah #1. That would make my college football year. Seriously, just one person smart enough to give them a first place vote.
Oh, Florida 35 Oklahoma 13, Florida will cover the spread, but make no mistake, that does not make Florida the National Champ. Runner-up for sure.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
All kinds of stuff going on
I was actually right about the NFL playoff games on Sunday! I'd say that's pretty impressive considering I was dead wrong about both games on Saturday. Currently I'm 2-2 for the playoffs, that's not bad. I'll make my "picks" later this week for the upcoming Divisional Playoffs.
Until then...
The Giants are currently a 4.5 point favorite over the Eagles (My initial reaction was "huh?") Had this line come out the last week of the season I bet it would be 7. Did a pretty good win at Minnesota impress Vegas that much? Let's start my own manifesto. Reason #1 why I don't gamble on sports...... Vegas is fickle, but professional athletes are even more fickle. My, my, what a difference a couple weeks makes.
Carolina's a 10 point favorite on Arizona. Really? Really? I mean, they're a really good team, but 10 points good? Do we see why I don't gamble? How on earth could you put money on that and expect the Panthers to win by 10 points? I suppose if you really like drowning yourself in the sauce for 3 hours praying that Carolina runs it up on the Cards then this game (and the spread) would be for you. Honestly. Is Arizona's defense that bad? What? Did Kurt Warner forget how to throw? Did Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald forget how to catch? Really? This kind of line is almost disrespectful to Kurt Warner (a two-time NFL MVP who has been to two Super Bowls). I'll save the tangent for the post where I "officially" pick the games.
In other news, Heather and I are reading through a chronological Bible this year. The readings are really well laid out and the chronological part is very helpful. It's amazing that Genesis, Chronicles and Job all fit together. Then Chronicles continues to be sprinkled throughout a good part of the early Old Testament. I just think its great. Honestly, I can't imagine an easier way to read through the Word. Plus, the chronology takes out alot of confusion. BTW - For those of you who don't know...I came to Christ in January 2006 and was previously totally unchurched. Basically what that means is I don't know nothin'. This oughta help.
Some final notes and a video:
As it says in my header I'm a Bass Clarinetist. Since I don't play "professionally" (meaning I don't have a full-time orchestra job and I don't solo for a living) I have time to mess around with all kinds of cool things to learn. I write for myself and about 5% of it is actually good, but I typically tend to not play Bass Clarinet music since it's either A) Really, really, hard and crazy weird modern (Don't get me wrong, I like crazy weird modern music, but that can't be the only show in town, you know what I mean Vern?) or B) Middle School level stuff.
So, right now I'm working on the Fantasia for Alto Sax by Claude T. Smith. For those of you who are not band nerds...Claude T. Smith (1932-1987) is a thorn in the side of many a musician who has played his music. His credits include some of the most intensely difficult pieces you can imagine. (I should say right here that I LOVE his music, I've actually played Festival Variations and Eternal Father and I just couldn't get enough of them, but I still have to keep it real. This mess is HARD!) Even MY parts are hard...trust me, if the Bass Clarinet part is hard, other people are having some serious problems. He wrote many commissions for Military groups at whose expense he was (essentially) attempting to determine what impossible music sounds like, or at least that's how it feels. The parts aren't impossible, but playing them all together FEELS impossible.
Now we have the Fantasia for Alto Sax. It's not impossible, but you wouldn't know by listening to it. Now try playing it up a 4th on Bass Clarinet. Woo hoo! I know, I'm a glutton for punishment. Enjoy this performance by Kenneth Tse.
Until then...
The Giants are currently a 4.5 point favorite over the Eagles (My initial reaction was "huh?") Had this line come out the last week of the season I bet it would be 7. Did a pretty good win at Minnesota impress Vegas that much? Let's start my own manifesto. Reason #1 why I don't gamble on sports...... Vegas is fickle, but professional athletes are even more fickle. My, my, what a difference a couple weeks makes.
Carolina's a 10 point favorite on Arizona. Really? Really? I mean, they're a really good team, but 10 points good? Do we see why I don't gamble? How on earth could you put money on that and expect the Panthers to win by 10 points? I suppose if you really like drowning yourself in the sauce for 3 hours praying that Carolina runs it up on the Cards then this game (and the spread) would be for you. Honestly. Is Arizona's defense that bad? What? Did Kurt Warner forget how to throw? Did Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald forget how to catch? Really? This kind of line is almost disrespectful to Kurt Warner (a two-time NFL MVP who has been to two Super Bowls). I'll save the tangent for the post where I "officially" pick the games.
In other news, Heather and I are reading through a chronological Bible this year. The readings are really well laid out and the chronological part is very helpful. It's amazing that Genesis, Chronicles and Job all fit together. Then Chronicles continues to be sprinkled throughout a good part of the early Old Testament. I just think its great. Honestly, I can't imagine an easier way to read through the Word. Plus, the chronology takes out alot of confusion. BTW - For those of you who don't know...I came to Christ in January 2006 and was previously totally unchurched. Basically what that means is I don't know nothin'. This oughta help.
Some final notes and a video:
As it says in my header I'm a Bass Clarinetist. Since I don't play "professionally" (meaning I don't have a full-time orchestra job and I don't solo for a living) I have time to mess around with all kinds of cool things to learn. I write for myself and about 5% of it is actually good, but I typically tend to not play Bass Clarinet music since it's either A) Really, really, hard and crazy weird modern (Don't get me wrong, I like crazy weird modern music, but that can't be the only show in town, you know what I mean Vern?) or B) Middle School level stuff.
So, right now I'm working on the Fantasia for Alto Sax by Claude T. Smith. For those of you who are not band nerds...Claude T. Smith (1932-1987) is a thorn in the side of many a musician who has played his music. His credits include some of the most intensely difficult pieces you can imagine. (I should say right here that I LOVE his music, I've actually played Festival Variations and Eternal Father and I just couldn't get enough of them, but I still have to keep it real. This mess is HARD!) Even MY parts are hard...trust me, if the Bass Clarinet part is hard, other people are having some serious problems. He wrote many commissions for Military groups at whose expense he was (essentially) attempting to determine what impossible music sounds like, or at least that's how it feels. The parts aren't impossible, but playing them all together FEELS impossible.
Now we have the Fantasia for Alto Sax. It's not impossible, but you wouldn't know by listening to it. Now try playing it up a 4th on Bass Clarinet. Woo hoo! I know, I'm a glutton for punishment. Enjoy this performance by Kenneth Tse.
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