Scenic City Shenanigans

Seriously. WTF is a '72 Hyundai Cataleer??

2009-11-03T14:56:00.001-05:00

Allow D-Roc and Kaine of the Ying Yang Twins to explain it to you in their episode of "Cribs". Translated especially for you!

Warning: Subtitles not safe for work. Actual language not safe for your intelligence.

Funny or Frightening?

2009-11-03T11:02:00.002-05:00

Each time I look at this picture I laugh, and then I get scared for what is likely to happen if this legislation passes. He are are two interesting stories that don't seem to mean much to Obama for whatever reason. As long as his bill passes....

The planned health bill, as of right now, has increased in tax payer cost to 1.2 trillion. That's 300 billion dollars more tha ~~lucifer~~ ~~satan~~ ~~beezlebub~~ Nancy Pelosi claimed it would be.

The planned health bill also will create 111 new bureaucracies. That's 111 more than the thousands too many this country already has.

And the picture:

VB's 10/30/2009 Winner - The Results Show

2009-11-03T10:19:00.001-05:00

Everybody has an off week or two. After two consecutive losing weeks, I think I just turned the corner. No more losing weeks!! Also, I do believe Lane Kiffin is changing the long-held "don't bet on Tennessee when they are favored" rule. That's nice because I always enjoy betting, and winning, on the Vols when they're favored. Here we go!

Overall Record - 14 and 16

Pick One - Tennessee -6 vs South Carolina - Tennessee 31 South Carolina 13. I called for a double digit win by Tennessee and I was very right! WINNER

Pick Two - Arkansas -36.5 vs Eastern Michigan - Arkansas 63 Eastern Michigan 27. I don't know which is worse, Arkansas's defense or half-point spreads. LOSER

Pick Three - Georgia Tech -12 at Vanderbilt - Georgia Tech 56 Vandy 31. No defense whatsoever in this game. Vandy may just beat somebody this season if they can find some defenders. WINNER

Pick Four - LSU -36 vs Tulane - LSU 42 Tulane 0. This was an easy one to call. WINNER

Pick Five - Oregon +3 vs USC - Oregon 47 USC 20. I'm still dumbfounded that Oregon was an underdog in this one. They are by far the hottest team around right now. WINNER

Pick Six - Iowa -17.5 vs Indiana - Iowa 42 Indiana 24 - Probably the last time I pick Iowa as a favorite. I still can't believe they came back in the 4th not only to win, but to cover as well. WINNER

Pick Seven - Georgia +14.5 vs Florida - Florida 41 Georgia 17. Meh. They couldn't both lose, so at least somebody got embarressed. LOSER

Pick Eight - Michigan State -4 at Minnesota - Minnesota 42 Michigan State 34. I hate the Big Ten. LOSER

Pick Nine - UCONN -7.5 vs Rutgers - Rutgers 28 UCONN 24. Impressive win by Rutgers. Sucks to be UCONN right now. LOSER

Pick Ten - Houston -7 vs. Southern Mississippi - Houston 50 Southern Miss 43. I knew Houston's offense would play, I didn't know their defense wouldn't. PUSH

This Week - 5-4-1

Overall - 19-20-1

Next week will be up Friday with more winners!

Ranking The SEC Traditions - Round Two, the University of Arkansas

2009-10-31T12:19:00.001-04:00

Here comes round two in my rankings. Round one saw Alabama come out with a 65, and up next on the alphabetical list is Arkansas.

Here's how I started this series, and Arky's ratings are after the jump.

I've been meaning to do my own version of this for a while now. Everytime I attend or watch a Tennessee game, I am pleased to take in the traditions of other schools as the pagentry surrounding the football game itself is one of the biggest draws for the SEC. Every school has unique traditions of their own, and many traditions are shared, just in different ways or formats.

So, I'm gonna take on the daunting task of ranking them as impartially as my Orange blood will allow. I won't be including Tennessee's since they would obviously be number one coming from me.

Here are the categories. They are worth 10 points a piece, and the rankings will be total team score with a maximum of 100. I'll rank one school at a time as my own time permits, and then do a final tally and compilation once everyone has been ranked.

Categories are:

1. Stadium - General beauty, capacity, perceived loudness, and any nicknames or traditions therein.
2. Fans - Type of fans and loyalty primarily influence this ranking.
3. Mascot - Intimidation factors heavily in this one. Live mascots get bonus points.
4. Uniforms - Are they hideous or not?
5. Tailgating - Does it exist? How much fun is it? This one may be difficult for me since I've never been to an away game.
6. Fight songs - Speaks for itself really
7. Post-game traditions after a win - What happens after the home team wins?
8. All-time greats - Who were some of the great players from the school's history?
9. Team nickname - This is based on orginality and intimidation as well as my own personal feelings.
10. All-time program success - How often do they and have they won?

So, with that out there, here the rankings, in my opinion as a Tennessee fan, and in alphabetical order:

University of Arkansas

1. Stadium - Arkansas plays football at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. The "Razorback" part of the name helps, but we'll get to that in a bit. The stadium itself has a capacity of 76,000 and doesn't have a rep for being all that loud, but they do call their jumbotron the "PigScreen", which I like. Subtract points for playing some "home" games each season in War Memorial Stadium 190 miles away. Asthetics are nice, and I like the classic horseshoe shape. Stadium Rating - 7

2. Fans - I liken the Arkansas fans to Tennessee fans in that we have our redneck fans like every school in the South, but mostly we're just "normal" people. Arkansas fans that I know generally have a decent knowledge of the college game and other teams in the conference, and are generally cordial to other fans. Loyalty is good with the school even in the face of an average history of success. Fans Rating - 6

3. Mascot - The Razorback. If you think that's just a pig, you need to do some research. I find that the Razorback mascot is one of the coolest in sports, and is also the only "pig" based mascot in all of college football. The have four (four!) mascots including Big Red, Sue E. (great name for a female mascot), Pork Chop, and the inflatable Boss Hog. The actual mascot "uniforms" are pretty awesome as well. Best of all though, and what gives Arkansas a perfect 10 in the mascot category, is the existence of the live mascot, Tusk.

Mascot Rating - 10

4. Uniforms - I also like the Arky uniform as well. I find their use of the Cardinal color is the most appealing derivitive of the color red in the league along with the Ole Miss red. The "running hog" on the helmets is also very cool, and the use of Cardinal pants goes a long way, especially when they balance it with the all-white road uni. Uniform Rating - 9

5. Tailgating - Arkansas has a decent tailgate tradition going it seems. There is an area called "The Garden" that is supposedly similar to "The Grove" at Ole Miss. You'll find great bbq, but also some good Tex-Mex in and around the tailgates. The congenial nature of the average razorback fan also helps this score out. Tailgating Rating - 5

6. Fight Song - The Arkansas fight song is quite catchy and scores points for that as well as having that "classic fight song" sound to it. There words consist of your average "fight, fight, fight" type lyrics, but, again, the classics are classic for a reason. Give it a listen, and notice how fierce the logo is!

Fight Song Rating - 5

7. Post-Game Traditions - After a home win, the coaches and team will usually gather in an area of the stadium and lead the fans in singing the fight song. While a great tradition, it is not all that original, so the score is somewhat low. Post-Game Tradition - 3

8. All-Time Greats - Arkansas has produced 12 members of the College Football Hall of Fame, and 45 All-Americans. There have certainly been some great players and coaches at Arkansas, but nobody in particular really stands out. All-Time Greats Rating - 4

9. Team Nickname - The Razorbacks. If they were just pigs, it wouldn't be that big of a deal. But, the Razorback is one fierce, feral pig and not to be trifled with. Their live mascot is a Russian Boar that weighs in at 400 pounds. The logo they use is fierce and intimidating. All around great name for a team. Team Nickname Rating - 10.

10. All-Time Success - Arky doesn't have all that much to scream about in terms of historical success. They have a National Championship from 1964, and 13 Southwest Conference championships. The sole National Championship is almost par for the league. They joined the SEC in 1992 and have been blown out in all three of their SEC Championship Game appearances. All-Time Success Rating - 4.

Overall Score for the University of Arkansas - 63

Up next, Auburn University.

Disclaimer - I know you think your school deserves 10's at eveything, but these are my rankings and I call them how I see them. We all think our own school is the best at everything, but, if I completely left any traditions out, by all means let me know. Also, it's likely no school will have a 90+ score, or maybe even 80+, so just chill. It's all in fun!

VB's Winners - 10/30/2009

2009-10-30T14:08:00.001-04:00

A one game improvement is still an improvement!! At least I'll keep telling myself that. I do feel good about some games this week, so my percentage should jump up some. As always, you can gamble with free money and keep what you win over at CentSports. Let's check 'em out!

Last Week - 4 and 6
Overall - 14 and 16

Pick One - Tennessee -6 vs South Carolina - This pick goes against everything I've said thus far, but SoCar is overrated and Tennessee is gonna come away with a double digit victory.

Pick Two - Arkansas -36.5 vs Eastern Michigan - Big spread, but even bigger victory for Arky. This one has 62-3 written all over it.

Pick Three - Georgia Tech -12 at Vanderbilt - Vandy gave SoCar everything they had and still lost by 4. Tech is gonna spank 'em.

Pick Four - LSU -36 vs Tulane - Easy cover here. Another 50+ to 3 type game.

Pick Five - Oregon +3 vs USC - Big game, big pick, but Oregon is the hottest team around right now and playing at home. Take the points. I think Oregon will win outright.

Pick Six - Iowa -17.5 vs Indiana - Hoosiers don't stand a chance in this one. Iowa by 24+ I do believe.

Pick Seven - Georgia +14.5 vs Florida - This is the pick I'm least confident in, but that's a big spread and it's a neutral field. That half-point might make this one a winner.

Pick Eight - Michigan State -4 at Minnesota - Minnesota showed how bad they really are last week. Take State in this one.

Pick Nine - UCONN -7.5 vs Rutgers - Shouldn't be a problem for UCONN to cover this, even after what's happened to them lately.

Pick Ten - Houston -7 vs. Southern Mississippi - Houston's offense is just too much. They should cover easily.

There we have it. Ten college games and all ten are winners!! At least that's what I think......

Ranking The SEC Traditions - Up First, the University of Alabama

2009-10-30T11:18:00.001-04:00

I've been meaning to do my own version of this for a while now. Everytime I attend or watch a Tennessee game, I am pleased to take in the traditions of other schools as the pagentry surrounding the football game itself is one of the biggest draws for the SEC. Every school has unique traditions of their own, and many traditions are shared, just in different ways or formats.

So, I'm gonna take on the daunting task of ranking them as impartially as my Orange blood will allow. I won't be including Tennessee's since they would obviously be number one coming from me.

Home of the best traditions in college football. Obviously.

Here are the categories. They are worth 10 points a piece, and the rankings will be total team score with a maximum of 100. I'll rank one school at a time as my own time permits, and then do a final tally and compilation once everyone has been ranked.

Categories are:

1. Stadium - General beauty, capacity, perceived loudness, and any nicknames or traditions therein.
2. Fans - Type of fans and loyalty primarily influence this ranking.
3. Mascot - Intimidation factors heavily in this one. Live mascots get bonus points.
4. Uniforms - Are they hideous or not?
5. Tailgating - Does it exist? How much fun is it? This one may be difficult for me since I've never been to an away game.
6. Fight songs - Speaks for itself really
7. Post-game traditions after a win - What happens after the home team wins?
8. All-time greats - Who were some of the great players from the school's history?
9. Team nickname - This is based on orginality and intimidation as well as my own personal feelings.
10. All-time program success - How often do they and have they won?

So, with that out there, here the rankings, in my opinion as a Tennessee fan, and in alphabetical order:

University of Alabama

1. Bryant-Denny Stadium - Kind of a rough start for Bama. The stadium is somewhat bland, but it does gain some symmetry from the circular ramps on either side. Current capacity is in the 93,000 range with an expansion underway to bring it up to 100,000. The stadium doesn't have a rep for being all that loud, but acoustics probably play in to that. Stadium Rating - 4

2. Fans - Alabama fans generally have a reputation as being a little rednecky in a trailer park kind of way, and very, very "deep south-ish". About the best way I can put that. What they lack in common sense, non-redneckness, and teeth, they more than make up for it with their fierce loyalty. Overall knowledge of football in general and other teams is pretty limited given their crimson-colored glasses and devotion to Bama. That devotion goes a long way for their score though. Fan Rating - 8

3. Mascot - An elephant. Not bad actually. I like elephants, and their logo is actually pretty fierce:

However, they have no live mascot, which would have given them a 20 out of 10, and their gameday mascot is a rather goofy looking thing named "Big Al"

This takes away from the intimidation factor and lowers their score a bit. Mascot Rating - 7

4. Uniforms - One of the classics of college football. Crimson unis with numbers on the helmets. That's it. If it wasn't for this uniform's place among the classics, the score would be terrible given the overall plain look. Color is good though. Uniform Rating - 7

5. Tailgating - Every school has tailgating in some format. Some are known for it, some only make an attempt as an excuse to chug copious amounts of alcohol prior to gametime. Bama seems to be more of the later type. There's rumors of good barbeque at Dreamland, but that's not really a tailgate. Tailgate Rating - 3

6. Fight Songs - I'll admit, "Yea Alabama" is quite catchy and one of the more classic fight songs, but the words could use some updating as I'm not sure Bama is looking towards the Rose Bowl each year anymore. Have a look and listen:

Other than the words, the song would receive a fairly high grade. As it is, Fight Song Rating - 7

7. Post-Game Traditions - This is one I only know of one thing Bama does. They sing/chant a tune/bunch-of-non-sensical-words in the form of "Rammer Jammer". This is basically a chant consisting of a bunch of words and sounds thrown together that only serves a purpose in order to get them to the ending line of "we just beat the hell out of you". Classy and topical. Especially when they win by a last second FG or something. Post-Game Tradition Rating - 3

8. All-Time Greats - Easily a high scoring spot for Bama. Just in the College Football Hall of Fame alone you have: Paul "Bear" Bryant, Harry Gilmer, Bart Starr, Johnny Mack Brown, Johnny Cain, John Hannah, Frank Howard, Pooley Hubert, Lee Roy Jordan, Dixie Howell, Don Hutson, Vaughn Mancha, Johnny Musso, Joe Namath, Ozzie Newsome, Billy Neighbors, Fred Sington, Wallace Wade, Don Whitmire. On top of those, they have produced 96 All-Americans. All-Time Greats Rating - 10

9. Team Nickname - The Crimson Tide. Not all that intimidating and it inspires fans to wear old Tide detergent boxes and toilet paper rolls on their heads during games. It is a classic and unique, however, and was mentioned in the Steely Dan song, "Deacon Blues". Team Nickname Rating - 6

10. All-Time Success - It doesn't get much better than the success Alabama football has had down through the years. Alabama claims 12 National Championships, but the legitimate number is more likely in the area of 4-5 given the back-dating they used to count some of those. I mean, a team with 2 losses isn't National Champs when there are undefeateds out there, no matter what the Dothan Times says. Add to that 21 SEC titles and 32 bowl wins though, and you've got the most successful team in the SEC. All-Time Success Rating - 10

Overall Score for the University of Alabama - 65

Up next, the University of Arkansas.

Intermission - A Few Of My Favorite Sites

2009-10-30T09:48:00.000-04:00

I'm working up the first installment of a series ranking the various traditions of SEC schools, but in the meantime I thought I would share just a few sites I visit for a good laugh. If you enjoy the misfortune or idiocy of others, check these out. Be warned though, you may be there a while....

1. People of Walmart - If you don't already know about this one, you might be one of the people in the pictures. This site documents the "humanity" of WalMart. Enjoy

2. There I Fixed It - This site documents great moments in duct-tape-engineering. Quite hilarious.

3. Texts From Last Night - A site I just recently discovered, but an instant classic for sure. This site documents all kinds of the weird, hilarious, and crazy text messages that are sent late at night and then submitted. The texts are then ranked for a "good night", or a "bad night". For instance:

(505): Thank you for holding my vodka while the police let me ride their horse.

I call that a good night!

Enjoy these sites while I work on my tradition rankings and get my picks ready to go up this afternoon.

Today's "US Government Making It Rain With Your Tax Dollars" Moment

2009-10-27T11:42:00.000-04:00

Thanks to a tip from golfballs03, a certain website will provide "income-eligible customers" with a government sponsored cell phone. Allow me to clarify "income-eligible" as likely referring to welfare-addicted bums. Now, before I'm crucified for that statement, let me state that I am aware some people on welfare/unemployment/disability have a legitimate reason and won't be there for long, but most people will be because of laziness and that's a fact. So, now Obama is gonna give you a ballin' cell phone so you're sure to make it to your job interviews right?

This guy is in line at a community kitchen. Seriously.

And that's today's "US Government Making It Rain With Your Tax Dollars" moment.....

Once Again, He Swings And Misses

2009-10-27T11:04:00.005-04:00

I may be a day behind on this topic, but not near as far behind as our hard working President is with his decision. Obama has now said he won't rush decision on Afghanistan strategy or troop levels because he doesn't want to risk the lives of our American servicemen and women here at home until it's "absolutely necessary". Furthermore, he went on to say that:

"Fourteen Americans gave their lives. And our prayers are with these service members, their civilian colleagues and the families who loved them," Obama said. "They were willing to risk their lives, in this case to prevent Afghanistan from again becoming a safe haven for Al Qaeda and its extremist allies."

You're only half right there Obama. They were willing to risk their lives for the reasons you mentioned and more, but I'm pretty damn sure they weren't willing to risk their lives because they are understaffed and not supported by your administration. Helicopter crashes and accidents will happen, but as an undermanned military force stretches themselves farther and farther, they will happen at an exponentially increasing rate. So, once again I say, get off your ass Obama, stop glad-handing celebrities and fund raising, stop playing golf and basketball, and do your job before more are killed because of your "patience". That is all....

VB's...ummm...Winners? 10/27/2009 - The Results Show

2009-10-27T09:59:00.001-04:00

As a Scottish friend of mine said after last week, "let me know when the picks are up so I can take the opposite". May not be a bad idea after two consecutive piss-poor weeks. But, my adage held true, if Tennessee is a double digit underdog, bet the house. Let's examine the carnage....

Overall - 10 and 10

Pick One - Tennessee +14.5 at Alabama - Tennessee 10 Alabama 12 - Looks like I finally got a "lock" correct, but this was an easy one. I bet there was a lot of money made at the expense of Las Vegas on this line. WINNER

Pick Two - Georgia Tech -6 at Virginia - Georgia Tech 34 Virginia 9 - Another one I felt good about. 2 for 2 so far, but it's gonna go bad fast. WINNER

Pick Three - Arkansas +6.5 at Mississippi - Arkansas 17 Mississippi 30 - Jevan Snead picked a bad time (for me) to have a good game. LOSER

Pick Four - UCLA +7.5 at Arizona - UCLA 13 Arizona 27 - Wow, UCLA really is falling apart as the season goes on. LOSER

Pick Five - West Virginia -7.5 vs. UCONN - West Virginia 28 UCONN 24 - I'm impressed by UCONN's gutsy performance. I wish they would have won outright. LOSER

Pick Six - Minnesota +17 at Ohio State - Minnesota 7 Ohio State 38 - Turns out, Minnesota is that bad. LOSER

Pick Seven - Duke -4.5 vs. Maryland - Duke 17 Maryland 13 - Beaten by the half-point spread! Dang it! LOSER

Pick Eight - Oregon -10 at Washington - Oregon 43 Washington 19 - Oregon is continuing it's impressive run of not punching people...errrr....winning big. WINNER

Pick Nine - Michigan +4.5 vs. Penn St. - Michigan 10 Penn State 35 - Gotta say, I didn't mind losing this one. LOSER

Pick Ten - Colts at Rams - Over 45 - Total 48 - Colts are good. WINNER

This Week - 4 and 6 - Picking at 40%

Overall - 14 and 16 - Picking at 47%

Hey Mickey!! Why don't you help me out with some soccer-I-mean-football picks!

VB's Winners - 10/23/2009

2009-10-23T16:36:00.001-04:00

Well well well. Surely I can't do worse than last week. Right? There is one I'm absolutely sure of this week and that's our very own Tennessee Vols. Like I've said before, I normally don't advise betting on Tennessee unless they are double digit underdogs. Sure enough, Bama is a 14.5 point favorite over at our free gambling site, so this is gonna be the lock this week. No way Bama covers that spread on Tennessee. So, with that one out there, here are the rest:

Last Week - 3 and 7
Overall - 10 and 10

Pick One - Tennessee +14.5 at Alabama - As discussed above.

Pick Two - Georgia Tech -6 at Virginia - I feel pretty good about GT just demolishing the Cavaliers in this one.

Pick Three - Arkansas +6.5 at Mississippi - I do believe the Hogs will beat Ole Miss outright, but I'm very confident that they'll cover the spread at the very least.

Pick Four - UCLA +7.5 at Arizona - Pretty big spread here. UCLA should be able to cover nicely.

Pick Five - West Virginia -7.5 vs. UCONN - Connecticut is not gonna be able to overcome the tragedy this quickly.

Pick Six - Minnesota +17 at Ohio State - Minnesota isn't good, but they're not this bad. They'll cover.

Pick Seven - Duke -4.5 vs. Maryland - Simply put, Maryland sucks. Cutcliffe's squad will win easily.

Pick Eight - Oregon -10 at Washington - The high spread on this one is a bit scary, but Oregon is one of the hottest teams around.

Pick Nine - Michigan +4.5 vs. Penn St. - Again, I hate Michigan, but this one is an upset waiting to happen.

Pick Ten - Colts at Rams - Over 45 - The Colts may score that all by themselves this week. Definitely take the over.

A Demotivational Poster is Worth a Thousand Words

2009-10-23T13:49:00.001-04:00

Comment Of The Week

2009-10-23T10:24:00.003-04:00

You know you do it. You're reading a story, sometimes about your favorite team/food/actor/whatever, and you accidentally catch yourself reading the comments section at the bottom. Unless it's a blog you frequent, odds are you'll be either slightly amused or highly annoyed/disgusted by what you find. It's the proverbial train wreck you can't turn away from.

Well, it was the former case for me as I started in on the Steve Phillips harrassment controversy. It seems that ESPN has yet another sexual harrassment problem on it's hands. In this case, baseball personality Steve Phillips seems to have been involved with a, how shall I say, "less than attractive" member of the production staff. The story can be read at that link, but I managed to dig this gem out of the comments section:

Monica Lewinsky had a pretty face, at least. This thing belongs under a bridge, thinking up questions.

Mean? Absolutely. Hilarious? Also, absolutely. There are some other good ones in there, but this one is the..........comment of the week.

Thursday Morning? Time to Vent!

2009-10-22T09:37:00.000-04:00

Remember when XM Radio came out way back when? Remember how it always branded and marketed itself as "commercial free" radio? WTF happened?!?!

On the way to work this morning, a 15 mile drive, I was treated to ads that encouraged me to cleanse my colon for FREE!!111, turn my $20,000 in credit card debt into wealth for FREE!1!!1, give me a nicotine-flavored-water-vapor-producing electronic cigarette for FREE!!!111!1, and I better make sure I listen to the Falco Artist Confidential on XM/Sirius channel 2.

Over that 15 mile drive this morning, I found one song, ONE, I was able to listen to between the 8-10 channels I usually check. That's a worse ratio than my 6 Sony Walkman FM presets back in '93. What's next? Ads synced to my iPod with the rest of my music?

Venting over, carry on.........

Am I The Only One That Thinks This Is Ridiculous And A Bit Scary?

2009-10-20T18:05:00.000-04:00

The White house, re: Obama, has continued to attack Fox News this week and has now gone as far as pronouncing them an "illegitimate news organization". Seriously? Obama apparently can't take the heat and is leaning on the "White House Correspondents Association to decide whether Fox News should continue to be part of the White House pool which covers President Obama." Yes, I know that is a link to a FoxNews.com article, but I wanted it to be. I know that Fox News is not "fair and balanced", especially in the opinion arena, but they are far more so than CNN because they actually report the news instead of deciding what is news like CNN.

A few examples.

Right now, on FoxNews.com, you can find the following news stories, not opinions, but news stories about Obama and his policies or lack thereof:

White House Cites Opinion Shows as Basis for Fox News Complaints

Top White House Official Says Obama Team 'Controlled' Media Coverage During Campaign

9/11 Families Demand Military Trials for Gitmo Detainees

Obama Hits Campaign Trail, Schedules Full Week of Political Stops

Thos four stories were pulled right from the front page in just as much time as it takes to cut and paste. Which one of those scares you the most? In light of his attempts to control the press during his campaign, it is probably his current attempt to silence a dissenting news organization that is most frightening. Who would be silenced next? The thing that scares me the most, however, is his plan to start campaigning with no decisions having been made yet on Iraq, Afghanistan, health care, or basically anything important. Our worthless waste-of-a-suit President thinks its a better idea to go glad-hand more celebrities instead.

Back to the point though. Those four links are all factual news stories and not opinions. Nowehere on Foxnews.com's front page will you find stories by Beck or Hannity.

Now, let's check out CNN.com:

Obama notes 'transition' in U.S.-Iraqi bilateral ties

That's it. One article I had to dig for and it's about Clinton wanting people to send their money to Iraq. Fantastic. Way to keep the world up with what our POS POTUS is doing. Wait, I guess they actually got it right. He's not doing anything, as usual, so there' nothing to report. Right? I hope not.

In today's society, we have, rightly or wrongly, become dependent on news organizations to keep us current with what our government is doing. These two primarily. If I wanted to have nothing but biased opinion shoveled at me, I would listen to NPR all day. I want to know what Obama is doing and why nothing is getting accomplished.

Moral of the story:

Obama, it's not that Fox News is being unfair, it's that you haven't done anything of note positive or worthwhile for them to factually report. Take a look in the mirror and starting working!

VB's 10/16/2009 Winners - The Results Show

2009-10-19T16:32:00.000-04:00

Ummmmmmm, ok then. I guess that's the reason I gamble with the advertisers' money and not my own. A couple things are more than obvious to me after last week. Do not bet on Auburn as a favorite unless you want them to lose. I guess I found their weakness. I also learned that the Titans are really, really, really bad, but I think a lot of people did as well. So, with no further stalling, let's examine the carnage.

Pick One - Georgia -8 at Vanderbilt - Georgia 34 Vandy 10. One of the few I got right this week, unfortuanately. I hate Georgia....... - WINNER

Pick Two - Virginia Tech -3 at Georgia Tech - Tech 28 Tech 23. I don't know which I was more guilty of, underrating GT, or overrating VT. - LOSER

Pick Three - Stanford +4 at Arizona - Arizona 43 Stanford 38. I had this one all game until I quit paying attention, then Arizona came back and beat Stanford as well as my pick. - LOSER

Pick Four - Auburn -14 vs. Kentucky - Kentucky 21 Auburn 14. Second week in a row I called Auburn the lock of the week, and the second week in a row they've lost. I think I figured something out 'Bama fans.... - LOSER

Pick Five - South Carolina at Alabama - Over 44 - Total 26 - Really thought 'Bama would score a lot. Oh well, looks better for the Vols this coming weekend. - LOSER

Pick Six - Washington +6.5 at Arizona State - Arizona State 24 Washington 17 - A half a point, not much else you can do about that. - LOSER

Pick Seven - UL Lafayette -7.5 at Western Kentucky - ULL 30 WKU 22 - I figured the worst team in the country wouldn't cover. - WINNER

Pick Eight - Houston -17 at Tulane - Houston 44 Tulane 16 - Houston has one nice offense. Or Tulane has a bad defense, one of the two. - WINNER

Pick Nine - Jaguars -10 vs. Rams - Jags 23 Rams 20 - I guess the Rams are turning the corner a bit. - LOSER

Pick Ten - Titans +9.5 at Patriots - Pats 59 Titans 0 - Utter humiliation. - LOSER

I can only get better this coming weekend. More on Friday!

This week - 3 and 7. Picking at 30%

All time - 10 and 10. Picking at 50%

VB's Winners - 10/16/2009

2009-10-16T17:33:00.002-04:00

I'm back with my second round of picks for the weekend after going 7-3 the first go 'round. As always, these are for fun and I assume no liability for lost cars, homes, college funds, or meth labs (sorry North Georgia!). If you want to bet with free money and keep what you earn, go to CentSports and get you a free, no-strings attached account to bet with. So, away we go!

Last week's record - 7-3
All-time record - 7-3

This week's picks:

Non-gambling pick - the Yankees demolish the Angels! Finally! Now the real stuff -

College Football -

Pick One - Georgia -8 at Vanderbilt - Georgia is bad, but I do believe Vandy is worse after their loss to Army last week. Look for a slight rebound from the dawwwwwwwwwwgs and a covering of the 8-point spread.

Pick Two - Virginia Tech -3 at Georgia Tech - Tech is just too good not to cover the spread against Tech. Wait, what? VT beats GT handily.

Pick Three - Stanford +4 at Arizona - Stanford let me down last week, but I have a good feeling about them winning this outright.

Pick Four - Auburn -14 vs. Kentucky - Auburn at home after a loss against Kentucky? With that offense? I'm calling Auburn for the Lock of the Week again!

Pick Five - South Carolina at Alabama - Over 44 - This game has an 18 point spread, but a low over/under number. Take the over.

Pick Six - Washington +6.5 at Arizona State - I like this Washington team and I think they might win outright at ASU.

Pick Seven - UL Lafayette -7.5 at Western Kentucky - Two awful teams, but WKU is really, really awful. Take Lafayette and dump the points.

Pick Eight - Houston -17 at Tulane - I don't normally like such large spreads, but Houston is gonna blast Tulane, so take 'em.

NFL -

Pick Nine - Jaguars -10 vs. Rams - Take the Jags, the Rams suck.

Pick Ten - Titans +9.5 at Patriots - This pick is the one I'm least confident about, but I still think it's worth taking the Titans and the points. They're due, and New England isn't that great.

That's all!! Have fun and I'll be back Monday with the results show!

Today's "Funny Because It's True" Moment

2009-10-16T10:07:00.001-04:00

The video is quite funny, but also an intelligent indictment of Obama's willingness to "negotiate" with anything and everything. This tendency of his is making a mockery of our foreign policy objectives as evidenced by the recent Russian policy change to "preemptive strikes" with nuclear weapons, their refusal to allow US inspection teams to their nuclear sites at the same time their own teams were at ours, and their blocking of any additional sactions against Iran. A country which has demonstrated their desire to manufacture nuclear weapons and destroy Israel. So, enjoy this humerous, but accurate portrayal of Obama's policy of negotiations.

Why We Tie - America's Politically Correct Wars

2009-10-15T14:48:00.008-04:00

Prior to 1952, the United States' record was roughly 10-0 in wars fought. That includes the Civil War and could be one or two higher or lower depending on your definition of "skirmish", "conflict", and "war". Some may not count, or there might be more, but the point is there were no losses. Since 1952, including the Korean War, our record is more along the lines of 2-0-5. This record includes ties in the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom. The last two are added in direct result of the foreign policy indecision of the Obama/Biden administration. The two victories are in the "skirmish"/"conflict" category in the form of Operation Just Cause (Panama), and Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada). Why have we started failing to win with our overwhelming military might? Very simple. Modern wars, since 1952 that is, have become a political action rather than the result of failed dilpomacy.

Ask any diplomat and they'll tell you that wars begin because they have failed to properly execute their duties. Or in the case of Afghanistan and terrorism, there was no other party to exercise diplomacy with. Once diplomacy fails and war begins, the handling and prosecution of the war should rest solely with the military commanders such as it did with Douglas MacArthur, Dwight Eisenhower, George Patton, Chester Nimitz, George Marshall, JJ Pershing, William Sherman, and US Grant, among others. These Generals and Admirals from the Civil War through World War II gave little thought to the political ramifications of their actions. Unlike today. Today, Afghanistan commander General McChrystal requests more troops to succeed, and is publicly ridiculed by the Obama administration in general and our buffoon of a Vice-President, Joe Biden specifically.

This is the man who apparently is influencing our military decisions in Afghanistan. As a result of his idiocy, and the pressure from the left to "draw-down", this country is looking directly in the face of more soldiers coming home in boxes as our troops are denied the resources they need to finish the job. When these two were elected I knew exactly what would happen. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq would turn into what the liberals have always claimed they would be, a repeat of Vietnam. Why you ask? Because these wars, like the others of the last 50-60 years, are being fought by politicians rather than our military. Each and every decision that should be made in the theatre of operations is now being made in a committee chamber thousands of miles away by people who don't know a bullet from a pencil, and have no idea how real life works.

This is not a new phenomenon however, it's been happening since Korea. The Korean War never ended. It is still going today, just at a much reduced rate than 1952. The reason is that our troops were not allowed to decimate the North Korean military, but were forced by Washington to accede to the "treaty" marking the 38th parallel as the cease fire zone. Why? Our policticians did not want to expose or offend the Chinese government by revealing their involvment in the conflict. Had General MacArthur been allowed the support he needed, he would have had the tools to cross the Yalu River and demolish the remains of the North Korean military as well as the Chinese assitance they were receiving. Instead, Washington refused to listen to or acknowledge the reports of the Chinese military entering the war, failed to provide adequate troop strength, and the US Marines were forced to withdraw from North Korea after the Battle of Chosin Resevoir. These Marines had actually defeated the 60,000 strong Chinese force surrounding them, but were forced to retreat because of a lack of support back home. The same sad situation would repeat itself later in the Vietnam War.

The Vietnam War was another draw for our troops because of the failure of Washington to properly supply our military commanders with the tools for success. Very simply put, instead of throwing bombs at North Vietnam, our politicians preferred to throw thousands upon thousands of this country's youth into poorly supported fire bases in South Vietnam. Major actions, as indicted by the map at right, were fought for the most part in South Vietnam. There were US air raids against North Vietnam, but few and far between because our diplomats feared the reaction of China and, ultimately, the Soviet Union. Now look at the second map above and to the left. See that little pink area marked "Chinese Buffer Zone"? You guessed it. Once again, Washington was afraid of exposing Chinese involvement in this conflict and established a 50 kilometer zone that prohibited any US troops of going into or conducting air activities. Just one more way that our troops were hamstrung by our own government. In fact, it is my contention that the Vietnam War might not have ever occured or escalated had the US Marines on the Yalu River in Korea been provided the support they needed to finish the Chinese in 1950-1951.

Presently, thanks to Obama and Biden, we are setting ourselves up for a repeat of both of the aforementioned conflicts. I call Desert Storm a tie because our political leadership was hestiant, and, again, afraid of offending world sensibilities by continuing into Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein. An action which would have prevented the Iraq War we are currently embrolied in. Reasons for these current wars beginning aside, it is clear to me, and has been for a while, that there are only three courses of action left.

First, we can supply the troops with the tools, weapons, and numbers they need to be successful as quickly as possible political ramifications be damned. If we need a large influx of troops into Afghanistan to finish the job, so be it. Let's finish them off and bring every last one of our troops home. Same goes for Iraq.

Bring every last American home from both countries. Now. At one time leaving no one behind.

But

The third option, and the one most likely to occur given the indecision and inaction of the current administration, is to "draw-down" our troops gradually and leave the two regions to smolder pending another conflict years down the road. Furthermore, this gradual retreat would have the effect I mentioned earlier of costing more lives than an influx of troops. It is a proven fact that an inadequately supplied and supported military is only capable of sacrificing the lives of its personnel to no successful end. In other words, we'll bring 80,000 of 100,000 home, but leave the last 20,000 outgunned, outmanned, and fighting for their lives on a daily basis. Part of Obama's campiagn platform was to transfer a majority of troops from Iraq to Afghanistan, but now it looks as if neither conflict will have a sufficient amount of personnel to ensure victory.

I have a pretty fair idea of what's going to happen and it doesn't look good. Just as these wars are the legacy of President Bush, how and when they end, and to what degree of success will be the legacy of Obama as much as the ineffective social welfare plans he has in store for our tax dollars.

Why We Need MOPs

2009-10-14T16:48:00.002-04:00

No, not the floor polishing kind either. I'm talking about this bad boy:

Massive Ordinance Penetrator. heh.

That there is a 15 ton bomb the US Military has designed to penetrate underground facilities. The bomb will be the largest yield non-nuclear bomb in our arsenal and have the ability to penetrate up to 10,000 pounds of reinforced concrete and explode up to 200 feet below ground. We need more of these and I'll tell you why.

The MOP may be called just another part of the United States' "military-industrial complex" by some people, but I do believe spending millions of dollars on something that can destroy the uranium enrichment facility in Qom, Iran is a far more worthwhile expenditure of our tax dollars than, say, the cash for clunkers program, spending $4,500 on $300 plane tickets for congresspeople, or just about any amount of the billions in foreign aid we so kindly give out each year. That kind of spending really irks me. Did you know we provide aid to both North Korea and Iran every year that amounts to billions of our tax dollars? Why waste our money when we have a terrible economy, unemployment rate through the roof, and a rising poverty level right here at home?

Now, before you start, I am well aware that million dollar bombs don't feed people, but guess what? They do employ them. The MOP program began at Northrop Grumman and expanded to include Lockheed Martin and Boeing. Since the program had a start date back in 2004, I'm quite sure the project has helped the bottom line here at home quite well. That's what our tax dollars need to be doing. No, they don't have to be defense related projects, but it's a better alternative than throwing our tax dollars down the drain on countries and peoples that mean us harm as well as ineffective welfare programs here at home.

Even the aborted Comanche helicopter program did more for this country in terms of job and wealth creation than the money we throw into food stamps, disability, and aid to hostile states.

I can fly 100 mph. Sideways! Really!

The $7 billion program began in 1981 and was cancelled in 2004 after just a few Comanches were actually produced. No result? Not necessarily. The program led to numerous innovations in the area of rotary flight. This included upgrades and improvements to the armoring, weapons platforms, and avionics of our entire fleet of helicopters. So, we did get something for that money after all. Which is more than I can say for most of our existing welfare programs.

Perhaps that's the bottom line in all of this. Take tax dollars, fund a public program that creates new jobs right here at home, and reap the benefits of such in more tangible means than just another large, ineffective beauracracy. Here's looking at you health care reform.

Some Tuesday Afternoon Hilarity....

2009-10-13T14:34:00.001-04:00

If you don't know about Toby Jones, you should, and that's why I'm here. These videos have been floating around for awhile now, but I just thought I should share them altogether at one time for about 6 minutes of apoplectic hilarity. Check out the first one now, and the second two after the jump. Nothing like a foot rub with your good ass bbq!! Enjoy...

Why Alex Rodriguez Needs to Send Selena Roberts a Thank You Note

2009-10-12T23:07:00.002-04:00

If you follow baseball in the least bit, you likely know what Alex Rodriguez did in the recently completed ALDS. Even if your team was eliminated at the end of the season and you hate the Yankees, you still probably know that A-Rod is responsible for the Yankees' three game sweep of the Twins. A-Rod drove in two runs with two crucial hits in the game one victory, hit the monster two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to tie game two, and then hit the home run to tie game three. The Yankees obviously went on to win both games. "So what" you say? He's the highest paid and best hitter available and should be doing that? Well, I won't argue with you there, but his recent history will. Until game one of the ALDS, A-Rod had not a single RBI in a postseason game since game 3 of the 2004 ALCS against Boston. Not one. What changed you ask? Well, I certainly don't think I'm the first to say this, but I can't believe more people aren't pointing at this lady:

"I'm the reason the Yankees will win the World Series!!"

Selena Roberts. The woman that outed A-Rod's steroid use with the Texas Rangers.

When Selena Roberts wrote her article outing A-Rod for failing a steroid test in 2003, I believe she did him a huge favor. Shortly thereafter, A-Rod was at the center of a media firestorm. He went on television with Peter Gammons to apologize and then again with his teammates behind him at the start of Spring Training.

"I'm sorry guys!! Really!"

Now, here is how it helped A-Rod this season. It is well documented that A-Rod has always been a perfectionist and very self-aware of how he is perceived within baseball, by the media, and by the fans. HIs entire life and career has been almost scripted in an attempt to be the perfect ball player, spokesman, role model, whatever. During the slumps and on the field struggles he has experienced in the past as a Yankee, it was theorized that they were a result of the "fakeness" of A-Rod, that he tried so hard to put up a front and be the player/person he thought he should be, that it was hurting his game. In steps Selena Roberts.

After his steroid admission, A-Rod had hip sugery and basically faded to the background white noise of sports media. While A-Rod recovered, the newest high paid Yankees in Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, and AJ Burnett tried to carve out their spot on the team, and as productive players. But, most importantly, when A-Rod came back, the veil was gone and the scripted existence was no loinger necessary. A-Rod had a flaw and it was exposed. Now everyone knew he wasn't perfect, and he knew we knew. I believe much of A-Rod's success this past season and thus far in the playoffs is in direct relation to the fact he no longer had to put up the front. There was no more pressure on A-Rod to be anything other than a baseball player. Thanks to Selena Roberts, A-Rod can drop everything else and just play ball. Just as should have done from the start.

When the article first came out in February of this year, I wasn't all that surprised at the revelations about A-Rod's steroid use. I was, however, angry that his name was the only out of 104 alleged names on this mystery list that was released. It was just another attack on the Yankees organization in my opinion. Now, I'm grateful that the scandal broke and that it broke last offseason. A-Rod can now go be the ballplayer that we all know he can be and lead the Yankees to number 27. If and when that happens, just imagine how much more pressure is off of A-Rod, and what he might accomplish in the future.

Go Yankees!

VB's 10/09/2009 Winners - The Results Show

2009-10-12T16:36:00.002-04:00

Last Friday, I gave you my picks for the weekend, I don't think I did terrible, but I wasn't perfect either. Especially with my "LOCK OF THE WEEK!!!!111111". Thanks to this guy:

"I am resigning to accept the soon-to-be-vacant head coach position at the University of Arkansas. Wait. What?"

Arkansas' upset and total demolishing of Auburn came as quite a shock, but I really didn't care too much as I only saw that score flash up in Neyland while I watched Tennessee smash the puppies and seal one of my picks. So, here we go:

Pick One - Auburn -3 at Arkansas - Arkansas 44 - Auburn 23. I was way wrong here along with most of the country. LOSER

Pick Two - Tennessee -1 vs. Georgia - Tennessee 45 - Georgia 19. So, so, so satisfyingly right with this one. WINNER

Pick Three - Alabama -5 at Mississippi - Alabama 22 - Mississippi - 3. Probably should have been the pick of the week. WINNER

Pick Four - Utah -8 at Colorado State - Utah 24 - Colorado State 17. One point. One tiny point, but, what the hell do I know about the Mountain West anyway? LOSER

Pick Five - Stanford at Oregon State - Oregon State 38 - Stanford 28. Very surprised at this outcome. I thought Stanford would run away with this one. LOSER

Pick Six - Georgia Tech +3 at Florida State - Georgia Tech 49 - FSU 44. Another pick I felt very good about. WINNER

Pick Seven - Michigan +8 at Iowa - Iowa 30 - Michigan 28. I was exactly right with the pick and the final prediction of a close win for the Hawkeyes. WINNER

Pick Eight - Washington +3.5 vs. Arizona - Washington 36 - Arizona 33. Again, picked an outright win for Washington and they did not disappoint. WINNER

Pick Nine - Colts -4 at Titans - Colts 31 - Titans 9 - I hate this, but the Titans didn't stand a chance. WINNER

Pick Ten - Broncos +3.5 vs. Patriots - Broncos 20 - Patriots 17. I picked the outright win for the Broncos, but if you took the points you were still in good shape. WINNER.

Bonus One - Colts at Titans - Under 46 - Final Total - 40 - RIGHT

Bonus Two - Patriots at Broncos - Over 41 - Final Total - 37 - WRONG

So, there you have it. Pretty good if I say so myself. I won't count the bonus picks because they are just for fun after all. Like all of these actually. Until this Friday!

This week I'm - 7 and 3, picking at 70%

Overall I'm - 7 and 3, picking at 70%

Ahhhhhhh, That Felt Good

2009-10-12T11:41:00.001-04:00

What a game, what a day, what a weekend. Got up early Saturday, made it Knoxville, and saw Tennessee demolish Georgia. Fantastic game, I hate Georgia, the Vols beat the hell out of them, and I got to talk smack to Georgia fans. Great stuff. I provided Rocky Top Talk with a wrap-up and photo essay yesterday, so go check it out if you like at the second link.

Also took in another fantastic Yankees game last night. Once again, A-Rod came through and provided the spark, home runs, and RBI's the Yanks needed to put the Twins away. He's a changed ballplayer this postseason and I have a theory why I'll get to this afternoon.....

It's Finally The Weekend - clap, clap --- clap, clap, clap....

2009-10-09T20:55:00.000-04:00

And I'm off to Neyland early in the morning to watch Tennessee pound the widdle puppies from down south. Go Vols, Go Yankees, Go Titans. Everybody have fun and I'll see you Monday!

This is where I'll be!

VB's Winners - 10/09/2009

2009-10-09T11:34:00.002-04:00

As I promised when I told you about the entirely-free-no-strings-attached gambling site, here is the first installment of what I hope (in jest) will turn me into:

Sam Rothstein - Professional Handicapper

I'll list my picks after the jump. If you think I'm off with some let's hear it in the comments. Otherwise, I assume no liability for anybody losing their children's college money, house, car, or meth lab (North Georgia) by using these picks to gamble.

So, here we go:

College Football

Pick One - Auburn -3 at Arkansas - Take Auburn and dump the points. Arkansas has no defense and this might well be a 17+ point win by Auburn. This game is also the LOCK OF THE WEEK! Is that dramatic or what?

Pick Two - Tennessee -1 vs. Georgia - Take Tennessee in what is basically a pick 'em. I normally don't advocate betting on Tennessee, but this will be the first pro-style offense the stellar Tennessee defense has faced in 4 games, so look for the Vols to pull it out at home.

Pick Three - Alabama -5 at Mississippi - Take 'Bama and give the 5 to the Rebels. Alabama will win this one by a touchdown at least over a somewhat overrated Ole Miss squad.

Pick Four - Utah -8 at Colorado State - Again, take the favorite and dump the points. Utah wins going away in this one.

Pick Five - Stanford at Oregon State - Take Stanford in the pick 'em. Stanford is underrated and should beat the Beavers easily.

Pick Six - Georgia Tech +3 at Florida State - Take Tech and the points in what may be the last straw for Bobby Bowden's position as "head coach" at FSU.

Pick Seven - Michigan +8 at Iowa - I don't like Michigan whatsoever, but take them and the points in what should be a narrow win for the Hawkeyes.

Pick Eight - Washington +3.5 vs. Arizona - Wahington should come through with an outright win here, but look for them to at least cover the 3.5 point spread.

NFL Football

Pick Nine - Colts -4 at Titans - Take the Colts in what will be a closer win than many expect. I do like this particular spread and the Colts should cover.

Pick Ten - Broncos +3.5 vs. Patriots - The Broncos should win this game outright, but look for them to at least cover the spread. Take Denver.

Bonus Picks -

Bonus One - Colts at Titans - Under 46 - The Colts will win, but the two teams shouldn't combine for more than 46.

Bonus Two - Patriots at Broncos - Over 41 - This game should easily go over 41 combined.

That's it! See how it goes and I'll be back Monday with the results show!

It's Time To Hate Georgia

2009-10-08T12:44:00.000-04:00

Many people might claim that Alabama or Florida would be Tennessee's biggest rival, but those same many people probably don't live on the border with the armpit of the world, North Georgia. Being so close to this redneck paradise allows me to gather an infinite amount of insight as to what truly awful, terrible people Georgia fans are.

I'll be at the game Saturday in Neyland and look forward to a thourough humiliation of the "Dawgs". Wrap-up will come on Monday. Until then, enjoy this post over at RTT for more reasons to hate Georgia.

Big Bird Tells It Like It Is!!

2009-10-08T12:32:00.001-04:00

Michelle Obama recently made an appearance on Sesame Street where Big Bird finally got to do his hard hitting interview with her. Get her Big Bird!!

Obama Hangs a Magic 8-Ball In The White House -- Seriously

2009-10-08T10:46:00.001-04:00

This is supposed to be a joke by the Obamas I believe, but it actually is a fair indication of what he has done thus far as President - nothing. Each time a new President takes office, they and their family will redecorate certain aspects of the White House including some artwork. So, the brilliant Obamas chose this 1983 Ed Ruscha piece entitled "I think I'll...":

Yep, you see that correctly. Obama chose a piece of artwork that flaunts indecision. Quite fitting for a President whose only decision thus far has been to triple the budget deficit record. Nice job baller!

Yes, Georgia Fans Really Act Like This

2009-10-07T11:19:00.001-04:00

Take it from somebody close to North Georgia, these idiots are everywhere. This guy is probably at some Krystal right now ordering a Chili Cheese Pup in the same voice.

Wanna Gamble With Free Money and Keep What You Win??

2009-10-07T11:03:00.000-04:00

I got your back. If you want to be Sam Rothstein though, clean out your ATM and go to Vegas. This is a little bit more small-time, but it's free and that's what counts. Before I get to the site, let me tell you how it works and how the are no strings attached.

This site, after you sign up, will give you 10 cents to start betting with. You can bet on everything from college football to Spanish soccer leagues. You can also bet up to a five line parlay and include bets on point spreads, over/unders, and outright money line pick 'ems. Like I said, you start with a paltry 10 cents, but you can build that up by winning and cash out. Free. No Strings. You turn that dime into $1,000, you get $1,000 cash out if you want. The key is to take that dime and turn it into a balance you can work with and make higher stakes bets with.

How does this work? Check it out after the break.

There is no adware, spam, viruses, bank account info, credit card info, none of that nonsense whatsoever. The site is completely free. All you provide is an email address and password as your login info. They won't even send you emails. None.

Everything is paid for by their advertisers. The ads aren't all that prominent and are really only noticeable when you get to the bonus part of the bet. If you lose that dime, or lose your entire balance, no problem, they give you another dime to start with.

So, step-by-step:

Create the free account here: CentSports
Get your free startup dime by clicking on.....the picture of the dime
Click make new bet.....and make a bet
Bonus step. It will ask you if you want to view ads and get a percentage bonus to your payout. Click yes, view a small ad in the same window. If the bonus isn't the max, view another until you get the max bonus and then accept. Should just take a few clicks to get the max.
Win your bet.
Pile up the cash and become:

Sam Rothstein

Starting this Friday I'll be making my very own picks for each weekend so make sure you stop back by and we'll see if we can't be high rollers.

Morons......

2009-10-06T13:06:00.001-04:00

Gotta love this guy. Not much I can say about this other than you can't get mad if the McDonald's at Wal-Mart is slow getting you your chicken, and you can't call yourself a cripple because you're morbidly obese. With that said, this contains strong redneck cursing and trailerpark language:

Today's "US Government Making It Rain With Your Tax Dollars" Moment

2009-10-06T10:44:00.000-04:00

Remember the "Cash for Clunkers" program? You know, the one that took all of the car sales from the next 6 months and combined them into one to give a false boost to the economy? That one. The one where you could trade everything from an '84 Cutty to a Daewoo Lanos (more on the Lanos in a sec) in for a -gasp!- brand spanking new Kia or Scion or maybe even a CRV. I have no problems with Kia's, Scion's, or CRV's except when it costs the taxpayers $2,000 for every single car sold under the program. Now, break that down further and you'll see that the taxpayers paid an inordinately high percentage of the total price of the car due to the relatively low cost of the most popular cars sold under the program.

According to the University Of Delaware study that provided this information, this program has also led to an across the board decline in car donations as well as revenue from car repairs and maintence providing companies. Why? Simply because 700,000+ used cars were taken off the road in favor of vehicles that will become clunkers themselves in just a few short years. Of those 700,000+ cars, there is a percentage of cars that were perfectly fine, but got 15 mpg, or were outright destroyed by auto dealers in an attempt to cash in on Obama's program. Anyway, as for the Daewoo Lanos, enjoy:

Why I'm Happy Chicago Got Snubbed -- Afghanistan

2009-10-05T16:31:00.002-04:00

Not so much that Chicago got snubbed, but that our very own Presidential rock star Obama did. I find it quite hilarious actually that he, his wife, and the all-powerful Oprah went out of their way to try and convince the IOC that Chicago is the right choice for Summer Olympics. You know, right after the Blagojevich scandals along with the video-taped murder of a teenager. What better place to hold a festival of sporting events celebrating world unity? My beef really isn't with Chicago though, it's more with Obama himself and the reason is Afghanistan.

Here are some words of wisdom from myself to the President. How I'm qualified to do that? He works for me, look it up, it's true I swear. Here ya go Obama:

The only thing worse than bad decisions are no decisions.

This is true in many aspects of life, but especially in wartime. Now, as this country approaches a critical turning point in the war in Afghanistan, as our troops are being wounded and killed at a rate not seen since the war's start, our leader is more concerned with bringing the Olympic pork to his home city than he is with the welfare our troops. Scathing indictment I know, but the situation is of his own making. Now before we go all "he didn't start this war", or "Bush was the devil", hear me out. None of that stuff matters. The fact is, Obama made it a campaign platform and promise that he would scale back our troop levels in Iraq while moving the fight to Afghanistan to finish it off. What has he done about that? Not a thing, not one single thing.

In fact, President Obama was outraged at General Stanley McChrystal, commander of 68,000 NATO troops, over his speech requesting more troops for the Afghanistan war. Why was he outraged you ask? Not because he thought McChrystal might be wrong, but because Obama was forced to halt his Olympic begging tour in order to deal with the subject of whether or not we need more troops to win a war. Oh the horror!! It gets worse. Obama held Air Force One in Copenhagen in order to summon McChrystal and dress him down personally. Members of Obama's administration had this to say about McChrystal:

"People aren't sure whether McChrystal is being naïve or an upstart. To my mind he doesn't seem ready for this Washington hard-ball and is just speaking his mind too plainly."

How terrible!! The commanding General of our troops in Afghanistan is not adept enough at political doublespeak to get what he needs. If only he had more political savvy the war would be won by now!

Here is the way I see it. Obama needs to quit screwing around with health care reform that will take years to pass if at all and especially with the Olympic games 7 years from now. What he needs to do more than anything else right at this moment is to make a decision about the direction of these two conflicts. Either give the troops in both theatres what they need to finish the job or bring every last one of them home. Simply put, DO SOMETHING! That is all....

An Atmosphere of Tolerance

2009-10-05T12:07:00.007-04:00

VB's note: The second installment of the posts I did a few months
back chronicling different aspects of the Bills start up.

Until this past season's International Bowl, the University at Buffalo Bulls had not played in a bowl game their entire 102-year history of football. I use the word played because they have been invited to a bowl game. In 1958, the Buffalo Bulls went 8-1 and were invited to play in the Tangerine Bowl against Florida State. The game was not to be, however, as two members of the Buffalo Bulls, starting halfback Willie Evans and backup defensive lineman Mike Wilson, were black. This circumstance posed a problem for the Bulls because the Orlando High School Athletic Association, sponsors of the Tangerine Bowl, did not allow blacks and whites to play on the same field. Rather than leave them behind, the Bulls held a team meeting and voted not to accept the invitation and did not play in the 1958 Tangerine Bowl. Willie Evans went on to bigger and better things, however, as he was drafted to play for my grandfather on the new AFL franchise in town, the Buffalo Bills.

Ernie Davis was the first black player to win the Heisman Trophy. He starred at Syracuse University at the HB position and was named to two All-American teams. In 1959, Syracuse won the National Championship by defeating Texas in the Cotton Bowl to cap an undefeated season. After the game, Ernie Davis accepted his MVP award at the banquet and was then asked to leave because of his skin color. He also was drafted by the Buffalo Bills, but he eventually signed with Paul Brown in Cleveland after a bitter dispute between my grandfather and the Browns organization. Had there not been separate leagues, Ernie Davis may have led the Bills to prominence earlier and saved my grandfather's job. He and my grandfather were inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in the same ceremony in 1979.

Note: For more on the 1958 Buffalo Bulls football team, please see the outstanding article "All or Nothing" by ESPN's Eric Neel here. For more on Ernie Davis, you may visit his wiki here.

Colorblind

My grandfather didn't care if his players were white or black, they were all equally soft. That was the worst thing you could be in Buster's eyes, soft. If you had the best technique in the league, the most speed, the best hands, arm, whatever, none of it matter unless you gave every ounce of mental and physical strength and energy you could muster every time you stepped on the field. There was no such thing as a lazy white man or a lazy black man, it was a lazy waste of time, equipment, and money as far as he was concerned.

It is no secret that my grandfather could be a tough man to play for, especially if you screwed up. He would scream and be in your face constantly until you at least gave it you maximum effort, even if you still couldn't get it right. There was no excuse to do otherwise. Buster Ramsey was an old-school guy as far as football went. You didn't get out of practice or sit out a game with turf toe, a strained hammy, or dislocated shoulder. You had it popped back in place and went back in. That's just how it was. As beat up as he was at 40, my grandfather challenged players to hit him during practice to test their meddle. By the time he retired, he had broken his nose approximately 13 times, worn out both his knees, suffered too many concussions to count, and had even played a game with a cracked vertebrae in his neck. Yes, you read that right, he played a game with a broken neck. Reckless? Probably. Stupid? Maybe. Soft? Never. He would accept nothing else from his own players. In return, Buster would go to war for his players in every way he could. He was even fined by the league for punching an opposing player on his own sideline whom he thought had taken a cheap shot on one of his own guys.

This is why he could never truthfully be called a racist. During a time when this country was struggling mightily with its own identity and attempting to reconcile past racial discrimination with Constitutional Amendments, my grandfather would sign and play anybody and everybody whom he thought would help the Bills win, regardless of race or creed, including Willie Evans and Ernie Davis. Buster may not have even known the story of the the 1958 Bulls when he drafted Willie in 1960. He most likely saw a tough player who could help the team on the field. Sure, the fact that he was from Buffalo probably helped as my grandfather knew what good publicity could do for the program, but the color of his skin had no bearing on anything. It would be the same for Elbert Dubenion and other black players throughout those first two years. In this regard, my grandfather likely set the standard for the new rival league of the NFL.

Cheap Shots and the Importance of Character

Aside from the toughness of his players, Buster looked for players with a quality character. He wanted fine men and not troublemakers or thugs, regardless of color. The importance he placed on character above all else is what most likely led to his lifelong, one-way feud with a Buffalo beat-writer whom I will not name out of respect for his accomplishments rather than his character. I say one-way because my grandfather could care less what someone with such a poor character as the writer said or thought about him.

No one really knows why this person took to disliking Buster. It is probable that Buster had either a falling out with him, or just never gave him the respect he felt he deserved. I do know that my grandfather had good relationships with nearly ever other Bills beat-writer, especially Jack Horrigan, and perhaps the other writer was jealous of that. In any case, he spent 40 years calling Buster Ramsey a profane, racist, redneck when he knew himself that was not the truth. My grandfather never cared what was said or written about him, but it became personal to me and my family when this person marked my grandfather's death by writing an article for the Buffalo News directly referring to him as a drunk, racist, and bombastic individual who had no business being in control of the Bills. Maybe my grandfather didn't care, and maybe I lacked his strength of character and integrity, but I felt compelled to respond to the column in the Buffalo News with one of my own, as well as a few emails to the addresses I could find for the author. Maybe that's why I responded, but what's more likely is it's because I knew what my grandfather did for the black players he had and that information did not sync with the published stories.

Seeing Color on the Road

We've all heard the term "white guilt" before, but there exists a similar form of the same phenomena, Southerner's guilt. My grandfather grew up in East Tennessee and saw first hand how black people were treated in the 20's and 30's. As he began his football career outside of the deep south, he made direct efforts to reconcile as best as he could the intolerance he had seen with the quality of character he sought out in a person regardless of skin color. During the Bills' road trips, Buster Ramsey made it a point to stay places and have his team visit places that would not discriminate against the black players on the team. There would be no repeats of the Ernie Davis or Willie Evans cases as my grandfather refused to put his team in a position where that situation could happen. The Bills would not have to make a choice between playing a game without a couple players or walking off the field because Buster made sure the issue was a non-issue before they even arrived.

Legacy

Buster Ramsey was stereotyped by some as a racist because he was southern. But in the end, he treated them all the same regardless of their color, demanding unquestioned toughness from all but also unquestionable character. My grandfather said he refused to sign talented players, both white and black, in Buffalo who might have in retrospect helped him win a few more games and save his job, but were known for behavioral issues. He would not tolerate anyone with a chip on their shoulder, so he probably, and he knew it later in life, could not have coached in the modern era.

When he left to coach the Steelers defense, Buddy Parker said he gave him a bunch of misfits and midgets, white and black, to work with. Of the black players, Johnny Samples, very talented but possessed a troubled ego, could not stand him and was released. Big Daddy Lipscomb, John Baker, and Brady Keys bought in to his toughness, had the best years of their careers, and led to the development of the best defense in the league by the end of the year.

East Tennessee and Western New York? Closer Than You Might Think...

2009-10-05T11:51:00.004-04:00

VB's note: I originally wrote this some months ago for the guys at Buffalo Rumblings, but I wanted it here for posterity's sake I suppose. In any case, enjoy!

From the title alone, you may infer this to be about Terrell Owens’ collegiate career at the University Of Tennessee at Chattanooga, or maybe about the Bills tendency to draft or sign players from the University of Tennessee. It is about neither. This FanPost is meant as addendum to Matt’s chronicles of the Buffalo Bills history up to this year’s 50th anniversary. This is about their first head coach. You know him as Garrard "Buster" Ramsey. His two year stay in Buffalo was crucial to the team’s current existence. I just called him "Pop".

The Short History

My grandfather was born in 1920 in the hills of East Tennessee, the son of a Methodist preacher. During his time at Knoxville High School, he excelled in track and field as well as football. He played on the 1937 Knoxville High School Trojan football team that won the National High School Football Championship by a score of 37-0 over Miami (Florida) High School. After his graduation from high school, little interest was shown in his talent by then coach, but not yet General, Robert Neyland of Tennessee. Instead, Buster took a trip to William & Mary and committed to play football for them on the spot.

His time at William & Mary sparked a revival of their football program as he became the first first-team All-American the school has ever produced. He starred at offensive guard and played linebacker/defensive line as well. Buster made two All-American teams for William & Mary and led them to a defeat of Oklahoma in a bowl game to finish his senior season 9-1.

Buster was drafted by the New York Yankees (yes, a football team) out of college, but enlisted in the Navy for the duration of World War II instead. While in the Navy, he played for the Bainbridge Naval Station football team. Bainbridge was a service team that actually became ranked in the top ten of the national college football polls.

After his time in the Navy, Buster signed with the Chicago Cardinals NFL team, where he made All-Pro numerous times and was a member of the Cardinals’ 1947 World Champion squad. He was traded from a player-coach position with the Cardinals and took over as Defensive Coach of the Detroit Lions beginning in 1952.

Defensive Mastermind

During my grandfather’s time with the Detroit Lions, he was responsible for all aspects of the Lions’ defense. He developed legendary defensive players such as Yale Lary, Jack Christensen, Jim David, and numerous others. His development of the 4-3 defense, which Tom Landry would later lay claim to, and his propensity for blitzing linebackers out of the formation - a package he called Red Dog - helped lead the Lions to three World Championships in the 1950s. His defenses were known for fast, hard-hitting linebackers and defensive linemen and agile defensive backs ball hawking in the secondary. I have his defensive playbooks from those years in my possession and it still amazes me how much scouting, preparation, and ability to adapt he was able to achieve to create successful defensive plays and alignments. It was during his time in Detroit that Buster became friends with minority team owner Ralph Wilson.

As a Detroit area resident, businessman, and longtime Lions fan, Wilson knew that Lions Head Coach Buddy Parker had remarked on numerous occasions that the key to the team's dynasty of the ‘50’s was the most unique trade in NFL history when the Lions traded a player to the then-Chicago Cardinals in 1951 for a player-coach, Buster Ramsey, to coach his defense. So, Wilson knew he had to look no further than his own backyard to find a great coach.

My grandfather could have continued his position with the Lions and possibly enjoyed further success, or retired to his farm at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee, but he chose to sign up with Ralph Wilson and create the Buffalo Bills franchise in Lamar Hunt’s new rival league, the AFL.

From The Ground Up

If it is possible to underestimate what it takes to start up a professional football franchise, I can tell you that I did for a long time. I had always been told that my grandfather performed nearly every job for the team from scouting to washing the uniforms, but I never realized exactly what dedication and hard work it took until his correspondence from those years came into my hands after his death in 2007. My grandfather literally built the Bills from scratch.

Those first two years of the Bills existence were more primitive in terms of money, facilities, staff, and players than a modern day middle school program. He had only his trainer, Eddie Abramoski, and one assistant coach who actually moved to the Buffalo area, Breezy Reid. In addition to all the administrative duties which fall to a head coach, Buster had to evaluate all personnel, handle all equipment and scheduling decisions, and game plan both offense and defense. His family would see him home for dinner at 6, and then he would go to the basement in their home in Hamburg, study film on a used 16 millimeter black and white projector until 4 in the morning, leave the house at 7, and start the whole process all over again.

As I reviewed his letters from those two years, I could certainly see why he had to work so many hours. My grandfather reviewed resumes for potential coaches and trainers, rosters and scouting reports from colleges across the nation, catalogs of film and field equipment, uniform sizes and colors, medicinal supplies, and the list goes on and on. The decisions he had to make are mindboggling. On top of these seemingly menial tasks and decisions that form the basis of a new franchise, Buster was dealing with the formation of an entirely new football league and the inherent problems that came with the AFL’s creation. He was involved in disputes over players with other new franchises that were ultimately resolved, confidentially, by Commissioner Joe Foss. Scheduling conflicts arose. Scouting players, and negotiating draft and signing rights to those players were a source of contention. There were even disputes into the manner in which games were filmed by various teams as the teams were to share their game films. Through all of this, my grandfather still had to be ready to lead the Bills in that first game and every game thereafter on the field as well as his office in a Buffalo hotel and then War Memorial Stadium after completion.

It is no secret that my grandfather’s first two years may be considered failures in terms of wins and losses, but I consider them great successes given the fact that the Buffalo Bills are still around and are still relevant even in such a relatively small market. Every decision my grandfather made in those early years has had an impact on today’s Buffalo Bills, 50 years later. By the end of Buster’s second season, he and Ralph Wilson disagreed about the direction of the team and parted ways. They did, however, remain friends for life. It takes money to be successful in sports, even in the 60’s. Former original Bill and later excellent coach in his own right, Richie McCabe said he had no players and coaches and could not do the impossible. With Buster gone, the team did not right the ship until money finally was spent to acquire the quality players of the championship years, most notably quarterback Jack Kemp.

My grandfather continued his career by reuniting with Buddy Parker as Defensive Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers until his ultimate retirement from football in 1965. He would have other chances to get back in the game later in life as he was in negotiations with Ralph Wilson to take back the Bills into 1969, but that never came to be. He was also offered the fledgling Atlanta Falcons, but turned them down as well. Ralph Wilson told my grandfather on numerous occasions as late as the early 90’s that firing him in 1962 and not rehiring him in 1969 were the two biggest mistakes he ever made as the owner of the Buffalo Bills.