Member for

13 years 8 months
Points
267.00

Recent Comments

Date Title Body
Pretty Girl and ready for…

Pretty Girl and ready for her next assignment! Definitely has that TWC vibe about her.  

Duke (r) & Daisy (l) - 2…

Duke (r) & Daisy (l) - 2 rescued Treeing Walker Coonhounds. A lot of work, but love them to pieces and they get you off of the couch and keep you active. Daisy definitely knows when the UM Football Mens come on the TV and to steer clear of the living room until the game is over. 

He'll always be "Mr Myers" to me.....

I grew up with his sons attending Grant Elementary School (now torn down) in Royal Oak MI.  Even then, he stood out in a crowd at school/football/Cub Scout functions with his imposing physical presence, shaved head and always present turtle neck.   Very nice and humble man who loved his kids.  I always considered him one of the "Cool Dads" of my youth.

Agreed...

I attended the very first UM v PSU B1G game in Happy Valley.  Tyrone Wheatley and Derrick Alexander were magnificent, but the Defense set the tone.  1st and Goal at the 1/2 yard line late in the 3rd quarter in a very tight game.  M absolutely stoned them 4 straight downs and it wasn't even close.  You could hear a pin drop amongst the +100K PSU faithful - welcome to the B1G!  The goal line stand starts at 5:05:

This level of performance....

....should not be rewarded with a contract renewal:

 

Doobie Brothers - The Captain and Me

The original, pre-Michael McDonald rendition of the Doobie Brothers.  This album still plays great today from first to last song:

Both headroom and a second elevated sleeping area

....that measures 6' l x 5' w.  The Germans can engineer anything except a cupholder.

VW Syncro Westfalia

...great alternative to a full-on RV.  An AWD version of the VW Westfalia, complete with all of the cool camping options & trimmings.  The perfect vehicle to hit the Summer Music Festivals and National Parks.

2003 BMW 540i

...last year of BMW's iconic E39 series.  BMW integrated several features from their M series into the final version of the 540i.  Mine was a 6 speed with the M Sport package.  Beautiful lines and a joy to drive with a remarkably efficient 22 MPG thru its 4.4 liter V8 engine. 

Still critically acclaimed:

Interesting quote....

...from Hue Jackson - former Begals OC, winner of last year's Pro Football Writers Association co-Assistant Coach of the Year and now Cleveland Browns head coach - on which player from the Bengals offense has barely scratched the surface of his abilities. “Marvin Jones. Not even close. The guy is so talented. He has so much ability. We haven’t even touched how good he can be.”

So, the Lions get the best free agent WR available this year, still early in his career, at market rate with what looks like a lot of upside.

Rhinegeist Gramps Barrel Aged

Just starting S4 E1, sipping Rhinegeist's limited release Barleywine with this year's first time Bourbon Barrel Aged variation. Very tasty, very potent. May need to transition into some bourbon neat later on to slow my roll.

Since we're including vans in the conversation......

1961 Jaguar MKII

Dad bought new in Europe and had it shipped back to the states:

Beautiful car - manual, straight six, burled wood/leather interior, knock off hubs.  This was Dad's daily driver in SE MI.  I loved that car and was where I learned how to drive a manual, which I still do to this day.  Dad struggled mightily to keep this car in good working order and condition, especially with its notorious electrical system.  Eventually, he bought another car and put this under a cover where it remained for years.  My dreams of one day inheriting the car were dashed when we took the cover off after "several years" to discover dry rot, rust and a general condition that was beyond my skill sets and bank account to overcome. 

Also an RO Dondero Alum....

...and clasmates with Glen Frey's younger brother Matt. I remember visiting his Royal Oak boyhood home, a modest Cape Cod on Catalpa.  Hanging in their parents living room was a framed On The Border gold album. (does this qualify for Cool Story Bro consideration?)

Dennis Franklin

....you always remember your first

 

Jack & Vernors...

...watching the US Open. 

In the mid 70s and 80s...

....everyone went with white shoes except Michigan, Penn State and USC.  Even schools like Alabama, Texas and Notre Dame, schools steeped in "old school" football traditions, went with the white shoes trend of that time. 

 

 

Definitely White Socks....

....for both Home & Road.  I never liked the blue socks - I felt that we lost an important aspect of our traditional uniform (like the black shoes) that distinquished us from everyone else. 

 

Heading down to Reds Opening Day...

....this afternoon.  Pirates @ Reds, First Pitch at 4:10.  Cincinnati used to be THE Opening Day event for MLB and is practically a local holiday.  They have a pre-game parade that goes thru town that has a decidely All American small town feel.  Should be a fun, beer-filled day. 

Second that...

.....along with a fine selection of beers and cocktails

Great Topic....

...in no particular order:

  1. 1979: Wrangler to Carter beats Indiana my freshman year
  2. 1982: SF beats Cincinnati in Super Bowl XVI at the Silver Dome. Epic goal line stand by SF in the 3rd quarter to keep Cincinati out of the end zone on 1st and goal at the 3.  The start of the Bill Walsh led 49ers dynasty.
  3. 2002: OSU & Maurice Clarett holds offf UM 14-9 at The Shoe.  My first football game at OSU - I survived (barely).  Despite UM losing (and OSU going onto to take the national championship), it was a classic UM/OSU game that was decided on the game's final drive. 
  4. 2000: Friday at the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville KY. Followed the group of Tiger (in his prime) + Jack + Vijay Singh on a 103 degree day.
  5. 2008: Sunday at the Ryder Cup at Valhalla GC.  The USA's only victory since 1999.
My first Friday Posbang post....

....Tighty Whitey Style!!

Gotta admit the Home Unis also look great.....

....with the classic white socks:

 

 

 

 

How about we go full-on Classic Old School..

...and bring back plain white socks ala Alabama and PSU:

You can't drink all day....

....if you don't start in the morning

Rhinegeist Truth IPA

Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx

Alabama v OSU

 

Oregon v OSU

Jack Daniels & Vernors

...and 100 Points!!!

 

 

well played....

.

Agree...

...I've lived in Cincinnati for 19 years (yikes!), and there's plenty of unnatural Buckeye love going on in the area.  Our inner circle of neighborhood friends (~15 couples), almost all born and raised in Cincinnati, are ALL Buckeye Football fans.  Curiously,  maybe 1/3 actually attended OSU, with the rest going to schools like Dayton, Ohio U and Miami (NTM).  All colleges with football teams, yet they are all diehard, Walmart Buckeyes.  Attending last week's neighborhood Alabama/OSU party was insufferable. My only saving grace was a palpable curiosity and concern from everyone over HARBAUGH!!

Tito's, highly recommended...

....reasonably priced, award-winning and Made in America (Austin, TX)

Tito's...

...Dirty Martini w/Blue Cheese Olives

Agreed...

....UM v OSU should consider color-on-color games with their standard uniforms

Third this.....

...decidedly off the Bourbon/Canal Street beaten path, but an easy street car ride to the end of the St Charles line. Great NO-style food at reasonable prices, a deep selection of regional craft beers, and a friendly, enthusiastic and well-educated football crowd. 

Another take on parking and pre-game
  • Arrive 2+ hours before kickoff
  • Use the public parking garage by Nickels Arcarde, 324 Maynard Street, $8-10/all day
  • Walk thru Nickels Arcade for a 1 hour pre-game beer(s) at Ashleys, voted one of the Top 100 Beer Bars in America
  • 1 hour before kickoff, walk thru campus down State St and follow the crowds on Hoover to the Stadium. 20-25 minute walk, 1+ miles.  The walk will keep you wam and it's a great way to take in the crowds, pre-game festivities and campus. 
Bulleit Frontier Whiskey....

.....Manhattan - Hello Old Friend

Surreal Stadium Picture.....

....once play resumed followig the rain delay - supplying the Cherry on top of Saturday's Turd Sundae.

Agreed...

....also the M is trending closer to traditional Maize vs neon adidas Sun

Indeed....

Bulleit Frontier Whiskey with a couple cubes - outstanding.  Ran out of Sweet Vermouth for my go-to Manhattan, but really enjoying some top shelf KY bourbon in its pure form.

Recent First Pitch Fails

Baba Booey (nee Gary Dell'abate)/Howard Stern:

 

Mark Mallory/Cincinnati Mayor:

 

Couldn't agree more....

....I really wanted to like adidas, but between the cut/quality of the uniforms, their intepretation of Maize (aka adidas Sun, nee highlighter yellow) and their cookie-cutter approach with our basketball unis, I'm ready to move back to Nike. 

Our current basketball uniforms = Wisconsin = NC State = Nebraska, only with different colors + jersey school name/mascot.  

 

Much Appreciated

Sounds like I need to head over to Mason Whole Foods for lunch on Monday.....

Where in Cincy?

What Pubs/Retail Outlets in Cincy carry Hopslam?

M has to go back to White Socks!

Watching last weekend's Tiebreaker and remembering how great our unis loooked with the black shoes and white socks makes me wish for UM to resurrect this traditional, classic look.  Like most everyone on the blog, I will always maintain that UM Football has the best uniforms on the planet regardless of sport, but I'm not a big fan of the blue socks/black shoes.  Alabama, PSU and USC still sport the white socks which fully preserves all components of their traditional uniform and distinquishes them from everyone else.

Zing Zang = best Bloddy Mary Mix on the market

An excellent take on a morning tailgate requirement.  I trend towards Tito's Vodka (great taste, resonably priced and American-made) + plenty of horsradish (that's where you get your heat/spice, NOT from a hot sauce) + a liberal amount of Worcestershire + garnish of your choice (I like pickled green beans and olives).

Jack Daniels & Vernors

....a much improved twist on a Jack & Ginger

Variation on #1....

1. Why do dogs lick their balls? Because they can't make a fist.

These Two....

1.  An old man walks into a pub in Scottland, his feet shuffling, his back bent. He drags himself onto a stool and orders a beer. Placing the full glass in front of him, the bartender inquires upon his sad face.

The man answers with a smoky and trembling voice and a Scottish accent:

"Ah, tell ya man! This pub, this very pub we're just sitting in. I built it, with me own hands! But do they call me the Pubmaker? Naa! See the wall over there, that protects our town? I built it, with me own hands! But do they call me the Wallmaker? And the bridge, you know, that crosses our river, I built it, with me own hands! But do they call me the Bridgemaker?........long melancholy pause.........But I tell ya, man! YOU FUCK ONE GOAT!"

2.  There were these two guys having lunch one day when the first guy says to the second one, "Have you ever made a Freudian Slip during a mundane conversation?"

"What's a Freudian Slip?" asks the second one.

"Have you ever said one thing subconsciously to someone when you meant to say something else?"

"I'm still not clear." replies the second one.

"Well last week I was at the airport in Philly and I wanted to come back here to Pittsburgh and the women at the counter had these enormous breasts so instead of asking for two tickets to Pittsburgh, I asked for two pickets to Tittsburgh."



"I now I know what you mean.", says the second guy. "Why just this morning I was having breakfast with my wife.  Instead of asking 'Honey, please pass the sugar' I said, 'YOU FUCKING BITCH, YOU'RE RUINING MY LIFE!!'" 

For Your Consideration.....

Best

  • Michigan/Detroit Bias - Michigan, Olympia, Tiger; not to be cliche, but really, how do you not put these iconic venues at the top of your list? 
  • Rose Bowl - saw a USC/UCLA game and a couple of UM Rose Bowls here. Classic football stadium design in a beautiful CA setting with the San Gabriel Mountains in the distance. 
  • Camp Randall - best College Football pre-game atmosphere ever (sorry UM, but gotta be honest here).
  • Camden Yards - first of the new "retro parks", they got it right the first time and provided the gold standard for all ensuing new baseball stadiums.
  • Superdome - OK, it's a dome, but great NOLA vibes, music, food and drink.  They really know how to throw a party, which more than compensates for the dome stigma.

Worst

  • Kingdome/Metrodome - only saw baseball games at both muti-purpose monstrosities.  Both stadiums were grey, depressing, lifeless, soul-sucking.  Worst-ever venues for baseball.
  • Silverdome - in the middle of God-Fersaken Pontiac MI.  Watched Bengals v 49ers in the XXII Super Bowl along with several Lions games and misc Stadium Concerts.  After 20+ years of vacancy, the CIty of Pontiac eventually sold the property to a Candian investor for $583K?!?
  • Riverfront/Veterans - two God-Awful early 70s Multi-Purpose Stadiums (Pittsburgh and St Louis also come to mind) void of any personality, local character, unique  features or grass.
  • RFK - saw a couple Redskins games and Grateful Dead shows too numerous to mention/remember.  Another early 70s multi-purpose stadium, conveniently located off the Metro but in a bad DC neighborhood.  The only improvement over Riverfront/Veterans was their natural grass field.
Dennis Franklin

....followed closely (in no particular order) by Tom Brady, Rick Leach and John Harbaugh.  Dennis Franklin was Michgan's QB when I first fell in love with UM Football. Back in the glory days of the Big 2/Little 8 and the 10 Year War, he had an astounding 30-2-1 record as a starter yet never went to a bowl game.  Unfortunately, the 2 losses and 1 tie were all against Ohio, with the two loses by a combined total of 5 points. He didn't have gaudy stats, but was a great leader and clutch performer - a true Michigan Man.