the list
the last day of the year. why not spend the remaining hours contemplating my year in music. i thought i'd wait 'til next week to post the order and explanations, but after finishing andy's list, i was inspired to go ahead with mine.
first, the disclaimer. i mentioned with last year's list that my purchases were fewer than in year's past. well, there were even fewer this year. 24 all told, including a christmas gift. that's two per month, which still sounds pretty high, but it's not when compared to three or four years ago when i could buy four to five cd's a month. why the continued dropoff? well, after returning home in april from (part-time) huntsville, my commute for the next four months was about a minute and a half. ergo, not enough time in the car. ergo, not much motivation to buy music for the car. also, wjox 690 has recently expanded into the fm universe. this may not mean much to some of you, but what it means to me is that i have access to sports talk 24-7 now. previously, am jox would power down at 6 pm on the weekdays and through the weekend, so unless you were driving circles around their studio during the down times, you couldn't really pick up the signal. having sports "always on" in my car has also whiddled at my need for new music every time i crank the tribute up. due to these circumstances, i am trimming the yearly top ten down so not to water down the list. a "top ten" out of 24 wouldn't be very exclusive. this year, it'll be...
my top five records of 2006!!!!!
5) the arctic monkeys - whatever people say i am, that's what i'm not - snotty, brit punk/rock at it's finest. when oasis ruled the world ten years ago, i told myself that i'd never be into a british band that was "the next big thing" or set to "take over rock". well, i was wrong. these guys are all about twenty years old, but the music is way more mature than their age. the insight from the story-esque songs also doesn't seem to fit into what must be very limited life experience. nevertheless, it all fits and flows. every song has a definining melody. a guitar lick that will stick in your head for days. good stuff. fun stuff. the first album i bought this year with twelve months of staying power.
4) my chemical romance - the black parade - i've been surprised to see this album popping up on year end end lists everywhere. but not too surprised. only because it's that good. mcr have always had the theatrical element as part of their definition. this album, though, owns the theatrics and puts it in the forefront of what may end up being the generation behind me's tommy. a rock opera from the word go. these guys are really good rock musicians, and now they understand what they want their band to be. queen. could be worse, right jacob?
and thus begins the biggest cop-out since i've been doing these lists.
1a) blood brothers - young machetes - that's right. 1a. which means there is going to be a 1b and 1c. i just can't find anything to separate my top three. all three albums i listen to without skipping a track. all three albums a little different. all three my favorite of 2006. there isn't much i can say about this album that i didn't already back in october, so i won't repeat myself. bottom line is that this album has only grown on me since then. i listen to it every time i work out. the only notion that i'll disagree with andy on is that it's not pop. it's not justin timberlake pop. or even brandtson pop. it's blood brothers pop. and that, in my mind, is what all pop should be be made of.
1b) park - building a better _____ - my next two have more in common with andy's list than i was first willing to acknowledge. while andy's list is full of singer/songwriters, park and brand new are very much the brainchildren of dominant frontmen. it won't be long before ladd mitchell and jesse lacey are known outside of their bands. i hope not too soon, though, for i like them both very much in their current incarnations. park's last album kicked serious ass. a lot of emotional/suicidal/depressed rock in a package that was hard not to classify as "emo". they stepped away from the screaming on this record and put together a beautiful effort. as romantic and inspiring in places as their last album was a downer, i could sit and sing lines from this album all day. i love ladd's voice and his sense of melody is one of the most impressive i've ever heard. if you haven't heard park, give this album a try before their last couple and work backwards. or save the others for a rainy day. this one has a couple sad songs, but building a better _______ always points toward the light at the end of the tunnel.
1c) brand new - the devil and god are raging inside me - it is no accident that the two albums i most looked forward to going into 2006, blood bros. and brand new, ended up as co-number ones. they are two of my favorite bands. and like any good band, they don't make the same record twice. i almost let myself be sucked into the online negativity towards this album. it's not deja entendu. it's so "different". but the different is what, ultimately, makes this great. much less accessible than their first two albums, this album finds jesse and company struggling with their inner spiritual side. maybe this album's theme also hits me at a time in my life when i, too, am struggling with where god is pointing me next. whatever the case may be, i love this album. i will love it for a long, long time. and i think when it comes down to it, this may be the soundtrack to whatever direction i head in 2007. the music has reminded some of radiohead, but i don't buy that. not yet. they may be headed in that direction, but they aren't radiohead crazy yet, and i hope they never are. most of the songs tend to be soft introspections that explode into discovery or silence depending on the mood of the songwriter. that explosion is one that the listener can anticipate with every listen, but one that you could travel down a different path to every time considering the many layers that most songs contain. great album. great last purchase of 2006. will stay in the rotation for well into 2007.
just missed...
pearl jam, gatsby's american dream, saves the day, angels and airwaves, the lemonheads
songs of the year:
hide and seek - park
nausea shreds yr head, giant swan - blood brothers
the black parade - mcr
luca, archers, jesus christ - brand new
london bridge - fergie (what???)
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Thursday, December 28, 2006
you don't realize how pleasant your "busy" christmas day was until you spend the next day throwing up
(i hate vomit)
christmas has come and gone. hannah is now three years old. we are only a few days away now from the year 2007 and all the jokes about how people are screwing up the dates on their checks because they "can't believe it's 2007!!!". honestly, how many years 'til the window on that particular conversation starter closes? five? maybe ten at the most? with the advent of the checkcard followed by it's complete integration into society, only old people write checks now anyway. when they are gone, we'll have to come up with something new.
so, what will my lasting memory of this year's christmas day be? if you are asking me six months from now, the answer may in fact be different. if you are asking me today, the answer would be vomit. let me explain.
christmas day went pretty much like the last three have gone for us. up close to dawn. family christmas. santa. family presents. the whole bit. off to marie's house for french toast and breakfast casserole and more presents. then off to sandy's (my stepmother) niece's house to visit with my dad, sandy, ken and angel for a bit. open more presents. say our good-bye's. hear crappy excuses as to why dad and sandy won't be at their granddaughter's birthday party. head home. hannah naps. we clean. hannah wakes up. head to marie's again for turkey and dressing (so good....so. good.). then back to our house for hannah's party. the party is nice. everyone has a good time. i give away my playstation 2. the house is empty. day complete. was it a busy day? sure. but every family's christmas day is busy, right? only if you are unlucky.
then comes the vomit. i wake up around 12:45 the next morning and don't feel right. i know what's coming. i just don't want to admit it. after coming out of the bathroom for the first of many, many times, i lay down. an hour later, the marathon session of losing all that lies within me begins and doesn't end until late in the a.m. hours. sarah cycles about two hours behind me most of the day and we spend one of the more miserable and memorably pathetic days together we have ever spent. both sick. neither capable of taking care of the other. both resigned to "get through it" as soon as possible. not really sure when that end is actually going to come.
i think that if i believed in a literal hell, a place of eternal damnation and suffering, i believe now that all you would do there is throw-up. what worse way can you think to spend eternity? spewing from every orifice. muscles you never realized that you had cramping at the same time. head pounding from dehydration. body alternating between adrenaline charged sweat to fear charged cold. a feeling of helplessness so strong that you wonder to yourself if death may be the better way to go at that very moment when things are at their worst.
all in all, the 26th was a long day. i don't know if there really was a lesson to be found in it. i know i did my share of griping about our "schedule", just like i always do. was this god's way of telling me to shut up? maybe (if your idea of god is that he's mean as shit). i know that i felt like i could've been more proactive in making the day as a whole feel less stressful. was the vomit god telling me that i needed the day off from work to "recharge". maybe (if your idea of god is that he is a sneaky little bastard). i guess, now that i feel human again, i will choose to look at it like this. it could've been worse. the vomit could've come the day before. it could've ruined weeks worth of anticipation about what our christmas with hannah would be like, but it didn't. it came the day after. on the 26th. nothing big was going on on the 26th.
so, here we are on the 28th, and things seem to be ok. hannah gets to open more presents tomorrow. probably her last for this year. mommy and daddy are back at work. all bodily systems are operating normally. alabama lost another football game. what's not to love?
(i hate vomit)
christmas has come and gone. hannah is now three years old. we are only a few days away now from the year 2007 and all the jokes about how people are screwing up the dates on their checks because they "can't believe it's 2007!!!". honestly, how many years 'til the window on that particular conversation starter closes? five? maybe ten at the most? with the advent of the checkcard followed by it's complete integration into society, only old people write checks now anyway. when they are gone, we'll have to come up with something new.
so, what will my lasting memory of this year's christmas day be? if you are asking me six months from now, the answer may in fact be different. if you are asking me today, the answer would be vomit. let me explain.
christmas day went pretty much like the last three have gone for us. up close to dawn. family christmas. santa. family presents. the whole bit. off to marie's house for french toast and breakfast casserole and more presents. then off to sandy's (my stepmother) niece's house to visit with my dad, sandy, ken and angel for a bit. open more presents. say our good-bye's. hear crappy excuses as to why dad and sandy won't be at their granddaughter's birthday party. head home. hannah naps. we clean. hannah wakes up. head to marie's again for turkey and dressing (so good....so. good.). then back to our house for hannah's party. the party is nice. everyone has a good time. i give away my playstation 2. the house is empty. day complete. was it a busy day? sure. but every family's christmas day is busy, right? only if you are unlucky.
then comes the vomit. i wake up around 12:45 the next morning and don't feel right. i know what's coming. i just don't want to admit it. after coming out of the bathroom for the first of many, many times, i lay down. an hour later, the marathon session of losing all that lies within me begins and doesn't end until late in the a.m. hours. sarah cycles about two hours behind me most of the day and we spend one of the more miserable and memorably pathetic days together we have ever spent. both sick. neither capable of taking care of the other. both resigned to "get through it" as soon as possible. not really sure when that end is actually going to come.
i think that if i believed in a literal hell, a place of eternal damnation and suffering, i believe now that all you would do there is throw-up. what worse way can you think to spend eternity? spewing from every orifice. muscles you never realized that you had cramping at the same time. head pounding from dehydration. body alternating between adrenaline charged sweat to fear charged cold. a feeling of helplessness so strong that you wonder to yourself if death may be the better way to go at that very moment when things are at their worst.
all in all, the 26th was a long day. i don't know if there really was a lesson to be found in it. i know i did my share of griping about our "schedule", just like i always do. was this god's way of telling me to shut up? maybe (if your idea of god is that he's mean as shit). i know that i felt like i could've been more proactive in making the day as a whole feel less stressful. was the vomit god telling me that i needed the day off from work to "recharge". maybe (if your idea of god is that he is a sneaky little bastard). i guess, now that i feel human again, i will choose to look at it like this. it could've been worse. the vomit could've come the day before. it could've ruined weeks worth of anticipation about what our christmas with hannah would be like, but it didn't. it came the day after. on the 26th. nothing big was going on on the 26th.
so, here we are on the 28th, and things seem to be ok. hannah gets to open more presents tomorrow. probably her last for this year. mommy and daddy are back at work. all bodily systems are operating normally. alabama lost another football game. what's not to love?
Thursday, December 21, 2006
santa kiker
(hannah and me, part seventeen)
so, this is it. the true meaning of my christmas. feel free to argue with me about this. i will just make you feel selfish and wrong. i promise. because this is it. i've had my opportunity to rail against "christmas-time". what i don't like about the season. the worst that it brings out in people. i've had (or read) others tell me what they think christmas should be/is about. baby jesus. a time for family. a time for renewal. a time to let bygones be bygones. a time to focus on someone other than yourself. a time for visa checkcards. and xbox 360's. a time for candles. and ties. the nativity story. the nativity story? rocky 6??? a time for this. a time for that. a time for love. a time for hate. i swear it's not too late. and maybe it is. some of these things. or all of them. or maybe it's this.
so, there's this guy i know. happens to be one of the very few people in this world that i'd take a bullet for. this guy has this crazy idea. he's going to buy a santa suit. he's going to wear this santa suit. and not just for his kids. but for a lot of kids. he's going to make house calls for goodness sake. he's going to spend his weekends at food giant making sure that kids he has never seen and may never see again have a chance to tell santa what they want for christmas. okay, so he's also going to have to give that same chance to 45 year old women with not enough teeth and not enough clothes that think it would be really cute and fun to sit on santa's lap. it's a dirty job. you have to take the good with the bad.
in my eyes, this act, this idea is a beautiful metaphor for what christmas-time should be about. instead of railing against the commercialism of the holiday, this guy is owning it. instead of just being upset that some people are too stingy and selfish to "understand" the "true meaning" of christmas, this guy is doing something about it. and he's making kids happy. and he's making cynical parents warm with the idea of of their kids being happy. it's his idea. it's his ministry. there are people all over the world that play the role of santa. suit and all. some are paid. some are not. these people are very special. kids can't get the idea of jesus as the ultimate "giver". hell, sometimes i can't. but they can get santa. this jolly guy in red that shows up and gives them something out of the kindness of his heart and doesn't ask for anything in return. now, this is the part of the story where some might think or say that santa doesn't come to every house. and i get that. i know i am lucky. i know my family is blessed. but i didn't say santa was the true meaning of christmas. i said this guy, this idea would be my true meaning of christmas.
and so tonight, hannah, santa kiker will come see you. you may be stoked. you may completely freak out. we'll see. i keep thinking, though, that this may be one of your first true memories that you hold onto. i hope so. it would be a good one.
i know i will hold onto it. merry christmas, kiker. merry christmas, indeed.
(hannah and me, part seventeen)
so, this is it. the true meaning of my christmas. feel free to argue with me about this. i will just make you feel selfish and wrong. i promise. because this is it. i've had my opportunity to rail against "christmas-time". what i don't like about the season. the worst that it brings out in people. i've had (or read) others tell me what they think christmas should be/is about. baby jesus. a time for family. a time for renewal. a time to let bygones be bygones. a time to focus on someone other than yourself. a time for visa checkcards. and xbox 360's. a time for candles. and ties. the nativity story. the nativity story? rocky 6??? a time for this. a time for that. a time for love. a time for hate. i swear it's not too late. and maybe it is. some of these things. or all of them. or maybe it's this.
so, there's this guy i know. happens to be one of the very few people in this world that i'd take a bullet for. this guy has this crazy idea. he's going to buy a santa suit. he's going to wear this santa suit. and not just for his kids. but for a lot of kids. he's going to make house calls for goodness sake. he's going to spend his weekends at food giant making sure that kids he has never seen and may never see again have a chance to tell santa what they want for christmas. okay, so he's also going to have to give that same chance to 45 year old women with not enough teeth and not enough clothes that think it would be really cute and fun to sit on santa's lap. it's a dirty job. you have to take the good with the bad.
in my eyes, this act, this idea is a beautiful metaphor for what christmas-time should be about. instead of railing against the commercialism of the holiday, this guy is owning it. instead of just being upset that some people are too stingy and selfish to "understand" the "true meaning" of christmas, this guy is doing something about it. and he's making kids happy. and he's making cynical parents warm with the idea of of their kids being happy. it's his idea. it's his ministry. there are people all over the world that play the role of santa. suit and all. some are paid. some are not. these people are very special. kids can't get the idea of jesus as the ultimate "giver". hell, sometimes i can't. but they can get santa. this jolly guy in red that shows up and gives them something out of the kindness of his heart and doesn't ask for anything in return. now, this is the part of the story where some might think or say that santa doesn't come to every house. and i get that. i know i am lucky. i know my family is blessed. but i didn't say santa was the true meaning of christmas. i said this guy, this idea would be my true meaning of christmas.
and so tonight, hannah, santa kiker will come see you. you may be stoked. you may completely freak out. we'll see. i keep thinking, though, that this may be one of your first true memories that you hold onto. i hope so. it would be a good one.
i know i will hold onto it. merry christmas, kiker. merry christmas, indeed.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
ghetto from the get-go
(wal-mart is not your friend)
i wish i could take credit for the post title. it's awesome. but i can't. that came out of sarah's mouth as we were leaving our friendly neighborhood wal-mart last night. why? because it is freaking true. i mean, let's be serious. depending on how highly you rate the "convenience" factor of wal-mart - having everything under the sun in one place -, is there anything to like about it? way too many people. all the time. way too big of a space for a person to genuinely feel comfortable. we, honestly, decided against walking over to look at bikes for hannah last night because the bikes are three fucking miles away from the food section. i got tired just thinking about it. way too big. did i mention the "way too many people" part? it doesn't matter if you go early in the morning. late at night. middle of the night. there are always way too many people there to make sense. it would be different if they were giving away money. food. gold. free you, me and dupree dvd's. something that would draw people in masses to this human wasteland. but they aren't. so, i don't get it. going at christmas-time is even more of a joke, because we have been conditioned to believe that wal-mart will have what we need at the price we want it. they probably don't, or don't anymore because some crazy-ass savage got it after midnight on black friday, but we go anyway, bound to be disappointed. wal-mart is not your friend. not mine. and you know what's worse? i will probably go back sometime soon to get that bike for hannah. someone...FREE ME FROM THIS MACHINE!
speaking of things that irritate me during christmas-time:
* magic 96. some of us really like the christmas music. i do. but i am having a hard time with all the sappy "my neighbor isn't going to have a real christmas" stories they keep playing ad naseum. first of all, you are exploiting this person that feels like they need to call you by playing their story and emotion on air. secondly, you are helping them by doing what again? a $250 checkcard? really??? wow. how gracious you truly are! and what will happen when these people cannot afford food in january? another gift card? or a cold message that it's not december anymore. ugh. let's teach people to "fish".
* the hyper-sensitivity towards the idea of "family". i am guilty of this. shouldn't we focus our attention more on those we love and those that love us back unconditionally than the folks that just so happen to be related to us? i say yes even though i am not sure i am man enough to put that idea into practice this year.
* combo gifts. if you are reading this and know someone (hint, hint) born on or around christmas, remember that you get gifts on your birthday. you get gifts on christmas. so should the person in question.
* buying gifts because it's christmas. "have you started your shopping yet?" has become one of the most annoying things i hear over and over this time of year. particularly because the response tends to be something like, "no, but i'll get it done soon." this implies that you are not going to buy something thoughtful as much as you are getting something out of obligation. don't do that. if you don't feel compelled to put thought into a gift, just send a card. it will come across as more meaningful. i promise.
* christmas lights. i can deal with them a little better now that hannah enjoys them, but i don't like them in general. i don't get the point. it just seems very showy and unnecessary. i love christmas trees. my christmas tree. with ornaments for my family. christmas lights seem silly.
i am sure that sarah and folks at work think i am a scrooge. but i am not. i do like christmas. even more now with hannah. i like buying stuff for people i love and as rehearsed as it is, christmas is a wonderful excuse to do that. i just don't get off on it i guess. i think i am more in love with the feeling that i have recently, that every day is the same. that every day is a gift. and too often we get caught up in ranking days and the impact that those days "should" have on us.
i can't wait 'til christmas. 'til hannah's birthday. the day all the "stuff" goes away and we can enjoy each other. that's all a holiday should be, right? a day to enjoy each other.
(wal-mart is not your friend)
i wish i could take credit for the post title. it's awesome. but i can't. that came out of sarah's mouth as we were leaving our friendly neighborhood wal-mart last night. why? because it is freaking true. i mean, let's be serious. depending on how highly you rate the "convenience" factor of wal-mart - having everything under the sun in one place -, is there anything to like about it? way too many people. all the time. way too big of a space for a person to genuinely feel comfortable. we, honestly, decided against walking over to look at bikes for hannah last night because the bikes are three fucking miles away from the food section. i got tired just thinking about it. way too big. did i mention the "way too many people" part? it doesn't matter if you go early in the morning. late at night. middle of the night. there are always way too many people there to make sense. it would be different if they were giving away money. food. gold. free you, me and dupree dvd's. something that would draw people in masses to this human wasteland. but they aren't. so, i don't get it. going at christmas-time is even more of a joke, because we have been conditioned to believe that wal-mart will have what we need at the price we want it. they probably don't, or don't anymore because some crazy-ass savage got it after midnight on black friday, but we go anyway, bound to be disappointed. wal-mart is not your friend. not mine. and you know what's worse? i will probably go back sometime soon to get that bike for hannah. someone...FREE ME FROM THIS MACHINE!
speaking of things that irritate me during christmas-time:
* magic 96. some of us really like the christmas music. i do. but i am having a hard time with all the sappy "my neighbor isn't going to have a real christmas" stories they keep playing ad naseum. first of all, you are exploiting this person that feels like they need to call you by playing their story and emotion on air. secondly, you are helping them by doing what again? a $250 checkcard? really??? wow. how gracious you truly are! and what will happen when these people cannot afford food in january? another gift card? or a cold message that it's not december anymore. ugh. let's teach people to "fish".
* the hyper-sensitivity towards the idea of "family". i am guilty of this. shouldn't we focus our attention more on those we love and those that love us back unconditionally than the folks that just so happen to be related to us? i say yes even though i am not sure i am man enough to put that idea into practice this year.
* combo gifts. if you are reading this and know someone (hint, hint) born on or around christmas, remember that you get gifts on your birthday. you get gifts on christmas. so should the person in question.
* buying gifts because it's christmas. "have you started your shopping yet?" has become one of the most annoying things i hear over and over this time of year. particularly because the response tends to be something like, "no, but i'll get it done soon." this implies that you are not going to buy something thoughtful as much as you are getting something out of obligation. don't do that. if you don't feel compelled to put thought into a gift, just send a card. it will come across as more meaningful. i promise.
* christmas lights. i can deal with them a little better now that hannah enjoys them, but i don't like them in general. i don't get the point. it just seems very showy and unnecessary. i love christmas trees. my christmas tree. with ornaments for my family. christmas lights seem silly.
i am sure that sarah and folks at work think i am a scrooge. but i am not. i do like christmas. even more now with hannah. i like buying stuff for people i love and as rehearsed as it is, christmas is a wonderful excuse to do that. i just don't get off on it i guess. i think i am more in love with the feeling that i have recently, that every day is the same. that every day is a gift. and too often we get caught up in ranking days and the impact that those days "should" have on us.
i can't wait 'til christmas. 'til hannah's birthday. the day all the "stuff" goes away and we can enjoy each other. that's all a holiday should be, right? a day to enjoy each other.
Friday, December 08, 2006
alabama-centric
edit: this post, less than 12 hours removed from it being published, is now irrelevant. all except the bottom part about mark gottfried sucking. i stick to that until i am swayed otherwise.
there is no telling how many hundreds upon thousands of bloggers, journalists, what-have-you will comment on this today, but i haven't said much about alabama football all season (not that i've had much reason to), so i'll weigh in with my two cents. i will admit to feeling a little conflicted about the hiring of rich rodriguez. i am sure most rational bama fans may share this feeling with me. now, don't get me wrong. from the word go, once the initial list of names was published, i have been on record rooting for coach rich to be the guy. his offense at west virginia is fun to watch. he has taken that program from mediocrity to bcs-worthy in a very short period of time. he is passionate. he reaks of the "discipline" that oh-so-many alabama fans have been yipping and yelling that mike shula was incapable of doling out. long story short, there isn't one thing to be unhappy with regarding the thought of rich rodriguez being a perfect remedy for what ails ALABAMA FOOTBALL (cue elephant whinny)....
except for the whole, "i am not not leaving west virginia" schtick that he has been playing the last couple of weeks. it doesn't take me or any joe bama fan long to remember the franchione debacle. good to great coach turning bama around bolts for what we know now was his dream job. franchione leaves without telling his players good-bye. sayonara. good riddance. enter mike price. exit mike price. enter mike shula. gag me with a spoon. it sucked. the whole thing sucked. and i can imagine that the way joe bama fan felt back then is exactly what joe west virginia fan is thinking today. "how could he do this?" "he said he was staying." "this is his home." "traitor." "son of a bitch." "wtf." the list goes on and on. and therein lies the reason for my confliction. yes, it is great that bama got a good to great coach. but at what cost? the players he leaves behind may forgive him, but they will not forget this betrayal. they will not forget him being in their living rooms, gushing over his recently signed contract extension, promising his recruits that he will be at west virginia until his grandkids graduate mountaineers.
thankfully, west virginia is a long way away from tuscaloosa. the ill feelings that people have for him up north shouldn't affect the image of the shiny new 2 million dollar coach walking into the homes of high school seniors down in dixie.
i do hate it for the people of wvu. i know what you are thinking this morning. it's not hard to understand how the incredible pay raise, the lure of the sec, the chance to be the next bear could lure your native son away. it's just hard, period. sorry. and thanks for the coach.
etc...if alabama basketball has top five talent (and they do), and their coach cannot defend the three, what do you have? a four or five seed that will have to pull a major upset (think last year and ucla) just to get out of the first weekend of the ncaa tourney. if alabama has two first round picks (and they do), and their coach is going to allow the taller one to audition for the nba by taking jumpers and three point shots instead of playing to his strengths, what do you have? see above. if alabama has a chance pull off a special season (and they do), they need to decide before january what kind of team they are. last night was waaaaaaaaayyyyy too familiar, and i already can't stand mark gottfried as a bench coach. a coach that is constantly outcoached. we got beat by a bunch of white boys shooting threes....again. just like last year.
roll tide?
edit: this post, less than 12 hours removed from it being published, is now irrelevant. all except the bottom part about mark gottfried sucking. i stick to that until i am swayed otherwise.
there is no telling how many hundreds upon thousands of bloggers, journalists, what-have-you will comment on this today, but i haven't said much about alabama football all season (not that i've had much reason to), so i'll weigh in with my two cents. i will admit to feeling a little conflicted about the hiring of rich rodriguez. i am sure most rational bama fans may share this feeling with me. now, don't get me wrong. from the word go, once the initial list of names was published, i have been on record rooting for coach rich to be the guy. his offense at west virginia is fun to watch. he has taken that program from mediocrity to bcs-worthy in a very short period of time. he is passionate. he reaks of the "discipline" that oh-so-many alabama fans have been yipping and yelling that mike shula was incapable of doling out. long story short, there isn't one thing to be unhappy with regarding the thought of rich rodriguez being a perfect remedy for what ails ALABAMA FOOTBALL (cue elephant whinny)....
except for the whole, "i am not not leaving west virginia" schtick that he has been playing the last couple of weeks. it doesn't take me or any joe bama fan long to remember the franchione debacle. good to great coach turning bama around bolts for what we know now was his dream job. franchione leaves without telling his players good-bye. sayonara. good riddance. enter mike price. exit mike price. enter mike shula. gag me with a spoon. it sucked. the whole thing sucked. and i can imagine that the way joe bama fan felt back then is exactly what joe west virginia fan is thinking today. "how could he do this?" "he said he was staying." "this is his home." "traitor." "son of a bitch." "wtf." the list goes on and on. and therein lies the reason for my confliction. yes, it is great that bama got a good to great coach. but at what cost? the players he leaves behind may forgive him, but they will not forget this betrayal. they will not forget him being in their living rooms, gushing over his recently signed contract extension, promising his recruits that he will be at west virginia until his grandkids graduate mountaineers.
thankfully, west virginia is a long way away from tuscaloosa. the ill feelings that people have for him up north shouldn't affect the image of the shiny new 2 million dollar coach walking into the homes of high school seniors down in dixie.
i do hate it for the people of wvu. i know what you are thinking this morning. it's not hard to understand how the incredible pay raise, the lure of the sec, the chance to be the next bear could lure your native son away. it's just hard, period. sorry. and thanks for the coach.
etc...if alabama basketball has top five talent (and they do), and their coach cannot defend the three, what do you have? a four or five seed that will have to pull a major upset (think last year and ucla) just to get out of the first weekend of the ncaa tourney. if alabama has two first round picks (and they do), and their coach is going to allow the taller one to audition for the nba by taking jumpers and three point shots instead of playing to his strengths, what do you have? see above. if alabama has a chance pull off a special season (and they do), they need to decide before january what kind of team they are. last night was waaaaaaaaayyyyy too familiar, and i already can't stand mark gottfried as a bench coach. a coach that is constantly outcoached. we got beat by a bunch of white boys shooting threes....again. just like last year.
roll tide?
Monday, December 04, 2006
you're so vain
(you probably think this blog is about you)
but it's not.
i mean, it could be.
but, there's a good chance it's not.
unless you are white.
or black.
or stupid.
or eat too much.
or asian.
or a cundiff.
or something else.
or blonde.
maybe even brunette.
this is not about you.
it could be.
and you may know it.
you may not.
but don't worry.
it's not about you.
unless you deserve it.
and you probably do.
and if you do, well...
that's your own fault.
i don't want it to be about you.
i want it to be about me.
which it is.
and isn't.
but know this.
you better take your shoes off.
even if this isn't about you.
this is holy ground.
so says jesus.
or some guy in the bible.
wow.
you're so vain.
but so am i.
so, i've been a bachelor this weekend. the baby girl and the baby's momma have been out of town. i've never been such a slacker as i got to be this weekend. i watched a lot of football. i mean, a lot of football. some basketball. i watched mission impossible 3 and fell in love with tom cruise all over again. how can you not love a guy that, when running full out, runs so straight up. the only other person that runs that straight up is sprinter michael johnson. all tom needs is the gold shoes. that would be hot. what else did i watch? i watched some bcs selection show. thankfully, i don't have to rant about michigan. i watched some zone and was reminded that no one in their right mind would ever want to coach at alabama. yesterday morning, i watched as a "hunter" killed a hippopotamus with a bow and arrow. really quite disturbing actually. i love "hunters". i wish they would shoot each other. now, that would be good television. you should have seen this guy. he was crying over the top of his hippo he was so overjoyed. the zambian villagers were looking at him like, "man, this guy is really a douchebag, but can we have some of that meat?" i spent some quality time on the computer and ate four times. i worked out to make myself feel better about eating four times and lounging on the couch for two days straight and last but not least, i went to a memorial service.
even though she was nervous, donna did a great job with the service. it was good to see tara and ted for the first time in a while, even though the circumstances for bringing us together were really quite tragic. i will miss lou ann. for tara mainly. being married to someone that speaks to their mom at least once every day makes me very sad that tara will not have that chance. her dad will be there. and he will be awesome. it's just not very fair. i was happy to be there for tara and proud for the young woman she has grown up to be. a lot more confident than when we first met, huh tara? i guess that's what seven years can do for you. that and good friends and better family and an above average youth director. right? right? see, i told you this was about me. :)
and so, today, i enter back into the real world of dog poop, silly bird questions, crickets, feeder mice, daughters and wives. i get off the couch and back to "grind". "the grind" should be like this for everyone. not one ounce of me dreads getting back to work today. things could be worse i suppose.
(you probably think this blog is about you)
but it's not.
i mean, it could be.
but, there's a good chance it's not.
unless you are white.
or black.
or stupid.
or eat too much.
or asian.
or a cundiff.
or something else.
or blonde.
maybe even brunette.
this is not about you.
it could be.
and you may know it.
you may not.
but don't worry.
it's not about you.
unless you deserve it.
and you probably do.
and if you do, well...
that's your own fault.
i don't want it to be about you.
i want it to be about me.
which it is.
and isn't.
but know this.
you better take your shoes off.
even if this isn't about you.
this is holy ground.
so says jesus.
or some guy in the bible.
wow.
you're so vain.
but so am i.
so, i've been a bachelor this weekend. the baby girl and the baby's momma have been out of town. i've never been such a slacker as i got to be this weekend. i watched a lot of football. i mean, a lot of football. some basketball. i watched mission impossible 3 and fell in love with tom cruise all over again. how can you not love a guy that, when running full out, runs so straight up. the only other person that runs that straight up is sprinter michael johnson. all tom needs is the gold shoes. that would be hot. what else did i watch? i watched some bcs selection show. thankfully, i don't have to rant about michigan. i watched some zone and was reminded that no one in their right mind would ever want to coach at alabama. yesterday morning, i watched as a "hunter" killed a hippopotamus with a bow and arrow. really quite disturbing actually. i love "hunters". i wish they would shoot each other. now, that would be good television. you should have seen this guy. he was crying over the top of his hippo he was so overjoyed. the zambian villagers were looking at him like, "man, this guy is really a douchebag, but can we have some of that meat?" i spent some quality time on the computer and ate four times. i worked out to make myself feel better about eating four times and lounging on the couch for two days straight and last but not least, i went to a memorial service.
even though she was nervous, donna did a great job with the service. it was good to see tara and ted for the first time in a while, even though the circumstances for bringing us together were really quite tragic. i will miss lou ann. for tara mainly. being married to someone that speaks to their mom at least once every day makes me very sad that tara will not have that chance. her dad will be there. and he will be awesome. it's just not very fair. i was happy to be there for tara and proud for the young woman she has grown up to be. a lot more confident than when we first met, huh tara? i guess that's what seven years can do for you. that and good friends and better family and an above average youth director. right? right? see, i told you this was about me. :)
and so, today, i enter back into the real world of dog poop, silly bird questions, crickets, feeder mice, daughters and wives. i get off the couch and back to "grind". "the grind" should be like this for everyone. not one ounce of me dreads getting back to work today. things could be worse i suppose.
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