Chuck is back on tonight @ 8 pm!

I love this show, they have the whole spy-genre, smoking hot chicks, Mr. Awesome and nerdy kid just trying to live his life after getting tossed from college-which as we learned last season was a good thing-I guess. The premise of the show is regular guy (Chuck) has a super-computer (the Intercept) sent to him and now he "flashes" on bad guys in the government's computer base. This show is one of the Bushido's favorites and had it been on when I was an adolescent, I would own the entire first season. The season premier airs tonight at 8:00 pm on NBC.

Oktoberfest @ Gene's Haufbrau!

You got to love the apron on this guy, sort of mock lederhosen. He said, he actually bought it in Germany in Augsbruck! A-Bro better pick me up one of these when he goes on Wednesday!

UUUuuuuuupppppssss!

UUUuuuuupppssss! I guess I was Wrong-My B! Honestly, I thought this game was going to be a lot closer than it was. Evidently, Bama didn't care that there was a black-out, nor did they care that Georgia was the favorite, and they didn't pay much attention to the crowd-noise.

But as predicted, Georgia killed themselves with penalties ad nauseum. (See photo of Mark Richt hearing the explanation of one of the many penalties Georgia received.) And unfortunately, the press began to note that all of the black wardrobes and body paint, where nothing more than apropos dress for a funeral.

But there's good news: Florida lost today to Old Miss, so tickets to the event formally known as the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party won't be astronomical in price.

College Football Game of the Week! Georgia Hosts Alabama!

Although Georgia is ranked #3 in the nation and Alabama ranks #8, the Bushido thinks (sorry Georgia) Bama will win the game; that being stated, I expect the game to be close perhaps 3-points to a touchdown close but the decider will be the penalties-Saban’s Tide are one of the least penalized team in D-1 football and Georgia is one of top 3 penalized teams in D-1 football. Then again, I could be truly wrong and Georgia could use their “black-out” (Georgia fans are asked to wear black to the game) and long-time Bulldog announcer, Larry Munson (a friend of mine has a dog named after L-M) announced his retirement this week, (see photo) so there could be a little more at stake for Georgia tonight!

The 7-acre corn maze of Larry Munson is located at Southern Belle Farm in Henry County, south of Atlanta (Contact info: Southern Belle Farm, 1658 Turner Church Road, McDonough, GA Price: $12; $10 ages 5-9; ages 4-under are free Contact: 770-898-0999) Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Sent to the Bushido by “Sweets-In-Low”.

Friday Funnies: Curling Iron Beat Down (Courtesy of Sweet's In-Low)

This is great! An attempted robbery gone astray as the women at this Louisiana beauty school (what would seem an easy mark) gave this burglar the beat down of his life.

On "The Late Show" Letterman Blasts McCain For Standing Him Up and Doing Katie Couric's Show Instead...

Did you all see this last night? I thought David Letterman did a brilliant job with this segment: great transition from being respectful and admirable of the senator to the WTF? is McCain doing Katie Couric’s Show when he is supposed to be saving the country. Bravo Dave! Remember the road to the White House runs through "The Late Show" with David Letterman!

When Life Gives You Lehmans-Make Lemonade and Ron Paul on Fox Business "Noise"

This one is for Pit-Stop, "Mr. I'm going to post, but I am sorry, I am too busy to do this". Sure, this just took all of 30-seconds, but whatever. The bottom-line is this, whomever is the next President of the United States will have to raise taxes: 2 wars, a bail-out and the Bush tax cuts-will do nothing more than dig us deeper in debt.

And where is this money coming from? Well, if our Government is not currently raising money (taxation) and the dollar is in the crapper (see USD vs Euro) because our National Debt added another 3 digits on the national debt board this past year-read we're printing money to cover our arse. Then the only place to take money from is the Social Security coffers, which those naysayers say will be broke before the X-Generation gets to the age of retirement. And why will it be broke? Because these spend-thrift Republicans keep covering their tax-cuts, government expansions and war-chests by "writing a bad check to Peter to pay Paul" (not Ron Paul).

For Pit-Stop, I knew that Ron Paul would not win his party's nomination because, sadly, he is way too smart to be a Republican. Look, deny it all you want Repubs, but for the most part, Republicans are not the "thinkers" of the bunch. Republicans like "red-meat": facts-dumb, environment-gay; gun-control-hello, did you forget about the 2nd Amendment? If you want to win, just say something about terrorism and how the liberal American hating Democrats can't protect this country. In the primaries, Ron Paul answered one of the questions smartly as that is not a decision for the president of the United States under our Constitution. Dag-Jimmit! Could you not hear the crickets? Capt Hairdo (and former East-coast elitist) announced that he would "fight terrorism over there so we wouldn't have to fight them over here"-cheers! Is it that easy Republicans that you won't listen to "smart" people because they care about America's role on the world's stage? Or that they might have ideas that are outside of the small-minded box?

And for all of those pithy comments about how you don't vote Democratic because you work and you don't think government should be the source of handouts (read: Welfare); well, these government bailouts to Wall Street are (Ron Paul has this one right-link to Paul's article on the Bailouts) nothing more than covering the risks that investment banks knowingly took and now know as long as they are a direct correlation between Wall Street and Main Street, they can take all the chances they want, because for all intensive purposes they are playing with the "houses money" (read: you, the American tax-payers money). And if you took every American currently on welfare and gave them $1 million (Yahtzee!), the total would still be less than 1% of bailout given to Lehman Brothers.

McCain Flip-Flops & Palin Needs A Re-Fresher Course on the Rachel Maddow Show!

Rachel Maddow's new show is good stuff in the encore presentation of what she used to do on Olbermann's Show. You know, in the world of video clips and You-Tube, politicians need to pay attention and realize that people will put their Google to work and catch a patrician by their toe. For those of you who don't remember the S&L scandal and the Keating 5 (which John McCain was a member of) from the '80's, you should check out Micheal Lewis' book, Liar's Poker-one of the Bushido's favorite books, where Lewis breaks down the hubris misplayed by the big-swinging-Dicks as they continued to take on bad-debt just to prove they could take on the aforementioned debt-which led to a formal break-down in the savings and loan industry. Unfortunately, this should have been a book passed out in business 101, or perhaps to freshman-"congressman" as they work their way up to certain committees, and become decision makers for the rest of America. Because as the old adage goes, "those who don't know history, are doomed to repeat it."

Friday Funnies: The Barbecue Song!

I thought this was a great tune to introduce the world to southern-bbq and clarify what barbecue is and isn’t. Also, it’s always funny to take a shot at Florida whenever you get the chance. Enjoy.

Hosted by Alka Seltzer’s speedysroadtrip.com

Wednesday's WTF? WTF is everyone riding the Duch?

David Duchovny announced on August 29th that he was entering a rehab-clinic for sexual addiction. If you watch the show, Californication (which Duchovny stars) you might have some idea why he may or may not be addicted (or at least inclined to) sex; the show is stocked full of smart dialogue, great story-lines and lots of sexuality. Or if you've seen his wife Tea Leoni, you might also understand the reason he could need some time off. I'm not judging (see closing) and as I told my friends when Michael Douglas entered rehab for sex-addiction, "That's a pretty sweet reason to go to rehab".

Now here I am throwing the tv show and the wife in the mix, but after Googling (holy sh_crap that doesn't get red-lined by my spell-check any longer) Duchovny and rehab, the first link I came to (MTV) "reported" that we should have seen the clues: Fox Mulder had an addiction to porn, etc. To which I thought WTF people those are characters! Run the hot wife-good looking people young and rocking, and now the man is a bit tired with all of this extra sex-story lines going in his new show, not a character he played on the Gary Shandling Show or Sex In The City.

In closing, David, we've got one thing to say:the Bushido will be seeing you at the meetings!

Bad Day For The Buckeyes!

If there was any question concerning Mark Sanchez ability to run the system at USC, I believe his critics were answered-soundly. USC remains #1 in both the AP and the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Ohio State Buckeyes dropped to #13 in the AP Poll and #14 in the Coaches Poll.

(Photo courtesy of USCRipsIt.com)

Why USC is so good...

If you want to know why Southern California is so good every year, let me take you back to an article written by ESPN's Chris Low from January 22, 2008, titled "Former Trojans happy to be reunited with Kiffin" (link to article). For those of you out of the loop, Coach Lane Kiffin, was the former USC offensive coordinator, before Al Davis (Oakland Raiders owner) hired him as the youngest coach (age 32) in the NFL. Kiffin reunited with nine of his former players (QB John David Booty, OT Sam Baker , tight end Fred Davis, defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis, defensive end Lawrence Jackson, offensive guard Drew Radovich, linebacker Keith Rivers, cornerback Terrell Thomas and running back Chauncey Washington ) at USC in the Senior Bowl as he and the rest of the Raiders staff coached the North team.

USC's Head Coach Pete Carroll has instilled a system of always competing and a philosophy of "winning forever". To which the article captured Carroll's methods quoting Booty as saying, "It goes back to recruiting, Coach Carroll does a fabulous job of getting guys in there and then teaching them a system. Guys really buy into it and believe in it and never waver from it. Everybody loves him, You watch TV, and everybody goes, 'I want to go play for that guy' with the way he carries himself. He's always like that. It's not a front. It's the way he is every day, and then you're in Los Angeles where everybody wants to live with Hollywood, the beach and everything. You have everything in the world around you, and there's no NFL team. You have the whole market, and we play for an historic institution. It's a win-win situation. As long as Coach Carroll is there, I don't see it changing."

And even when USC has a "rough" season going 11-2 last season, they finished with an appearance in the Rose Bowl routing Illinois 49-17 . The Trojans Tuesday practices are legendary in their level of intensity. And the Men of Troy never rebuild; they just reload, garnering top level recruits every year. It will be something to see tonight as both the Buckeyes and the Trojans have smothering defenses. Yet, without Beanie Wells, the Buckeyes won't have an answer to the explosive offense of the Trojans. (Photo courtesy of ESPN.com)

Georgia vs. South Carolina

Georgia is ranked #2 in the nation and many "experts" across the country are putting money down in Vegas for the Bulldogs to win the national title. Britney Spears is a fan of the Georgia Bulldogs. South Carolina had four-turnovers against North Carolina State and lost last week to Vandy. Also, the Gamecocks #1 receiver (McKinley) is out for the game. But forget what you know or have read leading up to this game, because regardless of how stellar Georgia is or how bad the Gamecocks are, this game will be close; it always is. I look for Georgia to win, but by 3 or 7 at the most.

Friday Funnies: Under The Table & Dreaming @ The Clemson vs. Citadel Game!

You know sometimes you walk by someone or something and you just feel compelled to take a photo; this was one of those moments. The funny thing is, I actually think this Clemson fan passed-out under the table in order to be out of direct sun-light. Uuuuuupppsss!

Friday Funnies: Rocking Toddler Performs Juke-Box Hero

This kid is great-so animated and rocking! And a special nod to his parents for grooming his musical tastes with Foreigner and not Miley Cyrus. If you can’t get the video to load here is the link to Stupid-Videos which hosts the video. Enjoy!

Should Obama Apologize For His "Lipstick On A Pig" Comment? We Don't Think So.

You know the thing about a joke is that some people are bound to take offense to it. Call it sensitivity, much a do about nothing or just give it a name. I thought this speech to have that mid-western plain-speak and since I grew up on a farm and listened to my father and his friends talk politics while on the back porch, I've heard the old "you can put lip-stick on a pig, but it's still a pig" saying countless times. That being said, as the audience applauded with laughter, I notice there is probably a bit of double-entendre with him saying this a week after Palin's speech at the RNC, but give me a break people. You all can let your guard down just a bit.

Two Reasons
I don't think Obama needs to apologize for what he said for two reasons: 1) Palin took shots at Obama for being a "community organizer" which brought laughs because evidently the whitest and oldest of the oldest and whitest at the RNC didn't understand that being a "community organizer" is an actual and important job. 2) Politicians (for the most part) give the same speech ad nauseum, just as a well scripted performance of an age old play. We all know Romeo & Juliet but when you see it live, Mercutio's jokes are always due for a refreshing laugh. And since most of the country didn't see Sarah Palin run for Mayor or Governor before her debut in Dayton-which most of us didn't watch-we didn't know the difference between a hockey mom and a pit-bull; well we did know the difference, we just hadn't heard the joke. Which for the un-funny people out there, is a common courtesy to extend the joke-teller.

Something to cry about
Obama, don't apologize and keep giving it to them when they dish it out. I am tired of these Republicans and their cry-baby, tattle-tail, defeat-again attitudes. Maybe their constituency will treat them like my stoic father did when I was a kid: I remember my father's golden rule like it was yesterday, "If you get in a fight, you better win and not come home crying, because if you come home with a black-eye and tears, you'll soon have something to cry about."

The Bushido Is Going To Miss The Olympics

From my Uncle Slit-Throat:

Subject: 2008 Olympic quotes

Here are the top nine comments made by NBC sports commentators during the Summer Olympics that they would like to take back:

1. Weightlifting commentator: 'This is Gregoriava from Bulgaria. I saw her snatch this morning during her warm up and it was amazing.'

2. Dressage commentator: 'This is really a lovely horse and I speak from personal experience since I once mounted her mother.'

3. Paul Hamm, Gymnast: 'I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father.'

4. Boxing Analyst: 'Sure there have been injuries, and even some deaths in boxing, but none of them really that serious.'

5. Softball announcer: 'If history repeats itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again.

'6. Basketball analyst: 'He dribbles a lot and the opposition doesn't like it. In fact you can see it all over their faces.'

7. At the rowing medal ceremony: 'Ah, isn't that nice, the wife of the IOC president is hugging the cox of the British crew.'

8. Soccer commentator: 'Julian Dicks is everywhere. It's like they've got eleven Dicks on the field.'

9. Tennis commentator: 'One of the reasons Andy is playing so well is that, before the final round, his wife takes out his balls and kisses them... Oh my God, what have I just said?'

Bushido Article From Our Friend J-Testa @ AskMen.com

Mafioso: Lessons From Bushido

By Mr. Mafioso

Street Life Correspondent - Every Tuesday

Take these lessons from Bushido and apply them to your own life
Listen up, men. There’s a lot to be gained from paying attention to other cultures, and that’s something La Cosa Nostra has done better than just about anyone. It’s also something that’s kept us turning a steady profit since it all started. Just as some corporate hawks have torn pages straight out of our manuals, we have learned a thing or two from older, more established organizations, especially those from distant lands.

I know what you might be thinking: “The Italian mob learns from other cultures? Yeah right, imagine that.” The thing is, so many uninformed people view La Cosa Nostra as being too old-fashioned for its own good, too set in its ways. It’s true that the old-school Dons --- the Moustache Petes --- who vied for power up until the mid-1900s were stuck in the old way of doing things, but this stubbornness and refusal to adapt would also lead to their eventual downfall. The next generation of leaders were savvy businessmen who could keep up with new pressures and adjust to the new demands of the American people and the ever-increasing presence of the authorities. How did they do this? They watched what was going on around them and took what they could from other similar organizations. One of these “schools of thought” was Bushido, the ancient Japanese code of conduct and the way of the samurai. Let’s take a look at some lessons from Bushido that you can learn.

What is Bushido?

Bushido is the 1,000-year-old Japanese code of conduct that nobles were required to observe and today is still practiced by men all over the world. It combined the fierce ways of the samurai class with the more serene and spiritual teachings of Zen-Buddhism and Confucianism. Above all, the code stressed “frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery, and honor unto death,” and the ethos is still cherished in Japanese society today.

For centuries, the laws of Bushido were not written down anywhere for people to read. At best, they consisted of a few maxims handed down in the oral tradition or that perhaps were passed on to others by a well-known warrior. That was until 1685, when the scholar Yamagei Yoko codified the way of the samurai and offered up seven principles that could be used as guidance for anyone who wished to emulate them.

The 7 Principles of Bushido

1- Loyalty
The foundation of La Cosa Nostra, loyalty to one’s organization (in our case, la famiglia) was also a central point among followers of Bushido. The samurai was loyal to his overlord (his daimyo) and no one else. He didn’t have to explain his actions to anyone apart from his capo, and lived by a completely different set of rules than the rest of the Japanese populace. Remind you of anyone?

2- Honor
Death before dishonor was simply how it went for the samurai. And once honor had been been lost, the only way to get it back was by performing seppuku, ritual suicide achieved by slicing open one’s belly and letting the innards fall to the ground, all while an audience watched. It might seem a bit severe, but it perfectly illustrates the devotion that Bushido members had for their superiors.

3- Bravery
No fear of death and the idea of practicing self-sacrifice are a few lessons from Bushido. Easier said than done, right? The good samurai would never hesitate to put his personal needs last, especially if it was best for the group. It is said that a true warrior would rush onto the point of an oncoming sword if it meant that something would be gained by his clan. That type of bravery is seldom seen nowadays, and it could explain the steady decline of the American mob.

4- Respect
The samurai held a deep respect for tradition and the established order of things. In turn, they demanded respect from the masses and were well within their rights to execute, on the spot, anyone who failed to bow down to them in their presence. In my family’s line of work, it can be just as dangerous when the right people aren’t properly acknowledged and given the respect they believe they’re entitled to.

5- Benevolence
Bushido combined the spirituality of Zen with the teachings of Confucius, which meant that the individual could never be seen as any more important than any other. The ability to exhibit compassion for those less fortunate is perhaps seen as an outdated mode today, but back in the medieval ages it was expected of even the fiercest warrior.

6- Honesty
The samurai was bound by his word, and anyone who was proven to have acted insincerely was stripped of his status and subjected to the worst possible position -- that of a disgraced warrior. This might not fly today in the hustling world of the gangster, but you can be sure that dishonesty will eventually catch up with you.

7- Rectitude
The samurai believed that it was better to lose his life than to appear rude or arrogant. This type of humility is still treasured in most Asian cultures, and I constantly try to teach my men the importance of doing the right thing whenever they can.

The Bushido would like to thank Johnny Testa at AskMen.com for sending this excellent article regarding the Bushido (Way of the Warrior) to us back in May. Editor's Note: Please notice that timeliness was not one of the 7-virtues.

Tho' So I Walk Through This Valley Of Death!

I Shall Fear No Evil, for I have chosen to follow the warriors from the Citadel as they do battle this glorious morning! Unfortunately, the Bulldogs lost yesterday-more to follow later in the week.

Up, Up, and Away @ Tiger Stadium

I'm not sure if BR knows how far up these seats are, but as Lt. Dan said, "I feel sorry for the people who have to sit against the wall".

Friday Funnies: L.A.'s Illegal Canadian Enforcement!

Feed Your iPod: Santogold's "I'm A Lady"

When they said “unofficial video” they meant it over at Little-Friend, then again, as bizarre as this video might be, at least they’re getting the music out. Check out their site when you get the chance, they have an insider’s behind the scenes look at Kings of Leon’s home-movies as they prep for the release of their new album, Only By The Night (released in the U.K. on the 22nd and released here in the US on the 23rd of this month. Good stuff.

Governor Palin Is Formidable!

Well for those of us who had never heard the name Sarah Palin a week ago; we've had a crash course this week from the media and without a better way to describe the position the Republicans were in this week: the Republicans needed twice the sex with half the fore-play when it came to Gov. Palin and after her speech last night Americans learned that she's not one to be underestimated and if Democrats are underestimating her, the result will be dire.

Meeting Sarah Palin
Not only is she easy on the eyes-like a more conservative, slightly hotter, older version of Tina Fey (from 3rd Rock & SNL). In fact, I look for SNL to bring Tina Fey back for a "Hockey Mom" skit, with Tina portraying Gov. Palin. I digress; tonight you learned that she is articulate, Palin's voice has a mid-western familiarity that will appeal to many swing states. Her family is f'ed up which will resonate to a majority of American families with similiar "challenging" blacksheep issues. She introduced us to her family (with 5 kids) with one having down-syndrome (giving special needs families in America an advocate in the White House. And the line about her husband Todd, that "he is still my guy" kicks back to strength in marriage and the age old quest for true love. She could have left the remark about his package out of the speech, but hey they have five kids, look I get it: there's not many extracurricular activities in Alaska, so you have the two-f's (fishing and fornicating). Finally, she hunts moose and is a life-long member of the NRA; which will obviously appeal to the guns and God crowd.

Caveat
The only caveat I can see for Republicans is for the Rudys, Mitts, Thompsons and whomever else will seek the Republican's presidential nomination (under the premise that the McCain and Palin ticket doesn't win in November) Governor Sarah Palin will be the heir apparent as the next Republican president.

Peggy Noonan and Mike Murphy Saying What They Think (Off Air) About Governor Palin

It appears these newscasters question Senator McCain selection for Vice-President. In case you didn’t catch it all, here is the video with subtitles.

Come On T.S. Hanna, We Don't Have Time For This...

And here is her guess-timated path as of this afternoon!

Wednesday's WTF? WTF Do We Care So Much About Politicans Personal Lives?

Now that's how you kick off a Convention!

Gov. Sarah Palin announced yesterday morning that her 17-year old daughter, Bristol, was 5-months pregnant. (Link to article from the NY Times) Well at least this can put a stop to the rumors going around that Bristol (Gov. Palin’s now pregnant daughter) had given birth to Trig (the Governor’s infant son) and not the Governor herself. Which also answers the question of why Bristol is always holding the baby-practice! Obama had it right when he said today that "Gov. Palin's daughter is off limits". Which to the Bushido means he gets it. (Photo of Todd Palin, with Piper, Willow & Bristol holding Trig and Meghan McCain in Ohio credits: Jim Wilson/NY Times)

WTF don't we care about politicians professional lives as much as we care about their personal lives?
Liberal bloggers and far-right bloggers let Bristol be, who are we to judge? Does it really say something about Gov. Palin's parenting ability? Bristol is for all intensive purposes an adult, able to make her own "mistakes" and accept the responsibilities for those actions. But therein lies the problem with American politics and media: we (Americans) for some reason believe that our politicians should have a special moral gravitas when it comes to their personal life and if they don't the media hangs their laundry out for everyone to see. Sadly, this keeps numerous well qualified Americans (who want to serve, but don't because their family has a member whose subjective aspirations of life have gone off track). Ironically, the flip side of the coin is that Americans are quite forgiving for mis-steps in office and won't hold politicans rears to the fire for their mistakes but for some reason, we're not so understanding when it comes to politicians in personal lives. For example, former North Carolina Senator, John Edwards a populist voice for the "poor" was left off of the speaker list for the Democratic National Convention, due to an affair he had. Yet, with all of this emphasis on Palin's daughter, we seem to forget that (in a professional capacity) Governor Palin was involved with a group of fellow Alaskans who wanted to succeed from the Union. And now this is the American, John McCain has chosen as his running-mate? WTF?

The Hunters become the hunted
It's a very interesting movement going on with Republicans as they move from a negative-smear campaign Rovian-styled politics to a victimized style of politics. (It doesn't seem fitting that the party of God and Guns should be lying down and taking whatever doses of their own medicine in the Palin-pregnancy). So, the Bushido offers these suggestions to the P.R. person for Gov. Palin: If you truly want the WT vote, you should say, “Bristol is named after the race-car track instead of some salmon fishery (Bristol Bay) in Alaska of which no one has ever heard." When the media pokes their head into the scandal of abuse of power for trying to fire her former brother-in-law (an Alaska State Trooper) to add pressure to his divorce-custody battle. You answer: "That's right we have just as big of beatch on the right as you do with Hillary." When they question her experience, you answer: "She made a $1,000 bet with her hair-dresser that she could have everyone in the US knowing where Wissilla, Alaska is by the end of the week." And when they ask, why would a woman with a new-born child that has down-syndrome would want to take one of the most time consuming and stressful jobs in the world? You say, nevermind, I don't have an answer for that one. That's a tough question, which makes me question why Gov. Palin would want to even consider the position due to the timing of it all. No wait, here you go: You say, have you seen how attractive Meghan McCain is? Boo-yah!

I caught the CNBC "Street Fight" yesterday and they made some astute points considering the nomination of Gov. Palin. I'll buy in to the idea that perhaps her lack of experience is due to the glass-ceiling that all women face in business and politics. And perhaps this recent unveiling of events with her teenage daughter is a humanizing event; but Erin Burnett (love her by the way) made an excellent point, if one of the Obama's daughter was a teenager and pregnant would the media be dealing with Obama the same way?

Democracy Now's Amy Goodman Arrested at RNC & Feeling Minnesota Nice with Michele Bachmann!

Two of her fellow journalists were arrested and evidently this gray-lady of journalism was subsequently arrested as she checked on the status of her colleagues. For those of you college or law students taking Con-law thinking you have that self-evident First Amendment "right" to say or express yourself as an American, just remember, when in front of a line of po-pos with po-po sticks, your freedom of speech is quite arbitrary.



Feel the Love with Michele Bachmann's "Minnesota Nice"
But if you feel this is too one-sided of a look at the RNC, here's a video of Minnesota's Sixth District U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann speech at the 2008 Republican National Convention-following Democrat Toby Keith's "Stars & Stripes". If anyone happens to know what pharmacutical she is on by all means leave me a comment, so I can get a script from Dr. Feelgood.

Rick Neuheiser and the Bruins take Rocky Top to the wire and a note to Coach Spurrier

Rick Neuheiser made his return to college football and UCLA tonight one to remember. Neuheiser didn't inherit a football powerhouse with the Bruins, competitive each year-sure, but powerhouse-hardly. UCLA lost four senior starters to injury during the game. Their two would be starters at quarterback are both injured, and if you watched the first-half of the Bruins' quarterback Kevin Craft (a junior-college transfer) performance, you would have cut the tv off after he threw his third interception (Craft had four INT for the game) to save yourself from watching a SEC team destroy the young Californians. But you would have missed another game of epic proportions (and importance) in this wonderful opening weekend of college football. Besides, what else was there to watch?

As the second half of the game produced a total 180 of the young Bruins' QB, as Craft confidently moved the Bruins down the field and made completions instead of interceptions, he had an air of confidence as he made pass after pass. Throughout the second-half, the announcers mentioned a few words that caught in my mind: rhythm passing, precision, engineered offense. The spotlight of course will be on the quarterback's story; how we watched him develop as a leader during this one game, but to this, I would have to disagree.

Coaching the West Coast Offense and the System, not the player
What I noticed as the difference between the first-half Kevin Craft and the second-half Kevin Craft was the difference in the coaching strategy. In the first-half, Craft had five receivers to choose from, and took numerous attempts at fifteen plus yard passes, the result-he floated the ball (reminiscent of South Carolina's Tommy Beecher in his performance against NC State last Thursday night) and the Tennessee secondary made him pay for it with interceptions and points on the board. In the second-half, Craft had only three receivers to choose from, the offensive strategy laid-out by Norm Chow was text-book Bill Walsh "West-Coast" offense: short-timed passes using the field horizontally and creating a rhythm which allowed the Bruins' defense some well deserved rest and kept the Volunteers' defense frustrated.

The transformation here was not with the quarterback, but with the coaches. In the first-half Chow and Neuheisel went with the flashier albeit higher-risk option of going for the deep receiver (San Diego Coach Don Coryell's interpretation of Sid Gilman's "West Coast" offense) which resulted in nothing more than punishment and frustration for the Bruins' side-lines and young quarterback. The change in the second-half was to more precise and engineered short passes (Walsh's interpretation of Gilman's air-attack). In 1971, as the offensive-coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals, Bill Walsh took the woobly, floater throwing Virgil Carter's weaknesses and turned them into an advantage by limiting the number of receivers Carter had to choose from and by using his seemingly weak arm (at long distances) and using his arm to shorter, more precise passes (less than 12-yards). Carter's pass-rating went from bottom of the barrell to a league leading 62.2%. Which as we watched tonight worked for Kevin Craft as well. And if the Gamecocks wish to continue with Tommy Beecher (although it may seem that Chris Smelley has won the job) Coach Spurrier needs to use Beecher's "talents" and tweek the system of his air attack to fit Beecher. If not, the SEC secondaries the Gamecocks face this season will do much more harm than the slower, State defense they faced last Thursday.


Photo of Elise, former SI Cheerleader of the Week, and her Bruins cheerleading friends courtesy of Sports Illustrated

Feed Your iPod: Solange's "I Decided"

I know there are a lot of haters, hating on Solange because she has a famous sister, hence a famous last name (Knowles), but the Bushido digs this song and I love the creativity behind the iconography of the video. Brava Solange!