Slamball

KU-Mizzou Smack

For those of you who need to brush up on your "Bleeding Kansas" here is a link tothe event referenced on the shirt.

The Tic-Tac-Toe Playing Rooster

Great Decisions in Athletic Administration

I'm sure no one is regretting this decision in Lincoln.

Drought Update

Another week and the red "drought blob" has not changed. We are keeping our fingers crossed that our luck will change tonight! There is a very large system that is hitting Memphis as I type.

Ross the Tonight Show Intern at OU-Texas

This will be my last OU-Texas post until next years game!

Auburn vs. Arkansas

This weekend's game between Arkansas and Auburn in Fayetteville could be the make or break game in Houston Nutt's career. With a loss the Hogs will fall to 0-3 in the SEC with Tennessee, South Carolina, and LSU still on the schedule. The Hog faithful are already howling for Nutt's job A loss Saturday could be the beginning of the end for Nutt.

The Girls, Amy, and I made a whirlwind trip to Arkansas yesterday. We left Columbia at 1:30 AM so I was able to sample some early morning sports talk radio on the way to Searcy. It didn't take long to for the Hog fans frustration to bleed over and dominate the Little Rock airwaves. Later in the day my friend Ries Lloyd told me about an incident that occurred the previous weekend during the Arkansas/Tennessee Chattanooga game. Apparently a plane circled the stadium over a dozen times with a banner that read "There's Nuttin like being 0-2 in the SEC."

Boom Goes the Dynomite!!!

What happens when an inexperienced sports anchor meets a broken teleprompter?

The Wrong Side of the Cotton Bowl

Gundy for Coors Light

We never did this at Harding

The one regret I have about my college education is the lack of anything resembling a D1 athletic program. Specificaly one that offered big-time D1 college football. Competeing against conference rivals whose nick-names are Muleriders, Boll Weevils, and Wonderboys does not qualify as big-time football. We never celebrated beating Arkansas Tech by lighting a bonfire in the middle of Race Street. I doubt their covering much academic content today in Palo Alto.

A Bone to all my SEC Friends

Cool link where "ya'll" can vote on and view the All-SEC Team of All-Time.

28-21

We Have Problems Here in Columbia, Tennessee

Middle Tennessee is currently 16 inches below our normal annual rainfall totals. A nasty dome of high pressure has been sitting on us since June. This has prevented us from getting any coldfronts, gulf moisture, or thundershowers. Since April 15th I can remember only two days of signifigant rainfall. It has not been a good summer for my lawn.

2003 OU-Texas Final Score

Texas Monthly

Team Baby (with a message from Matt McConaughey)

Mack's Long Lost Brother....

Scorched Earth (Anti-UT Day)

I'm dedicating a little time today to post every negative picture or video I can about the Texas Longhorns. Tomorrow is the big game and it has been over 1000 days since Oklahoma last beat Texas! I need that to end this weekend. Boomer Sooner, enjoy the Horn smack.

This Guy Likes His Dell

Last Week in College Football

Bummer in Boulder

Everything in Colorado was great this weekend except the football game and the fact that the TSA is now in possesion of my toothpaste and mousse. My Sooners took a commanding 24-7 lead over the Colorado Buffaloes early in the 2nd half. The Sooner offense took the rest of the game off making 3 turnovers and allowing Colorado to kick a game winning field goal on the last play of the game. Our poor defense was on the field for 82 plays compared to 46 for Colorado defense. Its pretty tough for me to generate much enthusiam for hating Texas right now. That should change later in the week, maybe by Wednesday. Frustrating game but a great weekend.

Aside from the game the CU Boulder campus has to be one of if not the most gorgeous campus in the United States. We spent two hours before the game just walking around the campus in the shadow of the Flatirons. On Sunday Amy and I drove up to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. The aspen trees are turning gold and we got to see several large elk. I'm a huge fan of Rocky Mountain National Park and the Denver area. I'll have more about the TSA defending our country from tartar control toothpaste later in the week.

Standing by His Man

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy went nuclear on the Oklahoma media (specifically the Daily Oklahoman's Jenni Carlson) yesterday. Gundy took offense to this column that was critical of his once starter now back-up, quarterback's attitude. Enjoy the meltdown.

To all the game breakers and possession receivers.....

S-E-A-R-C-Y

Settle Matters "Country Style"

A very funny story told by Buddy Hacket on the the Tonight Show. You'll want the start the video at the 5:20 mark.

Miss South Carolina Speaks Her Mind

Miss Teen South Carolina makes an impassioned speech to deal with the lack of geography skills in Iraq and South Africa to "build up our future for our children."

Ned Fears No Hurricanes

From 1985 until 1987 my Oklahoma Sooners won 33 games and lost only 3. All three losses came at the hands of the University of Miami. The Hurricanes return to Norman for the first time in over twenty years on September 8th. In the past, teams have been intimidated by the scholar athletes from the "U." I hope my Sooners can gain courage and confidence from my man Ned. Despite being from tiny Florida International University, he refused to be intimidated or swayed by the Canes. If you've forgotten about the event you can relive it here.

Tribute to Women Drivers.....

How to Deal with a Telemarketer

Brits Depart Iraq, Leave Man-Eating Badgers

Not making this up. This probably only goes to show that when people are given over to a conspiracy mindset, there is no end to the scenarios they can make themselves believe. Apparently Iranian news is getting some mileage out of these conspiracy myths as well.......

"The Iranian news media ......... claiming that foreign forces have been fitting squirrels with miniaturized surveillance devices and sending them scurrying across the border to spy. Iranian news reports, monitored by the BBC, recently referred to 14 spy squirrels being captured by alert Iranian intelligence officials before the animals could take action against the nation."

Insert Used Car Salesman Joke Here.......

I saved the best for last. The past couple years Oklahoma has featured current Sooners alongside past Sooner greats in their video intro.

Gamecock Intro

This is a very big intro for a very average team.

Dotting the "i"

This pregame ritual goes off before Ohio State takes the field. I think this is probably one of the neatest pregame rituals in college football. Oklahoma State graduate Dexter Manley could not participate with the Ohio Sate band.

Running Through the "T"

Aside from getting beat by Florida, this is the most long-standing tradition in Knoxville. The Vols get high marks for their entry but major deductions for the game maxims which they recite (like a creed) before each game.

Longhorn Intro

Georgia Intro

There are roughly 35 days until college football gets going. To satisfy my CFB jones this week I will be posting the ways in which various teams enter/roll into their stadiums. The worst intro video that I found belonged to Georgia (UGA). The video is way to sappy for football. It includes phrases like "hearts, minds, & bodies," "unbridled excellence," and "new breed of bulldog." If you were to close your eyes and listen to the music only, you would think you were about to watch the Lakota attack Custer on the silver screen.

Feel Good Video Clip

I am ignorant of the subtle nuances of opera, but loved this video from Britain's got talent.

Ohio State/Michigan Hate Smack

Using the objective criteria of ticket cost, Ohio State vs. Michigan is the biggest rivalry in college football. This is also the only rivalry that can boast of a war between their two states. If the lyrics from the video below aren't hateful enough, feel free to visit The Dead Schembechlers website and check out some of the band's song titles.

Ole Miss Has Never Lost a Party

More College Football Hate Prose (UT vs.Bama)

I Hate Alabama

by John Keith Taylor

IT IS THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN. This is the week that I live for the whole year. The THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER. For me, one of my main reasons for living and breathing as a Tennessee Volunteer Fan is sothat I CAN HATE THE ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE!
For me, BAMA not Florida, is Tennessee's nemesis. I HATE BAMA's GUTS. I HATE THE ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE with every word I speak, every blink of my eyes, every thought that I have, every breath I take, and every beat of my heart. I HATE THE ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE!!! I literally cannot stand the sight of 'em. When I first moved to north Alabama and was single, I glued an Alabama decal to the bottom of my commode in my apartment. It was a "natural law" on Saturday afternoon that you would sit around the apartment all day watching college football and drinking beer. It was a rule that you had to yell, "PISS ON ALABAMA" every time you went to the bathroom. (no, I didn't have a wife or kids at that time) It was even better when I had to sit down.
I HATE BAMA because most of their fans are a bunch of dumb a**, cousin dating, illiterate, rednecks who couldn't find Tuscalosa on a map of the State of Alabama if the Southeastern Conference Championship depended on it. Shucks, half of 'em probably can't find the State of Alabama on a map of the United States. They are so dumb that they proudly wear flip-flops and overalls out on the town to Walmart on a Saturday night because they can't tie their own shoes or zip up their pants. However, they proudly fly those BAMA flags from the window of their new 1997 Red Chevrolet or Dodge pick-up trucks with their BAMA bumper stickers on the rear bumper. The truck probably cost 3 times their annual income, but is worth 5 times more than the 1970's model house trailer that they proudly park it in front of next to a brand new satellite dish so they can watch their "beloved" CRIMSON TIDE play and fail to cover the spread against the likes of Bowling Green, Southern Miss, Tulane, etc., etc. on Pay-Per-View. Every once in a while, BAMA plays a really, REALLY, BIG GAME against seasoned, SEC opponents like Kentucky or Vanderbilt. Isn't it strange that one of BAMA's permanent SEC Eastern Division Opponents is Vanderbilt? Well, I guess the BAMA faithful can now say that their schedule just got tougher.

Getting Ready for College Football

A reflective essay about my state and my team, courtesy of Orangebloods.com ....

OKLAHOMA is a s****y little state that cannot produce enough quality football talent on its own to compete at a high level. Thus, their rightful place in terms of history, prestige, and modern football power is along side the Tulsa Hurricanes. However, instead of accepting their fate, which would be the honorable and respectful thing to do, they desperately resort to cheating to get the Texas athlete so their pathetic population can have at least one thing to take pride in and brag about even though it is a false misrepresentation that they did not legitimately earn. They can get a few scraps from Texas, we are all ok with that. But to have more than two-thirds of their team come from Texas and elsewhere while still calling it OKLAHOMA football is absurd. They should be ashamed, but they are proud and beat their chest instead. Ultimately, the SMU's, North Texas', Texas Tech's, and Baylor's of our great state are the ones who suffer because they are left taking the scraps. OKLAHOMA either needs to live or die by primarily recruiting the OKLAHOMA athlete or they need to lose the OKLAHOMA name and call it something else because they are not representing themselves. What if Argentina's Olympic Basketball team kicked team U.S.A's butt in route to a gold medal in the 2008 summer Olympics and did so with a roster full of Americans--Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnet, Lebron James ect. ect. and a couple of guys from Argentina? Would we all say "so what their players have to come from somewhere and there is a lot of talent in the U.S. and not enough in Argentina" and view it as legit Argentina basketball superiority over the U.S.A.? I hardly think so and none of us would accept them beating their chest and waving their flags in our faces full of false pride. However, too many seem to accept a similarly ridiculous misrepresentation and false pride chest thumping when it comes to the Texas vs. Oklahoma rivalry?

Ed Hochuli would never..........

Link to a picutre

Do Not Mess with John Lovitz

I have nothing to add to this story. I just find it funny to think about a 50+ year old with the athletic physique of John Lovitz beating anyone up.

Love Your Enemy

My heart was warmed to find out this little nugget. You'll have to forgive me if I fail to pray for the "Longhorn Victory Ministry" this fall. I am glad to see that a faithful servant of the Lord is excelling on the gridiron. Here is a list of things that I would consider praying for brother Colt....

1.) That Colt will be long suffering

2.) That Colt will learn to endure hardship
3.) That Colt will learn to persist in the face of adversity

4.) That Colt can use his God given ability and bring honor to his family and church (In the Alamo Bowl)

Back from Florida

The Parks Family returned from our last trip of the summer Saturday. We spent the week relaxing with my family in Florida. Vacations at the beach aren’t what they were Pre-Josie/Jenna. Instead of carelessly flitting away hours reading and basking next to the surf we now spend our time monitoring the little angels.
The journey down to Florida was outstanding. All of our stops were organized and efficient. We ate lunch at an Arby’s drive through. While waiting in line for our food we sent the kids in to use the restroom. Everything went like clockwork and we put up a respectable 7:06 time (Columbia to Perdido Key). The solid effort and good teamwork helped to remove some of the sour taste from June’s debacle. The stage was set for a possible sub-7 hour return trip to Columbia.
On Saturday’s the trip home ran into early trouble. Just minutes into our trip Jenna soiled her diaper. By that time we were in Pensacola and had to wait to find an exit with east on/off access to minimize our stoppage time. Once out of Pensacola we pulled over on a county road, made the quick diaper change, and were back on the road asap.
For the next three and a half hours everything went great. At lunch time the plan was to pull off and hit a McDonald's drive through and get back on the road. As we exited the interstate, Amy saw that the exit also had a Cracker Barrel and suggested that we stop there. A stunned silence fell over the van. Looking at the girls in my rear view mirror I could see the disbelief and shock in their faces. Josie’s look seemed to say, “Dad, she knows that is a sit down restaurant where you wait for your table and your meal, right?” Jenna’s was equally puzzled, “I sat in my own poop for half and now she wants to throw it away for a veggie plate?”
We had a sit down family meal that included a ten minute wait to be seated. The final time on the return trip to Columbia was somewhere over seven and a half hours. I don’t know the exact time because I couldn’t bring myself to look at my chronometer once it hit 7:30. Same story as our trip to Oklahoma in June, solid effort going, disaster on the trip home. My team can’t close the deal. Phil Mickelson and the Dallas Mavericks think we can’t finish.

Mr. 3000!

Craig Biggio got his 3000th hit last week. Craig reached the milestone in style, going 5 for 6 in an extra inning victory over the Colorado Rockies. Craig is the 27th player in MLB history to surpass 3000 hits.

Now Biggio sets his sights on becoming baseball's all-time most hit batter. He currently sits at 284 plunks, just 3 away from tying Hughie Jennings. You can follow his pursuit of this milestone here at plunkbiggio.blogspot.com.

My 10 Most Worthless Country Music Songs

Last night, while running I heard a new song release from fellow Boston Marathoner, Joe De Messina called "Biker Chick." I failed to make a real connection with the song or distinguish a discernible point. Before I enjoy any movie, book, or song, I make the assumption that the author had some intended theme or message that they wanted to communicate to their audience. The motivation for a song should be a virtue or experience that the author found so inspiring he wasn't able to keep it to himself. Frequently country music releases and celebrates music that challenges my assumption. I have failed to find an ideal or concept that elevates humanity or the culture in any of the songs below.
(In no particular order)

1.) Bubba Shot the Jukebox
2.) Honky Tonk Badonkadonk
3.) Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox When I Die
*Country music does "Weekend at Bernie's "
4.) John Deere Green
5.) Papa Loved Momma
*Song about an 18 wheeler, motel, and love triangle
6.) Red Neck Yacht Club
*Alcohol + Boating, what could go wrong?
7.) Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof
*Travis Tritt exposes the feelings and social behaviors of the angry drunk.
8.) She Thinks my Tractors Sexy
9.) Have you Forgotten?
*Only song I know that used a phrase that rhymed with "Bin Laden."
10.)Seminole Wind
*I don't know what one is, but maybe the Seminole Wind is responsible for this.

If any of the songs above has influenced or changed your life, please share.

The Wellesley Women

For me, one of the most charming features of the Boston Marathon was running past the women of Wellesley College. Wellesley is an all girls school that boast famous alumni such as Diane Sawyer, Cokie Roberts, Hillary Rodham Clinton, & Madeleine Albright. For at least one day a year these very academic ladies take a break from their studies and lend their whole hearted support to the marathon runners.

The line of Wellesley students extends for roughly a quarter of a mile down the right hand side of the marathon route. During the marathon these ladies will spend hours screaming, yelling, and encouraging all runners who pass by. While I was running past Wellesley several runners stopped to receive kisses from the girls. I also noticed that most of the runners increased their pace as they approached the college. From my perspective it was a welcome pick-me-up at mile 12 and a neat memory that I'll tuck away from my Boston experience.

Back from Oklahoma

The Parks family returned from a whirlwind trip to Oklahoma Wednesday night. Josie and Jenna were both spoiled by their adoring grandparents for four days. This trip gave me the opportunity to get a look at the booming Indian Casino business that has invaded my home state. It would appear that every tribe is out to take the white man's money while filling him with fire water and All-You-Can-Eat- Buffets.

The most disappointing part of the trip was our journey home. Last fall I made the Columbia-Bartlesville run in just over 10 hours. This effort had given me hope that a sub-10 hour time was achievable. Our trip to Bartlesville was accomplished in 10:20. Not a great time but a solid effort given that two of my passengers are under 3 years of age.

As I mentioned, the trip home was a disaster. Arriving in Memphis the van was running solid and we were on pace to hit pretty close to the 10 hour mark. Then the team lost focus and things went downhill in a hurry. First Jenna had a dirty diaper 20 miles east of Memphis. This was followed half and hour later with Josie needing to potty. We made our third stop in Tennessee when Jenna began to cry for super.

The clock read 11:10 when I pulled into our driveway. Before unpacking anything I ordered everyone into the bonus room for a closed door team meeting. The meeting was positive and we got several things off our chests. We talked commitment, discipline, goals, and teamwork. We addressed some attitudes (mostly Jenna) that had infected our team and we talked about ways to improve for our trip back in the fall.

10 Worst College Football Uniforms

Here is a list of the worst uniforms in college football according to CNNSI.

22 Profitable Athletic Programs

A radio station here in Nashville interviewed the Vanderbilt Athletic Director this week. He claimed that only 22 D1 athletic programs made money during the 2005-06 year. While declining to identify the schools he did say that all 22 were major players in college football. I forget why he threw out that number but my mind immediately began to scan the college football map to identify the 22 money makers. Here's my best guess.......

1.) Notre Dame
2.) Texas
3.) Florida
4.) Georgia
5.) Tennessee
6.) South Carolina
7.) Auburn
8.) Alabama
9.) LSU
10.) Texas A&M
11.) Oklahoma
12.) Nebraska
13.) USC
14.) UCLA
15.) Florida State
16.) Michigan
17.) Ohio State
18.) Wisconsin
19.) Penn State
20.) Clemson*
21.) Arkansas*
22.) West Virginia*

*Last three in
Possible omissions: Oregon, Texas Tech, & Iowa

Endangered Species

It looks like my newest sports entertainment hobby will be packing up and heading to Canada in the very near future. This week Nashville Predators owner Craig Leipold announced that he has sold the team to Canadian Billionaire Jim Balsillie. Balsillie had previously tried to purchase the Pittsburgh Penguins in an effort to relocate them.

Leiopld acknowledged Thursday that he has sustained 75 million dollars in loses over the ten years of the clubs existence. In the past two years the Predators have lost 27 million despite benefiting from consecutive playoff runs and a league-wide revenue sharing program. It is doubtful that Balsillie purchased the team to keep it in a market that consistently loses money. If the Predators do not average 14,000 in ticket sales next year, Balsillie will be able to void the lease with the Nashville Arena and move the team.

The Most Watched You Tube Video of All Time

Extreme Mormons

No Dogs in the Hunt

Thanks to the playoff swoons of the Predators and Mavericks, my spring sports calendar has become wide open. These two regular season power houses were supposed to keep me entertained well into June. Thanks to Golden State Warriors and the San Jose Sharks I'll have to find alternative sports entertainment products from now until football starts. Here are a few things I'll be pulling for over the next three months....

1.) My all-time favorite baseball player, Craig Biggio is within 37 hits of reaching the 3000 mark. He should reach this milestone by the end of June.
2.) It appears imminent that Barry Bonds will eclipse Hank Arron's career home run record within the next two months. I will be pulling hard that he accomplishes this feat on the road. The new home run champ deserves an ovation befitting his character and medicine chest.
3.) More Jeff Gordon victories in former states of the Confederacy.
4.) I'd love to see A-Rod eclipse the 200 RBI mark for a season. It would be great if he could do it this year and overshadow Barry's big moment.
5.) Rickey Henderson coming back to MLB for a 26th season at 48.
6.) Tiger and Phil in the final pairing at the US Open, on Sunday.

Fairest of Them All

My favorite women's college basketball coach picked up a big honor this week. Sheri Coale, coach of the Lady Sooner's was voted the “Best Dressed Coach” by the Women's College Basketball Association. I am pleased that Sheri is receiving recognition for her professional appearance on the court. My wife (not a fan of Sheri's attire) feels that her wardrobe is the only reason for my interest in women's college basketball.

The Oklahoma Quarter

The US Mint began producing state quarters in 1998 at the snails rate of 5 per year. Being that my home state is #46, I've had 9 years to ponder and anticipate the image that would represent Oklahoma. From the time I saw the first state quarter (Delaware) I hoped that Oklahoma's remarkable state bird, the scissor-tail flycatcher, would grace our quarter. On April 30th, Governor Brad Henry announced that the image of the scissor-tail flycatcher would indeed represent Oklahoma on it's quarter.
If you've never lived in Oklahoma you've probably never seen a scissor tail. Their range is very limited and they spend their summer almost exclusively in the Sooner state. I am very pleased that Oklahomans chose this beautiful state icon to represent us.

Someday I will have to explain to God why.......

of 150 Psalms I can quote only one (23rd) word for word. I think I know extensive segments of lyrics for at least 90% of these timeless hits. The biggest travesty of this list is that Tears for Fears and Huey Lewis are omitted.

VH1's Top 100 Songs of the 80's

1 Bon Jovi / “Livin’ on a Prayer” 1986
2 Def Leppard / “Pour Some Sugar On Me” 1987
3 Duran Duran / “Hungry Like the Wolf” 1982
4 Michael Jackson / “Billie Jean” 1982
5 Prince / “When Doves Cry” 1984
6 Hall & Oates / “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” 1981
7 Guns N’ Roses / Sweet Child O’ Mine 1987
8 Madonna / “Like a Virgin” 1984
9 Run-D.M.C. / “Walk This Way” 1986
10 AC/DC / “You Shook Me All Night Long” 1980
11 Journey / Don’t Stop Believin’ 1981
12 Whitney Houston / “How Will I Know” 1985
13 U2 / “With Or Without You” 1984
14 The Bangles / “Walk Like an Egyptian” 1986
15 Van Halen / “Jump” 1984
16 INXS / “Need You Tonight” 1987
17 Whitesnake / “Here I Go Again” 1982
18 Dexy’s Midnight Runners / “Come On Eileen” 1982
19 Cyndi Lauper / “Time after Time” 1984
20 Rick Springfield / “Jessie’s Girl” 1981
21 Michael Jackson / “Beat It” 1982
22 The Cure / “Just Like Heaven” 1987
23 Cyndi Lauper / “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” 1984
24 A-Ha / “Take On Me” 1985
25 Go-Go’s / “Our Lips Are Sealed” 1981
26 Guns N’ Roses / “Welcome to the Jungle” 1987
27 Kajagoogoo / “Too Shy” 1984
28 Wham! / “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” 1984
29 Talking Heads / Burning Down the House 1983
30 Pat Benatar / “Love is a Battlefield” 1983
31 Queen and David Bowie / “Under Pressure” 1981
32 Night Ranger / “Sister Christian” 1983
33 Soft Cell / “Tainted Love” 1981
34 Poison / “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn” 1988
35 Phil Collins / “In the Air Tonight” 1981
36 Tommy Tutone / “867-5309 / Jenny” 1981
37 Aerosmith / “Janie’s Got a Gun” 1989
38 U2 / “Pride (In the Name of Love)” 1984
39 Modern English / “I Melt With You” 1982
40 The B-52’s / “Love Shack” 1989
41 Mötley Crüe / “Dr. Feelgood” 1989
42 The Clash / “London Calling” 1982
43 ABC / “Look of Love (Part One)” 1982
44 Bananarama / “Cruel Summer” 1984
45 Janet Jackson / “Nasty” 1986
46 The Police / “Every Breath You Take” 1983
47 Twisted Sister / “We’re Not Gonna Take It” 1984
48 Bruce Springsteen / “Born in the U.S.A.” 1984
49 Beastie Boys / “Fight For Your Right” 1986
50 Eurythmics / “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” 1983
51 Ratt / “Round and Round” 1984
52 Dead or Alive / “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)” 1985
53 Billy Idol / “White Wedding” 1988
54 Salt-N-Pepa / “Push It” 1986
55 A Flock of Seagulls / “I Ran (So Far Away)” 1982
56 Bonnie Tyler / “Total Eclipse of the Heart” 1983
57 Toni Basil / “Mickey” 1981
58 Culture Club / “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” 1982
59 John Mellencamp / “Jack & Diane” 1982
60 Young M.C. / “Bust a Move” 1989
61 Styx / “Mr. Roboto” 1983
62 Berlin / “Take My Breath Away” 1986
63 Devo / “Whip It” 1980
64 Paula Abdul / “Straight Up” 1988
65 Foreigner / “I Want to Know What Love Is” 1984
66 Depeche Mode / “Just Can’t Get Enough” 1981
67 REO Speedwagon / “Keep On Loving You” 1980
68 Public Enemy / “Fight the Power” 1988
69 R.E.M / “It’s The End of the World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine)” 1980
70 Joan Jett & The Blackhearts/ “I Love Rock N’ Roll” 1981
71 Rick James / “Super Freak” 1981
72 The Fixx / “One Thing Leads to Another” 1983
73 Nena / “99 Luftbaloons” 1983
74 George Michael / “Faith” 1987
75 Prince / “Little Red Corvette” 1983
76 Thomas Dolby / “She Blinded Me With Science” 1982
77 New Edition / “Candy Girl” 1983
78 Blondie / “Call Me” 1980
79 Human League / “Don’t You Want Me?” 1981
80 Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock / “It Takes Two” 1988
81 Cameo / “Word Up!” 1986
82 Squeeze / “Tempted” 1981
83 Prince / “Kiss” 1986
84 Lionel Richie / All Night Long (All Night) 1983
85 Robert Palmer / “Addicted to Love” 1985
86 Bow Wow Wow / “I Want Candy” 1982
87 Falco / “Rock Me Amadeus 1986
88 Chaka Khan / “Ain’t Nobody” 1989
89 The Pretenders / “Brass in Pocket” 1980
90 Tone-Loc / “Wild Thing” 1989
91 Katrina and The Waves / “Walking On Sunshine” 1983
92 New Kids on the Block / “You Got It (The Right Stuff) 1988
93 Gary Numan / “Cars” 1980
94 The Rolling Stones / “Start Me Up” 1981
95 Debbie Gibson / “Only in My Dreams” 1987
96 Men at Work / “Down Under” 1982
97 The Romantics / “What I Like About You” 1980
98 Bobby Brown / “My Perogative” 1988
99 Wang Chung / “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” 1986
100 Loverboy / “Working for the Weekend” 1981

I'm sitting this one out

Today Amy and Josie are traveling to Corinth, Mississippi to see this. I will be at home with Jenna watching the NFL Draft while they enjoy My Little Pony Live. Josie's world has been revolving around this day for the better part of two months. Yesterday Amy and I woke up at 5:30 with a three year old in our bed asking us if "Cloud Catcher" would be at the show. The marketing geniuses at the Hasbro planned three shows for Corinth market. If you didn't get tickets for today's show (and there are plenty available) you still have a chance to catch the Sunday matinee.

My Only Quasi-Winkler Post......

I would like to get your opinons on this article that was published Monday in the Columbia Daily Herald. The author is a local woman who is a little bitter at her CoC upbringing. Despite her claims to the contrary, she pins the Winkler murder on the old school CoC methodology. Check it out.......

Link

Pretty often I find former members of the church of Chirst to be pretty bitter people about some aspect of their religious heritage. Often times I am sympathetic to their frustrations. That being said, I think the author fails to demonstrate how a women's silence for an hour on Sunday creates a scenario in which she has no audience to voice her personal problems for the other 167 hours in the week. What do you think?

Also, a few thoughts on the Winkler case......

Will?/Can/Should her church forgive her for murdering her husband?

Would they have forgiven her if she had divorced him?

How much time in jail time did Mrs. Winkler's mild & meek appearance save her?

What are the fundamental differences in situations of Mary Winkler and Scott Peterson?

In handing out punishment for crimes how would you rank the following.....
* justice for the victim
* rehabilitating the violater
* protecting society

Back from Boston!!

First I want to say thanks to all of you who have e-mailed or called me since I returned from Boston. Amy and I had a great trip despite some pretty rough weather. We arrived in Boston about noon on Saturday. Most of the afternoon and evening was spent walking around downtown Boston and Harvard. Saturday's "Chamber of Commerce" weather made it difficult for me to believe the dismal weather forecast for Monday. On Saturday the Boston news channels were using reassuring terms like "historic costal flooding" and "gale force winds" to describe the marathon conditions.

On Sunday we awoke to an ominous drizzle. The priority of the day was to stay indoors, keep dry, and stay off my feet! Walking home from the restaurant Sunday night a stiff cold wind was slapping Amy and I in the face with a hard steady rain. I made up my mind then that if the conditions persisted I would punt on Boston and run two weeks later at Nashville.

The next morning the rain had not relented but the winds had subsided enough to convince me to run. I boarded my bus and headed out to Hopkinton. The wait at Hopkinton was by far the worst part of the Boston experience. All the runners are shuttled to the athletic complex at Hopkinton High School where they wait for the start of the race. For two hours 20,000 runners and myself shivered in the cold rain. The only thing worse than running in the cold is standing around in the cold. I was very ready to run so my body could begin to generate some heat!

The race finally began in the cold rain. Once undeway, the rain and wind seemed to really subside. By Mile3 I was looking to ditch my waterproof windbreaker. I relinquished a Red Sox cap that I had been wearing under my stocking cap (I had planed on using the bill of the cap to keep the driving rain out of my eyes) somewhere around Mile 4 to a very excited young Sox fan. I had also begun the race wearing two pairs of gloves. My outer gloves were crimson and boldly displayed the OU logo. These gloves I gladly tossed to a marathon fan standing by the road holding a Nebraska Cornhuskers flag. In less than 20 minutes I had tossed off over $100 worth of clothing.

I ran the first half of the race very conservatively. At the 12 Mile mark I was feeling great and had begun to contemplate when to turn on the jets and drop some fast splits. My plans changed somewhere around Mile 13 when I felt the first frightening tug on my left calf muscle. During the miles that followed it became obvious that I would be cramping up somewhere before the finish. By altering my stride I was able to nurse my condition until Mile 18. At that point my calf completely locked up forcing me to the side of the road to stretch. My fear was that this years marathon was about to turn into a repeat of my first Boston Marathon.

The previous year I spent the final 8 miles of the marathon walking, stretching, or jogging due to severe cramps that had begun at almost the same identical location on the course. After stretching my calf for over a minute (possibly two) at Mile 18 I jumped back in the race and was able resume a decent pace. This years calf cramps were nowhere near as debilitating as those from the 2006 marathon. I was forced to stop and stretch probably four more times before I finished the race. The difference this year was that after each stretching session I was able resume a healthy but cautious pace for another mile and half to two miles.

My finishing time was 3:05. Not as good as I had hoped but 30 minutes better than I had feared when the cramps began. Thanks to my GU, I was able to hold off any “hitting the wall” symptoms until I was past Mile 24. Up until that point everything, aside from my calves, felt great. I am very curious to know how well I could have done had I avoided cramping. That curiosity may or may not be enough to send me back again for another stab at Boston. My finishing time from this years race automatically qualifies me for next years race!

Finally, several of you have expressed concerns about my health. Most (read "all") of the comments have focused on my slight 153 lb frame. Please know that I am working to rectify the situation even as I type with a bowl of Cookies-N- Cream.

More Bad News.......

BOSTON -- A forecast for a wind-driven rainstorm had organizers of Monday's Boston Marathon keeping a close watch on the forecast. However, the race was expected to be run as scheduled.
StormTrak 5 meteorologist Dick Albert predicted a Nor'easter would begin Sunday and continue through the day on Monday.
"If the winds are strong enough, it could bring down power lines and trees," said Albert.
The potential exists for conditions that could threaten the safety of the runners, forecasters said.
"We are planning for likely heavy rain and windy conditions on race day. However, all race day plans remain the same," the Boston Athletic Association said in a statement on its Web site.

Blogging on Boston, Now the Good News....

This year I have made every effort to eliminate the speed bumps the prevented me from excelling last year. Here is a brief summary of the modest changes and additions I have made to my preparations for the 2007 Boston Marathon.

#1- Last year my average weekly mileage total was somewhere between 56-58. This year I have upped my weekly mileage to 63-65. This would be roughly a 10% increase and should benefit me.

#2 – Last year I had a horrible time sleeping the last four nights before the race. I would sit in bed and just think about the race. Sometime around 3 or 4 AM I would drift off into a shallow and restless sleep. This year a good doctor friend of mine has generously provided me with several samples of the sleep aide Lunesta. I sleep 7 hours and wake up with no drowsy side effects! I will be using this every night except for the Sunday night before Monday's race. I feel that last year my lack of sleep was the most significant single factor in my bonking. This year it won't be a problem.

#3 – This year I have trained for the hills of Newton, Massachusetts. During my long runs I have purposely hit some of the nastiest hills in Columbia after I have been running for two hours. I have no doubt that this will help me both physically and mentally as I approach Newton and the infamous hills.

#4 – I will be carrying packets of the carbohydrate wonder gel, “GU” in my shorts. My shorts have mesh pockets specifically designed for carrying packets of carb-gel. GU, once ingested, should give me 2-3 extra miles of carbs before I hit the wall.

#5 – I have been on spring break for the last two weeks! I am rested and ready to go. Usually I spend my two week spring break in the woods hunting turkey. This year I have given up my early morning hobby in the interest arriving in Boston as rested as I possibly can be.

Blogging on Boston, First the Bad News.......

On April 16th I’m going to run in my second Boston Marathon. As most of you know my first trip there was somewhat less than I had hoped for. I had run a sub-3 hour qualifying time and my expectations were no less for my trip to the most famous marathon in the world. As I found out (the hard way) Boston is a much different marathon than most. Returning to Boston this year my goal of a a sub-3 hour marathon will remain the same. Hopefully I will preform better than 3:34 disaster of last year. Here is a brief description of hurdles in my path and the strikes I have going against me.

At Boston runners are assigned bib numbers based on their qualifying time. The faster the qualifying time, the lower the bib number. Last year my qualifier was a 2:58, my bib was #2244. That means 2,243 people submitted qualifying times faster than I did. I would guess that somewhere close to 2,400 runners sent in qualifying times under three hours. Checking the Boston Marathon official results from last year, I found that fewer than 1,200 runners finished with a time faster than 3 hours. Simply put, roughly half of the people who ran their qualifiers in less than three hours were unable to duplicate the same feat in Boston.

The main reason for the slow times at Boston is the topography of the marathon. The first half of the marathon is either downhill or flat. This encourages runners to go faster than they should. Encouraging this fast pace are the thousands of spectators cheering the runners from town to town. For the first 16 miles of the race there is not a single rise in elevation and split times are fast. Then you arrive in Newton, Massachusetts. Newton presents a series of four hills from mile 16.5 to mile 21.5. Those that have been tempted to push the pace over the easy first half of the marathon are punished severely in Newton.

The hills present two problems. First, they come in rapid succession. None of the hills by itself would pose a problem for a dedicated runner. The cumulative effect however is crushing to the runner's spirits and body. The second reason for the slow times is that the hills begin in the later portion of the race. Newton's hills begin at a point in the race when glycogen stores are beginning to run out. This experience is commonly referred to as “hitting the wall.” Glycogen (Carbs) is the primary fuel of the muscles. Once it is gone the body looks to other fuels, usually fat, to keep it going. Even on a flat course this is painful and results in the runner significantly slowing his or her pace. In Boston your glycogen reserves run just as you are reaching Newton’s hills. Good times.

In all honesty, the deck is stacked against me running a sub-3 hour marathon. Last year a younger me and roughly a thousand people who were faster than me failed to achieve the time goal that I set for myself. Despite my miserable race last year my goal will remain unchanged this year. Why do I think I can do it this year? I’ll tell you later. Have a Happy Easter!

Spring Break!

Well- We are almost finished with one of our two week spring break. Time sure does fly!! We have managed to spend a lot of family time together, which has been wonderful!! We also have completed, with the help of my dad, Josie's swing set. She got it for her birthday in Feb., but we had to wait for it to be warmer to put it together. Although- it was around 50 degrees both days of construction! We still have to build the ladder and install the slide. We are also going to add a baby swing for Jenna. This weather is weird!!
We went to Kentucky today to visit David's grandparents. On the way back we saw some snow flurries!! It is always fun to visit the grandparents- they really love seeing the great-grandkids!!
Tomorrow is our church Easter Egg Hunt- it is going to be chilly! Josie is excited about the hunt and that the bunny is coming tomorrow night. Jenna will stay at home with David. It will be too cold for her to be out.
Speaking of Jenna- she turned 10 months old this week! She is a master at crawling and pulling up. She loves to talk and says bible and uh oh!! She loves her big sister too!
David is tapering off on his running- we leave for Boston a week from tomorrow. We are excited! My roommate from college- Ericka and her husband are going with us! No kids! It will be nice, but I will sure miss my girls. I have not been away from them this long ever!! Josie informed that I could not go to Boston because her and Jenna would be all alone. Talk about a heart breaker! They will be staying with my mom and dad!!
I will try to post pics from the Easter Egg Hunt tomorrow.

LOST!!

Well- We are new to the blogger world. It took me forever tonight to remember the username and password to even find my own blog. I finally found it!!
We are in the last week before our two week spring break!! The countdown to Boston has begun.
David's workouts our tapering off and we are very excited about our trip. Before we leave however, we have a few things on our "to do list" for Spring Break:
1. fix our car- needs a new starter!
2. Josie to the ear doctor
3. Amy to the dentist
4. assemble Josie's new swing-set in the backyard- she got it for her birthday!
5. pack for Boston!!

Hope your week is good! If you have a spring break, how did you spend it?

3rd Birthday!

Josie celebrated her 3rd birthday last Saturday. We had a pink and purple party! My mom made the cake! It is hard to believe that she is already 3 years old!

Boston Update 2/10/07

Most of my friends (but probably not all) know that I am training for my second crack at the Boston Marathon. Last years experience was less than what I'd hoped for. This year I am adding about 8 miles a week over what I did last year plus a frequent hill workout. My overall goal is to run the race in less than 3 hours. A Sub-3 hour marathon for me borders on the very extreme limits of my God-given ability. It will be close.
Last year I was on pace for most of the race until I hit the infamous hills beginning around Mile 16. I toiled my way through the hills but began cramping very badly (hence the hill workouts this year) around Mile 21. I'll try to keep everyone posted on my progress as I get closer to April 16th. So far almost everything feels good. My weight is down to 158 and I am running right at 65 miles a week.