Happy Ham Day

Ham? Isn't it suppose to be turkey? Yes but who cares about that pompous bird. I like ham.

I'm spending this Thanksgiving day in Seattle with my cousin Charise, her husband named Vincent and little three month old boy also named Vincent. Suffice to say I get confused who people are calling for when they say that name. But I think I have it down. If they say it with baby talk then of course its for the little guy, if they say it with a little respect then it's the other guy but if its with a little contempt then it's for this guy :)

Before I end this short and useless blog I just want to say that I hope never to be stationed in McChord. I'm sure there are other things here to like but I have formed the opinion that no one here knows how to drive, the women are built like lumberjacks and the constant rain will make an emo out of anyone. Then again I've only been to Tacamo and Pyullup(sp?). I have more but enough of that.

Happy Ham Day again to everyone!

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Monday Morning Quarterbacking Week 11

Thanksgiving is all about traditions. The turkey, the family and friends, the Macys parades, etc. This is no different for the world of professional football as it is the one time of year that the entire nation gets to view the horror of Detroit Lions football. They are just so bad that they will never get on Monday night or Sunday night football, so this is the only chance most people ever have to witness the twisted and disgusting creation that Matt Millen has managed to put together. Their annual beatdown is one of my personal Thanksgiving highlights. Lets get in to the reviews now of the past Sunday!

Pittsburgh 24 Cleveland 20

Is there life in the Steelers? Or have they pissed away too much of the season to do anything with. In the very competitive AFC playoff race I think they have dug themselves too deep of a whole to come back from. Besides, pulling a last second victory against Cleveland is hardly a case for optimism…

New England 35 Green Bay 0

What happened here? I know New England is good and all, but I thought Green Bay was coming on and playing much better. I know Favre was taken out early, so that whole thing with he should retire and let Aaron Rogers play…yeah, maybe not quite.

Kansas City 17 Oakland 13

Randy Moss had 0 catches this game. That’s right folks, ZERO. Apparently he is too “sad” to play hard. Let this be a lesson to all those teams out there that want to sign troubled players to big contracts. These guys are parasites, they only perform and try when the team is winning, otherwise they just mail it in. No heart at all.

Miami 24 Minnesota 20

This is a tale of two cities here. One team is catching fire in the Miami Dolphins, the other is in freefall mode in the Minnesota Vikings. Though certainly far fetched to believe that Miami can make the playoffs after the deep grave they put themselves in earlier, they are the team nobody wants to face right now.

Cincinnati 31 New Orleans 16

Saints appear to be slipping a bit now that we start to enter the playoff race. While they certainly have a lot of talent, the emotion appears gone that they fed off so much earlier in the year. Luckily, the NFC South is wide open and the other teams are playing equally as poor, so they should still be there in the end.

Chicago 10 New York Jets 0

I was at this game, it was pretty good. Chicago did not look good in the first half on either side of the ball and their offense struggled all game with another sub-par performance from Rex Grossman. However, Chad Pennington was terrible and the Bears defense knuckled down (or should I say beared down, ha, ha) in the second half and pitched the shutout. The Bears are clearly the class of the NFC.

Tennessee 31 Philadelphia 13

You show me anybody who predicted this one. For the 3rd time in 5 years, Donovan McNabb has suffered another season ending injury and the Eagles once promising season seems in peril. I believe they are done, very disappointing year for Eagles fans.

Tampa Bay 20 Washington 17

The Redskins could be the worst team in the league. They really should only have 1 win this year as the Jacksonville and Dallas victories were very fluky. I see little hope on the horizon for them as they are saddled with high priced free agents who have underperformed and a defense that is so bad that it needs to be completely retooled. Unfortunately for them, they traded away all of their draft picks for those free agents who can’t play. More dark days in the future for ‘skins fans…

Carolina 15 St Louis 0

Talk about a team taking the gas pipe. What happened to St Louis? They started off the season so well and have since dropped 5 in a row. Not only that, but the “greatest show on turf” just got blanked. Carolina is really not very good, but St Louis is just terrible right now.

Baltimore 24 Atlanta 10

Another poor performance for Michael Vick, yet he will never be benched as long as he is selling all those jerseys. Baltimore is a very strong team that could make a legit playoff push. They are the best team nobody is talking about.

Buffalo 24 Houston 21

J.P. Losman 340 yards? Oh wait…it was against Houston. Yeah nice game if you had Losman (why?) or Lee Evans in fantasy, but I’m sure Losman will revert to his true form next week.

San Francisco 20 Seattle 14

Ouch. Just ouch. Alexander came back but didn’t do anything. Starting to worry about him and if he still has it. Mike Nolan looked sharp in his suit however and I hope the NFL allows that full time next year.

Dallas 21 Indianapolis 14

I just don’t get the feeling Indy really care about the regular season very much anymore. It is generally the same cast of characters there and as I said last week, losing a couple regular season games will really help them I think. This is the best thing that could happen to Indy, they need to drop a couple more and actually have to fight with San Diego or Baltimore for that top playoff spot. That way they will go into the playoffs playing inspired football.

San Diego 35 Denver 27

I guess the lesson here is never sleep on the Chargers. Denver had them on the ropes but LT and his four touchdowns roared back to win this one. Can we give LT the MVP yet?

Arizona 17 Detroit 10

I saved my favorite for last. The 2006 Toilet Bowl featured the two worst teams in professional football. Look at Arizona, these guys screw everything up. All they had to do was lose and they would be almost ensured the number 1 pick. But no, they go and win and now Detroit will have the number 1. Way to go guys. Guess it doesn’t matter, I’m sure they would have found a way to blow it anyway.

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Monday Morning Quarterbacking

Allright, so I would like to make this a regular feature, but I'm sure I won't and will stop updating all together after two weeks, but I will look at yesterdays games and give a quick viewpoint on them.

Cleveland 17 Atlanta 13

Vick is the big bust that nobody wants to admit. Just because this guy sells a ton of jerseys and is loved by the media because of his highlight reel plays does not mean he is a good NFL QB. Matt Schaub is a far better option for Atlanta going forward as he is more suited for the west coast offense. Vick is just too mistake prone and does not have good QB mechanics. The experiment failed, the sooner Atlanta realizes this, the better they will be. Sucks for Adam though...

San Diego 49 Cincinnatti 41

If LT is not the MVP of the league, I want to hear some suggestions on who else it could be. This guy is consistently amazing each and every week. Phillip Rivers is turning in to a bonafide star in the league and has great leadership abilities. Taking a team 21 down at the half to a victory on the road takes serious heart. Watch out for this San Diego team, they are the real deal.

San Francisco 19 Detroit 13

Is Roy Williams going to shut up yet? Detroit is bad, god awful bad. However they always are so I'm sure it has become expeced in Detroit for the Lions to suck. I wonder what they would do if they ever actually saw success? I doubt they could handle it. Frank Gore is the best RB nobody knows about, this guy is good. San Francisco is actually a surprisingly better team then most people thought, they will get a few more wins this year for sure.

Baltimore 27 Tennessee 26

How do you blow that one Tennessee? Oh well, its not all bad news for the music city. This team has actually shown a lot of fight and heart this year for a team that has very young and very little talent. Jeff Fisher will never in a million years be considered for coach of the year, but he has had themost difficult job and has done the most. Dont know what to think about the Ravens yet, they seem to keep winning but they sure look bad doing so.

Indianapolis 17 Buffalo 16

Yeah the Colts are undefeated again and nobody is talking about it. Nobody should. This team has shown year after year that they blow through the regular season and then choke in the playoffs. These guys need to lose a few games and have to fight for seeding in the playoffs this year. If they don't and they have it all locked up again by week 15, then mark my words, they will be bounced early again. J.P. Losman is not the answer in Buffalo.

Miami 13 Kansas City 10

Break up the Dolphins! A team that was in total disarray has reeled off two wins in a row against serious playoff teams. Might be that team that isn't going anywhere but nobody wants to face going down the stretch. Just as an aside, Indianapolis' last game this year is against the Dolphins. Could Miami spoil the undefeated season for yet another team? We shall see...

Green Bay 23 Minnesota 17

Brett Favre is not done yet! Seriously, for all the people who put this guy in his grave last year, they are eating a lot of crow right now. This Green Bay team is dangerous. Minnesota...what is going on with you guys? You crush the Seahawks and then turn around and lose to San Fran and Green Bay? I don't think Minnesota is a playoff team.

New York Jets 17 New England 14

Don't look too much in to this game. Sure the Patriots have never lost two in a row in 4 years, but they are still one of the most elite teams in the NFL. The Jets are very good at home and should never be taken for granted. Next week they play the Bears in New York, they have the ability to make it interesting if nothing else.

Philadelphia 27 Washington 3

God the Redskins suck. They are horrible. All the attention is on Mark Brunell and replacing him, which will help, but this teams problem is defense. Sean Taylor was burned bad twice and the cornerbacks couldn't cover a table with a cloth. This is the most expensive mess of a team I have ever witnessed.

Houston 13 Jacksonville 10

Guess David Garrard and his 4 INTs are not the answer for Jacksonville. So after pissing on Byron Leftwich and putting all his chips in the Garrard pile, Jack Del Rio has very likely put his once promising season in peril. These guys were good and they were winning and you introduce a QB controversy? If it isn't broke, don't fix it. Well now the Jags have gone and broke it.

Denver 17 Oakland 13

I would just like to state as a fantasy owner of the Denver running backs, nothing make me more angry then Mike Shanahan. On Wednesday they say Tatum Bell probably wont play and Mike Bell will start. Well at the last second before game time they don't even suit up Mike Bell and Tatum Bell starts. Serves you right to almost get beat by Oakland!

Dallas 27 Arizona 10

Yeah, they are the Cardinals. They are a joke.

Pittsburgh 38 New Orleans 31

Is there life in the defending champs? They sure looked good against a tough New Orleans team. However, I think they have dug themselves far too deep of a hole to get out of. While this season may be a loss, if they finish strong perhaps they can keep some hope for next year and not blow up the team.

Seattle 24 St Louis 22

I swear this team is going to put me in an early grave. Yet another game winning field goal from the man himself Josh Brown to beat the evil Rams. Seneca Wallace has played well and has kept us afloat as we get through these times without Hasselback and Alexander. With a two game lead on the Rams in the division and those guys coming back it looks as if we are well on our way to another playoff run.

Chicago 38 New York Giants 20

Chicago has firmly entrenched its position now as the class of the NFC with a huge victory over big blue. Are they beatable? Sure. But it is no easy task and these guys are for real. Like any NFL team they can slip up and not show up on any given Sunday. But with big statement victories against the two NFC teams most likely to compete with them for top seed in New York and Seattle, they have proven themselves. It will be interesting watching these guys in the playoffs.

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Fire the Bums!

Yes, this post is about politics and the election results and subsequent fallout from it. I know what you are saying, "Why do you have to get serious Jon?" "Don't you know you aren't supposed to talk about politics and religon here?" Well I am because it's the only outlet I have to do so.

You see my family is generally big time conservative Republicans. Since I don't really fall in to that category it's sometimes hard to articulate my points to them as it will only cause an argument and frankly, thats not worth getting in to. I would not consider myself exactly a liberal democrat either though, so on some things we see eye to eye. I guess you could categorize me as fiscally conservative and socially liberal. I voted for Bush in 2000 and Kerry in 2004. However, in recent years I have begun to hate the Republican party with great anger. Not conservatism mind you, but the damn party. Nothing makes me happier than the comeuppance that they recieved on Tuesday and I will explain why.

I think the start of the downfall in my eyes of the Republican party was talk radio. Prior to the ascension of conservative talk radio and these clowns like Limbaugh, Hannity and O'Reilly, Democrats and Republicans in office certainly disagreed on issues, but they were cordial with each other. They played golf together, they had lunch together, and most importantly they worked with each other. Ever since these over the top, hate spewing talk radio hosts I have noticed a shift in the party and political climate. It has become hateful and contentious. So while we have troops fighting a war, we have our politicans so deeply divided that they can't even work with each other. It would be like the old thing were if a Democrat held up a blue pen and said "This pen is blue" the Republicans would instantly shoot back with "No, it's red! You liberal left winger!". Then of course the next day these idiots on talk raidio would blow it up as the biggest thing that ever happened. I have hated and resented this tone for years and recently it has only gotten worse.

The truth is I am sick of it all. I am sick of the bible thumping moralists who also try to sleep with young pages. I am sick of gay evangelicals telling us that homosexuality is the worst thing in the world. I am sick of the out of control spending of the supposedly "conservative" Republicans. I am sick of a stay the course policy in Iraq that has produced nothing but more crosses at Arlington. I am sick of a congress cutting taxes while increasing the budget 200% and we are at war (how are we paying for this all?).

Republicans got what they deserved Tuesday because they forgot what they stood for. They became the big government that they were supposed to be against. I for one, couldn't be happier. I really hope the democrats change the political culture in this country, I hope they bring about some sweeping changes and get this thing fixed and back on track. Will this happen? Who knows...just as long as it isn't more politics as usual.

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Onset of Addiction

It's tough out in the streets when you're cold and begging for scraps just to get you through until the next high. I think I would have been curled up in an alley somewhere or worse dead in some gutter if not for my baby, Kasie! Yes, she kept me on a lifeline and prevented me from caving in totally. I loath and love her for it.

Okay so I like the game City of Heroes and would be playing it every free minute. The only comfort I have when diving into reckless abandon is that at end I know that I'll get tired of the game. Most of the time I don't even get past the free month that comes standard with Massive Multiplayer Online RPG.

If it wasn't for Kasie I'd abandon my social life to wallow in the online filth with other heathens...until I get tired of it and the next game comes around. And so the cycle begins a new.

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Bears bandwagoneers

I love talking about football with people. Not so much about the College gaesm, but ill watch becuse its on. But I LVOE NFL football. I have an opinion on most every team, on what they should do, on what they need to stop doing, on whats broken int heir system, and whats right in their system. Recently, I walked in to my swing shift (1330-2130) and I was told that Discussions of NFL football were no longer allowed per instructions from the guy were all subordinate to. WHAT!??! It's monday, what the hell else am I supposed to talk about on Monday?!?! NFL Football of course. It was then revealed to me that this warning was due to the stupid loss by Philedelphia eagles on Sunday. So of course instead of heeding this warning I prodded and made fun of eagles, Eagles, fans, the entire cream cheese swilling city of Phildelphia, speculated on what "brotherly love" actually means and how the philly cheesesteak is a metaphor for and inspiration for the Tom hanks movie. I made the concession the the Boss springstein and Rocky were the only two good things that have come out of Philadelphia. Oh, and the Declaration of independence. Called out on my big mouth, and betting that my team would surely not be faring much better(since there's not a great number of dominant teams this year) I was asked what my team was. I replied, I love da Bears. I was instantly accused of being a bandwagon fan. This of course is fighting words, because my love for the CHI-town Monsters of the Midway go all the way back to 1985, when I saw my first superbowl on tv. I have sat through years of loving my team even through the mid nineties when every team had great QBs. except Chicago. I have sat through more uninteresting and winless football games as most 49er fans have been experiencing ever since the loss of Jerry Rice. I am no Bandwagoneer looking to pack up and move my cheering to another town simply becasue said team is faring better. I hatethe Packers just as much as a Chicago steel worker, more than Fat Tony the pizza guy, and damn near as much as the Superfans from the SNL sketches. I think Jim Mcmahon was an underrated QB, I think coach Ditka is a football genius and a player's coach. I think the Chicago bears have more history than any other team in the NFL. and though we have only one ring, we have more championships than anyone. Simply because we've been winners since beofore there was an NFL. No bandwagoneer can say that. Bear down.

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