My New Car

Yeah, it's got a hemi...and a footprint gas pedal! Balls to the wall.

Review: The Streak (ESPN Original Documentary)

Tivo Alert: For anyone who missed the Brandon show, it will air again Monday, May 5th from 2-4 pm on ESPN2 (check local listings).

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In watching the ESPN original documentary, The Streak, covering the '07-'08 Brandon High School Eagles wrestling team, I was immediately struck by their leader, Russ Cozart, who sets a terrific tone for the entire program, both on and off the mat.

Prior to watching the documentary, all I knew about Cozart was what I read on message boards-- mostly negative stuff about his son, Rocky--but this program showed me all one needs to know about message boards.

The character and class that Cozart showed throughout the program give every indication that he's a first-class man on top of being an outstanding high school coach. This stands in direct contrast with former Hoover High School coach/community demagogue Rush Propst of MTV's Two-a-Days fame. On the spectrum of high school coaches featured in reality television, Propst strikes viewers as a raging egomaniac that was quick to blame his athletes while Cozart chooses to instill class and character into his boys.

Watching footage of Cozart's son Joey as a freshman in the 2007 Florida AA State Finals, and the coolness under pressure he exhibited while head and arming a two-time reigning state champ to win his own title in the waning seconds of a match indicates that Russ' composure is in the genes.
In that vein, one critique I've read the most regards the number of headlocks Brandon throws throughout the doc. Some argue that it's a Greco influence fostered by Cozart while others view it as indicative of the quality of high school wrestling in the state of Florida. Either way, I figured this nugget warranted mentioning.

There were a couple of intriguing story lines. Clearly, family is the major theme of the documentary. You have boys whose fathers were part of the streak's early days. You have younger brothers attempting to aspire to the lofty achievements of their older siblings. One of the most touching threads followed a Green Beret Lt. Col. Roger Jones and his son, Ty. As a vet, it was interesting to watch a heroic leader who's reached the highest levels of an incredibly tough career path instill a work ethic and courage in his son. Raising kids, apparently, is much different from training soldiers. Jones the elder was also a Virginia High School State Champ, and it's awesome to see former wrestlers excel in Special Forces positions.

I was also impressed with the caliber of student Brandon has produced in recent years. A couple of the alumni (the elder Grajales and Timothy brothers) returned to visit the program from UPenn and Cozart's had the ability to place many of his athletes in strong programs both academically and athletically.

Spoiler Alert: The 34-year old streak ends during the course of the documentary at an astounding 459 (!).

The most real moment of the documentary comes as the team sat in the locker room after falling to South Dade. You talk about all-to-real moments, those tears the boys shed after losing the streak were those that only a high school wrestler could fully comprehend and respect. No other sport asks so much of its athletes.

The total body, mind and soul immersion required by even average athletes is so demanding that you truly have experience it to totally understand it. Think of how sadistic and insane it is for a growing high school boy to have to diet! Again, the lessons learned in that room are the reason why so many wrestlers end up succeeding in later endeavors (see Jones, Lt. Col. Roger).

Interesting Note: The production company of BHS Alum Mark Consuelos (Mr. Kelly Ripa) was the driving force behind this documentary. Man, that guy is cool.

Other Reviews/Discussions:
The Mat.com
ESPN

Tivo Alert: For anyone who missed the Brandon show, it will air again Monday, May 5th from 2-4 pm on ESPN2 (check local listings).

Daily Links, 4/29

This is like Pop

Fat Air Force

Cardinal Sin

RIP LCpl Haerter

Yeah, I passed it

Week in Review

Rarely Win at Trivial Pursuit? An Embassy Door Opens

By TAMAR LEWIN

Published: December 17, 2006

The State Department is overhauling the Foreign Service exam, but will modernizing how it builds the nation’s diplomatic ranks come at a cost to applicant quality? (continue)

 

Wright State's Alumni of the Millenium

Saturday night, my beloved graduate school alma mater bestowed upon me a fantastic honor--naming me the 2008 Outstanding Alumnus of the International and Comparative Politics Department. Needless to say this was a thrill (see photo of me accepting the honor above).

I do have to wonder about the process--I'm reminded of when Matt Doherty won the Carolina coaching job after like 7 guys turned it down!

I was nominated by my thesis advisor, Dr. Laura Luehrmann, who already deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for her Ghandi-esque patience as I took my sweet time finishing up my thesis, or as I like to call it--the cure for insomnia.

The terriffic event included an open bar (and here I thought only Catholic schools knew how to celebrate) and a great dinner spread as 15 honorees from all disciplines within the Wright State College of Liberal Arts were feted. After receiving my award, I gave some brief remarks about the students, faculty and facilities of Wright State and how the quality of the education you get from the school is truly dependent upon your own goals and aspirations. In my case, my goal was to simply graduate and I almost messed that up! Thank God for people like Dr. Luehrmann.

"Yes We Can!"

The trip was an overwhelming success and right up my alley. As anyone that knows me can attest, I've never met a microphone I didn't like.

Go Raiders!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

In honor of the Draft tomorrow!

Fire Isaiah

Isiah Thomas: 'My Time With The Knicks Was Actually A Large-Scale Psychological Study Of New York Residents'

My Sister-in-Law's House

Good Lord, it is freaking hot in SW Ohio!

Daily Links, 4/25

A Real Hero

The treacherous world of triathlons

Tyler stays!

Travel / Escapes

Hamptons Prep Work

By JOANNE KAUFMAN

Published: April 25, 2008

When the soft whoosh, whoosh of the Atlantic is lost to the clack, clack, bzzzz, bzzzz of hedge trimmers and lawn mowers, it’s a sign the New Yorkers are coming. (here)

Daily Links 4/24

 

Eating = Having a Boy!

But don’t eat yourself out of the Army

BACONSALT

Hayden Retires

Rot, Mumia, Rot

I'm all for due process, but convicted cop killers can rot in jail, die and then rot in Hell for eternity for all I care.

OPINION

Freakonomics: Think Twice Before You Wear Your “Free Mumia” T-shirt

By Steven D. Levitt

Published: April 22, 2008

I was sitting in the student union at the University of Chicago last week when a student came by putting “Free Mumia” leaflets on the tables. I have never paid much attention to the Mumia Abu-Jamal case. On the one hand, I know enough about police, the criminal justice system, and racism to believe that an [...]

Burlington F16's Fly-by Fenway 2008

Hell Yeah!

Mini Mightyman Triathlon

Despite the sordid history of men named Morgan O'Brien competing in athletics at Eisenhower Park, Saturday morning Jill and I headed over to tame the 400m swim, 6-mile bike ride and 2-mile run that is the Mini Mightyman Triathlon. Thankfully, I lived to tell about it.

The race began in the Eisenhower Park pool, where competitors lined up according to their estimated finish time. In the pool, we were sent out in five-second intervals and swam a criss-crossing pattern through eight, 50-meter laps. I was bottlenecked twice, once in the middle and once right at the end. While this process is highly unscientific, there was one aspect of the experience that was dead on accurate. If you're in your 20s and are planning on getting a tattoo, you should be forced to walk by this lineup of Long Islanders clad in swimsuits and see what the ravages of age does to your skin. After 10 years of eating bad, laying out at Jones Beach and drinking massive amounts of Heineken, that tribal band all of a sudden doesn't look so cool, dude.

Transitioning from the pool to the bikes was fun, although I took way too much time. In fact, Jill beat me by a full minute in T1. I think that this is where my inexperience was exposed. I didn't practice my transitions nor did I lay out my stuff in any sensible pattern. Note to self.

The bike ride was on a flat course and pretty uneventful. Although, after perusing the event results it appears I was riding among greatness. If you look at finishers #27 and 33, you'll see two, Olympic-sprint caliber athletes. Being that Lance Armstrong in peak form riding downhill the whole way would have had a difficult time breaking nine minutes in a six-miler, I sincerely doubt that these two actually finished their three, two-mile loops. Just sayin'.

Finally, on the run we took two, one-mile loops. Again, my inexperience cost me as my calves cramped up throughout the whole first lap. If I had known better, I would have eaten a goo pack and drank more water when I was riding my bike to load carbs and prevented the cramps. I had a nice second lap and split two, 7:45 miles for a 15:25 two-miler which is about a minute and a half slower than I would have liked.  Incredibly, Jill beat me by 10 seconds in the run, a fact not lost on her.

In conclusion, the race was well organized and a nice, neat venue and I'm afraid I've officially caught the Triathlon Bug. Equipped with the experience from this race, I can realistically cut three-four minutes from my overall time already. I'm semi-please with finishing in the top 40% of finishers in my first triathlon, but I'm excited to do better next time. Thankfully, I get to take on the course again on August 2. We've also signed up for a North Fork race in July and the Sag Harbor Tri in Sept.

RACE NOTES: The race organizers didn't post the results on the Web for two full days, this is unacceptable for a numbers cruncher like me...The event t-shirts are cotton, but a nice navy blue color and presentable...great turnout (about 300) for the first race of the season...this extreme sprint is also the best possible distance for the first race...and to run the same exact course in August to gauge improvement is genius.

Daily Links, 4/21

The Best and the Brightest

What was Richard Questing for?

Boy, I could have told you this

I love this song

Sean Avery is a bigtime Delta Bravo

I don't like hockey (if pressed, go Islanders!), nor can I argue that I know much about the sport. However, after Ranger Sean Avery was dissed by Marty Brodeur on the handshake line at the end of the first-round playoff series this is what he had to say:

"Everybody talks about how much class I don't have. It's the end of a series and men go to war against each other, and I guess he forgot to shake my hand," said guy who's never been to war. (more here)

Avery's so low class. He nags Brodeur like an overbearing wife and then he expects a handshake. Good for Marty--Billy Smith didn't ever shake anyone's hand, win or lose. I wouldn't either. What is this, Little League?

More here

Both look good on (lots of ) paper

I'm so proud of this one!

17-11 babee!!!

Someone has sent you a link to an article on the Times of Smithtown Online Web site.

Here is the link to the article: http://www.timesofsmithtown.com/1pubicindex.lasso?-token.editorialreferral=71055.112114

Daily Links, 4/18

Isaiah is out!!!

I want a third arm!

Blasphemy

Sign me up!

 

Bid on my tickets, support a great cause

We're hoping to raise money for a terrific cause in Carolina For Kibera.

Take a look at this auction if you want great tickets to an awesome game in a historic setting.

Happy Bidding!

Daily Links, 4/17

Happy Half Birthday to me!

 

Eli Manning’s Wedding Registry

Homer better watch out, I’m hungry!

I better not get a letter in the mail

Neat homeowner story

El Ladron - or- The Jill Cell Phone Caper

The thief, foreground

We go to the Yanks-Sawx matchup in the Bronx tonight. Bottom 1, Abreu goes deep and Yanks grab a 2-1 lead. Jill jumps out of her seat to celebrate. As the guy sitting in front of us--a Sawx fan, rabid Manny supporter-- inexplicably leaves his seat during the rally. A-Rod follows up with a homer, 3-1 Yanks. Man in front returns to his seat.

After the Yanks are retired to end the first, Jill goes to get some food but finds she can't locate her cell phone. She knows she had it, because she hadn't moved since she arrived at the yard. A frantic search ensues. Under the seats...in the aisle in front of us...under the seats in front of us... we can't find it anywhere.

At this point, I've called the number 5 times, we haven't heard anything and Jill assures me that the phone was left on ring not silent or vibrate. Finally, we begin asking around. The lady in front of Jill mentions that she saw it on the ground and asks the man sitting next to her--the man in front of us--if he had seen the phone.

Sure enough, the guy in front of us has the phone.

"Oh, is this your phone?" he asks, removing it from his pocket and holding it up.

Jill snags the phone, opens it and sees 5 missed calls from me over the last couple minutes. The phone is now set to vibrate.

"You're lucky I was here," the thief proclaims, paradoxically.

"We were lucky?" I wonder to myself. "You're the lucky one. First of all, you're the one that's had a phone vibrating in his pants for the last 7 minutes. Second, if you weren't here, you wouldn't have stolen the phone, taken it to the men's room, set it to vibrate and driven my wife crazy looking for it for the last 10 minutes. That's an f-d up definition of lucky. Nice jacket, by the way....

...Typical Sawx fan. Just don't pee on me. "

We were lucky to retrieve the phone, and Jill lives to tell her first crime tale of the big city.

Only in New York, kiddies, only in the Bronx.

GAME NOTES: Giambi owns Timlin so far--by my unofficial count he's got 2 jacks and a 2-run double off the 42-year-old righty...Glad to see that LaTroy Hawkins gave up my beloved 21 for Clemens' 22...I hate Red Sox fans...It took the Yanks five games to score 15 runs in 2008 and they do it in nine innings tonight... Astronaut Dr. Garrett Reisman threw out the first pitch from the space station, which was cool.

Daily Links, 4/16

 

Catholic Education in the Early 21st Century

 

Support our Retired Religious

 

No man better represents the people of New England

 

Say what you want about stalkers,

at least they’re committed

Daily Links, Tax Day Edition

Cutters win back 2 back Little 5’s

…then get arrested

Obama on hand for festivities

 

Separated at Birth?

I always wanted to look like a movie star, but I guess you have to be careful what you wish for!

Here's McLovin with my idol, Veronica Mars

Quote of the Day

Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback is a must-read each week. Here's a sample of King's genius:

AGGRAVATING/ENJOYABLE TRAVEL NOTE OF THE WEEK

There is nothing more miserable in the flying world than frequent-flying in and out of LaGuardia Airport. Every time I'm in there, including Sunday, I wonder, "Do the New York powers-that-be realize how unpleasant an experience LaGuardia is? Or are they all flying private out of Westchester and Teterboro?''

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Daily Links, 4/14

Me and Jill

Another reason to go to church

Pray for Mr. Chamberlain

...here's a great piece on Joba and his dad

My New Favorite Song

Typical by Mute Math is my new favorite song. I listened to it about 15 times on repeat today.

Last night, I was about 6 Guinesses into the evening and flipping through the channels and sure enough I get to Discovery--always comes through in the clutch--and this awesome commercial comes on highlighting all the channels B.A. programming (Dirty Jobs, Most Dangerous Catch, etc.) and this killer riff is playing in the background.

Then comes the hook: Cause I know there's got to be another level/Somewhere closer to the other side.

I Googled that with the quickness and found my new favorite tune.

I'd heard of Mute Math before, but didn't realize they rocked. I figured they were some kind of band for dudes in emo glasses and after watching the video I guess they kind of are. Song still rocks, though.

Curses

As a Yankee fan, this story would scare me if I didn’t accept Jesus Christ as my savior and Bill James as his prophet.

Fortunately, that means:

A)    I don’t believe in curses, and

B)     As the guys at Firejoemorgan would say, I don’t view baseball players as humans but as anthropomorphic figures that are bound by the laws of physics, meaning

C)    Cotton buried under concrete does not impact runs scored.

Phew, that was almost nerve racking.

 

Today's Links, 4/11

CAUGHT!

There goes the whole Green Air Force concept

You know you’re from Oceanside when

Why can’t Marines just stay on base?

Free Vanilla

An American Hero

Vindication

I ride the same train each morning as this guy, and it really isn't that bad. I'm all for hyperbole, but Rosa Parks comparisons? Come on!

I do admit, there are times where I want to tell people to shut up. One day, this lady sitting next to me (she was wearing a sweatsuit) kept calling her home, but the phone cuts out--SHE KEPT CALLING BACK. FIVE FREAKING TIMES!!! Something about her kid leaving his bookbag in his dad's car. That's fantastic--I really needed to waste my brain cells remembering that crap. And then, we get into the tunnel and of course she's getting service all the way too the platform.

Most days it's good people watching. This one girl was writing with a purple pen in her notebook, I don't know what, and she had all these misspellings and typos. I wasn't even trying too be nosy, but it took all I had not to correct her grammar.

And last week I had the pleasure of sitting next to this typical-looking businessman. He was typical until he broke out a motorcycle magazine. One of those hard-core ones with chicks draped all over some hogs. And he had his iPod turned up so loud that I could hear the music. The song of choice? Keep on Dancing by No Doubt. He must be a blast on the weekends.

God Bless the LIRR

Destroying Lives, One Error at a Time

22 years is a long time to let a guy twist in the wind and suffer. Great job, Red Sox Nation--your class shines through once again. For more proof of how some people (the entirety of New England, in this case) can take sports way too far, click here.

Hoo-Yaa

Seal nabs MOH

Links of the Day 4/8 (AF Heavy)

BAAA BAAAA...too afraid of the real world?

How fat is too fat?

Yeah, I’m watching this

30 pieces of silver

"Then one of the 12, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, and said unto them, 'What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?' And they covenanted with him for 30 pieces of silver." -- Matthew 26:14-15.

 photo: http://www2.kusports.com/

Today's Links 4/7

 

YES!!!  I’m all for this

Sacrificing for our art

Trouble in Paradise?

Bronson and Me

"This is the strangest place I ever played," so said Bronson Arroyo at the beginning of his set at redundantly named Fitworks Fitness Center in West Chester, Ohio, Saturday night. You have to forgive Mr. Arroyo for forgetting the 35,000 knuckledraggers decked out in green, red and (ugh) pink Sawx gear when he pitched in the shadow of the Pesky Pole, but Fitworks was a close second in weird venues.

Despite poor seating, bad acoustics, technical difficulties that caused a brief delay early in the set, and a horde of Southwest Ohio's finest, Arroyo knocked his performance out of the park (pun intended) with a mix of '90s alt-rock classics and the occasional contemporary and '70s classics thrown in for good measure.

As an added bonus, the concert was a benefit for the group Homes For Our Troops, which retrofits houses for wounded vets. He then stuck around to sign autographs for a motley bunch of unwashed animals, which deserves recognition on a number of levels.

Arroyo's set included his standards: Fuel's Shimmer and a version of Slide that is better than the Goo Goo Dolls. He's added Over my Head by The Fray, Augustana's Boston (after an explanation that he was happy in Cincy and didn't miss Boston...right) and a killer cut of Simple Man by the Van Zandt boys that got me pumped for the coming Kid Rock concert at the World's Most Famous Arena in just over a month.

His multi-talented keyboard player also handled sax and clarinet responsibilities and also served as the bouncer/head cougar wrangler (Bronson Arroyo concerts = Cougar Friendly) of the VIP section on the first floor. Dude also belted out a version of Gnarls Barkley's Crazy that was a neat change of pace in the middle of the show.

Some chick straight off this site sang a couple songs, but you really couldn't hear anything when she was up there. She was easy enough on the eyes, though. I have to be careful, because her boyfriend--the West Chester gator--was hawking her from atop a speaker all night long.

Bronson did spice up the night with some story about Dusty Baker during a mound visit. I really couldn't make out what he was saying (acoustics), but I think that Dusty told the Reds' infield that they needed to turn two, and it would only happen if they had faith. For the record, Dusty wears wrist bands and chews on a toothpick in the dugout.

If Carolina wasn't getting boat raced by 28 points in the first half simultaneously on twin 42-inch plasma screens beside the stage, I may have even considered the evening halfway enjoyable. If the pitching gig didn't come to fruition, Bronson is talented enough to have a nice career as a successful acoustic musician playing gigs in college towns. He puts on a great show, has a blast doing it and possesses a knack for picking perfect songs for his skillset.

CONCERT NOTES: To the guy with the Color Me Bad beard that needed 3 pictures with Bronson on his stupid camera phone and kept cutting the line to get his hat (not even a Reds hat) autographed, there is a special place in Hell for you. May God have mercy on your soul...Fitworks is an awesome gym, it was great advertising and incredibly generous of them to open up the joint...Bronson gave up 4 dingers today, however he has 11 K's in 10.2 IP, but he needs to get his WHIP (1.5) down...For Bronson's album, Covering the Bases, go here http://www.amazon.com/Covering-Bases-Bronson-Arroyo/dp/B0009XFIT6.

This Weekend in Cincy

Full review of Bronson's Sat Night Concert 

Coming Monday

They Paved Paradise and Put up a Parking Lot

Farewell, Red Lobster of Baldwin...I hardly knew ye.

Links of the Day

Why not Minot? 

Navajo Nation Faces Internet Shutdown

I work with this stud!

Keep this Airman’s family in your prayers

 

 

First Game, Last Season

Got out to the ballpark for the first time this season (game 3 on the scorecard, 78 left after the top of the 6th). NY Americans go to 2-1 on the season with a crisp 3-2 win.

Some observations: It was cold out there tonight...Jeter comes up to The Humpty Dance...You have to account for the weather and the fact that it's early on and Hughes and Joba looked sharp, Mo looks like typical Mo...The Blue Jays are good, but Eckstein is not a leadoff hitter (neither is Damon) and the Frank Thomas The Big Skirt is OLD...New ballpark looks like a gem from the outside...

but it's a shame they're tearing down this landmark...

I'll have to look up the stats, but they're out of the gate stronger than recent memory

Looked it up:

2007: 1-2

2006: 1-2

2005: 2-1

2004: 1-2

2003: 3-0

2002: 2-1

Now that's the definition of really small sample sizes (The Rays, nee D-Rays, had a 3-0 start in 59-win 2002), but winning a series when you face Halladay and Burnett is a nice way to start the season. PECOTA projects the Yanks to win 97 games and the Jays to win 78.

...Saw one dude wearing NYY/VaTech hat, but didn't ask him where he got it...Interestingly, the Rays come into town to start a four-game series tonight with a PECOTA projection of 88 (!) wins

Links of the Day

Between Chad and this, is Carson going to throw to himself?

 

A unique home…

 

Another hero: Monsoor Awarded Posthumous MOH

Links of the Day

Cool Pics as A-10 lands “wheels up”

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123092555

Whoa!

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nyyank0403,0,5502833story

Pentagon Waste

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/02/opinion/02wed1.html?ex=1364875200&en=2f794de314ab5471&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Cops on State Roads?

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/suffolk/ny-licops0402,0,4341551story

Quote of the Day

"This ain't an easy organization for picking out numbers"
- LaTroy Hawkins, Legacy Thief, on choosing to wear 21 in pinstripes

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?A
ID=/20080402/SPORTS/804020373/-1/SPORTS

Links of the Day

IU, Primed for Success in ’08-’09 http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3323406

 

This is where Jill should stay: http://www.nypost.com/seven/04012008/news/regionalnews/loony__b_inn_104462.htm

 

Nice work: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080331221123.sy1aieje&show_article=1

 

How much is too much? http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/mlb/04/01/arod.marlins.ap/index.html