Opening night for Lucia di Lammermoor.  The chorus has lots and lots of music, and I am filled with lots and lots of antibiotics and dicongestants and inhalers and everything else.  I've had colds before, but why did it have to hit me now?  Anyway, I'll take all the leftover mojo that anyone has available. 

Just remember, Per corriamo le spiage vicina.  (That's our first line.  I have no idea what it means.)

According to Dienhart, some players got kicked off the Tennessee team for getting arrested for an armed robbery.  (Here are a few "allegedly's" to be dumped into that sentence where politically necessary.)  Lame read the PR person's speech perfectly, blah, blah, blah.

All this time, you know he's saying to himself, "Boy, that sure not the way we did things back at Inheritance Hall.  What have I gottem myself into?  The Vols self-report violations, and they don't own the police.  Heck, if I wanted to live in a Bizarro World, I could have stayed in Oakland."

I was reading an article about Lame Kiffin getting another reprimand for whining about the refs after the Florida game.  It seems Lame wanted Florida to have a 15 yard penalty because the kid who blocked the kick took his helmet off.  Apparently he doesn't realize that Florida would still have the ball, would back up 15 and then take the knee and the outcome is the same. 

But the best part of that was looking at some of the comments.  Bruin Brothers and Sisters, I want every man, woman and child to thank God for their UCLA education, and never to forget about it.  Here's what some educational system somewhere churned out:

650. Posted by Dan G Tue Oct 27 8:17pm EDT

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Kiffin is a Pre-Madonna, and Tenn is a complete joke because of it!

I've given this a lot of thought, and I really can't think of anything worse than being a Pre-Madonna. 

According to my handy dandy sports calendar, It's JJ Stokes' 37th birthday.  It would be nice to celebrate it with a nice video of the fourth quarter of the John Barnes game.  I don't have the smarts to do that, but I hope someone does.  It's always nice to watch that particular fourth quarter.

In fact, I have that videotape permanently set for the beginning of the fourth quarter.  Along with several others. 

UPDATE (N): Here is the video for Fox:

Barnes To Stokes (via rongee)

We can never get enough of that. GO BRUINS.

Yahoo Sports is reporting that the current head nurse at the Oakland asylum is about to be arrested for breaking an assistant coach's jaw.  (One part of the story that I found interesting is that the Napa police apparently weren't interested until the assistant produced x-rays showing a fracture.  I guess a punch to the jaw is not a crime until it produces a fracture.

Which raises the question.  Did Coach Cable spend any time at just$c* before getting to Oakland?  It really sounds like he has a lot of the characteristics that Cheatie Petie looks for in an assistant.  And it also seems that Cable wishes he had somehow gotten to just$c*, since apparently the Raiders don't own the Napa PD.

Here's something from the Rivals website.  I'm sure someone will put the niftly little blue box around it.

"Southern California linebacker Luthur Brown has been fully reinstated and will be available to play in Saturday’s season opener against San Jose State....  Brown has regained his academic eligibility, making him available for the fourth-ranked Trojans...." 

Gee, who would have thought it.  An academically ineligible guy somehow suddenly gets everything straightened out just as the season starts.  "I'm shocked, Ricky, shocked.  Gambling in this establishment."

Bumped. GO BRUINS. - N

Jason King, whose work is usually pretty good, was apparently up against a deadline and had to get something turned in.  I don't know how to link to it, but someone smart may well do it for me.  Anyway, he begins his article with this:

"Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina will likely be ranked among the nation’s top five teams when the college basketball season begins in November. The difference this year is that some of the elite, tradition-rich programs that usually join them at the top of the polls might not be there in 2009-10.  What about Duke, UCLA and Arizona?"

He goes on to talk about various "tradition rich" teams who might not do well next year.  And in the Pac 10, he lists three "tradition rich" teams:  UCLA, Arizona and (wait for it)  -- just$c*.  I suppose Arizona might be viewed as "tradition rich", but the only "tradition" in which just$c* is rich is cheating.

I can't put myself in Jason King's head, but his synapses don't appear to have been firing all that well.  Over the past five years, UCLA is 141-37 and 75-23 in Pac 10.  Arizona is 110-60 - not bad I suppose - and 54-36 in Pac 10 play.  But just$c*?  Come on.  In the past five years, they're 97-66 and 44-46 in Pac 10 play.  Their tradition is basketball mediocrity.  Of course they'll fall this year, as they should after what Timmeh did and what he left in the cupboard for the new guy, O'Tool or whatever his name is.

Anyway, I got a kick out of his predictions.  I sent him off a little note already.  The place to send notes says something like "Ask Jason your question."  My question should have been "Wanna bet?"  But overall a bad article by a generally good writer. 

 

Yahoo sports has link to an article in The Dagger which talks about Stephenson going to Cincinnati.  The article rightfully chides the Bearcats for taking this guy.  It says:  "Throw in the usual risks you take with one-and-done players -- they don't show up for class in the spring at best; they aid in a complete and utter breakdown of your program at worst -- and you can see the stakes here."  That link reminds me that Timmeh has yet to address the $1,000 question.

I don't see a lot of kids with the Stephenson/Mayo baggage heading toward UCLA, which is just fine with me.

Here's a little quote from "Shutdown Corner" about Ocho Cinco's housing plans:  "During his time on stage with Michael Irvin, Ochocinco said that he was planning on moving in with Carson Palmer's(notes) family in July. Yes, Ochocinco is going to live with the Palmers so he and his quarterback can get on the same page."

Let's see.  A just$c* quarterback living with a teammate.  That sounds familiar.

(I don't have the skill to post the wonderful Palmer hotdog ad, and wouldn't if I could.)

First is a Yahoo News report on a Chinese village with lots of people over a hundred.  The article purports to explain their secret.  I don't think it's very difficult to figure that one out.  They were all gymnasts on the Chinese Olympic squad.  They're 102 on their driver's licences, but chronologically, they're all about 60 (perfect for my retirement community.

Second is a joke from the local paper.  I'll re-name the players to make it relevant.  Let's choose, oh, how about Nestor and Class of 66.

Nestor:  Hey 66, wnat to play "Bobbing for Seeds?"

66:  What's that?

Nestor:  You hold a watermelon and suck as many seeds as you can out of it in one minute.

66.  Oh, yeah.  Lemme try.  (Chomp, chomp, chomp, spit, spit, spit.)

Nestor:  Not bad, not bad.  Alright, now we try a new game called 'Farce."  It's like "Bobbing for Seeds," but here, instead of a dry watermelon, we make it harder by oiling it up.

66:  It'll be too hard to hold.

Nestor:  Yeah, that's why we call it "Farce."  It's just a huge comedy of errors.

66:  What if I can't do it with the oily one.

Nestor:  We go back to the other game.

66:  (Wait for it, wait for it)  So if at "Farce" I don't suck seed, try dry again?

Thank you.  I'll be here until Thursday.  Make sure to try the veal, and tip your waitress.