The Christmas Haul

Well, Christmas is the season of giving, and we certainly ensure there is plenty to open on our Christmas morn....(especially for those animals)...

We have 11 separate smaller videos to post on Google Video, and I'm sure they'll all make their way onto the blog.

We got quite a haul this Christmas. Movies galore (they're easy to ship and both of our Amazon wishlists were full of various videos) and our HD movies list sky-rocketed. Counting the 5 "rebate movies we got (which arrived on Christmas Eve) we scored over 20 new titles, including: the new Blade Runner 5 disc-set, the Ocean's trilogy (11,12,13), The Bourne Identity, Shrek the Third, The Transformers, Training Day, Road Warrior (woohoo!), Lethal Weapon, Swordfish (the prior 4 in a four-pack), National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Casablanca, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Pitch Black, Chronicles of Riddick, Blazing Saddles and We Were Soldiers - all on HDDVD....then on Blu-ray I gave Christina the Die Hard Collection, Fifth Element, the 300, and Final Fantasy. And that doesn't count television series, where Christina scored the first 6 season of That 70s Show, Daria, season 3 of Medium; while I got Lost - Season 3, Prison Break - season 2, and Smallville -season 6. Hollywood writer's strike? What strike? fellas I won't know the difference for months!

The more traditional haul included lots of LL Bean socks and warm things (get cold here ya know), a couple of throw blankets, Christmas ornaments (again we each got the other the same Santa in the Service military one....our fleet of ships continues to grow), books (Freakanomics, The World is Flat, The U.S. Intelligence Community, one on Kim Jong-il, and a few others including one by my favorite fantasy author Raymond E. Feist: Murder in LaMut.

As for the Eagles stuff: the folks scored me a new 75th Anniversary Dawkins #20 jersey (and it worked btw - they beat the Saints when I wore it), a little clock and a 2008 calendar.

We also got a crock-pot from Christina's aunt and a note that our crockpot inventory has doubled because the folks got us one as well. So we went from no crock pots to two in the span of a few days.

But what about the games??!! Well it was good year for Microsoft, because our XBox 360 collection expanded quite nicely. I got Mass Effect and Assassin's Creed, while Christina got the Simpson's Game (its co-op), then after Christmas we went to the BX and lo' and behold, they not only had Guitar Hero III, but also plenty of Gibson guitar controllers....SO we used the money Christina's grandmother sent us to get GH III and two guitars (one for each of us ya know - its another Co-Op game!). Guitar Hero III is a little hard, and I still think I might get Rock Band (the OTHER musical rhythm game out this year), but her friend Annabelle has GH III, so they can play online now. I also downloaded about 5 "new" games from XBox Live - I didn't realize that most of the coin-op classics were just five bucks.....so now I have some games like Contra, Jetpac, Tempest, Smash TV, etc to help ween away those spare minutes....

Nothing new for the PS3 - they just don't have as many cool games. Though the download PAIN is awesome! Good thing I don't depend on it for my gaming entertainment.

As for the DS - Christina got Sudokuro - which has both Sudoku and Kakuro games. Oh, and Scott, you got me a lot with those Amazon gift certs man....another book (Joel Rosenberg's Paladins II, the Transformers score, the Matrix Trilogy on HDDVD plus two DS games: Orcs and Elves, and Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command).

Videos to come soon

Jump-Starting ye ole Blog

Well folks its been awhile and that probably means that I've lost whatever meager viewership I actually had. Oh well. Easy come, easy go.

So what have I been doing?
Working, getting ready for the holidays, and playing lots of Call of Duty 4.

But you know plenty of stuff has been going on that requires comment:

First the ridiculous: The assertion that Mike Huckabee deliberately put in a subliminal cross symbol in his recent Merry Christmas ad. Did you catch it? Perhaps....since you were probably looking for it. The supposed cross is the bookshelf behind Huckabee....look folks, I am not a Huckabee fan (I don't "heart" Huckabees - that MOVIE SUCKED), but I think folks are going over the line trying to parse everything in every single candidates' lives.

And who the fuck is Ron Paul, and why is he even commenting about this? Get a last name douchebag.

Second, I found a great website for the old Commodore 64 - perhaps the greatest computer-gaming platform in history. Check out C64.com!

Third, a complaint. What game developer in this day and age creates a game with a fixed camera? Take Conan for instance.
Conan for the XBox 360 is pretty good, but implementation could have been a whole lot better.

Lets go down the line:

Graphics - a bit of letdown. I believe that the designers are trying to emulate the visual style of the many fantasy paintings done of Conan, and it sections it really works and looks outstanding. In other areas, especially the Queen/companion and other cutpieces - the graphics are laughable and the water effects are some of the worst this side of a PS1.

Gameplay - the fighting can be fantastically fun at time. The different fighting styles (two-handed, dual-wield, sword-n-shield) all have their own special moves. Lately I\'ve been partial to the Shield, which allows for some nasty Parry-then-attack death blows. And any game that tracks the number of limbs hacked off earns points in my book.

Voice-Acting - I didn't mind Ron Perlman and Claudia Black is good. The game definitely could've used a few more quips here and there and you'll hear every single one within the first 30 minutes of play.

Is it fun? - This is the real kicker, because at its core - hacking and slashing waves of itching-to-lose-limbs-enemies can be both extremely entertaining and satisfying. HOWEVER, sometimes the action gets bogged down by a truly dismal fixed cinematic camera. How any game designer in this day and age could believe that a fixing the camera and torturing players with some retarded perspectives is the way to go is beyond me. In many places you can forgive it. But when the came doesn't track properly and you forced to do one of the multitude of jumping sequences near-blind. Well, lets just say that the curses start to get dropped rather liberally in my household. It REALLY detracts from my pleasure with the game. Please game developers, listen to us gamers, give US the option to play the game HOW WE WANT TO.

Every Team Won but the One I WANTED

Jeez folks, had a great, absolutely great football weekend....except for the fact that the only team I truly care about fucked things up and handed yet another potential win to the opposition.

I mean Saturday was a tremendous football day. Navy crushed Army 38-3....my alma mater Pitt pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year, stunning West Virgina 13-9 in the Backyard Brawl and ending WVU's BCS title hopes, and Hawaii (my most recent home state) stayed undefeated, going 12-0 by coming back to beat Washington 35-28 in front of a raucous home crowd.

BOTH of my fantasy football teams rocked the house as well. I made the playoffs in one league, and looked to secure a spot in the final four in another....

and then the Eagles lose and its all suddenly worthless...dammit A.J....shithead...

oh what to do....perhaps shoot the shit out of some noobs in Call of Duty on my new 61" Panasonic HDTV! Hell yeah...Games and movies in 1080p! This shiznit is off da hizzle, my bizzle!
oops sorry..translation - that means its really good.

Eagles Piss Away Another Win and With it - Probably the Season

I have a real hard time blogging after a game like today's.

Where to start?

Well the clamoring for A.J. Feeley should cease. and Yes. For the record, I felt A.J. had done enough to merit a start, to earn a shot. You know the saying fool me once - shame on you, fool me twice - shame on me. This was twice. Many of us were more than willing to delude ourselves after the Eagles' close-shave-loss to the Patriots. They'd played inspired and we thought...well damn, if only A.J. hadn't spotted the Pats 7 points with that stupid "pick-6" interception, we'd have had 'em.

Well folks - if only A.J. hadn't spotted the Seahawks 14 easy-as-pie first quarter scores - this game, like last Sunday night's, would have played out much, much differently.

That's not the only low-light:
- I think A.J. thought the Eagles had signed a new tight-end. Lofa Tatupu. I can't question Feeley's accuracy. He drilled the ball right to Lofa three times. Hell, it looked like Tatupu was the intended receiver on a couple of those (By the way, our actual TE L.J. Smith, caught 3 passes as well)
- Four piss poor interceptions is four too many. These weren't acrobatic defensive plays folks....these were sophomoric, rookie-level, stare-down-the-receiver or throw-it-right-to-the-defender plays. Literally. There were Seahawks players just waiting for the ball in a couple of situations.
- The absolute stone-motherfucking-hands of our Linebackers....The play after Tatupu pretended to be our tight end to start the game....Hasselbeck drills Takeo Spikes in the chest with a pass (musta been the lighting, that wrong uniform this was contagious). The only difference - Spikes drops the ball. Later in the game, Omar Gaither performed a similar favor for the Seahawks QB. Unfortunately, the Seahawks players were not so courtesy (lousy guests).

- The play-calling. What did we have 50 passes? 2 to 1 pass/run on a day of freezing rain/sleet. Gimme a fucking break. Phil Sheridan is right. There were long runs all day. Including long TD run by Buck and Westbrook (and Morris for the Seahawks). Yet the Eagles kept going bombs away. Sigh.

SILENCE! I KILL YOU!

A, C, Flegm....

This is the funniest shit I've seen in a while

Eagles Lose....But Win

Yeah there is no column for moral victories in the NFL standings. And yes, the Eagles are now globbed together with the 4skins, Vikings, Bears, Cardinals and Saints at 5-6, staring up at Detroit and NY for the two NFC wild-card spots.

Yet, I cannot help but get the feeling that the Eagles can use this game as a springboard. The Cards lost a brutal OT game...the Lions are practically in a free-fall; the Saints inconsistent.....the Vikings romped over the Giants today and the Bears got a huge lift with an unreal OT-win at Soldier Field against the Broncos...Washington? they dominated the second-half statistically against the Buccaneers, but 6 turnovers??? hoo-boy....I don't fear the 'Skins...and the Giants? how do lay a stinker like they just laid at home against the Viking in late November? Could another late-season collapse be looming? One can only hope.

As for the Eagles....if they continue to play like they did against the Patriots....they will win out, just like last year, and finish 10-6. The only problem with that is that it won't be enough to win the NFC East, because the 'Boys have the East locked up.

Sunday Follies

Well the rest of the NFC dorked it up, so if the Eagles can pull off a stunner....they'll really be looking good. And if they can't muster enough to be the Patriots (as just about everyone expects) well then, not much harm done.

The Giants (7-4) got rocked by Minnesota (5-6) 41-10 thanks to three "picks sixes" by Eli
Washington (5-6) couldn't hang onto the ball enough to beat Tampon Bay (7-4)
And Detroit (6-5) dropped their third straight to Green Bay (10-1) on Thanksgiving Day

The only down news is that the Saints (5-6) have climbed back into contention by clobbering the Carolina Panthers 31-6.

Arizona is in there too, playing right now and since their opponent is the once-again-woeful 49ers, I expect the Cards to be right in the thick of things going down the stretch as well.

That Good Ole' Easy Feel(ey)ing

Its official, both McNabb and backup/starting safety Quintin Mikell were downgraded to OUT for the Patriots game Sunday night.

Here's a question, why not play the game Belicheat always plays and just say they're a game-time decision and then decided announce just before kickoff.....
The bad part: it probably is not going to make much difference. The Patriots are playing on a different level from the rest of the NFL right now.
The good part: perhaps the coaching staff won't rely purely on McNabb to carry the team and will come up with an inventive, balanced attack to counter the Patriots.
The ugly: what do we do if Feeley leads us in knocking off the Pats?

Expand Your Mind and Feed the Hungry

Feel like testing your vocab and assisting in donations to the U.N. Food Program?
Go here: Free Rice.com

A bunch of sponsors offer to donate 10 grains of rice for every word you get correct. Okay, 10 grain whoopee....but when the daily total soars in the hundreds of millions....that adds up...so do your part and expand your vocabulary.

I've made it Vocab Level 43 unassisted....but I always seem to get one that stumps me and sends me back to Level 42 or I get a little string of truly obscure words and I drop down....and then I have to fight my way back up....it can be surprising addictive

Thanksgiving Whiteout

Holy crap!

Had some serious snow on Thanksgiving! Turkey day started about 10AM for me. I looked out the window and was stunned....there was a good 6-8 inches on the ground.
So first things first, I had to don some warm clothes so I clear some space for the boys to do their "business"
See what I mean? That's like a sheer white cliff for a dachshund.

Then I got to shoveling out the driveway and alley. Put the plucky (read cheap) little snowblower we have to work. But in honesty...its almost easier to shovel...almost....
Click here to see the video
Here is a picture of the view out the back after I shoveled a space for the boyos...
I learned a very powerful lesson a few minutes later when it started to snow again. Shoveling snow in Misawa is like farting into a hurricane. Within minutes the drive/alley was coated again.
Want to see what a typical snow-day is for us. Click here to see the video we took of the backyard a few hours later. That trench I dug for the boys? Filled in. The Pachinko parlor "out back" all but invisible. Its the same perspective as the picture above. Swear.

A White Thanksgiving

Now, I've heard of dreaming of a white Christmas, but I don't remember too many "white Thanksgivings"....and if we're "lucky" we may just get one here in Misawa. Have a few inches of the jolly white stuff already on the ground and its snowing heavy at the present time.

More later once the sun comes up...and I can take some pictures

Dachshund Break

Ok, taking a little break from Call of Duty 4, which is about as good a first-person shooter as there is, and is the current game sucking away my time. And YES, the game really does look just like this. Its not some special video.

Figured I'd throw a couple pics of the boys out there
This is the 'hey bitch, turn on the heat, it's friggin' cold in here' look from D.J.

Turning the tables on Zaar. He always goes into empty boxes if we leave them open and on the. And then he'll deliberately leave him ball in there and beg us to go get it...So after convincing him that that is his job, we turn it upright on him. HA!
How could you NOT give a treat to a dog that handsome? Of course, that's exactly what he's counting on....

84 Minutes for Drunk Driving? - That's Some Bullshit

Caught drinking and driving not once BUT TWICE, and the Lil Miss Mean Girl, Lindsey Lohan, gets 84 minutes in jail?

WOW, What a life-altering experience that must've been. I am sure the dull white walls were really closing in on her. She didn't even have to don a DOC Jumpsuit...that wouldn't that have been a photo-op.

What is this world coming to? All those Don't Drive and Drive message public service announcements, all those horrible stories....and people who do it OVER AND OVER AND OVER just walk. Oh sorry. They walk out after less time in the clink than people spending suffering through their atrocious movies.

The biggest sign of progress? She spent two more minutes in jail than fellow drunk skank teabagger Nicole Richie....Maybe the LA County Jail should just take them all to a matinee showing of the Love Bug after their morning of rigorous in-processing? At least then they get to spend an actual afternoon in detention.

Let's Not get Too Hasty

I appreciate a win as much as the rest of Eagles nation, but I think the demeanor of the coverage is appropriate - it was a nice win, a HUGE, potentially season-saving win, but it doesn't suddenly mean the Eagles have arrived.

Let's face it. There is the potential for an equally GI-normous letdown next Sunday when the 0-fer Dolphins limp into the Linc. Who the F wants to a face a win-less team at this point in the season?

NOBODY! Ask the Saints. At some point, pride kicks in and the team comes up with a respectable effort (though they really should've beaten the Bills yesterday, oh well, oops).

Think the Boo-birds were bad Sunday Night vs Dallas? What happens if McNabb coughs up another cheap fumble to Jason Taylor? Or the special teams isn't and the Birds finds themselves looking up at a winless team in November at home? Yikes....

Look, I don't expect any of that to happen. If this Eagles team is going to do anything, they need to stomp on Miami, get to .500 and then try and summon an angel to help them defeat the Patriots...

But back to Sunday, my satellite coverage was spotty but AFN replayed the Eagles games last night, so I got see some of it on my nice big widescreen TV instead of streaming to my computer monitor (which ain't so small either).

Did anyone notice:
- The effectiveness of the offense with a finally healthy L.J. Smith in the line-up. Westbrook was his usual phenomenal self, but its hard to ignore a 4 TD performance by McNabb and 3 for 3 TD ratio inside the redzone in the first game that L.J. was out there for a significant period (and by that I mean consistently, every series, not just spot duty.). Not saying he's the magic pill that made the O go, but his presence helped. For whatever reason, the Birds got it done when they needed to.

- The plays by the up-to-now-invisible Darren Howard on the goal-line in the 4th quarter? He was in the run to the right (tackle made by Howard, Bunk, Patt and Co), he was in the Portis dive to the goal-line where he got stood up, fumbled and snatched it back before it got away, and he was the guy who penetrated the line and dragged Portis down on the the running play to the right. Somehow, he was all over the place. Does that mean I think he's not a stiff. Umm no, he hasn't played anywhere near close to contract, and he'll be gone after the season...but...it was nice to see him show up and be accounted for...

Gut Check Win in Washington

Hoo-boy....had to sweat one out in Washington this morning. Oh jeez. I tell you what


Things I liked:
- Goal-line D....stiffened when it needed to....down 22-20, the Redskins had at least 7 plays inside the 10 and couldn't punch it in. Heck, it was only a spectacular save by Portis that prevented the Skins from coughing up a fumble. Anyway, holding them to a FG was HUGE. Score 25-20 after that, and a couple plays later, Brian Westbrook is taking a screen-pass to the house for a 26-25 lead.

- Brian Westbrook. Best all-round back in the NFL right now. Period. He just tied Thurman Thomas and Wilbert Montgomery for the having the most games (9) with both a rushing and a receiving touchdown. That a Hall of Fame player and the Eagles all-time leading rusher. That is pretty good company. 183 total yards and 3 touchdowns. Not only did he give my fantasy team a huge boost, his performance today may be a catalyst for the Eagles to sustain some momentum. We've got winless Miami next week.
Image courtesy AP
- More aggressive play-calling in the second half. With Carlos Rogers out and Fred Smoot visibly limping around, the Eagles played timid in the first half. And it showed. The Eagles were down 15-7 at the half and looked pretty frickin' bad. In the second half, the Eagles began taking some shots. Not all of them worked, but they don't ALL NEED TO. Its set a tone, it tells the opposition they can't just cluster the line of scrimmage and play the short pass.

What I didn't like:
Donovan McNabb's inaccuracy. Weird to criticize a guy who goes 20/28 for 250 and 4 TDs, but there were critical plays in the game where Don just looked bad. The pass to Celek on the 3rd possession. Wide open TE...could've set up a scoring opportunity - easy - but whoops! Horrible throw and BOOM goes the punt. There were also a few of McNabb's patented gopher balls thrown in there. It may be nit-picking because we won...but seriously....It was very frustrating.

McNabb's almost game-choking fumble, Jeez oh man, another criticism of the QB? Yup...the defense hadn't done DICK. Nothing to stop the 4skins. And with the Skins up 22-20 and driving, the Eagles force a fumble by Ladell Betts at their own 25. Woohoo, Eagles ball and hope springs eternal.

Next play - McNabb scrambling around and coughs up a cheap fumble...To give the ball RIGHT BACK after that shit. DAMMIT. The Defense managed to hold (see above) them to a FG, but I tell you what, that could've been a killer. A real game-killer. It wasn't, but it almost was.

Will James....holy shit dude. YOU SUCK....James boasted about being a starter in the off-season, but it looks more like he's the second coming of Izel "Toast" Jenkins.

Wings Clipped

Sorry my computer crashed as I was typing up my response to last night flop-ola against the Cowboys.

Donovan and the Eagles picked a helluva night to lay a turd. I guess all that energy from the big intro really didn't translate into execution.

My primary questions:
- Where have all the playmakers gone? Did everyone but Lito and Westbrook take the night off?
- Was Reid really not distracted by his family situation? Did that truly not also affect the team?
- How many games until the chants for Kolb become deafening?
- This was a total team defeat - no aspect of the team played well. But McNabb deserves his fair share of the blame for two horrendous plays (starting the game with a fumble, and nullifying our only INT (by Lito which snubbed out a Cowboys drive) by throwing a retarded pass three plays later (and re-igniting the Cowboys drive)).

The Eagles are not going to pull this one out folks. Last night was their chance to get back into the race, put their stamp on McNabb's claim that the NFC "runs through Philadelphia." Well, he was right about one thing. It DID run through Philly, problem, it kept right on running out the gates and jumped on the Cowboys' bus to the airport.

Gameday!

Been up for hours.....for some reason I got up at about midnight (game doesn't start locally until after 10AM) and have been up ever since.

Colts-Pats game was good. Disappointing in that the Patriots came back to win.
Minnesota stomped all over the Chargers...thanks to Adrian Peterson, who rushed for an NFL single- game-day record of 296 yards....hmm, makes me appreciate the Eagles D a little bit more, since we effectively shut AP down last week.

More later

Thoughts on Dallas Week and other things

Lots of talk this week about the Eagles season being on the line Sunday Night against Dallas. And to be honest, as much as I hate to say that any game in the first half of the season is a absolute must-win....I have to agree.

The Eagles are 3-4, the Cowboys 6-1 (Giants 6-2, Redskins 4-3)...A loss against the Cowpukes on Sunday, at home, would put the Eagles in a near-insurmountable hole: 4 games behind the 'Boys, with 8 to play and 0-3 (including 2 homes losses) against the NFC East. Even for an devout football optimist like myself...that is a bridge too far (as far as playoff hope goes).

But I tell you what. Dawkins will be back and that alone should give the Eagles an injection of emotion and energy. And another thing, 4-4, just two games back of the front-running Cowboys and Giants, with 8 to play....sounds a whole lot better doesn't it? Dawkins return will allow "Q" to return his special teams captaincy, so hopefully, those teams get a boost on Sunday Night as well. And let's face it - the Eagles will need to bring their "A" game in every facet to prevail in their biggest game of the year (so far). Well to be honest, they need to win Sunday just so that they get to have "big games" later in the season.

In other news:
The Eagles ended the Matt McCoy experiment this week. No big impact there. The idjit decided to level Minnesota's punter in the third quarter last Sunday, just as the Eagles were poised to take-over inside Viking's territory after nice defensive hold that forced the Vikes to punt from their own end-zone. So instead of taking possession at the Vikings 45, the Eagles were pushed back to their own 40. And Dawk was pissed. The cameras followed his raggin' out McCoy and then yelling "FUCK" on the sidelines after the call. Now Westbrook bailed McCoy out by delivering a 25yd+ screen on the next play, but the damage was done. More telling, no one, and I mean NO ONE, came to his defense. Dawkins was on 950 AM talk radio the next day discussing the "message" the coaches were sending. MESSAGE RECEIVED.

Of more concern - both of coach Andy Reid's sons are going to be spending some time in jail now. AR missed practice on Thursday to attend his sons' sentencing. Both got 23-month sentences. And judge laid in the Reid household as well: A judge who sentenced Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid's sons to jail on Thursday likened the coach's home to "a drug emporium" and questioned whether his adult sons should live there, given their drug problems.

Look, I don't give a crap about his private life. But I worry that this is going to be a distraction to the head coach right before the biggest game of the year. I mean, if we get out-coached, out-smarted, and do what we've done in our losses this year (you know the mantra: a stubborn lack of adjustments, poor clock-management, wasted time-outs) - then I don't know how there would be any other conclusion to come to other than: Andy Reid is distracted and perhaps he needs to step aside or shed some duties. The burden must be incredible. But I am not all that comfortable with the idea that my football hopes (as well as those of the greater Philadelphia metropolitan region) rest on a mind troubled by the drug-addled downfall of two of the head coach's sons.

Eagles Show a Pulse

In the words of ex-Eagles coach Brad Childress, "the demise of Donovan McNabb has been greatly exaggerated" (ok, he didn't quite say it that way - the way he said it was stupid).

The Eagles put together a complete effort on Sunday.

Rookie RB Adrian Peterson leading the league in rushing - and then getting named the "go to back" during the week by the Vikes....no problem.

Red Zones woes - little better. The Eagles scored two TDs - though they did screw up two other chances.....The reason? Better play-calling. The Eagles ran multiple-sets down inside the 20. They RAN it more. Their passes were executed better. Just an all-round better effort. Period.

What an Amazing Play

Perhaps the most unbelievable play in College Football. I don't think it will quite surpass the Cal-Stanford "Band is on the Field" play....BUT....its good. No, its great.
How did they pull this off?

Eagles Already Entering Spoiler-Mode

The Eagles couldn't hang on today, losing 19-16 versus the Bears.

Plenty of sour grapes to go around, and a ton of question penalties (to be fair there were calls on both teams, but I think the Eagles wound up bearing the brunt of the them).

For starters:
- Can't score in the Red Zone.....3 trips inside the 20 and 3 FGs....that's just poor folks. Poor.
- Some gay-ass retard def. holding call in the 2nd qtr. Will James performed a perfect press coverage, clean contact within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage - yet out comes the flag, and instead of punting the Bears get second life and wind up scoring a FG out of it. And it you think 3 pts doesn't matter? On a day when the O was struggling and the game was decided by 3.....
- The most miserable call of the day - a phantom hold on Todd Herremans on a 3rd and 3 with 2:24 left.....Westbrook runs for a first down - and the game is OVER....oh no...there had to be a penalty to call right? Sure thing. The refs whistle up a holding call. Now, I don't know if they called in on the wrong guy, but on the replay, it seems like all Herremans does is let the Chicago LB Briggs fall to the ground with his own momentum....
Well anyway, that call set-up the improbably finish. Instead of watching the Eagles run three plays and rag the clock to zero, we get to see the Bears drive the length of the field and score a TD....

So what now?
The Eagles aren't going to catch the other teams in the NFC East. The Cowboys and Giants have started the season too well. And both are not going to collapse (again). This isn't 2006. 3-3....sure...the Eagles are still within striking distance; but to already have 4 losses by Week 7 - no matter how close the games, there is no special column close losses, this isn't the NHL - it has become a near-impossible hole from which to dig out.

Can they win 10-in-a-row and go 12-4? Unlikely, not with an offense that can't cash-in, and a defense that was oh-so-close today, but just couldn't shut the door. Whatever mojo the Eagles had in the past that would allow them to squeak through these games and emerge on the other side of the season with a double-digit win season is gone. Hell, a 10-6 record would mean going 8-2.....and with the exception of the games versus the Bills and Dolphins, can you think of a game in which the Eagles will be favored? Even factoring in a division split with the NFC East (a tall task since we're already 0-2) that's one loss. Not being able to score above 20 is sure to cause a few more....The way the team is executing - 5 or 6 wins in the final 10 is about as optimistic a prediction as can be mustered. So that's what 7-9, 8-8? That isn't going to do it folks.

The Birds are finding ways to lose the close games they used to find ways to win. Its going be a rough ride for the rest of 2007....I'm still bailing water, though I can imagine the boards will be full of folks bailing out....could be a lonely season for hopefuls like me....

When is the next Flyers game?

Can I get a Hell Yeah?

A W is a W

PHINALLY! The Eagles pulled one out. Instead of grumbling about an inept offense unable to score, Birds fans got to watch the team fight and scrap - and while wildly, maddeningly inconsistent - and just enough TO WIN.

What I liked the most:
- The offense sealing the win by running the final few minutes off the clock after the defense held the Jets on 4th down inside the 10.
- That key 3rd and 8 conversion to Reggie Brown. Hello there! Are you a wide receiver for the Eagles? Reggie finally showed up today. Anyway, that play, that execution sealed the victory.
- Brian Westbrook stepped it up after that completion, grinding out the first downs that burned the rest of the clock. All total: 120 yards on 20 carries (plus another 36 in the air). Fantasy-wise I wish he could've gotten into the end-zone, but reality-wise, I am quite happy seeing the Eagles able to run the ball when it counts.
- The fact that the Eagles actually adjusted at half-time! The defense went from cut-back run hell, to stuffing the shit out of Thomas Jones. The Jets really only had one good drive in second half.
- Sheldon Brown - he did a heckuva job taking L. Coles out of the game.
- The stand. 2nd and 1 - T Jones stuffed; 3rd and 1 - QB Sneak by Pennington stuffed; 4th and 1 - incomplete pass.

What I didn't like:
- The offensive funk in the second half. What the hell fellas? They moved the ball in the first half, but had precious few answer in the 3rd and 4th quarters.
- Red-zone ineptness. Plenty of drives, too few touchdowns. We lucked out. The Jets suck. A better team would've made us pay for not scoring TDs when we had all those early opportunities.
- The first half run D was non-existent. 96 yards for Thomas Jones in the first two quarters??? Ok so he only had 30 for the rest of the game. Again, we got lucky, T-Jones got the Jets into early scoring range but they whiffed on the FG (but they did get 2).
- Akers blowing 2 41-yard FG into the wind. He seemed to compensate too much, trying to get the ball to go left, he hooked them to the right. The Meadowland definitely has gotten into his head.

New Type of Post

I figured it was time to institute a new kind of post here on the ole' blog.

I call it: "That some bullshit!" Its sort of my new catchphrase whenever I get screwed over in an online game of HALO 3.

First on the agenda: The Cowboys winning despite coughing the ball up 6 times, and the Bills getting 3 TDs from their defense and special teams. That's the epitome of "that some bullshit right there."

Next up, Michael Devlin....ok so the fucking pedophile rapist plead guilty, why is this fuckhead still breathing? We give him life-terms in jail. Great. So now he's costing tax-payers six-figures/year to keep him ass locked up for the next 40 or so years. After hearing the graphic details of his confession that shitface deserves to be hung by the balls with chicken-wire above a pit of starving alligators.

New York's plan to issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants....now that's some BULLSHIT right there. Fuck Eliot Spitzer...douchebag. How about doing you friggin' job and enforcing the laws of your state instead of trying to skirt them? Oh and get this, some of the documentation being bandied about as potential types necessary for presentation to get your license as an illegal alien: PAROLE or Probation papers. Oh that's fucking rich. Actual citizens need birth certificates and social security cards, but some jackass might be able to use his parole papers? You shittin' me.

And wow, the San Francisco Chronicle didn't like Fred Thompson's "debut" debate yesterday. Now THAT's a shocker...Does San Francisco even qualify as an American city anymore? Why should give a crap what their editorialists think? Did he do well? I watched. I thought it took him a couple of questions to get comfortable, but damn, give the man a chance. I wouldn't expect a rag like the Chronicle to even consider giving the guy a fair shake anyway...ugh...

...and Whoever is playing Dallas this week

You already know the beginning of that line: "My favorite team is the Eagles...". And lo' and behold, the Cowboys may have been caught napping this game. I saw may, because there is still a qtr and a half to play and the Bills are only leading 24-13. The Cowboys have the firepower to overcome this.

This is week to have the Bills D/ST: 2 def. tds and a 103 yard kickoff return??? Holy crap. 4 Romo Ints??? I can't imagine a D scoring more this week than the Bills. And speaking of fantasy teams. I won in both leagues (can the Eagles have off next week too? - nah check that, my one team is hurting with Westbrook sitting and Andre Johnson still injured - I need the WB is turn it on again.

Phillies, HALO 3 and Work

Well, no posts recently

The reason: well work for one. Instead of getting up in the morning with little to do but peruse the Sports section and think of something to blog about, I have some honest to goodness work. Hee hee. It ain't so bad. Not a lot of work, but then again, I don't need to work a lot to make a decent amount of scratch, so that's pretty cool. I mean, if I can earn in 10 hours (working from home) what I'd get working 40 if I had some crap job on base....why bother?

Second, and the biggest reason by far - HALO 3. This game rocks. What can I say? There always thousands of people online looking to play. I enjoy playing with friends a bit more than the anonymous games, but they do in a pinch. I'm getting better. Still not very good, but not useless either. Just depends on the game.

As for the Phillies. Well, they dropped their first home games and it doesn't look good. Still I expect them to fight. After striving all fucking year, to go out with a whimper just wouldn't do.

Jeers, Goats and Observations from Sunday Night

I don't want to leave Sunday night's debacle just yet

So here are some thoughts, in random fashion, about the game/State of Eagles

- How come when we line-up with a man on the nose and two LB/S covering each "A" gap, and we bring the house...it never works??? Yet on the very first series, the Giants do the same thing and OL parts like the Red Sea and McNabb gets clobbered.

- Lately it seems like all our "exotic" defense stuff just becomes pedestrian. Our D is doing pretty well. I don't think any team has really excelled against us. But on a day like Sunday, when the front four can't get pressure alone, and then the blitzing fizzles....Makes me wonder is at least some teams haven't caught up with JJ. (though to be fair, I am quite sure the Giants were well-schooled in the Eagles basics from former Eagles coach and current Giants Def Coordinator Spagnuolo.

- Do well really miss Tra Thomas that much?
- Quintin Mikell is playing well in place of Brian Dawkins
- Come back soon Lito, Will James may have talked a big game in the off-season, but he ain't backing up that "I'm a shutdown corner" talk now.

- How can the Eagles look so woefully unprepared in 3 of the 4 games they've played?
- Why are the Eagles seemingly unable/unwilling to adjust to what the other team is doing.
This is a big one folks. I mean, we've lost two games out of the first four because our Offense simply did not acknowledge/do anything to counter the gameplan of the opposing defense. Phil Sheridan wrote a good piece about part of that here: the Eagles are passaholics.
Case in point: against the Skins, the Eagles did nothing to counter Washington's press-man coverage (no formations, no motions, no deep balls, nothing). Against the Giants on Sunday, with everyone in the stadium aware that Giants DE Osi Umenyiora was schooling the Eagles new LT Winston Justice, the Eagles consistently called passing plays with blocking scheme calling for one-on-one blocking. Its wasn't until the second half (and McNabb was already running for his life by then) that I saw even the remotest attempt to help out Justice. And even then, it wasn't consistent.

- Sheldon Brown was right. In one of those Sunday Night tippers when the Players faces talk to the audience about what a great game is going to be on display, Sheldon said, the team that executes the best is going to win:
15 penalties for 132 yards, a missed FG, 12 GD SACKS, 3 dropped passes (at least) and so many blown blocking assignments McNabb is probably going to be in training tub for the entire bye week. Hmm, guess what. Sheldon was right.

Now for good news:
- The Birds may have had to play without Tra Thomas and Brian Westbrook Sunday, but the Buccaneers now have to play the rest of their season with their Starting LT and RB as Luke Pettigout and Cadillac Williams were both lost for the season earlier in the day. So things could be worse. Much worse.
- Andy Reid teams come out strong after the BYE. The coach's unflappable demeanor means a lot to the team. They will not pack-it-up and go home. They will keep fighting because they have character

Other thoughts:
- I know the Eagles will keep fighting. But realistically, they need to go what 9-3 the rest of the way? No its not impossible (though it certainly is impossible with the offense in disarray). This team is going to have to fight and scrap and claw just to get within sniffing distance...I fear that even if they do, they'll be mentally worn out by the end of December
- Do we make a bid to bring back Donte' Stallworth? He's clearly a one-year rental for the Pats. And you know they'll have to devote some $$$ for Moss. He wouldn't be the first former Eagles to return to the nest.

Phils Provide the Cheers - Birds the Jeers

How weird is that? A Sunday in October and the Phillies give the fans more to cheer about than the Eagles.

Ok - my frustration level was off-the-charts with last night non-appearance by the offense again.

My thoughts:
- No Westbrook, no Dawk, no Lito, no Tra, no LJ = very vulnerable team
- Anyone else thinking our OL depth might be a little shaky. Winston, my man...what the hell went wrong? And you stupid eff'ing coaches - HOW ABOUT GIVING THE DUDE SOME FUCKING HELP.
- After the first two or three sacks it was obvious that Justice couldn't handle Giants DE Umenyiora. I have no clue why our offense is so stubborn and/or blind that it refuses to recognize these in-game nuances (though nuance is way too generous a term for watching your starting LT get steamrolled every series).
- 10 runs, 20 passes in a 7-0 first half. That's just great. On a night when McNabb usually had about 1.5 seconds to get rid of the ball we keep dialing up passes.....
- No protectee QB - no winee game - idiots
- You know early on, I didn't mind the play-calling - because the plays the Eagles had called WOULD HAVE worked, except for the fact that the Eagles offense executed so poorly. Every series had a dropped pass, penalty, poor throw and/or a sack. EVERY FUCKING SERIES!
- Case in point - First series - pass to Curtis - clang through the hands off the helmet and to the ground. So instead of moving the chains after the D sending Eli off the field with a three-and-out to open the game, the Birds return the favor - not because of what the Giants D did, but with what the Eagles failed to do.
- Early on the Giants scheme was to pressure McNabb up the middle. Every play. How did this not register with the coaches/OL?

I'll add more later.....

Suddenly Short-handed for Sunday Night

Wow. The Eagles have a ton of deactivated stars tonight. Both Brians (Westbrook and Dawkins) are sitting, as is William "Tra" Thomas, L.J. Smith and Lito Sheppard.

Yikes....the Birds really need McNabb to get sharp tonight. And the D-line needs to keep it up. The secondary is still dinged up...They did a decent job contains the Lions. Now its Eli & Co.

Division games are always tough, and its just about time for the game to start. So see you later.

The Eagles, Heroes and Halo Oh MY!

Been pretty quiet about the Birds lately.
Some good articles this week about various topics.

I liked the ones about the defensive line. You see, the Eagles D-Line has gotten off to an excellent start. The Eagles lead the NFL in sacks (note to self: they did the same thing early last year too, but then cooled off considerably and finished in the middle of the pack) and the DT combo of Bunkley and Patterson has excelled. Gaither and Spikes are able to flow to the ball and make plays and the run defense has looked solid. (another note of caution: Green Bay's run game sucks, Detroit's was non-existent...but the Eagles still did well against the 'Skins who had a good running attack). If the Eagles can get into the bye week safely (i.e. with a W), they should be able to guys like Lito, LJ and Dawkins healthy and come of the Bye 2-2 and ready to soar.

That's the plan anyway. Can they do it? Hard to say. Games vs the Giants are always tight. The Eagles are on the road and they're sketchy under Andy Reid in the week before their bye. Don't know why, but they are. This time is a bit different. The Eagles should still have a sense of urgency about them, they need to get to 2-2. No more lackadaisical play can be afforded - the Birds need to go the Meadowlands and take care of a weak Giants team.

In other news, the new season of Heroes has started. Fucking NBC and iTunes can't get their shit together, so actually watching the show is a pain-in-the-ass. But still. Episode one was pretty damn good. The writing is still solid, plenty of intrigue and intertwined plotlines are going already.

As for my current addiction - HALO 3. Well with the help of a couple friends, my wife and I beat the game last night. I just think its cool that we got to play a 4-player cooperative game. I thought it was funny, I had just planned to get through another stage or so with Christina, then Ulch logged on and wanted to play, so we restarted our campaign with him, and then Morris showed up and he joined in the final push. All-told, we wound up playing HALO 3 for like 7 hours yesterday! Aiya. How the hell did my non-gaming wife get sucked in a first-person shooter for most the evening? Tells you how good HALO is....And she's ready for more multi-player mayhem today. Have some friends stopping by and some others on-base ready to starting shootin' shit this afternoon. Its going to be a good Saturday...

Sorry its been so long

Since I've blogged. I got some great news over the weekend. WORK! So I've been busy making some dough this week. I think it will keep going, but we'll see. Between that and the release of HALO 3, well, let's just say time has been at a premium this week.

Of course, Christina is putting in a serious run for Wife of the Year by trying to tackle a game well out of her normal puzzle-adventure comfort-zone. She's playing HALO 3 with me and we're having fun (I think) trying to beat the game in the cooperative campaign. I also played on-line for the first time ever and registered my first 7 kills in slayer mode (though the winner of the round had 15). Not bad for a NooB. Anyway, the game was a massive attraction at the exchange yesterday. I mean, a Harry Potter-esque queue formed up before the BX opened. Thankfully, they'd ordered plenty of copies so anyone who was smart enough to show up early got one.

Its an official phenom, scoring an unheard of $170 million in first-day sales in the U.S. alone. And I tell you what else, the game comes with a free 48-hour subscription to XBox Live Gold (where you can play online and keep track of stats etc)....its like having a vial of crack enclosed with the game. You see, I already have an XBox Live account (as if the Gamertag didn't give it away) and XBox Live arcade is simply the best in the business. Nothing comes close. And now, with HALO 3 you get dedicated gaming servers from maker Bungie! Connecting to a game or creating your own is a snap. And it fast. And most importantly - ITS FUN! I am brand new to this and the match-maker put in a contest with some other noobs. So I wasn't facing some ultra-Halo Master Chief wannabe. Did I lose? Sure. But I had a blast, and after I finish this guess where I am going to be? That's right - shooting some shit up on the TV.

Well anyway, I was going to include some thoughts on the Eagles in this, but you know, I will give them a separate entry.

Now THAT is more like it - Eagles Stomp Lions

Ok folks, recall the bloodhounds, the Eagles offense surfaced from the depths to stomp the crap out of the Lions today at the Linc. Coming out in their "throwback" uniforms that were universally derided during various networks' pre-game shows (I believe hideous being most common adjective) the Eagles torched the Lions, scoring 5 straight touchdowns on their first five possessions.

Yet the game still had an air of eerie doubt when the Eagles - knocking on the door for their 6th straight TD - allowed Lions to practically come clean and hit McNabb, causing a fumble inside the 10. The Birds, up 35-14 at the time, were immediately burned by a slant-turned-90-yard-TD from Kitna to Roy Williams, and what looked like a dagger-in-the-heart 42-14 lead morphed into 35-21 lead that just didn't feel secure.

Soon after the Lions were again knocking on the door at the end of the first half. And I am sure the phaithful were grimacing at the idea of a 35-28 halftime lead, and a 35-24 score seemed all but inevitable, with the Lions well within Jason Hanson's range. But oopsie, Kitna lobbed up a jump-ball and Sean Considine came down with a nice catch in the endzone to eliminate the threat.

The good:
Our running worked and set-up play-action...the O worked the way its supposed to....we actually put men in motion, ran some crossing pattern, and YES passed on target and CAUGHT the ball...amazing the good thing that happen when the receivers
- Brian Westbrook. All everything today, over 100 rushing, over 100 receiving, 3TDs...
- Kevin Curtis. Breakout game for KC. topped 200 in the first half, 3 TDs...holy crap.
- The D-Line - 9 sacks today. They hounded Kitna all day.
- The O-Line - kept McNabb upright, blew open holes for Westbrook. Earned their keep in general....nice job up front fellas.

The Bad:
You know, when you blowout another team 56-21, there is no bad....but there is:

The Ugly:
- On a day when the Eagles were passing great, Reggie Brown only had 2 catches for 23 yards. 6 in 3 games???? Whassup wit dat?
- Not much else to complain about...Mahe caught the ball and had a couple of 10-12 yard returns, Rocca's punting was adequate (still waiting for a rocket launch) and the kickoff coverage was merely ok.

Word of the Day: Trepidation

Weird, usually my mentality on game-day is ravenous. I want to see the Eagles kick some ass and take some names. Most of the time, I don't get that....what I usually do get, however, is a team that fights and scraps and makes my heart pound, my palms sweat and my hair turn gray. But usually - and more often than not since 2000 - they've come out on top.

So why should today's game any different?

Maybe is because McNabb doesn't seem like himself.
Maybe its because Lito is out and Dawk might be...
But this is fucking Detroit we're talking about! Not New England...not Chicago....the Eagles slow, mis-firing start has fans worried about Detroit!

Game starts in about 4 hours, and I've been up since 0700 (after 8pm now)....I should get some sleep before the game. (I type as I yawn...)

Andy Reid's Greatest Hits

Found this on the EMB.
I'd link right to it, but I cannot find it on EMB again (dang)....

Anyway, I think a lot of Eagles fans are getting tired of hearing post-game press conferences in which we get the fed the same , and let me paraphrase: "I've got to put the players in a better position to make plays"

We all know that ANDY! What we want to see is some realization of adjustment that should be made during the GAME! When we fans can sit back and predict plays or take notice of glaring gaffes (again dead the no-motion, no-nothing response the press-man defensive coverage used by our opponents horse) and it happens time and again. Its get frustrating my man.

Andy Reid is without a doubt the best coach this team has ever had. No other coach in the last 45 years has been anywhere near as successful. None has won more games. Reid has an impressive array of credentials. And he's earned some benefit of the doubt.

That benefit is currently being given right now. I refuse to quit on this team. Andy Reid teams start slow and finish strong. I want to see him wright this ship, get the running game on track, coax McNabb along (the mf'er ain't 100% Andy, quit pretending he is) and start playing winning football.

Simple.
Now do it.

Tackling the Garcia/Stallworth Question

Common theme following the Eagles 20-12 dud on Monday which dropped them to 0-2: If the Eagles had retained the services of both QB Jeff Garcia (currently 1-1 with Tampa but looking very sharp) and WR Donte' Stallworth (currently running under the radar - and behind Wes Welker and Randy Moss at wideout for a strong Patriots team).

After two games the offense looks out of sorts. Yes, McNabb looked awesome in the preseason (further confirmation that the preseason is NOT a good indicator of future returns), but he clearly is struggling right now.

Let me say this: If Garcia and Stallworth were both wearing Eagles uniforms, I do believe the Eagles record would currently be 2-0.

That said - I do not lay the blame solely on Donovan McNabb. He deserves some blame - he is the QB afterall - but the rush to judgment on McNabb is both premature and wrong. Why you ask?

1. Wasn't everyone fairly cognizant of the fact that McNabb was not going to be "old" McNabb in September. I mean its been what 9 months since his ACL injury? Lest we forget, the last QB to come back from something like this was Carson Palmer. Did he play all year. Yup. Did he look like his old self in Sep? Nope. What was the Bengals record last year? 8-8.
2. Given that, perhaps expectations that McNabb would be an MVP-type QB this year were a bit premature.
3. We had what 50 called pass plays (including sacks) Monday night, and less than 20 runs? What the hell kind of balance is that. Even with Garcia, I don't believe we'd be successful under that sort of run/pass ratio. With Garcia, however, the coaches seemed much more committed to running. With #5 back there, the Birds' coaches seem to get a collective amnesia. So instead of using the run to open up the pass, they just keep dialing up passes. Pass after pass after pass, even on a night when its obvious that McNabb is struggling AND the O is doing nothing to adjust to the defensive coverage.
4. Stubborn Act of Hubris, Part II - I can't let this go. The coaches did nothing to adjust to the defensive scheme of the Redskins. Nothing.
- No one was put in-motion
- The Eagles did not use any formation to make the press-man coverage more difficult (stacking WRs etc
- I saw very few routes designed to help break from the coverage (crossing routes primarily)
- The Eagles went deep all of once in the first half. Without challenging the opposition deep at least a few times, the 'Skins had no reason to respect the deep ball. They could just keep their guys up close because the Birds showed no inclination to try and burn them.
- Finally, the Eagles kept choosing to pass. Even of a night when Westbrook was carving up the run defense. They used no one else. Buckhalter got maybe 1 carry. Tony Hunt was de-activated. What the fuck?

Putting a Loss into Perspective

Eagles laid an egg on Monday Night Football tonight, falling 20-12 to the Washington Redskins and dropping their record to 0-2.

Oof.

Since the start of the new playoff format only 4 of 60-something playoff teams since 2000('01?) have started 0-2 and made the playoffs. By the way, the 2003 Eagles were one of those teams. It is time to pack-it-in? Close the shutter and start wondering if the Flyers will rebound or if (gasp) the Phillies might stop teasing make a serious run at things?

NO.
That bears repeating - NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO START HITTING THE PANIC BUTTON (if they lose to Lions at home, different story)

I tell you what though.....if they don't correct some significant ineptness on the Offensive side of the ball, they'll be lucky to claw their way back to .500.

Here are nits I have to pick with the thudding performance Monday Night:
1) When you have to consistently settle for Akers FGs after driving into the red-zone, you are not going to win many games. Touchdowns win games. FGs are consolations prizes for Red-zones trips and good cappers for drives that stall between the 35 and 20 yard lines (give or take a couple).

2) 46 pass, 18 rushes. On a night when Westbrook nearly hit 100 on just 17 carries???

3) Aren't we supposed to be easing Donovan back into things? He's coming a torn-ACL for chrissakes! What the fuck is with this pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, and pass some more shit to start the game? (see #2)

4) The lack of game-planning for the Redskins astounded me. I can only describe the Eagles coaching staff apparent disdain for adjusting to what the Redskins defense was doing as a Stubborn Act of Hubris.

Stubborn Act of Hubris, Part I:
- As several announcers/commentators noted, the Packers laid out a blueprint for dealing with the Eagles offense -- PRESS COVERAGE. Jam the wideouts on the line of scrimmage and disrupt Andy Reid's timing-based offense. Yet I witness not one single adjustment to this by our offensive "gurus". Nothing. No motion, few crossing patterns, no shots down the field early in the game to try and loosen the coverage (one deep pass down the sideline to Curtis which was thrown out-of-bounds), no double-moves (that I could discern).

- I've got a real fucking problem with that. You know when the Eagles D does something that hinders the opponent, or when we're playing a certain way (stacking the run, playing zone, playing bump-n-run) I often see other teams adjust to it. Vary formations, etc, something! Yet when with Redskins lined man-up on every guy, the Eagles just sit there. Put someone is fucking motion, stack the receivers to prevent the bump, motion Westbrook out the backfield, motion the TE, motion someone dammit!

- None of that was evident Monday night. My friend Alan noticed it. The Eagles would come out the huddle, set, and stand there. Every play. I watched pretty closely because it was really turning my stomach to see our WR just standing there before each snap.

How 'Bout Them Coqboys!

Hee hee, the funniest thing so far in Week 2: A annoying Cowboys troll misspelling the name of his favorite team while vainly trying to gloat on the Eagles forum at Philly.com.

You see: How 'bout them Cowboys was a little phrase that managed to get under the skin of every non-Dallas fan when uttered by the expertly coiffed Jimmy Johnson in the 1990s. So after the Cowboys disposed of the inept Miami Dolphins this afternoon, this troll comes to the Eagles board to gloat, except HE FUCKS UP and types "How about them Coqboys" in the Subject line (the Q being right next to the W).

Well, I don't think to spell it out phonetically for ya. But this douchebag's inability to correctly spell the name of his favorite team inadvertently generated one of the most simply elegant denigrations of the Cowboys moniker that I've ever had the joy to behold. And the fact that it came from a Coqboys fan makes it all the sweeter.

This actually tops the dumbshit who tried to flame me on the board for a spelling error. Not realizing that I deliberately spelled out the word "idjit" (as a polite way of calling him/her stupid) and did not intend to type idiot. "What an idjit, what a maroon." Get the reference? If not click here.

Observations from Week 2

Well I got to enjoy a variety of games today since the Eagles don't play until tomorrow.

Think that hits while watching the games today (I got to view the Bills-Steelers, Packers-Giants, Jets-Ravens, Seahawks-Cardinals, and the Chargers-Patriots, with snippets of the end of the Bengals-Browns and Raiders-Broncos).

- How bad is Notre Dame? They looked S-U-C-K-Y Saturday....
- The Steelers have an almost Philly-like philosophy, pass for the lead and grind out with the run. The difference, they still have a team used to power running football so its easier for them to return to the grinding run game.
- I thought J.P. Losman and Lee Evans were pretty good? They were friggin' invisible today at the big ketchup packet in Pitt. Marshawn Lynch looked really good though in a futile effort to spark the Bills offense to things bigger and better things than a FG.
- OMG, is the Giants Defense really that bad? Or is our D ok? The Packers couldn't do shit to us (ok, not going into how we still managed to lose, scroll down) but they ran over, around and through the Giants today. Their D looked disheveled and disinterested today. I mean, Pam Oliver the Fox sideline reporter basically ripped them a new asshole in the 4th quarter by calling out their uninspired limp response both on the field and on the sideline.
- Poor Jared Lorenzen. That motherfucker took a games-worth of beating in the final Giants possession when Coughlin removed Eli to prevent injury in a lost game. The Packers pinned their ears back and just bummed rushed the "Hefty Lefty." within like 3 plays he was limping and after about 6 snaps or so, he was so beat-up the Giants had to put in Anthony Wright to relieve the guy.
- Congrats to Favre for becoming the winningest QB of all-time. Dunno how you did it last week, and I don't know how you'll continue with that cast of misfits your saddled with in Green Bay, but 2-0 is 2-0.
- Then again Detroit is 2-0 as well, while the Chargers are a very poor-looking 1-1. (Note to self: may be time for Kitna to replace Rivers on one of my fantasy teams)
- Hoo boy, the Jets looked bad for 3 qtrs, but came to life and almost came back against the Ravens. And the comeback would have been complete if it weren't for two balls bouncing off or through the hands of Justin McCariens....You my friend are GOAT of the WEEK!
- Is it just me or does anyone else think the Ravens may be a tad over-rated?
- How in the ever-loving fuck is Ray Lewis still playing?
- I thought for sure the Cards were going to once again snag defeat from the jaws of victory. Perhaps their 23-20 triumph over the Div. Champion Seahawks is the start of something.
- Poor fantasy choice on my part, should've started Deion Branch and not Bernard Berrian.
- I thought the Rams were supposed to have a decent team? That's like 2 TDs in 2 games. What gives? (and where did I pick them to finish in the NFC West, note to self, scroll down and check, if anywhere but 3 or 4, surreptitiously edit it)
- Fucking Chargers. Well at least Antonio Gates got me a fantasy TD.
- You know the Pats 38-14 destruction of the Chargers got me thinking. Its the true shame of the whole Belichick cheating scheme. HE DOESN'T NEED TO! The Patriots have a strong squad, always seem to find valuable role-playing depth guys, come prepared. Why Cheat? It needlessly tarnished a decent image. Senseless. And oh yeah he still shoulda been suspended.
- I'll bet BillB's extension takes the sting out of that "unprecedented" fine the NFL just "blasted" him with.
- POOR FANTASY DECISION of the CENTURY: picking up the Bengals D this week and inserting them into the starting line-up because they playing the lame-ass Browns (who got clobbered in Week 1 and traded their starting QB). The Brownies only hung half-a-hundred points on the Bengals, winning 51-45 in a game that will no doubt be characterized as a "shoot-out" in all the major outlets, but for which the term really doesn't do justice. Maybe they OUGHT to furnish the Bengals and Browns with sign-stealing cameras....
- Why are Titans-Colts games always so close? I don't get it. The Titans don't have nearly the D you'd think necessary/capable of shutting down Manning. But they almost did it.
- I'll bet Atlanta fans really regret trading QB Matt Schaub now. The Texans go 2-0 for the first time in franchise history and my choice of Andre Johnson for one of my fantasy teams look like pure genius.

More later.

Eagles-Skins: A Look Ahead

The Eagles are looking to get on track Monday night versus the Washington Redskins. Will they? Let's hope so - or else some of the doom-n-gloomers will be be ready to jump off the Ben Franklin.

Here are a few keys to victory (stop me if you've ready this before):

Offense:
- Better play-calling! Do NOT open up the game with a pass to our not-100%-TE. Do NOT attempt trick-plays on play 2 (flea-flicker, grr.....). Play-action works best after you establish the run.
- Run the ball! The game vs the Packers showed up one thing - McNabb is not all the way back as far his escapability goes. Yes he can move around, but how about relying on the big guys up front to do what they did at the end of last year? I understand that much of that might hinge on our all-Pro RG Shawn Andrews rounding into shape, but damn....we need to work that clock, establish the run and keep Portis/Betts off the field
- Sharper passing. After looking sharp in a couple of preseason match-ups, McNabb was off in the opener. No other way to describe it. They were good enough to win (if it hadn't been for the special teams) but 13 points won't beat many teams in the NFL. McNabb needs to lead the offense into the 20s. At least.
Key Players: McNabb (goes without saying); Shawn Andrews

Defense:
-Build off of last week's performance. The defense swarmed the run, produced some key take-aways, and general stifled the Packers offense all day long. This week is the opposite sort of match-up, from wily-old gun-slinger in Favre to fresh-faced, quick-feet Jason Campbell.
- Make Campbell beat us. How to do that - STOP THE RUN! I am not calling for under 100 (though that would be nice) - just don't let the Skins run the ball at will. Force the young QB to make the plays necessary to win, not just manage the game and not make mistakes that will lose it.
- Maintain contain! Campbell is a young guy, big and fast. Do not expect him to stay around an make his 4th read. So its crucial for the DL to stay in their lanes and make sure Campbell stays boxed in. Cole, Kearse, Juqua T. do not rush pell-mell into the backfield and if you do, you'd best make that g.d. sack!
Key players: The aforementioned DE and the interior duo Bunk/Patterson. They did a very good job last week. Them clogging the middle/getting a push allowed the Eagles to pressure Favre with just the 4-man front. If we can keep doing that, perhaps we can keep the pressure off our secondary which will have to go without Lito this week.

Special Teams:
Everyone say it with me: Just catch the fucking ball!

Goodell Drops the Ball

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell screwed the pooch with his slap-on-the-wrist penalty levied against the New England Patriots in the Bill Belichick video-taping-defensive-play-calls cheating scandal.

The final verdict: Belichick fined $500,000. The Patriots fined an addition $250,000 and the loss of draft pick(s) - a 1st round pick if the Pats make the playoffs. 2nd and 3rd round if they don't.

Wow, what a whopper. Fining and organization worth over a BILLION dollar a total of $750K. Whew, dunno if they'll be able to recover the cost. Where will they ever recoup that kind of money?

Putting the loss of a draft pick - which does hurt, by the way - into better perspective: The Patriots have 2 first round picks next April (they traded with the 49ers), so will lose their own, but keep the undoubtedly higher pick. Consider this, the Pats drafted what 7, 8 players this past April - they kept TWO on their opening day roster. Oh, gee, though, will that hefty penalty the league office laid on them, wow, they might have to hit free agency again....what a joke. Losing one pick, even a high one, will NOT discourage teams from doing this sort of thing. It will just make them more careful.

But you know what, its not the actually penalty that I think is wrong. The Commissioner issued on the stiffest penalties he could have according the By-laws of the league with the sorts of tools he decided to use (the max. fines were levied).

My issue with Goodell is the incredible stupid risk he's taking by NOT holding Belichick to the same standard to which he has held numerous other NFL employees. NFL Players are subject to 4 game suspensions (that's the loss of nearly 25% of the pay - because most of the their money is doled in weekly game checks) if they violate various rules - most commonly violating the league substance abuse policy.

But throughout this off-season, Roger Goodell has lowered the boom players (and other coaches) who's actions has tarnished the image of the league (mostly for criminal law violations):
- Pacman Jones - who is but all accounts immature and deserving of a suspension - gets a year suspension for a litany of run-ins with the law.
- Tank Johnson - 8 games for weapons charges
- Chris Henry - 8 game for violating probation (idiot)
- Vick - indefinite following his plea
- Rodney Harrison - 4 games for violating SAP
- Wade Wilson (coach) - 5 games for violating SAP (personal use of HGH).

What I would argue is this: with the exception of Harrison, none of the those suspended players did anything intended to directly affect the outcome of the game on the field. Even in Rodney's case - it was probably more like he wanted his body to be able to recover faster, heck he's what 37? Yet BOOM. Heavy penalties were levied.

And now we have Belichick, Head Coach of the one of the highest profile teams in the league, organizing a high-tech effort to cheat and deliberately derive an unfair competitive advantage ON THE FIELD. The penalty? It'll cost you some dough. That's the message. Hey if cheating will help you win a Super Bowl, but you might have to cough up a cool quarter mill.....if you get caught....and trust me, it was the Patriots arrogance that got them caught....shit, why not?

Garry Cobb said it best (excuse the grammar): This is more behavior of the good old boy club. Most of the guys on the microphone who are connected to the league will be easy on the cheating coach, but they wanted to throw the book at any players who violated league rules. One thing character exemplifies is adherence to principles and consistency. I see double standards. (end quote).

That last line is the true danger folks. The perception of Goodell just being another one of the boys. Willing to swiftly lay down the hammer of judgment on uppity youngsters at the first hint of thug-life, while playing patty-cakes with offenders who happen to be part of the club.

Belichick is a head coach, with incredible responsibility for running what has long-been considered one of the, if not THE, top organization in the NFL. He should have been held to the highest standard. Instead he got a chuckle and a "now be a good boy" pat on the butt.

SciFi/Fantasy Fans - Reasons for Joy - and a reason for sorrow

Woohoo! Robotech fans rejoice: Scifi.com reports this week that Tobey Maguire is going to produce (and maybe star) in a live-action (with plenty of CG of course) version of ROBOTECH! I guess its not that suprising. Since "Mr. Explosion" Jerry Bruckheimer proved that the formula of giant-robots interacting with humans can result in a big-ass summer smash like the Transformers, why wouldn't another studio seek to create a franchise. I mean, shit, the story is written. Cast it, film it (note to CSAs: opportunities to cast hot asian women abound in this series - don't fuck it up).

50-foot tall aliens (Zentraedi click here for individual Zentraedi leaders) inside GIANT mecha (battlepods, see here), humans inside GIANT transforming Veritech fighters. Plus the humans fleet being centered around the indomitable SDF-1. (hee hee, SDF = Super Dimensional Fortress One in Macross - defender of Earth. SDF = Self Defense Forces in Japan - Japan's classification for their military since their pacifist constitution doesn't allow them to have an "army)

Another reason for joy: Scifi also reports that the new Wolverine movie is slated to begin filming soon in Australia. YES. I thought X-Men was ok, little disappointing after an awesome X2 (damn you Bryan Singer for leaving the franchise). Here's hoping they take their time and do a good job with everyone favorite tri-clawed ass-kicker.

Finally one a sad note, on of my wife's all time favorite authors, Madeleine L'Engle, author of the children's SF classic A Wrinkle in Time, passed away on 6 Sep. of natural causes in Litchfield, Conn. She was 88. I've never read her books, but Christina loves them. The literary worlds we enjoy took a hit this month.

Is a Loss ever Good?

Interesting question on the forum today. Was losing the Green Bay game in Week 1 a good thing? (The thinking being, the team will realize it needs to focus and perform and not take thing lightly). You know at this point I don't think so. The idea of a "good loss" is a nice salve, but in reality healthy losses (I don't think any losses are good) are few and far between. In 2004, I believe the Eagles suffered a healthy loss, when the Steelers schwacked them in Pittsburgh. 7-0, heads in the sky. POW. Punch in the nose - screw the head on straight for Super Bowl run. It helped.

Sunday's game is nothing like that. Over-confidence may have played a part. The annual slow-start by Andy Reid's teams another. But the Eagles lost because of a lack of execution on Offense, and an incredible lack on focus on the part of the Punt Return teams....That's it. I believe both problems are correctable, and I expect to see a much better performance on Monday Night Football this week versus the Washington Redskins.

Another view was shared expressing the feeling that "these sort of losses" (like the one dorked up to Green Bay) are becoming too commonplace. I think Phil Sheridan did a good article on it the other day (scroll down). Well today I got to thinking - are they?

I mean were losses in 2000-01-02 any less frustrating? We had some pretty good teams back then as well, did those Ls get chalked up simply because the Eagles were worse than the other team or because we beat ourselves? I dunno, but I think the early part of this decade is getting a little glossed over. You see, Philly fans had to deal with some wildly see-sawing Eagles teams (and expectations) in the 90s. From Buddy Ryan never quite getting over the hump to Richie-fucking-Kotite's (AUGH!) bumbling to Ray Rhodes promise and failure - the Birds fielded some really good and some really bad teams.

So when Andy Reid shows up and starts posting consistent double-digit win seasons did we become less critical of the Losses that were registered. And now 9 years into the Andy Reid Era in Philly (the most successful coaching era (total win-wise) in our history, are we now applying a level of scrutiny to Eagles losses that wasn't otherwise merited or applied in years past? I think its at least possible that this is the case.

And hey, you know what? The Birds can do my stress-level a world of fucking good by kicking the shit out the Redskins on Monday Night and putting Green Bay firmly in the rear-view mirror.

My Take on "PatriotGate"

As a fan of a team that ran into a Patriot-juggernaut in Feb, the allegations/evidence that Bill Belichick cheats to gain an unfair competitive advantage is perturbing.

Let me make this clear: I do not think there will ever be any conclusive evidence that they did in the Super Bowl(s) {I just don't see anyone 'fessing up} and as for the Eagles-Patriots game in Jacksonville. That game, to me, hinged on the Eagles mistakes early with prevented them from scoring critical points. If the Birds had put the 14 points early when they had a chance. That furious fall-just-short late rally would not have been necessary. And those plays happened early.

That said, my respect for the Patriots coaching staff has plummeted. I'd always had that mystic view - Belichick is an awesome game-day coach - the Patriots make the best second-half adjustments of any team in the NFL. This video-taping incident indelibly taints that view.

So what should happen?
Well for one the view held by some on ESPN, notably Sean "the idiot" Salisbury, that this can be addressed with a $50,000 fine and then forgotten about is preposterous. That's like fining you and me $50. The man's a millionaire, the organization is worth over BILLION dollars, but 50 grand, whoa, that'll learn 'em. Asshole.

Mark Schlereth offered a very stiff penalty on NFL Live last night: Forfeiture of the Jets game, loss of draft pick, suspension of head coach. I think forfeiting the game is a bit much, though I have to admit, such a penalty would almost guarantee such an incident would no occur again in Goodell's era.

I think there needs to be a combination of punishment, both personal and organizational. Belichick runs the show, there is no way the taping was done with him unaware. And if Goodell is going to levy harsh punishment on players for their personal conduct detrimental to the image of the game, then he need to lower the boom on the REST of the NFL employees who do the same. I mean the Cowboys coach was suspended for 5 games for personal use of HGH. I think giving Belichick a month off to stew is appropriate. My punishment: 4-game suspension.

Organizationally, I wouldn't be as harsh. I don't necessarily think the players are as complicit and as Brett Favre put it: is it an advantage? Yes. But the players still have to go out there and block, run, catch, hit and tackle. I think losing a draft pick (not a 1, but not a 6 or 7 either) is appropriate. Losing a 2 or a 3 would really sting come next April.

Overall, Howard Bryant of ESPN is right: If Goodell does not act decisively, he will only confirm a basic truth about the commissioner-player relationship in all professional sports -- that he works for management. Of course, it has always been this way, the fiction is that the commissioner is anything but the collective employee of 32 owners. If he lets Belichick off easily, Goodell will be less Law and Order Commissioner and more Company Man."

Reno 911! Philadelphia

Well, Sunday's debacle has resulted in a circumstance dreaded by many Eagles fans (this one included - for the most part): the phone call summoning safe, secure, and no-threat-whatsoever-to-return-a-kick-for-a-TD Mahe back to the nest. Yes, him, Reno Mahe. The 4-year vet who made us take for granted the ability to catch punts even if he was utterly unremarkable in actually returning them.

Of course, I'd forgotten that he led the NFL in Punt return average in 2005 (12.8 yards) - primarily because I've blocked most memories of that lost season. And prior to 2006, I'd gallantly defended him as a player who "made the smart play" and wasn't as bad folks made him out to be. But after a brutally undistinguished campaign in 2006 and nursing memories of a good return game during our Super Bowl run in 2004, I joined the clamoring hordes who relished the fact that Eagles did not extend a contract to Mahe in the offseason. (hell NO ONE DID).

You know my mind was changed Sunday. I just want someone who isn't going to fuck things up. I don't care if we don't have a Dante Hall-esque guy or a Devin Hester clone. I just want our special to NOT LOSE THE GAME FOR US. And while I think it is utterly pathetic to have such low expectations for our return game - it is reality. Our O will come around and our D looked better than I expected. The O didn't play particularly well, but the D did and we certainly played well enough to escape Lambeau Field with a W instead of a loss, if it hadn't been for a few keys miscues, none larger than those idiotic muffed punts.

Now Mahe hasn't been signed, but he has been called, and I find it hard to believe the Birds who fly him back to Philly if they weren't thinking very seriously about signing him. In fact, he could be just a short-term panacea. A band-aid sort of move until J.R. Reed gets more comfortable in the punt return game. NO FUCKING WAY does Greg Lewis ever line up deep again. NO WAY.

The question being: who would get cut to make room for Mahe? Top candidates have to be Greg Lewis (5th WR), Pat McCoy (our 10th OL) or Pago Tagofau (our 6th LB)....but Lewis/Pago would leave us fairly thin at WR/LB....our lone area of true surplus appears to be on the Lines....you know what, we'll find when/if it happens.

The Day After the Day After

You know what? Screw looking back at the Eagles Sunday afternoon special teams meltdown at Lambeau. They played well enough to win the game in two of three facets of the game, and they blew enough donkey ball on special teams to dork up what should have been a win.

I have that crappy feeling about the Green Bay game. When we're facing a tough game in December and we need to win to ensure we seize the division crown or make the playoffs, we're going to look back at a game like Sunday's and go, goddammit, it we hadn't been so generous in September we wouldn't have this pressure. Phil Sheridan does a good job at doing illustrating those lingering fears that come from dropping a eminently winnable game.

It dropped Andy Reid's opening day record to 3-6
3 win and 6 losses in 9 opening seasons? Can that be right? In 6 of 8 seasons he's posted double-digit wins....yet we consistently start slow in game 1. I don't get that.

You know what I think this means? Bad news the Redskins. We've got them on Monday Night Football next week. And A) The Eagles do very well on Monday nights and B) They almost always bounce back from a crappy showing.

Other thoughts:
Did the Eagles escape from week 1 with the least amount of injury damage in the NFC East? Is that a possible silver-lining. No one was lost for the season? Yes, Lito had an MCL Sprain, but our division opponents all took big hits on Sunday. Spuds talks about it, but I thought it as soon as I heard about the Dallas-NYG game (was too tired to stay up for it, I had been up all night).
The list:
- The Redskins lost their stalwart OT Jon Jansen
- The Cowboys lost their starting NT Ferguson (this one stings, to play a solid 3-4 you've got to have a quality NT to control the interior, not sure where this leaves the Cowboys D)
- The Giants lost QB Eli Manning and RB Brandon Jacobs for a month, and DE Osi Umeniyora for a time (not sure of the extent of his injury).
Heck that's just the division. Orlando Pace (Rams), Mike Brown and Dvoracek (Bears) and Ray Lewis (Ravens) could be or already are out for the season. Yikes!
It truly is going to be the teams that stay the healthiest that make it through to January.

This Shit doesn't even compute yet

I can't respond to the Eagles 16-13 loss to Green Bay right now. It absolutely stunning to see football players act so fucking retarded in a singular aspect of the game. Our PUNT RETURN LOST THE GAME TODAY. No hyperbole, no exaggeration. The first punt of the year muffed into the endzone for a Packer TD (their ONLY FUCKING ONE BY THEY FUCKING WAY) and scored tied 13-13 with a minute left, a different players makes one of the most boneheaded decisions you'll ever see and MUFFS ANOTHER GODDAMN FUCKING PUNT, setting up the Pack for the game-winning FG.

You have got to shitting me.

- Fire Rory Segrest...our special team coach is "special" alright. Where did we pick this retard hick up? Some Walmart in Kentucky?

Bring back Bloom, at least he caught the fucking ball.

Going On the Record About the NFC

Well my trials and tribulations with my primary PC have not ceased. Are they worse? Perhaps not, but the fucker isn't fixed yet, and it crunched my entire Sunday.

Its just a few hours before Sunday's 1pm Kickoff (that 2am Monday morning here in Japan), so I'll make this brief.

Predicted finish by Division:

NFC North: No team is strong enough to challenge the Bears
1. Chicago Bears - even with sexy-Rexy daring to be mediocre at QB, a helluva defense/special teams will keep the Bears in every game. The question week-in, week-out question: Will the Bears O show up and result rock the opponent or will Bad Rex emerge from the shadows and do his best to F things up.
2. Green Bay Packers - dunno why, perhaps it was little run last year, but if any semblance of a running game appears for the Packers, they should be able to beat out the Vikes and Lions for second best
3. Detroit Lions - so many weapons on Offense, the biggest question: will they be able to out-score their opponents week-to-week. Cause if not, that D is porous
4. Minnesota Vikings - Stalwart Run D, questions everywhere else. Still Adrian Peterson could/should establish himself as the division's Best RB. The problem: who is their QB?

NFC East: Two team race
1. Philadelphia Eagles - dees my boys! I will always pick the Eagles to win. ALWAYS.
2. Dallas Cowboys - Should field a strong team and appear to be Philly's primary competition for the division. Have a couple of players nicked-up early (CB Newman, WR Glenn) so hopefully they get to a nice plodding, slow start
3. Washington Redskins - Ok, for once they didn't go whole hog and splurge like addicts breaking into a pharmacy during free agency (they did make some hefty signing) and an end-of-training-camp youth movement should gives the Redskins some legs during the season. Is Jason Campbell for real? Skins fans better hope so, and this year should tell us a lot. I still see the 4skins as a year or two away though
4. NY Giants - Jeff Lurie, Dan Snyder and Jerry Jones ought to be sending Tiki Barber Halloween baskets, Thanksgiving turduckens and a shit-load of good wishes for Christmas because I have never seen a dude be a big a distraction to team after he left than Tiki...uh, well maybe MEO. The Giants just don't look like a good ballclub right now

NFC South: Talk about yer distractions
1. New Orleans Saints - yeah they got smashed on opening night. But seriously, who is going to challenge N.O.? Tampa? Carolina? It would take a major fall to retreat back to those levels.
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Garcia is just what Gruden needs. If the Caddy doesn't have a flat (like last year) then the Buccaneers should field a pretty competitive team.
3. Carolina Panthers - don't trust Delhomme, have a feeling we'll be seeing David Carr before too long
4. Atlanta Falcons - injuries, new coach and Michael Vick oh my! Did I mention that Joey Harrington in now "the man" in the A-T-L.....we'll see how that goes over

NFC West: Toughest division to pick, by far, any of the 4 teams seems like they could put together a good season and win it.
1. Seattle Seahawks - I picked against the Seahawks last year and paid for it. I don't see them as that strong, but guess what, until someone proves otherwise - they own the division. I am not picking against Hasselbeck and Alexander or their home field advantage again
2. St. Louis Rams - Jackson, Bulger, Holt, Bruce, Bennett, McMichael. Oodles of weapons to power the O, if the D makes any strides the Rams will challenge Seattle
3. San Francisco 49ers - they just seems poised to put together a good year - don't they?
4. Arizona Cardinals - a chic darkhorse pick in recent years. I still don't trust them

Goddamn Fucking Microsoft

Why does their shit have to be so friggin' unstable?
My computer decided it was time to restart on its own this afternoon. No worries, it looks like everything it going okay - no beeps at least. Turn on the monitor - no signal...WTF, computer is on. Troubleshoot everything, the TV, the DVI-cable, etc. No signal. I'm thinking fuck. My video card is hosed. Dammit, they're only like 6 months old. Fer chrissakes....

Get frustrated, but decide. Let everything cool down and take a break. So Chrissie and I check out the movie 1408 at the base theater. Pretty good. Nice little mind-fuck movie. I enjoyed it anyway. Well we get back and I fire-up the 'puter (fingers crossed). Joy - I can see the start-up process. Monitor input has fixed itself.

But then the computer doesn't boot up. There's an error in the system config file. It must've gotten corrupted earlier that afternoon. Well, long and boring story short (there really is NO was to spruce up a description of trouble-shooting a start-up error with the folks from Alienware for an hour without copious use of F-bombs, s-bombs, et al) The error was not one from which my system can recover. We tried running chkdsk, fixing the boot, etc. Some things said they worked, but none of them actually HELPED let my computer complete the boot-up cycle. Even got the blue-screen of death one time, and the error code solution the tech looked up - basically said: Computer fucked, re-install operating system.

GODDAMN FUCKING MICROSOFT

I've got a bit of work ahead of me tomorrow. It was just too late to be bothered today. And getting all those programs back. Downloading all that shit again. Not to mention losing a few things. We may lose some recent photos, depends. Ever since my primary rig went kablooie (actually it was Alienware mis-diagnosing a bad memory card that turned into an odyssey) and I thought we'd lost it all, I've been pretty good about making sure things are backed up. That said, we're going to lose a few iTunes songs I imagine. (I just make sure all our TV Shows were backed up). Some other stuff won't be up-to-date - Like our Master DVD and Alphabetized movie lists...fuck, I just thought of that....fucking-A, it took me like 2 hours to get that thing up-to-date, and I don't think I saved a copy onto an external....frig it...can anyone recommend a good online back-up utility?

Is it time to get a Mac?