There are things that I’m passionate about…and then there’s the NFL Draft.
Tonight is round one of the annual extravaganza, where college kids hear their names called by a middle-aged man in a suit and become instant millionaires. I love the Draft, and have for more years than I can remember. Before it became such a big television event (in the pre-internet age too), I’d be lucky to get three hours of coverage on TSN and then pour over the rest of the draft list in the Sunday papers.
Now, the Draft has become must-see tv. There are two game sevens in the NHL playoffs tonight, and I couldn’t care less because the Draft is on.
What helps this year is that I won’t have to wait long to hear who my beloved Minnesota Vikings are going to pick. Thanks to their horrendous 3-13 season, the Vikings will be picking third overall. There are several prospects who would look great in purple and white, but the kid I want the Vikes to pick is Matt Kalil from USC.
All the big Offensive Tackle did in college was keep his quarterbacks upright. He didn’t allow a single sack in his entire career. I’ll let that sink in for a minute. His entire career without being beaten to the quarterback.
……
……
……
And we’re back. The Vikes had problems keeping Christian Ponder, their first-round pick from a season ago, from being drilled by opposing defenses, thanks in large part to the human saloon door named Charlie Johnson. With Kalil, Ponder’s blind side would be protected for a decade.
However, there are teams looking to trade up to get into Minny’s spot. I’d like to see it happen, so long as the Vikes didn’t move back so far that they missed out on Kalil. Buffalo is making overtures to move up from 10, but I doubt the big fella would still be around.
Whatever happens tonight, I’ll be watching with my Vikings hoodie on and my Vikings mug filled to the brim in close proximity. Is it 8pm yet?
I’ve slowed down a bit since my last update, but I’ve still managed to polish off six more books. I’m up to 13 for the year and three more are in progress.
If I can finish these three before the end of the month, I’ll be at 16, or an average of four a month, which will get me just under the pace of finishing the 50 in the year.
Since my last update, I’ve finished Star Wars: Fatal Alliance by Sean Williams, Moonraker and Diamonds are Forever by Ian Fleming, After The Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn, Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins and my latest, Echo Park by Michael Connelly.
The three in progress are Connelly’s The Overlook, Collins’ Mockingjay and The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell…three books that couldn’t be any different from one another.
We got sucked into decided to watch American Idol this season. I normally avoid the series like the plague, but this year I committed to the train wreck shows (the audition shows) and actually found myself compelled by what I saw.
I even started picking favourites, which was the death knell for my free Wednesday evenings. I knew once I had a rooting interest, I was going to be hooked. My pick, Hollie Cavanagh, has reached the top seven, but has struggled in recent weeks and I was convinced last night that she was going home.
That was, until, I reminded that the youth of the world (specifically America) don’t have a ferschliggin clue about what’s good and what’s crap.
There’s a girl on the show named Jessica Sanchez. She’s 16, looks like she weighs less than my cat, and has a voice the size of Montana. She’s absolutely amazing. The pea-sized brained kids of America didn’t think so, and banished her to the bottom of the pile last night. She was on the verge of elimination, and had to sing for her life and hope the judges used their one save for the season to keep her in the contest.
Jess was in mid-note when Jennifer Lopez snatched the mic from her tiny hands and said that the judges, Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler included, had voted to use their save to keep her around. We were thrilled it happened, but what happened next was a little disturbing.
Jackson got on the mic and essentially called out the voters for being idiots for sending Jessica to the bottom, especially when there are obviously less-talented performers on the show (I’m looking at you, Phil, Skyler and Colton). Randy told the voters “it’s about picking the best.” But is it really, Randy?
The night before, after the live performances, Ryan Seacrest implored people to vote for their favourites. So what exactly does Idol want…people to vote like sheep for the people they like or vote for someone who deserves to win their little show? Hard to say with the mixed messages Seacrest and Jackson were delivering.
If Sanchez gets voted off this show any time before the final two, it will be a travesty. This will be worse than Jennifer Hudson or Chris Daughtry being sent home before the finals.
Next week’s show is going to be crazy, and I’ve already begun the process of bracing myself for Hollie’s ouster. But then again, given what the youth of America did on Wednesday, nothing is for certain.
All I know if that Fox has compelling TV on their hands…so compelling that I used a boatload of keystrokes to complain about it.
I was fully intending to wait until I had sufficiently calmed down after last night’s incident before typing this up, but I realized this morning that I don’t know if that’s going to happen. Ever.
What Shea Weber did to Henrik Zetterberg last night in Nashville was absolutely reprehensible, and at the very least, he should be banished to the press box for the remainder of the playoffs.
If you missed it, Weber sucker punched Zetterberg in the back of the head and then grabbed him and slammed him face first into the glass. The resulting impact caused the Red Wings forward to slump to the ice while the Predators blueliner stood there all proud of himself.
Zetterberg’s coach revealed Thursday morning that Hank is fine. That’s not the point. Both men play in a league filled with players who have dealt with head injuries and concussions. Nobody will ever be able to convince me that Weber wasn’t trying to eliminate Zetterberg from the series with that hit. The hulking idiot is lucky he’s not eliminated from the league after this.
I’ve finally found someone in the NHL that I hate more than Joe Thornton. Nicely done, Shea…enjoy your stay on my Shit List. Thornton got on the list for being a whiny, underachieving waste of talent. You made the list for being a gutless cheap shot artist who tried to cripple one of the best players in the league.
With the real hockey season starting tonight on three fronts, it’s time for me to reveal my picks for who’s going to advance past round one of the NHL Playoffs.
Eastern Conference 1. New York Rangers vs 8. Ottawa I’d love nothing more than to see the Rangers ousted early, but I don’t see it happening. When a team can run out one of the best goaltenders in the league night in and night out, it gives a team a HUGE advantage. Rangers in Five
2. Boston vs 7. Washington The defending champs from Beantown are, for my money, the most complete team in the league. Ovie and company don’t have a chance in hell. Bruins in Five
3. Florida vs 6. New Jersey The real winners in the Florida-New Jersey series will be anyone who avoids watching it. Devils in Six
4. Pittsburgh vs 5. Philadelphia My favourite series of the first round, by far. Two teams who cannot stand each other in a seven gamer is the stuff wars are made of. I’m going for a mild upset here. Flyers in Seven
Western Conference 1. Vancouver vs 8. Los Angeles The Canucks are missing a Sedin and still have Luongo in net. The Kings had one of the best keepers in the game and a star-studded squad that largely gets overlooked in the East. Picking the biggest upset of the playoffs right here. Kings in Seven
2. St. Louis vs 7. San Jose I hate the Sharks with the fiery passion of a thousand suns, so I would pick against them regardless of opponent. That said, the Blues will run roughshod over No Show Joe and his band of guppies. Blues in Five (but I wish it could be in three)
3. Phoenix vs 6. Chicago Nobody seems to give the Coyotes any respect, even though they have Mike Smith in net and Shane Doan up front. That said, the Hawks will win if they get any kind of contribution from Jonathan Toews. Hawks in Six
4. Nashville vs 5. Detroit Does anyone honestly think I’m going to bet against my Red Wings? In the words of Ozzie Guillen: pfft, please. Wings in Six
Need more proof that this world is doomed in the near future? The same generation of idiots who didn’t know who who Paul McCartney was are at it again. I’m ashamed to be a human being sometimes.
Found him!! A bit late, mind you, but I found him nevertheless.
As I think I’ve mentioned before, I got a subscription to Entertainment Weekly from Becky for Christmas. I love many things about EW, but there was something on this week’s cover that badly irked me.
The story dealt with AMC’s incredible show The Killing. Apparently, zillions of people were bent out of shape with how the first season ended. It seems that these same zillions were upset that we didn’t learn the identity of Rosie Larsen’s killer in the finale, and the internet broke due to flying vitriol.
The piece in EW asked “The Killing: Can It Win You Back?” My answer is simple…yes, because it never lost me in the first place. After watching six seasons of Lost and nine seasons of X-Files, I don’t need everything wrapped up in a nice little package at the end of each season. Carry over is what makes episodic television work so well.
I recall a show from a little over two decades ago that, like The Killing, dealt with the death of a teenage girl in the state of Washington. That show, of course, is Twin Peaks. We didn’t learn who killed Laura Palmer until early in season two, and I was fine with that.
Just like I’m fine with not knowing who killed Rosie.
So Jim Nantz just finished introducing Kentucky when I started typing this, so I better hurry up.
I’m going out on a limb and say Kentucky will beat Louisville (the bastards who beat my beloved Michigan State Spartans) and I think Kansas will upend Ohio State…at least I hope.
I vehemently dislike Ohio State…they’re Duke in scarlet and grey. However, I have the winner of that game in an office bet, so if they win I’ll be rooting hard for them Monday night.
I picked Kentucky over Kansas in my office pool, which I’ve already clinched, so the side bet win would be gravy.
Now Becky knows why I want to go to Home Depot so often ;-)
Word came down today that MGM Pictures is going to remake the classic horror film Carrie, with the incredibly talented Chloe Moretz in the starring role.
While I think Chloe, who stole the show in the movie Kick-Ass as the foul-mouthed Hit Girl, is a fantastic choice to get soaked by blood at prom. What I’m taking issue with is the fact the movie is being re-made at all.
Has Hollywood become so creatively bankrupt that the only ideas that this new crop of writers can come up with are ones others came up with years before? If they’re looking for a new, fresh idea, come to me.
My story takes place quite a while ago, in a galaxy nowhere near us. It involves vampires, sinking ships, kings with stutters and dinosaurs. I don’t have a title for the film yet, but my working title is James Cameron’s Crapfest.
