Posted by Greg on Jan 8, 2014 in
Sports Far be it from me to call myself an expert about college football, but every now and then something catches my eye and makes me wonder. There is no doubt that former Louisville head coach Charlie Strong is a first-rate football coach, but he won at Louisville in a conference with only a handful of top-flight coaches and rosters. Folks like Bob Stoops, Mike Gundy and Art Briles are proven winners and have been stalwarts in the Big 12 for at least the last half-dozen years. Add what Kliff Kingsbury is doing in Lubbock and Strong has his work cut out for him.
What Mack Brown did at Texas is astonishing and UT backers may soon quickly realize the old saying, “You don’t know what you got until it’s gone.” That being written, there’s still a strong chance Strong can keep UT winning and push them farther than they ever thought possible. But accepting is more than just Xes and Os, UT is an icon, a global brand, an institution with a God complex. Louisville might have been easy, but excelling in Austin is a whole new breed.
Let this be known, I’m pulling for Strong with every fiber of my being. He’s a stand-up guy who promotes discipline, academics and solid core values, I’m just a bit leery on whether or not Longhorn Nation is the right destination for him in the foreseeable future.
Ah well, only got nine more months to find out.
Posted by Greg on Dec 14, 2013 in
Sports All weeklong ESPN created a mountain out of a molehill. The mountain you ask? Nick Saban’s contract extension sat on his desk unsigned. WHOOP DEE FREAKING DOO. Why is this news? Last I checked, Saban leads a pretty busy life. Now that the Tide have a few weeks off before the bowl game, recruiting has taken precedence in his life. Why oh why does the media have to create this absolute non-story out of something so freaking trivial? Because it sells? Because it’s a slow news week? Because they so BADLY want him to take Texas job?
Saban has said time and again he has learned the lessons of the Miami Dolphins debacle and that his family feels content at Tuscaloosa. Why can’t we just take the man on his words and WAIT until it’s actually a story. Lordy me, sometimes ESPN royally irks me. This week was one of those times.
Posted by Greg on Jun 27, 2013 in
Op-Ed Being a Central Florida resident, it’s near impossible to escape the George Zimmerman trial. With a low volume of work on my plate this week, I’ve found myself glued to the George Zimmerman trial. I am not proud of this statistic, but sadly it has been much of what I’ve watched since Monday. To be fair, I’m a Jack Bauer Republican who firmly supports the right to bear arms and defense. That being written, I still feel like we have a gun-crazy culture and that far too many people wield weapons that shouldn’t. Moreover, I’m a devoted pacifist and cannot ever fathom picking up a concealed weapon. Read more…
Posted by Greg on Mar 14, 2013 in
Music,
Op-Ed I was pretty disappointed to learn that last week American Idol advanced the mediocre Paul Jolley and failed to advance Elijah Liu, but I am esteemed by the enormous amount of female talent. In many ways this is a big year for American Idol. A female hasn’t won since Jordin Sparks and the most talented finalist hasn’t won since Jordin’s year as well. Read more…
Posted by Greg on Feb 26, 2013 in
Music Someone tell me whose idea it was to give this guy the chance to create a solo record. Good grief. City By The Sea is Vinnie Caruana’s debut solo effort and if these are the best six songs he can muster, then quite frankly, maybe I Am the Avalanche was a better career choice. The EP does have its charms. Album closer “Kingwood” has a jaunty organ, “Boy, You’re in Heaven” is string-laden, while “City By The Sea” has some luminescent piano work. For those that like singalongs, there’s a couple of those too. Read more…
Posted by Greg on Feb 13, 2013 in
Music For the last half-decade, many have told me to listen to said British band. Being the curmudgeon that I am, I refused. I figured I’d go to the band on my own when I felt ready. As it happens, their new album Holy Fire was sent over and so I decided to listen. I guess now I felt ready (whatever that means). So, three listens. Time for a verdict.
All I can say right now is over-freaking-rated. Read more…
Posted by Greg on Feb 9, 2013 in
Movies Leave it to provocateur Steven Soderbergh to muck up a potentially tremendous film. Side Effects, the latest from the director of Traffic, Haywire and countless others, takes a potentially convincing story and railroads it to pieces. How exactly the film has gotten such rave reviews befuddles me. Read more…
Posted by Greg on Jan 21, 2013 in
Sports Dwight Howard was ejected last night during the Lakers loss. The team is now so far removed from playoff contention, they will have to pull off a miracle to make the playoffs. As an Orlando resident, no one is happier about this than me and the rest of my fellow Orlando residents. Howard’s ongoing soap opera about wanting an exodus from Orlando was tiring and a distraction. While he’s a tremendous loss, it’s far nicer to see a team of harmonious, team-driven athletes trying to overachieve and prove people wrong. Read more…
Posted by Greg on Jan 21, 2013 in
Sports The real tragedy –– or oversight ––– in the Manti Teo girlfriend hoax is that people are losing sight of what really happened here. A college student got mixed up in something online ––– whether complicit or victim ––– and let it get away from him. Whether this means he’s pathological, detached from reality or something far more sinister, the sad reality is, he really is just a kid. In his apology this weekend he wrote that he was afraid to admit to his father that the relationship was fake because he was worried his father would end it. Whether this is all a big hoot and the farthest thing from the truth, it reminds us that college football players really are just kids. While it’s easy to lose sight of this, given how much we glorify them on Saturdays and during the bowl post-season, these really are just youthful adolescents just beginning to enter their formative years. Read more…
Posted by Greg on Jan 14, 2013 in
Movies Golden Globe Thoughts
Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz was easily the best part of Django Unchained and if you ask me, he’s one of the best actors around. So any time he gets hardware, I’m a happy dude.
Actress in TV Show: Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey. An amazing TV show and an awesome actress. Definitely happy she won. To be fair, of all the nominees, its the only show I was intimately familiar with.
Best Miniseries/TV Movie: Game Change winning is fine, but Hatfields and McCoys most definitely deserved it. Jay Roach is a great director when he wants to be serious, and when he wants to really bring it.
Read more…