The Recycle Bin

It was a pretty good weekend for a backyard pest hunt with my Beeman R7. The score? One starling, one treerat, and one chipmunk.

First up was the hunt for starlings. After doing a lot of reading, learning how to identify these pest birds, and reading in the GA regulations that there is no closed season for starlings, I decided to see if I can remove a few. Gotta help the songbirds.

On Saturday I took out my first starling. Actually I may have taken out two. The first was a good 20 yards out; not a clean hit, but enough to stun it before it flew to some of the shrubs. I doubt it will come around my yard again, but I cannot confirm the kill. The second starling that I decided to use for target practice was almost in the same location; maybe 20-25 yards. An absolutely clean, wonderful shot to the top of the head. Dead on contact. From a target shooting aspect, this was a thing of beauty.

Next up was some squirrel control. I could shoot these varmints every weekend, but I want to make sure that I am only going after the true pests. Those that try to take shelter in my garage apartment, my attic, or under my house; those are all fair game. I took out one at about 10 yards, which was an easy shot. Right in the head. Dead on contact. No muss, no fuss. Poor idea to throw it in the trashcan as the temperature hit the upper 90s, but I digress.

Finally I turned my attention to the chipmunks. Yes I know, cute, cuddly rodents. These son bitches are massively destructive, burrowing in my back yard, flowerbeds, and under my deck. They have to go. I thought I was alone in thinking these things were pest, but some interesting links for your bemusement.

First, this site discusses chipmunk control:

“The possibility of diseases such as plague, Rocky Mountain spotted fever or the Powassan virus to be transmitted to you or your family increases with these animals being around.”

Screw that. Who wants the plague? Actually I am more worried about them f’ing up my deck; paid a pretty penny for it and cannot afford a new one right now.

Next, someone on this site gets it right:

“I’ve tried everything and I mean EVERYTHING to control these destructive little creatures and have found the only TRULY EFFECTIVE means of control is an accurate pellet rifle with scope. They can then be eliminated humanely with one shot to the head. I’ve found that active hunting of the population seems to scare the survivors away as well. I am able to skip every other year and control the population effectively.”

Oh yes my friend. If only it were that easy to hit the little critters in the head at 20+ yards. The first victim was a good 22 yards out. It must have jumped up a good foot in the air. I obviously hit something, but not the head. Too bad; it found its way into one of the nearby tunnels, hopefully to not be seen from again. Sunday I took aim at one of the little buggers as it was scurrying about. Perfect shot to the neck (a head shot would have been better). Things ended fairly quickly.

All in all, the Beeman R7 does its part if I do mine. For those keeping score at home, I was using Gamo Hunter pellets for all my pest control shots. It will be total carnage when my Beeman R1 .22 Double Gold arrives, but until then, I will have to continue to work with the R7 and become a better shot. The R1 will allow me to cheat; larger pellet will mask my mistakes and increase my score.

After going down to Lipscomb 10-7 in game one of the Athens Regional, UGA has been on a tear.  The impressive Bulldogs have won three in a row, including two games on Sunday to force tonight’s winner take all match up against the bumblebees.  The Dawgs beat Louisville 9-8, beat Lipscomb 14-3, and shutout GA Tech 8-0.  They are up 15-6 in the 6th inning, so things are looking good right now.

Go Dawgs!

I am not sure what happened to Georgia.  They take the SEC, but went into the tournament on a down note, dropping 2 of 3 to Alabama to close out the season.  Then they quickly fell out of the SEC tournament losing two straight to Mississippi and Alabama.  Despite the mess, they managed to become a host site.  So yesterday they took it on the chin 10-7 against Lipscomb.  Who?  No idea.  Now they have to win out to advance.  I do not see it happening.  For some reason the team ran out of steam.

The Braves are also in somewhat of a tailspin, going .500 in their last 10 games.  I read in today’s paper that last night’s 3-2 loss to the Reds in 11 innings was their 12 one-run loss on the road. Chipper Jones must need a day off; he went 0-5 and committed a game ending error.  Cox will get the boys back on track.

Memorial Day weekend has become one of my favorite times of the year.  Three day weekends are great, but this one is especially nice due to the flavors that hit the grill and all the racing action on Sunday.

First up is some serious time with the grill.  Saturday ribs, Sunday thick ribeye steaks, and Monday hamburgers, hotdogs, and brats.  Wash it all down with some High Life, which is perfect to combat the 90 plus degree heat.  Besides getting fat and tummy aches from over eating, does it get any better?

Next up is the racing menu which is un’f’ing believable.  The day starts off with the Monaco Grand Prix.  Massa was the inside track, but I have to think that Raikkonen will do what it takes to land the top podium spot.  Of course all the passing will be in the pits, but I love watching Monaco.  A Ferrari one-two would be the perfect start to the day.

After Monaco we get the Indy 500.  Unlike the Monaco GP, I think this one will be broadcast in some delicious HD.  The race will be highly watched because of Danica Patrick and the dancing Helio Castroneves.  I am not pulling for anyone in particular.  I think Dan Wheldon, Helio, and Tony Kanaan or the likely winners.  It would be interesting to see Patrick (just for the history), Marco Andretti, or Graham Rahal drinking the milk.

The day ends with the way too long Coca-Cola 600.  While I enjoy NASCAR, the first two races will be more exciting, interesting, and have better intrigue, background stories, etc.  I will probably watch just to see if Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, or Dale Earnhardt Jr. can pull out a much needed victory.

Here’s to the High Life!

However, Diamond Mind Baseball for the PC does not. Such an obvious sell out by one of PC text-based sports gaming’s old guard required a post. Read through the forum for the history of IS management (short for I Soldout to DMB PC fans) and Tom Tippett’s disenfranchisement of DMB PC fans. Thought I’d throw in the disenfranchisement comment since it is the primary season.

New version of Out of the Park Baseball will be released in June, so no reason to panic for the GM baseball crowd. Replayers will be forced to the wonderful server based online world or….?

The Braves quietly ran off a nice winning streak, going 6-4 in the last 10 games to pull within 1.5 games of the Marlines. Chipper Jones is a regular firecracker – .415 AVG, 12 HR, 35 RBI, 36 R, 1.172 OPS. Bobby Cox is having so much fun with this bunch that he just signed a one year extension.

“I’m certainly going to end my career here,” Cox said. “There’s no doubt about that now. I’m happy. We’ve got great ballplayers. They’re fun to be around and it’s a fun team to be a part of. If it wasn’t fun, you should get out of the game, but I’m still having fun.”

I cannot imagine the Braves without Cox as the manager. If the Braves can hang on until help arrives from the DL (Smoltz, Gonzalez, and Soriano should all be back in the next few weeks) then they guys may actually have a shot to take this thing deep into October.

I am not sure what happened to the Bulldogs. They bounced back from last year’s disappointing year to win the SEC, get the top seed in the SEC tournament, only to be bounced in two straight games by Mississippi and Alabama.

Up next, the SEC Champion Bulldogs will likely play host to one of the 16 NCAA Regionals with the host sites announced on Sunday, May 25 at 7 p.m. EDT on ESPNews and NCAASports.com. The entire 64-team selection show can be seen live on ESPN on Monday, May 26 at 12:30 pm. EDT. NCAA Regional play begins May 30-June 2 at campus sites around the country.

Hopefully the Bulldogs got the loosing out of their system and will start a nice run to Omaha.

Sorry for the lack of updates.  Just got back from a nice vacation at Carillon Beach, FL and am now off to Frankfurt, Germany.  Should get in some PSP time on the plane and be back to regular posting for Memorial Day weekend.

I spent about thirty minutes with the game Sunday night and came away thinking that this is pretty much the same game as the PS2 version, but with prettier (much prettier) graphics.  Not much for first impressions, but that was my initial reaction.

I played several missions, and made it to 2.x% complete.  Like I said not much time.  One strange thing was that I had failed one mission; no idea which one.  I do not mind failing, but I like to be told when I mess up.  Figured I would start over on Monday night.

So Monday night I started over, and went a little farther.  Had a date, went bowling, but did not do well.  This time I had no failed missions and am just under 3% complete with the game.

The environments seem rather large, the variety of cars is nice, and there seems to be a lot of people on the streets.  I have not played enough to notice if there are predictable traffic and pedestrian patterns.  Same for the radio stations; have not heard the same music twice.

GTA is either something that you love or loathe.  For me, I can get past all the language, violence (have not seen much yet), and general mayhem.  The series is over the top, and certainly not for everyone.  GTA IV looks to be more of the same, but for me, that is not really a bad thing.

My new shooting setup afforded me several opportunities today.  The half-bath window is perfect.  The window has a clear view of the backyard.  I just raise the blinds a bit, raise the window, and sit on a stool (not the all popular throne).  I can rest my R7 on the windowsill, and the pests are not the wiser.

First up, there was a squirrel digging in the yard, right in front of the window.  Probably would have been a 15 yard shot, which should have been an easy kill, but I never felt like I had a good (read not shaky) shoot.  Lots of opportunity, but too much adrenaline.  Instead, I concentrated on my usual target area, probably about 22-25 yards out.  I figured that I could zero in the gun from my new vantage point, and get comfortable shooting from the window.  The ping of a Miller Lite can sent the squirrel running for cover.

Later in the morning, a squirrel came scurrying into view.  This time I decided to take a shot at about 25 yards because the little bastard was digging up some newly planted grass.  I am not sure if this is the squirrel that I spared earlier, but any squirrel digging at my hard work is in the wrong place (and if my shot is true, at the wrong time).  I took aim at the varmint’s eye and let fire.  It was a hit, but I guess not as perfect as I would have hoped to land.  The tree rat was clearly stunned, shook its head, and took off running.  I am not sure where my shot landed; must have been lower down the body instead of on the head.  Maybe.  I hate not getting clean kills, but I hate squirrels digging up my yard and nesting in my attic even more.

About thirty minutes after the squirrel mishap, a starling decided to fly in and peck away at some dug out area where I removed a bunch of weeds.  The starling was constantly on the move, and I never felt like I had a great shot.  In reality, I did, but after the mishap with the squirrel, I was reluctant to take anything except the perfect shot.

Lessons learned?  For starters, several starlings are in the area, and they are not welcome since they compete with the local song birds.  In the past I did not shoot at starlings, mainly because I did not want to make a mistake and take out a desirable bird.  I also need to shoot faster.  I had plenty of decent shots this morning, but I always waited for the perfect shot.  I need to get more accurate with the Beeman R7 so I do not have to worry about being trigger happy.  I also need to figure out if my R7 can take out squirrels.  Out of my last 10 attempts, probably only 3 have been clean kills.  Not good.

More practice, especially from the new shooting room is in order.  Of course the R1 Double Gold cannot get here soon enough.

I went to Circuit City earlier today to pick up a new phone.  I would not have a landline (or new a new phone) except that our alarm system requires ones, but I digress.

I also picked up the kids a couple of DS games – Pokemon Explorers of Time (I think … Good Lord, there are so many versions I cannot keep up) and Super Mario Brothers.  We already had Super Mario Brothers, but the dog got a hold of it, so a new game was in order.  We always get the kids some sort of end of year, going to the beach present, and the kids pretty much expect video game happiness.  The good news is the new games will keep the kids quiet on the way to the beach, which is a small price to pay.

I told myself I was going to hold off on GTA IV, but once I saw the game, I figured what the heck, no time like the present.  It is not like it is going to be on sale between now and Christmas.  The only problem is that this one requires night gaming.  No way I can play a GTA game in front of the kids.  I will try to throw up some impressions later tonight or tomorrow morning.

For what it is worth, there were only two copies left of the PS3 version, several copies of the PS3 collectors version, and multiple versions of each for the 360.  Does not really indicate anything, but I figured I would throw it out there to see if anything sticks.

Which is the bigger story?

• Big Brown taking the 134 running of the Kentucky Derby from the Number 20 post?
• The filly, Eight Belles, finishing second, only to be euthanized on the track right after the race?
• Junior just barely missing out at Richmond?
• The Hawks forcing a game seven against the mighty Celtics?

Unless Big Brown goes on to win the Triple Crown, or the Hawks advance, it has to be Kyle Busch spinning out Dale Earnhardt Jr. with only three laps to go. Damn, that almost made a grown man cry. Him, not me.

All continue to go up, up, up. I had the opportunity to break out the Beeman R7 this afternoon for some fun plinking. Alas, no squirrels, but I do have a nice new setup from the half-bath window that should give me some quality shots from the comfort and convenience of the throne room.

I am a little low on .177 Crosman Premier Domed Light pellets, so I figured I would place an order tonight. Imagine my surprise when I saw the price of $22.99. WTF? My last order of these from Pyramyd Air back in March only set me back $14.65.

I didn’t notice if this is a general trend with lead pellets, or something to come with Crosman pellets. My R7 really likes these things, so all I can say is ouch.

I am not sure how Sony (or Konami) determines who should qualify for the beta program, but I was surprised that I did not “qualify” for a download code.  Granted, I am not the world’s biggest online gaming fan, but over the years I have spent a crap load of money on games.  And going strong.

Getting the boot from Sony was a hell of a note.

The Falcons had a busy day today announcing the signing of seven undrafted free agents. Undrafted free agents are typically used to help fill out the squad for two-a-day practices. Maybe a few wings and a prayer types, but to be honest I am not sure how many of these guys make rosters each season. The numbers have to be very low. The pressure is on the front office and the coaching staff to give priority to the players drafted. The Falcons signed:

“linebacker Isaac Brown (Central Michigan), punter Jimmie Kaylor (Colorado State), cornerback Glenn Sharpe (Miami, Fla.), free safety D.J. Wolfe (Oklahoma), defensive end Brandon Miller (Georgia), running back Jamar Brittingham (Bloomsburg) and offensive tackle Michael Butterworth (Slippery Rock).”

Brown looks to be way undersized. Kaylor was brought in to provide some competition for incumbent punter (kick off specialist) Michael Koenen. I do not see Sharpe making the team, but maybe he has never reached his true potential due to his injury history. Wolfe will probably last towards the later cuts. I am going to say that Miller has a chance to make the team because the Falcons did not use a high draft pick on a DE, but Miller is probably too undersized to contribute to anything other than the practice squad. Brittingham is just a roster filler. Butterworth is the most interesting signing of the bunch. Man is that dude huge.

“Butterworth, 6-7, 330 pounds, earned All-America honorable mention honors by Don Hansen’s Football Gazette for his performance last season. He also garnered ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors for the second consecutive year and was a first-team All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division selection for the third straight year.”

Maybe Butterworth is our hidden gem. After minicamp we may have a little better read on the team. Then comes the June 1 cuts where we will certainly be on the lookout for some decent offensive line help.

I know there is a lot of disagreement over taking Ryan, but the “face of the franchise” deal is what it is all about. During yesterday’s press conference, A. Blank pretty much begged fans to come back to the Georgia Dome.

“Last year created some unique opportunities for us, and I just want to remind you as we face this season that we’ve cut prices on about 30,000 seats this year and the rest of the seats were held. We have season tickets starting at $250, and if this sounds like an appeal, it is an appeal.” [Source AP]

While the Vick mess upsets some fans, it creates opportunities for others such as myself who are now able to grab some seats. I figure that I will get them while they are cheap (and while the Falcons suck), and when they get better, there will be some quality football on the field. Others will be begging for seats, but the waiting list will be a mile long. Everyone loves a winner. Or Vick. It’s a divided city. On to Mel’s grade …

“Atlanta Falcons: GRADE: B
I thought they would take DT Glenn Dorsey, but the Falcons needed a face for the franchise, and had to take QB Matt Ryan. He should be a great starting point; a new era of Falcons football begins. USC OT Sam Baker wasn’t healthy in 2007, he struggled in Senior Bowl practices and he has short arms for a left tackle. I like Baker, but I thought it was a bit of a reach moving up to get him. Linebacker Curtis Lofton is a decent second-round pick, but I really like what Atlanta did in the third round, taking WR Harry Douglas, CB Chevis Jackson and safety Thomas DeCoud. Kroy Biermann is a good pass-rusher. Wilrey Fontenot played opposite Antoine Cason at Arizona, although he’ll be more of a dime back. RB Thomas Brown is not real big, and he’s going to be battling Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood for playing time in the backfield.”

I agree with on the three third round picks – DeCoud, Douglas, and Jackson will contribute this year. I read that Ryan and Baker share the same agent. The Falcons should do what it takes to get both players signed by their May 10 mini-camp.

It will be interesting to see which rookie free agents the Falcons can land. Hopefully they can find a hidden gem or two.