The Recycle Bin

Hook ‘em – One Last Time?

Texas Longhorns Logo What a great way for the Horns to (in all probability) wrap up this rivalry, taking out the Aggies 27-25.

Justin Tucker kicked a 40-yard field goal as time expired to give the Longhorns a 27-25 victory over Texas A&M on Thursday night in the likely end of a more than century-old rivalry.

Texas A&M’s last Big 12 game and the 118th meeting between the bitter rivals before the Aggies depart for the Southeastern Conference next season was a thriller befitting one of college football’s oldest and most storied matchups.

The series ends with the Longhorns leading 76-37-5 and Brown improved his career record against the Aggies to 10-4 with Thursday’s win.

I would like to think the two schools could put aside conference affiliations and bickering, and figure out some common ground in the next few years in order to resume this outstanding series. Time heals all wounds; mostly.

Or maybe as Burnt Orange Nation put things, it’s time for the Aggies to GTFO (of the Big 12):

There are wins, and then there are wins. This was one for the ages, a dramatic exclamation point that perfectly encapsulated the dynamic between these two schools. The Aggies, roster loaded up for a BCS run, limp meekly away from the Big 12 after a pathetic 6-6 season, the final indignity a home loss to a rebuilding Texas squad with no offense to speak of.

…

It’s as proud a day to be a Longhorn as it is dispiriting to be an Aggie.

…

Texas A&M: The GTFO Tour is complete. Good luck in the SEC. /snicker

Pretty funny coming from an ‘SEC guy’ – although as a native Texan that grew up in Georiga, the Longhorns have always been my 1B to the Bulldogs 1A.

Hook ‘em!!!

Vita – PS3 Remote Play?

If this rumor is true, and the Vita can remote play any PS3 title, then holy heck will Sony have caught lighting in a bottle. Even with reduced resolution, the ability to play PS3 games on the game would be a huge win for Sony.

Hope this one proves true.

Ryan, Not Turner, Key To Falcons Success?

Not really, but I have always held the notion that if Turner gets 100, the Falcons win. What about the notion of if Matt Ryan has a good day, the Falcons win? I was surprised to see this tidbit on Ryan:

Ryan finished [Nov 20 win over Titans] with a 110.9 NFL passer rating. Since his arrival in 2008, the Falcons are 19-0 when Ryan’s passer rating is at least 100.

That is pretty damn impressive, and in my opinion, Ryan has been under the radar. With that said, Turner is the key to making the offense click. Yes, Ryan is good, and the Falcons could not expect to just plug in any QB and get the same results.

The reality is that the Falcons are at their heart, a ball control, power running team. When ATL controls the clock, and moves the ball effectively on the ground, it opens up the passing game for Ryan. In order for the Falcons to be successful, Ryan has to capitalize on the open space gifted by Turner, and apparently Ryan has done a good job of this over the last three years.

I do not have the statistics to back this up, but I wager a Miller Lite that the games where Ryan’s passer rating is 100+, Turner has also put up solid numbers.

I’m not down or Ryan or taking anything away from him. In fact, color me impressed that Ryan has put together a solid season so far in the face of a piss poor offensive coordinator, an unlevel o-line, and some injuries to key personnel.

While Turner may be the heart and soul of the Falcons, Ryan is the face of the franchise, and is backing it up on the field.

Color me impressed.

Thanksgiving with Mel B

I got a burr in my butt and decided to break out Mel B yesterday. It has been a while; figured it was time to get off my lazy bum and get some exercise going in time to prevent catastrophic holiday weight gain. Or what I like to think of as exercising so I can eat and drink my way through Thanksgiving, Disney, three more Falcons tailgates, Christmas, and of course New Years.

Thanksgiving
I started off with a nice 20 minute Fitness 20 workout, good for 147 calories, which was good for a boots to Level 60. Fitness seems to be the hardest Mel B category for me to increase. Having a few tracking Move issues (too much sunlight) was detrimental to earning a higher score.

Before throwing some Thanksgiving ribs and burgers on the grill, I followed up with a quickie 15 minute Combat workout, good for 93 calories. Tracking issues did me in on at least one exercise, preventing me for earning a higher rating.

Wednesday
Today was my first time back with Mel B in weeks (months?), so I decided to go fairly easy. One 15 minute Fitness workout, which was good for 124 calories, followed by a 15 minute Step workout, which burned off another 116 calories.

Before I started, I weighed in at 174 lbs; the last weight Mel B had on record was 176 lbs, so I feel good that I am not a total nincompoop.

Future Days …
I’ll be at Disney this time next week, so my relationship with Mel B is going to be short lived; at least it will be start, stop, start, over the next 2-3 weeks.

I’m off my rocker, but I want to Trophy whore Mel B. I’m going after some of the repetition Trophies. I would like to earn some of the ‘Complete 20 xyz exercises’ Trophies before the end of 2011. Seems like a reasonable, yet healthy goal.

Corvette Daytona Prototype Stunner

The new Corvette Daytona Prototype is a real beauty, dare I say stunner. I cannot wait to see this DP run in 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 at Daytona in 70 or so days (Jan 28, 2012).

Happy Thanksgiving

In the grand tradition of not eating turkey on Thanksgiving Day, I’m throwing some ribs and burgers on the grill, while the lovely and talented Ms. Calvert throws together all the wonderful Thanksgiving Day sides (dressing, sweat potato casserole, and a various assortment of other delicious homemade treats. Let’s not forget the corn – I’ll grill it of course – because everything tastes extra yummy over an open flame.

This is the 2nd time in 3 years (or is it 3 out of 4 – time passes quickly) we have gone nontraditional, which is kind of fun, and obviously a running joke. Two of my three boys will not eat turkey, two of the three will eat ham (although I think that is more of a Christmas or Easter treat); so what’s the point in doing the Turkey thing?

Pocahontas would happily do cartwheels in the nude for a seat at the Calvert’s Thanksgiving Day table, where a bountiful harvest of delicious treats will be on offer.

To you and yours, a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving Day.

Falcons Playoff Chances?

Just thought I would bring it up, since the Falcons front office just sent out notification for playoff tickets, which is really just a way to hoodwink season ticket holders. Is it really necessary to send out ‘invoices’ before Christmas? Before we even know if there is a home game in our future?

You have to pay if you want to reserve a seat, which at this point in the season is really a risky and expensive proposition.

The Falcons (6-4) are still on the outside of the playoff picture, chasing the Lions (7-3; Falcons own the head-to-head tie breaker) and Bears (7-3; Falcons screwed the pooch on the head-to-head tie breaker).

Right now the Falcons have a very manageable schedule:

REMAINING OPPONENTS: vs. Vikings (2-8), at Texans (7-3), at Panthers (2-8), vs. Jaguars (3-7), at Saints (7-3), vs. Buccaneers (4-6)

I think the Falcons beat the Vikings, Jaguars, and Bucs, all at home. They should beat the Panthers on the road. The Texans are a ‘swing’ game; tough road trip, but ATL should have a chance. I think the Saints win at home. What does it mean? The Falcons have a shot to be 11-5 or 10-6. Will 10-6 be enough to get in the playoffs?

Bears
The Bears are in trouble with Cutler out, but if they manage to split their last six games (two of which are against the Packers), they will be 10-6 and as mentioned above, own the tie breaker against the Falcons.

REMAINING OPPONENTS: at Raiders (6-4), vs. Chiefs (4-6), at Broncos (5-5), vs. Seahawks (4-6), at Packers (10-0), at Vikings (2-8)

So let’s call it a lapse against the Raiders, home wins against the Chiefs, Seahawks, and Vikings. I don’t see the Bears beating the Packers. Broncos are a huge swing game, but from a Falcons’ fan perspective, this schedule gets the Bears to at least 10-6, and maybe 11-5, which pretty much ruins ATL’s chances.

Lions
The Falcons have to be pulling for the Lions to go no better than .500 over their final six games, which includes the Saints (no way I can pull for the Saints), and the Packers twice.

REMAINING OPPONENTS: vs. Packers (10-0), at Saints (7-3), vs. Vikings (2-8), at Raiders (6-4), vs. Chargers (4-6), at Packers (10-0)

The Lions have an interesting schedule. The only ‘sure’ win has to be the Vikings. If the Chargers have any spunk (or pride, or AFC West aspirations) in them, they can be dangerous matching any team score-for-score; however it is a home game for the Lions.

I see the Lions going 10-6, unless they somehow pull off an upset over the Saints and split against the Packers. If ATL is in the Wild Card hunt, the Saints could be my new best friend, however if the Falcons have a shot at the NFC South title (ATL at New Orleans Dec 26 on Monday Night Football), I am all in on the Lions bandwagon, as long as they end with the same record as the Falcons!

Giants
Much like the Falcons, the Giants at 6-4 are on the outside looking in at the Wild Card front runners and current NFC East division leader Dallas.

REMAINING OPPONENTS: at Saints (7-3), vs. Packers (10-0), at Cowboys (6-4), vs. Redskins (3-7), at Jets (5-5), vs. Cowboys (6-4)

The Giants really can take charge of things by virtue of two games against the Cowboys. I do not expect the Giants to take down the Saints, but that would sure help the Falcons playoff hopes!

Cowboys
Speaking of the Cowboys (6-4), unless they mess up twice against the Giants, they should win the NFC East, avoiding any messy Wild Card scenarios.

REMAINING OPPONENTS: vs. Dolphins (3-7), at Cardinals (3-7), vs. Giants (6-4), at Buccaneers (4-6), vs. Eagles (4-6), at Giants (6-4)

Wins over the Dolphins, Cardinals, Bucs, Eagles, and a split with the Giants puts Dallas at 11-5. I suppose it is possible for a slip up or two (Eagles, taking two on the chin against the Giants), but we can come back and look at that possibility a few weeks from now.

Saints
The Saints (7-3) are sitting pretty in the cat bird seat.

REMAINING OPPONENTS: vs. Giants (6-4), vs. Lions (7-3), at Titans (5-5), at Vikings (2-8), vs. Falcons (6-4), vs. Panthers (2-8)

They have to like their chances to go at least 10-6, but more than likely they do a couple of games better and end up at 12-4, with a loss against the Falcons. I only pick the Falcons, not as a fan, but because it is a rivalry game, and ATL will be fighting for its playoff life, while the Saints may have complete control of the NFC South by Christmas.

What does it all mean?
The Falcons better go 11-5, winning the NFL South to make sure they get it, but for that to happen, the Saints have to slip up against two of three: Giants, Lions, Falcons. I don’t see the Falcons getting in on any tiebreakers against the Saints.

Historic Day

Sunday, November 20, 2011, was very much a historic day as one of my top three favorite NASCAR drivers, Tony Stewart, became a three time Champion. I think it is pretty amazing that an owner/driver (Stewart-Hass racing) was able to achieve this accomplishment.

Stewart’s Homestead-Miami Speedway victory and Championship drive was even more amazing considering Stewart apparently fired his crew chief Darian Grubb earlier in the Chase (Charlotte Motor Speedway).

If this was not going to be Jeff Gordan’s year, then Stewart was a great replacement for 5-time Champion Jimmy Johnson.

L.A. Galaxy
Completely switching gears, not to be out done, the L.A. Galaxy finally managed to get that elusive Championship that seemed so automatic after the David Beckham signing in 2007; it just so happens to be Championship number three for the Galaxy.

With no regional MLS teams to cheer for, I keep my interest playing as and along with (in various FIFA games for the PS3) Donovan, thus the Galaxy connection.

UGA = 2011 SEC East Champions

Yes, UGA overcame a 0-2 start to finish the drill and capture the SEC East crown.

On Saturday, his Bulldogs finished this latest drill. Yes, they were aided by a schedule that eased after the back-to-back whammy of Boise State and South Carolina, but it isn’t as if Georgia backed into anything. It has won nine consecutive games, beating Tennessee and Florida and Auburn en route, and it finished 7-1 in SEC play. (Let’s note that South Carolina took the East with a 5-3 record last season.)

Richt: “It’s hard to win nine in a row. We’ve done something special.”

Yep; regardless of some these SEC stalwarts having a down year (no one outside of the SEC wants to read this), it is still very difficult to win week in and week out.

Even after 11 games and nine victories, it’s hard to know just how good Georgia is. The Auburn victory was the only time the Bulldogs thrashed an SEC opponent, and for long stretches Saturday they flailed against the worst Kentucky team of the new millennium. But they won. Since the night of Sept. 10, they’ve done nothing except win.

Said Richt: “I don’t know if we’re a great team, but we’re SEC East champs.” [Source: Same as previous ajc reference]

Not to look past the wrecking wreck of Tech next weekend, the team to capture the SEC West will be strongly favored; however I like the Bulldogs chances.

It doesn’t end there. Arkansas can beat LSU Friday and move all the way to No.1 – and still not play in the SEC Championship Game. A Hogs win would force a three-way tie in the West Division, and the conference tiebreaker is reduced to head-to-head when two teams are within five spots of each other in the BCS rankings.

If Arkansas and Alabama are Nos. 1 and 2, Alabama would play in the SEC Championship Game by winning the SEC tiebreaker. Of course, Auburn could still beat Alabama next weekend and take the Tide out of the equation – and after what happened Saturday, would it really be a surprise?

Should be a fun time watching how this plays out.

Go Dawgs!

Why I Love College Football

Cyclones. Cowboys. On ‘paper’ not really worth watching. Friday night I kept checking in on the game during the first half, between Skyrim sessions, and didn’t see anything captivating, worth holding my time or attention. However, it had been a long week, so I decided to just veg out, have a few cold ones, turn off Skyrim for the night, and watch the beat down in the second half. What a reward!

Somehow, Bedlam arrived two weeks early, and it was delivered by the most unlikely of teams. Iowa State, which had been 0-56-2 against opponents ranked in the top six of the Associated Press top 25 poll since 1936, stunned the No. 2 Cowboys 37-31 in double overtime at Jack Trice Stadium.

Saturday. First, Georgia escapes, which allowed the Dawgs to capture the SEC East. This is a much different team than the one that started the season 0-2.

Saturday night I was watching the Texas game (very disappointing) of FX, and checking in on the USC – Oregon game, and FX would post the occasional coverage of ‘… those Baylor Bears are beating the Sooners …’

What a crazy two days of college football, which is why I love college football.

This season has officially lost its mind, which isn’t such a bad thing. We thought we had clear-cut national title matchup (unbeaten LSU against unbeaten Oklahoma State). Now we have LSU and BCS bedlam.

There are the once-beatens — Bama, Arkansas, Oklahoma State and, sure, why not, Stanford, Virginia Tech and Boise State. And by the way, Houston is 11-0.

So here’s what we know going into the final two weeks of the regular season: we don’t know anything.

From a UGA standpoint, they gave to travel to ATL to take on the Bumble Bees, and they damn sure better bring their A-Game, or there will be an upset. Then of course there is that little date in the Georgia Dome for a BCS birth.

Go Dawgs!

Kindle Fire

My Kindle Fire will be showing up sometime later today; I’m eager to see how this tablet will hold up. With limited functionality compared to the iPads and other full featured tablets, the Kindle Fire is really looking for its place in the market as an affordable (sub $200) digital hub (via Amazon’s cloud service) for all things digital purchased from Amazon.

Which brings up an interesting point. Last Sunday, Firefly Season 1 (Blu-ray) was the deal of the day. I was very tempted to purchase the collection for under $19, however I resisted temptation. Why? As part of my Prime subscription service, I can stream the entire series, in HD. So why make the physical purchase if I can stream for free? Of course there is something tangible about ‘owning’ and ‘collecting’ movies and games (at least for me); Prime and the Kindle Fire could change that perspective. As I said, it already did because I know I can start watching Firefly tonight. Actually I already could, but now I can on my semi tablet.

Everyone is wondering how much the Kindle Fire will cut into Apple’s market. I know from my vantage point, as a huge Amazon consumer, and a day one Prime subscriber, the Kindle Fire makes a ton of sense.

Whether fragmentation affects the Android platform to the point where it drives consumers to look elsewhere, the Kindle Fire by itself could present significant competition to the iPad this holiday season. Morgan analyst Douglas Anmuth has estimated that, based on channel checks with supply-chain vendors, Amazon could sell as many as 5 million Kindle Fire units in the fourth quarter of 2011.

But other analysts feel that the Kindle Fire will have a fainter impact. “In our view, Kindle Fire’s low price point speaks to how there is much lacking in the device,” J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz wrote in a Sept. 30 research note, pushing back against his colleague’s rosy assertion. “At $199, we argue that the price point is not going to afford most users a tablet experience, which is a problem if Amazon wants to become a major tablet vendor.”

Without a camera or support for a 3G connection, and loaded with only 8GB of onboard storage, the Kindle Fire certainly lacks some hardware features in comparison with the iPad. However, its combination of lightning-fast browser and easy access to Amazon’s online storefront could nonetheless make it attractive to consumers looking for a media-consumption device.

So it is going to be interesting to see how (or even if it does) the Kindle Fire reshapes the tablet market.

I cannot wait to see what sort of statistics Amazon reveals have been collected via its Silk browser. Of course that is a pipe dream; they probably will not divulge the good stuff.

Falcons – I Damn Yard, and Why I Hate the Saints

I was going to post this last night … and then earlier today, but just couldn’t get “into it” enough to push forward.

I don’t care what anyone says about the percentages; by golly, you have to be able to get a few lousy inches … just one f’ing yard … to keep the drive alive. Only this Falcons team could not capitalize, which means they absolutely deserved the loss.

A couple of quotes worth noting from the NFC South Blog:

What I didn’t like: When Mike Smith first decided to go for it on fourth-and-inches in overtime, I liked the call. I thought it was gutsy and ambitious. After watching Michael Turner get stuffed, I changed my mind. Smith should have punted and taken his chances with his defense.

The decision was fine; the play and execution by the o-line clearly sucked.

The Julio factor: Once rookie receiver Julio Jones left the game, it sure seemed like Atlanta’s offense became stagnant until late in regulation. That shouldn’t happen. Jones is a good player, but Atlanta has plenty of other talent at the skill positions and should be able to get by without him.

I agree, and I think it further points to some poor play calling. All of a sudden, the Falcons rediscovered Harry Douglas (8 receptions for 133 yards).

Yes, I hate the Saints …
I ran out of time to post this before the Saints game, but with the loss, it just furthers the point that I really, really, hate losing to those guys.

“If you’re just kind of walking around town, fans say, ‘If you do one thing this year, just beat Atlanta,’ “New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees said. “I think that’s probably the sentiment of fans that have been longtime Saints fans, I’m sure. Maybe longtime Falcons fans say the same thing to them about beating the Saints, I don’t know.”

Exactly. This is not a recent revelation; it just so happens that both teams are solid at the same time. Hating the Saints is a lifetime commitment. Put it this way, it was more painful for me to see the Saints win their first Super Bowl, then it was for me to watch the Falcons get throttled in their first attempt.

I still say fuck Eugene Robinson; seriously, how do you not keep your pants up on the night of the Super Bowl?

Final (Sexual) Fantasy XIII-2

A semi triumphant of T&A Sunday; there is some ‘good’ news coming out of the ESRB, via PlayStation LifeStyle:

During the course of the game, a handful of female characters wear revealing outfits (e.g., low-cut at the pelvis, moderate amounts of cleavage)

Seriously, everyone has to be happy about this decision because now we can draw attention away from the quality of the next Final Fantasy game, instead concentrating on T&A, and how the game industry betrays female gamers. Yes, definitely ‘good’ news all around.

Of course the way some young girls dress (or rather don’t dress) these days makes the argument of sexualizing female digital characters almost pointless; however I think I will not digress into social commentary. Besides, I’m confident that some nut-wing conservative group will do us all proud and pick up the cause, thus further encouraging gamers, and increasing sells. See, everyone comes out a winner.

Happy Sunday morning!

Dawgs Bite Paper Tigers …

Was Georgia that good, in their 45-7 thrashing of Auburn, or did the Tigers forget to War Eagle, instead rolling over offering up one of the most lopsided losses in this series?

Georgia finished with its biggest win in the series since a 41-0 triumph in 1946.

Probably a little of both, but in this crazy world of starting the season 0-2, just a few weeks back, Auburn was our favorite bitch …

Fortunately for Georgia, the Tigers did win one game away from Jordan-Hare Stadium — a 16-13 upset of South Carolina back on Oct. 1. That could turn out to be the difference in the SEC East.

The Bulldogs fell behind in the division with their 45-42 loss to the Gamecocks in the second week of the season. Georgia hasn’t been beaten since, while South Carolina dropped another conference game at Arkansas last week to clear the way for Georgia to take the East.

One more win will do it. [Source: Same as previous link]

What does it all mean? Bandwagon jumpers can hop back on in time for the Dawgs to squash the wild kitties from Kentucky, and capture the SEC crown. Who would have thought it after the rough 0-2 start? Certainly not me. I thought the 3-4 was not going to work; the team lacked heart, made too many mental mistakes, and was ready for a change. One poor showing over the next three weeks (assumption – wins over Kentucky, at the Bumbles Bees in ATL, and of course the SEC Championship) and we will all call for Richt’s head, because let’s face it, that is what armchair QB’ing is all about.

On a more serious note, I’m glad all the Boise St. talk is over. Yes they spanked Georgia, in the Dome no less, but that was Labor Day weekend, and the Dawgs were clearly not in form. There is no way any serious pundit could claim that the Blue Horsie boys would carry a win out of the Dome if the two teams were to play in the next three weeks.

Go Dawgs!

The Lord of the Rings: Aragon’s Quest

I picked up Aragon’s Quest a few weeks ago because it was under $20, and I am a sucker for discounted games. I was also interested in the Move support, but unfortunately the controls are on par with a Wii game, not something I have come to expect for Move support (i.e. Sports Champions).

There are plenty of other reviews out there, so I am not going to take a deep dive or anything. As a family game, is this fun? Sort of. As a Move game, is Aragon’s Quest worth a pick up? Nope; after a few hours of honest to goodness attempts to make things work, I abandon my Move and Navigation controllers in favor of the standard Dual Shock 3. If you are a fan of The Lord of the Rings, Aragon’s Quest has some entertainment value, but you may want to wait until the game hits the sub $15 mark.

For the most part, I enjoyed my time with the game, but as I moved into Trophy whoring, the game quickly became a chore. If you are going to go for a Platinum Trophy (I earned mine this morning, thus this post), you better follow a guide because the game can screw you over in a hurry, forcing an additional play-through.