The Nursery Rhymes That Helped Us Out and Make a Sense of Our Lives

Congratulations to Mr. Joey Halbert for correctly naming "Cochise" by Audioslave as the Sunday Song of the Day. Apparently Joey had just seen Chris Cornell, Tom Morello & Co. earlier last evening and was therefore empowered to triumph in the daily duel for lyrics supremacy. Cheers Joseph.

Well, it was a fruitful first day at the internship. I got to attend 3 pleas during the course of the day and see the members of the office participate in a Kangaroo Court skit for 8th graders from two local middle schools. Let me just say this: it doesn't who you are in the Eastern District of Texas, if you do the crime, you will do the time. Some people say that justice is blind, but today justice heard guilty pleas from a 23 year old, a 33 year old, and a woman who looked like she was better suited to cooking apple pie and knitting a quilt than committing federal crimes, but if a viewing of Family Matters taught me anything, it was this: Sometimes the grandma is the most feisty member of the family.

In my rant for the evening, I'm focusing on one of the sacred cows of the TV industry: Mr. Jack Bauer. Jack, why do you always have to talk in a forced whisper that sounds as if you speed-smoked a case of Marlboro Reds in the last 37 minutes. I'm not a regular viewer of 24, but I think what may prevent me from becoming one is Kiefer Sutherland's insistence on always talking like he's just been the victim of surprise shanking. I'm completely ready for the barrage of "I can't believe you just called out Jack Bauer" comments, and I have one thing to say: Bring it on.

Well, I'm not a Martyr, I'm Not a Prophet

Congratulations to Mr. Dan Carlson for correctly naming "Babylon" by David Gray as the Thursday Song of the Day.

I'm coming to you tonight from the parents' computer because apparently the neighbor that we usually mooch wireless internet off of has decided to make things a bit more secure. Also, as you can see from the comments on Thursday's post, some people are getting a bit antsy about the lack of recent posts and making demands. Well, guess what. I listen to my people. I won't call you my fans, because that would involve the assumption that I'm worthy of fans and I don't suffer that delusion.

In other news, Liverpool dropped a 2-1 match yesterday against Portsmouth. It would seem that such a setback would be very disheartening in the interim between the Chelsea matches, but Rafa decided to rest 7 starters ahead of Tuesday's 2nd semifinal leg, and Portsmouth is fighting hard right now to qualify for the UEFA Cup. All in all, you would like to win every game, but if they win on Tuesday, yesterday's loss will quickly be forgotten. The match is going to be on ESPN2 on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. CST if you want to watch.

It's kind of a funny time around the house with the parents. On Friday, my Dad retired from his job with the Texas Highway Department after 27 years, so tomorrow morning I'll be going to work and he won't. I guess he's earned it. I'm looking forward to getting started in the morning and hopefully I'll be able to glean a least one blog-worthy story from each day. Well, that's also assuming that someone from the federal government is not currently monitoring this blog. In that case, if I get censored, the code word is BUSBY. I repeat, the code word is BUSBY. Good night, and good luck.

Current Reading

The Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam

You Know It's Clear that I've Been Blind

I'm posting a bit late this evening, but after yesterday's mammoth effort, I probably need to take it easy. Also, I don't want any of you developing a bizarre type of eye-strain from endlessly staring at my musings.

Tonight's post is probably the last one that I will compose in Waco until August. My last final is tomorrow afternoon, and I really need to get home to Tyler to tie up some loose ends before I start at the internship on Monday morning. I've never been someone to sit around after finals are done reflecting on what has been and now is no time to start. I'll try to compose something this weekend that adequately encompasses my thoughts about the last year, but I'm making no guarantees that it will be particularly insightful or that it will actually appear.

I guess you'll just have to stick around to see what happens. Deal? Deal.

Sitting Spare Like a Book on a Shelf Rustin'

Congratulations to Mr. Dan Carlson for correctly naming "Everyday" by the Dave Matthews Band as the other Tuesday Song of the Day.

At the request of Mr. Andrew Tuegel, who is spending his day following around U.S. Congressman Randy Neugebauer, I'm giving you a running diary of today's Champions League semifinal (1st leg) between Liverpool and Chelsea.

• And we're live from Stamford Bridge in West London, home of Chelsea FC. For those of you who don't know, Chelsea is owned by Roman Abramovich, a Russian oil tycoon who may or may not be responsible for the "elimination" of his closest business rivals. I may not like George Steinbrenner, but I don't think he's responsible for the death of Jimmy Hoffa. Abramovich might be.
• Great pre-game interview with Liverpool striker Peter Crouch. The lanky goalscorer looks like he was pulled from central casting of the films Trainspotting or Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. Someone get Guy Ritchie on the phone.
• I always enjoy the opening ceremonies before Champions League matches where the players walk out hand in hand with kids dressed in the other team's uniform. There's a YouTube clip out there somewhere featuring a young Chelsea supporter duping Steven Gerrard with a fake handshake. Someone even calls him a "cheeky little monkey." I love English people.
• Here's the clip:

• As the Champions League anthem plays, both teams stand waiting for the match to start. Liverpool is dressed in their classic red uniforms, and Chelsea is in their home blues.
• Referee Markus Merk is ready to go and smiles into the camera. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho noted before the match that he thinks Liverpool is going to bait a number of his players into yellow cards that will contribute to their suspension for the second round of the semifinal next week in Liverpool. This was in addition to a story revealed this week that Mourinho snuck into a match last year in a laundry hamper in order to communicate via walkie talkie to his assistant coaches. I wish I could make this stuff up.
• The match begins with Craig Bellamy, Dirk Kuyt, Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano, Bolo Zenden, Xabi Alonso, John Arne Riise, Jamie Carragher, Alvaro Arbeloa, Daniel Agger, and Pepe Reina on the pitch for Liverpool.
• Chelsea comes out with Andriy Shevchenko, Didier Drogba, John Obi Mikel, Claude Makelele, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, Ashley Cole, Paulo Ferreira, and Petr Cech. Will Riggs loves Petr Cech. Warrants mentioning.
• Drogba makes a good run off an errant Liverpool pass and takes a tumble in box after a strong defensive play by Jamie Carragher. Drogba sits on the ground and talks to himself about it. No one listens.
• A great, great save by Pepe Reina off a turning shot by Frank Lampard. Chelsea seems to be intent on exposing the Liverpool defense by lobbed passes into the penalty area. The Reds need to weather this opening storm on the opponent's pitch.
• Liverpool striker called offsides on a pass from Dirk Kuyt. Bellamy has not scored a goal for Liverpool since the 2-1 victory over Barcelona in early March. That was the game after he was accused of hitting teammate John Arne Riise with a golf club after an argument erupted over the singing of UB40's "Red, Red Wine" during an impromptu kareoke session. Again, I can't make up stuff this entertaining.
• I should note that this is my first time to watch an entire Liverpool match live. It's an eye-opening experience. Probably something akin to a young Trey Anastasio listening to Jerry Garcia. I realize that only about 5 people who read this will catch that reference, but such is my lot.
• Drogba barely misses a long cross from Joe Cole. A replay shows that Drogba was blatantly offsides, but I guess you get the benefit of the doubt when your owner knows how to "take care" of people.
• Frank Lampard almost scores a goal in the 22nd minute off a free kick that screams across the Stamford Bridge pitch. The Gerrard-Lampard debate in England is probably the equivalent of Buster v. GOB in a best brother contest on Arrested Development. In other words, no matter which one you choose, one's a magician and one has a hook for a hand.
• In the 26th minute, the match has settled into a back and forth rhythmn with neither team able to find much space but that was to be expected. I just read the lips of a Liverpool supporter behind the Chelsea goal who called Petr Cech a wanker. Good times.
• Chelsea scores an opening goal off a strong run by Drogba and a finish by Joe Cole. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho stands and cheers with his loosened tie looking like he just stepped out of an instructional video entitled What Should I Wear if I Want People to Think I'm Having an Affair?
• Let's be honest here: if there's any team that knows how to come from behind, it's Liverpool. Sometimes they just need to ratchet up the degree of difficulty.
• Gerrard barely misses heading home a cross from Dirk Kuyt. You just know that Stevie is lurking out there somewhere and everyone who supports Chelsea is probably just waiting for his retort to Joe Cole's strike.
• Liverpool with a sustained possession with about 5 minutes left in the first half. You get the sense that Chelsea is not content with one goal at home knowing that they still must go to Anfield next Tuesday.
• The first half ends with Chelsea up by the score of 1-0. Liverpool has not any real pressure on Chelsea keeper Petr Cech, but you get the feeling that either Gerrard, Riise, or Dirk Kuyt has big plans for the second half. Perhaps that's just the usual optimism that I reserve for the Rangers speaking. Back in a few minutes...
• In other news, John McCain finally announced today that he's officially running for President in 2008. That was almost as anti-climactic as when the highly anticipated IT invention was a SEGWAY. I mean, I love SEGWAYs as much as the next guy, but I was expecting something really great like a machine that erased all of the time that I spent watching Full House as a child. In the words of Dr. Evil, "Throw me a frickin' bone here."
• As the second half starts, Liverpool have come out as the aggressors. In one of the matches against PSV in the last round, the announcer on the ESPN Gamecast wrote that Liverpool were trying to "put PSV to the sword". You're not going to see that written about a Nuggets-Spurs playoff game.
• A shot of Peter Crouch warming up on the sideline. It appears that he's wearing a vest stolen from the Texas Highway Department. The Texas taxpayers cannot be pleased.
• Peter Crouch comes on for Craig Bellamy. Bellamy doesn't look pleased, but you can't blame Rafa for the switch.
• Petr Cech barely turns away a strike from the left foot of Steven Gerrard. The Reds are really putting the pressure on Chelsea here at the beginning of the second period of play.
• The match has settled a bit after Liverpool's early push forward in the second half. One odd thing for an American who is accustomed to seemingly endless commercials during sports ofnTV is the adjustment to the no-commercial aspect of soccer. Of course that means that at halftime the audience is subjected a seemingly endless reel of Heineken ads, but I guess that's the price you pay.
• John Arne Riise pulls a "nutmeg" on Jon Obi Mikel. I really have no idea why dribbling the ball between someone's leg is called a "nutmeg", but if someone can tell me, I'd love to know.
• It looks like Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho stole John C. Reilly or John McEnroe's hair. A stunning contrast to the fair locks sported by the Italian players from AC Milan. In addition to Rosie O'Donnell, Carvalho is probably another person who rues the rise of high-definition television.
• Jose Mourinho pulls striker Andriy Shevchenko for Solomon Kalou at the 74 minute mark. Liverpool has 15+ minutes to get an ever crucial away goal, but Javier Mascherano is given a yellow card for his tackle on Frank Lampard. The ref holding the yellow/red card aloft in the offending player's general direction is always enjoyable. It reminds of the time I was issued a yellow card last year for a "strong" tackle on a member of Frater Sodalis. Always a good memory.
• A fantastic save by Pepe Reina after another strong shot by Frank Lampard. Reina has really kept the Reds in the match when the back four have made some mistakes.
• It looks like Jermaine Pennant is coming on for Xabi Alonso in an offensively minded move by Rafa in the 82nd minute. We'll see if Pennant's speed can provide a late burst to the Reds' effort.
• Mourinho sends on Shaun Wright-Phillips for goalscorer Joe Cole in a late attempt to get a larger advantage ahead of next week's battle.
• The announcers just noted that Liverpool striker Peter Crouch's father is a Chelsea season ticket holder. I think he just replaced John Locke's dad on Lost in the race for Worst Father of the Year.
• 2 minutes of stoppage time will be added at the end of the match for the whining of Didier Drogba. Sorry, I'll try to keep an air of objectivity from here on out.
• The match ends with Chelsea winning by the score of 1-0. My friend John Middleton just called and informed me that he's a Chelsea fan. That wanker. Well, that's all for today.
• Andrew, I hope you enjoyed my work here and hopefully we'll get them next week.

Pick Me Up Love

Congratulations to Dan Carlson for correctly naming "#41" by the Dave Matthews Band as the Tuesday Song of the Day.

"Hershal Wheat, left, and his wife Bennie Wheat, of Tyler Texas, listen as an announcement is made postponing the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers baseball game due to bad weather in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 24, 2007. The game will be made up when the Mariners return to Texas, July 23-25, with the date to be announced later."--Pictures courtesy ESPN.com

I'll say this about Hershal and Bennie Wheat: I've never met them in my life, but their dedication to the game makes this Tyler native proud. Also, I think sitting in the rain eating overpriced peanuts under an umbrella is probably a better way to spend the afternoon than watching the Rangers fall further off the pace.

Wait, I'm already cynical about the Rangers' season? Congratulations if you had April 24th in the office pool.

I Won't Tell You to Stay but I'm Coming to Much More

Perhaps it's because I'm generally a bigger fan of nonfiction than fiction, but after the outpouring of praise for Kurt Vonnegut at his recent death (praise that was well deserved), I think I'm going to miss David Halberstam more. I'll miss him like I miss other people that I've never met, but who have somehow influenced the way that I think and look at the world. Something like that.

• When he was killed in the car accident, he was on his way to interview someone for his next book. I don't think I want to be killed in a car accident, but that's how I want to go out of this world: Moving forward, looking ahead to the next thing on the horizon, and doing what I love.
• "He was a man who didn't have a lazy bone in his body."
• "A writer should be like a playwright — putting people on stage, putting ideas on stage, making the reader become the audience."
• His truthful reporting on the less than stellar Vietnam War efforts once led JFK to place a call with NY Times publisher Arthur Ochs Sulzberger asking for Halberstam's reassignment. Halberstam stayed on the Vietnam beat.
• "Being a professional is doing the things you love to do, even on days you don't feel like doing them."
  

The Play on Time is Won, but The Difficulty is Coming Here

Congratulations to Mr. Andrew Tuegel for correctly naming "In a Little While" by U2 as the Monday Song of the Day.

I should note that I had composed a rather lengthy running commentary of this afternoon's Champions League semifinal between Manchester United and AC Milan, but for some reason, either Blogger or Facebook decided to turn against me and freeze up at the most inopportune time. I'm telling you, this post had references to Shakespeare in Love v. Saving Private Ryan, Reese Witherspoon killing Joaquin Phoenix, Alex Rodriguez, the Rossoneri, one named Brazilians Kaka' and Dida, and much, much more. Unfortunately you will never get to read that post and it is lost to the depths forever. May it rest in peace.

In other news, the Torts II final was today, which means that I only have one more final on Friday before the first year is complete. It's been a pretty interesting year and it might be one that deserves a retrospective glance. Look for something like that later in the week.

Finally, after last night's 4-1 victory over the the Dallas Stars in Game 7 of their first round playoff series, the Vancounver Canucks have advanced to fight another day. The one downside is that my good friend Danny Echols is singlehandedly terrorizing their entire fanbase. Perhaps I'm revealing a bit too much, but I think Danny's modus operandi is to join a pro-Canucks Facebook group, fill the walls with disparaging remarks, and then flee the scene like Pacman Jones running from a shooting. Danny Echols ladies and gentlemen, Danny Echols.

He Lives on a Star That's Dying in the Night

Congratulations to Mr. Cody Blair for correctly naming "Holiday in Spain" by Counting Crows as the Sunday Song of the Day.

As I was turning off the TV after eating dinner, I caught a quick statement by the anchor that Pulitzer Prize winning author and journalist David Halberstam was killed today in a car accident. I realize that Halberstam was 73, but I was really caught off-guard by the news of his death. It seemed that he possessed the rare ability to write lucidly and authoritatively on a number of diverse subjects such as the Vietnam War, professional basketball, the 50's, and a Red Sox/Yankees pennant race in 1949.

Halberstam won the Pulitzer Prize in 1964 at the age of 30 (Thirty! At 23, I need to get on and cracking) for his reporting on the early stages of the Vietnam War. I actually have his definitive basketball book, The Breaks of the Game, waiting on me at home, but reading it now is going to be a bit bittersweet.

Catch a Plane to Barcelona 'Cause This City's a Drag

I'm feeling generous tonight, so I'm naming Dan Carlson as the winner of Friday's Song of the Day contest even though he only named Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! and not "The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth" as well, but we all knew what he meant.

Well, the CrimPro exam has come and gone, and so has my quick trip down to the Houston area for the Wilderness Trek Gala, which took place last night. Those 24-hour trips are nice, but I have to say, I'm not a huge fan of the Houston area. Now, there may be some Houston-philes out there who can give me some compelling reasons why your fair city is a good place to call home, but since I've never been to River Oaks or Katy, the only parts of Houston that I think I would want to live in are Sugar Land, Kingwood, and the Woodlands area. Other than that, no thanks. I'm waiting to be lambasted for such a blatant pro-suburb statement. Do your worst.

The Rangers had a great comeback this afternoon from a 3-1 deficit in the bottom of the 8th to win by a final score of 4-3 over the A's. I was a little concerned to see closer Eric Gagne leave the game in the 9th with an apparent leg injury, but here's hoping that it was a minor one. Also, Liverpool locked up a spot in the Champions League for next year with yesterday's 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic. You can see highlights of Dutch striker Dirk Kuyt's two goals here:

Up next, a the first half of a showdown with Chelsea in the Champions League semifinals on Wednesday at Stamford Bridge in London. Get ready kids, this is big time.

Explaining That the Sky Holds the Wind

For the second day in a row, to celebrate "Reading Days" I decided to head over the friendly neighborhood Starbucks for a little morning caffeine, and for the second day in a row who do I stand in line next to? If you guessed Prof. CrimPro you would be correct.


I'm pretty sure the exchange this morning went something like this:


Me: "Good morning."
Prof. Crim Pro: "Good morning."
(Pause)
Me: "I can't do this every morning. I don't make enough money."
Prof. CrimPro: "Me either."


Good times all around.


It was good to have dinner last night with my good friend Joey Halbert and Joey's friend, Marianne. After eating dinner at The Elite Grille, my first trip to the Waco landmark, we went back to Marianne's apartment to watch The Office. During the show NBC showed a promo for Saturday Night Live, which is inherently unwatchable, but that's another story.


Anywho...in the promo Scarlett Johansson was plugging tomorrow night's episode and when Joey made a pro-"ScarJo" as he called her-comment, Marianne immediately went into defensive mode. Now, the Sports Guy has always talked about actresses that he cannot talk about around his wife or she will go crazy, but this was my first time to witness the phenomenon. (Not that Joey and Marianne are dating or anything). It was fascinating. I'm not sure if Scarlett Johansson is one of those women who drive other women nuts, but I found it pretty funny.


God Bless Reading Days.

I'm Sorry I was Late, but I Missed the Train and the Traffic was a State

Here's a highlight clip from yesterday's 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough at Anfield.

Stevie G. has the rare ability to be able to thread those long strikes through a number of bodies on their path towards the goal. Let's hope that he gets strong support from the rest of the squad next Wednesday against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. You probably remember Joey's comment two days ago that he needed to put together some coherent thoughts in response to my posting of the Rolling Stone's Top 10 Songs of All-time. Well, Joseph went to work and here is the result.

For whatever it's worth, among my friends, I would probably say that Joey's musical tastes are easily within the top 5. I would probably also add Jeff Giddens, Dan Carlson, Heath Huston, and Nate Low into that list. Congratulations fellows, it's rarefied air.

Last Night What We Talked About, It Made So Much Sense, But Now the Haze Has Ascended, It Don't Make No Sense Anymore

Congratulations to Mr. Jacob Straub for correctly naming "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan as the Tuesday Song of the Day. Many of you probably know Jacob by the moniker "Chicago", but truth be told, he's actually from Rolling Meadows, Illinois, so I propose we move towards "Rolling Meadows" or "Cook County", but perhaps the name has become so entrenched that a little geographic discrepancy is mere quibbling.

In other landmark news, the conclusion of today's Serrathon marked the end of my classroom experience as a first year law student, well at least I hope so. Granted I have three exams to negotiate before I leave Waco for the summer, but it feels good to be done with classes for the Spring quarter. When I tell most people that I'm almost done with my first year, they respond with statements like, "Oh, isn't that always the hardest one?" and I just laugh and explain to them that they've momentarily forgotten that I go "Where Fun Goes to Die" and it just would not make sense to let everything go downhill from here.

Liverpool won an important match today over Middlesbrough by the score of 2-0 at Anfield. Both goals were scored by Skipper Steven Gerrard, and I'll be sure to provide video of the strikes as soon as my friends across the pond place the clips on YouTube. The most important aspect of today's win is that it puts the Reds within one win of automatic qualification for the 2007-08 Champions League. We have a match with Wigan Athletic on Saturday at Anfield, and it would be nice to wrap up that remaining question before turning to this year's Champions League semifinal battle with Chelsea.

I guess that's all for tonight. Since I don't have class tomorrow or Friday, I'll be studying for my Criminal Procedure Final on Saturday and reflecting on whether or not Ian Kinsler leading the Rangers with 7 homeruns is any cause for alarm.

With No Direction Home

Congratulations to Randy "The Legend Killer" Orton for correctly naming the ever elusive "U.S. Blues" by The Grateful Dead as the Monday Song of the Day. You might also know Mr. Orton by his true name, Coleman Greer Griffith. I guess we all have to pretend to be someone else everyone once in a while. It's something like Matt Damon said in The Talented Mr. Ripley, "I'd rather be a fake somebody than a real nobody." Not that Cole's a nobody, but you get my drift.

Since my brain is fried in the wake of preparation for tomorrow's Serrathon and exam review, you're only getting a few choice music videos tonight, but to paraphrase Judge Smails of Caddyshack fame, "You'll get something and like it."


"A Certain Romance"--Arctic Monkeys

"Like a Rolling Stone"--Bob Dylan

"Kite"--U2 (I finally found the clip from the Slane Castle performance that I wrote about a few weeks ago).

Wave That Flag, Wave It Wide and High

The mystery song continues its run in a 3rd consecutive post. We'll see if anyone out there can name it.

Just for the sake of argument and discussion, I'm going to throw out an arbitrary list that we can kick around. Today's list: The Top 10 Songs of All-time according to a Rolling Stone survey of musicians, critics, and industry figures.

Top 10

1. "Like a Rolling Stone"--Bob Dylan


2. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"--The Rolling Stones


3. "Imagine"--John Lennon


4. "What's Going On?"--Marvin Gaye


5. "Respect"--Aretha Franklin


6. "Good Vibrations"--The Beach Boys


7. "Johnny B. Goode"--Chuck Berry


8. "Hey Jude"--The Beatles


9. "Smells Like Teen Spirit"--Nirvana


10. "What'd I Say"--Ray Charles

The list is obviously heavily skewed towards the 60's and 70's, but as my father would quickly tell you, "That's when they were making great music." That statement is of course a very subjective one, but if you can find something more subjective than music, please show it to me.

The only song on the list written since my birth is "Smells Like Teen Spirit", and if anything I think it made the list for what it represents rather than the actual monumental quality of the song itself. The song was the first mainstream salvo for the Seattle grunge movement of the late 80's and early 90's and quickly became the new counter-culture anthem. Even if you had no idea what Kurt Cobain was screaming towards the end of the song, you knew that he was the harbinger of bigger things to come.

I also have no qualms with "Like a Rolling Stone" holding the top spot. During a speech inducting Bob Dylan into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Bruce Springsteen said that his first memory of the song is "the opening snare shot that sounded like somebody had kicked open the door to your mind." That's why music matters.

Give Me Five, I'm Still Alive, Ain't No Luck, I Learned to Duck

As Cris Carpenter has pointed out, the title of yesterday's post contains some great lyrics. I've decided to carry the song over to a second day with different lyrics just to see if any reader out there can solve the great mystery. I would also like to point out the high level of integrity that Ms. Carpenter displayed in refusing to run to Google as a crutch in the Song of the Day contest.

Well, Liverpool had a nil-nil draw yesterday in Manchester during an uneventful day in the English Premier League. I just wanted to point out that one of my largest goals for this blog was to someday work in the phrase "nil-nil". I'm glad you could be here for this momentous occasion, but I digress.

For the uninitiated Premiership fans, yesterday's match was not against the evil empire Manchester United, but was against their cross-town brethren, Manchester City. If you were to draw a comparison between Manchester United and Manchester City it would probably be something like comparing a barbecue sandwich at Harold's to a barbecue sandwich at the World Famous Bean. In other words, you can find each only a few miles apart, but there's a world of difference.
I realize that only ACU students and Abilenians will understand that reference, but it seemed applicable. Also, please note that I'm not comparing Man. U. to Harold's in terms of their cosmic goodness. Harold Christian's barbecue is God's revelation to man of what food can be at its best, and Man. U. is basically in the same category as the Yankees, galaxy, and the former USSR. Thus, while I despise all of the items in the latter category, I can appreciate achievement when I see it.

I say all that to say this: a nil-nil draw against Manchester City is a disappointing result. I guess I'll try to be more direct about it next time.

*P.S. I have no idea who that girl is on the right in the photo. Photo courtesy of the Harold's Barbecue Facebook group.

Red and White Blue Suede Shoes, I'm Uncle Sam, How Do You Do?

Prof. Torts mentioned this morning that it was Friday the 13th and immediately launched into a discussion on the truth or falsity of Matt Lauer's statement that Don Imus had slandered the Rutgers women's basketball team. This led to a discussion on the modern use of the word "ho" and one of my classmates citing a U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals case that actually featured a discussion of the lyrics of Ludacris. Yes, it has been an odd day so far.

In honor of Friday the 13th, I give you these great "facts", courtesy of Wikipedia

• Paraskavedekatriaphobia is the fear of Friday the 13th.
• We have another Friday the 13th in July of this year.
• Tupac was murdered on Friday, September 13th, 1996. This is obviously up for debate.


• Margaret Thatcher, Fidel Castro, Julia Louis Dreyfus, Will Clark, Max Weinberg, the Olsen Twins, and Steve Buscemi were all born on Friday the 13ths, but obviously in different years. I guess that goes without saying.



• Black Sabbath's eponymous debut album was released on Friday, February 13th, 1970.

If anything, you can thank me for those conversation starters when someone launches into a "Friday the 13th" riff this weekend. Don't say I never do anything for you.

Still a Little Hard to Say What's Going On

Well, since I had two posts yesterday, both of which used lyrics from Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World", we had two different readers name the Song of the Day. Those are the mysterious "V" and the more well known "Chicago". Now, I'm pretty sure that the protagonist from V for Vendetta and my friend from the Midwest are the most diverse pair ever to win the Song of the Day contest. Thanks for being part of history my friends.

It's been an interesting week for apologies. First, Don Imus issued an apology to the Rutgers women's basketball team for his oft-repeated, ill chosen remarks, but he was still canned by NBC Corp. and CBS Corp.

Now, Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong has issued an apology to the 3 former Duke lacrosse players. The apology comes a day after the North Carolina Attorney General's office dropped all remaining charges against the athletes. Nifong is currently under investigations for possible ethics violations and faces possible disbarment.

I have a few questions:

• Where is the line between forgiveness and retribution?


• How much of the consequences that have been suffered by Imus were demanded by the members of the team, and how much simply arose from those who "took up their cause" (Sharpton and Jackson specifically)?


• The previous question can be also be asked in the Duke lacrosse case: Do the players just want to put the whole incident behind them or do they also really want to see Nifong disbarred?

Part of me believes that once the apologies were issued to both sets of players, they understood that what had happened to them was improper, but they were ready to move on from these events. They probably realize that words of apology do not always heal the wounds that have been created, but they do provide some sort of closure to a situation.

The cynical part of me believes that the press to seek additional retribution after the apologies is coming almost entirely from others besides the players, but here's another set of questions:

• Is that okay?
• Is it alright for the players to wish to move from these incidents, but that others can continue to press for additional penalties such as Imus' firing from CBS/NBC and Nifong's disbarment?
• How much of what happened to Imus and should happen to Nifong should have arisen from the desires of those who received the brunt of the comments/actions and how much should come from a desire to prove a larger point?

They'll Learn Much More Than I'll Ever Know

Patty V., this one's for you. I hope you enjoy it.

I See Friends Shakin' Hands, Sayin' "How Do You Do?"

Congratulations to Andrew Tuegel for correctly naming "The Space Between" by the Dave Matthews Band as the Tuesday Song of the Day. Andrew, I wholeheartedly agree that the Everyday album was easily the weakest effort from DMB, but it does have some songs that make it somewhat redeemable. Note that I said "somewhat".

As you can read here, Liverpool defeated PSV Eindhoven 1-0 today to advance to the Champions League semifinals against fellow English Premiership member, Chelsea FC. In the other semifinal, Manchester United FC will face Italian giants AC Milan.

Now, I don't always believe in what some people might call fate, but this year's Champions League run looks markedly similar to the Reds' 2005 victory. In 2005, Liverpool defeated Chelsea in the semis before facing AC Milan in the final. With Manchester United's 7-1, yes 7-1, victory over Roma yesterday, it will be very difficult for Milan to defeat the boys from Manchester, but if they do, I would love to see a rematch of the historic 2005 final.

I would have liked to have seen a more dominant effort out of Liverpool today, but Manager Rafa Benitez decided to rest 4 usual starters (Skipper Steven Gerrard, Defender Jamie Carragher, Midfielder Javier Mascherano, and Defender Steven Finnan), and with a 3-0 lead going into today's match, I can't really blame him.

With today's win, the Reds march on towards a highly anticipated matchup with Chelsea FC. Now, if you're wondering what the appropriate American sports parallels could be for these two franchises, the aforementioned Andrew Tuegel provided what I think is a very good take. He said that Liverpool is the English version of the St. Louis Cardinals. The supporters are classy, the cheer high quality play from the home team as well as the visitors, and they don't have to spend the most money in order to compete at the highest level.

On the other hand, Chelsea is the English equivalent of the Red Sox. Just as the Red Sox have turned into a spending behemoth in recent years in their quest to match the Yankees, Chelsea has broken the bank in recent years in an attempt to match the spending of Manchester United, the English equivalent of the Yankees.

I know that the Red Sox would still like to be classified as the "lovable losers" of the American sports scene, but that title is solely vested in the Chicago Cubs. Just as the Red Sox are a lesser evil than the Yankees, Chelsea is a lesser evil to Manchester United. Also, Chelsea is owned by a Russian oil billionaire who has been accused of "high crimes" in his native country. That, my friends, is why I love sports.

Is Where We Hope to Keep Safe from Pain

Congratulations to Ms. Stacey Villescas for correctly naming "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by The Beatles as the Monday "Song of the Day". Dedicated readers will note that Stacey also named "Lovely Rita" by the Beatles as a "Song of the Day" last week. I guess she is just the resident Beatles expert around here to compliment Andrew Tuegel's U2 expertise, and Dan Carlson's Wilco prowess. I guess we all have our niche.

Tonight, since I cannot think of anything groundbreaking to write, I'm going to completely bore you to death. I usually post a note at the end of some posts with the book that I am currently trying to wade through, but I decided that tonight I would give you a peek into what I'm looking forward to reading.

Future Reading

• Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
• The Boy Who Fell Out of the Sky: A True Story by Ken Dornstein
• Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses by Bruce Feiler
• Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam
• Letters to a Young Lawyer by Alan M. Dershowitz

If any of you have read any of these books, please feel free to leave a comment telling me what you thought about them. I'll try to come back with something more thought provoking tomorrow night.

I Don't Know Why Nobody Told You

Perhaps he didn't raise tens of millions of dollars like Rudy, Hillary, Barack, or Mitt, but while all of you are thinking about who your Presidential vote is going to, I know who is receiving my vote for Secretary.

With Every Mistake We Must Surely Be Learning

Congratulations to Mr. Andrew Tuegel for correctly naming "All Along the Watchtower" by Bob Dylan and countless others as the Sunday Song of the Day.

I'll jump right into it today: I root for Tiger Woods. Now, many of you who know me might say, "Justin, isn't that equivalent to rooting for the Yankees, Wal-Mart, and Microsoft? What's the fun in cheering for the guy who always wins?" Well, here's the thing, he doesn't always win. I think I saw more yesterday about the guy than I have in many of his dominating victories.

You should know that I usually only watch four golf tournaments per year, the so-called Majors, or the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA Championship respectively. As has been the case in the last decade, Tiger Woods is often at the top of those tournaments. Sometimes he wins in simply dominating fashion, particularly the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in 2000, where he won by 15, yes 15, shots. Tiger is usually this stoic figure striding down the fairway on some inevitable march towards the history books, but there are those moments, such as occurred yesterday, where he lets us get a small peak into his psyche.

Yesterday as he walked towards the 18th green, knowing that he had been beaten by a relative unknown named Zack Johnson, you could see the wheels turning in Tiger's head. It was almost as if a cartoon bubble was attached to his head that contained the words, "This just doesn't happen to me," but it did, and that's where I think the lesson is to be learned.

It seems that the true lesson of greatness is learning to live what Kipling described midway through the poem "If", which I posted last week. "If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same." That's it. That is a lesson that cuts across every field of human endeavor. I was reminded of the same lesson when I was reading John Adams by McCullough. The true mark of greatness is not always in our triumphs, in our successes. Often the distinguishing characteristic of those who will be remembered is that they carried on in an indomitable way, even in the face of great adversity.

In his own way, Tiger embodies that in my mind. Today in golf, he is without peer. Sure, you may have Zack Johnsons and other figures who come out of the woodwork from time to time, but often, Tiger's greatest competitors are the history books. The reason that I root for Tiger is that even though he suffers these weeks where the moment slips away, he continues to work, continues to steel himself, and continues his inexorable journey towards the pinnacle.

No Reason to Get Excited, The Thief He Kindly Spoke

Even though it came and went more quickly than Creed's fame, it did snow yesterday in Whitehouse, Texas. As all of you reading this blog in the year 2356 will be able to note, it was April 7. I'm not sure if by that time this will all be normal somehow and you will scoff at snow in April, but let's just say that it caught people here off guard.

The Tyler newscasters were actually blaming a few traffic accidents in the area on the snowfall. Let's look at this assertion at bit more closely. The snow was coming down in April, and immediately returning to a liquid form once it contacted the earth. What does that immediately make you think of? An insurmountable weather disaster that will consume all of those in its path? Probably not. The kooks reading this blog probably thought of one word: rain. Because that's what it was! It was just like driving in a light rain, and I'm sure we've all seen one of those before.

Let's just say that it was a slow news day in the Tyler metro area.

Step from the Road to the Sea to the Sky

It's truly a sad day out there kids. Do you dream of going to Hahhhvahhd? How about Yale? Princeton? M.I.T.? Cal-Tech? Well, I hate to tell you this, but your 4-oh and that perfect SAT score may not be enough anymore. You'll probably need to cure cancer, solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and lead the Texas Rangers to a World Series title in order to set yourself above the fray.

I'm not sure if anyone besides me actually cares about what America's "elite" colleges are requiring these days in terms of admitting students, but this New York Times piece documents the increasingly competitive process.

We Are But Men, Rock On

Congratulations to Mr. Dan Carlson for correctly naming "Tribute" by Tenacious D as the Wednesday Song of the Day.

I have a quick bit of news to pass along before I head to sleep for the night. I'm pretty sure that I don't have a large rowing readership on this blog, but I was really happy to see an email from my Mom earlier today detailing my cousin Ryan's recent crew triumph. Ryan is a member of the UC-San Diego crew team and with their victory over UCLA and UC-Davis this past weekend, they captured UCSD's first ever Cal Cup. You can read the story here.

Ryan is the 2nd team member from the left in the photo. I like to think that all of those wrestling matches that he and I had over the years during Thanksgiving and Christmas helped to steel him just a little bit more so he could endure the pain of crew, but I'm pretty sure he's just a beast in his own right. Well done Ryan, well done.

Look Into My Eyes and It's Easy to See, One and One Make Two, Two and One Make Three

Congratulations to Mr. Jacob Hamlin Roseberry for naming "The General" by Dispatch as the Tuesday Song of the Day. I should note that Jake's answer was the first to ever be accompanied by a haiku, which elevates his answer considerably on the degree of difficulty scale. Mr. Roseberry, I salute you and if the rest of you want to start answering in haiku, that would be excellent as well. You know, even if you don't prefer haiku, I would be satisfied with a limerick, a couplet, or a few lines in iambic pentameter. Whatever floats the proverbial boat.

I'm not going to say I'm clairvoyant, but I think if you watch this video of match highlights from Liverpool's 3-0 defeat of PSV in Eindhoven yesterday, you just might notice that I correctly called two of the three goalscorers. Now, some might say that predicting a Gerrard goal is not that impressive, but I think that also predicting a goal from Riise is particularly noteworthy.


The goals are scored by Gerrard, Riise, and Crouch respectively. Riise's goal was simply amazing to see. The ability to square one's body to the ball, hit it with outside of your boot, and then bend it around an oncoming defender is what makes the Norwegian midfielder a very valuable player. I'm not going to say that the Reds have this round locked up, but PSV would have to win at least 3-0 next week at Anfield in order to advance to the next round. That is a difficult hill to climb to say the least.

In other news, the softball season came to a crushing halt last night for Ex Parte in My Pants. I would offer you a final score, but let's just say that it closer to The Battle of Little Bighorn than the Battle of the Bulge and we were General Custer.

Also, the Rangers continue to break my spirit. I'm not giving up hope (it's only 2 games into the season), but I am considering the purchase of a Vlad Guerrero voodoo doll in order to right the cosmic powers that he seems to have tapped into when he plays against the Rangers.

Current Reading

Underworld by Don DeLillo

With Courage in Their Blood and a Fire in Their Stare

Congratulations to Mr. Patrick Robert Vincent for correctly naming "With or Without You" by U2 as the Monday Song of the Day. I've mentioned Patrick here a few times, but if you want to keep up with how he and Noel are doing in Wuhan, China, you can read about it here.

It appears that I sorely underestimated Mitt Romney. I think I was as surprised as everyone else yesterday when the Romney campaign announced that it had raised approximately $20 million dollars in the first quarter of 2007. This figure does match the record-setting $26 million raised by Hillary Clinton, but tops the $15 million raised by Rudy and the $12.5 raised by John McCain. It also warrants mentioning that Romney put $2.35 million of his own money into his campaign coffers.

Now, I should note that fundraising is not necessarily equal to winning voters, but it seems that people would not be giving their money to a candidate unless they believe that he has a sincere chance of winning the White House. In particular, the New York Times' piece that I have linked to attempts to answer the question of whether Romney's surprising showing is simply a case of a few large donors or instead is a broad, grass-roots style effort:

"Unlike the other leading primary campaigns, Mr. Romney’s declined to disclose how many individual donors had contributed or how many small donations it had received. Some campaigns use those measurements to show that they have broad support."

We will have to see how this strong showing affects the rest of Romney's campaign (we are in April 2007 after all), but it seems to have already shown that John McCain's fortunes continue to fall among conservative voters. I know that we are about 10 months from "Super Tuesday", but Sen. McCain has some major ground to make up if he wants a chance to sit in the Oval Office.

On a Bed of Nails She Makes Me Wait

Congratulations to Ms. Stacy Villescas for correctly naming "Lovely Rita" by the Beatles as the Sunday Song of the Day. Ms. Villescas is the proprietor of the much appreciated "Baylor Law Circus" blog. Well done, well done indeed.

Well, the dream has died. Mr. Mike May and I bowed out during today's Round of 16 matches and symbolically dumped our outlines into the trashcan as we left the student lounge. I realize this is not nearly as enjoyable as Flava Flav or Snoop pouring out a 40 to remember all of those who have gone before their time, but hey, it's much harder to spill things when I'm using the Baylor Law sippy-mug.

In other news, tomorrow Liverpool will attempt to gain the early upper-hand in their Champions League Round of 8 tie with PSV Eindhoven. I'm not sure if Rafa Benitez is going to give Crouchy the start at striker based on his Saturday hat-trick, but I'm looking for at least one goal from midfielder John Arne Riise.The Norwegian is known for his powerful left-footed volleys and he has been noticeably quiet since his game-winning goal at the Nou Camp last month. Also, since PSV are going to be missing talented Brazilian defender Alex (Why do so many Brazilians only have one name? Why is it only Brazil? I need to know these things. ), I would also expect a big game from skipper Steven Gerrard. Then again, I always expect a big game from Stevie G.

Give Us a Wink and Make Me Think of You

If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, but make allowance for their doubting too,

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, or being lied about, don't deal in lies, or being hated, don't give way to hating, and yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,

If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, and stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings and risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss, and lose, and start again at your beginnings and never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew to serve your turn long after they are gone, and so hold on when there is nothing in you except the will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much,

If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds' worth of distance run, yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, and--which is more--you'll be a man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling