It's Football Season

Once again espn.com is offering a wide variety of games for both college and NFL. I have created groups called "The Poop" in four of them.
They are college pickem, college showdown, pigskin pickem and eliminator challenge. The Eliminator is the traditional survivor pool, definitely do that one.
And join the group too assholes.

Curvy Women Are in This Season

The two hottest women at the 2010 Emmy Awards were unquestionably Mad Men's Christina Hendricks and Sofia Vergara of Modern Family.

My Favorite Terror Suspect Ever

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested three men they say were making bombs as part of a terrorist plot.
One of the suspects is Khurram Syed Sher who tried out for Canadian Idol in 2008, singing Avril Lavigne's "Complicated."



I actually thought he did a pretty job with it. With the dancing I think he really made it his own.

I love the Canadian Randy Jackson. He's exactly the same but he says "eh?" after everything?

And where do they send people on Canadian Idol? What's the Canadian equivalent of Hollywood? Toronto? Regina?

The Bags are Juiced, The Mets Obviously Aren't

I don’t mean to ignore the severe mismanagement of the Mets which has led to their downward spiral from the precipice of the World Series in 2006 to the disastrous outfit we see before us today. The Mets have an incredibly flawed organizational philosophy which focuses on acquiring expensive overrated veterans while failing to develop cheap, young talent.

All of that is true, but another major factor is causing the Mets to be terrible. It’s impossible to explain so I think many advanced sabremetricians would call it luck. I don’t know what to call it but I think the main reason the Mets are so bad is because of a lack of timely hitting.

Let’s just look at the bases loaded. This year the Mets are 20 for 101 (.198) with the bases loaded. That’s worst in the majors. They have zero grand slams (worst in the majors). And they’ve allowed 9 grand slams (most in the majors), but that’s another issue.

If the Mets were only marginally better, say 2 grand slams hit, 2 fewer allowed they could be 4 games better in the standings and right in the wild card race.

But they’re not – and why?

Maybe they’re trying too hard, in those situations, or not hard enough. Maybe it is just luck. Maybe the Mets aren’t clutch, whatever that means. But the numbers are indisputable.



Here are the Mets OPS numbers with the bases loaded for the last 5 years and the major league rank:



2010: .483 (30th)

2009: .598 (28th)

2008: .637 (27th)

2007: .676 (25th)

2006: .976 (4th)

Toe-Tastic

For some reason my toes have a special ability to find furniture in the dark.

This is an injury from back in 2007.



This one happened earlier this year.



And I've been limping around for the last week because of this.

Song of the Week

"Just You and I" - Ricky Blaze



In case you recognize the bangin beat its the riddim from "Hold You" by Gyptian.

Note: "Riddim" is Jamaican for rhythm.

I've Become What I Despise

Nearly three years after deriding the Diaper Dude, calling it gay and saying I would rather carry a pink flowery diaper bag than a Diaper Dude, I now carry one.




A very generous friend decided I needed one, and even though I pleaded with her (she gave me advance notice) she ignored my wishes and foisted upon me an insecure man's diaper bag.

I must admit the bag is pretty cool, has some modern conveniences, like a hold for your phone on the strap and carrying it as a backpack is much easier than the shoulder strap. So even though I would never buy one for myself, I guess it is a pretty cool gift. But I still think it makes me gay.

Unions Gone Wild

It seems like every day you read in the paper another story showing how unions are ruining America. Either outrageous pay, lavish pensions or outright pig-headedness involving memebers it is growing increasingly clear labor unions have outlived their usefulness in America as ways to police employer abuse.
But no union is more drunk on power than the Major League Baseball Players' Association.

I can honestly see the union putting up a fight about the Mets trying to void K-Rod's cotnract. That somewhat makes sense, because it has to protect other members. But the MLBPA insisting K-Rod should be paid for the rest of this season is ludicrous.

The player was injured in the commission of a crime. During that criminal act he suffered an injury preventing him from fulfilling his duties as set forth in his contract. And yet he still deserves to be paid?

I can't see how they can possibly defend this unless they make him retract his confession that the injury was suffered during the fight.

Could you imagine if he had robbed a liquor store and gotten shot in the leg and been unable to pitch? Would that disqualify him from receiving the money he was entitled?

Note: Do people rob liquor stores anymore? Is it still called "knocking over" a liquor store?

Note: Paying big contracts to closers is foolish. More foolish than paying big contracts to other players. Closers' success is to fickle. The guy has been pretty good over two years for the Mets, but unless he's Gagne-esque there's no reason to pay him $12-$13 million a year.

Dad I'm Jesus Christ

Those of you with or without children you'll understand.
Mrs. Poop and I were quizzing Chase one day and asked him what is full name is.
He replied "Chase Brennan come here."
But we are not alone, the great Bill Cosby presaged this in his landmark "Himself" special nearly 30 years ago.

CNN's Copy Editors Miss One

The Tradition Lives On

2010:


2007:


1978:

Join the Paarti

On this season of "The Next Food Network Star" by former co-worker Aarti Sequeira is one of the contestants vying for the title and with it the prestigious show on the Food Network.
Before the season started I was unsure of how Aarti's cooking would be (I never knew her to be a foodie) but thought for certain she would shine in the "camera challenges" because of her TV background.



Turns out just the opposite was true. Aarti's food has consistently impressed the judges, including the obnoxious Bobby Flay, the love Giada De Laurentiis and the elderly homosexual who talks out of the side of his mouth, Bob Tushman.
But things Aarti should have been great at (timing, ease in front of the camera) turned out to be her bugaboos.
Despite her occassional hiccups Aarti has clearly dominated the competition winning more than anyone else, and failing far less often.
To keep things interesting Food Network created a story arc for Aarti -- she lacks confidence. True they did find moments of weakness where Aarti engaged in self-deprecating, apologetic behavior. But I think this wasn't due to a lack of confidence, simply more of a subconscious bar-lowering.
But I noticed a turning point in the penultimate episode. While Aarti was tearing up poor Herb in the Iron Chef Challenge Bobby Flay plainly asked her if she was happy with a certain dish.
In the split second it took her to answer, I could almost feel her thinking of all the excuses she could make for why the dish was substandard. But she rejected those doubts and answered "yes." Bobby Flay said "good, it's delicious."
I think in that moment Aarti clinched the show in the eyes of the judges who know she's the best and were just waiting for her to figure it out or at least show it.
In tonight's finale I'm sure she'll be crowned "The Next Food Network Star."

And He Got To Keep The Ball

Astros fan tries to catch a foul ball, but backs off at last second -- and his girlfriend gets plunked.



I love the way the reporter was like "girl, you need to ditch this loser."

Introducing Julian

To follow everything that happens with Julian from that moment on visit JulianEdward86.blogspot.com.

The Most Common Phrases in My House

"Look at me" - Chase

"A buccaneer is a pretty expensive price for corn." - Paul

"I can make it look like an accident." - Mrs. Poop

If JHughes can call the San Diego football team the Whale Vagina Chargers then I can call the Tampa Bay team the Tampa Bay Expensive Corn Prices.

Bring Back Greenies

Carlos Beltran made his season debut for the Mets last night. He singled in the 4th inning and was immediately caught stealing.

"I was trying to pick up the catcher's sign," Beltran said. "I saw two fingers and I just felt that I was going to be able to make it. I guess when you drink too many coffees and too much sugar before the game, it makes you do crazy things."

Mrs. Poop Witnessed This

I haven't gotten the full story from Mrs. Poop about what she saw and when, but she was on the beach when this lady got pulled out by a strong current. The lifeguards eventually pulled her out of the water and performed chest compressions on her on the beach until the ambulance arrived.

Friends of Anne McNaughton Farley weren't surprised that she risked her life to save someone from drowning.

They were devastated, however, that such a kind, creative and upbeat woman died as a result.



"What she did was so much in character with who she was," said Beth Murphy of Scarborough, a longtime friend who is a library researcher for The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, where Farley was a library assistant from 1980 to 1995.

"She was one of those people who, if you needed help, you could call her and she would always be there for you," Murphy said. "It just doesn't seem possible that she's gone."

Farley, 57, died Wednesday morning after saving her granddaughter from a strong current off Old Orchard Beach on Tuesday afternoon, said Deputy Police Chief Keith Babin.

She was pulled from the ocean near the border of Old Orchard Beach and Saco around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, along with several others who had been caught in the current from the outflow of Goosefare Brook, Babin said.

Witnesses told police that Farley jumped in after her granddaughter fell into the water, Babin said. Farley got her granddaughter out of the water but was unable to escape the current herself.

She was unconscious when lifeguards pulled her from the water, so they began CPR on the shore, Babin said. She was taken by ambulance to Southern Maine Medical Center in Biddeford, then transferred to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where she died early Wednesday.

All of the other swimmers caught in the current were unharmed, including Farley's granddaughter, Babin said.

Her friends described Farley as a dedicated educator, a loving family member and a self-effacing storyteller who maintained a young person's love of life.

"She never became cynical or jaded, as so many of us do when we reach middle age," said Jon Halvorsen of South Portland, a former Telegram editor who knew Farley for 30 years. "She never spoke harshly about anyone. If you were in her company, you felt her warmth, her complete attention to you in conversation. You felt good just being around her."

Farley grew up in Portland, the daughter of Donald and Evangeline McNaughton. She graduated from Deering High School and received a bachelor's degree in elementary education from the University of Southern Maine.

Married in 1996, she and her husband, John, had no children together, but she was close to his two children from a previous marriage and his five grandchildren.

"She loved his children and grandchildren like they were her own," said Susan Butler of Scarborough, a former library researcher at the Press Herald who last saw Farley on Monday, when she attended Butler's birthday party.

After leaving the Press Herald, Farley worked at Scarborough High School, then decided she wanted to be a school librarian, Butler said. She went back to school and earned a master's degree in library science.

She relished her job at Bonny Eagle Middle School, where she led fundraising efforts to help victims of Hurricane Katrina and this year's earthquake in Haiti. She got to know individual students' interests so she could recommend books they'd want to read, Murphy said.

She also researched and decorated the library with authentic tartan plaid banners representing the 18 Scottish "clans" that divide the middle school into learning groups.

"Anne was a wonderful addition to our staff and will be sadly missed by everyone who knew and worked with her," Suzanne Lukas, superintendent of the Bonny Eagle School District, wrote in an e-mail to staff members Wednesday.

Farley's creativity extended to her gift for writing and telling stories. She occasionally wrote Maine Observer guest columns for the Maine Sunday Telegram. Her latest, about the beauty of the four seasons in Maine, ran June 27.

In it, she remembered childhood trips to Old Orchard Beach:

"A trip to Old Orchard Beach was also a special treat," she wrote. "Noah's Ark, the merry-go-round and little boats that went round and round in the water were my favorites."

When she worked at the Press Herald, her co-workers looked forward to her Monday morning tales about her weekend adventures.

Murphy remembered one story that Farley told, after she attended a wedding reception. A person at the reception asked her to mind a guide dog for a moment, but the dog got away from her.

Farley described how she followed the dog across the reception hall, calling "Champagne! Champagne!," which was the dog's name, only to draw the attention of curious waiters and people who thought she was offering them a drink.

"She seemed to be a magnet for situations like that," Murphy said. "She was able to tell those stories and laugh at herself."

Farley had varied interests and gathered friends from every facet of her life. She traveled widely, played golf every Monday, sang in the Portland Community Chorus and the folk group at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland, tended a beautiful flower garden and was active in Democratic politics.

"She kept all her friends throughout her life," said Carole Madsen Smith of Portland, a friend since junior high school. "She sent out a million Christmas cards every year and always remembered your birthday. She had an incredible sense of loyalty."

Stupidest Poll Ever

Song of the Week

"Goin Crazy" - Natalie
This chick is hot, a former Houston Rockets dancer, not sure why she never had a more successful career. Maybe because she just went by Natalie. In this day and age when people have to search artists by name in iTunes and on Google using just a single somewhat common name makes it hard to find. I blame this for the demise of one of my favorite R&B artists, Joe.