Song of the Week - Supplemental Reading

If you liked this week's Song of the Week, "All About That Bass" by Meghan Trainor then you will love the two versions of it done by The Roots on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

First, a rendition by Black Simon and Garfunkel:



Lie, lie, lie, pssshhhhh!

And now, with Meghan Trainor, using only classroom instruments:

Song of the Week

"All About That Bass" - Meghan Trainor
I don't really like this song, but I do enjoy how it celebrates the beauty of fuller-figured women. And this is an interesting way of expressing that sentiment. And I decided to use it now because I surely won't be using in 10 years as a representation of the best music of this era.

A Little Guts Here!

Roger Goodell blew it. How did someone who was heretofore known as "The Law & Order Commissioner" completely botch his handling of the Ray Rice situation. Was he really so afraid of the union response that he felt he could only give Rice the agreement-mandated 2 games.
And how the hell could they have not seen this video before adjudicating the case?



A lot of people don't believe that the league never saw it, but if Goodell did, and then lied and said he hadn't then he's gone and the league takes a bigger image hit than this, Vick and concussions combined.

I really think Rice and his wife Janay met with Goodell, convinced him this had never happened before and never would again. She probably told him that she hit Rice first (partially true) and that he pushed her off him and she hit her head on the railing and that's how she got passed out.

Otherwise I can't understand what the fuck Goodell and the Ravens were thinking with giving only 2 games. If they had given 8, they probably could have avoided this, and they might not have had to take such drastic action after the video's release.

And what the fuck did they think the video was going to show? You saw a woman unconscious on the floor being dragged by her fiance, who seems indifferent to her plight, and he somewhat admitted that he had caused her injury, and it takes the video to prove to you that he knocked her out?

What a series of stupid and arrogant decisions by the league and its commissioner.

That's Much Better

The alternate ending for the final episode of "How I Met Your Mother" to be included on the Season 9 DVD was leaked to the internet.



Isn't that better than the actual ending, even though I didn't really hate it?

Great Teammates

In the great tradition of Dingle-Berry and Short-White-Cox two new teammates have come together, sat together (in the right order) to provide a striking image for fans.

In this case it's Arkansas State football players Jemar Clark and Derion Griswold -- Clark Griswold.

Syracuse Soccer Star's Slurs

Syracuse University soccer player,Hanna Strong, got "Riley Coopered." She's caught on video saying "F-ggot" and "N-gger." We have no other context of the video.


She's been suspended from the team and may face even more punishment as is appropriate in this day and age, you just can't say those words.
It was late at night so she was probably drunk, though that's not an excuse. And as with any video, we don't know what happened before it. What if the camera-holder called a dirty, skanky slut? We also know through research that she's friendly with a lot of black guys. They were with her that night, she knows a lot of black athletes, and is even fucking one.
So she's probably not a racist, more likely, she hears that language and it slipped out at the worst time. She even caught herself and said "n-word" the second time.
My bigger question is about who released the tape? Why would you want to hurt someone in this way, knowing this video would get spread around the internet and ruin her reputation, and perhaps her soccer and educational career.
I hope Ms. Strong speaks for herself, apologizes for her stupid comments and explains the circumstances of that night.
And as always, I hate incidents that cast my beloved alma mater in a negative light.
Oh, and she should add an H to the end of her first name.

Weekly Picks

It's time for another season of lousy picks. But since, I've pretty much stopped following the NFL except for the Redskins, I should probably do great this season.

NEW YORK JETS -4 1/2 oakland
The Raiders are starting a rookie quarterback in his first game, and even though I took a flier on Derek Carr as rookie of the year, I expect growing pains. Plus, the Jets love to get their fans' hopes up, before dashing them. This is a game they should win, and a modest spread.

cincinnati +1 1/2 BALTIMORE
About 2/3 of the time when an underdog covers the spread, it wins the game outright. So I like to pick underdogs I think can win the games. The Bengals are a really good team and this could be the year they break through in the playoffs. Also, the Ravens are without Ray Rice for this game (and 1 other), which could hurt their offense.

DALLAS +3 1/2 san francisco
This pick is based on nothing more than my feeling that this could be a very bad year for San Francisco. Every year some team is a colossal disappointment. I'm pinning that tab on the 49ers and Colin Kaepernick who doesn't seem to be developing the way everyone thought he would after that incredible Super Bowl season.

carolina +3 TAMPA BAY
Cam Newton is hurt, which I believe is the reason this spread moved so much during the week. But they also have a great defense and the ExpensiveCornPrices may be a little too optimistic if they expect Josh McCown to repeat the amazing performance he had last year as a fill-in for the Bears.

BEST BET
CHICAGO -7 buffalo
The Bears could have an awesome offense this year capable of putting a lot of points on the board. The Bills could stink to high heaven. I just worry about the 7-point spread.