Selling Out?

Back in January, I wrote that in the three years since I started Sean’s Ramblings, I have earned a total of $0 from writing this blog. Nine months later, I am proud to say that I have made enough money from writing posts about eating free California Tortilla burritos, trivia night questions and Steelers news and information that I should be able to retire by 2108. (Now that is going to be a difficult election!) Actually, that’s not true, as the current total I have earned from this blog remains $0. Regardless of the economy, I guess I’ll never be able to earn a living from this.

Recently, however, I have received several inquiries about money-making opportunities. In one case, I would write about a specific topic, and an advertiser would pay me for my opinion. As long as the advertiser is fine with me possibly slamming the product or issue, I could be OK with this. I guess it all depends on the topic as I’m not going to start writing about shampoo or tax policies. In the other situation, a sports handicapper wants to provide a banner ad on this site. Whether or not I am interested in having ads on this site, I have no idea what to charge for ads or even how to post them.

So my dilemma now is if I want to sell out to make a little money. Will you respect me less if you do? Would you worry about money clouding my opinion on a particular topic? I’m probably over-thinking this. The $5 extra dollars I could possibly make won’t help my retirement accounts. (Although, I could use it for a burrito!)

In the meantime, feel free to send me free stuff! For example, Turner Publishing is the greatest publishing company ever. Yes, I’m biased since they sent me the book Historic Photos of Theodore Roosevelt. There are some amazing pictures of Roosevelt with the Rough Riders and giving his speeches during his presidency. While we are likely tiring of Obama-McCain, the 1912 election between the incumbent William Howard Taft, Roosevelt, running for a third term after a four-year hiatus, and the eventual winner Woodrow Wilson, must have been fun (and I mean this is a non-sarcastic way).

Trip to the Dentist

I am probably one of the few people who enjoys going to the dentist. You see, my dentist gave me an electric toothbrush as a wedding gift, and she never mentions the fact that I don’t floss.* Even though I’ve moved to another part of the Washington DC area, I am loyal to my dentist and drive nearly 25 miles each way for the appointment.

Over the years, I have got to know the office receptionist and the dental hygienists. I have had one hygienist in particular during my last few appointments, and we generally have a good relationship in which we joke with each other. During my most recent appointment on Monday, I innocently asked her if she had traveled anywhere and basically what was new. After a fairly long pause, she shared that she and her boyfriend broke up. Ouch. My witty response: “Well, that is new.”

She chuckled slightly and continued to scrape my teeth with the metal instrument. I wasn’t sure how to respond to this but during the next break, I asked if it was mutual. Nope. The scraping continued. How long were you dating? Four years. Dagger. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to have a metal instrument in my mouth.** I was digging myself into a bigger hole and was happy not to be able to ask further questions. For example, would it have been inappropriate to mention that I have some single guy friends?

Anyway, I also learned that she wanted to get married and he did not; if she had to tell one more person that she got dumped, she was going to vomit; and that she wasn’t able to sleep all weekend. Now I start to worry about the scraping instrument near my tongue and gums. During the next break, I manage to change the topic to soccer refereeing and annoying soccer parents and coaches. Good times!

Oh, and no cavities!


* I’m going to use lacochran’s footnotes again. While there’s a high probability that Oral-B sent my dentist the toothbrush for free, she didn’t have to give it to me as a gift. How many dentists do you know that give their patients gifts? The mini tube of toothpaste doesn’t count!

** This sentence sounds wrong.

Trivia Tuesday

If it’s Tuesday and I went to trivia on Monday night, then it's time for another version of Trivia Tuesday. Your challenge is to name the band or artist with the following Platinum albums:

1. Reasonable Doubt, The Black Album, Kingdom Come

2. Pump, Get Your Wings, Draw the Line

3. Dirty Mind, Controversy, Diamonds and Pearls

4. Nick of Time, Luck of the Draw, Longing in Their Hearts

5. Voodoo Lounge, Goats Head Soup, Black and Blue

6. Blue, Court and Spark, Miles of Isles

7. OK Computer, Pablo Honey, Kid A

8. Eliminator, Afterburner, Recycler

9. Songs in the Key of Life, Hotter Then July, In Square Circle

10. Boy, War, October

The usual rules apply. Please do not use the internet for the answers. Either you know it or you don’t. Please leave your answers in the comments section below. Good luck!

As always, the quiz was created by the folks at Stump Trivia.

How Will We Get Our Britney News?

You may or may not remember that during Passover, we managed to buy an empty box of matzo. The sealed matzo box sans matzo is still in our kitchen because I like to show this off to our guests. (However, now that I wrote this, there is a 95% chance that my wife will throw out the box this week as I haven’t displayed the empty box to any visitor for months.)

Why am I writing about the empty matzo box now six months before Passover? Well, this week my wife received her weekly People magazine in the mail. You can imagine her excitement to read about Nicole Richie’s life as a mom, Angelina Jolie’s body and new tattoos after kids and the exclusive story about Dancing With the Stars’ Cheryl fighting back against people thinking that she’s fat. Imagine her surprise when she noticed an entirely new format to this week’s People and no pictures of either Britney or Jamie Lynn Spears. Instead of celebrity news and pictures and brief reviews of movies, books and television, she found, um, celebrity news and pictures and slightly more detailed reviews of movies, books and television. While the cover of the magazine was People the rest of the magazine was actually Entertainment Weekly. Sorry Angelina; instead we get an article and pictorial of Zac Efron as this week was EW’s Photo Issue.

I called People to ask for a replacement issue, and the customer service representative did not sound very surprised about this situation. They are going to send us a replacement later this week. In the meantime, I guess we’ll have to look at pictures of Emile Hirsch on the set of Ang Lee’s upcoming film, Taking Woodstock and Tina Fey on the set of 30 Rock.

Look for Trivia Tuesday later this afternoon.

Fortune of the Day

Courtesy of Saturday night’s Chinese food dinner, this was my fortune from the fortune cookie:

Come back later…I am sleeping. (yes, cookies need their sleep, too)

What kind of fortune is this? We need Homer Simpson to write some fortunes immediately.

Homer: These fortunes are terrible. They're supposed to predict stuff and ease you through times of doubt and sickness.
Manager: Well, with all due respect, sir, I suppose you could come up with better fortunes?
Homer: You will be aroused by a shampoo commercial.
Manager: That's not bad!

Weekend Links

There are times during the weekend when you’re waiting for the football game to start or looking to kill time before you go out. Well, I try to help by providing links that are informative and/or entertaining (or at the very least, a way to waste a few minutes). Here are some sports and Sarah Palin links:

Former NFL player Ross Tucker writes on Sports Illustrated that Steeler fans are the best in the league. I’m not going to disagree.

Are you looking for something to do this Columbus Day (that's Monday)? Head to the Forbes Field wall in Oakland (a Pittsburgh neighborhood, not the city in California) to celebrate the anniversary of the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates’ World Series championship.

ESPN’s Bill Simmons wrote an excellent piece about the recently fired Los Angeles Clippers General Manager, Elgin Baylor. While I knew that Baylor was a great basketball player, I never knew about his full history.

I’m always amazed by Gilbert Arenas. He is a fascinating and likable individual who isn’t afraid to say what he thinks. He may need a filter once in a while like in this interview with Slam.

SLAM: What do you know about Sarah Palin?

Gil: That she’s a female Bush. Retarded. I’m not that into politics, I try to stay away until things get closer. But just from what I can tell she’s a moron. She can’t bullshit yet. As a politician she doesn’t know how to bullshit. She’ll just run around the question. “Who’s better, Kobe or LeBron?” “Well you know D.Wade, he’s been looking nice lately, so those are tough choices.” What the f*ck are you talking about?!

Speaking of Palin, the Alaska legislative probe found that she misused her power. (The comments here are scary and sad on both sides. The election can’t be over soon enough.) In a similar article, Yahoo has some details about Palin’s former brother-in-law who she tried to get fired, Mike Wooten.

Wooten had been in hot water before Palin became governor over allegations that he illegally shot a moose, drank beer in a patrol car and used a Taser on his stepson.

Does Wooten represent the Joe Six-Pack Palin always talks about? (Yes, a bit of a cheap shot here against Palin. My question is this: how was Wooten able to keep his job after these allegations? Did the allegations turn out to be untrue?)

In more Palin news, she is scheduled to drop the puck in Philadelphia on Saturday night for the Flyers-Rangers game. Puck Daddy has some insight from some Philadelphia bloggers. I'm sure this will go well.

Enjoy your weekend!

Quick Yom Kippur Notes

During fall and early winter, people (OK, me) complain about the fact that it gets dark too early. However, on Yom Kippur, I constantly looked to the synagogue skylight hoping that it would be dark.

I also wanted to point out that during the high holidays, I saw the following yarmulkes: Philadelphia Eagles (3), Washington Redskins, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals (saint in a synagogue?), and a couple with either a basketball or soccer ball pattern plus one Pittsburgh Steelers tie (that was me). Surprisingly, there were no Obamicas or McCippahs as mentioned by Arjewtino referring to VanityKippah.com.

Steelers-Jaguars Recap

I’ll preface this post by writing that I have no idea what Al Michaels or John Madden said during Sunday night’s Pittsburgh Steelers-Jacksonville Jaguars game. I have not read recaps of the game by Pittsburgh newspapers, national sports websites or the Pittsburgh sports related blogs listed on my links list. The following are my comments, thoughts and pictures from attending the game live.



This picture was taken a half hour before game time. Notice the large banner covering two sections on the top left and the Jaguars banner behind the end zone. Apparently, these seats and several other sections throughout the stadium are completely covered during the entire season to help the team avoid blackouts. That would never happen for the Steelers. Oh, Jacksonville has no problem selling these seats for the Florida-Georgia college football game.



I really don’t know what to write about these guys. They were loud and somewhat annoying, but overall, pretty cool. Of course, I was not sitting directly next to them unlike the guy on the left wearing a white shirt. His sleeve ended up being mostly black from the body paint. He wasn't too happy being next to them.



The Steelers with an empty backfield, which they used more on Sunday than during the last 75 years combined. Did Mike Tomlin or Bruce Arians mention anywhere why used this set so often? Did it force the Jaguars to have more defenders in coverage instead of blitzing?

When the Steelers used this set, it seemed like the receivers were Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Nate Washington, Heath Miller and Mewelde Moore. Do the Steelers have a fourth WR?



Occasionally, the Steelers really did run the ball. I think this was one such case. Moore was definitely more effective on the outside as opposed to between the tackles.



Your halftime entertainment was a fireworks/laser show. The smoke was a little overwhelming after it ended. Maybe that’s why Fred Taylor had trouble picking up yards in the second half.



This picture was taken at the end of the game and did not come out well. The guy in the center had green hair and was an obnoxious Jaguars fan. To quote the Pensblog, STUNNED!

Other notes:

- Washington Capitals’ Sergei Federov’s brother Anthony sang the national anthem. Apparently, he was on American Idol.

- After a first down, the Jags fans cheer "Move Them Chains, Move Them Chains, Move Them Chains, Huh." Seemed kind of silly.

- I’m sure that everyone is saying and writing that Ben Roethlisberger is amazing in his ability to make plays after avoiding the pass rush. While he did make a great pass to Hines Ward late in the fourth quarter, he really needs to throw the ball away once in a while. On that particular play, he could (should) have been sacked, which may have knocked the Steelers out of field goal range. He probably did take 3 sacks during the game when he could have thrown it away. Yes, I’m nitpicking, but it really is OK to throw it away once in a while.

- "Welcome to Teal Town" is not very intimidating.

- Although Crazy Train is a great song, the Jaguars played it on three separate occasions (not including the fourth time when they played the Lil’ John version). I’m sure there are other songs out there that could be used to excite the crowd.

- My guess is that 25% of the fans supported the Steelers.

- I probably received a dozen compliments on the Louis Lipps jersey.

- I wanted to take a picture of the final score, but as soon as the game ended the team removed the score from the scoreboard. Did the Jaguars think their fans would forget that the team lost?

Most importantly, the Steelers won 26-21 and are now 4-1 heading into the bye week.

Trivia Tuesday

I’m back from an amazing trip to Jacksonville, but after only getting 3 hours of sleep on Sunday night/Monday morning and coming back to a conference for work, I don’t have the time yet to write about the trip and the Steelers game. I’ll try to share my thoughts and adventures from the Steelers game tomorrow.

In the meantime, here’s another quiz created by the folks at Stump Trivia since I’m not creative enough to create my own questions. Your challenge is to name the FILM from the character and year it won a Golden Globe for Best Movie.

1. 2008 – Briory Tallis
2. 2007 – Richard Jones
3. 2006 – Ennis Del Mar
4. 2005 – Howard Hughes
5. 2004 – Samwise Gamgee
6. 2003 – Virginia Woolf
7. 2002 – John Nash
8. 2001 – Emperor Commodus
9. 2000 – Lester Burnham
10. 1999 – James Ryan

As always, please do not use the internet for the answers. Either you know it or you don’t. Please leave your answers in the comments below. Good luck!

Register To Vote Virginia

As a reminder, today is the last day for Virginians to register to vote for the November election. Please don’t mind all of the prepositions in the previous sentence.

For more information, visit the Virginia State Board of Elections website.

Friday Links

Here are some outstanding links to get you to the weekend:

If you’re on Facebook, join the Sean’s Ramblings blog network.

In honor of its 10th birthday, Google has brought back its oldest available index from January 2001. As a comparison, a search for Ben Roethlisberger using the old version gets 602 results; a search for Ben Roethlisberger today brings about 1,420,000 results!

I was again honored to be a part of One for the Other Thumb’s weekly Meeting People is Easy.

What was the #1 song on the day you were born or the day you graduated from high school? Check out this website to find out. (h/t Jane Doe)

Inspired by this week’s 100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs countdown on VH1 (which I have been watching), Hugging Harold Reynolds took this year’s eight baseball playoff teams in relation to songs on the countdown.

Think you know Pittsburgh. Take the Post-Gazette’s Pittsburgh 250 quiz.

Mystery Man (in writing his first post in 3+ months) thinks that the Pirates should hire Phil Elson, a graduate of Allderdice High School and Point Park College, to replace the retired Lanny Frattare

I received an email from Jocelyn of Rotohog who feels that besides being a Steelers, Eagles and Seahawks fan, Sarah Palin may also be a Redskins fan based on this video:



I’m heading to Jacksonville this afternoon to attend the Steelers-Jaguars game on Sunday night. If you’re at the game, I’ll be the guy wearing a Louis Lipps jersey.

What NFL Team Does Sarah Palin Support

I have a problem with Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin and it has nothing to do with her political views.* Perhaps you saw the three second clip of Palin jogging in a Donovan McNabb Philadelphia Eagles jersey. (If not, the video is below at the 3:11 mark and a picture is on the right.) First of all, besides actual football players, who actually jogs wearing a football jersey? Wouldn’t a T-shirt or Under Armor shirt be more comfortable?

Let’s assume that because Pain is wearing a McNabb jersey in the video, she has some type of affinity for the Eagles. Does she only support the Eagles? Well, when I wrote last month that Joe Biden is a Steelers fan, Captain Easychord shared a July 2007 Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article which showed that Palin is also a Steelers fan. So is she a Steelers fan, an Eagles fan, or both? This is where things get even more complex. Sarah Palin is also a member of the official Seattle Seahawks official fan club, the Seahawkers.** Super Bowl XL must have been tough for her since two of her favorite teams were playing against each other.

So my question is this: what football team does Sarah Palin support? Get Charlie Gibson or Katie Couric on this immediately. I think this should be part of Thursday’s Vice Presidential debate. Palin must come clean on her favorite NFL team. Having two or three favorite teams is unacceptable and certainly not something I or most if not all Americans want to see in a potential President or Vice President.



The picture and video are courtesy of CBS via The 700 Level.


* Well, actually I do have a problem with some of her political views, but that is not the point of this post. By the way, I like having footnotes at the bottom of my posts. I can see why lacochran does this so often!

** What a terrible name!


Update: After I wrote all of this, I found that Modern Jackass Magasin wrote something similar about Palin’s fandom. This just confirms the need for Governor Palin to show her true colors (black and gold; blue/navy, green and white; green and white; or possibly even something else)!

Shana Tova

Happy New Year! In case you were wondering, according to the comments on YouTube, the translation of the song is as follows:

#1
I wish you a good, calm year,
That you'll achieve another year,
That you'll win the lotto eight times over
Shana Tova...

#2
And a lot of girls,
at least two,
with one of them I'll go and have a drink
Shana Tova...

#3
Wish that the monster won't eat you,
especially not your sister,
that you won't get run over on the streets,
smoke only hashish... you animals
Shana Tova...

This can’t be correct, can it? If anyone speaks Hebrew, can you confirm that these are the actual lyrics?

I'm also a big fan of another version of this song:

In case you are wondering, I wrote this post prior to Rosh Hashanah to appear here on Tuesday. As I’m typing this, I have no idea how Troy Polamalu or the Steelers did on Monday night.

Doctor Doctor Give Me The News

I visited my doctor last week for my annual physical. Actually, annual may not be the correct term as my previous trip took place in January 2007. (Wait a second. I had an appointment in January 2007 and then another one in September 2008. That is annual; sort of. I love having internal debates with myself!) So I arrived at 8:25 for an 8:30 appointment and waited. Two other patients who arrived after I did got called back. Was my doctor running late? Does he not like me anymore? Why is one medical assistant talking about Jessica Alba dating Justin Timberlake? Fortunately, another medical assistant corrected her a few minutes later, because I didn’t want to tell her that she had the wrong Jessica.

Finally, around 8:45, they called my name and directed me to the scale. I had been looking forward to this since I made the appointment so I could see what my weight is now as compared to January 2007. The result: I am 4 pounds lighter than 20 months ago. However, I disagree. The nurse assistant had me go on the scale immediately after I came back. I got weighed while wearing all of my clothes including my shoes and still had my wallet, keys and cell phone in my pocket. I don’t think this was the case during my previous trip, but since I was already behind schedule (I was going straight to work after the appointment), I didn’t question her. My guess is that I’m at least 7 pounds lighter now (and probably even more after all of the running I did refereeing soccer games this weekend).

During my last appointment, the doctor recommended that I start taking Omega-3 Fatty Acid, or as I generally call them, fish pills. Since there’s nothing else exciting to write about my trip to the doctor, I wanted to share with you my cholesterol results.

Cholesterol Total: 1/2/07 – 165, 9/22/08 – 160
Triglycerides: 92, 57
HDL (I think this is the good cholesterol): 34, 46
VLDL: 18, 11
LDL: 113, 103

While I think these numbers are an improvement, if anyone else knows anything about cholesterol, please feel free to chime in below.

Referrals and More Referrals

I haven’t done this in a while, but here are real searches generally from Google and Yahoo that real people used to find and visit Sean’s Ramblings.

Songs about Ben Roethlisberger
I believe that Bonnie Tyler’s song Hero was written about Big Ben.

I met my baby in a porta john line lyrics
Perhaps this is another song about Roethlisberger?

Websites that will let me watch Spring Break Shark Attack for free
If only there was such a thing.

Jay Caufield bobble head
If only there was such a thing.

Dara Torres legs
She has two of them. (Of course, the obvious response is that she’s got legs, she knows how to use them).

Mario Lemieux hair transplant
I don’t know about that, but perhaps you could ask his housemate, Sidney Crosby, about this.

Greg Lloyd Wegmans
I think there’s a great chance that Greg Lloyd will watch a Steelers game at Wegmans if you paid him $7000!

naked Erica Blasberg
You’re not going to find that here. However, I’ll be happy to provide a clothed picture of Erica for you.



Richard Ruccolo shirtless
You’re not going to find that here either. However, I’ll provide a clothed picture of Richard for you (although I’m not as happy about this one; he’s no Ryan Reynolds).



random hamburger in Verizon commercial
I hate it when random hamburgers show up in Verizon commercials. Random hamburgers in Viagra commercials make much more sense.

Why is Eric Roberts in music videos?
I think the better question is this: why is Eric Roberts not in every music video?

I hate fantasy football
I’ve been there many times, and I want to let you know that it’s OK. Everyone has good weeks and bad weeks in fantasy football, unless you’re my brother, and then you mostly have bad weeks (especially this season). Stick with it and maybe one day, you can win your league (I’ve only written this for a decade or so).

Cutting nails in public
Amazingly, there was a whole Q&A about this on Yahoo. The short answer is this: don’t do it especially on a bus.

Have a great weekend!

Soccer Mom Targeted for Carrying Gun to Game

The following story is from Philly.com:

LEBANON - A south central Pennsylvania woman's concealed-weapons permit has been revoked after other parents complained about seeing her carrying her loaded handgun at her daughter's soccer game.

Meleanie Hain says she's fighting the revocation by the Lebanon County sheriff.

Hain told the Lebanon Daily News she's always openly carried a firearm without any problems in the past. She received the revocation notice and a warning from local soccer officials after the Sept. 11 game.

Soccer coach Charlie Jones says parents were upset by Hain carrying her gun at the game.

Sheriff Michael DeLeo says openly carrying a weapon to a youth soccer match shows a lack of judgment. DeLeo says he'll restore her permit if a court decides he was wrong.

Hain is probably an Eagles fan too.

As a soccer referee, this freaks me out. Who is the first person players, coaches and parents get angry at during soccer games? It’s not the ice cream truck guy! Fortunately, I referee in Virginia which does not allow concealed weapons. Well, maybe not!

h/t Hugging Harold Reynolds

Seeking Vacation Suggestions

I love asking random questions on my blog. Today’s question: where should I go on vacation? We were planning on taking a trip to Vegas in mid-October, but unfortunately, the price for flights is more than we’re willing to spend. Therefore, we’re looking for an alternative where we can drive to our destination. Does anyone have any suggestions for places to go for a long weekend? Early ideas include Asheville, North Carolina, Charlottesville, Virginia and the Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Please leave any ideas or suggestions in the comments.

Update: For our vacation, we have selected......Asheville, North Carolina! Since we've never been there, does anyone have any suggestions on what someone would do in Asheville?

Thank you!

Happy Birthday California Tortilla

Since I am out of my free burrito coupons, I now seek out new opportunities to earn free food from California Tortilla. Fortunately, California Tortilla is celebrating its birthday today (Wednesday, September 24) by giving everyone who purchases an entrée a coupon for a FREE quesadilla, salad or burrito on Thursday, September 25th. Yes, the catch is that you need to eat at Cal Tort two days in a row. In addition, the first 50 people in line at 11am and 5pm today receive a free Cal Tort T-shirt when purchasing an entree.

As always, more information is available at the Cal Tort website.

In case you were wondering, the picture is of my friend’s car for his 33rd birthday. It took him almost two hours to remove all of the post-it notes and drive home.

Hockey ‘n Heels Ladies Club

So the Penguins have a Ladies Club, and I didn’t know about it? Here are the details:

The Pittsburgh Penguins have created "The Penguins Hockey ‘n Heels Ladies Club" from the great success of the program last season. The Penguins Hockey ‘n Heels Ladies Club is offering an exclusive membership for the 2008-2009 season. As a member, you will receive the following benefits:

• One (1) game ticket in the Club Level Seating for three (3) games which includes event ticket, event premium item and buffet dinner
• Locker Room Tour
• On-Ice Demonstrations with the opportunity to sit in the Penalty Box/Player Bench
• Attend a morning skate
• Meet and greet with players after the morning skate
• Limited Edition Framed Art Piece

* Locker Room Tour, On-Ice Demonstration, Morning skate will be on an away game date (TBD). Players for meet & greet are subject to availability.

(Sean's note: This asterisk means that you can't be upset if Sidney Crosby is unavailable.)

Game Days for the Hockey ‘n Heels nights are:

• November 15 vs. Buffalo Sabres
• January 14 vs. Washington Capitals
• March 10 vs. Florida Panthers

Exclusive Club Membership Price: $1225.00 for the season

Doesn’t that seem like a lot of money? That must be some buffet!

If you would still like to attend a Hockey ‘n Heels event without joining the club, you may still do so. Attend a single event, and receive the following:

• One (1) ticket in the Club Level Seating
• One (1) event ticket
• Event premium item
• Buffet dinner

Single Event Price: $180.00 per person

More information is available on the Penguins website. The Penguins Hockey 'N Heels Ladies Club is a much better name than the Baltimore Ravens' club for women: Purple.

Random Thoughts

I have a lot to write about, so don't mind me while I'm all over the place.

- Based on my drive to New Jersey this weekend, I declare Maryland to be the new Delaware. It took me two hours and 15 minutes to get from Arlington, VA to the tunnel in Baltimore on Friday afternoon and there was Maryland traffic on Sunday. No traffic on either day in Delaware. Plus, gas is more expensive at the Maryland House rest stop than its counterparts in Delaware and New Jersey.

- Two comments about the Steelers game and this is nothing new from what you have already read elsewhere. First, the offensive line, um, struggled. Second, I still question why Coach Mike Tomlin didn’t kick a field goal late in the fourth quarter when the Steelers needed two scores. I was yelling at the TV even before Phil Simms did. Tomlin’s reason from Monday’s Post-Gazette:

"Absolutely not," Tomlin replied. "We did not move the ball consistently enough to say that had we kicked the field goal and got the onside kick that we could get down there again. We were down there, we were going to take our shots.

"Under the circumstances, based on what happened to that point, no way we're kicking a field goal down there."

This makes no sense to me. The reason you kick the field goal is because the team couldn’t move the ball consistently. If the Steelers got a first down on the fourth-and-10, then what? Kick the field goal and if you get lucky enough with an onside kick, maybe you get lucky throwing a Hail Mary.

- In positive football news Pitt defeated Iowa, and Ithaca College is now 3-0 after a 69-42 victory over Hartwick. No that score is not a typo. IC running back Thomas Bergerstock ran for 268 yards and five touchdowns. WR Noah Koreman of Hartwick had 16 catches for 250 yards and 3 touchdowns. Both players should be picked up in all Division 3 fantasy football leagues immediately.

- I know that the Penguins preseason has started but I’m not ready to think about the NHL yet. Give me two weeks.

- Did you know that the first Presidential debate between McCain and Obama is on Friday? I’m not ready for that either.

- Something I am ready for: another David Blaine stunt. Although this may not come across in text, the last sentence is called sarcasm.

- It’s nice having Heroes, Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother back.

I Feel Like the Only Person Who

does not own an iPod. Do you realize that they have been around since 2001?

has never downloaded music. Napster didn’t become big until after I graduated from college so I missed out on all of this. Plus, see the item directly above. Oh, I’ve never downloaded a podcast either.

has not seen The Dark Knight. Yes, I’ve heard that Heath Ledger is great.

does not have Tivo or a DVR. I’ve only written about this now for two years!

does not have a Blackberry or Bluetooth. I’m sure there’s some other product with a color in its title that I don’t have either.

plays Xbox. Everyone now has Xbox 360, Wii or Playstation 3. I don’t even think they make new games for Xbox anymore.

does not own any type of Global Positioning System. If I don’t know where I’m going, I type in the address on Google maps or call for directions.

Finally, while I know I’m not the only person who doesn’t have a Blu-ray, this is a preemptive strike for when I make a new list in 2010 or 2011. I was late to the DVD game and still have some VHS tapes around. I’m not ready to make the switch away from DVDs.

Your turn to share/confess.

Greg Lloyd Redux

You may remember the ebay auction several months ago where you could bid on the opportunity to have former Pittsburgh Steeler great Greg Lloyd come to your home to watch the Steelers-Browns game with you and a group of friends. Since the game took place this past Sunday, I thought I would contact of Josh Korb of Steel-Town Memorabilia, the person who posted this auction, to see the results.

I'm curious as to how the idea to have Greg Lloyd watch the Steelers-Browns game at someone's house was created. Was this your idea?

It was mine. I first thought of the idea after seeing that Peyton Manning direct tv add for NFL Sunday season ticket which got me thinking. Then after watching one of the Penguins playoffs game they showed Sidney Crosby hand delivering someones season tickets and knocking on there door. I saw the excitment on there face's thought what a great idea. I just put 2 and 2 together.

Was Greg Lloyd easily willing to participate?

Yes that was easy. I have been working with Greg for years. He thought it was a great idea. He even told me a story about a similar experience back from his playing days. It was a spend the day with Greg type deal and the family had him in a back room and just pop out into the kitchen for this kids birthday. He said little guy allmost had a heart attack right there.

I'll take a little credit for posting the ebay auction on my blog (thanks to the DC Steeler Nation group) and then it got picked all over the place by sites such as Yahoo, Deadspin and The Burgh Blog. What kind of response did you and the auction receive?

Just for the record we are not part of dc steeler nation. I don’t approve of the nasty language they post on the internet. (Sean's note: I think Josh may be thinking of a different website.) The auction didn’t get noticed for 2 days then one morining I get into the office with the phone ringing off the hook, all voice mails full etc. It was nothing but radio stations calling for interviews about the auction. I ended up doing 17 total interviews including Mike & Mike, Pittsburgh ESPN, Fox Sports. It hit just about any sports football blog on the net and also the major providers like ESPN, Yahoo sports, AOL sports. I was also featured in ESPN the magazine in a interview about the auction. With all the extra traffic into my ebay store there was a few extra 1000's in sales during a week or so. I think Jim Rome put this over the top with a 30 miniute rant about the auction.



So I guess the big question is this: Where did Greg Lloyd watch the Steelers-Browns game this past Sunday?

He watched it at his home. I was able to sell the auction however the buyer wanted him for a different game later this season. I’m going to have him back up on ebay to auction him off for the next browns game 12/28/08 (pending the ok from #95)

What was the winning bid to have Greg Lloyd watch the game at someone's house? Are you willing to let us know the location (city or state) of the winner?

It sold for 7 grand. (Sean's note: WOW!) Buyer asked to remain private with all the media attention.

What is Greg Lloyd up to these days? He was definitely a fan favorite when he played in Pittsburgh, so I'm sure a lot of people are wondering what he's doing now.

He is doing great. He is married with a beautiful family living right outside of Atlanta, GA where he owns his own Taekwondo school where he teachs kids and adults. He is a 19 year 3 degree black belt. He is now known as "Master Lloyd". When he is not with the family or teaching you can most likely find Greg up in a tree stand hunting or on the golf course. That pretty sums up the 4 things that are major parts of his post football life. A lot of people wonder about Greg taking in account his "just plain nasty" style of football he played. You can aruge he is the most feared linebacker in Steeler history right there with Lambert with his brutal & ever imtimadating style of play. Combine that with the legal issues he had shortly after football it made a lot of fans wonder what kind of person he is. I can say without doubt Greg is nothing like that man they watched on Sunday. He is a very laid back person really in tune to the martial arts lifestyle living a very clam and peaceful life now. Some of his former teamates that we helped reconnect with him through apperences tell him thats not the same guy I played football with. Greg took the game so seriously that I don’t think he was able to turn a switch on & off at game time. Even the local long time media guys I talk to in Pittsburgh tell me stories about how they hated to interview Greg after the Steelers lost, not that he was a jerk but they were afriad of him. That football player image he created on the field seem to follow him around no matter what he was doing. Like his shirt said "he wasn't hired for his dispostion"



Do you have any other unique or interesting auctions or events at this time?

Well were going to be auctioning off other former Steeler players in the future. Probably just Levon Kirkland will be the only one this season due to limited time however I’m going to have a full lineup of guys for next season. Also will be doing same style concept but replacing football game with shooting a round of golf with a former Steeler. We arrange or can just about anything within reason. I love to hear new ideas so if anybody has any let me know.

We do have a big event setup in Pittsburgh for the Steelers bye weekend at Monroeville Mall 10/11 called return to the burgh. (Sean's note: I spent hours in my teenage years at Monroeville Mall.) Proceeds benifit Super Bowl XL champion Willie Williams foundation that helps kids. Our event we wanted to bring back some of the fan favorites to Pittsburgh that have disappeared over the years. Some of the names attending include Barry Foster, Bam Morris, Erric Pegram, Tim Lester, Brentson Buckner, Lee Flowers, John Jackson, Norm Johnson, Neil O’Donnell, Rick Moser, J.T. Thomas, John Banasazk and top pick Rashard Mendenhall. (Sean's note: Mendenhall certainly disappeared from the Steelers offense last week.)


You can find out more about Josh's items for sale at Steel-Town Memorabilia and his ebay store.

Truck Art

While cleaning out my e-mail, I found the following pictures of artistic ads on trucks that were sent to me over two years ago. Yes, I have way too many messages. I think the next e-mail was an invitation to get 25% off the seventh Harry Potter book followed by a sneak peak to see this new movie called The Departed. On to the pictures:










Can you find the picture that's slightly out of place?

In case you were wondering why there hasn’t been something more substantial here this week, I’m again working on something fairly big.

Sarah Palin And Republican Hypocrisy

I don’t care where you stand politically, although based on the title alone, you may not like this video. However, this is good stuff from Jon Stewart and The Daily Show.

In case you were wondering, based on the 2005 population, Wasilla is Alaska’s fifth biggest city behind Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau and Sitka.

h/t to Kevin

Steelers-Browns Live Blog

Welcome to my live blog of the Pittsburgh Steelers-Cleveland Browns game. I am live from my couch with my Terrible Towel right next to me. I’ll be writing my thoughts about the game, and you are welcome to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Since Brett Favre and the Jets lost this afternoon, I’ll give the over/under of Favre mentions during the telecast by John Madden and/or Al Michaels at 3. (If the Jets won, this number would be 6)

I’ll also have the over/under on commercials for My Own Worst Enemy, Christian Slater’s new show at 4.

Oh, I’ll predict a Steelers win by the score 34-17.

First Quarter

We’re getting a story from Andrea Kremer that it’s windy. I appreciate her telling us this since I wouldn’t have noticed her hair blowing and the papers swirling behind her.

Just one day, I want a player in the introductions to say Ithaca College when talking about where they went to school. In case you were wondering (doubtful), the Bombers won Saturday and are now 2-0.

I really like Bryant McFadden’s goatee! I don't know if this is the most up-to-date picture, but this is what I found.



Nice D to start the game as Cleveland goes three and out.

After getting a first down (via a Santonio Holmes catch), Ben gets sacked and the Steelers have to punt.

Joshua Cribbs, the Browns kick returner, really scares me but the punt coverage was solid.

A nice drop by Braylon Edwards means another three and out.

I'm now convinced that we're going to hear about the wind or weather every other play. 8:34 to play in the first.

In case you are scoring at home, that’s 2 commercials for Heroes; none for My Own Worst Enemy.

Michael Phelps is in the stadium, but his mom and her clothing line are not. John Madden says that he wants to be Michael Phelps for one day. I think I speak for all Americans by writing that no one wants to see John Madden in the swimming pool.

On the long pass attempt to Willie Parker, Santonio Holmes looked wide-open in the middle of the field.

After a rare Hines Ward drop, it’s another punt. That’s now six punts, and I believe only two first downs (both for Pittsburgh). Right on cue, the Browns get a first down. 1:33 left in the first.

To end the first quarter, the Browns are forced to punt again and then Parker has two rushes to pick up a Steelers first down.

Second Quarter

Just before the second quarter began, we get our first My Own Worst Enemy commercial.

An unsuccessful QB sneak on 3rd and one leads to another punt. Do you sense a theme about how this game has gone so far?

McFadden and his goatee make an interception after having great coverage on Braylon Edwards.

Have I mentioned that I have the Steelers defense in two fantasy leagues?

The Steelers get a little lucky. Instead of a Cleveland sack, the defender grabs Roethlisberger’s face mask. 15-yard penalty; automatic first down.

Shaun Rodgers at 350 pounds is a big man. I would tell him that he spells his name wrong, but he frightens me.

Terrible call on a 3rd and 1 as Ben hands the ball off to Fast Willie while in the shotgun position. (This sentence sounds somewhat dirty.) The Steelers are stopped short, but rush to the line on 4th and 1. Odd situation where Ben draws the Browns offsides, but Coach Tomlin calls time-out as the ball is snapped.

Big run by Fast Willie for a first down followed by a Holmes catch to the Browns’ 15.

Another drop by Hines but this one is in the end zone. The ball was slightly behind Ward and there were two Browns near him, but Hines usually makes those catches.

After a time-out, on 3rd and 9 from the 11, Ward redeems himself with a TD catch. 7-0 Steelers!

NBC Update, with 6:26 left in the second quarter: 3 commercials for Heroes; 2 for My Own Worst Enemy.

So I started writing that Andrea Kremer has not provided an update about Brett Kiesel, who left the game a little earlier. I wrote that maybe she is helping the stadium staff by picking up some of the trash that has been blowing around. Just as I was ready to publish this, Kremer reports that Kiesel has a right calf injury and his return is questionable, but doubtful.

The Browns get a few first downs including a nice leaping catch by Kellen Winslow Jr.

In case you were wondering, the Post-Gazette’s Blog ‘N’ Gold is also live blogging tonight.

Cleveland finishes the first half with some poor clock management. After running a QB sneak on 3rd and 1, and earning a first down on the Steelers’ 11, they let the clock run to 8 seconds and take their final time-out. Instead of going for a field goal, the Browns try a pass to the end zone, which is intercepted by Troy Polamalu. 7-0 at halftime.

Just a few comments about the first half. Troy Polamalu has played very well and been all over the field. The Steelers special teams have contained Cribbs. The only completions so far are to Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes. A pass or two to Heath Miller would be nice. Has Rashard Mendenhall (now the representative for Champion sports wear) been in the game yet?

Third Quarter

Speaking of Mendenhall, he’s on the field to return the second half kick-off.

Roethlisberger gets slammed to the ground by Shaun “Big Baby” Rodgers. The wrongly spelled one scares me even more.

Old School is playing on TNT.

Did you know that Rob Brown is one of the stars of "The Express: The Ernie Davis Story?" I’ve spent the past five minutes trying unsuccessfully to find a picture of Rob Brown in a Penguins uniform, so I’m settling for this:



It may be a different Rob Brown playing Ernie Davis.

48-yard reception from Ben to Santonio sets up a 48-yard field goal for Jeff Reed. 7:58 left in the third; 10-0 Steelers!

Roughing the passer penalty on LaMarr Woodley. Questionable call but Woodley will need to learn to hold up in those situations in the future.

Ryan Clark and Braylon Edwards just had a nasty collision on an incomplete pass. Clark is down. During the commercial, a taunting penalty is called against James Farrior. Cleveland has first and goal from the 10.

Fortunately, Cleveland does nothing, and Phil Dawson kicks a field goal. Steelers-10, Browns-3. Thirty yards in penalties certainly helped the Browns.

What the hell? The wind apparently causes lots of problems on the kick-off bounces off of several players (both Steelers and Browns), is last touched by Woodley and goes out of bounds. Steelers ball inside their own five.

To end the quarter, Ben completes a 31-yard pass to Hines. Yes, I’m on a first-name basis with both of these guys.

Fourth Quarter

If Woodley received a roughing the passer penalty earlier, the officials should have also thrown a flag for Shaun Rodgers’ shoulder hit on Ben after the pass was thrown. Cheap shot.

The Browns get the ball back and start an impressive drive. 23-yard catch and run by Jerome Harrison who made about 8 Steeler defenders miss; 6-yard catch by Winslow on 3rd and 5; 8-yard catch by Syndric Steptoe (is that a real name?) on 3rd and 7; 9-yard pass to Edwards on 3rd and 7. The Steelers need a stop!

And the Steelers do make a stop and force Cleveland to kick a field goal. Dawson does so, and the score is 10-6 Steelers. 3:21 remaining; both teams have each of their three time-outs.

The unofficial commercial count: 5 for Heroes; 3 for My Own Worst Enemy.

Hello Heath Miller. Nice to see you! I like the call on 2nd and long to have Ben roll out and fire the ball to Heath for a 19-yard gain. The Browns take their second time-out.

After a 4-yard run by Fast Willie, Cleveland takes its final time-out with 2:42 left in the game.

Willie runs for 19 and gets a first down but gets tackled out of bounds. Parker now has 104 yards rushing. Hooray for Fast Willie. Two minute warning.

Cleveland stops Pittsburgh on a 4th and 4 on the Browns’ 21 with 26 seconds remaining. I know there’s a risk of a blocked kick, but why not kick a field goal? Of course, I’m very tired, so I probably have no idea what I’m talking/writing about.

Two incompletions and a sack and that's it. Steelers win 10-6.

Nice game by the defense holding Anderson to 166 yards with two interceptions, Jamal Lewis to 38 yards on 19 carries and Edwards to only 3 catches for 32 yards. Fast Willie rushed for 105 yards. Except for that botched kick-off, the Steelers special teams played great.

In the post-game, Ben ignored Kremer's three questions about his shoulder. This may not be good.

I'm going to sleep. Thanks for checking this out and a special thanks to anyone who actually made it to the end.

Live Blog Tonight

I think I'm going to do a live blog of the Browns-Steelers game tonight. Stop back this evening and share your thoughts about the game too.

Steelers-Browns and Other Stuff

Before I write about this Sunday’s Steelers-Browns game, take a quick look at the date of this post. I can’t believe that it has been seven years since that horrific day. Please take a moment of silence or reflection today to remember those who lost their lives in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania seven years ago today.


Thank you.


I feel like it’s time to revisit my post from September 2007 when I wrote that the Pittsburgh Steelers-Cleveland Browns series is no longer a rivalry. Since returning to Cleveland in 1999, the Steelers are 16-3 against the Browns including the Wild Card round win during the 2002 season. The last time Cleveland defeated Pittsburgh was October 5, 2003. That’s not a rivalry. Until the Browns hire Bill Cowher, win the division or defeat the Steelers more than three times in nine years, it’s just another divisional game no more or no less important than the games against Baltimore or Cincinnati.


Finally, when you have a few minutes, check out the following terrific links:

Mondesi’s House interviews Stan Savarn and Guy Junker.

Fast Company has a feature about Dr. James Andrews, arguably the most famous doctor in the country.

DJ Gallo of ESPN.com writes about the Pirates 16th consecutive losing season, tying them for the longest streak in professional sports history. It seems like it has been almost that long since I last wrote about the Pirates.

Burrito Year in Review

I’ve written and deleted numerous sentences to start this post. It’s hard to explain the significance of earning free burritos for a year at California Tortilla. How can I properly express my love of burritos, the subsequent desire never to have a burrito again and then the realization that burritos really are good? Well, let’s go back to August 2007. As part of the grand opening of a new location, California Tortilla has a promotion where the first 10 people in line at 11am will get free burritos every week for a year. When they opened last August, I was #8 and wrote all about my experiences waiting in line.

So now that the year is complete, here is the summary of my California Tortilla adventure:

Free Burritos: 34
Free Quesadillas: 13
Free Chips & Queso: 2
Free Salads: 1
Missed Weeks: 4
Total Savings: $278.09

I’m sure that you have lots of questions, so I’ll try to answer them.

Q: Did you get sick of burritos?

Yes. I had burritos for several months and decided that maybe I should eat a little healthier by having burrito bowls. I quickly determined that the burritos were much better with a tortilla and switched back. In early January, I had enough and attempted to sell the coupons on Craigslist. I think I posted an ad on three separate occasions, but only received one response from a guy named Jimm. Yes, there is more than one M. Jimm’s reply, "Trade you for my taco coupon lol." LOL? That’s not LOL. Spell your name correctly, Jim!

Q: I’m confused by the summary. You wrote that you received free burritos for a year. Why are there quesadillas and a salad?

There’s no need to be confused my friend. Around the time I first attempted to sell the burritos, I realized that a spinach quesadilla would be less expensive than a burrito and asked if I could use the coupon for something other than a burrito. California Tortilla was nice enough to say yes. Quesadillas got me through the cold winter months and allowed me the temporary break from burritos.

Q: So what was your favorite burrito?

Of all of the free burritos, I had the Blackened Chicken Caesar probably 75% of the time. The Honey Lime variety was a favorite during the final month or so, but the BCC is still the #1 seed.

Q: Did California Tortilla ever contact you?

Yes, actually (sort of). I met Pam, the Queen of Burritos, at the grand opening and she even commented on my blog when I tried to sell my coupons. Her quote: "You’re selling your California Tortilla burrito coupons, Sean? I'm shocked. SHOCKED! I tell you."

Q: $278 worth of California Tortilla food. Wow!

Um, this is not actually a question, but yes, the total amount I would have spent over the past year was $278.09. The number could have been well over $300 if I had more burritos than quesadillas or ordered the regular size burrito more often (I ate a small burrito most of the time – the small really isn’t that small).

I’ll be happy to answer any other burrito-related questions that you may have in the comments.

So that’s my burrito year in review. If you are wondering whether or not I would do this again, I definitely would. I would also like to thank my colleagues for encouraging me to wait in line for the burritos and the staff at the Reston California Tortilla who is always friendly and has never got my order wrong.

Trivia Tuesday

Welcome to another quiz, created by the folks at Stump Trivia from Monday night’s trivia. The birth name and year of the entertainer is given below; your challenge is to give the stage name. As always, please do not use the internet for the answers. Either you know it or you don’t.

1. Musician 1941- Robert Zimmerman

2. Actor 1904-1986 Archibald Leach

3. Actor 1935- Allen Konigsberg

4. Musician 1948- Vincent Fournier

5. Actor 1921-2003 Charles Bochinsky

6. Actor 1962- Thomas Mapother IV

7. Musician 1947- Reginald Dwight

8. Musician 1958- Tracy Marrow

9. Actor 1940- Ramon Estevez

10. Musician 1951- Gordon Sumner

In case you were wondering, our team, "Brady Seeking Perfect Season in Madden '09," correctly answered 7 of 10. Please leave your answers in the comment section. Good luck!

Group Dangles $50K for Jews Who Move to Alabama Town

I found this article on Yahoo in which an organization is offering Jewish families as much as $50,000 to relocate to Dothan, Alabama. Just curious to see where Dothan is located, I discovered that the town of 58,000 is 204 miles from Atlanta; 107 miles from Tallahassee; 198 miles from Birmingham; and 268 miles from Jacksonville. Those seem like the biggest cities closest to Dothan.

Anyway, the small Jewish community in Dothan is slowly dwindling so they are seeking young families to relocate. As the child of parents who grew up in small towns in Western Pennsylvania (hometown of Joe Namath) and Eastern Ohio (hometown of Lou Holtz), where the Jewish communities are now virtually non-existent, this story fascinates me. Not enough to make me consider moving from the Washington DC area to Dothan, but it is still intriguing.

More information about the relocation project can be found at Blumberg Family Jewish Community Services of Dothan website.

Monday Morning Links and Other Thoughts

It’s so nice to have football back! To see the Steelers have an impressive season debut in defeating Houston. To know that there are games on for approximately 10 hours from Sunday early afternoon to Sunday night. To walk around the grocery store on a Sunday and see people wearing their football jerseys. (Although why was one guy wearing an A.J. Hawk Packers’ jersey when the team doesn’t play until Monday?) To follow your fantasy football teams and hope that Terrell Owens can score big points while his quarterback Tony Romo does not (or worse to root for Reggie Bush for one league and against him in another). Welcome back professional football!

Have you watched any football highlights from yesterday? If so, you may have noticed every announcer gushing over Brett Favre’s touchdown pass where he threw a terrible ball on a fourth down that somehow manager to find an open receiver. It’s only a matter of time (probably next week) when that same pass is intercepted.

On to the links…

Since I’m providing absolutely no analysis on yesterday’s Steelers game, here are thoughts from Mondesi’s House, D.C. Steeler Nation and Pittsburgh Sports and Mini Ponies.

On Friday, I was honored to participate in Cotter’s (of One For the Other Thumb) weekly Meeting People is Easy feature.

Arjewtino is a Dodgers fan who on Friday wrote that, after the up-and-down season the team has had, he is in an abusive relationship. So what happens this weekend? The Dodgers swept Arizona and are back in first place. To Arjewtino, things could be much worse…you could be a Pittsburgh Pirates fan!

Finally, check out TriviaForCharity.com where you can earn money for charitable groups by answering free trivia questions.

Have a good day!

Interview with Olympian Ric Blas Jr.

Anyone who has visited this site during the Olympics probably noticed my posts about Ric Blas Jr., who represented Guam in judo and served as Guam’s flag-bearer. I became fascinated by Blas because of his size, his MySpace page pictures (including this one on the right) and the fact that he seemed like a cool guy from every article I read about him and the MySpace page comments. Through the power of the internet, I was able to track Ric down and ask him a few questions about the Olympics, Guam and how he always seems to be surrounded by attractive women.

Yes, this may be a bit long, but how often do I have a chance to interview an Olympic athlete? (How about never!)


During the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, I and millions if not billions of people saw you as the flag-bearer for Guam. You certainly stood out as a big and imposing person, particularly compared to the other flag-bearers besides 7’6” Yao Ming. NBC’s Bob Costas even said that you may be the heaviest athlete in Olympic history. I might as well get this question out of the way since your size is how people first notice you. Do all of these weight questions bother you? I mean you have to be a tremendous athlete to make the Olympics and you had previously proved yourself by finishing seventh in the world championships. However, it seems like every article about you focuses on your size.

The weight questions don't bother me at all! I am obviously over weight for sure and there is no use getting excited over every little thing people have to say. I usually answer all the questions about my size with a smile because its unavoidable and its all good fun! I am a very chill and simple person actually! I don't like unnecessary confrontation! So when someone asks me what I think about being the heaviest Olympian I kind of make small jests and move to the next question!

What was the experience of being a flag bearer like and were you nervous that you might drop the flag?

The Experience was awesome! I mean the organizing committee keeps you in a stadium about a 5 min walk away from the birds nest and while the opening ceremony is being held we are all just sitting around waiting for our coordinator to tell us when we have to get into line and make our way over! So the whole time the suspense builds and then you hear the crowd and it gets louder and louder with every step you take towards the stadium and then they give you the flag about 300 yards before you enter the track of the birds nest with a harness (which I proudly refused to use) and at that one moment before you walk out everything goes silent like the world has been petrified and then it passes and its a symphony of cheers and an eruption of different noises it clouds your mind. All you can think about is the colors and void of faces with their eyes on you so the last thing I was thinking about was dropping the flag. But I couldn't help but smile because I felt so much pride in carrying that flag and showing the world who we were meant so much to me coming in there that smiling was all I could do to prevent myself from crying! haha I don't think it would look good if the heaviest JUDO Olympian was tearing during the opening ceremony! haha I did almost fall though haha! There was a carpet and it was wet and it slid a good 10 feet but its that Judo balance that helped me out haha!



So how does someone become an Olympic athlete in judo?

Well I guess you need the experience and Balls to stand and fight in front of the world without fear of the consequences or judgment that comes with losing. Winning is even harder to deal with because the more you win the harder it is to accept your next loss. EVERYONE loses in Judo. It is a part of the sport. It is how you learn and become better. Other than that I think it takes a lot of determination and an iron will to keep it up! It is a taxing sport and a very demoralizing training regiment especially training in places like Japan or Korea where finding good judoka is as easy as taking 10 steps! But after conquering all these things and after making it your life and only priority until the end of the competition only then can you have a chance at becoming an Olympic Athlete.

Leading up to the Olympics, what was your training regiment?

Well lots of time in Japan and Korea! I hit the weights every day! LOTS of power training!

There always seem to be stories that the Olympic Village is a crazy place. What is it really like? Is it luxurious or were there military-type barracks?

It’s a small mix of both! They are like hotel rooms actually! The sheets and towels are changed every day! The entertainment centers are always open for everyone! There is a DVD and Billiards room for everyone to mix and hang out at! There is even bus transportation within the Village! The mess hall is open 24 hours and it serves so many different kinds of food its crazy! And the unlimited amounts of drinks that are available within what seems like every 20 steps you take! I guess the only way it would be military barracked is you have to share your room with one other person but mostly I had it all to myself!

Did you go to any events besides judo in Beijing?

I watched all my fellow team mates do their competitions! I watched a lot of track and swimming! Wrestling and most water sports! But I was just caught up in the village life and when I was done with my competition I kinda didn't feel like doing much you know? Still trying to deal with the fact that it’s all over!

Was there anyone at the Olympics that you hoped to meet and did? Who was the coolest athlete you met?

To tell you the truth I don't keep up with other sports much. I mean I know who Kobe and Lebron is just because you see them all over TV and stuff but other than that I was most excited to meet up with my fellow Judoka! I met a couple boxers and Vince Vaughn! haha



What are you doing now that the Olympics are over?

Well just [the other] night my best friend Andrea had a BBQ for me! It was awesome! I am pretty much just relaxing and enjoying the Island life! But I still hit the weights every day and do cardio! To tell you the truth now that I am done with the games I will be dropping LOTS of weight! My actual plan is to possibly get down to 260lbs if my body will allow me to weigh that much! But for now just relaxing!

On your Facebook and MySpace pages, there are dozens of pictures of you surrounded by attractive women. How do you do it?

I have a million hilarious responses to that question but in all honesty I don't know. I just am where I am and am who I am and its been working for me no matter my shape or size!



While I know that you can’t speak for all of Guam, what are the people of Guam’s thoughts on the Presidential election between Obama and McCain and just U.S. politics in general?

haha To tell you the truth I hate getting into politics! It’s what Guam is all about! I try and stay out of it! There is already so much drama in the world of sports that having to deal with that is enough! BUT on a personal note I am rooting for Obama! And he has a lot of supporters on Guam!

Although I’ve never been to Guam, I’ve heard that there is probably the best name of a strip club ever on the island, the G-Spot. Have you ever been?

haha Believe it or not I have not been to club G-spot. It is a very non-local place to go I guess. Everyone else I know goes to other clubs on special occasions. G-spot does more business with our military population more so than our locals. But hey come to Guam and see for your self! You are more than welcome to hang out! Let me know when you are coming and I will show you the ropes! I will personally introduce you to the night life and show you all the gorgeous Local spots! (Sean’s note: I’m going to Guam on my next vacation!)

Are you going to try for London in 2012?

You know everyone is asking me about it! people keep telling me I have a great chance especially because I can use the next 4 years to really prepare because I know what I am up against now but I also want to know what its like to live a "normal" life! I have known nothing but JUDO since I was 5 years old and it’s always been a top priority in my life. So it is still undecided. I am kinda taking some time off now from the mat just to get a feel for what the real world is all about. but if you are asking me if I am still "itchy" then yes I am I want it more than ever but life is so short and there are many more things to conquer out there in that big bad world you know? I need to be sure I am ready to dedicate another 4 years of my life to it! I’ve already given 17 years to it! It’s a tough decision...............


Although I haven’t met Ric (since I've never been to Guam or Beijing), we have been corresponding back and forth a lot recently. I just want to add that I am impressed by how humble and down-to-earth Ric is. He’s not even 22 and is an Olympic athlete! Thanks again to Ric for participating in this interview!

Joe Biden is a Steelers Fan

I knew there was a reason why I liked Senator and Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden. From The Washington Post (near the end of the article):

On Friday night, when Obama and Biden met Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh, Biden recounted how "Old Mr. Rooney" -- Steelers owner Dan Rooney -- dispatched some players from his championship team to the hospital room in Wilmington where Biden's two toddler sons, Beau and Hunter, were recovering from the accident. They brought the boys an autographed football as a Christmas present.

"And I have been a Steelers fan since that day," Biden told Tomlin.

I’m wondering whether The Washington Post meant Art Rooney. Regardless, it was a nice thing for the Steelers to do.

(from The Burgh Blog)


The Washington Times has more about Mike Tomlin’s interaction with Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

"You've brightened what has been a miserable day," Tomlin told Obama. "I had to cut 23 guys this morning. Hardest day of the year."

Obama told Tomlin, "Your owner has supreme confidence in you."

Tomlin told Obama opening day is "Next Sunday here in Pittsburgh."

"Good luck on the season," Obama said. "We're very proud of you."

Tomlin replied, "You have our support, our well wishes, our blessings and prayers."

"I'll be watching the games, I might even try to come to one," Obama said.

Tomlin said, "We're playing in DC the night before the election, but no pressure."

Even if Obama can't attend the Steelers game in DC, I'll be there!

CVS Coupons

During my recent visit to CVS Pharmacy, I noticed that they have this new little scanner where you can check the prices of your items and scan your ExtraCare rewards card for a coupon. Free coupons...cool! I figured that this was something that I must try. So I scanned my ExtraCare card and received the following coupon:

Extracare/coupon
MR SEAN RAMBLINGS (My complete name - not Ramblings - was printed on the coupon.)

Save $1 on CVS Brand Tampons, 36ct or larger (Up to $1.00 value)

Um, thanks.



Stay tuned for something really big later this week!