Trivia Tuesday: Greeks vs. Romans

Before we get to this week’s trivia, please allow me to share my weekly fantasy football rant. (Please skip to the next paragraph if you don’t care about my fantasy teams.) I lost by one point in one of my leagues this week because Kyle Orton scored -1 points. That’s not a typo; he scored negative points. If Orton didn’t play or if I started Tony Romo (who was on a bye), former Steelers and Birmingham Stallions QB Cliff Stoudt (retired in 1985) or even Johnny Unitas (died in 2002), I would have won via the tie-breaker. I ended up going 1-3 this week meaning that my teams are 3-2, 2-3, 1-4 & 1-4 (including a loss to my brother this week. Ugh!). I am terrible this season.

Your challenge this week is to name the Roman equivalent of each Greek god or goddess listed below. This is clearly a blind spot in my knowledge since I only got one or two correct.

1. Athena

2. Zeus

3. Eros

4. Ares

5. Aphrodite

6. Demeter

7. Hermes

8. Hades

9. Dionysus

10. Poseidon

As always please leave your answers in the comments section below, and do not use the internet for assistance. Good luck!

This quiz is courtesy of the fine folks at Stump Trivia.

Random Steelers-Titans Notes

That was a fun game! The Steelers led early and held a convincing lead throughout the second half to defeat the Tennessee Titans 38-17. I don’t think I bit my fingernails once during the game! While you can read a full recap of the game on the Post-Gazette or on the many Steelers blogs on the sidebar of my website, here are some notes that you may not read anywhere else.

The CBS telecast started with a nice story about Tennessee Titans Head Coach Mike Munchak growing up in Scranton and apparently returning to Pennsylvania. It was very nice, but there's one significant problem. According to Google Maps, Scranton is 283 miles from Pittsburgh. Scranton is also only 121 miles from New York City; 125 miles from Philadelphia; 201 miles from Baltimore; 242 miles from Washington; and 296 miles from Boston. Therefore, I hope CBS runs the "returning home" piece for Munchak whenever the Titans face the Jets, Giants, Eagles, Ravens, Redskins or Patriots. If you want to make the case that Munchak returned to his home state, how often do you see similar stories about players or coaches from New York City returning to a game in Buffalo?

At least for one week, the maligned and banged up offensive line played extremely well. The Steelers rushed for 174 yards (6.7 yards per carry) and only allowed one sack. Maybe Max Starks truly is the answer!

We interrupt my notes for a brief commercial. I don’t understand why guy #1 doesn’t ask for a haircut rather than casual Wednesday. Meanwhile, guy #2 has no right to get in Gary Cole’s face. You don’t do that to Gary Cole! I hope Gary Cole punched him as soon as the director yelled cut.



I like the Jonathan Dwyer era. 11 carries for 107 yards is not too shabby. With that written, if Mendenhall, Redman and Moore are all healthy next week, Dwyer should return to the 4th string running back.

Did you know that Ryan Mundy was an excellent wide receiver at Woodland Hills High School catching passes from current Kansas City WR Steve Breaston? He looked good on the terrific pass from punter Daniel Sepulveda who has proved that he can do anything on the football field. Seriously, if Dwyer got injured in the fourth quarter, I’m sure that Sepulveda could have filled in at running back.

Hines Ward had a very Hines Ward day with 7 catches, 54 yards and two touchdowns. Even more significant is that I don’t think the announcers referenced Dancing With the Stars after any of his catches.

In one of my many poor fantasy football decisions this week, I started Antonio Brown. Although Roethlisberger threw for 5 touchdown passes, none of them went to Brown.

I hate to give Dan Dierdorf credit, but he made a great point late in the game when he said that they had not mentioned Ike Taylor. “Face Me Ike” (who apparently changed his website name from Face Me Ike to officialiketaylor.com and hasn’t updated it since June) is truly an underrated cornerback.

Congratulations to Cameron Heyward on his first NFL sack!

I’m sure the Steelers D is excited to face 1-4 Jacksonville and their rookie QB Blake Gabbert next week.

What Do You Eat Before Fasting

Let's say that you will be fasting for 25-26 hours in the near future. You will not have any food or water from approximately 6:00 PM one evening until about 7:30 PM the next day. What do you eat for dinner just before the fast begins?

Herman Cain Goes to Costco

Let’s say that you’re a U.S. Presidential candidate. You are surging in the polls and gaining a higher profile from numerous appearances on television including a recent stop on The View. What’s your next move?

More campaign appearances in New Hampshire and Iowa? Fundraising dinners and meeting with donors? How about more television appearances?

If you’re Republican Presidential candidate and former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain, the perfect move is to, um, sell copies of your book by appearing at the Arlington Costco tomorrow from noon to 1:00. I wonder if Mitt Romney and Rick Perry will follow this shrewd political move.

Of course, this is only open to Costco members, so BJ's Wholesale Club members are out of luck.

Hockey-Themed Bar Mitzvah

I had a very cool Bar Mitzvah reception at my synagogue. It was baseball-themed with each table having its own colors to represent major league baseball teams. Naturally, I sat at the Pittsburgh Pirates table with black and gold napkins and tablecloths. I remember there being tiny chocolates wrapped in a baseball wrappers and a magician who ended his performance with a banner by presenting a banner that stated "Congragulations Sean!" I guess they didn't have Spell Check that many years ago.

Anyway, meet David Cohen. Based on the video below and this story from Yahoo's Puck Daddy, it looks like he also had a cool Bar Mitzvah. I'm not sure that he has the moves like Jagr though. (Seriously, the song Moves Like Jagger is so much better if you think Adam Levine of Maroon 5 sings Moves Like Jagr.)

David Cohen "Mitzvah Teaser" from Timeline Video Productions Inc.

I guess Henrik Zetterberg was unable to attend.

Trivia Tuesday

Happy Tuesday! Not that anyone cares, but I actually went 3-1 in my fantasy football leagues this week. It has been an awful season for me thus far (my teams are 3-1, 1-3, 1-3 & 1-3), but after this week, there's a glimmer of hope. Completely unrelated to fantasy football is this week's Trivia Tuesday. Given below are 10 definitions; your challenge is to supply the English word borrowed from Spanish.

1. A sun-dried brick made of clay and straw, common in arid climates

2. The Freight of a ship or airplane

3. A broad-snouted large reptile, common in the Southeastern US

4. A source of great and sudden wealth of luck; also the name of a long-running TV western

5. A restriction imposed upon any type of commerce, usually by government edict

6. A person who engages in irregular warfare, employing tactics such as surprise raids and sabotage

7. A blood-sucking flying insect of the family Culicidae, some types of which are transmitters of disease

8. A violent windstorm characterized by a funnel-shaped cloud

9. A person who takes the law into his own hands

10. Deprived of communication with other people


As always please leave your answers in the comments section below, and do not use the internet for assistance. Good luck!

This quiz is courtesy of the fine folks at Stump Trivia.

Six Months of Fatherhood

I recently passed the six-month mark of being a father which has been a wonderful, tiring, and life-changing experience. Since I don’t feel like writing about the Steelers today, I figured that I’d share my recent experiences of fatherhood.

- At the six-month check-up, my boy weighed 16 pounds, 11 ounces and his height was 27 inches. This corresponds to the 37th and 72 percentiles respectively. My driver's license, an official legal document, states that I am 5' 7". Therefore, I am extremely excited that my son has a chance to be relatively tall.

- I am very fortunate to have a fairly easy baby. He has slept through the night the majority of the time since about 4 months. He has a great demeanor and is a happy kid. Both the doctor and the nurse at the recent appointment commented on his positive attitude. He also regularly smiles.

- For the most part, the only time he is unhappy is when we take his bottle away to burp him. I guess he doesn’t like us interrupting his meal. Of course, I can’t really blame him since most people would cry in this same situation.

- Wondering how my son and Ziggy interact? When my baby sees Ziggy he smiles and makes noise. Although Ziggy likes to be around us, he keeps a safe distance away from my child. Of course, he likes most of the new toys and places to sleep.



- The itsy bitsy spider is a big hit in our household. He lights up when the song begins. Personally, I think my hand-motions of the spider climbing up the water spout are magical. Seriously, I would dominate an itsy bitsy spider competition,

- I am not the primary bath giver in the household. In fact, up until last week, I had only played the supporting role in giving my son a bath. So in my first experience giving my son a bath, he welcomed me to this role by pooping in the bathtub for the first time.

- Have I mentioned that I have a very cute child? I realize that I’m biased but I have a really cute kid. In fact, former White House correspondent Helen Thomas even told me that I have a cute kid.

- When I need to dress my child, I take whatever is on the top of the drawer. I know he has other clothes in the closet but for all I know they are too big or too small. Basically, my policy is that he’s going to wear only what is at or near the top of his drawers.

- My son loves putting anything in his mouth, and while his hands are his usual choice, his favorite toy is Sophie, the all-natural teether. When you wash Sophie, she loses her squeak; however, it is always fun to see how Sophie gets her squeak back.



Just like a team in the NCAA basketball tournament, I have survived the first six months and now advance to the next round!

Happy New Year!

There's a video for everything these days. A search for Rosh Hashanah on YouTube results in thousands of videos. Here are two such videos to celebrate the new year. Yes, we're going to party like it's 5772.






May you have a happy and healthy new year!

Trivia Tuesday

Welcome to a "smokey" edition of Trivia Tuesday. From the description given, name the item that contains smoke or some derivative of smoke in the answer. Good luck!

1. Threatening entity on the TV show “Lost”

2. Firefighters who parachute into remote areas to battle fires

3. Cheech & Chong’s feature film debut from 1978

4. Hit 1973 song by Brownsville Station remade by Motley Crue in 1985

5. 2007 crime drama film starring Jeremy Piven

6. Lead singer of the Miracles

7. Featuring Jackie Gleason, the 2nd highest grossing film released in 1977, after "Star Wars"

8. Famous mascot created in 1944 now voiced by Sam Elliott.

9. Huge radio hit from 1972 by Deep Purple

10. #1 hit for The Platters in 1959


As always please leave your answers in the comments section below, and do not use the internet for assistance. Good luck!

This quiz is courtesy of the fine folks at Stump Trivia.

Jayson Werth Deserves Suspension

Baseball and even non-baseball fans remember when Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Randall Simon hit a woman wearing an Italian sausage costume with his bat during the Milwaukee Brewers' costume race in 2003. Major League Baseball suspended Simon for three games and fined him $2,000. Additionally, Simon was fined $432 and cited by the sheriff's department for disorderly conduct.

On Saturday afternoon, Washington Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth incorporated himself into the Presidents race. Take a look:



Werth actually shoved Thomas Jefferson to the ground. Well, not the actual Thomas Jefferson since he would be 268 years old, but the person in the Jefferson costume. While the announcers and fans all took this as a fun attempt to let Teddy Roosevelt win, take a look at this second video from the folks at Let Teddy Win:



You can see Werth start to take Jefferson down at the 45 second mark. Once Jefferson is on the ground, Werth pushes him again. At 1:10, Werth attempts to kick/trip Jefferson.

According to Let Teddy Win, this "was not scripted by the Nationals, and caught the team’s in-game entertainment and mascot team by surprise." Essentially, this was a premeditated attack that was not planned by the team or major league baseball. Therefore, why isn't Werth subject to the same punishment as Simon?

Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post has more about Werth and the race. This was clearly premeditated which I don't think you can say about the Simon incident.

Steelers-Colts Live Blog

Why not? Who's in?

Muppets Video

Happy Friday! Although the release is still two months away, I'm excited for the new Muppets movie. Check out the latest trailer:



Speaking of the Muppets, here's their performance with R.E.M. Maybe they'll reunite in a few years...not just R.E.M. but the band and the Muppets.

Are Pillow Pets a Thing?

Only a few weeks ago, I shared a picture of the Pittsburgh Steelers Steely McBeam Pillow Pet. It was quite terrifying. Now the Pittsburgh Penguins are selling their own Pillow Pet.



This isn't quite as scary, but as I indicated by the title of this post, are pillow pets the next big thing? Are they like the new Tickle Me Elmo or Chia Pet?

What Rhymes With Kodak?

One of the biggest hits of this summer was Give Me Everything by Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer. Although Pitbull gets top billing and probably brought everyone together, I think Ne-Yo deserves credit for the song's success based on his chorus alone. It certainly can't be because of Pitbull's rhymes. Let's took a look, shall we?

The song begins with the following lyrics:

Me not working hard?
Yeah right, picture that with a Kodak
Or better yet, go to Times Square
Take a picture of me with a Kodak

So Pitbull rhymed Kodak with Kodak. Really? You're a successful rapper and you can't come up with something that rhymes with Kodak?

Later Pitbull sings/raps:

Baby, baby, and it ain't no secret
My family's from Cuba
But I'm an American Idol
Get money like Seacrest

Secret and Secrest. I guess that's slightly better than Kodak and Kodak, but how is this guy one of the biggest rappers out there? He's certainly not close to the lyrical level of Jay-Z, Kanye or Eminem.

In case you're not familiar with the song, here's the video. Enjoy the magical rhymes!

Steelers Win! Buy Gear!

By now, I'm sure that you know that the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 24-0 on Sunday. The Steelers clearly won because of the refs just like last time. You've probably already read about the game in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, One For the Other Thumb, PSAMP, Behind the Steel Curtain, ESPN or dozens of other places, so I'm not going to provide a recap here. Instead, I want to share this e-mail that I received from NFLShop.com only minutes after the game ended.



So we're now celebrating a week two victory by buying Steelers gear? Am I going to receive an e-mail like this after every Steelers victory? I'm not sure that I want to buy a Steelers hoodie covered by that guy's dandruff. (You may have to zoom in on the picture to see it.) Besides, the guy in the picture freaks me out.

Seriously, stop staring at me, dude!

Ziggy Freaked Out

I have found that writing this blog has been extremely therapeutic over the years. While I tend not to write about family and friends, I have no issues discussing my cat, Ziggy. Last week, Ziggy urinated on our bathroom carpet for four consecutive days. Once or twice could be behavioral. and there have been some changes around the house lately, but we started to get concerned about him. Therefore, we scheduled a veterinarian appointment. In preparation for the appointment, we were instructed to collect a urine sample, but it didn’t happen. Ziggy somehow managed not to urinate in his litter box for the 16 hours leading up to the appointment. Maybe he sensed something was up.



Ziggy rarely leaves home, and it is always a struggle getting him into his carrier. We managed to get him into the carrier, but he whined the entire car ride. The vet itself didn’t start terribly. They took him back to get a urine sample, and while I don’t know how exactly the extracted the sample, I’m sure it wasn’t pleasant for him. They got him back in his carrier, and we waited for the result. The result is some type of bacteria in his bladder and possibly a urinary tract infection.

At this point, there were two options: we could administer a liquid antibiotic twice a day for the next two weeks or they could give him a one shot with some sort of time release. Having rather poor results in giving Ziggy medicine in the past, the shot seemed like easiest and better option for us and Ziggy. Unfortunately, the vet was out of one of the two medicines needed in the shot, so they planned on giving him one shot at the appointment and the second when it came in a few days later. Not the best solution, but it still seemed like the best alternative.

The vet took Ziggy to get the shot, but I guess Ziggy was done. Apparently, as soon as he got out of the carrier, he freaked out. He hissed and bolted and managed to urinate and defecate in the room and all over himself. The vet was able to get him into a cage with the carrier also inside the cage in an attempt to calm him down. I was soon brought back to see him, and he clearly was a mess. They never administered the shot since he was in no position to get it. Plus, I think the vet staff worried that he would attack. Collectively, we decided that if we got Ziggy into his carrier, we would take him home. For about 90 minutes, I tried to soothe Ziggy and convince him to get into the carrier. Even with the vet and vet assistants out of the room for much of the time, he either growled or hissed. At one point, he even bit me. I was and still am devastated by this. This is the same Ziggy that runs to the door when I come home to greet me and regularly sleeps between my legs in bed. He is a loving cat that has never acted like this before.



The end result is that we couldn’t get him to relax. He never got into the carrier and any attempt by me to try to pick him up resulted in hissing. I even tried to wipe off his fur with a wet paper towel, but that didn’t go well either. He spent last night at the vet (they also have a “pet hotel”) where he is separate from the other animals, and they will bathe him and hopefully receive the medicine on Monday to give him the antibiotic. I feel like an awful parent/pet owner, but I’m not really sure what else I could have done. Ziggy wasn’t in any condition to come home. I definitely miss/missed him last night and today. I constantly catch myself looking for him. When we put our child to sleep at night, Ziggy regularly sits next to the chair to make sure everything is okay and because he likes being around everyone. It was an extremely odd feeling last night knowing that I didn’t need to make sure Ziggy was out of the nursery before putting our child to sleep. I just hope that Ziggy is okay, both physically and mentally, and that we can bring him home Monday night.

Update 9/19 @ 9:45 AM: I just talked to someone at the vet office, and Ziggy is doing much better. He is eating fine and even approached and sniffed the vet tech's hand (as opposed to his reaction on Saturday). The antibiotic is also in, so I should be able to pick up Ziggy later today. I'll pass on more information when I'm able to talk to the vet.

Update 9/19 @ 12:15 PM: Although he calmed down from Saturday, he still wasn't happy seeing the vet and vet staff today. He was given a sedative and the antibiotic. They also cleaned him up. Now, I just need to pick up Ziggy and bring him home. He's really been missed here the past two days.

Update 9/19 6:45 PM: Ziggy’s home! I went to the vet, and they brought me back to the cage where he has stayed the past two days. Ziggy was extremely happy to see me. He didn’t stop purring and constantly flipped over so I could rub his stomach while brushing his head against his hand. This is the Ziggy I know and love, not the one that hissed at me on Saturday. We got him into the carrier, but he was shaking until we left the office. He was a little better on the ride home and is now re-familiarizing himself with the house. He’s still a little skittish, but he ate his entire dinner in no time. Now, I’ll have to get a urine sample from Ziggy in two weeks and have the vet analyze the results. They don’t want us to bring Ziggy into the office unless we have to, and I think Ziggy is okay with that too! Thanks again for everyone’s support. It’s amazing how much happiness this cat brings the family. Of course, after the vet bill, we’re going to need him to go to work!

Life Is a Highway: Canadian Pop Music in the 90s (A Review)

Those of you who have read my blog over the years know that I’m a big fan of pop music including any type of music countdown or retrospective (please see every VH1 show – such as Behind the Music and Top 40 one-hit Wonders of the 1990s – that doesn’t involve Wives, Basketball & Mob). Therefore, when I learned that there was a documentary about Canadian pop music in the ’90s, I had to see it. Sure, I may be an American but I once created a list of the greatest Canadian musicians. Plus, I’ve visited the Hockey Hall of Fame, attended a Habs game, and narrowly preceded President Obama and Hilary Duff in Ottawa, so that has to count for something, right?

Here’s the synopsis of this two-hour documentary premiering on CBC Television tonight (Thursday, Sept. 15 at 8:00 PM Eastern time) and concluding next Thursday, September 22nd:

LIFE IS A HIGHWAY: Canadian Pop Music in the ’90s looks at the explosive decade when Canada’s superstar divas and rock gods shared the charts with DIY indie bands, Celtic virtuosos, worldbeat ensembles and hip-hop heroes.

The press release I received touts “thrilling performance footage and candid interviews with such major stars as Sarah McLachlan, Tom Cochrane, kd lang, Barenaked Ladies, Jann Arden and The Tragically Hip, as well as alternative music groups like Rheostatics, Sloan and Dream Warriors.” I wouldn’t necessarily call the performance footage, many from Saturday Night Live appearances or Juno Award shows (Canada’s version of the Grammys), thrilling, but they were a nice touch. I also appreciated seeing the perspective of so many Canadian artists; however, you get the feeling that the filmmakers were unable to land the major, major stars like Céline Dion, Alanis Morissette and Shania Twain.



After a brief introduction, the documentary starts as it should...with Bryan Adams. Adams had a very successful run in the 1980s with hits like Summer of ’69; Run to You; Somebody; and Heat of the Night. Then, instead of Bryan Adams, rocker, he became Bryan Adams, sappy singer to start the 90s as evidenced by (Everything I Do) I Do It for You, which became the #1 song in the world. In the documentary, Jann Arden refers to Bryan Adams as “our rock god.” Really? You have Neil Young, Rush and Joni Mitchell and Bryan Adams is your rock god?



The documentary goes from Adams to the Crash Test Dummies (that’s quite a drop-off!), to kd lang to Tom Cochrane. The underlying theme seemed to be showing the investment made by the Canadian music industry in selling Canadian artists in Canada. This sounds rather obvious, but apparently, the industry folks focused their attention on the American market and worked back up instead of the other way around. Consequently, the money and investment went to America. This may also explain why the Toronto Blue Jays didn’t win the World Series until the 1990s.

The remaining portion of the first hour discussed the Celtic music movement, independent scene and a street alternative revolution. I hadn’t heard of most of the artists featured, so while interesting, wasn’t my favorite part of the film. However, it is amazing the success many Canadian artists had simply by starting busking on the streets.

I enjoyed the second hour much more since I was more familiar with many of the artists discussed (Twain, Dion, Morissette, McLachlan & Snow). The portion on Canada’s “urban stars” was fascinating since I didn’t know of any Canadian hip-hop scene other than Snow’s classic hit Informer.



Here are a few items from the documentary that I found interesting:
- Sarah McLachlan refers to Bryan Adams as a taskmaster.

- Brad Roberts, lead singer of Crash Test Dummies, reveals that he couldn’t think up any words for the chorus of Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm. He was planning on writing words, but it didn’t happen.

- The documentary states that Barenaked Ladies became successful in America by constant touring. Doesn’t Jason Priestley deserve some credit? (Seriously, look at Jason Priestley’s Wikipedia page)

- There’s a video of Natalie MacMaster, someone I had never heard of prior to watching this documentary, performing while wearing Seinfeld’s pirate shirt.

- Several artists refer to the indy Halifax scene as the “new Seattle.” There were also mentions of a Montreal scene and Vancouver scene. Was there no Regina scene or Saskatoon scene? I feel like Saskatchewan was grossly under-represented!

Whether or not this was an intentional overriding message of the documentary, the filmmakers expressed the legacy of Canadian musicians helping each other and the spirit of collaboration. Many of the smaller acts that never made it in America talked about opening for Shania or BNL or Céline. Apparently, there were no rivalries as everyone got along and supported one another. I feel like we should all get together and sing O Canada!

For more information about Life Is a Highway, visit the CBC website and/or check out this article in the Toronto Sun.

Why Is Everyone Whistling?

I’ve noticed a recent trend in the music industry. Four of Billboard’s top 15 songs feature whistling prominently. Take a look:

Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera – Move Like Jagger (#2)



Foster the People – Pumped Up Kicks (#3) -- (To my knowledge, this band has no relation to former Steelers RB Barry Foster.)



Britney Spears – I Wanna Go (#13)



OneRepublic – Good Life (#15)



This doesn't include Lazy Song by Bruno Mars from earlier this year or last year's The Black Keys hit Tighten Up.

Not to sound like Seinfeld, but what's the deal with all of this whistling?

Trivia Tuesday

You thought I forgot about Trivia Tuesday, didn’t you? Not so fast, my friend! Your challenge is to name the phobias listed below. For example, arachnophobia is not just a creepy movie, but also a fear of spiders.

1. Agorophobia

2. Autophobia

3. Bronophobia

4. Hemaphobia

5. Ichthyophobia

6. Musophobia

7. Noctiphobia

8. Phagophobia

9. Thanatophobia

10. Xenophobia

Depending on how everyone does, I may provide answers later so that this is more of a matching game.

As always please leave your answers in the comments section below and do not use the internet for assistance. Good luck!

This quiz is courtesy of the fine folks at Stump Trivia.

Steelers-Raves Recap (Every Little Thing Gonna Be All Right)

51-0. That was the final score of the Steelers-Browns game on September 10, 1989, the first game of the season. The Steelers followed that dreadful performance at home by losing at Cincinnati 41-10. The Steelers team managed to fight back during the 1989 season to reach the playoffs, defeat the Houston Oilers in the wild card round and narrowly lose to John Elway and the Denver Broncos during the next round.

31-0. On September 7, 2003, the Buffalo Bills defeated the New England Patriots by that score at home. The Patriots bounced back from the loss by going 14-2 and winning the Super Bowl.

Although the Steelers played one of their worst games in recent years by losing 35-7 to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, the world is not ending. The season is not over. Mike Tomlin and Dick LeBeau didn’t become terrible coaches overnight. Ben Roethlisberger didn't turn into Cliff Stoudt. It was a terrible game against the hated rival, but again, it’s one game (the first game!) of the NFL season. I expect the team to rebound nicely next week against the Seattle Seahawks



Just a few notes about the game:

Did any member of the Steelers play well on Sunday? I’d give a gold star to Mike Wallace with 8 catches for 107 yards.

The Ravens ran 31 times for 170 yards or 5.5 yards per carry. That’s amazing against last season’s top-ranked rushing defense.

Ravens TE Ed Dickson caught 5 passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. He also had another long catch negated by a penalty. Dickson looked better today than Todd Heap did over the past three years.

Ed Reed is a very good safety. Not as good as Troy in my book (can you prove that I don’t have a book?), but the second best safety in the league. However, his two interceptions couldn’t have been easier. Roethlisberger threw both passes directly to Reed. I could have caught them.

Finally, I’m sure that you noticed this fight. Yes, Ike Taylor started it and deserved the personal foul penalty. My question is how was there only one penalty when it appeared that referee was knocked unconscious or possibly died? (Look at the top right of the screen around the :30 second mark.)

Ten Years In Washington (Part 2)

I have now lived in the Washington DC area for a decade. While I shared some thoughts about significant events that occurred since moving here, I figured I would pose the question about whether or not I am a Washingtonian.

Why I May Be a Washingtonian

- Not only do I regularly ride Metro, but like my fellow Washingtonians, I feel the need to complain about non-air-conditioned trains, cost (I still don't understand the peak of the peak fares), delays, and broken escalators. However, overall, when Metro runs on time, I generally enjoy my experience commuting.

- I dislike Dan Snyder. I'm not a fan of the Washington Redskins in general, but the years of overcharging people for everything at FedEx Field, putting a poor football team together and suing the Washington City Paper all fall under Snyder's watch as owner.

- I know that Chuck Brown is the Godfather of Go-Go.



- I attended Stephen Strasburg's major league baseball debut. Of course, I was one of the few people in attendance wearing a Pittsburgh Pirates shirt.

- I get annoyed by tourists especially when the stand on the left on Metro escalators. However, a recent article in the Washington Post makes me reconsider my views on tourists.

- I have attended concerts or shows at the Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, 930 Club, Wolf Trap, Strathmore, Nissan Pavilion/Jiffy Lube Live and the Verizon Center.

- I have played ultimate frisbee on the National Mall.

- I like the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin. Yes, it's a bit touristy, but they truly are beautiful and signify the beginning of spring.

- I know the correct way to pronounce the name of rapper Wale.

- I know what a Topper Shutt is.



Why I May Not Be a Washingtonian

- I have never attended the July 4th fireworks on the National Mall. I'm generally not really a big fan of being in crowds of 100,000 or more (unless the Steelers or Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert are involved).

- I attended Washington Capitals games before they became pretty good the past few years. Sure, many of these games were against the Pittsburgh Penguins, but there was no such thing as Rocking the Red then. There was also no problem getting tickets then.

- I have never played in a kickball league.

- Although I have had Ben's Chili Bowl at a Nationals game, I have never been to Ben's Chili Bowl itself. Yes, I realize that this item alone probably puts me into the not a Washingtonian category.



- I did not attend either the 2nd Bush inauguration or the Obama inauguration. Please see the big crowd thing above.

- I rarely visit the DC monuments or museums. This is the one part of this list that bothers me more than the others. Although I live in Northern Virginia and not actually in Washington, I certainly should visit these places more than I do. I tend to only visit these historic sites and wonderful exhibits when I have friends and family in from out of town.

- I have never been to Georgetown Cupcake or any other cupcake store or food truck.

- LiLu made a list of 10 places to visit when moving to the District. I have only been to four of them.

- I have not been invited to any White House event. Apparently, I don't have any connections and I don't feel like crashing any events like the Salahis (remember them?).



So what do you think: Am I a Washingtonian?

Jaromir Jagr's Biggest Fan Pleads Guilty

Judging by this headline, it sounds like Jaromir Jagr's biggest fan (likely his mother) pleaded guilty to being Jagr's biggest fan. However, that's not the case. Here's the story from WTOP:

A suspect charged with spray painting the number "68" on more than 50 vehicles in Loudoun County has been indicted and plans to plead guilty, WTOP has learned.

Court records show Christopher Bolt is set to enter a guilty plea Friday to felony destruction of property as part of a plea deal.

The judge will determine the sentence for Bolt.

It is still not certain why Bolt sprayed "68" on the vehicles. However, the Loudoun County Sheriff says Bolt told detectives he tried to spray paint the number "69," but he crossed it out when it didn't look right and painted "68" instead.

Spray-painting vehicles with Jagr's 68 is much better than spray-painting the number 69 for former Washington Redskin & Denver Bronco (and current ESPN guy) Mark Schlereth.

Trivia Tuesday: What The Heck Is This?

I recently received an e-mail from NFL.com regarding a new Pittsburgh Steelers product. If you haven't already seen this, I am honored (sure, let's go with honored) to introduce you to the Pittsburgh Steelers Pillow Pet



Your challenge this week is to provide a caption of this product since I honestly have no idea what this is. Sure, I guess the face is that of the silly Steelers mascot Steeley McBeam, but I don't get it. Good luck!

Joe Isuzu

No idea why, but I recently thought about Joe Isuzu. Therefore, I had to find a video featuring the great David Leisure. Enjoy!

What Are You Doing, Mr. President?

The White House announced last night that President Obama will address a joint session of Congress on Thursday, September 8th regarding his plan for jobs and to improve the economy. While I appreciate President Obama presenting information on his plan on the biggest political stage available, doesn't anyone in the administration have a calendar?

The National Football League's first game of the season between the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers takes place at 8:30 on the 8th. If the television choice is between President Obama and an NFL game, football will win. If the game is pre-empted by Obama's speech, people will get upset.

In this case, President Obama and Congress need to follow the lead of our Canadian friends. This spring, a political debate was postponed because of a Montreal Canadiens' first round playoff game. I hope that President Obama reconsiders the date of his speech, or at a minimum, schedules the address for 7:00 Eastern time.

Trivia Tuesday: Alphabet Edition

I never watched 24, but it seemed like most of the commercials for the show featured Kiefer Sutherland yelling that “There’s no time.” That’s how I feel about the introduction this week…There’s no time!!!

Listed below is a word that matches the phonetic spelling for a letter of the alphabet. Your challenge is to provide the word, not the letter.

1. Carrot pal

2. Red is one

3. How come?

4. Female merino

5. A line of people

6. Sacramento’s daily

7. It may have floaters.

8. Darjeeling or Ceylon

9. Fonzie’s catchphrase

10. The Babe Ruth of Japanese baseball

As always please leave your answers in the comments section below and do not use the internet for assistance. Good luck!

This quiz is courtesy of the fine folks at Stump Trivia.

Fantasy Football Songs

Are you like me and preparing for the fantasy football season? If you answered yes, here are three songs to (maybe?) get you pumped up for the year.

This is probably my favorite of the three just because of the Bobby Wade reference.



Hey, it's that Arlington rap guy rapping about fantasy football. By the way, the draft kit board is awesome!



This last video has a few naughty words, so it may be NSFW.



Good luck to all you fantasy football players everywhere!

Friday Links and The Earthquake

I could share my story about where I was for the East Coast earthquake, but it really isn't exciting. Actually, I do find it funny (and possibly stupid) that I felt the need to check Facebook to see where the earthquake hit and if everyone was okay instead of evacuating the building. Anyway, I went to bed late Tuesday night after watching earthquake coverage, working on a blog post and falling asleep on the couch (this is a frequent occurrence). I finally went upstairs around 12:45 AM with Ziggy joining me in bed and laying by my feet. Less than two minutes later, I thought I felt some shaking, but since Ziggy didn't move (he apparently flew through the house to hide under the bed during the Tuesday afternoon earthquake), I didn't think much of it. Sure enough, The Washington Post indicated that it was a 3.4 magnitude aftershock. Apparently, there was a 4.5 aftershock on Wednesday night, but I slept through it. (You'll be happy to know that I did not sleep through my baby crying around 4:00.)

Meanwhile, I went to the fitness center on Tuesday evening for my quarterly fitness assessment. Amazingly, while I gained 1.5 pounds over the past three months, my body mass index decreased 1.1% meaning that my weight went up due to increased muscle mass despite minimal exercise over the past quarter. The only explanation I have is the constant lifting and carrying of an infant has improved my strength.



How about some links for your Friday?

Where were you for the earthquake? Ngewo was in the bathroom. Some language is NSFW since Ngewo was, well, in the bathroom. [Ngewo's World]

Californians Are Being Insufferable About This Earthquake [Gawker]

The P-G profiles Mac Miller and Frick Park Market. Frick Park's blue slide, shown briefly in the new video, is my all-time favorite playground ride. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Tecmo discovers a Pittsburgh Penguins yarmulke. I really should get a Pirates, Steelers or Penguins kippah to compete with the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Yankees ones at Rosh Hashanah. [PSAMP]

The Pensblog guys do an amazing guest spot on Yahoo's Puck Daddy. [Puck Daddy]

Lou Reed Looks Fantastic (Express Fail)

Velvet Underground front man Lou Reed and Metallica are working together on a new album. I'm interested to hear the end result. In the meantime, Express shared the upcoming album name (Lulu) along with pictures of Reed and Metallica lead singer James Hetfield. Judging by the picture, I was surprised to see that Reed looks younger, changed his hair color to red, and appears more effeminate.



You can fulfill all of your Express Fail needs by clicking here.

Best Names in Steelers History

For no apparent reason, I am proud to introduce the all-time greatest names in Pittsburgh Steelers history. Please note that this is not in any particular order with the exception of #1.

Tunch Ilkin

There’s no better way to start this list than by including probably the only player in Steelers history born in Istanbul (not Constantinople). This two-time Pro Bowler would have made this list even if his last name was Smith or Black. Actually, Tunch Black is a pretty awesome name.



Hines Ward

Anytime a player shares his name with an international company based in Pittsburgh and plays in a stadium with the same name (even if spelled differently), he makes the list. If I ever create the all Pittsburgh Pirates name team, PNC Jones would definitely be on it.

Troy Polamalu

Polamalu. It just rolls off the tongue. In case you were wondering, including Troy is an excuse to share this song again.



Orpheus Roye

This list would not be complete without a player named for (according to pantheon.org) “the greatest musician and poet of Greek myth whose songs could charm wild beasts and coax even rocks and trees into movement.” If Roye ran straight at a rock or tree, I think they would move for him too.



If I created an all-nickname team, Jerome “The Bus” Bettis, Beltin’ Delton Hall and Mean Joe Greene all would have easily made the cut. However, I’m sure if any of these former players introduced themselves to you, they would say, Hi. I’m Jerome, Delton or Joe respectively. They wouldn’t say I’m The Bus, Beltin’ Delton or Mean Joe at a dinner party or church. This brings us to a special group of individuals on my all-name team who would go by their nickname in almost all occasions.

Willis Hope Thompson
Evander Hood
Walter Andrew Brister III
Byron Morris
John Fuqua

You just can’t have an all-name team without Weegie, Ziggy, Bubby, Bam & Frenchy!

Deon Figures

I love names that can also be a phrase or sentence.

Kimo von Oelhoffen

Sorry Bengals fans.

Antwaan Randle El

El yeah!



Dwayne Woodruff

The only reason Woodruff makes this list is because my brother and I used to refer to him as Woodel Woodel growing up. I have no idea why. Maybe I had trouble pronouncing “ruff” which might explain why I called that crime dog McWoodel.

Plaxico Burress
Crezdon Butler
Chidi Iwuoma

These three players would likely compete with Tunch and Orpheus for the greatest first name in team history.

Louis Lipps

One of my favorite players in team history. For the longest time, I also thought that the restaurant Hot Licks was actually named Hot Lipps after the Steelers wide receiver.



Walter Abercrombie

It’s nice to see that he’s done well after his playing days by teaming up with Mr. Fitch in creating a clothing company.

Yancey Thigpen

The first name Yancey or the last name Thigpen alone probably wouldn’t make the list. Yancey and Thigpen together: magic!

Franco Harris

I can’t exclude a man who has his own Italian army.



We’ve now come to the greatest name in Steelers history. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce



Just kidding.



Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala

This is clearly and I would say unanimously the top name in Steelers history. Chris Berman and the ESPN football crew are a little tired these days; however, the highlights of them saying that this running back was a bad Mala Fala still makes me smile. Besides, Fuamatu-Ma’afala is only one of two Steelers that has an apostrophe in his name. (The other is the memorable Ta'ase Faumui, a fourth round draft pick in 1994. You don’t remember Faumui?)

Please note that this list is for entertainment purposed only. Don’t freak out if I missed someone. With that written, please share players I missed in the comments section below.

Trivia Tuesday: Name the Artist

Although I remain undecided about the future of Trivia Tuesday, I still continue to roll out new editions. I just can't quit TT! Your challenge today is to name the artist based on the Mr./Mrs./Miss song titles below with the year the songs were released.

1. Mrs. Robinson (1968)

2. Mr. Roboto (1982)

3. Miss Independent (2008) - The answer is not Kelly Clarkson

4. Mr. Brownstone (1987)

5. Ms. Jackson (2001)

6. Mr. Grieves (1989)

7. Mr. Jones (1993)

8. Mrs. Officer (2008)

9. Miss Murder (2006)

10. Mr. Tambourine Man (1965)


As always please leave your answers in the comments section below and do not use the internet for assistance. Good luck!

This quiz is courtesy of the fine folks at Stump Trivia.

Conversation with a Wegmans Cashier (I’m Not Old!)

This is an actual conversation that I had with a male Wegmans cashier in his late teens/early 20s on Sunday afternoon.

Cashier (upon seeing that I’m wearing a Steelers T-shirt) - Are you a Steelers fan?

Me (in my head) - No. Actually, the Baltimore Ravens are my favorite team. There’s nothing I like more than wearing my purple camouflage pants on game days.



Me: Yes. Born and raised in Pittsburgh.

Cashier: That’s cool. Some of my favorite artists are from Pittsburgh. They’re more my generation. I like Wiz Khalifa.

Me (in my head) – Like other people of my generation, I listen to Pat Boone and Bing Crosby regularly on my record player.

Me - and Mac Miller?

Cashier (amazed that I knew Wiz Khalifa & Mac Miller) – Yeah. He’s awesome.

Me - They both went to the same high school. I have some friends who went there too. I’m always amazed that these two rappers went to Allderdice. (Yes, I’m dropping knowledge on you, son!)



Casher- Cool. Did you know they’re filming the new Batman in Pittsburgh?

Me (in my head) – I’m sorry. Bat man? Is this some sort of an experiment where someone breeds a bat and a man and they film it? Interesting.

Me (alternative thought) - You mean one the biggest movie in the world? I had no idea. Maybe I would have known if I read my blog.

We ended up talking about the film and his disappointment about seeing so much online already. (Perhaps Andy Greenwald was right.) He was also quite excited about the $5 coupon I had for Similac formula, although he needed assistance from a manager to enter the specific code. Additionally, the cashier stated that he only got three hours of sleep last night. Good times all around!

Calling All Alcoholics

If you drink alcohol, these two advertisements directly next to each other in Tuesday's Express are for you:



I wonder if Express put these ads next to each other intentionally. My guess is no.

Fighting Batman and Other Links

There is a bit of a ridiculous article on Grantland titled "Dear Pittsburgh: Leave Batman Alone" critical of how folks are treating the filming of Batman. I have seen no complaints from anyone associated with the film as they, especially the movie company, probably love the buzz. Anyway, I felt the need to contact the author, but since he didn't have an e-mail address posted, I contacted Grantland directly.

Dear Grantland,

I am writing to respond to the “Dear Pittsburgh: Leave Batman Alone” column by Andy Greenwald. While I agree with the premise of the story that Pittsburghers should let the filmmakers work in peace, there are certain aspects that make this request impractical. First, the film used nearly 10,000 extras to fill Heinz Field for the football scenes. When you incorporate several Pittsburgh Steelers, including QB Ben Roethlisberger and Dancing with the Stars Champion Hines Ward, along with Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and former coach Bill Cowher, into the movie, that’s national news which will naturally receive coverage. If Cleveland brought out their football stars, um Peyton Hillis and Colt McCoy, for the filming of Avengers, you would see the same pictures and videos throughout the internet, including the Hollywood Reporter. (Perhaps Cleveland Browns “stars” is a poor example though.)

There is one particular part of the article that is a bit hypocritical. The column starts with a video of the Batwing “flying” through the streets of Pittsburgh. If the author wants people to leave Batman alone, why share the video that is doing the exact opposite by rewarding the individuals who filmed the Batwing and showing off spoilers that people may not want to see?

Sean

I actually received a reply:

Sean,

Thanks for the feedback. You are far from the only person who had that reaction. We’re working on getting our commenting system up and running, but until then, you can respond to Andy directly on our Facebook page. We’re going to talk to him about diving in and answering some of the questions/criticisms leveled at him there too.

http://www.facebook.com/GrantLand33

All best,
The Editors

I didn't feel the need to post my e-mail on Facebook, but I'm curious to see if the author responds.

Speaking of Batman, check out the very cool pictures (like the one below) of the Bat signal with the Pittsburgh skyline. Actually, don't look because you may bother Andy Greenwald. [That's Church]



Congratulations to Get Fresh Designs on five years of blogging. Buy one of his cool T-shirts! [Get Fresh Designs]

An interview of Ron Lippock of the Pittsburgh Daily Sports Bulletin [Behind the Steel Curtain]

Not only are there six Woodland Hills football players almost certain to play in the NFL this season, but there are also four other graduates in training camp and three others about to start playing at Pitt. Go Wolverines! [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

This is funny. [h/t Puck Daddy]

Ted Marshall Open Champion

In one of the greatest achievements of my life, I won the 2010-2011 Ted Marshall Open! I’m sure you are in awe of this accomplishment and feel privileged to read the blog of a champion.* For those of you not familiar with the Ted Marshall Open, it is an annual contest to see who can guess how many television shows will be canceled (or not renewed) during the season. In my fifth year of participating in the Open, I finished first out of 87 entries. Not too shabby!

I’d like to thank CBS for making the excellent decision not to renew Bleep My Dad Says. ABC deserves credit for putting V out of its misery, even though I enjoyed the show and was intrigued to see a how a third season would begin after the show killed off several important characters in the season finale. Oh well.

Most of my selections this past season were shows that you probably never heard of unless you are a student of television or a Ted Marshall Open participant yourself. I did much more research than I probably should have, but it was worth it for a significant cash and prizes I’ll receive as the winner. Not sure why those cash and prizes haven’t appeared yet, but I’m sure they are in tomorrow’s mail.

I’m hoping to defend my title and become a repeat Ted Marshall Open champion. I encourage you to enter as it truly is a different way to watch television. For example, I don’t really like the commercials for a certain new show debuting on NBC this fall. I’m actively hoping that the network cancels the show after an episode to two. Doesn’t that sound like fun? (The answer is yes.) Besides, don’t you want to follow the action of how Two and a Half Men fares without Charlie Sheen? Are you curious about “throwback” shows like The Playboy Club, Pan Am and Charlie’s Angels?

Anyway, I hope that you'll join/challenge me by signing up for the 2011-2012 Ted Marshall Open TV death pool by August 31st.


* Please disregard the dozens of times when I was not a champion of fantasy baseball and football leagues.

Football Version of Tommy John Surgery?

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed former New York Jet wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery last week. This move is expected to help bring experience and depth to the Steelers’ wide receiving corps. The Post-Gazette has a nice article about Cotchery today, but it was this sentence that jumped out to me.

Cotchery's numbers declined last season because of his back injury -- he also led the Jets with eight dropped passes, according to Stats Inc. -- but he had surgery in February to correct the problem.

Despite the dashes including in this text, I’m not the only person who read this as Cotchery getting surgery to help correct dropped passes, am I?



Look at the focus in Cotchery's eyes!

Who You Gonna Call?

I saw a Virginia license plate yesterday that read: GOVEGAN

I applaud the driver for creating a plate in the hope of encouraging Egon Spengler to become Virginia's Governor, even if he/she spelled Egon incorrectly.

10 Years in Washington (Part One)

10 years ago last week, I moved to the Washington DC area, specifically Fairfax County, Virginia, with my girlfriend. We didn’t exactly have a long-term plan, but I figured that we’d be in Washington for a few years and move somewhere else. After a few years, we got married and bought a place. Earlier this year, we had our first child. We both like our jobs, so even though I’ll always consider myself a Pittsburgher, it looks like we’ve made Washington (well, Fairfax County) our home. This is a bit of a reflection on the past ten years.


(Please disregard the arrow by Kensington; This was the best map I found.)

I didn’t have a job when I moved here, so while I sent my resume and cover letter to dozens of places, I paid the bills through temp jobs. My first position was demonstrating how to play a Harry Potter board game at Springfield Mall. I enjoyed the job, but it only lasted three days. My first long-term temp position was primarily spent doing data entry at an educational organization in Alexandria. That’s where I was for 9/11.

Driving to the office, I heard about the first plane crashing into the first tower while listening to Howard Stern. I arrived in the office when the second plane hit. Getting information online was pointless as any news website was extremely slow at best. We listened to the news via radio since the company didn’t have a television. I remember there being a ton of incorrect information reported that day. There was a report of something going on in Pittsburgh, terrorists on a plane in Cleveland and a bombing at the State Department. All of these turned out to be false, but the Twin Towers falling, a plane hitting the Pentagon and another plane crashing near Shanksville, PA were very real. With no one working and cell phone service non-existent (I didn’t even have a cell phone then), the company let us go home around noon. It was a surreal ride home. I worked only about seven miles from the Pentagon and could smell burnt metal in the air. The roads were packed but extremely quiet as no one honked their horns. It was the exact opposite of how traffic usually flows around here.



Things slowly returned to normal in the DC area until approximately a year later when John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo entered our lives. The Washington sniper attacks terrorized the entire area. Over a three week period, ten people were randomly killed and three others injured in Washington, Maryland and Virginia. The entire region was paralyzed as there truly was no rhyme or reason as to why the victims were shot. I worked two jobs at that time including night and weekend shifts at Blockbuster. Part of my responsibilities at the end of the shift was to clean the store windows from the outside. With no on around late at night at a store located not far from the Beltway, in the back of my mind, I worried about being the next victim. Actually, I was probably more upset that I would be identified in the news and obituary as a Blockbuster employee despite having a Masters degree among my accomplishments.

Sorry to focus on the negative and depressing, but 9/11 and the DC Sniper really stand out as the most significant events to occur since I moved to DC. However, I have much more to write. Therefore, consider this part one. I plan on sharing thoughts about being a Pittsburgh sports fan in DC, reliving my California Tortilla experience and trying to determine whether or not I qualify as a Washingtonian in a future entry.

Sean on Rizzo Sports Live

I made my triumphant return to the airwaves last night as a guest on Rizzo Sports Live broadcast in Kittanning, Pennsylvania. Although it appears that the Family Life TV website isn't currently streaming live (or even archive) videos due to website maintenance, you can listen to a replay of my appearance at 12:30 PM Eastern time today on WTYM 1380 AM. Yes, you should be able to listen to the broadcast from your computer.

If you happen to listen to the show, please let me know what you think. Do I sound knowledgeable about the Steelers, Pirates, NFL and US Soccer? I didn't work in nearly as many zings as I would have liked. Actually, I'm not sure that I threw in any jokes. I know that I said, "Donovan's getting older; Dempsey's getting older; and Howard's getting older." I should have followed that by saying that I'm getting older too or that the Landslide will bring them down or something. Missed opportunity.

Trivia Tuesday: Ice Cold Edition

The temperatures in the DC area have been in the 90s the past few weeks, so what’s more appropriate than having trivia questions related to freezing?

1. Slang used in baseball to refer to a hard-hit line drive.

2. Singer who hit the Top 10 in 1998 with “Frozen,” the lead single from her first album in four years.

3. Frozen beverage notably sold by Del’s, a chain of storefronts and carts founded by Angelo DeLucia.

4. Superhero villain played on television by George Sanders, Otto Preminger, and Eli Wallach.

5. Medical ailment known by the scientific name spheno-pala-time gang-lio-neur-al-gia.

6. Big Ten university that has won the Frozen Four hockey championship nine times, more than any other Division 1 school.

7. 1981 hit song and album for the J. Giles Band.

8. Frozen dairy desert most popular in the early 1990s and introduced by New England dairy H.P. Hood in the 1970s.

9. Inventor who developed a means of freezing fish quickly in the 1920s and is regarded as the inventor of modern frozen food and the namesake of a frozen vegetable brand.

10. Element commonly used for freezing in cryogenics and ice cream making because of its very low freezing point of minus 346 degrees Fahrenheit.


As always please leave your answers in the comments section below and do not use the internet for assistance. Good luck!

This quiz is courtesy of the fine folks at Stump Trivia.

Get Me Gael Monfils

On Sunday, Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic defeated France's Gael Monfils in the Legg Mason Tennis Classic final here in Washington DC. However, the point of this post has nothing to do with any tennis action on the court.

The video below is for the song Hello by Martin Solveig & Dragonette. While it is likely that you've never heard of Martin Solveig and/or Dragonette, there's a good chance that you've heard this catchy song.



You may have noticed that this cool video features cameo appearances by #1-ranked tennis player Novak Djokovic and the aforementioned Gael Monfils. This brings the obvious question: Why Gael Monfils? I can just see the casting director going through the World Tennis rankings and being ecstatic at landing Djokovic to be part of the video. Sure, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal said no, but there are other top players, right? England's Andy Murray passed and Andy Roddick is busy being married to Brooklyn Decker, so now there's a little concern.



The producer inquired about contacting Pete Sampras or Andre Agassi but the director wants a current male player. Uh oh. Maybe 5th-ranked Robin Soderling who reached the French Open finals twice would be interested. No he has another engagement.

Then the casting director had a brilliant idea to get the injury-prone 7th ranked player in the world, Gael Monfils. He's almost a household name based on his semifinal appearance in the 2008 French Open. Monfils was shocked by the invitation, but quickly accepted.

How Michael Dukakis Could Have Won

While I'm going to date myself by the title of this post, this is something that happened only a few days ago. Arturas Zuokas, the mayor of Vilnius, Lithuania, drove a tank over an illegally parked car. According to the brief story in yesterday's Express, "Zuokas says that he is infuriated with motorists who park their luxury cars anywhere they want."



If Democratic Presidential candidate Michael Dukakis drove a tank over a luxury car instead of his tank joy ride, he may very well have defeated George Bush in 1988. I think the History Channel would agree with me.

Random Ramblings & Questions

I’m currently reading the Life of Pi about a shipwrecked teenager who gets stuck alone on a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific with a tiger, wounded zebra, orangutan and hyena. It’s a fascinating story that I will likely finish later today. Has anyone else read it? If so, is there any chance this is a true story? I don’t want to search online for an answer in case I read how the book ends somewhere.

The NBA locked out its players. Meanwhile, the WNBA, owned and operated by the NBA, is still active. Why hasn’t the NBA locked out the female players? Shouldn’t the WNBA players strike to support their male counterparts against the same owners?

When will there be a new Harry and the Hendersons film?



I’m not ready to think about fantasy football yet, but most of my leagues have started setting draft dates. Is Adrian Peterson still good and a likely top three draft pick?

Trivia Tuesday Returns

This could be a big week for the future of Trivia Tuesday. The previous editions of Trivia Tuesday have not gone very well, though the subjects may have been less than ideal. I think this week’s questions are fair, so I expect full participation people! Your challenge is to identify these people with the same name. Please note that the spelling of the names may differ in some cases.

1. Star of “Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper” and Bad Boy Records rapper.

2. Calvin Klein model and host of “Antiques Roadshow” and “The Moment of Truth.”

3. Singer of the 1986 country hit “Give Me Wings” and U.S. Olympic gold medal winning sprinter.

4. “Shoeless” baseball player and British musician who wondered “Is She Really Going Out with Him?”

5. Wild West outlaw and motorcycle enthusiast who hosted “Monster Garage.”

6. 1930 Grand Slam winning golfer and founder of an evangelical university in Greenville, South Carolina.

7. Host of a 1990’s MTV talk show and Carolina Panthers running back.

8. Folk-pop musician born in Hawai’i and world heavyweight boxing champion from 1908 until 1915.

9. A character referenced in nautical mythology and member of the Monkees.

10. Director of the football parody movie “The Comebacks” and three-time Super Bowl winner.


As always please leave your answers in the comments section below and do not use the internet for assistance. Good luck!

This quiz is courtesy of the fine folks at Stump Trivia.

What Happened to Debbie Gibson?

It seems like only days ago when I wrote about my excitement of the return of Debbie Gibson. After seeing her performance on Friday's Good Morning America, I'm not as enthusiastic. Take a look.

Let's start with the positive. Debbie really looks great. It was also nice of her to give Right Said Fred some work. However, Debbie doesn't sound nearly as good as she did 20 years ago. In addition, why exactly is she rapping in the middle of Only in My Dreams? I don't get it. This performance reminded me of Sophie B. Hawkins on the underrated and underappreciated NBC show Hit Me Baby One More Time. (I have no idea why I can remember parts of this show but I can't remember what I ate for dinner last night.) Hawkins starts off fine but quickly started losing her breath. In response, she decides to turn on the sex appeal by taking off her shirt and waving it over her head. Through the power of YouTube, I found the video. (It is suitable for work unless your HR department frowns upon Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover. My description makes it sound much more risqué than it is.)

   

Notice any similarities between the two performances?