The Sopranos: Week 4 Autopsy

Tony's inner battle with betrayal continues this week with Hesh, a long time friend of the family - especially Tony's dad. A definite pattern is being displayed as Tony has now had an issue with a person close to him in every episode: Bobby, Christopher, Paulie and now Hesh. With the exception of Christopher, Chase has tried to make us feel like Tony was going to take each of the other offenders out. The important thing to note is that each of the three characters actually thought Tony might whack them. I think two things are going on here. One is that Chase wants you to feel what it's like to be in the mob - that someone you've known your entire life could flip on you in a second. Second is that even though we get to see these mobsters behind their facades at home and they are "humanized" - they are still killers and will do whatever they have to in order to survive. I originally thought Tony would end up in jail at the end of this season, but I'm starting to think he may just retire like Little Carmine. There has been some foreshadowing to this sprinkled throughout the first 4 episodes. Carmela is fed up with everything especially the fear of being left like Ginny Sack with nothing, Johnny Sack dying in jail, the conversation with Bobby about how mobsters go out (in prison or in a box) - clearly he's thinking about it. The one thing I didn't really get last night, and I like my favorite shows to stay on-track, way they facilitated Tony killing Hesh. I really don't ever remember Tony gambling much in past seasons. Sure, they went to casinos and had card games - but I don't remember him borrowing large sums of money or betting huge dollars on a horse race. If they only trumped up his gambling to have a reason to be mad at Hesh, I think they could have come up with a better story line. It seemed out of character to me to start portraying Tony as a big stakes gambler when they never alluded to it in the past. Now that Hesh has been paid off - we'll see where they take the gambling story. Also brought back into play in this episode was the trouble at home with Carmela. Since they reunited there really hasn't been any serious problems but he went after her hard last night - attacking her money, her house and her business acumen. "I'm sorry" hardly makes up for everything he dumped on her for not allowing him to gamble her earnings away. I have to say, I have no idea where the story will take us next week. Tony has been dropping hints like crazy that he doesn't trust his own guys, they aren't making him much money and he feels contempt towards all of them but Sil. I like the way they furthered the story line between Tony and Phil - bringing Veto's kid into the mix and the money his mother wants. One more log got added to the fire for their inevitable showdown.

Chrissy Two Coats Rejoices

The Patriots traded a 4th round pick today for Randy Moss...a steal if he behaves himself. What I can't fathom is that Green Bay has been interested in Moss for the past few weeks. Are you telling me that they couldn't do better than a 4th round pick? What I know is that the Packers lost Ahman Green in free agency and they need a RB to help Brett Favre. They passed up the 2nd best RB in the draft and then they didn't trade for Moss. It makes you wonder what they're doing. The Patriots, on the other hand, know exactly what they're doing. If their passing game is successful with Caldwell and Brown starting - what's it going to be like with newly acquired Donte Stallworth and Randy Moss? Belichik is probably getting close to retiring and this is an effort to have a killer offense for a year or two before he goes. If Moss dogs it on a few plays - I can't wait to see the fireworks between the two of them. As far as Brady Quinn goes, apparently he wasn't "all that and a bag of chips". You know the Dolphins consult Dan Marino on a lot of issues and I think the kid's accuracy really came into play. A lot of things are coachable - I don't think accuracy is. He has grit and moxy and Steve Young can cry all he likes - but a lack of accuracy is going to be more pronounced in the Pros with tighter coverage and faster defenders. The pass rush is also going to be more fierce and the lineman are taller to throw over. For the life of me, I don't understand why he wanted to play for the Browns. The team isn't good enough to give him a supporting cast. Let's hope he doesn't pull a Ryan Leaf. Wait a minute...this is a Steeler site....let's HOPE he pulls a Ryan Leaf!

A Linebacking Punter!

Interesting. Here's the punter we needed. Best punter in college football history and he used to be a linebacker. He should be fun to watch on coverage. Daniel Sepulveda, welcome aboard. What the heck....do we not NEED a young offensive lineman????

Steelers Add DL In 2nd, Bone Up 3rd

The Steelers added much needed depth to the DL in the second round yesterday by drafting Lamarr Woodley. It's great insurance if one of the starting three ends up injured and he could start by next year if they switch to a 4-3 front. At 269 pounds, he could almost play inside linebacker. Read about him here.

Now, for something that makes absolutely NO sense to me whatsoever - we drafted a TE in the 3rd round. Huh? What? A Tight End??? Why!? With Heath Miller and Jerame Tuman already in the fold, couldn't we just sign an undrafted free agent TE after the draft is over? From reading this guy's draft report, he doesn't seem like anything special. He's listed as a slow, short range passing target. If he's an exceptional run blocker, that will give away whats coming if they sub him for Miller in the middle of a drive. I just don't get it. I wouldn't have been looking for a TE in this draft at all. Can somebody try to explain the logic here. Is he a demon on special teams or something? Is he a backup long snapper? Does he have photos of Kevin Colbert in a compromising position? Matt Spaeth? I would have rather seen the punter Still A Dog mentioned here! I truly think this was a wasted pick and I can't wait to read what others are saying.

Guitar Hero.....NOT!

How old is this kid? I couldn't find any information on him. This is what I'm talking about. If he was busy playing a virtual guitar video game, he would have never gotten this good.

Timmons, Our New Man

Well, we now have our very own "LT". Lawrence Timmons became a Steeler today around 3:45 PM with the 15th pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. They had their man because they didn't wait very long to make the pick. I was kind of hoping they would go OL because I think the need is greater there as Timmons may not even start, but LB was one of the three positions I thought we would go after along with DL. Now, if Mr. Cowher was still in charge, Timmons would have no shot to start - even if he outplays Silverback or Haggans in camp. We'll see how Tomlin handles it if Timmons is clearly deserving to start. At the very least, he can cut his teeth on special teams and hopefully cut down some return men.

Oprah Should Suggest This Book!

Everybody that has a daughter has to cringe when they hear the horror stories coming out on news magazine type shows about how our kids keep getting more and more mature at an earlier age. I know I do. One of the biggest influences on our kids besides us parents are the other kids they hang around and spend time with. My wife and I are very picky about our daughter's friends and to this day, there are only a handful of families that we feel completely comfortable with when she is not with us. In a perfect world, if she is spending the day with a friend and another family, we'd like those parents to have the same parenting style and values that we have. The person who recommended this book to me is just such a person. Hopefully our daughters will still be close when they hit the teenage years because the lessons in this book are even more valuable then - and if they double date, I can rest assured knowing that we will be delivering the same type of speeches to the young lads who come knocking on our doors. I don't want to get into too much detail from the book. I already subscribed to a lot of the ideas that are presented and there are a few small items that I actually don't agree with 100%, but you don't have to agree with everything the author says to gain a lot of knowledge from the book. I starting reading this as soon as it was recommended to me and then halfway through, it got lost in the shuffle of the Christmas season. I recently "found" it again and finished it quickly as it's not very long at all. Anyway - the book gets my highest recommendation and it's nice to know that the dads I see the most (Chrissy Two Coats, Nova Joe, CC, 6-Mo, Doug E. Fresh & Add A Lot) have a lot of the same beliefs that I do.

Idol Gives Back: Circular Logic?

My family watched American Idol's special event "Idol Gives Back" last night. My daughter was excited because Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood were going to be on and perform. They showed clips throughout the night of kids in Africa who are starving and dying from malaria. As it turns out, a $10 mosquito net can save 5 lives. At one point in the show they said enough nets could save over a million lives per year. Now, don't think I'm not sensitive to the subject because my daughter got online and we made a donation....and this is basically me trying to be funny.....but if they don't have enough food now and people are dying all over the continent from starvation - aren't the 1,000,000 people saved from the mosquito nets just adding to the food shortage? Sorry. Trust me, if Sam Kinison was alive and still doing stand-up, I'm sure he'd point that out as well ("see this? it's sand......."[start at the 4:00 mark]). I know the real solution is to have enough money so that nobody dies from a mosquito bite or malaria. It's sad, but equally sad were the clips of kids right here in the US with some of the same issues. As bad as the little girl felt who's mother works three jobs and they still can't pay all the bills, I don't think she'd trade places with one of the kids in Africa for two seconds! Seeing the clips is much worse than just reading about the poverty level there. Try explaining to a seven-year-old that being born in the USA is like hitting the life lottery. "Why don't they have enough food?" is a very valid question and a very hard one to answer. I'm not sure I did a good job of answering it last night.

Talent?

This was posted on a site I monitor for cool clips. My problem with this is...why not just buy the kid a real guitar? A cheap electric guitar has to be WAY cheaper than an Xbox and "Guitar Hero". If the kid can memorize all that crap at 8, he may be a prodigy. I'd have a real guitar in his hands watching old Stevie Ray clips so he can pick up real fret work...not pushing a button on a guitar which relates to nothing. I'll bet the best kid in the school at XBox baseball can't hit or throw worth a lick. For all I know, he can play a real guitar, but I doubt it. If he could, why would he be messing around with an inferior thing like GH? Click here to see the clip I posted a while back of the real playa!

B-I-N-G.....No!

Will somebody please stop the insanity! I admit, tv sucks these days. With the noted exception of The Sopranos, I watch more shows designed for children than I do adults. The quality just isn't there. Some people complain about reality shows, but until sitcoms and dramas come back to the point where there is quality on every night, we're going to keep getting hit over the head with this stuff. That brings us to prime time game shows. I loved "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" the first year it was on. The thing is, once they were airing it 3 nights a week - I got sick of it. "Deal Or No Deal" appealed to me at first because I love rooting against people once they get too greedy! I call a guy making $30k a year passing up $125k to take a 10% chance at $200k "must see tv". Idiots. There have been horrible, just horrible ideas that have made it onto tv as reality or game shows. I can't believe they weren't shot down in meetings, unless it was the 'higher ups' who had the "great" ideas in the first place. Remember McEnroe's show, what was it, The Chair? Fox countered with The Chamber. Yikes! Early versions of Survivor and The Apprentice were watchable, but they went stale faster than an opened bag of potato chips. America's Got Talent? America has a fixation with bad tv is more like it. For every hit, there are 5 duds. Erik Estrada trying to be a real cop? Temptation Island? Look how many people tried to copy Ozzy. Gene Simmons, Britney Spears, Bobby Brown...the list goes on and on. Starting next week I hear the cameras are going to follow around the bass player from Duran Duran. It's going to be called "Who Gives A Shit?". It took all of that to lead up to what this is really about......National Bingo Night. Are you kidding me? How did this pitch meeting go? I mean...REALLY?! "Hey Bob, you know what we need.......we need Bingo on TV". "That's it! That's the idea we've been waiting for!!!!" I can't think of a more boring concept. There used to be a joke: How do you get 300 cows back in the barn? Put up a Bingo sign. In retrospect, maybe this will work. Anyway, you heard it here first, I am now throwing my hat into the ring for television development. Here are some ideas right off the top of my head:

National Paint Drying Night! - a contestant from the audience, using a roller or brush of his choice, will paint a 4 x 4 section of drywall and then anyone in the studio audience can ring a buzzer when they think it's dry enough to touch. If they touch the wall and it's dry, they win $10k. If they touch the wall and it's still wet...they get a taser to the back of their neck.

Jacked Up! - 4 girls ages 6-10 will play Jacks through their "twosies". After that, contestants will lay bets on each successive level of complexity with the odds being set by "The Bully" who will be based on "The Banker" of "Deal Or No Deal".

How Much Guns? - a camera crew, some contestants and our host (Don Imus?) will wander into some of America's toughest neighborhoods. A random car will be pulled over and all the occupants will be interviewed. The contestants will then write down how many guns they think are inside the car. If they get it right, they get to have their car pimped out. If they miss on the low end, they walk away free. If they miss on the high end, they get a 10 yard head start for every number off they are and they have to outrun the occupants in the car or be beaten to death on live television.

See how easy this is? Any other ideas out there?

With The 15th Pick....

I tried to narrow down the positions last week that the Steelers could pick in the first round on Saturday. After much deliberation, I've decided that they will go Offensive Line. With Hartings retiring, Marvel Smith getting older and Alan Faneca clearly disgruntled - I see no other choice. If they stick with the 3-4, the defensive line has all 3 starters returning. McFadden should move into Townsend's starting spot this year giving us 2 young corners. If they don't draft a stud offensive lineman and the Faneca situation turns ugly - it would be a disaster waiting to happen for Roethlisberger. While he moves around well in the pocket and his QB rating goes up after he's touched - you 'd be an idiot to want your quarterback touched so often. Hopefully before Saturday I'll get a chance to look at some mock drafts and read up on the available OL. Actually, since Still A Dog is the resident college football expert - maybe he can give us a quick rundown.

The Sopranos: A Slanted Review 3

Episode 3 of the second half of the last season was very dark with a lot of mixed messages. Plus, I never know if I'm reading too much into what I see or if I'm right on with what David Chase wants us to think. There were only three story lines in this episode and one was rather short. Phil Leotardo felt disrespected by Doc and took him out - consolidating the NY family to one power - himself. We saw that one coming from a mile away. The second story line belonged to Uncle Junior. Junior was feeling like his old self and had a mini-mob running inside his facility. He would sign 8x10's of himself for an orderly who was selling them on ebay, and in return the orderly would get him supplies and snacks to sell at his poker games and look the other way while the games were going on. Junior had a protege of sorts with a younger Asian patient who clearly worshipped him. He watched in fascination as Junior whipped the ass of an ex college professor for getting in his face. The more he watched Junior in action, the more aggressive he got. After the fight, the doctors changed Junior's meds to try to control him and he finally gave in and "got in line" with the facility's program. This disgusted his young protege who then attacked Junior in a fit of rage after Junior chastised him for interrupting singing hour at the home. Seeing Junior conform pushed the kid over the edge. To me, this short story seemed like a microcosm of Junior's relationship with Tony. He taught him everything and then felt betrayed by him when he took power of the NJ family. Instead of this playing out over 25 years, it played out in a matter of weeks. It also showed the devastating effects of his disease that he could run an operation like a poker game and be the don of the facility, and then moments later he can't remember anything. The third story involves Tony and Paulie Walnuts. A guy they whacked together (Tony's first) over 25 years ago and hid is dug up on a tip from an informant. Tony and Paulie pack up and go to Miami for a few days in case they have to leave the country in a hurry. While on the trip, Paulie gets on Tony's last nerve. He won't shut up the entire trip and leaves a trail of stories (to anyone who will listen) on the way down and once there that Tony starts to worry about. They hook up with Beansie who is in a wheelchair thanks to Richie April. Paulie again starts telling stories to hookers and Tony worries when he even mentions some names and places. He has a heart-to-heart talk with Beansie where he is finally convinced (for the time being) that Paulie is just lonely and his legacy is his stories and reputation as a badass. After almost starting a fight before getting a deal signed with some Cubans, Tony has seen enough and asks Paulie to go deep sea fishing. Paulie rightfully so has flashbacks of them killing Pussy on a similar trip. He even dreams about Pussy that night. Tony confronts Paulie again on the boat about tipping off Johnny Sack about a joke Ralph made about Ginny. Paulie denies he did it (though he did) and even though Tony has thoughts of putting the old man out of his misery - he doesn't. In the end, I read it as he just wanted to see Paulie a little nervous. He's thinking if he can put it in Paulie's head that he could be whacked - maybe he'll straighten up and quit annoying Tony so much. The two stories of the elders kind of parallel each other as Tony learned under Paulie as well and is now disgusted with him - much like Junior's protege. The weird thing in play is how Chase has made us believe in 2 out of 3 episodes that Tony could have taken out both Bobby and Paulie - two of his closest partners. It's been alluded to that mobsters end up dead or in jail and you can see that Tony is getting paranoid to some extent about his own people. Even Carmela made mention that at the age they are at - should they still have to live "like this" referring to Tony going on the lam for a few days. This episode didn't further my theory that T will end up in prison except for the fact that the feds were looking into a 25 year old murder to try to tie Tony into it. In the end, the murder was hung on Ritchie April so Tony could return to Jersey.

Mini Camp Slide Show

Click Here

Alec Baldwin: Return Of The Cock

I thought I was going to put this "Cock" piece to rest. If you're a new reader, I used to do a "Celebrity Cock" shtick whenever somebody boned up in public....which was too often for it to remain funny. I would replace 1 word in some of their most popular movie titles with the word "cock". I admit - it's not for the squeamish. While I like smart, high brow comedy like John Stewart and Dennis Miller....I also love the filthy stuff by Norm McDonald and the like. If you haven't heard already, Baldwin left his 11 year old daughter a phone mail message where he rants and calls her a "thoughtless little pig". He called her a pig twice. Today on his website he said that all the attention this is getting is hurting his daughter. No dumbass, YOU hurt your daughter. I never really liked Alec for his political rants and especially when he said he would leave the country if Bush won the election. His entire family is full of idiots. The thing is, as he stopped being a leading man and took on smaller character parts, I started to like him. He does a superb job in "The Departed". Oh well, now I hate him for sure. That poor little girl! So, here's to you Alec....you big Cock!

Cock Juice (much funnier than Beetle Cock)

Married to the Cock (just like Kim was!)

Great Balls of Cock!

The Hunt For Red Cock (consideration for top pick)

Prelude to a Cock

Glengarry Glen Cock

A Cock Named Desire

Cocks Of Mississippi

Thick As Cock (my favorite)

Cock Rising (not bad either!)

Pearl Cock

The Cock of Pluto Nash

the Cock in the Hat

Along Came Cock

Mimi's First Cock

Alec is a little, little man. To belittle his daughter instead of just correcting her....and then to blame Kim Basinger for his actions is weak at best. He should have apologized and offered no excuses because there really is no excuse for what he did. There are a zillion parents who have had their children used as pawns in the divorce game. Is he suggesting that every one of them did something of this nature along the way? Arrogant bastard - that's what he is. To read the other "Cock" lists, search the blog using the engine in the top left corner for "Cock".

Blame Sanjaya Voters!

I curse you Sanjaya voters - one and all (and you know who you are). Votefortheworst.com started it, Howard Stern followed the lead - and then it just "snowballed" from there. The same people who voted for him and wanted him to win because it would be "funny" are now going to want to throw-up every time they see his face on TV. Had he been the first of the 24 to be voted off, we may have never heard from him again. Had he been the first of the 12 finalists to be voted off - we may have never heard from him again. BUT - now that millions and millions of people helped "create" this monster, I simply ask, "Who is going to kill it?" I read an article yesterday that his options are without limit. He's going to be in commercials, he may write a book, he'll make the talk show rounds, he could be a model, he could get a sitcom...he could make records, movies - you name it! Remember William Hung? He was only on Idol for 5 minutes and he's still going strong. Imagine what Sanjaya can do with this many months in front of the public. .....damn Sanjayah voters........

Watch NFL Films "Steeler Nation"

Props to Still A. South for posting the link.

When: Nov 5 Where: Heinz Field

Who? The hated Ravens! Are you ready for some football? Thanks to my Detroit Connection (we'll call him Still A. Motor) both myself and Still A. Dog will be heading to The 'Burgh for the Monday Night Football game against the Ravens (Caaaw, Caaaw) on November 5th, one day before my 39th birthday. Does that mean The Dog has to buy my ticket? Nah! I got it covered. The Dog knows more about Pittsburgh than some people who live there as it used to be his stomping grounds, so a sandwich for lunch at a local haunt will do for a birthday celebration. I'm sure I speak for The Dog as well, but the Steeler Game weekend trip that I make every year always ends up being a superb time for me. I get to spend time with my brother from another mother, I get to see my homeboy Big W and the rest of his crazy coworkers from Genco who graciously take us in every year and let us partake at their tailgate party, I get to spend some quality time with Still A. Dad and hopefully cross paths with Cornbread and see some other really special friends that I miss like crazy - and basically just relax knowing I don't have to rake leaves at the house or do anything else but sit, eat, tailgate and spend time with some of the best people on the planet. I can't wait. This gives me something to look forward to.

Global Cooling - Act Locally!

How does the old saying go? April showers bring snow plowers? I don't know about you, but I'm getting sick to death of hearing about Global Cooling on TV all the time. "Global Cooling" this and "Global Cooling" that. It's crazy. Every semi-political show I watch or every topical piece I read - I have to have Global Cooling shoved down my throat. And I just love the facts that these idiots use to make their case! In this week's Sport's Illustrated, there is a blurb in the popular "Go Figure" column where it states that in 2006, exactly 10 MLB games were started with a game time temperature of below 45 degrees. So far in 2007, there have been 34 such games, with more to come. That doesn't prove a damn thing. These Global Cooling nuts don't realize that 1000 years ago there was a year that was colder than this year. I don't know about you, but I am not going take suggestions from celebrities to go out and buy a Hummer or a Suburban in an effort to help heat up the planet. I like cold weather! I grew up in the mountains south of Pittsburgh. I want it to keep getting colder! Next year they may move the start of baseball season to May in order to duck the chilly night games. And what about the lunatic fringe that thinks it's actually getting WARMER every year? Nothing like having your head buried in the sand, huh? I just had a young college student the other day knock on our door because they saw we recycled and asked us to please just throw everything away. The belief is that by not recycling, we can help heat the planet up a fraction of 1 percent. Come on, who are you trying to kid? Me throwing away my Diet Coke cans isn't going to change anything! I don't care if the planet freezes over. It's my grandchildren's children's problem, not mine, although I'm a little upset that now it looks like I'll have to take a Parka with me to North Carolina in June...but whatever - I don't leave the house anyway. We have a heated pool in the back yard, but I'm not going to turn the heat on just to piss off the people who WANT me to use more energy. Screw them.

Still A. South Brings Back Iris

The Sopranos - A Slanted Review 2

Week number two, of the second half of the last season (geez!) saw New York boss John Sacromoni pass away. He didn't get whacked, he died of cancer - which is the same way Tony's old crew boss Jackie April died in season one leaving Tony to take over. It was quick and ugly. I still find it hilarious and would love to know the reasoning behind the story of John's wife being so overweight. I remember they got into her food addiction in one episode where Johnny Sac came home and found her eating a candy bar hidden in the washer. I wonder if she used to be really thin or if John married her as horizontally challenged. He always looked so tailored and she always looked so cheap. It didn't seem to make sense visually, but that's another reason to love the show. I'm guessing it was easier to keep women on the side and get away with things when the person at home may be afraid of losing you and their lifestyle. Anyway, with Sac gone, the New York family needs to come up with a leader. Phil doesn't appear to want it due to his age and health and Doc kills Torch before he can take over. Tony begs Little Carmine to take control and fill the vacuum but he's not interested either. Tony does not want to report or share anything with somebody that he doesn't know or at least respect. He wants to deal with a known entity. As the episode ends, Phil is with crew members and family for the celebration of his dead brother's birthday (which is weird!). He makes a passionate speech about the Leotardo family name and how it was changed at Ellis Island from Leonardo. The angrier he gets, the more he turns his anger towards Tony and especially Tony's cousin who murdered Phil's brother. If you remember, Phil was going to torture and kill Tony B but Tony Soprano got to him first and killed him to make peace with NY leaving his body for Phil to find at the old farmhouse. We're lead to believe that Phil is going to get very violent and take revenge on Tony's family for what happened to his brother. They cut to Tony hugging Christopher at his kid's baptism. They could be foreshadowing Phil killing Christopher, but Tony isn't very happy with Christopher right now either. I'm sticking with Tony ending up in jail to end the series, and Christopher probably won't survive - but I'm not sure if he will be killed by NY or Tony himself. I can't see Tony killing him and if he does, it will leave you with the impression that he was a ruthless killer - as much as they try to represent him as a family man outside of his business. He's already killed Tony B, Big Pussy and recently fought with long time friend Bobby. His mother tried to kill him and so did his uncle. Why would we assume that Chase wouldn't end the series with more inside killings?

It's your honor, Your Honor

Funnier than the word play on "your honor" in Caddyshack.

Steelers: On The Clock

When the new commissioner announces from the podium "Now on the clock, the Pittsburgh Steelers" in a few weeks, I have absolutely no idea what they are going to do. Here are the positions that can be safely ruled out for the #1 selection: place kicker, punter, running back, fullback, tight end, quarterback, safety and center. I am also ruling out wide receiver, but you can never be sure. I don't think they'll take a receiver, but a receiver is needed more than the other positions I mentioned right now. They may even consider a running back before another wideout, but I think the signing of Najeh Davenport will allow them to wait until much later for a running back - if they even draft one. So where does that leave us? Well, on the offensive side of the ball, With Hartings retiring, Marvel Smith getting another year older and Alan Faneca playing the role of "disgruntled fan favorite" this year - don't bet against O Line. The rumor mills had the Steelers looking at Arizona's 5th pick for Max Starks and the 15th pick but don't believe it. In rethinking that scenario - I don't think there is anyone the Steelers covet that much to move up - especially getting rid of a starter and paying out more money to a draftee to do so. On the defensive side of the ball, you could make a case for an addition at all three layers. With the possibility of shifting to a 4-3 in the next few years, a defensive lineman is not out of the question. In fact, we don't have a young stud at any position on the D line. Aaron Smith and Casey Hampton are very good players, but they are also in their prime. A stud rookie or first year player is clearly missing and would provide much needed quality depth at the position. Linebacker is also a position of interest. Losing Porter allows Silverback to move into the starting lineup. However, much like the D line, there isn't a young stud to be found. Farrior has been around a long time. Haggans is a classic overachiever. Foote is better than average, but nothing special. Silverback will keep the swagger going, but is anyone in this group or on the shelf the next Lambert, Ham, Lloyd or Kirkland? For that matter, is anyone even the next Holmes, Chad Brown or J Peezy? Hmmmm, a versatile linebacker that can tackle and cover would be more beneficial to me (considering Tomlin's 4-3 style) than a LB'ing pass rusher in this year's draft. Finally, let's talk about the corners. DeShea Townsend played a number of years before he even started. He is clearly winding down his career and another starting corner has to be groomed. While Ike Taylor had a disappointing year in many people's opinion - he is still their best corner with no questions asked. I'm in favor of promoting McFadden to start opposite Taylor this year. McFadden has showed promise in a bunch of chances and has earned the start in my opinion. Chokely is still on the roster and can be serviceable, but he's never going to start in this league. That gives us 4 true corners, 2 of which are legitimate starters. For that reason only, I think we'll draft a CB, but not in the first round. I'm going to do a little more homework and get back to this subject in the next week - but for right now - if I had to bet on our pick, I'm down to three positions: O line, D line or linebacker. Stay Tuned.........

NORM!

"Women, can't live with them....hey, pass the beer nuts.". I'm not sure the title of this clip is accurate as it says they are all from season #1, but they bring back good memories regardless. Thursday night was something special with Cheers at 9:00 and Night Court at 9:30. Still A. Dad and I rarely missed either. The ladies of the house preferred Cosby at 8:00 and Family Ties at 8:30, but 9:00 - 10:00 was man time. Cheers and The Sopranos would be the only two series I would ever consider buying on DVD. Enjoy!

Is This "Star Wars Kid" ?

This is so disturbing I watched the entire thing...twice. It's so bad, you know it's for real. Goodness. He sure does look like that "Star Wars Kid" who danced all over the internet a few years ago. Damn, he's worse than William Hung!

Slanted #42

I regret that this appears to be a blatant rip-off of an old Far Side. I can assure you that I thought it was original....

Great Don Imus Article

Thanks to Still A. Dog for sending me this link. It's powerful, thought provoking.....and TRUE.

Jason Whitlock nailed this one.

NFL Schedules Steelers for 5 National Games

The 2007 schedule was released yesterday and the Steelers fan base flexed their muscles as the Steelers are in "prime time" 5 weeks out of 17. I'm glad to see that even though they didn't make the playoffs, they still got scheduled for a ton of night games. Let's see how many other teams could pull 5 prime time games without making the playoffs. Also remember that the top 2 most watched Super Bowls include the Steelers. It's just more verification that we have the best fans in the league!

Slanted Sees The Future - Duke Lacrosse

This post is from 1 year ago today exactly. I'm telling you, if you want someone to watch the news and read a few articles on a subject and then give you the straight poop...I'm your man. The DA in this case was trying to win an election, plain and simple. Case closed.

The Sopranos - A Slanted Review 1

I've heard some conversations from friends and coworkers that they thought the first installment of the last nine episodes was boring with the notable exception of their fight. I couldn't disagree more! I thought it was very thought provoking. The fact that the feds picked up the gun charge leads me to believe that my prediction will come true and the series will end with Tony in prison. He even foreshadows it a bit when he tells Bobby while fishing that it usually ends in prison or a coffin for guys like them. Christopher still may get whacked as Tony also voices his displeasure with his heir apparent to Bobby. Some other things I either picked up on or I'm reading too much into: Janice's parenting style. She talked the entire episode about parenting and how their parents caused them to be who/what they are - yet she really does no parenting herself. She has her nanny do almost everything while she barks out orders. Something else I picked up on was Tony urging Carmela to tell Janice the story of the child almost drowning in a pool. Since they have a house on the water and Janice is a worrier by nature, I think Tony did it knowing that the thought will eat Janice alive. later in the episode she flips out that the girl is in knee-deep water with Carmela. They were also setting us up to worry about what Tony was going to do to Bobby after the fight. They left together, drove down a side road, Tony making the comment about turning the air conditioner on since Bobby was sweating, Carmela & Janice both nervously looking at their watches....even though Carmela defended Tony when Janice was hinting at his temper and vindictive nature. As it turned out, Tony turned to more of a psychological solution to the problem. Years ago he would have beaten or killed Bobby for sucker punching him. Now, he asked Bobby to murder someone to get a better deal on stolen drugs after Bobby just discussed with him the day before that he's kind of glad he never had to kill anyone in the line of duty. Bobby's dad didn't want him to carry on the family tradition of being an exterminator, and Bobby was also fearful of all the new DNA testing that can be done. How appropriate then that as he shot and killed the target, the guy ripped off a piece of Bobby's shirt, most definitely containing DNA evidence. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. There was some talk on the pier from Carmela about how they almost bought a summer house and they mention the mansion that Bobby & Janice live in (that Tony got from Ginny & Johnny Sack) a few times as well. Maybe Tony is a little jealous of Janice and he's now going to assign Bobby some more serious tasks and whatever happens happens. If Bobby gets nailed or killed, I can already hear Tony yelling at Janice "You asked for this, you wanted him moved up!". I think when this show goes off the air, they should hold a funeral for good television.

Mrs. PacMan In Denial

As the league gobbled up Adam Pacman Jones today by suspending him for the entire 2007 season, his mother told reporters "I just pray that this can be changed. This is not fair for him. It's just not fair." Nice. Maybe if she would have kicked his ass a few times when he was younger, this wouldn't have happened. What a poor attitude to have. You'd think she'd be embarassed or in tears. She should be lucky he's still alive. It's shocking that a man making millions of dollars can't control himself in such a manner that the police don't need to question him 10 times in less than 2 years. Yeah, I don't know what it's like to grow up as Pacman did, but I do know that hundreds of other NFL players have - and I don't have to read about them every 6 weeks for getting in trouble with the law. If I was the paralyzed bouncer in Las Vegas - I'd be afraid for my life. After Jones "Rain Dance" where he threw $80k into the air - a scuffle ensued between his posse and bouncers. A man was shot. This is crazy. Couldn't he just order up some escorts to his room? I know if I was in a position to hang out and party with sports celebrities - I would leave immediately if this joker or Chris Henry showed up. Heck, I'd leave if ANY Bengal showed up. When will these kids learn? Maybe the league should change it's policy to deferred payments. You still earn what you earn, but can only make $250,000 in any one year. The rest is kept as a kind of pension to be paid out over the rest of their lives. These guys would buy their Ferrari and then almost be out of money. It would certainly teach them to live better than 97% of the population, but still not allow them to go crazy. I think I'll write a letter to the league.

Jerry Rivers is Rong

This clip is good to the last drop.

I understand the point Geraldo (Jerry) is trying to make, but you cannot deny Bill's point - had the man been deported, that's one less person driving drunk in the country and the chance for DUI fatalities would have went down ever so slightly where this man lived (illegally). I back Bill's point 1000%.

No AJ Rumors On Sopranos

I absolutely cannot wait until tonight. The Sopranos final run will begin tonight with the first of nine new episodes. Some places are taking bets as to which main characters will get "whacked" by season's end. I've been a devoted fan of the show since it debuted and I've seen every episode. Most people are guessing Christopher or Paulie will not survive to potentially star in a Sopranos big-screen film. Talk of a movie is the only thing keeping Tony alive in my opinion. Without him, there's no chance for a film. I made a prediction last year that Meadow would get caught up in a law case against Tony in some manner since she works for a "do good" firm. That could still happen in some regard. Maybe she'll put him in jail to keep him alive in some scenario and the film could start when he gets out. Who knows? I know I'm not going with conventional wisdom on who gets whacked. My guess is AJ. The more AJ gets involved, I think there's a better chance it will be him who gets killed. I know I just can't wait to turn out all the lights at 9:00 PM, sit in my favorite seat and wait for the low bass notes which indicate the show is about to begin......

Poker In The Front

I was actually part of the greatest hand of cards I've ever seen in a live poker game this weekend. It might not be that exciting to some because I've only been in about 10 games over the past 2 years, but it really got the adrenaline flowing. We had six people start a winner takes all Hold 'Em tournament at mi casa last night. Our house is full of relatives and we were kind of tired of kid related activities by 10:00 PM. We all started with $22 in chips. One by one, players were eliminated until it was down to my sister-in-law, my nephew (in 9th grade) and myself. We took turns being the chip leader until my sister-in-law was eliminated around midnight. From that point on, my nephew and I traded top positions until about 1:30 AM when I won a hand on a flush while he had two pairs. After the river I bet $25 and he called....lucky for me. At the time I was probably down $90-$40. Shortly after 2:00 AM I dealt and looked at my pocket cards and immediately forgot what they were - they didn't excite me that much. By this time we had eliminated all quarter and fifty cent chips from the game and $1 was the lowest bet. We both put in $1 to see the flop and I burned and turned the following cards: ten of spades, queen of spades, king of spades. I was too busy saying how surprised I was that we kept flopping possible straights to see what he was doing. He went "All In" for the first time all night. It equalled $50. I was still contemplating what he had but assumed it was a flush. I had a good chance of having/getting a flush myself and since he bet $50, that meant I had $80. I was caught off guard by him going "All In" so quickly since there was only $4 in the pot. I had to look at my cards again and when I did, I almost fell out of my chair....I had a jack and a nine making the straight. This KID was killing me on pots when he had one lousy pair and was folding when I had pocket cowboys or pocket 10's and I wasn't changing my betting pattern at all. He was just literally killing me on knowing when to fold. I decided to risk the $50 and figured if he pulled a straight Ace high he deserved to win...if he didn't have it already, but I thought he had a flush. I matched the bet which shocked him and then he realized the game was over if I had him beat. It was 2:00 AM and we were busy all day and we were both sleep deprived and punchy. We flipped the cards over and what he had surprised me - he had queen/10 giving him 2 pair. Like I said, I was expecting a flush and an easy win - now I had to sweat through two cards knowing that a 10 or a queen was going to turn the tide in his favor in a big way. I burned and turned.....an 8. He did a little dance while I said a little prayer (actually I cursed the deck rather badly)...burned and turned.....another 8. I've never been part of a mini-tournament that ended on a hand when someone had 10's and queen's on the flop and the other person had a straight. I'm not sure I've ever had a straight on the flop in my short poker life. Anyway, it was a classic hand and I think I'm lucky because he's much younger than me and would have outlasted me eventually. I was close to falling asleep! Props to Pita. There ain't gonna be no rematch!

Identity Crisis?

I've read everything I can get my hands on concerning Mike Tomlin since he became the new head coach. I was excited every time I read about his defensive philosophy. Schemes don't matter, just crush people seems to be his mantra. He likes to dominate on defense, create pressure, attack...intimidate - all Steeler characteristics. So why talk about an identity crisis? Because new offensive coordinator Bruce Arians just dropped this quote which scares me:

"When you think of the Colts, you think of a finesse offense, but when they came down the stretch in the [2006] playoffs, they had 100 to 150 yards rushing in every game," Arians said. "It's just a different style. You don't have to line up with two tight ends and two backs to run the football. Rushing yards are rushing yards."

He likes 4 wides and he doesn't care what down it is. I would hate to get away from the power running game. It's an attitude that gets instilled in your linemen and gets stronger throughout the course of the game. I agree that 3 and 4 wides would create a lot of space for Willie Parker, but I don't think our O Linemen can gain the attitude by only power running when they feel it's necessary. I hope Arians "gets" that and doesn't try to fit square pegs into round holes.

Slanted #41

Eggs, Rabbits & Jesus Of Nazareth

More Easter humor...people that know less than I do.....

Haley, Mom & Kim....Dr. Dre

This is funny if you like Eminem. This is funny if you DON'T like Eminem. However, you have to be familiar with his material to "get" it.

Giving Up On Lent

Today may be the day that my daughter gets sent to the principal's office in school. She has been sick the last few days and my wife is still sick and home from work. Homework has recently been left all to me. She goes to a catholic school and for those keeping score at home - I am not the most religious person on Earth. Part of the homework due for today stated "Color the symbols for the Lenten Cross, cut them out carefully and bring them in a plastic bag with your name on it." They've had these for a few days but apparently she missed a day when they went over some of the 20 or so symbols. The symbols were about 1.5" square and hand drawn with thick lines making them rather crude with not much detail. I couldn't even make some of them out. Some were obvious, "crown of thorns", "communion bread", "nails". Others? Not so much. I'm not sure if I was too tired to Google these symbols or if I just wanted to get to the math part of the homework since she had a test today, but when she wasn't sure of the meaning of the symbol...I just decided to make something up. She questioned me about the outline of something that looked like a chicken trying to scream. Why is this chicken in obvious distress? Was the site of Jesus being nailed to the cross too much for this particular fowl to witness? I wasn't sure. I told her this was the Lenten Chicken, the one responsible for laying the eggs the Lenten Bunny would hide behind our couch later this week. It was screaming because it hurt every time an egg came out and it had to do enough eggs for each child to have around twenty or so. She bought it. Good. One down. I had a feeling it was a rooster and there was something to do with the rooster crowing at dawn or something, but since I wasn't 100% sure, I went with the Chicken story. It seemed more plausible. Next, a set of dice and what appeared to be cloth. Dice? I went to Sunday School and Church every blessed Sunday between the ages of birth and 18. I cannot recall one story where Jesus and his friends were rolling bones. Frustrated, I told her Jesus (dice, die) DIEd for our sins. This morning, when I had more time to Google the answer because I was at work and not home, I discovered that the guards were rolling dice to see who got to keep his clothes. Rats. I was 0-2 on religious facts that most 2nd graders know. The last one that we weren't sure about was roundish with circular holes and/or craters on the surface. Then it hit me....this was the Lenten Asteroid that fell to Earth and miraculously was the exact size (both width and height) to cover the tomb entrance where Jesus' body was laid to rest. There. Finished. Well, she didn't quite buy that one and thought it looked like a sponge. Ah, yes. But darn if I could remember if it was used to wash some of the wounds or to give him something to drink. I read this morning it was to drink.....wine. I guess there were no open container laws back in the day. I started to regret the fun I had with the Lenten Cross symbols when my daughter demanded my wife get her a Lenten Snack...she was hungry...and then chased the Lenten Cats around the house. Mom was not pleased. I was in deep Lenten Doo-Doo.

AJ Smith to Cowher: "You're Hired"

What an interesting turn of events today. While I didn't believe the rumor site I was reading - ESPN officially has this on their NFL links. It's a sad day for Steeler fans everywhere. Can you imagine how Marty Schottenheimer must feel? At meetings late last week concerning the draft, AJ Smith and Alex Spanos both strongly disagreed with the Charger's newly hired coach Norv Turner's decision for the direction the team should go. Both sides became animated with Turner apparently leaving the meeting without exchanging olive branches. An inside source claims Turner was supposed to have input on all personnel decisions but so far has been squashed by AJ Smith at every turn. Turner was supposedly allowed to make the 2nd pick after Smith and Spanos get their man in the first round. At the meeting Turner was told he no longer had to scout the 2nd or 3rd rounds, but he could finish out rounds 4 through 7. Turner blew up and threatened to quit AND THEN found out that's exactly what the front office wanted. It seems AJ Smith met with Bill Cowher two days before long-time Cowher mentor and friend Schottenheimer was let go. Cowher named his price and Smith was dealing with Spanos' deep pockets and agreed to the price in principle. After Marty was let go it was speculated that Cowher's last concession point was living in North Carolina during the off-season. He was asking for Spanos' private jet to fly him back and forth across the country every other Monday and the Charger's bye week during the season. When Spanos balked at the request, Cowher pulled out of the secret deal and it never made the papers. Turner was hired but the decision did not resonate with fans. Embarrassed by the backlash from the fans and the national media - Spanos was energized to close the deal with Cowher once and for all. Smith was sent to NC for meetings and was spotted there by media personnel but it was covered by the fact that they were also looking at a draft pick from Eastern Carolina. Once Cowher agreed to the new terms (him flying home every other Monday while Kaye & family get flown out once a month for a week) the only matter left was to fire Turner before he could hire a staff. While first considering asking Turner to move to the front office in order to make room for Cowher, it was decided by Spanos that Smith's ego wouldn't allow it. The plan was then concocted to promise Norv certain picks in the draft and then take them away. It all came to a head earlier today for Norv. Once reality hit him, he stepped aside like a gentleman (since they agreed to pay him for this year - $5 million dollars). Cowher, who said he left in order to be with his family - will now look like a money hungry trader to the team, the front office and especially us fans. The reported deal will make him the highest paid coach in the league. It's guaranteed for 5 years and $50 million dollars. Yes, Mr. Cowher is the first $10 million dollar a year coach. Asked about Hines Ward's comments in a magazine earlier this month where he speculated that if Bill coached too early some players may not forgive him, Cowher said "I'm surprised and sorry Hines feels that way seeing that he knows firsthand that you have to take action to take care of yourself." - obviously referring to Ward's contract holdout the year of the Super Bowl run. I'm not sure how I feel about this yet as it hasn't sunk in. I really thought if and when he did come back, he'd go to an NFC team. I guess I was wrong. I guess we were all wrong. In actuality, we were all fooled by his act this day in April.

Steelers Trading Up Again?

More than a few rumor websites have the Arizona Cardinals and former Steeler's coaches Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm trying to trade for Max Starks. The Steelers would send Starks and their 15th pick in the first round to the Cardinals for their 5th pick in the first round. Likely? I don't think so. Is Starks that coveted? Grimmy must think so. Now, is it worth it for us to move up 10 spots? Again, I don't think so. Unless our braintrust has their hearts set on somebody way up there, I don't see the team wanting to take on the extra salary and bonus of a top 5 pick. With Marvel Smith aging, can we afford to give up our other tackle? Stay tuned.