Phillies

I used to be the commissioner of a Rotisserie baseball league in college. I was a baseball freak. I collected cards. I owned APBA. During the 1993 season when the Phillies went to the World Series I went to at least 10 games that year. I've been a Phillies fan since 1980 or so. I've been to Camden Yards and Fenway. For God's sake I used to sit on the can as a kid and read the baseball section of The Guinness Book of World Records. I loved Mike Schmidt growing up even though I was a die hard Steelers fan. Why does this matter? Well, the Phillies are about to be the World Champions and I can't even watch a complete game. I haven't watched one yet! Not against the Brewers, Dodgers or Rays. I watched most of some, 3 innings of a few before falling asleep on the couch. I even changed the channel on Sunday to watch True Blood and Entourage on HBO even though I could have DVR'd them. True Blood is starting to take the place of The Sopranos for me....filling a void of good television. Tonight's game will be easy to watch - maybe only 3 innings. You want to know why I love football so much? Just try to watch an entire baseball game. The strike lost me. I'm not back yet. If my own team in the World Series can't bring me back, I guess I never will be fully back in the fold.

Federal What? Teachers & Hospitals

If I just heard Barack Obama correctly in his infomercial, he said he was going to hire an army of teachers and raise current teacher's salaries. Hmmmm, I thought teachers were paid locally? I guess there are federal teachers. Then he talked about the money being spent in Iraq every month and asked a frenzied crowd if they knew how many schools and hospitals could be built here in the United States with that money. That is the most ludicrous thing I've ever heard. He's making it out like if the money wasn't being spent on the war, we'd be building hospitals with it. Excuse me? Again, does the federal government build hospitals in communities? If they do, I'm sorry I didn't know that. If they build schools, I'll say I'm sorry. If Obama saves the money in Iraq, he's going to spend it somewhere else, trust me. Maybe it will be spent on things you personally agree with and that's fine for you. I think it will be wasted, and that's my opinion, We'll see new social programs sprouting up like weeds in my garden. Say whatever you want to say, but please don't act like that money will be spent on things that it won't.

Wind, Solar and BioFuel

I am so sick of hearing this line. Obama is talking about it in his infomercial. McCain says it as well, as has every person that has run for the Presidency since I can remember. We need to get off foreign oil and get on wind, solar and bio. When is it going to happen? It's like Jerry Lewis curing Muscular Dystrophy. Talk about it for 40 years and accomplish nothing.

Slanted Stuff Santonio Holmes and Reefer

I get mad at dip-shits. Really mad. Dude, smoke all the pot you want, I don't care....just don't do it in your moving vehicle. Now we go into the Giants game, a yardstick game, without arguably our most explosive player. Nice. Why these guys do this, I have no idea. Stupidity I guess. I wonder if Santonio knows who Bam Morris is? he of trunk laden with reefer. Santonio has a trunk of another nature I guess. One only need Google images to get that joke. Dude, if you mess up you will be out of Pittsburgh......but then Dallas will sign you so I guess it doesn't matter.

Peyton manning had staph....ouch! That's what ended my favorite Steeler of All-Time's career....Greg Lloyd. Staph is nothing to mess around with. I think they should just cut off his leg.

The Ravens are a bunch of classless thugs. Classless. Class-less. Suggs used the word "bounty" in a radio interview. I can't wait until the next game. I guess they are fine with losing and "acting" tough.

Plaxbacks - I keep having them. Santonio should follow those stories as well.

They Are Who We Thought They Were

Wow. I mean I expected to win, but geez. The Bengals are in complete disarray. They need to fire several people and I fear the head coach might be one of them. Maybe he can come back to Pittsburgh if LeBeau retires anytime soon. Some random thoughts from the game:

When the announcers said at the very beginning of the game that the fumbled snap was a product of the bye week, I say patooties. They still practiced the entire week leading up to the game. They are professionals. They've been snapping and accepting snaps for a long time.

When the announcers said Bruce Arians' offense has evolved, I was thinking, "evolved into what exactly?" I love how they wait for a 39 yard play before they say that. If Hines is tackled right after the catch, does he make the same comment?

I forget who said it, but after an immediate hit of a returner by Ryan Clark, the one announcer made a comment about the Steelers always being good in the kicking game. Huh? What? Are you shitting me? Has he watched this team the last 4 years, cause I have. This is the first year in a long time that I haven't been holding my breath on every kick...and I'm not completely past it yet.

Najeh makes me nervous catching kickoffs. Do you see how high he catches it before tucking it away?

That rookie Rivers got welcomed to the NFL bigtime courtesy of Hines Ward. He'll never do that again without looking around. I think having Hines out there is enough to make those guys nervous on plays like that.

It took 5 guys to tackle Heath Miller. I think Heath and Spaeth are the best 1-2 TE combination in the league. Also, if that announcer said "Two Tights" one more time I was going to throw something through my new TV.

Mewelde Moore may be the free agent pickup of the year for any team in the league. had they not signed him, where would we be?

I've seen maybe 20 games where Leftwich has QB'd. Has he always had that big and slow of a windup, or was it more pronounced today?

Did you see Carson Palmer on the sidelines? He's a young man and he already looks like a 45-year old science teacher. He's like Phil Mickelson. When Phil was 27 he looked 40. Damn! As I get closer to 40 I pay a lot of attention to those things!

I've Seen The Movie, Kerry Collins

...and I know how it ends. The idiot talking heads and writing heads have no idea what to discuss. They talk about the Titans and their chances of going undefeated......which is laughable. They praise Kerry Collins and talk about him like he's the Messiah. Listen people, I don't give a flying fig newton is the Titans go 14-2. What I do know is this - at some point in a playoff game, Mr. Collins will shrink at the opportunity and throw 3 or 4 picks and lose the game. Write it down.

Fast Food Slant

So I worked from home today. Busier than if I was in the office, but with fewer interruptions. At lunch I took my shirts to the cleaners and planned on driving thru at Mickey D's and picking up some grub. The girl at the cleaners mentioned that she usually doesn't see me during the week. I told her my plan for the day and what I was doing for lunch. It was at that point that she told me she was in school to be a nutritionist. Then came the pain.... You know what? I'm a pretty smart guy, I know McD's isn't the healthiest stuff on the planet. I accept that. As long as I'm accepting that, I'd like to accept any other challenge from guys my age who don't eat at McD's to put their blood pressure, blood work, or anything else up against mine. I also saw Fast Food Nation was on a movie channel last weekend. I could only watch five minutes of it, because I just don't care. Still A Sis really doesn't even need to comment on this one because I know how she rolls. There are those out there that truly believe if you read the book Fast Food Nation you won't go to McDonald's any longer. Well, I have a half mile commute or less...and a hankering for some fried moo flesh and a shake (made out of what, I don't even know). You see, it is my belief that the folks who feel that way, must think that when they go to an Outback, T.G.I Fridays or even a Ruth Chris'......that those cows must have access to jacuzzis, massages, Euro shampoos and all the grilled salmon they can eat. When it's their "time", they are lead into a bedroom covered with rose petals and candles where they are blindfolded and moosturbated to death by an exterminator of the opposite sex. No. Stop it! You're kidding yourself. They are in a line, right next to the dude holding a one way plane ticket to McDonald Land. See, I don't care how the cow was killed. When it comes to my food which I so enjoy, it's all about the destination, not the journey. To get an original Chic-Fil-A sandwich, if you have to hang a cute little chickie upside down on a live battery cable while spraying it with water...I'm OK with that. I don't want to be there. I don't want to flip the switch to move the line. But I can accept that that's how I'm getting my chicken sambo. If there is a more humane way to slaughter the amount of cows needed to fill our fast food places, by all means do it and sell them at "Humane Hamburgers" and charge $1 more for them. Me? I'm going to McDonald's.

2008 Philly Distance Run

While I attempted to give the photographer a peace sign while passing him, little did I know it would make me look like I was carrying a torch that resembled a stop light! See how there are no runners around me in this photo? It's a strategy of mine. Fall waaaaay to the back of the pack so that it's so thinned out you can get a really good professional picture taken. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Jambalaya <> Running

If you run...especially early in the morning....you have to be cognizant of what you eat the night before. Several times I've had too many beers and ended up burping my way around Peace Valley Park - my Sunday running destination. One of my daughter's friends had her over Saturday so Still A Wife and I decided to go out to a real restaurant which we rarely do these days. We chose Marsha Brown's in New Hope PA as I've been wanting to eat there for a while now. It's in a converted church on the main drag and it's menu is Creole/Southern. We split a bottle of wine and I had the Jambalaya - thinking it wouldn't bother me the next day if I drank a lot of water and/or milk when I got home. Wrong! I had heartburn the entire night and could still taste the spicy concoction when I woke up to run this morning. The only thing that made the run better was the serenity at the lake. While I was training for the half marathon I was getting to the lake at 6:00 AM and starting my runs just as you could see the trail to follow. The temperatures were between 60-67 and the coldest morning was like 57 when I left my car. That was only a few short weeks ago. Today, I didn't get there until 7 as daylight has been changing - and it was only 39 stinking degrees when I left the house. I still wore shorts and just a long sleeve running shirt, but I did wear thin running gloves for the entire run. It seemed weird to even think about taking them this morning, but seeing a 3 and a 9 and it's not 93 will do that to you. When I got back to the car it was still only 46 but that 7 degrees made quite a difference. The fog coming off the lake was really thick as well. It was cool when the sun hit it just right after coming up. Runners and bikers coming in the opposite direction were almost right on top of you before you could see them. You know...if you were a big chicken (not me of course), you could allow your mind to play tricks on you ...thinking something totally evil could leap out of the fog at you before you could defend yourself......like a vampire....Bigfoot....Hilary Clinton......(shudders)...

30,000 Hits

The Slant's 30,000th hit came tonight. Oddly enough, it was a visitor from Japan and they landed here from a Google search of "Roy Gerela's Gorillas Picture". Sorry that you didn't find what you were looking for, and I couldn't find a photo of the sign either....but I remember it well dangling from the bleachers at Three Rivers Stadium. I bet if we ask Still A Dog, he'll be able to tell us something about Roy Gerela that we didn't know. On a somewhat different subject - a former Steeler from the 1940's that my dad knows from working at the same place recently passed away...Garry Feniello. I was lucky enough to get his autograph signed on the Steelers logo a few years ago. I would assume it's pretty rare. I met him a few years ago after eating breakfast at one of his haunts. Still A Dad took me over and introduced me to him. RIP.

Steelers - Jags Guest Post : The Dog Weighs In

Game Recap By Still A Dog:

Big Ben gave us a gutsy 300-yard, 3 TD performance. James "Silverback" Harrison and LaMarr Woodley caved in the Jags pocket in a classic pinser movement. But as I reflect on last night's win in Jacksonville it's the unsung and taken for granted players that made it happen for us.

To start, those guys are Aaron Smith, Darnell Stapleton, and Chris Hoke. Linemen all. You all will remember how our defense crumbled when Smith did not play at the end of last season. And last night you saw how effective Dick LeBeau's defense can be when Aaron Smith comes to work and does his job. Everything Le Beau does with his safeties and linebackers is predicated on rock solid line play. If the line play is weak, all his fancy schemes and stunts are just French pastry.

And that leads me to the next guy who is taken for granted, Chris Hoke. Hoke has filled in time and again for Fat Casey Hampton. When Fat Casey is out of breath Hoke comes in, when Fat Casey is hurt, Hoke comes in, when Fat Casey is in Tomlin's doghouse, Hoke comes in. And in the last two weeks Hoke has more than filled in for Casey Hampton. He has clogged the middle AND made plays in run stop and pass rush that I dare say I haven't seen Hampton make recently. So if strong line play is essential to Le Beau's defense it is Hoke and Smith that are the reason the talking heads are telling you what a great tackler Troy Polamalu is. I don't even think Troy's the best tackler on this defense let alone the NFL. But John Madden (once a Raider always a Raider) is just a windbag anyway. Hoke and Smith do give us the ability to play Polamalu in some unusual situations that an offense is not prepared for.

And on offense, Darnell Stapleton. I watched his play carefully last night and he is better than Kendall Simmons hands down. Why this man was riding the bench when that putrid Simmons started the first 3 games, I'll never know. But I was very pleased with Stapelton's play. He sealed the lane twice which sprung Mewelde Moore on long runs. And it was not his man that got to Big Ben, not once that I saw. And speaking of other things offensive line related that I don't understand, when Marvel Smith went out why did Trai Essex come in? I thought for sure we'd see Max Starks at LT. He finished the season there last year and did a decent job. We pay the man 7 million dollars but we never see him except as a Tight End in the goal line jumbo package? Have we not all seen enough of Starks and Essex to know which is the better Tackle??

I'm starting to take Jeff Reed for granted too. But those who have lived with lesser kickers know how many gray hairs those guys can put on your head... right Still A. Dad? Reed has simply become "money" on his kicks. It's easy to take him for granted but he is mucho important to this teams success.

And finally, a big hats off to Still A Fan for gushing over the signing of Mewelde Moore. He was so excited when we got that guy I was dumbfounded. I knew very little of Moore's work in Minnesota and did not see a great deal of value in the signing. Yes, we definitely needed a punt returner. But I did not see the man running the ball from scrimmage much. On punt returns, I was happy to just see Moore able to catch the ball which was an improvement over the last couple years of special teams play. But I had no idea he'd do so well as a pass catcher and runner out of the backfield! He is a "shifty" back. Where Willie Parker relies on pure speed, Moore has more moves than a pole dancer in Vegas. Combined with Parker for speed, and Dump Truck (in lieu of Mendenhall) for power, he is a great compliment RB to have. And Fan was justified in his exhuberance at the signing.

No bitching about Arians this week. Makes me wonder how much input Roethlisberger had in the play calling. I venture that Big Ben called a lot more of the game than we know and than we've seen to date.

We got a bye week now which we desperately need at this stage of the game. I hope everybody heals up and we can make a run from here. I am very pleasantly surprised at the team so far. As with everything else, time will tell.

Career Politicians

Isn't it funny how people talk about career politicians. I hate them. I don't trust them. Even if most of their beliefs align with mine, I still think they're mostly skeevy. So, leading up to this presidential election, there has been a lot of talk at my office about politics. I hate talking about politics at work and only offer up points of view if directly asked and only if it's somebody I feel like sharing with. Before either candidate picked their running mate, I had tons of these people agreeing with me that career politicians suck and we need new blood in most offices and seats so that favors don't need to be paid back. "Hell yeah" is the rallying cry. So, the second Palin is announced.....she doesn't have enough experience. Well, she hasn't been in politics too long and look what she's accomplished. I wonder if she was a man if the subject would even be brought up? Joe Biden himself said when John Kerry ran for preident..."he should pick John McCain to run with him". Sounds like a good enough endorsement to me.

Career Leaders

Wow! A story about our own little Benny. Looks like he's growing up just fine. Now, if we can just protect him long enough to have a 10 year career.

Guest Post: Still A Dog on the Ravens

I am really under time stress these days. My "real" job is getting more involved as I asked to be on a high profile project and now it may be too "high profile". Winter swim started tonight and there is practice 4 nights a week and meets on the weekend. I'm trying to launch another website experiment to make money and I've promised a swim movie documentary for summer league and I'm way late with it. Doesn't help that I fried my motherboard the other night. Sigh. Anyway, without his permission, here is Still A Dog's take on the game from an email he sent me earlier today. I don't disagree with a single item.

Soon as Kendall Simmons left the game, the O-line improved. Or was that just a coincidence that around the same time Big Ben went no-huddle and took that f*-head Arians out of the play calling? Hoke did a nice job in for Fat Casey. Silverback is a BEAST especially on Monday Nights and especially against the Ravens. LaMarr Woodley is working his way into being a premier linebacker. What year are the Ravens going to learn that Hines Ward baits them into stupid penalties? He's been doing it for ten years now and they never seem to learn. Terrell Suggs was quoted in the paper this morning saying "They (Steelers) always seem to count on the Ravens doing something stupid." Bottom line: We got to dump Arians ASAP. At least do what the Browns had sense enough to do and take the play calling away from him. WTF? Johnny Unitas called his own plays, Bonehead Terry Bradshaw called his own plays, I think Ben is at a point where he should call our plays. Like I posted on the blog, go out to the Highland Park Zoo and grap a chimp out of his cage to call plays. Anything is better than that filthy c*cks*cker Arians.

Thanks Dog, very enlightening. Sorry I had to edit you a little.....

Still A Dog Posse Member?

Hmmm, this guy looks like he might be part of the Still A Dog posse. Did you used to party with this guy back in the 70's? Actually, if Moe The Dog is out there....there is a part of this video that reminds me of Big Pimpin' W. He used to do Mick Jagger impersonations at the bar and they would put signs up saying he was performing that night. Yup.....Big Pimpin' W did that back in the day.

Dads 1, Shitheads 0

I love this kind of stuff. Not like....love this kind of stuff. I mean I really, really like it. I don't feel bad for him not one bit. Not even a little. Nope. Seriously. I hope what really happened is that he choked him out while the guy was looking at him and he could watch him die. Mother Hubbard had it coming. Maybe instead of security system signs on doors and windows you could just post this story. I have a 3 Iron bedside and the guy's own mother wouldn't be able to identify him if I caight him.