Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

There should be a Go Fund Me page to get Triumph the Insult Comic Dog to attend and film an appearance at next year's Met Gala. There would be no lack in donors for the $35,000 cost of entry. And if a guy dressed as Captain Crunch can attend - why not Triumph? That would be awesome... Richard Feynman, while at CalTech, once wanted to create a diagram or a map showing how all different aspects of physics interacted. He was going to call it a "Guide to the Perplexed." That would also be a good name for either a blog or an online physics or science magazine... Has it really been 12-years since Pete Carroll was the coach at USC? Time flies. Also seems strange that he's now been the Seahawks coach longer than he was the Trojans coach. Kind of like Pudge Fisk actually playing more games for the White Sox than the Red Sox... Went on a neighborhood walk through a local college campus and a wildlife area and I must have seen twenty plus discarded masks. And nobody is picking those dirty face-diapers up... Seeing how it is now pretty much accepted that Andy Dalton is basically a below average starting QB - is it time to reassess Marvin Lewis as a head coach? People used to argue that it was Lewis holding Dalton back when it may have actually been the opposite...  From now on if anyone asks you to wear a mask tell them that you self-identify as a Met Gala party goer... 

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Pete Carroll says Jordan Peterson brought amazing perspective to his coaching staff.

- I really want this car

- 10 principles for living an "antifragile" life

- Awesome

- Interesting interview of Anthony Hopkins. How can you not like "Tony"?

- Awesome - this man is a hero

- Heh Heh - Las Vegas 1 - Capitals 0

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- An Open Letter About Female Coaches by Pau Gasol

- If you don't have time to watch the podcast (Periscope) between Scott Adams and Naval Ravikant - at least take the time to read through the notes (very interesting)

- It got pretty misty reading this thread

- I too want to be Willard Lamb when I grow up

- The Carter Center suspected of providing support to Hamas.

- Interesting - Pete Carroll and Jordan Peterson

- Another thread worth your time

The Mindset of Seattle vs the Mindset of New England

Fascinating read about how Richard Sherman can't let go of Malcolm Butler's interception in the Super Bowl two years ago. The story fills in the gaps as to why Sherman was very publicly on the trade block by the Seahawks this past offseason. The story also helps highlight how great the New England Patriots really are.

I could not help but think while reading the article that you'd never hear a player on the Patriots' defense criticize Tom Brady (even in private I assume) the way Richard Sherman rips QB Russell Wilson. I also kept thinking about all those interviews I've seen over the years of veteran players coming to the Patriots and how surprised they are to see coach Bill Belichick rip into Brady as if he was just another player.

Not like that in Seattle. Not by a long shot.

Personally I love Pete Carroll's credo for interviews of "no negatives". That seems to be a great example to emulate for a happier life but for building a football dynasty? Maybe not so much. The Patriots won the Super Bowl in February but as a team they are already on to the season opener vs the Chiefs in their mindset. Meanwhile the Seahawks' mindset seem stuck on the last game from 2015.

The Patriots have the mindset of a dynasty and that makes all the difference.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share..

- You knew this was coming - Hitler learns about Pete Carroll's goal line call

- Bill Belichick's pre-game "Don't Tread On Me" T-shirt was a tribute to the US Marines

- Heh heh - Kobe tried to warn us!

- Almost starting to feel bad for Pete Carroll...

- He did what?

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

The top Cleveland Indians prospects according to Baseball America. I find it interesting that they project Nick Hagadone to be their #1 starter and Justin Masterson to be their #3 starter in 2013. Those are the two players the Indians got from the Red Sox for Victor Martinez... You do so much better at poker if you stop doing things you know to be stupid. The same is true with life. Such a simple observation that could have such a profound impact on your life if you took it to heart... Heh heh - waaaaiiiitttt!!!!.... The beer can and Elvis were both introduced to the world 75-years ago. Coincidence or conclusive proof of aliens in our midst?... Wow - woman plays kazoo with her hoo-haa - yes her hoo-haaa... The wife of Moses was named Zipporah. It's kinda amazing how lost in history she has become. People literally know zip about Zipporah... Drew Brees writes eloquently about NFL vs. American Needle Supreme Court case in Washington Post. Nicely done. That Purdue education did not go to waste... Heh heh - great quote from Ian O'Connor "It would be pretty cool if Mark Sanchez said he didn't think Pete Carroll was ready to make the jump back to the NFL." Heard ESPN use it but Ian had it first... Tweet of the Day from @DrZibbs "If you asked someone from the #jerseyshore to point out a douchebag..who would they point to? Seriously"... Heh heh - sleep talking man... Who knew? Richard Nixon and Otis Nixon shared the same birthday...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I can't help but think about how Pete Carroll tried to talk Mark Sanchez into staying at USC for another year saying that he didn't think Sanchez was ready for the NFL. I like Pete Carroll but that purely selfish machination when it came to his star QB leaves me a bit cold when thinking about him... Have you seen the AARP commercial about healthcare reform that has the ambulance trying to get to the hospital but getting blocked by cars at every opportunity? I can't help but observe that all the cars doing the blocking are GM cars and I wonder at the unintended symbolism of one failing government program (the GM bailout) being subconsciously used in an effort to promote another massive government program... Let me repeat once again - Jay Cutler = Jeff George (although I'm not sure if George ever threw 4 interceptions in a game)... Cool - 11 hidden secrets from the movie Fight Club. Hidden Penis would be a good name for either a fantasy football team or a transvestite band... Imagine the fun Ray Guy could have had with that scoreboard in Dallas? Although I'm guessing that punters will go out of their way to miss hitting the giant TV because all a re-kick will do is wind the cover team making big returns more likely...

Pete Carroll Guy

I'm a Pete Carroll guy. And obviously in the 80's I was (and still am) a Celtics guy.

NFL Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous NFL thoughts and observations.

For a game that ended up 34-17 - there was lots of drama in end of the Patriots / Browns. Let me explain. First let me explain that locally the line on the game was 16.5 points (some places were Patriots minus 17 points). With about a minute left in the game the Patriots were up by 10 points (27-17) but were stopped on a 4th and goal and so it looked like any hope of covering by the Patriots was out the window. Then with less than a minute left in the game - Randal Gay forced a fumble and returned it for a TD to make it 34-17. The drama was not over yet though. The Browns managed to get the ball down to the Patriots 10-yard line but on 4th down they went for a TD instead of kicking a field goal that would have made the final score 34-20 (and made losers out of anyone who bet the Patriots)... If USC loses 3 games this year then I would not be surprised if Pete Carroll takes a long hard look at the San Diego head coaching job... I'd like to thank Texans QB Matt Schaub for that one point he got for me at the QB slot yesterday for one of my fantasy football teams. Yeah - its really tough to get one measly point from the QB position. I could have started Carson Palmer who had a bye week and still been just one point off what Schaub had to offer... It could have been worse - I could have had Matt Hasselbeck who had ZERO fantasy points on his 13-27, 116 yards and 1 interception performance. Or worse I could have had Jon Kitna who had minus 2 points with his ZERO TD 2 INT performance... Has there been a bigger season-long fantasy bust than Larry Johnson though?... The Saints have scored just 51 points this season and I think the whispers about Reggie Bush being vastly over-rated are no longer whispers...