bartshan-83

I don't really follow recruiting very much, except that I follow people who follow recruiting. ND was heading towards a Top 5 class before they **** the bed against Navy and Tulsa. The class started to come apart at the seams. Then with the huge resurgence of the last 4 games, Kelly was able to right the ship again. The bane of ND recruiting seems to be big, athletic, defensive lineman from the southeast. The Nick Fairleys, Da-Quan Bowerses of world are so vital for championship caliber teams. Watching that Auburn D (and Alabama's before that, and LSUs, and Florida's, etc etc.) just makes me drool sometimes. Anyway, a top DE, Ishaq Williams committed today. All signs were pointing towards Penn St. (sorry Rich) as he was all set for his "offcial visit" this weekend (which happens to be right before spring semester and he is early enrolled). But apparently ND's DC showed up at his house in Brooklyn at 4:30 and gave a Glengarry Glen Ross speech that flipped him. Also, our biggest recruit possibly, Aaron Lynch, dumped us for FSU after our slow start. But now it appears almost a done deal that he is switching back. The guy spread his grandfather's ashes at ND when he visited for god's sake. What's the word with your teams? I know Jimbo is recruiting up a storm at FSU...Texas is crushing everyone as usual (is there anyone with an easier recruiting job than Mack Brown?? Does the guy even have to leave his office to get 10 Top 100 Texas monsters??). I assume the Weis/Muschamp combo will be a juggernaut. Last exciting weeks for awhile until signing day. Then nothing until Spring ball.

Well, congratulations to the supreme victor of this glorious contest: ME! It was a real dogfight between all 4 people. I appreciate you three for signing up. Hopefully the "2nd Annual College Bowls Pick 'Em Contest" will be a little more lively. Cheers!

I'm with ya, Pooj. Even at my peak, I was never a very strong chugger. I'm pretty proud of my endurance, but multiple-beer funnels and long keg stands were not my strong suit. It's weird too because I don't think it necessarily has a whole lot to do with how much you can drink. I knew kids in college who only chugged beer because they didn't like the taste. I never understood how that worked.

***UPDATE - Bernie has been FOUND*** WOW! So after a day and a half of searching, calling, etc., some good samaritan came across the goofball crossing the road on his way to work. Craziness is two-fold: 1. Judging by where he got lost, which direction he initially headed and where he wound up, I estimate he walked at minimum 15-20 miles over 36 hours. 2. He was found on the road less than 1/4 mile from where I work! I literally could have gone outside to the road and seen it happen. Where he escaped is about 6 miles away. A small part of me would like to believe that he was trying to find his foster dad! Anyway, alls well that ends well. The crazy boy came back with a slight limp and looking a little leaner, but he seemed no worse for the wear. I was seriously fear for the worst with the weather and a snow storm coming tonight. What a great feeling. Thanks for all your well wishes! So to conclude this LAMP thread, fostering a dog was an incredibly rewarding experience. We're definitely going to take a break from it for awhile because it was quite a bit more emotionally taxing than we expected. But maybe sometime we'll do it again. Cheers to Bernie....pictured asleep in his new home after his big day out.

Not everyone might feel this way (especially Cynical), but a small part of me felt kind of bad for Auburn last night. I was watching this glorious celebration, everyone smiling and dancing and crying. And all I could think of was how it's only going to be a matter of time before they get B word-slapped by the NCAA. It was like watching a wedding that you knew was going to end in divorce. All the happy feelings will soon be tainted. And they could both very well be two-faced, slimeballs, but I really got the sense that both Chizik and Newton were really proud and genuinely taken back by the accomplishment. Chizik was on Cloud 9 and was so happy for everyone involved. Newton talked genuinely about how "something great can come of something so bad." It was almost easy for a second to forget that they both likely knew exactly what was going on and were both actively complicit. The story of a coach that no one thought would succeed and QB who pulled himself out of the ashes to turn in one of the great seasons ever should have been one for the ages. I just have to believe that within 12 months, Auburn will have lost this trophy and Newton will be joining the Reggie Bush club. For shame...

Haha, nice bump! Interesting takes on Chizik... That's not to say that anyone could have seen this coming... It's funny, I found myself underrating Auburn all year. EVERY decent SEC game I figured they would finally lose and be exposed. And I still picked Oregon to finally seal the deal. I realize now that I was probably thinking about those Tuberville teams and projecting their shortcomings onto the current team.

**UPDATE - Bernie is LOST** For those who didn't see the original post, I began fostering a rescue dog about 3 weeks ago. I was thrilled when my wife's uncle (a truly consummate animal lover) decided to adopt him last week. We did the official "exchange" on Friday night. It was a fun and enriching process, if not a bit stressful. Plus it was bittersweet to see him go. But we were so excited that he was staying in the family so we could see him from time to time. Yesterday morning, Bernie pulled some crazy houdini act and broke off his tether and used a compost pile to scale the fence in his new yard. It all happened in a matter of seconds apparently. My wife's uncle (John) gave chase, but Bernie is already super timid so he ran away. His neighborhood backs up to some train tracks and Bernie squeezed through some brush and made it to the tracks. By the time John was able to find a way through the bramble, Bernie was nowhere to be found. I spent pretty much all day outside yesterday looking for him in the general area. If he followed the train-tracks, he could be dozens of miles away by now though. We've made fliers, contacted all the right organizations and I'm gonna head back out there after work. I'm just really broken up because even though he had already been adopted, he still feels like my dog. I hate that he is out there in the freezing winter weather and that because he was only at his new home for a day or two, that he might not know how to get back. Anyway, I was hoping to end this little series of LAMPs with a positive adoption story. Reading about plenzmd1 losing his dog a few weeks back really sucked and now I'm totally feeling it. I just wanted to vent a little and ask any animal lovers to say a little prayer that Bernie turns up safely. Apologies for a depressing Monday post. Thanks. ~Bart Bernie sleeping in the car

I think you're watching a little too much Pretty Woman.

OK...nowwwwwww it's official. I think. Maybe. Link PS - I assume Michigan will now become the target of a slew of hatred and vitriol for firing a minority coach just three years into his five year contract like ND did with Willingham. Right? Right? Whitlock?

In honor of my man, Sage. My Lunch Get em bro...just think, 13 meals down only 1083 to go!

Woah now....maybe a bit premature. Michigan is denying report. And now my link is an error. Grimy bastards just removed it rather than retract. Like Bunk Moreland would say "This here is some shameful ****."

The few and proud stragglers of the college football board had a brief discussion on this a few months ago: Link But for sake of consolidation, here were/are my thoughts on the matter: College sports (especially men's basketball and football) are money-generating enterprises that rain cash down upon several parties. The schools, the conferences, the NCAA, TV networks, etc. Nothing about this resembles an amateur situation. These are high-profile minor leagues. And the shameless revenue-whoring and money-grabbing that all of these parties partake in is viewed with hardly a batted eye. I don't agree with the "free education" argument because the behavior of the parties involved belies its equity. Every college football program in the country uses up their scholarship allotment because they know it's a steal on ROI. No college in the country is doing any star high school athlete a favor by offering him a scholarship. Quite the reverse. And scholarships have been the standard compensation for generations. Yet the amount of money generated by the sports has increased astronomically. And the main point is that modest payment to players would do more to combat impropriety and this cesspool culture that pervades college athletics. I'd wager that the vast majority of misconduct (or temptation to engage in it) occurs with players who have nothing and want just a little. It's easy to cast them as spoiled and greedy with their free education, room and board and perks of being an athlete. But it sucks having no money in college (anytime actually). I knew guys at ND who were ballin on the field but didn't have 10 bucks to grab a pizza. They can't get jobs, FOOTBALL is their job and I guarantee it's like working 40 hours and going to school full-time. How tempting would it be to take $1500 from a booster when you're scoring TDs every week but can't afford to take your girl to dinner and a movie? I don't condone it, but I understand it. Reggie Bush and Cam Newton are not the reality of college cheating. It's the 1K payments, the plane tickets or the cushy no-show job. Let's say you work at the Gap in college 35-40 hrs/week...you might pull in $1000 a month. I bet if colleges paid players that amount there would be a huge drop in impropriety among NCAA athletes. Whether or not people think of big money college sports as minor leagues, the fact remains that they are closer to that then they are to being representative of the school in general. So I think you have to make a choice: 1. Tear the entire system apart and make college athletics subservient to the academic requirements of the school. Meaning, students who choose to participate in their school's varsity teams would come from the pool of students who were accepted to the college. If you can run a 4.3 but got a 950 on your SAT, you aren't going to a school that requires a 1150. College athletics would be about students competing against other students. Setup true minor leagues where 18 year old athletes could pursue their profession the way anyone else does and get paid the way anyone else does. I thought it was so great when Brandon Jennings went to Europe to play basketball 2 years ago (if you aren't familiar, Jennings was a top-10 recruit to initially verballed to Arizona. Then he decided he could make money and improve his game by signing with a European team. He did that for 1 year and then entered the NBA draft and was one of the best rookies last season). 2. Accept that college will always be the vehicle for big time athletes trying to make the jump to the pros. This is much more likely and I can't even say I don't want this. But something needs to be done to help fix this. There is no reason give guys enough money to buy and Audi in college, but pretending that you've done enough by offering a scholarship when obviously impropriety is rampant is ignorant and irresponsible. I liken it to people who don't believe in teaching their children about birth control and think abstinence is the only form of sex education a child should get. Of course no one wants their kids having lots of sex at a young age, but taking the hardline, all-or-nothing stance does far less to combat the problem then accepting that it's going to happen anyway and the best thing you can do is make sure they are fully informed of all the risks and know about using protection, etc. Colleges pretending that they have fulfilled their end of the bargain by offering a scholarship and then washing their hands of any future consequences is irresponsible. They are silent collaborators in a broken system. I'm not trying to coerce them into bribing their athletes to stay away from "improper" money, nor am I absolving an athlete who takes something from a booster. I just think that there needs to be a little give here and that it would go a long way.

I hope the Big 10 didn't already name an award after him! Link I really, really, really hope Harbaugh isn't headed there. Dude's kind of a douche, but he can coach his arse off. I think he's going NFL though.

Enjoyed it very very much, man! Back in November, just as Tommy Rees' pass was picked off the in back of endzone vs Tulsa and I was getting ready to eat my gun, I never imagined we would bounce back like this and have the opportunity to take down USC and Miami in back to back games. What a 4 game stretch it has been and the bowl game was a great way to go out. The only thing better than the score and watching Floyd just abuse that very good secondary, was seeing how those U pussies were wrapped up in 7 layers of thermal underwear and were crying in the "cold." Cheers to a far better 2011! :beer:

Leaders and Legends. Incredible.

SICK! Put me on the list. Looks like there is a hole in every cup. then they drop in a rubber gasket and cardboard-looking circle piece. The pressure of the liquid creates an air-tight seal.

I was 100% with you until here. What? I assume I'm missing something. You've left Badass Good Samaritanville and headed straight into Unnecessary A-Hole Land. Which is where I suspect the guy who punched the kid on the plane lives.

No I haven't. The closest I've come is our plane touching down (I assume in the wrong spot) and then immediately taking off again. Since you have, my question remains: What were the critical instructions that you would have been lost without? I'm honestly curious what they told you. Oh okay...because your main point seemed to be that missing the landing instructions was somehow going to create a disaster. Maybe the kid was a dick. Who knows. But I subscribe more to "mind your own business" when we are talking about such astronomical "what ifs." I mean, you actually said that you shouldn't listen to your iPod because it might "go flying around during landing and takeoff." Seriously? When you say things like that.... But I kind of butted into your discussion with Doc so...

Holy hyperbole, chefman. What, pray tell, are these instructions that are the difference between knowing how to exit a burning plane and suddenly going retarded because you were listening to an iPod?

Back at ya, Grant. IMO, you are among the finest.

UPDATE We got Melbourne on Saturday night. Interesting process. The local adoption organization targets high-kill shelters in other states. They try to get foster families for as many dogs as possible and then do periodic runs where they have the dogs driven up in vans. So at 9pm on Saturday, we were told to meet in the parking lot of a local Bob Evans ( ) and sure enough, two minivans pulled up with crates stacked to the ceiling. They would call out the peoples names and we'd come get our dog and some instructions. Pretty cool! As advertised, he is very very people shy. But he's actually far better socialized than the dog we did adopt last spring so in a lot ways, this is easier. We were told he is an Australian Shepherd/Beagle mix but that ain't the case. Definitely Aussie, but I'm getting part Pit or maybe bull dog. He's got that Pit chest and he is STRONG for a little guy! But he is so sweet and calm and already seems to be getting used to our house. And our dog loves him, they play all morning while I get ready. I'm actually hoping we can get his permanent adoption rolling soon so he doesn't get too adjusted to us and vice versa. I'm already getting a bit more attached than I'd like... Anyway, here is new picture of him. We've been calling him Bernie (as in Melbourne) since he responds better. Melbourne aka Bernie

I'm not spinning your words. I understand you didn't say that. What I'm asking is why does it matter? What if some baggage thrower decides he likes your 6 polo shirts? Are you still going to say "Screw it, I shouldn't have checked them." I agree it isn't wise to check expensive items and it's not something I would do. You indicated that if such an item gets stolen it's your own fault. I'm just curious if you take the same attitude towards all items, regardless of value.

Are you saying that anytime you check a bag you should expect you will be robbed? What does it matter what how expensive the items are? What if you checked a bag and someone stole 6 of your shirts and a pair of shoes? Are you still an idiot for checking them? Is anyone who ever dares to put anything into a checked bag an idiot an it's just "C'est la vie!" if stuff gets stolen? Pretty cavalier, IMO...

I'll tell you Sage, I really dig your concept. I love the idea (a) of pushing yourself in such an extreme way and (b) that people should do something absurd or crazy at least once. But I'd suggest that you've set the bar too high and that you could perhaps have a more rewarding experience if you created a challenge that allowed for a higher possibility of success. I don't know you so I have no clue how strong your resolve is, but I'd have to join the field here and bet on the lentils dominating you at some point in 2011 (likely sooner than later). Yeah, you can still definitely learn a lot even if you end up failing, but I think maybe if you setup a less drastic (yet still stringent) challenge, you'd get a lot more out this. And my doubts are not just centered on what you are attempting, but also your approach. I'm obviously making tons of assumptions here, but it sounds like you are doing things a little backwards. You've decided on and announced your goal, but you still haven't shored up such a core tenet of the plan, the health implications of an all-lentil diet. You say you plan on researching this. You say your brother is a nutritionist and you plan on using him as a resource. These are things I would have thought you'd already done. I in no way want this to sound condescending, but it sound like you were inspired/fascinated by the potato guy, decided you wanted to do something like that, picked a target (lentils) based on reasonable (but surface) analysis and then made the big announcement before really crunching the numbers. Even assuming further research shows that this plan is nutritionally safe and therefore, not DOA, I think the way you put it together is not indicative of a level of commitment high enough to take on such an onerous task. You've only been with this idea for a few weeks and it sounds like you were/are ready to jump in without having your ducks in a row. That smells to me like a recipe for a quick burnout, not a 365 day marathon. And not that there is ever really a perfect time to do something like this, but attempting it in college lessens your odds ever more, IMO. College (for me and I'd think the vast majority of people) is the most socially chaotic stretch of your life. There is far less normalcy and routine, which is usually the lifeblood of a disciplined regimen. Maybe college life is different for you and I'm certainly not suggesting this might be any easier if you had a job, wife and kids. But the first thing I did when I read your post was wonder if I could do what you are trying. I doubt it. But I can't even fathom attempting it 6 years ago as a college senior. Anyway, whatever you decide to do...good luck. Like I said, I dig stuff like this and I find it invigorating when I hear someone is lacing them up for a big internal struggle. Re-reading my post, I realize it comes off very very negatively. I don't mean to discourage idea of what I think you are attempting to do. Just playing devil's advocate as to my perceived pitfalls in your plan.

Woah! Don't everybody sign up at once! I see my Rah Rah speech has done wonders for this place. C'mon!!