2006 Chicago Bears Post-Mortem

Saw this one coming

Panthers 29, Bears 21.

Breaking the Sound Barrier

Is this cool or what?

12/30/05 – An F-14D Tomcat assigned to the “Tomcatters” of Fighter Squadron Three One (VF-31) breaks the sound barrier as it performs a fly-by over the flight deck of USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) Dec. 30, 2005. The nuclear powered aircraft carrier and embarked Carrier Air Wing Eight are under way on a regularly scheduled deployment conducting maritime security operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate Airman Apprentice Nathan Laird) (Released)

Mary on Maury

Fans of Maury Muehleisen, the great guitar player on those legendary Jim Croce recordings, may be interested in the below email I got yesterday from his sister Mary, announcing her upcoming radio interview on the Scott Einhorn show on WRSU 88.7.

Double the Suckitude

I’ve recently started a Bloglines blog, at http://www.bloglines.com/blog/jeffbrokaw

I’ll use that one for links, and save this one for writing. Until, perhaps, I don’t.

Anyway, feel free to ignore two of my sites now, instead of just one. God knows I do.

One Liners for a First Day Back at Work, 2006

Organic farming is the way to go, right? Er, apparently, not so much. (tip: American Digest)

Today’s fortune cookie: “You will have an unusually magnetic personality.” And when will that be? After I dump the dull one I have now? I’m not sure I like the tone you’re taking, pal.

Fortune Cookie Attaboy

“You have the ability to sense and know higher truth”

Golly. And I didn’t even know I was nominated! So, um, thanks. I try.

Don’t Make Me Fire Your Asses!

Rumors are flying about a potential baseball trade involving the Cubs, who allegedly wish to trade Mark Prior (RHP), Rich Hill (RHP), and Corey Patterson (OF) to the Orioles for Miguel Tejada (SS) and Erik Bedard (LHP). This report by Paul Sullivan in the Chicago Tribune, however, says that the deal is held up, because the Orioles want Carlos Zambrano instead of Prior.

Let’s hope that’s true. Because this would have to rank as the dumbest trade idea I’ve heard in many, many years. You just don’t trade pitchers for offense-oriented shortstops, especially when the pitcher in question is Prior, who has shown both talent and mental toughness.

Can’t Say I Never Gave Ya Nothin’

If you find yourself reading a newspaper article that you could swear you’d just read a few weeks ago, and then another, and another, you might want to check the date on the top of the page. When even the title of the article sounds familiar — and if that isn’t the winner in the “Retaining Useless Knowledge” contest, I don’t know what is — you really should just check the damn date at the top of the page.

It Does NOT Get Any Worse Than This

James Dungy, the 18 year old son of Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy, was found dead in his apartment early Thursday, an apparent suicide.Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Dungy family, and to all who knew the young man.

People in the public eye often appear to become caricatures of themselves, due to the influence of the media and our own needs as fans to think of them as something greater than ourselves. This view is of course a lie, forever and always. But then something like this happens, and suddenly, the lie is forced under the covers, and they are just folks like you and me. Suddenly, all the yammering about undefeated seasons lost, and questions about playing starters, is instantly rendered completely meaningless.

Extravagance?

From Wednesday’s Cars column in the Wall Street Journal:

Packers and Bears Talk

Ravens 48, Packers 3

It was over in the second quarter.Do you think the Monday Night Football scheduling mavens envisioned a battle between two miserable teams, both in small markets, when they decided on this game? And how on earth do the Ravens score 48 points when they can barely get out of their own way on offense all year long, prior to this game?

Fasting Sounding Better All the Time

So today I carried $63 worth of groceries into the house in one trip.

This is testament to either (a) my amazing superhuman strength, or (b) to how freaking expensive groceries are today.

Probably that last one. Especially when a box of Cheerios is nearly FIVE dollars.

Nobody’s Perfect

Christmas is a week from tomorrow, and our tree is sitting in its stand with no lights and a few ornaments that the kids managed to hang up for us. We have nothing outside except a single wreath on the fence.Yeah, we suck. But we’ll get to it, probably tomorrow. I’ve been out of town most of last week, and my wife insists that hanging lights is a two-person operation.

On the plus side, though, we went out today and bought a kick-ass present for all 3 kids. They’re 17, 6, and 4, and you may ask yourself, what could possibly be a kick-ass present for all three of them?

Title?! What Title?

Now that I’m on WordPress.com, I’m trying to bore people on yet another blogging platform. Blogger, then Moveable Type followed by WordPress on my old site, and now WordPress.com. I’m nothing if not consistent.

So I’ve got 30 days from today to get this thing off the ground, and attempt to transfer my old content from here, and then shut that whole site down. Maybe. If I feel like it.

Hey, do you see now, what I’m up against? So just back it down a little, willya?

Jeez.