It's Football Time

West Virginia high school football begins tomorrow. College football kinda began tonight and the real stuff starts Saturday. West Virginia football begins at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. So, it's time for some predictions. I'm tired, so nothing much except for predictions that don't mean anything...

East Fairmont 24 - Elkins 21 - I've said it before, I'll say it again: East Fairmont always beats Elkins. I don't know why...it just always happens. If East goes 1-9, they'll beat Elkins. Sorry Tigers...

West Fairmont 31 - RCB 16 - RCB has never turned into the football powerhouse they should be. West Fairmont should be pretty good this year.

University 34 - North Marion 12 - The losing streak is definitely not ending in Week 1.

Morgantown 27 - Morgantown 24 - This should be a good game. Morgantown was definitely down last year. Don't expect them to be there long.

Alabama 27 - Clemson 17 - Welcome to Alabama, Coach Saban!

Utah 32 - Michigan 28 - Welcome to Michigan, Coach Rodriguez!

West Virginia 56 - Villanova 13 - And, lastly, welcome home Coach Stewart!

Shock on First Day of Football

Shock. Confusion. Dismay. Anger. All words that could describe the atmosphere following the shocking outcome of Saturday's game as West Virginia faced Division I FCS (formerly Division II) opponent Villanova. The #8 Mountaineers struggled down the stretch and couldn't score at the end of the game when it mattered most and lost to the Wildcats 17-14.

"Dagggummit," said new WVU head coach Bill Stewart. "I just don't know what happened out there. Pat's injury hurt us but we're playing a Division II team for goodness sake. Probably shouldn't lose those."

Senior quarterback Pat White was injured early in the second quarter while attempting a punt return and never returned to the game.

"It seemed like a good idea," White said following the game. "I'm fast and tough. I can return a punt if I want to. Who's going to tell me no? I should be fine before the East Carolina, thankfully."

The Mountaineers quickly exhausted the depth chart as starting running back Noel Devine was called out on a family emergency, backup QB Jarrett Brown went to the hospital with Pat White and the first team defense was at King Family Restaurant.

"It was Villanova. And we were hungry," said Reed Williams. "They play Division II football at Villanova. I honestly thought it was another scrimmage. You mean that really counts?"

The loss reminded many of Michigan's loss to Appalachian State last year. Which is ironic considering who is at Michigan now.

"Those things happen. They wouldn't have happened if West Virginia had given me what I had earned but, hey, I'm happy to be a Wolverine for the rest of my days," said the Coach that will not be named.

The Mountaineers had high hopes for a BCS title game coming into the season. That would seem far-fetched at this point in the season.

"Well, I guess it's back to the drawing board," Coach Stewart said in the post-game interview. "I just can't believe the defense didn't show up. Literally, they weren't there. I guess they went to King's Family Restaurant and had the buffett. I mean, it's a good buffett but there's football to play. It's pretty disappointing. I was hungry too but there was a game."

Disappointing might be putting it mildly for Mountaineer fans who paid a substantial increase in tickets to see a Mountaineer squad that is supposed to challenge for a national title.

"Are you kidding me?" said one Mountaineer fan who didn't want to be identified. "I spent my kid's college money to watch the Mountaineers and they lost to Villanova. I think I'm going to be sick."

It was an ugly scene in Morgantown on Saturday night as Mountaineer fans took to the street demanding some satisfaction. None was to be found though, so they just went home. The Mountaineers try to get back on track next Saturday as they travel to Greenville, NC to face East Carolina. Hopefully the defense makes the trip and Pat White decides to play quarterback. Only time will tell what longterm damage has been done to this one-time national contender.

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This was satire. I don't want WVU to lose. They won't lose. I was just bored. (But can you imagine the absolute outpouring of disgruntled fans if they did. It would pale in comparison to what I typed...)

Erase Five Bands

Kinda interesting to see and hear what bands people would erase from history. It sounds pretty simple...pick five bands you really hate and erase them. But when I got to thinking about it, I realized that it was very, very difficult to pick only five. I'm going to go through some bands that just missed the cut...and, don't get mad, I even own CDs from some of these groups...I'm just not sure it's necessary.


There's a whole genre of new rock out there that I can't stand. The group "Type O Negative" epitomizes this music. I could look beyond the heaviness of the rock if it weren't for all the screaming. There's actually a little musicality there but I can't stand screaming and growling in music. Sing the song with some god-given talent...don't just yell in a microphone. Not all their songs are like that either...just had to make some though. I would erase all those bands if I could.


I could probably also do without all the artists like Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, etc., but it's not worth the effort to put them on the list. Also, dump Country music all together...it's basically turned into pop music anyway so I'm not sure why it remains its own genre (except for the lyrics...) And I could do without a lot of one-hit wonder groups, especially the dance ones like Los Del Rio, Rednex, Quad City DJs and Toni Basil.

Anyway, here goes:


Kid Rock
Metallica - Yeah, I cannot stand Metallica. Get over it.
U2 - This is not the greatest band ever.
New Bon Jovi - A country album? Are you serious?
Aerosmith - One the '90s hit, this band sucked. "Crazy," "Cryin'" -- how about pukin'.

So, those are 5 "artists" I would definitely erase if I could. There are far more that I would put on the chopping block but those five are pretty good. Popular and poor, in my not so humble opinion.

Feel free to keep contributing your ideas. I was surprised to see Nirvana on a couple lists...but, hey, to each his or her own, right?

Stolen from Fark.com

Yes, I'm borrowing this from Fark...answer if you want. Or don't...I just don't have any opinions this morning:

You get to erase 5 bands from music history. Who do you choose?

Submit your answers and I'll give mine on Monday probably.

Lower Drinking Age?

I don't know that I even want to get into this one too deep. 100 university presidents recently came out in favor of lowering the legal drinking age from 21 to 18. Their argument in support of a lower drinking age is the abundance of binge drinking on college campuses. By lowering the drinking age, students won't "binge" because, well, they'll have easier access to alcohol. If you have access, you won't feel like you need to drink excessively when alcohol is available. Opponents say that lowering the drinking age won't end binge drinking, will make alcohol more accessible to younger people and will increase drunk driving.

Honestly, I don't have much of an opinion either way. The fact is that the legal drinking age isn't enforced rigorously at this point so changing the age doesn't matter. Even with all the regulations in place, people under 21 can still walk into a liquor store and buy whatever they want without hassle. Police could easily track underage parties and bust them up but they choose to look the other way. If no one enforces the laws that are currently on the books, then what makes the difference on whether the age is 21, 29 or 12. Lowering the age is not going to prevent binge drinking. Only education of the dangers will make any difference. But, as Obama said, these decisions are "above my pay grade."

More disconcerting to me, and receiving less attention, is the recent report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. The report states that nineteen percent of teenagers found it easier to purchase prescription drugs than cigarettes, beer or marijuana, compared with 13 percent a year ago. A quarter of the teens said it is easiest to buy marijuana, with 43 percent of 17-year-olds saying they could buy the drug in less than an hour.

Why is this not receiving the attention it deserves? There is a serious drug problem in this country and the accessibility for high school students (and younger) has never been higher. Lowering the drinking age is a distraction from the real problems facing our culture. The abuse of prescription pills and other drugs is real and it's happening everywhere and no one will recognize the problem. Some counties in West Virginia have stated planned initiatives for addressing the issue but it's too little. Some people act as though it's not a real issue because, hey, doctors prescribe these drugs so how bad can it be?

School officials need to work with police to begin addresses these problems now. They're already out of control...allowing them to build will make it impossible to ever change. Students are not afraid of getting caught because no one is attempting to catch them. Without even the fear of punishment, why would anyone ever change their ways? Do students have to die before people local officials will admit there is an issue? Give it time and it will happen. It's a shame we have to wait that long.

Anyway, got off on a tangent there a bit...but, really, it's all related in some way. Hopefully someone will address these issues sooner than later.

The Phelps Effect

Michael Phelps won 8 gold medals. That's pretty impressive. So he's a national celebrity now, which is cool. And he'll come back to the States to a hero's welcome, which he deserves. But, honestly, 2 months from now will it really matter? Sure, he'll always be able to do a television commericial or two and years from now he'll show up at the Olympics and everyone will be impressed (Hello, Mary Lou...) but, let's face it, it's swimming.

I'm not saying anything bad about swimming. Everyone can swim but not at a competitive level. It's a very demanding sport. But it's not going to translate into everyone deciding to swim. Phelps can't impact the sport of swimming like Lance Armstrong impacted cycling or Tiger Woods impacted golf. Everyone can buy a bicycle and go for a ride and everyone can buy some clubs and give it a go but not everyone can, or will, hop in a pool. What I'm saying is that the long-term effects of Phelps' amazing feats will pale in comparison to those of Woods and Armstrong.

Does it really matter? No. Phelps will still be a millionaire many times over and will always have loving fans. But don't pretend like Phelps is going to make millions of swimmers out of the American populace. Just isn't going to happen. Just isn't the right sport.

The Jonas Desk

Well, I just returned from a week out of the office and fully anticipated the worst. I figured I would have to spend my first 3 hours back trying to clean up the mess that was left for me. Would it be cups half full of water? My office full of balloons? Or maybe worse?

To my surprise, I was able to get in my office this morning and the damage was, thankfully, minimal. I now have the Jonas Brothers desk...which was clever and well executed. The inconvenience is just minimal enough that I haven't bothered to remove it yet but the embarassment I feel from everyone who sees it is just enough to make it very annoying. It will take a good half hour or so to remove the packing tape that is holding down the pictures and I haven't found the time or will to start cutting yet. So, on the scale of good office pranks, it ranks pretty high in my opinion. Here are the pictures for your enjoyment:

Pretty funny if you ask me. Of course, I question why someone would be able to so quickly find so many pictures of the Jonas Brothers. Perhaps the assailant is a member of the Jonas Brothers fan club? Yeah, that's probably it. Regardless, it was funny and it really livens up my office...

Olympics or Gasoline

What do you think Americans are more excited about: Olympic medals or lower gas prices? My money goes on the gas prices. Driving through Bridgeport Friday, I noticed gas is down to $3.66 and is expected to drop to $3.50 by the end of the month. Sixty-cents off per gallon, which will save me about $10.00 per fill-up. That's not chump-change...adds up to $40.00 in savings per month. Which is nice. Who would have guessed oil would eventually drop and the dollar would strengthen? Oh, that's right, me.

As for the Olympics, they're sometimes entertaining. There's a lot of boring sports...and a lot of sports that the United States doesn't really care about. NBC's coverage might be a little over the top and, in case I don't remember, Tiki Barber is a horrible, horrible reporter. I caught him on TV this morning and he was just absolutely horrendous. The US leads in overall medal count but the Chinese lead in gold. The track stuff is still to come though and that's where the US will probably dominate. Or they should at least. I'm not sure how much average Americans are watching...obviously NBC has spent a ton of money on this spectacle and I'll be anxious to see the final results for them. I know I'm watching more than I really want to.

In other news, we're only 2-weeks from football season for the Mountaineers. On August 30th, WVU will host the football powerhouse of Villanova. If the Mountaineers win by less than 40, it will be an upset. This should be an interesting year considering the firepower in the backfield of White and Devine. If White has some receivers and has improved his accuracy, it could be a long year for defenders. The 2 out-of-conference games against Colorado and Auburn could be huge stumbling blocks. If the stars align, it could be a special season. I'm not counting any chickens yet though...lots of tough tests before the season is over.

Lastly, keep an eye on the Georgia/Russia saga going on. For some reason, it hasn't garnered much attention but it should. If you're worried about what a hiccup in Middle East oil could do to this country, imagine making the Russians mad and them turning off the tap. Russia produces nearly 9.4 million barrels per day while Iran produces 4 million barrels per day. Of course, Russia cannot afford to lower their production as it is really their only means of keeping their economy afloat but if the US plays hardball, don't be surprised if they play the oil card. So, maybe low prices are just temporary? Sure hope not...

Brett Favre / Olympics / Etc.

First, I am so disappointed that Brett Favre was traded to the J-E-T-S, Jets Jets Jets. I was really hoping he'd stick around Green Bay for a few weeks and make everyone miserable and then decide to retire again. Some people will always blame the Green Bay administration for the Favre debacle but I think Favre is truly to blame. He's been this way for years and only now do people see that he has to be the center of attention. He might have a good season in New York. I don't think he will...but, one thing is for sure, it will be entertaining.

The Olympics start this evening. Talk about a debacle. Obviously the Chinese are coming under some pretty harsh criticism already for attempting to control the media's coverage of the Olympics and restricting Internet access. What did you expect from a Communist country that has a severe human rights issue? The funniest thing to me though is that more people are focusing on China's environmental issues than their human rights issues. In some people's minds abusing the environment is a far worse crime than actually abusing people. That is sad to me.

Some people might look at this as a chance for China to make improvements. I see just the opposite. If the world is willing to stand by and watch China oppress its citizens and actually reward the country for such behavior, why would they ever change? Make no mistake about it, China is the future of tyranny in the world. A scary, scary world.

Lastly, I'll be out of town for a week. So, I apologize in advance for not keeping up...but, hey, I'm a busy person. Sometimes.

Losers in Green Bay

Brett Favre is now unretired. Wow. Once again Favre proved that he cares about only one thing and that is Brett Favre. Again he held the Packer organization hostage and, again, the Packer organization bowed to him. Princess Favre proved himself the prima donna I always knew he was and several others have now seen the light.

So, Favre is going to compete for a start spot with the Packers. Let's see how that plays out. If Favre wins, he continues to hold the Packers organization hostage, like always. He'll complain about McCarthy and the ownership and continue to poison the franchise by undermining the staff and, well, be Favre-like. And then, when he does actually leave, he'll leave them in shambles because they'll have a backup quarterback whose confidence is completely broken by the fact he was beat out by a retired quarterback.

Oh, but if Rodgers wins the starting job...well, it doesn't get much better. How about the first game that Rodgers would start that breaks Favre's consecutive start streak? Imagine the crying that John Madden will do if that occurs. The obligatory shots of Favre sitting on the bench following every Rodger's incomplete pass or interception. And don't forget the Favre apologists will be out there trying to pressue the Pack to start Favre and floating the theory that Favre is only on the bench to punish him for coming out of retirement. How could any quarterback thrive in that environment?

Either way, this thing has been a debacle and it has not been fair to Aaron Rodgers or the Green Bay Packers. If Favre was half the team player he proclaims to be, he would have remained in retirement and not caused all this grief for an organization that gave him everything. But, like I've said countless times, Brett Favre only cares about Brett Favre.

A Traumatic Experience at Sams

Headed up Sam's way last evening to purchase some chips and water (seriously, just chips and water) and had a very poor time of it. First, let's talk about Eastpointe Plaza. Is there any worse area to try in which to drive in and out? On my way in, I could see traffic was backed up all the way to Kroger. The stoplights to get in and out of the area are poor, at best. And given the way most people drive, nothing goes smoothly up that way. I wanted to go down towards Anmoore to leave but I couldn't get turned left. The car in front of me couldn't pull the trigger and go...so I sat there for 5 minutes, counting the number of times I could have made the turn. Finally she gave up and turned right and within 10-seconds I hda made the left turn.

Anyway, back to Sams. Arrived and nearly got hit by some other Sams patron who apparently didn't understand that only the right lane turns right. As they cut me off, I patiently waited. I knew it was coming...but that didn't mean I liked it...but I tried to be nice about it. After waiting for all the people leaving Sams to waddle across the walk area, I was finally able to park.

I entered the store and grabbed a buggy. Or three to be more exact. I spent the next 30 seconds or so trying to separate the buggies from themselves. I finally ended up with one buggy that only had one bad wheel. Not too shabby. For the next 15 minutes I maneuvered my way around carts and buggies and people who are either too lazy or too stupid to clear the aisle. At one point, I tried to squeeze between two rather robust people who both decided to move towards the center and proceeded to crush me between their carts. After lying unconscious on the ground for 5-minutes, I got up and retrieved my water and sun chips. I threw in a can of nuts just for good measure.

Now it was time for the dreaded checkout. I proceeded to the "shortest" line, which contained only 83 people. Or maybe it was 7 people with enough groceries for 83. Apparently one of the Sams workers saw me with my can 'o nuts and chips and took pity on me as she opened a new line and invited me over. God bless that lady. I was home free...or it would seem. But I had to now navigate my way to the exit. With buggy obstacles lining the way, I cut through the tables that no one was sitting at to try to escape. But, alas, I was cut off at the pass by two double-decker buggies running side-by-side with two sssslllllloooooowwwww drivers moving them down. I was trapped. So, I slowly walked behind them until we reached the final destination...the receipt checker guy.

Now, first of all, why do you really need the receipt checker guy? I've never really seen a receipt checker go through every item to mark them off. It seems pretty useless. Well, until last night that was. Apparently this receipt checker thought these behemoths of shopping might be trying to smuggle out a roast or something because he proceeded to check through both buggies while I stood there in awe of the fact someone is actually checking through the buggies. After a good 2 minutes of searching, he was satisfied that they were not taking anything and allowed them to proceed through the exit. I was next and, since I had a whopping 5 items, he quickly moved me out the door.

I departed the shopping center where I was nearly plowed over in the same walk area that I had so patiently waited for other patrons to cross earlier. I returned to my vehicle where I placed my newly purchased goodies securely in the trunk. I then proceeded to return my three-wheeled grocery chariot to the store as the nearest cart return was a good mile away. And then I left Sams, which was obviously the best part. Just another trip to Sams really. It could have been worse though...I could have gone to Wal-Mart.

Big Brother Marches Forth

Concerned about the government slowly eroding the rights of individual citizens? You should be. If you want proof, look no further than Los Angeles who just approved a one-year moratorium on fast food restaurants. Don't be confused by what action the LA City Counsel took here. They are attempting to regulate the behavior of their citizens. They don't want you to eat fast food because it is bad for you. This is the mommy state they are trying to build. And people should be concerned.

Yes, the government should protect citizens. But not by infringing on the rights of citizens to make choices. If someone chooses to eat fast food over healthy alternatives, that is their choice. Is someone chooses to smoke cigarettes, than that is their choice. To attempt to regulate human behavior by creating new codes that punish people for making legal choices is asinine.

I'll be anxious to see if this one-year ban actually sticks. I would definitely fight it if I lived in Los Angeles simply on the basis that if they can regulate something like this, who knows what they will go after next. It's not a good precedent. Let's see what other city tries to follow suit.

Brickyard 400

I'm a casual NASCAR fan. I keep track of who's winning, who's losing, who's dumping their team to go elsewhere. And I generally catch a majority of the races during the season. I don't revolve my schedule around NASCAR races like I once my have...but I try to keep track and definitely catch the big races like Daytona, Charlotte, Bristol. The good ones. And, despite the lack of good racing, I always try to catch the Brickyard 400 because it's at Indianapolis and it's a big race.

Well, imagine my disappointment yesterday when I wasted a better part of my Sunday afternoon watching one of the biggest NASCAR debacles I have ever seen. In case you missed it, NASCAR had to throw a caution every 10 laps because the tire Goodyear brought to Daytona kept falling apart. If you ran more than 11-12 laps on the tire, you were going to tear up the racecar. I couldn't believe what I was watching and I can only imagine the disappointment of the 250,000 fans who paid to watch one of NASCAR's premiere events.

Goodyear obviously brought a poor tire to Indy but the blame must fall on NASCAR who did not require mandatory testing at Indianapolis. The new COT has eaten tires at just about every track and to think it would be different at Indy is asinine. I don't think there's much NASCAR could do every the race started but there was plenty that could have happened before it began.

Oh well...I guess that's how things go sometimes. It was an embarassment for NASCAR and I'm sure they won't let it happen again. Given the choice, it was better to throw the cautions every 10 laps instead of letting everyone wreck trying to stretch it a whopping 11 laps. But I'm not sure there were any winners at Indy yesterday other than Jimmy Johnson. I know NASCAR and Goodyear definitely lost. As did the fans.

RIP Sophia Pitrillo

Estelle Getty passed away on Wednesday, July 22nd. Getty is best known for playing Sophia Pitrillo on the Golden Girls. I'm going to go out on a limb here and take a risk by admitting fully that I watched the Golden Girls. I watched it when they were on the air originally and I watched the reruns over and over again on Lifetime. And I enjoyed the Golden Girls.

The show was very funny and very well-written. And, by today's standards, very clean. Sure, there was some promiscuity by Blanche, played by Rue McClanahan, but that's about as bad as it got. The show won numerous awards over the years, including 11 Emmys in their 7 seasons. Not too shabby. It was a heckuva show really. And I just found out that Getty was actually younger than Bea Arthur. That's pretty amazing.

Anyway, Getty was also in Tootsie and Mannequin and she unfortunately co-starred with Sylvester Stallone in Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. Bad, bad movie. Thankfully, Getty will always be remembered as Sophia Pitrollo and not for playing Sylvester's mother. So, I leave you with a Golden Girls clip:

Al Gore Should Love Me

As I was leaving my home this morning I turned my thermostat up to like 78-degrees. And it occurred to me that environmentalists everywhere should be singing my praises. My thermostat rarely goes below 74-75 in the summer and rarely above 67-68 in the winter. When I'm not home, I set it to 78 or so in the summer and 65 or so in the winter. I'm making an effort. Of course saving a little money is a good motivator too.

In addition to that, I also save some gas by carpooling a bit to work. It's only one other person but that's one less vehicle on the road. One less car waiting gas. Isn't that the goal for environmentalists? I don't litter. I don't really pollute too much. I'm sure my "carbon footprint" is far less than that of Al Gore.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not an "environmentalist" or anything but I'm not against conserving or protecting the environment either. Honestly, who can be against the environment? Who hates trees or clean air? No one, that's who. But the likes of Al Gore try to vilify anyone who doesn't believe in extreme forms of conservation. It is no enough to just turn up the thermostat or save a little gas. You must turn off the air and walk or ride a bike. That is not realistic and is why so many people have a negative view of the green movement.

Honestly, everytime I hear Al Gore on one his rants, I feel like cranking the air down to 55 and letting my car idle in the parking lot. Instead of encouraging minor changes to make differences, the fringe of the green movement call for unncessary, wholesale changes that would greatly effect everyone's everyday lives. And expect us to make these sacrifices without making them themselves. And this pits people who do care about the environment against those who look at environmentalist as their sole concern in life.

It's a shame really because there is so much misinformation being thrown about by the likes of Al Gore. And it's a shame that he must try to guilt people into making changes that turn them completely against his cause. Everyone can make a difference but as long as environmentalist continue to act in the manner they are, most will continue to tune them out.

Random Stuff

• I really, really wanted Greg Norman to win the British Open. If you didn't watch any of the Open, you missed what appeared to be the most miserable golf tournament ever. In the past I've heard people complain about the conditions at the US Open but at least the wind isn't blowing 35+ MPH and it's 50-degrees. Of course, what can you do about weather?
• I watched the ESPY's last night. Could a network possibly suck up to one player more than they did to Brett Favre last night? Of coures, David Beckham wasn't far off either. Victoria Beckham looked miserable. As did I.
• Went and saw The Dark Knight over the weekend and it was actually good. The 2 1/2 hours went by relatively quickly which is very surprising considering I'm a clock watcher. I would actually recommend going to see the movie.
• Is Barack Obama the president? Really? Oh, I would he was already judging by the amount of press coverage he gets.

I think that's about it for the moment. Thought I should update and don't have enough material for an entire article. I guess I could make fun of Brett Favre some more but he's just making it too darn easy.

Oil Prices Even Out

A drop in oil prices is a big concern to many around the world this morning. Three consecutive days of sharp drops were only slightly negated by a rebound this morning, which was caused by some issues in Nigeria. With demand dropping, oil prices could easily collapse. And some countries are relying solely upon the high oil prices and the Americans who buy it to support their whole economy.

If oil prices don't rebound next week, I would expect to hear talk about production cutbacks. The simple fact is that many of these countries can't afford oil to cheapen. If there's even the slightest hint that they may be oversaturating the market, they will pullback immediately. Essentially what this means is that $3.50 - $4.00 gas is here to stay unless the United States completely revamps their energy policy. Which has turned more into a political issue than an actual problem that anyone wants to solve.

Of course if you listen to the rhetoric of the blowhard Al Gore, you would see that there is no compromise possible and the only energy policy the US can pursue is one in which everyone suffers. Suggesting we have a mere 10 years to come up with a carbon-free energy policy is ridiculous. But I would expect nothing less from Gore who claimed 3 years ago that the world only had 10 years left...but now he has 10 years to come up with a new energy policy. Yep, it's a shame we didn't elect that guy...

American Government - Provider to All

With the weekend announcement that the US Government is going to bail out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the United States took a huge leap towards a full-blown socialist society. For two centuries this country stood on the belief of free enterprise with a government that only stepped in to assist in the most dire of situations. Now the government has become the prime lender for millions of Americans who are relying on the government to pay their home loans and prop up the banks that made them.

The question is whether we can ever get back to where we were? The government used to make loans available at decent rates and expected the money to be repaid. Now it makes sure loans are available to middle class Americans for housing and education and supports the banks that make risky or bad loans. And this all falls on the backs of the American taxpayers.

For those that have missed it, the federal government is not only buying out the housing market fiasco but President Bush agreed in May to buy federally guaranteed student loans so banks would have more capital to continue lending. Why did the Bush Administration agree to puchase the loans? Because banks that made the loans were having problems selling the investments linked to those loans and, therefore, would be unable to make the next set of loans.

I'm not saying the government should stand by and watch the economy collapse but expanding government to prop up failing entities is not a solution that I like to see. For generations, the US has preached to the world the word of Capitalism. In Japan, Americans called for an end to their willingness to save failing banks and let the companies fail. Now when faced with the same problems, the American government won't allow these companies to fail.

Perhaps Fannie and Freddie are to big to allow to collapse. Perhaps if they fall, so does the American economy. But this is a mess that has been created by too much government meddling in hopes to increase home ownership and educational opportunities. Those opportunities can exist without government intervention but it wouldn't have been as easy. Well, let me ask now, how easy was it really?

Joe Cocker/Steve Miller Band

Headed up to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Saturday to see Joe Cocker and the Steve Miller Band perform. Wasn't exactly sure what to expect considering both performers are 64-years old and Joe Cocker hasn't had a hit since 1989 with "When the Night Comes" and Steve Miller's last hit was "Abracadabra" in 1982. Let me just say they certainly didn't disapoint though...

Joe Cocker played fora solid 70-minutes and sounded really good. His body contortions are nearly as dramatic as they were 30-years ago but he still makes some interesting gestures while he sings. And he ends nearly every song with a jump...which was interesting. The crowd went crazy when he did the grunt? in the middle of "With a Little Help From My Friends," which was the last song of his set. He came out and did a couple encore numbers. The band was pretty good and his backup singers/dancers were definitely up to par. He also had a very good saxophone player. It was a great show and I wasn't sure Steve Miller would be able to live up to it...

Steve Miller Band took the stage with "Swingtown," which was the theme for their entire set. They played all the classics Steve Miller songs like you would expect but they threw in three blues numbers, which were pretty awesome. The band just added Sonny Charles, formerly of the Checkmates, Ltd., who sang the blues songs, which included a Bo Diddley number. When Charles wasn't singing, he was an amazing dancer...

Steve Miller can still tear up a guitar, switching several times throughout the concert. The whole group sounded pretty awesome and they played for about 2-hours. They saved the best for the end when they played a 4-song encore set that included "Take the Money and Run" and "Jungle Love."

Overall, I thought it was pretty darn good. I think that was pretty much the concensus of all the people around us too. Steve Miller is putting the finishing touches on his blues album and hopes to have it released by the end of the year. Judging from what I heard on the stage, it might be worth a listen if you like that kind of thing. If not, you can still listen to the classic Miller and Cocker and enjoy it because it's still better than 98% of everything being released today. No doubt.

Thank You, Brett Favre

I couldn't script it any better for myself. A few months after Favre "retires," he asks for his unconditional release from the Packers so he can play football again. I said that I didn't believe his retirement back when it was first announced and Favre proves me right. And, in the process, holds the Packer organization hostage again. Oh, Princess Favre, welcome back!!!

Of course, Favre is counting on the Green Bay fans to pressure the organization into...releasing him? Nah, he wants the fans to create an uproar so the Packers will bring him back as the starter. But the Packers organization has finally stood up to the Princess and invited him back...as a backup quarterback. Let me be the first to say "LOL." The likelihood of Brett Favre agreeing to be the backup is about as likely as me being the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh next year. Possible...but not likely.

I can't wait to see how all this story plays out. This has to be the first time anyone in Green Bay has ever told Favre "no." I'm sure in his mind he already has been released and he's looking forward to starting with Tampa Bay or some other team next year. But I believe the Packers may actually stick to their guns on this one and force Favre's hand. Maybe Favre won't be playing next year after all...the funny thing is that it won't have been his choice at this point. Favre and Barry Bonds...forced retirement! (Let the hatemail begin...)

Be Careful Taking Days Off

Oh, poor Tim. Tim decided that he would like a couple days off work and left on Thursday for a short vacation. Of course this gave us just enough time to come up with a little office prank for Tim to come back to on Monday. After a little deliberation, we figured we needed to destroy some backup tapes anyway...what better place than Tim's office...

So, we setup a fan and attached the tape reels to the front of the fans. And, well, those fans certainly knew how to take care of a tape reel...

Looks innocent enough really. How much could 15-20 tapes really do? It would be funny to have everything covered in tape, right? Well, here's the end result...starting with opening the door like Tim will have to do on Monday...

I know I'm going to try my hardest to beat Tim into the office on Monday because I definitely want to see his reaction. I just hope he doesn't quit...that would be bad...

Rod Drops the Rope...Again

Much like being the coach at WVU, Rich Rodriguez ran when the going got tough in his $4 million dollar dispute with WVU. The university was uncovering more and more evidence that Rodriguez knew he would be required to pay the $4 million and that the University of Michigan was also aware of the buyout. And there was no disputing that Rodriguez knowingly signed the contract that he knew contained the buyout clause.

The argument that Rodriguez and Garrison reached some type of verbal agreement to lower or eliminate the buyout was lame. I'm not saying it isn't true that there was some type of conversation but for Rodriguez to believe a casual conversation with the President-to-be would void an contract is ignorant at best if not a complete fabrication.

The simple fact is that Rodriguez, his wife and his agent were all aware that the buyout was in place and the University of Michigan knew WVU would want to collect the money. UM and Rodriguez were hoping WVU would settle for less money like they did with John Beilein but the university would not back down after being stabbed in the back by Rodriguez.

This morning the Eric & Kevin Show said WVU should stipulate that Rodriguez must personally present the money to the university on one of those big checks like lottery winners get. I really, really like that idea. Seeing Rodriguez personally hand over the money would go a great way to helping Mountaineer fans finally move on from this whole fiasco. And while they might move on, don't expec them to ever forgive or forget. Even is Rodriguez does present a big check.

None of the Above?

I'm having a hard time coming to grips with the fact that I have to cast a vote for Barack Obama or John McCain for President. Out of the 300 million residents in this country (some of which are actually legal citizens), are these two really the best to lead this country? Out of all the people who would like to be president, these are the two we are going to have to choose between?

First, you have Barack Obama. This guy is the blank slate. He won't really take a stand on any issue but he's credited with the greatest ideas ever. He supposedly gives us "change we can believe in" while playing typical politics. Obama attacked the Clintons while claiming to be above the political fray. And it's become very obvious that the media isn't going to hold him to task for his political maneuvering. Obama allegedly stands for change. The only change I can see him making is to the tax code, and increasing taxes on everyone and growing the government. That's not change I want to see. But when he never gives details, what are you going to do?

On the other side you have John McCain, who has a spotty record at best. McCain is also a politics-as-usual kinda guy, despite his "straight talk." McCain has often followed the lead of the media when it comes to his position, which is what made him popular when he ran against Bush. The "finger in the air" approach isn't necessarily what I want from the next president. He's vowed to make tax cuts permanent but if the public turns, he may turn with them. On a positive note for McCain, he has at least unveiled from policy initiatives. But, going against a blank canvas like Obama, that may be a mistake.

Neither of these candidates inspire a lot of confidence in me which is why I have been pretty much avoiding politics over the past month. But the conventions are approaching rapidly and I'm slowly acquiescing to the fact that these are the choices. I'm not necessarily happy about it but there's not much more I can do about it at this point. Let the fun begin.

Arnel Pineda

If you haven't heard the new singer for Journey yet, you should give him a listen. Somewhere Steve Perry isn't very happy, I'm sure...

Fairmont's Father's Day Question

On July 5th, Central United Methodist Church will celebrate the 100th observance of the "First" Father's Day. For as long as I can remember, the City of Fairmont has declared itself the founder of Father's Day. And while you can argue that Fairmont may have celebrated the first Father's Day back in 1908, most do not credit Fairmont as the true birthplace of Father's Day but rather Spokane, Washington.

The real driving force behind the establishment of Father's Day was Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd, born in Creston, Washington. She was inspired by Anna Jarvis's efforts to establish Mother's Day. Although she initially suggested June 5, her father's birthday, she did not provide the organizers with enough time to make arrangements, and the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday of June. The first June Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, WA, at the Spokane YMCA.

Sure, this is a full two years after Fairmont celebrated the first Father's Day but all indications appear that the Fairmont Father's Day was but a small, local gathering while the movement was actually led by Mrs. Dodd. In 2001, during his annual Father's Day Proclamation, President Bush also credited Mrs. Dodd for being the driving force behind Father's Day. Most places that discuss the history of Father's Day also credit Dodd for the creation and note that Spokane is the founding location of Father's Day.

The argument can be made that Fairmont actually celebrated the first Father's Day but if no one believes it, then what makes the difference. It's probably too late to steal the crown from Spokane at this point. Unfortunately I was unable to find Coolidge's Father's Day Proclamation that made it a holiday in 1924 but I would be anxious to see if he credits Dodd. My guess is that it is far more likely Dodd is credited than Fairmont, if any such credit is given. Locally, we can continue to give credit to Fairmont but, matter of factly, most do not see it that way.